22 Bible Verses about Religious Awakenings

When the people saw it, they all went down on their faces. They said: Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God!

Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

While Ezra was saying his prayer and his confession of wrongdoing he wept and fell down before the house of God. A very great number of men and women and children out of Israel came together around him, for the people were weeping bitterly.

The people asked him: What must we do?

Many Samaritans of that city put faith (believed) in him because of what the woman said: He told me everything I have ever done.

Those who gladly received his word were baptized. About three thousand persons were added the same day.

The people with one accord gave heed to those things Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles he did.

All who lived at Lydda on the Plain of Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

The hand (Spirit) of God was with them. A great number believed, and turned to the Lord.

And when the people of the nations heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were receptive to eternal life believed.

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord and so did his household. Many of the Corinthians who heard and believed were baptized.

Many of the believers confessed openly about the evil things they had done.

Samuel called all the Israelites to meet at Mizpah. He told them: I will pray to Jehovah for you there.

The Israelites gathered at Mizpah. They drew some water, poured it out in front of Jehovah and fasted that day. They confessed: We have sinned against Jehovah. So Samuel judged Israel in Mizpah.

Elijah came near to all the people and said: How long will you balance (bounce back and forth) between two opinions? If Jehovah is God, then give worship to him. If Baal is, give worship to him. The people did not answer him. Then Elijah said to the people: I, even I, am the only living prophet of Jehovah but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them give us two bulls. Let them take one for themselves and have it cut up, and put it on the wood, but put no fire under it. I will get the other bull ready, and put it on the wood, and put no fire under it.read more.
You pray to your god and I will pray to Jehovah. The God who answers with fire is God! All the people answered: It is well said. Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal: Take one bull for yourselves and get it ready first, for there are so many of you; and make your prayers to your god, but do not light the fire. So they took the bull that was given them, and made it ready. They cried out to Baal from morning till the middle of the day. They said: O Baal, give ear to us. But there was no voice and no answer. They jumped up and down before the altar they had made. In the middle of the day, Elijah made sport of them, saying: Give louder cries, for he is a god; he may be deep in thought. He may have gone away for some purpose. Perhaps he is on a journey. By chance he is sleeping and must be woke up. So they gave loud cries and they cut themselves with knives and swords till the blood came streaming out all over them. They went on with their prayers from midday till the time of the offering; but there was no voice, or any answer, or any who gave attention to them. Then Elijah said to all the people: Come near to me. Then all the people came near. He repaired the altar of Jehovah that was broken down. Elijah took twelve stones, the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom Jehovah said: Israel will be your name. He used the stones to make an altar to the name of Jehovah. He dug a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on there. Then he said: Get four vessels full of water and put it on the burned offering and on the wood. Do it a second time, and they did it a second time. Then he said: Get four vessels full of water and put it on the burned offering and on the wood. Do it a second time They did it a second time. Then he said: Do it a third time and they did it a third time. The water went all round the altar until the drain was full. Then at the time of the offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be seen this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things by your order. Give me an answer, O Jehovah. Give me an answer so that this people may see that you are God. That you have made their hearts come back again. Then the fire of Jehovah came down. It burned up the offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and drinking up the water in the drain. When the people saw it, they all went down on their faces. They said: Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God! Elijah said to them: Take the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them get away. So they took them, and Elijah made them go down to the stream Kishon, and executed them there.

Hezekiah sent a message to all Israel and Judah. He wrote letters to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. He invited them to come to Jehovah's Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of Jehovah the God of Israel. The king, his officials, and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. They could not celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had performed the ceremonies to make themselves holy and the people had not gathered in Jerusalem.read more.
The king and the entire assembly considered their plan to be the right thing to do. They decided to send an announcement throughout Israel from Beersheba to Dan. They summoned everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of Jehovah God of Israel. These people had not celebrated it in large numbers as the written instructions said they should. Messengers carried letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah. The king's order said: Israelites should return to Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Then he will return to the few of you who escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your ancestors and your relatives who were unfaithful to Jehovah the God of their ancestors. He made them something that shocks people, as you have seen. Do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to Jehovah and enter his sanctuary that he has consecrated from generation to generation. Serve Jehovah your God that His burning anger may turn away from you. If you return to Jehovah, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. Jehovah your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face away from you if you return to him. So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of Jehovah. Many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. It was a very large assembly. They arose and removed the altars in Jerusalem. They also removed all the incense altars and cast them into the Kidron Brook. They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves. They consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of Jehovah. They stood in their regular places as instructed by the law of Moses. Moses was a man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood they received from the Levites. Many people in the assembly had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all who were not clean and could not make their lambs holy for Jehovah. Many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not made themselves clean. So they ate the Passover, but not in the way the written instructions said they should. Hezekiah prayed for them: May Jehovah forgive everyone who have their hearts set on dedicating their lives to serve God. May Jehovah the God of their ancestors do this for those who are not clean as required for the holy place. Jehovah listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. Thus the Israelites in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. Each day the Levites and priests praised Jehovah in song. They played Jehovah's instruments loudly. Hezekiah spoke encouraging words to all the Levites who had the skills to serve Jehovah. They ate the festival meals for seven days, sacrificed fellowship offerings, and confessed their sins to Jehovah the God of their ancestors. Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the festival for seven more days. So they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. Hezekiah king of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to the assembly. The princes contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep to the assembly. A large number of priests consecrated themselves. The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced with the priests and the Levites. The entire assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah rejoiced. There was great joy in Jerusalem. Nothing occurred like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. The Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard and their prayer came to God's holy dwelling place, to heaven.

