God's Generals Series - Evan Roberts — Transcript
Full transcript
- 0:01[Music]
- 0:08brothels closed down the police force
- 0:11was laid off because crime lips alone
- 0:13Bible sales skyrocketed throughout the
- 0:15nation this is the story the wealth
- 0:17revival and its leader Evan Roberts I'm
- 0:19Roberts Larry and this is God's generals
- 0:21[Music]
- 0:30[Applause]
- 0:35the evangelicals and the Pentecostal
- 0:38movements have all valued the great
- 0:40story the wealth revival it is one of
- 0:42the most exciting revivals that I have
- 0:44read about and studied in all of my
- 0:45years of reading all the great leaders
- 0:47and the revival movements and that's
- 0:49what we're going to talk about today is
- 0:51how God chose a young man named Evan
- 0:53Roberts he was in his 20s when God chose
- 0:56him so you don't have to be a doctor of
- 0:57theology or have all the experience that
- 1:00come from the right type of family you
- 1:01have to just have the right heart and
- 1:03God will use you and many of you have
- 1:06the right heart but sometimes you've
- 1:07heard well you don't have this education
- 1:09it come from that church that means
- 1:11nothing God responds to the heart
- 1:13condition of a man or of a woman Evan
- 1:16Roberts was born wails his family worked
- 1:18in the coal mines like he did as a young
- 1:20man himself he was known as he'd go into
- 1:22the coal mines he'll back in those days
- 1:24there was no child labor law so children
- 1:27and teenagers worked like adult men
- 1:29worked in the mines and so he would
- 1:31carry his Bible with him and go down
- 1:33into the mines and during their breaks
- 1:34they would he would read the scriptures
- 1:36and during the lunch time he'd read his
- 1:37scriptures and he made a little place in
- 1:40the wall of the mine and left his Bible
- 1:42in there sometimes at one time there was
- 1:44an explosion and the explosion burnt the
- 1:46pages of his Bible and became the famous
- 1:48courts Bible they would use throughout
- 1:50his life and throughout the revival of
- 1:51to come so Evan Roberts to look at his
- 1:54life is very interesting his family was
- 1:57Christian and so they grew up teaching
- 2:00him the Bible stories and going to
- 2:01church but Evan Roberts took it a step
- 2:04further he seemed to have a personal
- 2:07relationship with God that he don't have
- 2:08to come by the pastor of biiss parents
- 2:10he had it one for himself and it was so
- 2:13intense at times people would notice him
- 2:15walking down the roads to going to
- 2:16school or going home or going to the
- 2:18store and he would just stop on the side
- 2:20of the road and he would just talk to
- 2:22himself like he was talking to the air
- 2:24and folks walking by or in horse and
- 2:26buggy or some of the early cars with
- 2:28many horse and buggy they would look at
- 2:30this young man you know talking to
- 2:32himself and they thought there was
- 2:33something wrong with him
- 2:34so his parents had him taken to a
- 2:36special doctor to sign out if there was
- 2:38and the doctor came back and said that
- 2:40Evan Roberts had a religious fixation
- 2:42about him that he would grow out of it
- 2:44in time well I don't think his religious
- 2:46fixation
- 2:48have her stop it grew bigger and bigger
- 2:49and bigger and I don't think they should
- 2:51have thought there was a problem because
- 2:53of young men stopping and talking to God
- 2:55if young men would talk to God more they
- 2:57would not be talking to the wrong people
- 2:58so Evan Roberts is also a young man that
- 3:01influenced his friends and I think when
- 3:04you stood the life of him such as early
- 3:06years his friendships are important to
- 3:08consider we're all influenced by who we
- 3:11hang around who we talk with who we are
- 3:14asking questions of and their reactions
- 3:17to our conversations and our activities
- 3:19and Evan Roberts was one of those if you
- 3:21couldn't find him at school it couldn't
- 3:23find him at home you might find him
- 3:26playing sports with his friend but most
- 3:27likely you would find him at church or
- 3:30doing some around his home church of
- 3:32Moriah Chapel and so he was off at a
- 3:34revival meeting and one of his friends
- 3:37had gone with him to attend this meeting
- 3:39and there was time for them to pray and
