William J. Seymour (workoutyourfaith.org)
Kent Christmas’ statements at The Return introduced many who watched this event to the promise of a coming great revival (specifically stated as 2021 to 2024) that will be the fulfilment of William Seymour’s Azusa Street prophecy.
William J. Seymour was a leader of the Azusa Street Revival that started on April 9, 1906 and continued into 1915. It was centered upon a building (referred to as a ‘tumble down shack’) used for ministry at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. It was here that the baptism of the Holy Spirit began to pour out on believers with gifts of the Spirit made manifest. Speaking in tongues was a common sign of the move of the Holy Spirit at Azusa Street (Mcgee).
The desire for revival in America can be traced to the news of a powerful revival that occurred in Wales from September 1904 to June 1905, with 100,000 people becoming Christians. Many began to see this time as part of the last days outpouring of the latter rain promised in the book of Joel (Mcgee).
William Seymour was the son of former slaves who was raised in Centerville, Louisiana. After a move to Houston, Brother Seymour encountered the Apostolic Faith movement – known as the Pentecostal movement today. During the course of Bible study, Seymour embraced the Acts account of baptism of the Holy Spirit and idea that God would grant new languages (speaking in tongues) to believers as part of their evangelic mission. William Seymour relocated to Los Angeles in 1906 after he was asked to lead a small body of believers in that city. As they struggled to find adequate ministry space, evidence of the Holy Spirit continued to manifest in the small community. Soon William Seymour’s Apostolic Faith Mission was established at the debilitated building on Azusa Street and the movement of the Holy Spirit began to grow (Mcgee).
The Spirit-filled worship at Azusa Street made headlines. In fact, the first newspaper report (Los Angeles Daily Times) of this strange new religious service included references to a ‘weird babel of tongues’ and stated that a ‘new sect of fanatics is breaking loose.’ In an odd turn of events, this first report of the Azusa Street Revival occurred on April 18, 1906 – the very same day as the most destructive earthquake in U.S history – the 8.3 San Fransisco Earthquake (Cauchi).
The Azusa Street Revival saw people travel from across the country – and around the world – to come and experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The amazing spirit of unity in the congregation was tangible, as African-Americans, Latinos, and whites gathered together as one body. The outpouring of the Spirit and speaking in tongues was addressed in the publication Apostolic Faith: “God is solving the missionary problem, sending out new-tongued missionaries on the apostolic faith line, without purse or scrip, and the Lord is going before them preparing the way.” A Baptist preacher who visited Azusa Street stated, “The Holy Spirit fell upon me and filled me literally, as it seemed to lift me up, for indeed, I was in the air in an instant, shouting, ‘Praise God,’ and instantly I began to speak in another language. I could not have been more surprised if at the same moment someone had handed me a million dollars.” (Mcgee)
Los Angeles Daily Times April 18, 1906 (newspapers.com)
Many baptized by the Spirit at Azusa Street would soon enter the mission field and head to nations around the world (Liardon). The Azusa Street revival became a defining moment in Christianity and witnessed the start of the modern-day Pentecostal movement.
William Seymour would pass away on September 28, 1922 – but he would leave us not only the legacy of a great revival, but also with a prophetic word. As the revival neared its end (1909 to 1910), William Seymour prophesied that one hundred years later we would see another great revival that would be far greater than the outpouring of the Spirit that occurred at Azusa Street.
If we look for a revival one hundred years from 1910, we might be disappointed. But it is interesting that we may see fulfilment of prophecy if we add one hundred years to 1922, the year William Seymour passed away…which would bring us to 2022. This certainly puts us in the revival window that Kent Christmas prophesied as occurring from 2021 to 2024.
If we look for just one indicator of revival, Mario Murillo’s tent ministry is a good place to start, as he has reported the occurrence of a great movement of God.
California Evangelist Mario Murillo has been in ministry for over fifty years from his days in the Jesus Movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. But it was in 2014 that he had a dream about the 400-mile Highway 99 in California’s Central Valley – the highway that connects some of California’s poorest cities. In his dream, he saw Highway 99 stretching from Bakersfield to Red Bluff and the watched as it turned into a river with trees popping up on the banks. Mario Murillo reports that he then heard a voice say “This highway shall be a corridor of My glory” (MMMinistires).
Five years after this in 2019 Mario Murillo Ministries was given an 8,000 sq ft tent and a thousand chairs, and he soon realized he was to start tent crusades. He started at the bottom of Highway 99 and began working his way north. In 2019 the crusade traveled from Marysville to Paradise to Stockton to Dinuba, Hanford and then concluded in Fresno – with crowds growing as the days went on. Dinuba in 2019 was the first time the tent overflowed. These crusades became known as “Living Proof” as the gospel message received confirmation through miraculous healings (MMMinistires) (Kilpatrick).
In 2020, the crusades continued as the ministry visited Chico, Roseville, Modesto, Fresno and Bakersfield. By 2021 they had outgrown the current tent and moved to a new 16,800 sq ft tent. Also, in 2021 they reached what they viewed as the culmination, when the ministry went to Sacramento, the state capital. As the journey up and down the Highway 99 corridor continued in 2021, Mario Murillo reported that “God just warned us that this was only the beginning of the harvest” (MMMinistries, 2021).
Mario Murillo brought his tent revival to Batavia, NY from October 3 – 6. 2021 and the response was so dramatic that he reported a documentary would be made. There were more than 3,000 attendees per night with people were from at least 16 states represented (Beck J. ). The Living Proof crusades continued through 2022, with events in other states as well as continuing along the Highway 99 corridor.
Then, in February of 2023, the astonishing ‘Asbury Revival’ began at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky.
This event attracted national attention as students began experiencing an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It was reported that this began with a chapel service on February 8th that simply did not end—and would continue for weeks. It would end up attracting people from across the country and even around the world. The university finally brought an end to this event on February 24th. It remains to be seen what will occur in the wake of the Asbury Rival, as well as ministries like Mario Murillo’s Living Proof crusades.
However, we should also recognize that all of this is occurring against the rising tide of darkness that is sweeping over America. Mario has even commented on a growing sense of despair in believers over the state of revival, given the direction of the nation.
Regardless, as believers we hold onto the promise that before the coming of the day of the Lord, we know that the Lord will pour out His spirit one final time:
Joel 2:28-29 “And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
It may be that we are indeed seeing a revival movement—even if it is still in its infancy—and that it is possible that in our time we are also witnessing the fulfillment of William Seymour’s one-hundred-year prophecy.
Only time will tell.
But it is also important to examine another prophecy specific to our time—regarding an asteroid called ‘Apophis’.
Next – Chapter 21: Apophis
