There’s something to be said for those who prepare the way
for the coming of the Lord. John the
Baptist singularly prepared the way for the Lord’s first coming. Jesus quoted from Isaiah when He said, “This is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your
face, who will prepare Your way before You’”. (And continued) ‘For I say to you, among those born of women
there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in
the kingdom of God is greater than he’” (Luke 7:27, 28).
If it took the greatest of the prophets to usher in Jesus’
first coming, what does this say of the stature of those that will be
required/qualified to usher in His 2nd coming? For starters they will partake of the same
spirit as John the Baptist of whom it was said by the angel to John’s father
Zacharias, “And he will turn many of the
children of Israel to the Lord their God.
He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,
‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the
wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke
1:17).
Specifically, Malachi 4:5 & 6 speaks to this point: “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.”
Elijah was spoken of as the “fiery” prophet both for his
fiery contest with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel and the means of his exit
from planet earth via a “chariot of fire”. God’s end-time spokesmen will be mightily
disciplined probably, in terms of clearly hearing the voice of the Lord, and
even in terms of a restricted diet even as John the Baptist “came neither eating bread, nor drinking
wine” (Luke 7:33).
These “fiery” prophets will turn many to righteousness and
confront religious and political authorities along the way. Healings will be commonplace and repentance
will abound. At the same time permissive
thinking and living will be shown to be vain, being unceremoniously swept
aside. Prophets don’t stand on ceremony.
The purpose of this ministry is to prepare a people to
receive the Lord upon His return.
Finally, there will be a glorious church many of whom will be required
to lay down their lives before the “man of sin”, but those who remain—such a
company, such a glorious company and it will be given to them to welcome back
the Lord. These, and all those who have
yielded up their lives and all those faithful ones who have gone before, will
constitute a Glorious Bride and the Son of Man will be smitten with her
attractiveness.
The greatest glory of all the ages will be upon this people. Begin to prepare yourself now to be a part of
this glorious company by holy living.
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