- 3:41so they all got on their knees by the
- 3:43Pew where they're at and some walk
- 3:45forward to the front of the church as
- 3:46the service is coming to an end in those
- 3:48days people were invited to come to the
- 3:50altar and pray and that's how they would
- 3:52end the service in our days we usually
- 3:54sing with a happy song and we leave with
- 3:56a shout and we leave the service that we
- 3:57in those days they actually prayed the
- 3:59end of the service and Evan Roberts
- 4:01knelt down and the Spirit of God came on
- 4:03him and spoke to him and showed him that
- 4:06there was coming a great revival to
- 4:08Wales and he was going to be a part of
- 4:10that great revival and in this vision
- 4:13and this visitation God said to him that
- 4:15over a hundred thousand souls would come
- 4:17them in a short amount of time so when
- 4:19this vision in that he came out of it
- 4:21and he turned to his friend and said do
- 4:24you believe that God can give us a
- 4:25hundred thousand souls in Wales and his
- 4:27friend said yes now to me I'm so glad
- 4:30they had a friend they went yes what
- 4:32would your friends say would your
- 4:34friends say I don't think so and give
- 4:35you all the reasons why this cannot
- 4:37happen it reminds me in the scriptures
- 4:39about Daniel and his three friends when
- 4:41the king was gonna kill all the wise
- 4:43women because they couldn't interpret
- 4:44his dream then Daniel said give me some
- 4:47time he leaves the king's throne room
- 4:49and goes to his friends and says we've
- 4:51got to pray and all of them get together
- 4:52and pray and get an answer thank God
- 4:55that we can have those kind of friends
- 4:56and Evan Roberts did too he goes back to
- 4:59his home church of Moriah Chapel
- 5:01ask the pastor he could have a youth
- 5:03being after the Sunday morning service
- 5:05well mainly adults showed up and wanted
- 5:07to youth showed up and in this youth
- 5:09meeting of about 14 people he expressed
- 5:13what God had said to him and he prayed
- 5:15this famous prayer Oh Lord Bendis Bendis
- 5:18Oh Lord and that was the prayer that
- 5:20begin to ignite the Spirit of God in the
- 5:23heart of man in Wales and from this
- 5:25little bit of revival service or this
- 5:27little youth leading sprung the revival
- 5:29meetings and it began to grow it begin
- 5:31to increase - it affected the nations
- 5:33and now a hundred and some years later
- 5:35we still admire it we still love it I've
- 5:38always enjoyed reading about what
- 5:40happened in the ritual of survival what
- 5:42went right what went wrong the Welsh
- 5:45River will begin as I said in a youth V
- 5:47MRI Chapel and thank God the pastor who
- 5:51was not one of those that was scared to
- 5:52give one of his young men an opportunity
- 5:54to share his heart and when he
- 5:56recognized that God was doing something
- 5:58to support it so many ministers a day
- 6:00control so much that it would take an
- 6:03act of Congress as my promise to say for
- 6:04God to get through the door of the
- 6:05church but at least in Mariah Chapel on
- 6:07this time period in the early 1900's the
- 6:10pastor said yes to Evan Roberts and the
- 6:13revival begin to start when the
- 6:15testimonies begin to roll the crowds
- 6:16begin to come and fill up because they
- 6:19heard about a promise that God was going
- 6:21to visit little nation of Wales and as
- 6:23it began to spark and begin to happen
- 6:25all groups young and old came and they
- 6:28becoming to a service and here's how the
- 6:30revival meetings were like they were
- 6:32conducted this way Evan Roberts was not
- 6:34really wanting to be the star he said
- 6:37there about himself I want to be the
- 6:39window that you look through to see God
- 6:40don't look at me look through me or a
- 6:43look at who I'm pointing at so one of
- 6:45his great characteristics that helped
- 6:47the beginning of the revival which also
- 6:48became a weakness of a revival is he
- 6:51didn't want to be the great star of it
- 6:53but yet you need to be a leader of it
- 6:55and so there's a great walk so you have
- 6:57to have between not wanting to be the
- 6:59star but yet still taking the position
- 7:01that God gave you Navan Roberts found
- 7:03that in the beginning and begin to be
- 7:06used to become a catalyst of the great
