Thousands Gather For Revival In Netherlands Despite Protests

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BIDDINGHUIZEN, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Tens of thousands of Christians, many of them youngsters, gathered for Opwekking (Revival) 2025 in a central Dutch village known for secular festivals and a theme park, despite pro-Palestine protesters opposing their pro-Israel stance.

A large cross at the center of the festival terrain in Biddinghuizen was surrounded by nearly 40,000 faithful youngsters singing songs in a new trendy style resembling pop gatherings. “Is your door still locked? Open it for God” and “Praise the Lord!” they shouted under then sunny skies after rain.

It was the first time in more than half a century of annual Opwekking meetings that the three-day gathering was held around Ascension Day instead of Pentecost, with organizers citing scheduling issues as music festivals competed for attention.

Speakers said this year’s theme, “ardent desire,” was meant to connect Ascension and Pentecost. “After Jesus’ ascension, His disciples remained behind, fervently expecting to receive the Holy Spirit ten days later at Pentecost. And vice versa, God longs to fill us with his Spirit,” they explained.

In total, up to 70,000 people participated in the event, according to several estimates. At least 23 people were baptized, bringing smiles to the faces of elderly counselor Leen van Slooten and his wife, Barbara.

Van Slooten has been coordinating the counseling for people impacted by the gathering for nearly 40 years. “Recently, we had a woman who had been working as a prostitute. She accepted Christ but still felt dirty. After we prayer for her she stood up and said that she had been freed of a heavy weight on her shoulders,” he recalled.

“There was another man with a gun and drugs, really a criminal. But he came to Christ, and a year later, he arrived here with his wife and his mother, and they, too, gave their heart to Jesus. It’s wonderful what the Lord is doing in detail. Through one man, a whole generation was saved.”

ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

He, too, found himself on a rollercoaster after being diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer nearly two decades ago. “It’s His grace that I’m still here,” Van Slooten said in another interview.

Yet not everyone was happy with the singing, concerts, church gatherings, workshops, mission exposition, a spontaneous baptizing event and even a massive Lord’s Supper attended by thousands.

The Christian Collective action group welcomed visitors with protest signs along the access road to the Opwekking festival in Biddinghuizen, saying, “Talk about Palestine!”.

They also carried Bible quotes such as “I detest your festivals” based on Amos 5:21. “Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza, and in the meantime, Christians are happily waving Israeli flags. You cannot remain silent about that,” said spokesperson Eline van der Kaaden.

Israel’s government has strongly denied it carries out genocide, saying the military actions in Gaza are in response to the Hamas massacre of some 1,200 Jewish people in Israel on October 7, 2023.

Van der Kaaden recalled that the action group still had a stand at the festival two years ago. “We were given a spot in the Mission Expo and had some really great conversations, especially with young people.”

However, she said that they were told by Opwekking’s leadership that they were “not allowed to share anything that went against the theology of Opwekking. According to them, the land was promised to the Jewish people, and that meant that Palestinians had to go.”

GOSPEL FOR EVERYONE

Opwekking makes clear the Gospel is for everyone, including Palestinians.

Carlino Bus, ‘director of operations’ at Opwekking also noticed that amid the turmoil of this world, “If you listen to the stories, young people are dealing with a lot.”

Bus noted mental pressure, difficult home situations, illness, and loneliness are among the issues impacting those whose lives have just begun. “Young people are searching for meaning and want to discover what truly matters to them. When you’re singing along with 40,000 others, it leaves a deep impression.”

The festival was held in an area once known as the Zuiderzee or Southern Sea, a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands. It turned into the freshwater IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel) by the closure of the Afsluitdijk, a major dam and causeway, in 1932

Almost all of the land in the province of Flevoland, to which Biddinghuizen belongs, was later reclaimed from the water in the 1950s and 1960s. Now, decades later, young people sing about the “Living Water,” the Biblical metaphor for the spiritual sustenance and salvation offered by Christ.

“It feels good to be together,” said 18-year-old Sanne Kuiper. “Everyone is here with the same love for God. When you know that, you can approach anyone.”

Later this month, on June 21, thousands of Christians plan to evangelize across the Netherlands at a time when the nation faces growing secularism and influence from Islam. This is part of a broader movement seen in Europe, including in Germany, which hosted a massive conference on evangelism this week led by evangelist Franklin Graham, son of the legendary preacher Billy Graham.

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