This article is from Revival Fires and Awakenings - 36 Visitations of the Holy Spirit by Mathew Backholer (2009) - chapter nineteen and is used by permission.

‘Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets’ Amos 3:7.

‘By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established’ 2 Corinthians 13:1.

Smith Wigglesworth’s Prophecy 1947
Smith Wigglesworth from Bradford, England was known as the “apostle of faith.” He moved in mighty signs and wonders and even raised people from the dead in Jesus’ mighty name. Shortly before he passed into glory he prophesied:

“During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the Church [the body of Christ] in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it, and will be characterised by the restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit. [This was the Charismatic Renewal which began in the late 1960s+].

“The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches. [I believe this those who have left the Church of England or other major denominations and started other churches (including house churches) which have a Charismatic or Pentecostal edge].

"In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say, ‘This is a great revival.’ But the Lord says, ‘No, neither is this the great revival but both are steps towards it.’

“When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidence in the churches of something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit. [I believe this is denominations with a rich theological heritage – notably the Church of England and others who allow the Holy Spirit more room within framework of their services and denominational structure – especially since the 1990s – e.g. Holy Trinity Brompton, London].

"When the word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest move of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed, the world have ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and Welsh Revivals of former years. The outpouring of God’s Spirit will flow over from the United Kingdom to mainland Europe, and from there, will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.”

Tommy Hicks Vision 1961
On the 25 July 1961, in the early hours of the morning, healing evangelist, Tommy Hicks from Lancaster, California, America received and end-time vision and revelation.

In total, he received this vision three times and the following is a brief summary: In this vision Hicks was above the earth looking down upon all the nations and people groups of the earth. Lightning flashed over the face of the earth. He saw a sleeping giant, covered by debris that was covering the earth. The giant gradually rose to life and stood up into the clouds, hands outstretched. Drops of liquid light rained down upon the earth and the giant began to melt into the earth itself and the earth became flooded with liquid light which turned out to be millions of people praising God.

A roar from heaven came and Jesus Himself appeared glistening in glorious white. He pointed forth His hand and liquid light flowed from Him to those of the nations. Many people accepted this anointing and went forth in Jesus’ name whilst others rejected it. Multitudes of people were healed as the power of God went forth to conquer. Sometimes this liquid light would fall on congregations who would burst forth into praise for vast periods of time. After this period of blessing destruction came from the north as God’s judgment was poured forth across the earth.

Jean Darnall’s Vision 1967
During 1967, American evangelist Jean Darnall (from the Four Square Gospel Church) on her first trip to England, en-route to Hong Kong, had the last of three reoccurring visions in different places. The third time she had the vision she was staying in the manse at St. Mary’s Church in Poole, Dorset, England and knew that God was trying to get her attention.

In these visions she was looking down upon the United Kingdom, having a birds-eye view of the British Isles. It is interesting to note that this church is next to Poole Hospital, a place of help with an accident and emergency department. Hospitals are a symbol of love, care and hope, a place to go to when you are in desperate physical need. The church also should have the same characteristics, (which caters for a persons spiritual need); our hope is in Jesus and when revival comes, multitudes will flock to a place of worship, whether in a traditional church building like St. Mary’s, a modern one or a house church etc., and in these places people will find peace and rest and be able to be healed from their infirmities of the past as they look to Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls.

In the vision: The British Isles were covered in mist, a green haze, and Jean saw lots of pinpoints of light piercing through. As she moved closer, they turned out to be fires breaking out all over the nation, from Scotland in the north, to Lands End in the south. As these God-lit fires were joined together, they burned brighter. As she continued to pray (not fully understanding what she had seen), she saw lightning and explosions of fire and then rivers of fire flowing from north to south, from Scotland, Ireland, Wales into England. Some of the streams of fire crossed the channel into Europe, whilst others stopped. These fires were pockets of people who had been made intensely hungry for the word of God and New Testament Christianity, those who read the book of Acts and wondered where is this happy church? Where is this love?

These people would come together to pray and extra meetings would have to be laid on to accommodate them all. Groups would be formed, prayer groups, Bible study groups, some would meet in churches others would be in homes, some converted others unconverted who would be searching and seeking.

In Britain, the method God would use is renewal in the churches. This would then spread outside the Church [the body of Christ] into the masses amongst the public, resulting in a public awakening. Jean went on to reveal how the Lord has promised her that He would raise up highly anointed preaching voices with signs following, who would be a gift to Britain.

Jean asked the Lord about the vision and had the distinct impression that there would be two moves of God. The first would be the renewal of Christian faith and fullness of the Holy Spirit within the Church. [This has been partially fulfilled due to the Charismatic Renewal].

The second would be a national awakening. The awakening was the lighting that came down and strikes the earth when preaching voices [those with an anointing] will be sent out from these islands [of Britain] to the other nations. This move of God being a national spiritual awakening would move into every level of the nation’s life; on the campuses, universities, colleges, schools etc., into the media, in the government.

The word ‘communicators’ was strongly laid upon Jean’s heart, and back then, was a word that was not trendy, like in the twenty-first century. The internet was not birthed until nearly three decades later in 1994 and Christian television first came to Britain via satellite in October 1995.

Jean continued that as the rivers of fire moved, it would produce powerfully gifted communicators who would address the nation through the media. Through the arts, through journalism, the radio, television, actors, singers, teachers, powerful communicators who have an extra anointing working through the media who will be the new warriors that the Lord is raising up for His army [the younger generation] to reach the heart of the people on the Continent. There would be so many conversions that it would actually change the character of the nation and determine the future move of God in Europe. Jean continued that there would not be a part of the nation’s life that will not feel the impact of the spiritual awakening when God releases it to the country.