- 7:09flow of the Spirit when even come to the
- 7:12service he made preach he may not preach
- 7:14he
- 7:15sit on the side of the platform or you'd
- 7:17be off in the pastor's office off the
- 7:19side of the of the auditorium space and
- 7:22the crowd would fill up sometimes
- 7:24outside the the doors onto the sidewalks
- 7:27they'd open the windows of the chapel's
- 7:28and so the folks outside could hear and
- 7:31they become and they would sit quietly
- 7:33and then there would be little weepings
- 7:35or crimes or little rumble of people
- 7:38praying and they were not always waiting
- 7:40for Evan to show up even though that was
- 7:42in the room but the people came already
- 7:45prepared to talk to God with themselves
- 7:47and at times there become loud weepings
- 7:50and crimes and then there would come
- 7:52people who distend up and start singing
- 7:54songs that they knew or songs out of
- 7:56their spirit other times they would
- 7:58stand up two or three and sing songs
- 7:59together and so there was a lot of
- 8:01freedom in the Welsh revival to allow
- 8:04the people to respond to the unction and
- 8:06the smoth annuity of the spirit as it
- 8:08came on them and move through them if
- 8:10Evan Roberts would come into the room
- 8:12like I said he would sit here
- 8:14he made grace the pulpit and stand up
- 8:16there and talk for five minutes for 10
- 8:19minutes he was not a very long-winded
- 8:21preacher he may not preach at all he may
- 8:23get up and stand behind the pulpit start
- 8:25to pray and then disappear behind it and
- 8:28all you would think well he was there
- 8:29and now he's behind the pulpit praying
- 8:31you can hear his voice he was behind the
- 8:33pulpit praying for the next hour and get
- 8:36up and walk off and walk out and leave
- 8:38the crowd and so it was not your normal
- 8:41American or British style of doing
- 8:43church it was a flow of the Spirit and
- 8:46that Evan Roberts was being led by the
- 8:48spirit the best that he knew now some of
- 8:51the great happenings in the revival
- 8:52besides the great salvations is that
- 8:55when you read and research the move of
- 8:56God in Wales here are some statistics
- 8:58during the time of the vulture Bible
- 9:00which was begin in 1902 three and four
- 9:02in that time period and then begin that
- 9:05kind of slide down or begin to decline
- 9:08during the time of its height there was
- 9:11policemen were laid off of the police
- 9:13force because crime went so low
- 9:16drunkenness physically whipped down
- 9:18because people quit drinking they went
- 9:20to church and rate the new wine not the
- 9:21old wine also the Bible Society recorded
- 9:25that they had a record number of
- 9:26orders from Bibles and the several years
- 9:28after the revival ended they were still
- 9:30filling the orders to print Bibles that
- 9:32were that were ordered during the
- 9:34revival and so those are a few things
- 9:36now here are some things that I enjoy
- 9:38what I read about the Welsh revival I
- 9:40love the story about the pit ponies in
- 9:43the coal mines when the revival hit so
- 9:47strong in Wales and Wales as many a coal
- 9:49mining type of a country that the coal
- 9:53miners put cussing and you know when you
- 9:55are not born again you'd say all what
- 9:57you want to say you use profanity and
- 9:59the ponies they don't know bad words
- 10:01from good words all they know was that
- 10:02sound meant and go and the other sound
- 10:04meant stop and so when the coal miners
- 10:07got saved her as a newspaper said when
- 10:09the coal miners got religion they quit
- 10:11cussing and the little ponies got
- 10:13confused because the coal miner wouldn't
- 10:15say damn them to go or say something
- 10:17else for it to stop and so the little
- 10:19ponies got all confused and the coal
- 10:22mine companies had to go out and buy a
- 10:23whole new herd of horses and train them
- 10:26on how to carry the coal out and bring
- 10:29the cart back down and so to me that was
- 10:31so excited to know that the revival had
- 10:34affected the ponies and they didn't know
- 10:36what to do because the coal miners quit
- 10:37cussing the other thing that I find very
- 10:39intriguing about the Welsh revival was
- 10:42during the time every year like every
- 10:44nation does is that we have sports
- 10:47events in America we have the World
