Come, Mighty Prophets of God, Come!

When ancient Israel could not find her way, having turned away from God, a prophet would arise to point the way back to God.  This did not mean Israel would necessarily receive the “word of the Lord”, but it was delivered and the issues were made very clear what would happen to Israel did she not return to the Lord.

The Prophet Jeremiah at one such time spoke this on behalf of the Lord, “Even the stork in the heavens knows her appointed times; and the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow observe the time of their coming.  But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord” (Jeremiah 8:7).

Similarly, in different words Jeremiah expressed the same sentiment when he said the waves of the sea observe the bounds of sand that are set for them, but the people “have turned aside and gone away” (5:22,23).  Most succinctly put, Jeremiah says, all God’s creation follows His ordinances, but Israel? No!--to her own hurt and destruction.

Prophets weren’t just for the Old Testament, but for the New Testament era as well.  Then, given the condition of the church it must be asked, “Where are the prophets?”

We need prophets who can know and fearlessly “speak forth” the word of the Lord.  Certainly, various pastors in various places have spoken forth the “word of the Lord”, but where are they now?  God, through His prophet Malachi, gives us a hopeful answer:  “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5 & 6).

What a thrilling promise that in the face of mounting lawlessness in America, the breakup of the traditional (nuclear) home and the insipidness and worldliness of the church, God Himself will send “Elijah the prophet”.  This would not be literally so but like it was in Jesus’ day when He spoke of the ministry of John the Baptist, “And if you are willing to receive it, he (John the Baptist) is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:14).  I believe it is possible to extrapolate from the promise in Malachi and the words of Jesus that a “company of prophets” will arise to put the church back on track “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5).

Put another way, as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ First Coming, so must many ministering in the spirit of the fiery prophet, Elijah, prepare the way for the 2^nd Coming of the Lord.  This, to repeat, must happen “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5).

Given what I’ve said here I believe a primary work of the church is to pray the Lord of the Harvest to send the “Spirit of Elijah” to restore the church to its first love and become part of a mighty, threshing instrument to bring in the final harvest.

Be encouraged with me.