Timeline for the Welsh revival 1904-1905
Preface
This blogpost is a continuation of the blogposts I have written about the Welsh revival on this blog, here and on my former blog "Forest Man", here.
The blogpost is based partly upon 1) the following article:"Timeline of the Background to 1904-5 Welsh Revival Version 2.3", July 2004 by John Hayward (the article is too long, I try to concentrate it and complement it below), 2) the Swedish book "Himlen rämnar" by the pentecostal Sven Forsberg, from 1953, and 3) the chapter on Evan Roberts in pentecostal Roberts Liardon's book "God's generals", 1996)
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The Welsh revival 1904-1905 is perhaps history's greatest and strongest revival next to the pentecost of the Apostles. The revival had a long prehistory. It started as a praying revival (like all revivals do), already during the summer 1903. If we count with the prayers, if the spirit of prayer is revival, then the revival started one and a half year earlier than autumn 1904, which is the official starting point of the revival among church historians. And if we only count big feelings and sensation, the revival started with the young girl Florrie Evans' confession on February 14th 1904 (see below on that date).
Here are the most important events in the revival, focusing on the events that led up to the revival:
Somewhere Between 1900 and 1902:
-"Evan Roberts has an experience of being face to face with God and going into trance like states in public" (Hayward).
July (Approx) 1903:
-"A Baptist Church at Penydarran near Merthyr starts a season of blessing where many people seek a deeper spiritual life, inspired by their pastor Owen M. Owen. Meetings take place where many are overwhelmed by the Spirit and the presence of God. A number are converted" (Hayward)
August 1903:
-The holiness preacher F.B. Meyer (1847–1929), who played an important part in the beginnings of the Welsh revival, held Keswick meetings in Wales in 1903 at which Evan Roberts, among others, pledged to spend at least one day a month praying for revival (source: this Wikipedia-article).
-John Hayward says about the convention the following: "The First Keswick in Wales at Llandrindod – brought into being by Jessie Penn-Lewis, Rev J. Rhys Davies and local minister HD Phillips. FB Meyer spoke. Attended by Keri Evans; Probably WS Jones; RB Jones; O Owen (Merthyr); Seth Joshua who is much blessed. About 12 ministers attend and there are doubts about the teaching and the effect attendance might have on their careers. RB Jones is greatly affected and receives a great experience of the power of the Holy Spirit, through faith, but not without some struggle. Someone returning from the convention said this was the moment to awaken prayer for Wales, and that a revival would soon be witnessed."
Summer 1903:
"Young people in Pencoed start to pray regularly on a mountain top for power from on high. Large crowds join them" (Hayward)
December 1903:
-"In December 1903 Evan Roberts knew in his heart that God had planned a great revival for Wales" (Roberts Liardon)
1903/4:
-"WS Jones invites young ministers to form a covenant of prayer (for revival) in various centres in Wales." (Hayward)
Nov/Jan 1903/4:
-Joseph Jenkins, an important progenitor of the Welsh revival, "wrestles with God for a blessing. He is clothed with power from on high, enshrouded by a blue flame and enjoys communion with God. Afterwards he finds he can preach with freedom and authority." (Hayward)
7th Feb 1904 Sunday Evening:
"Sunday Evening service at New Quay. Florrie Evans (1) leaves, following Jenkins home and asking his counsel. She says “…The matter of my soul is almost killing me…”. After some conversation Jenkins asks her “Can you say ‘`My Lord’ to Jesus Christ?”. She replies “No, I understand it but cannot say it”. Jenkins advises her to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ over her and submit to the leading of the Spirit (at her home). Jenkins had preached on “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith”. Jenkins thinks she is saved but as yet unwilling to yield entirely to Christ in case he asks something difficult." (Hayward)
(1) A young girl in her fifteens. Wikipedia has an article about her, here.