- 10:49Series we had the Super Bowl and in
- 10:51mercury call it soccer in Europe we
- 10:53called a football and so in Wales during
- 10:56the time of the revival they didn't have
- 11:00a Super Bowl or a World Cup for their
- 11:02nation when he read in 1901 who won the
- 11:05football game who won that the big
- 11:07tournament and you get down to the year
- 11:09the revival and then it's written in the
- 11:11name where you should put the name of
- 11:12the team that won and it just says
- 11:13revival there was no Turner because
- 11:15everybody was going to church and having
- 11:17a religious experience now that's like
- 11:20saying in America that we doesn't have a
- 11:22Super Bowl because everybody was going
- 11:24to church and more concerned about God
- 11:26and the condition of their soul than
- 11:28they were about the Super Bowl that
- 11:30would be a big event the other great
- 11:32thing about the rock revival was that
- 11:34the business hours in the nation changed
- 11:37when no one's shopping why keep this
- 11:40open when no one is going to the
- 11:42restaurants why keep it open the
- 11:45business hours of Wales din the time of
- 11:47the revival changed because business
- 11:50concluded early because none was buying
- 11:52or selling or doing business they were
- 11:54going home getting dressed going to
- 11:57church and maybe be there to midnight
- 11:58two to three o'clock and then start
- 12:00again can you imagine in America or in
- 12:03London or in Berlin and that all of a
- 12:06sudden I'm of a God comes and the
- 12:08business hours of the whole nation
- 12:10changes to accommodate the people
- 12:12wanting to go to church and wanting to
- 12:14be around God and wanted to be moved by
- 12:17the moving of the Spirit in their own
- 12:18soul that's what happened in Wales these
- 12:21are just a few stores this shows you the
- 12:23impact the young people were involved
- 12:25that shouldn't involve the elderly were
- 12:27involved there was over a hundred
- 12:29preachers that we know of that was being
- 12:30used by God all over wells at one time
- 12:33so it was not just around Evan Roberts
- 12:36personality even though he was the
- 12:37leader he's one that God chose to be the
- 12:40catalyst but there was at least a
- 12:41hundred people hundred ministers they
- 12:43were being used all over Wales in a
- 12:45couple of minutes were going to be
- 12:46letting you hear the only voice
- 12:48recording of Evan Roberts it is a rare
- 12:50piece of church history I'm so glad I
- 12:52found it it was almost lost to the decay
- 12:54of time but it was reconstructed and put
- 12:57together in a few moments you're gonna
- 12:58get to hear the Welsh survivalist
- 13:00himself speak as he did in the time of
- 13:02the revival and also when we come back
- 13:04we're going to talk about the tragedy of
- 13:05this crypt revival this revival only
- 13:07lasted a few years and declined whatever
- 13:10to the revival is what did it decline
- 13:12what can we learn from it that's when we
- 13:14come back a lot of times when people
- 13:16talk about Evan Robertson or well sure
- 13:18Bible they always talk about the good
- 13:20part the great part which I would love
- 13:22to focus on but to give you the complete
- 13:24story you got to tell the rest of the
- 13:25story that's why sometimes people don't
- 13:27understand why revival is kind of in
- 13:30strange or weird we don't investigate
- 13:31that part on I first read about Evan
- 13:34Roberts thought wow a man in his mid-20s
- 13:37Sukho nation had crowds that were huge
- 13:39people are getting saved the business
- 13:41hours changed Bible sales are up the
- 13:44least when we're fired or let go because
- 13:45crime was so low and there wasn't a
- 13:48football term because revival taking
- 13:50over the hearts and the focus of the
- 13:51nation that's phenomenal
- 13:53even the day when you go to Wales people
- 13:55still have memories and talk about that
- 13:57time but then when you ask what happened
- 14:00to Evan Roberts why did the revival end
- 14:02that's what I want to talk about now
- 14:04because most of us don't realize that a
- 14:07move of God has a beginning a middle and
- 14:09they all end how they end isn't
- 14:12important to understand they're supposed
- 14:14to be hammered off to go to some place