These communicators will be excellent in all that they do and will go into Europe and meet those of like quality, in training and abilities and together they will work to release God’s word speedily into Europe, which results in another wave of a spiritual awakening into Europe. Jean went on to say that the media ministry will be over the heads [not negative] of those who are involved in ministries of mercy [helping the poor etc.] on the ground. There would be communicators in government and within the educational system and wherever people are speaking [up] for others.

The vision of 1967 came at the time of the early Charismatic Renewal. Jean, alongside her husband stayed in Britain for over two decades and she still anticipates the fulfillment of her vision. On numerous occasions she has shared her vision in churches and conferences across Britain. The Lakeland Outpouring (2008) was aired on God TV and was watched on webcasts. It resulted in God TV receiving 45,000 emails and their viewer ratings rose rapidly. For the first time it showed the power of Christian media coupled with a move of God.

Michael Backholer’s Vision 1989
In June 1989, a dedicated Christian of but five years was on his first short-term mission to Scotland. Michael Backholer was at North Queensferry, very early one morning, having been wakened by the Lord. He walked down near the water and was looking up at the majestic Forth Bridge, when the Lord said, “I had these bridges [one is for trains and the other for vehicles] built for the same reason the Roman roads were built – for the spread of My gospel.”

Suddenly as Michael looked up, he saw flames of fire appearing hundreds of feet high, flowing across the bridge from north to south. In astonishment he said, “What is it Lord?” having never received a vision before. “It’s flames of revival, I’m going to send revival and it will start in the north and flow south” replied the Lord. “When will it come?” asked Michael, “Very soon,” said the Lord.

Michael Backholer shares this vision of revival, on Christian television, which was recreated by ByFaith Media - ByFaith ‘A Journey of Discipleship,’ episode 2, Revival in Britain which was first aired in 2006.

‘Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets’ Amos 3:7.

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He not said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19.

Understanding Prophecy and Visions
We live in a 24/7 age where people get bored waiting for the kettle to boil. The Church, set into this culture can find itself with this ‘instant’ attitude. We are often in danger of forgetting the visions and prophecies of the past, because they did not come to pass in our ‘suitable’ time frame. We do forget that Malachi prophesied that the Lord was coming soon, and four hundred years later He did come!

Now, no-one believes we have to wait that long for these words to be fulfilled, but maybe God is waiting for us to take Him at His word and seek Him today, for the fulfilment of the promises that He has been making for more than two generations!?

Some Christians and their churches gave up on prophecy because it did not happen within a certain time frame. It is a good job that Abraham believed God that Isaac would be born, though he did try to make it work on his own - Ishmael. What about the prophecies in your church? Have you forgotten them? Did God change His mind or is He waiting for you? Is their some sins of commission or some sins of omission?

Dr. Horatius Bonar said, “Every Christian has a work to do which no other Christian can do for him, and which if not done by himself will not be done at all.”

Charles H. Spurgeon’s Challenge
On the 17 July 1859, Charles H. Spurgeon was at the Surrey Music Hall, London, England. He preached on the text, ‘We have heard with our ears O God, our fathers have told us, what deeds you did in their days, in days of old’ (Psalm 44:1).

C. H. Spurgeon was recalling various revivals from church history, such as the British Great Awakening under Wesley, Whitefield and Grimshaw, the 1857 Prayer Meeting Revival and the 1859 revival at Belfast, Ireland and said, “Has God changed? Is He not an immutable God, the same yesterday, today and forever? Does not that furnish an argument to prove that what God has done at one time He can do at another? Nay, I think I may push it a little further and say what He has done once, is a prophecy of what He intends to do again – that the mighty works which have been accomplished in the olden time shall all be repeated and the Lord’s song shall be sung again in Zion and He shall again be glorified.

"Others among you say, “…We are not to expect them every day.” That is the very reason why we do not get them. If we had learnt to expect them, we should no doubt obtain them, but we put them up on the shelf, as being out of the common order of our moderate religion, as being the curiosities of Scriptures history. We imagine such things, however true, to be prodigies of providence; we cannot imagine them to be according to the ordinary working of His mighty power. I beseech you, my friends, abjure that idea [and] put it out of your mind.

"Whatever God has done in converting sinners is looked upon as a precedent, for ‘His arm is not shortened that He cannot save, not is His ear heavy that He cannot hear.’ Let us…with earnestness seek that God would restore to us the faith of men of old, that we may richly enjoy His grace as in the days of old.”

Evan Roberts of the Welsh Revival said, “Vision is as desirable a gift as faith. I have seen men who have had great faith, but who have never exercised it because of their lack of vision. I have seen others who had vision, but who never responded because of their lack of faith.”

Used by Permission from Revival Fires and Awakenings - 36 Visitations of the Holy Spirit by Mathew Backholer (2009) - Chapter Nineteen.
Chapter Twenty Prophecies for the United Kingdom

Recommended Books:
Global Revival - Worldwide Outpourings - 43 Visitations of the Holy Spirit

Revival Fire - 150 Years of Revivals - Spiritual Awakenings and Moves of the Holy Spirit

Understanding Revival and Addressing the Issues it Provokes


Recommended DVD:
Great Christian Revivals - DVD


Revival Related Scriptures
‘If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land’ (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Thus says the Lord: “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants and My blessing on your offspring” (Isaiah 44:3).

‘O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do it for Your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against You’ (Jeremiah 14:7).