While Ezra was saying his prayer and his confession of wrongdoing he wept and fell down before the house of God. A very great number of men and women and children out of Israel came together around him, for the people were weeping bitterly. Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answering, said to Ezra, We have done evil against our God, and have taken as our wives strange women of the peoples of the land. But still there is hope for Israel in this question. Let us make an agreement with our God to put away all the wives and all their children, if it seems right to my lord and to those who go in fear of the words of our God. Let it be done in keeping with the law.read more.
Up, now! For this is your business, and we are with you. Take heart and do it. Then Ezra got up, and made the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do this. So they took an oath. Then Ezra got up from before the house of God and went into the room of Jehohanan, the son of Eliashib. When he arrived there, he took no food or drink, for he was sorrowing for the sin of those who had come back. They made a public statement to all Judah and Jerusalem, to all those who came back, that they were to come together to Jerusalem. And that if anyone did not come before three days were past, as ordered by the rulers and the responsible men, all his goods would be put under the curse. He himself would be cut off from the meeting of the people who had come back. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin came together to Jerusalem before three days were past. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people were seated in the wide square in front of the house of God. They shook with fear because of this business of this business and because of the great rain. Ezra the priest got to his feet and said to them: You have done wrong and taken strange women for your wives, thus increasing the sin of Israel. Give praise to Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the strange women. Then all the people, answered with a loud voice: As you have said, so it is right for us to do. The number of people is great, and it is a time of much rain; it is not possible for us to go on waiting outside. This is not a thing that may be done in one day or even two: for our sin in this business is great. So now let our rulers be representatives for all the people. Let all those in our towns who are married to strange women come at fixed times, and with them the responsible men and the judges of every town, till the burning wrath of our God is turned away from us, and this has been done. Only Jonathan, the son of Asahel, and Jahzeiah, the son of Tikvah, were against this, Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them. So those who had come back did so. Ezra the priest, with certain heads of families, by their fathers' families, all of them by their names, were marked out. On the first day of the tenth month they took their places to go into the question with care. they reached the end of all the men who were married to strange women by the first day of the first month. Among the sons of the priests who were married to strange women were these: of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak and his brothers, Maaseiah and Eliezer and Jarib and Gedaliah. They gave their word that they would put away their wives; and for their sin, they gave an offering of a male sheep of the flock. Of the sons of Immer, Hanani and Zebadiah. Of the sons of Harim, Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah and Jehiel and Uzziah. Of the sons of Pashhur, Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah. And of the Levites, Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah that is Kelita, Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. Of the music-makers, Eliashib; and of the doorkeepers, Shallum and Telem and Uri. Of Israel, the sons of Parosh, Ramiah and Izziah and Malchijah and Mijamin and Eleazar and Malchijah and Benaiah. Of the sons of Elam, Mattaniah, Zechariah, and Jehiel and Abdi and Jeremoth and Elijah. And of the sons of Zattu, Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, and Jeremoth and Zabad and Aziza. Of the sons of Bebai, Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, Athlai. Of the sons of Bani, Meshullam, Malluch, and Adaiah, Jashub and Sheal, Jeremoth. And of the sons of Pahath-moab, Adna and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel and Binnui and Manasseh. And of the sons of Harim, Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch, Shemariah. Of the sons of Hashum, Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, Shimei. Of the sons of Bani, Maadai, Amram, and Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu, And Bani and Binnui, Shimei; And Shelemiah and Nathan and Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel and Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, Joseph. Of the sons of Nebo, Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Iddo, and Joel, Benaiah. All these had taken strange wives; and some of them had wives by whom they had offspring.