- 14:16greater or to a new generation but most
- 14:18revivals in tragic and then said Evan
- 14:21Roberts had eight nervous breakdowns in
- 14:24his life the fourth was the most tragic
- 14:26and the deepest one of his life in the
- 14:29midst of the revival number one Evan
- 14:32Roberts kept going and going and going
- 14:34every night every night and did not know
- 14:36how to rest did not know how to take
- 14:38care of himself gentlemen of God now
- 14:41that's why a lot of preachers a lot of
- 14:43great evangelists they die before their
- 14:45time they died tragically ill they die
- 14:48in these ways we think if you're that
- 14:50close to God and God used you to save
- 14:52the people or heal the sick why'd you
- 14:54die sick or why did these bad happenings
- 14:57happen to you Evan Roberts was preaching
- 14:59one night and after the end of the
- 15:01meeting he collapsed and there was a
- 15:03woman in the crowd that was a noted
- 15:05minister in England named Jessie pin
- 15:07Lewis Jessie pin Lewis and written some
- 15:09good books but I had to say this time of
- 15:12life she'd been under certain types of
- 15:14questioned by the brothers because she
- 15:16began to preach certain things in an
- 15:18extreme state any truth talked to an
- 15:21extreme is an error so you can make any
- 15:23biblical truth and go too far with it
- 15:25and it becomes an error hers and Edmund
- 15:27Roberts at that time had kind of pulled
- 15:29them together goes he was preaching
- 15:30about suffering and she was gone into
- 15:32extreme suffering and she came to hear
- 15:34Evan Roberts preach happened to be in
- 15:36the meeting where he collapsed
- 15:38well she cut it took charge of the
- 15:40situation and put him on a stretcher and
- 15:43took put him out on a train with her and
- 15:45took him out of Wales into England and
- 15:47put her in and put him in her guest
- 15:49house in the back of her big property
- 15:52her husband is what we call the mayor of
- 15:54the town here in America's political
- 15:56structure and so she called the doctors
- 15:59and they begin to examine him and they
- 16:01said that he was exhausted and that he
- 16:03should never preach again or he might
- 16:04died because of how his body was taking
- 16:07the strain of the heavy pressures of
- 16:09preaching and going and this move of God
- 16:11and so she began to say well just stay
- 16:14here in this house and rest and and and
- 16:17relax and while he was in a state of
- 16:19exhaustion nervous breakdown she began
- 16:22to tell things in her Bible that were
- 16:24wrong
- 16:25everything that God was doing she was
- 16:27mad at people are getting healed that
- 16:29gifts the spirit of flowing for example
- 16:31the newspapers recorded that Evan
- 16:32Roberts was telepathic which means in
- 16:36our vocabulary that he knew things about
- 16:38people and would point people out in the
- 16:40crowd and say something to them and
- 16:42encourage them to get ride or to come to
- 16:44God and the newspaper said he was
- 16:46telepathic well that's the gifts of the
- 16:47Spirit you can't get meta newspapers
- 16:49they don't know what it is and they
- 16:50didn't use of a Kevlar that we use it a
- 16:52baton then but that's what it was so
- 16:54that gives the spirit flowing speaking
- 16:56in tongues deliverance healings were all
- 16:59taking place and of course in every
- 17:01revival there are things that happen
- 17:03that our fleshly and demonic you can't
- 17:06stop that you correct it and you kick it
- 17:08out and you keep on going she begin to
- 17:10tell him that it was his fault for
- 17:12permitting it and begin to convince him
- 17:14that many of these things were of the
- 17:16devil Evan Roberts never went back to
- 17:18Wales and after Jessup in Lewis died she
- 17:21took him out of where God had placed him
- 17:23his seat of authority was in Wales it
- 17:25was not in England or in Scotland or an
- 17:28ardent it was in Wales the Welsh country
- 17:31and when she removed him from where God
- 17:33placed him number one and - seemed right
- 17:36at the moment but there was a motive
- 17:38that was wrong in her she wanted to ride
- 17:40his popular - game back and prove that
- 17:42she was right and for us in her I
- 17:44believe in Jezebel experimenting to some
- 17:46degree and begin the telling that's of
