The "Jerusalem of the East" Revival 100 Years Later
"In 1907, Pyongyang became known as the 'Jerusalem of the East.' Thousands repented publicly...prayers of repentance swept across the Korean Peninsula. People walked hundreds of miles to attend revival meetings."
(Seoul, South Korea)?"On January 14, 1907, a group of Korean Christians and Western missionaries met in Pyongyang for a Bible study in a church on the outskirts of the city. Halfway through, God began to move...."
...So wrote George Thomas in a special report for Christian World News:
One by one, the men confessed their sins to each other?sins of racial prejudice, hate, anger, and jealousy. Bang said, "They knew that nothing was impossible with God, and so they called on Him for forgiveness."
God answered and revival broke out. In the ensuing months, thousands repented publicly, including elders of churches and foreign missionaries serving in Korea.
"And out of that, they say, they think came the work of the Spirit that finally broke out as at Pentecost," Prof. Samuel H. Moffett, son of a missionary to Korea, told George Thomas.
Thus began the Great Pyongyang Revival of 1907. "In 1907, Pyongyang became known as the 'Jerusalem of the East,'" Bang said.
Thomas went on to report, "Churches sprouted up everywhere, and they grew fast. "The prayers of repentance swept across the Korean Peninsula. People walked hundreds of miles to attend revival meetings."
"In other words, the spiritual change was a repentance movement. Believers confessed their sins and were born again," Pastor Han Hum Oak, from the Korean National Association of Christian Pastors, said. "They even apologized to non-believers who they were at odds with."
The revival lasted some 40 years touching all levels of society including those in political power, said Thomas.
Even North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Il was exposed to Christianity. His grandparents were active members of a Protestant church....
To read this full account, follow the link.