14th Feb 1904 – “Following Sunday Morning”:
"In the after-meeting (the Young Endeavourers) Florrie Evans makes her public confession. After the papers are read Jenkins introduces a new feature, at the prompting of the Spirit and asks for people to relate their spiritual experiences, remarking how scarce they were. Several try to speak on different subjects but Jenkins does not allow it. Jenkins asks the young people “What does Jesus Christ mean to you?”. Someone answers, “He is the hope of the world.” Jenkins asks again emphasising “to you”. Florrie slowly replies “ I love Jesus Christ with all my heart.” Florrie has been converted only a few days. The whole meeting is reduced to tears. “Thank you” said Jenkins, “You have given the meeting a lift”. Florrie replies “Don’t thank me but the Holy Spirit. I was forced to say it..” " (Hayward)
Florrie later "becomes known for her visions and prophecies" (Hayward)
Spring 1904:
During a period during spring 1904 Evan Roberts is awakened every night by God to experience a wonderful fellowship with him, like he visited heaven. He then used to pray for four hours, going to sleep by five and sleeping for four hours, and then pray from nine to tvelwe (source: Liardon).
June 19th, 20th 1904:
"Preaching festival at Ponciau, near Rhosllanerchrugog sees the power of the Holy Spirit reminding older members of the 1859 revival. There is much conviction of sin and congregations lose consciousness of time and place." (Hayward)
August 1904:
-"Second Llandrindod “Keswick” convention (in Wales, my remark). Speakers: FB Meyer, AT Pierson; Evan Hopkin, Jessie Penn-Lewis. Attended: Seth Joshua, who has serious misgivings; D Evans (Hermon Bridgend). Many people and ministers “fully surrender to the lordship of Christ and receive the baptism with the spirit”.
-RA Torrey holds a mission in Cardiff where many are saved. Torrey preaches the need to be baptised with Spirit to give power for service." (Hayward)
September 29, 1904:
-Evan Roberts attends a meeting by Seth Joshua, where Joshua and he prays the legendary prayer "Bend me, bend me, bend us", and is filled with the Holy Spirit, otherwordly peace and joy, God reveals his love to him. After this experience Evan feels ready to become God's messenger (source: Roberts Liardon and Forsberg).
-Evan Roberts begins to attend a theological seminary, a preacher seminary in Newcastle Emlyn.
October 1904:
-Evan Roberts gets his first vision. He saw an arm which reached from the moon down to Wales. Before that he had for a time prayed fervently to God to let hundred thousand souls in Wales enter God's kingdom (1), and this vision was his prayer answer (source: Roberts Liardon).
(1) Hayward relates it in this way: October 6th 1904: "Revival meeting at Twrgwyn, 5 miles from Newcastle Emlyn. Led by Joseph Jenkins the subject was “How to Win Souls for Christ and Joy of his Religion”. The meeting lasts four hours, finishing at 10:15pm. On the way home Roberts first suggests the idea to Sidney Evans of 100,000 converts: ‘Do you think,’ he says to Evans, ‘that it is too much to ask God to save one hundred thousand in Wales?’ ‘No,’ was the answer, ‘it would not be too much to ask Him to save Wales and the world.’ ‘Well,’ Roberts replies, ‘we must go at it earnestly.’"
About the vision Hayward says the following: "Evans Roberts had been out walking in the garden of Ty Llwyd and comes back to the bedroom and wakes up Sidney who sees Robert’s face glowing. Roberts says “Sid I have got a wonderful new for you. I had a vision of all Wales lifted up to heaven. We are going to see the mightiest revival that Wales has ever known – and the Holy Spirit is coming just now. We must get ready. We must have a little band and go over all the country preaching”. “Do you believe that God can give us 100,000 souls now?” They were looking at the moon and both see a vision of an arm stretching from it down to Earth. This they take as confirmation of the 100,000 souls saved that they have been praying for."
Some time in October:
"Roberts has later visions of an arm stretching to Earth – sometimes holding a piece of paper with 100,000 written on it." (Hayward)
30.10.1904:
-Evan Roberts' last day at the seminary.
31.10.1904:
-Evan Roberts begins, at once when he leaves the seminary, a little series of meetings in his hometown Loughor, which grew into a big revival, which transformed society completely. The meetings could last to four o'clock in the night.