- 17:49the devil you can't do this stop
- 17:52Quinne his family came to see him she
- 17:54did not permit the friendly to see Evan
- 17:56Roberts whenever Roberts his spiritual
- 17:59pastor and brothers come to visit him
- 18:01they weren't allowed to see him either
- 18:02so the first thing that I saw happened
- 18:04here was why in the world didn't someone
- 18:06killed more irate and take the young men
- 18:08back to his family back to his home
- 18:11Church
- 18:11she wouldn't permit it she'd closed him
- 18:14in cut him off isolated him and kept
- 18:17feeding him all the
- 18:18wrong things I've learned this by
- 18:20reading and studying these preachers if
- 18:23you're in trouble
- 18:24you need to go home go back to your
- 18:26family go back to your home church I
- 18:28don't care if it's in the woods I don't
- 18:30care if it's far away from where you are
- 18:31when you are hurt when you are broken
- 18:34when you are tired when you are sick you
- 18:35need people that understand you
- 18:37spiritually emotionally physically
- 18:39socially help put you back together many
- 18:42a preacher could have survived their
- 18:44tragedy if they do went home to their
- 18:46family at home did their church family
- 18:48these people is a part of God's
- 18:50protection part of God's covering and
- 18:52part of God's blessing in your life put
- 18:55a value on it if you're in trouble today
- 18:57go home go back to your family go back
- 19:00to your spiritual family let their love
- 19:02their counsel their encouragement their
- 19:04admonishments be a part of what puts you
- 19:06back together and heals your soul and
- 19:08strengthens your spirit and puts the
- 19:10zeal back into your life if people like
- 19:13Jim and Tammy maker of the PTO world
- 19:15would have gone home during their crisis
- 19:17instead of going to someone else outside
- 19:19of their like participate the PTO crisis
- 19:21would not have happened so please learn
- 19:23from Evan Roberts and the PTL scandal
- 19:25when you're in trouble when you're
- 19:27exhausted when there's a problem go home
- 19:29here's biological family and your
- 19:32spiritual family he did not return to
- 19:34Wales and after Jessup in Lewis died he
- 19:37goes back never to preach again the
- 19:39Welsh revival only lasts about three
- 19:41years maximum give or take a few months
- 19:44he dies in 1951 his last journal entry
- 19:50in his journal was that he didn't know
- 19:52why he was born
- 19:52Alan Roberts died and was buried in 1951
- 19:56and his last thoughts was why was I here
- 19:59why was I born what was my purpose that
- 20:02Jezebel experimenting his place of
- 20:08anointing and convinced him that he
- 20:10would lose his whole life would he lose
- 20:12his life he lost his calling and he died
- 20:14not knowing why was born I don't want
- 20:17that to happen to you or anybody that
- 20:19you know learn from the mistakes of the
- 20:22Welsh revival and make it right I want
- 20:25you to get my book I want you to read
- 20:27what happened in more detail than what I
- 20:29can do on this TV show but there
- 20:31many of you that got it's called and
- 20:33you're listening to a lie it's time to
- 20:35come back to where you want to be I want
- 20:37to pray for you right now I want to ask
- 20:39God to visit you right where you are and
- 20:41to deliver you from the chains of false
- 20:44words and false prophecies and the wrong
- 20:46control over your life and may you have
- 20:48enough strength to return to the place
- 20:50where you first got your call the people
- 20:53that love you that pray for you and
- 20:54speak the right words to your heart and
- 20:56mind I pray that you have strength to do
- 20:58that and to return to your post I pray
- 21:01for you in the name of Jesus
- 21:19[Applause]
- 21:50[Music]
- 23:22just to use either
- 23:28to us about beer on my
- 23:39oh yes
- 23:45oh yeah
- 23:48[Music]
- 23:55[Music]
- 24:22[Music]
About this transcript
This page contains the full transcript of God's Generals Series - Evan Roberts by Roberts Liardon, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 4,323 words across 585 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.
What you can do with it
Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.
Free YouTube transcript tool
YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.