This was in the time when Annas and Caiaphas were chief priests. The word of God was delivered to John the son of Zechariah. He was in the wilderness. John traveled in the region near the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This was according to the words of Isaiah the prophet: The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make ready the way of Jehovah. Make his paths straight.read more.
Every valley shall be filled. Every mountain and hill shall be brought low. The crooked shall become straight and the rough ways smooth. All flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Isaiah 40:3-6) He told the crowds that came to be baptized by him: You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce fruit that is worthy of repentance. Do not say we have Abraham for our father. I tell you, that God is able to make these stones into children for Abraham. The axe is now at the root of the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown in to the fire. The people asked him: What must we do? He answered: He who has two coats let him give to him who has none. He who has food let him do likewise. Tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him: Teacher, what must we do? He told them: Collect no more than that which is prescribed. Soldiers also asked him: What must we do? And he said: Do not take money from any one by force. Never falsely accuse any one wrongfully and be content with your wages.

The woman left her water pot and went to the city. She spoke to the men. Come see a man who told me everything I have ever done. Could this be the Christ? They left the city to see him.read more.
In the meantime his disciples urged him to eat. He said: I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples said to each other: Has any man brought him something to eat? Jesus said: My food is to do the will of him that sent me. To finish his work! Do you say there are four months until the harvest comes? I say to you lift up your eyes and look on the fields. They are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for life eternal. Both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. That saying is true. One sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Other men labored and you entered into their labors. Many Samaritans of that city put faith (believed) in him because of what the woman said: He told me everything I have ever done. When the Samaritans came to him they urged him to stay with them. So he stayed there two days. Many more believed because of the words he spoke. They told the woman: We believe because of what you said and we heard him ourselves. We know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing mighty wind. It filled the house where they were sitting. Tongues of fire that sat on each of them appeared.read more.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit moved them to speak. Devout Jews from every nation under heaven were dwelling at Jerusalem. When they heard this sound a crowd came together in confusion, because men heard them speak in their own language. And they were all amazed and marveled. They said to each other: Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans? How do we each hear them in our own language? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we hear them speak in our language the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed and were in doubt. They asked each other: What does this mean? Others mockingly said: These men are full of new wine. But Peter, stood up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said to them: You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem let me explain this to you. Listen to my words. These men are not drunk as you suppose for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel spoke about: It will come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out from my Spirit upon all flesh. (Greek: apo, from) Your sons and your daughters will prophesy (proclaim God's Word). Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out (a portion from) (some of) my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy: (Joel 2:28) I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath: blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable (awesome) Day of Jehovah arrives. (Joel 2:31) It will come to pass, that whoever will call on the name of Jehovah will be saved. (Joel 2:32) You men of Israel hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God came among you with miracles and wonders and signs. God did these by him in your midst, as you also know: You took this man and delivered him by the determined counsel (purpose) and foreknowledge of God. With wicked hands you impaled and murdered him. God resurrected him, loosing the pains of death. This is because it was not possible that he should be held fast by it. David spoke concerning him: 'I had Jehovah always before my face, for he is at my right hand, that I should not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8) Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because you will not leave me in the grave, neither will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10) You have made known to me the ways of life, and you will fill me with joy with your presence.' Men and brothers let me freely speak to you about the patriarch David that he is dead and buried. His grave is with us to this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He seeing this before spoke about the resurrection of Christ. That he would not be left in the grave and his flesh did not see corruption. God resurrected Jesus and we all witnessed this! He is exalted to the right hand of God. He has received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father. So he poured out what you now see and hear. For David has not ascended into heaven and yet he said: 'Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' (Psalm 110:1) Therefore let all the house of Israel know for sure that God has made that same Jesus, whom you impaled, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 10:36) Now when they heard this, they were stabbed to the heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles: Men and brothers, what shall we do? Then Peter said: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as Jehovah our God calls. (Micah 4:5) (Deuteronomy 6:4) He gave a thorough witness with many words and exhorted them, saying: Save yourselves from this indecent generation. Those who gladly received his word were baptized. About three thousand persons were added the same day. They continued devoting themselves to doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Every person experienced a sense of awe, for the apostles did many wonders and signs. All those who believed stayed together. They held all things in common. They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all men, as every man had need. They continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart. As they praised God, they had favor with all the people. God added to the congregation daily those being saved.

Then Philip went to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ to them. The people with one accord gave heed to those things Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles he did. Unclean spirits, crying with loud voices, came out of many who were possessed by them. Many who were taken with palsies and the lame were healed.read more.
There was great joy in that city.

Many of the believers confessed openly about the evil things they had done. Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books and burned them in the sight of everyone. When they totaled the value of them it came to about fifty thousand pieces of silver. The word of God kept on growing and prevailed.