10.11.1904:
-Already on November 10, 1904, there was in the newspaper Western Mail in Cardiff a little report about the revival, which in all its brevity awakened the attention of people and at once put the revival meetings in the spotlight. (Source: Forsberg)
December 1904:
-"In the newspaper "The Liverpool Daily Post" there was reported in December 1904 that since the revival broke out, no one had there been arrested by the police for drunkenness." (Forsberg)
31.1.1905:
-Pastor Peter Price from Dowlais in Wales, attacks the revival in an article in Western Mail.
-Many people thought Evan Roberts had gone insane.
In the end of January, 1905:
-Evan Roberts decides to consecrate one day every week for rest. He did not succed in following this decision.
April 1905:
-In Liverpool, in a meeting with Evan Roberts, 211 persons are saved (Forsberg).
Summer 1905:
About 100 000 souls had been saved in the revival (see this article) from November 1904 up to August 1905.
7. 8. 1905:
Frank Bartleman (1871 – 1936), one of the greatest pioneers of the Azusa Street revival in 1906 that started the Pentecostal revival, gets an answer from Evan Roberts on his letter to him on this date (see this article). This article documents very thoroughly the fact that the maybe greatest inspiration of the Azusa Street revival was in fact the Welsh revival.
January 1906:
-Evan Roberts interrupts his preaching travels to rest, and writes a letter where he says that he is completely exhausted (Forsberg).
In the end of mars 1906:
-Evan is invited to rest in the house of the holiness preacher Jessie Penn-Lewis ( 1861 – 1927, who had followed the Welsh revival closely, and also preached at the Welsh Keswick konvention 1903. Evan is a broken man, and even if he regained his bodily strength, he was not able to continue with any meetings. He abided in silence until his death on January 29, 1951 (Forsberg).
April 9, 1906:
The Welsh revival spreads to North America through Joseph Smale from Los Angeles, who visited Wales and there was baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Pentecostal revival begins, a revival that becomes global. It all started in Wales, and Joseph Smale is called "God's Moses for Pentacostalism" (see this book). This article writes the following about Smale:
"The news of the Wales revival piqued the interest of Joseph Smale, pastor of First Baptist Church in Los Angeles. He traveled to Wales to see the revival firsthand. After returning home and telling his congregation about the revival, he wrote that “fully two hundred of them came out of their seats and wept in penitence before the Lord.” Smale began holding daily services both in the afternoons and evenings, and continued to hammer away at the need for revival in Los Angeles and America. Church members then sought earnestly for the power of the Holy Spirit and His gifts."
Summer 1906:
"The critical point in the fall of Evan Roberts occurred when he returned to northern Wales during the summer 1906. He was asked if he wanted to parttake in a Keswick-like eastern meeting for pastors and church leaders. It was there Evan spoke about what he called his "new burden", which was identification with Christ through suffering. Soon after he got extremely overwrought and broke down again." (Roberts Liardon)
This is an example of the fact that the Welsh revival was very deeply rooted in the Holiness Movement. Only in this movement, in the whole world of evangelical, free churches at that time, they spoke like that. This was especially an important theme in Jessie Penn-Lewis' teachings.
1912:
Evan Roberts and Jessie Penn-Lewis publish together the book "War on the saints", which is a thorough deal with the revival, and the demonic influences that Penn-Lewis and Roberts had discovered in the revival.
15 April 1912:
At around the same times when the book "War on the saints" had been completed, Titanic sank in the Atlantic ocean. It was like a synchronicity, because Titanic was the pride of Satan and the demons. The sinking of Titanic was like a prophecy about the fall of Satan and Babylon, and I think this fall will happen about 120 years after Titanics sinking, during the period 2032-2045. I think (or actually hope) that the Rapture will happen 120 years after the start of the Welsh revival, around 2024. 120 years is a very, very prophetic and biblical number, full of symbolism. Soon we are entering the times when it has passed exactly 120 years since the Welsh revival started. It will be an interesting time. The great apostasy will just get bigger and bigger, I think.
After the book "War on the saints" we never heard from Evan Roberts any more from any pulpit. He went into the big silence (he wrote, though), to be prepared for bigger things than outward success.
