ELIJAH COMES
FIRST
INTRODUCTION
It
was prophesied of John the Baptist before his birth that
he would go before the Lord "in the spirit and power of
Elijah” (Lk. 1:17). Yet, when John began his ministry of
preaching, he was asked point-blank by priests,
"Are you Elijah?" John answered just
as pointedly, "I am NOT" (see John 1:21). The fact that
John refused to claim that he was some great one out of
the past, a prophet who had lived before, should be an
example and warning to us. Any individual person who
claims he is
ELIJAH, or someone else out of the past, is surely
FALSE! Those who are truly called of God do not make
presumptuous claims. However, we will see in this study
that John the Baptist did fulfill the "Elijah"
prophecies for his day, and that there is to be a
fulfillment of those same "Elijah" prophecies for our
day, not by some man who claims he is Elijah come back,
but by a preparatory move of the Spirit of
God.
John
the Baptist was to PREPARE THE WAY of the Lord as
follows: "And many of the children of Israel shall he
TURN to the Lord their God. . . 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" (Lk. 1:16-16). To prepare THE WAY is to
prepare a PEOPLE who will TURN from their ways to GOD'S
WAY. This calls for a REPENTANCE (a TURNing) and a
RESTORATION (of the WAY). This people (a "firstfruits
remnant") who will turn wholeheartedly to be established
in HIS WAY, shall then become THE WAY to
multitudes during the time of great harvest that is
coming.
In order to understand
more aspects of these truths not covered in this
study, order the booklet, "The Voice of the
Bridegroom
" by the same author. A study of
that booklet will be helpful in getting the completed
picture of an Elijah-John the Baptist ministry preparing
the way of the Lord in these days and in the days that
are ahead. John's ministry as the “friend of the
Bridegroom" to prepare the Bride is presented in
detail.
ELIJAH
IS HERE
God's prophet. "Behold, Elijah
is here!” These are the startling words that were to be
conveyed to Ahab the King of Israel by Obadiah, the
governor of his house (I Kings 18:7-8). Elijah had been
hiding away at the command of God during the time of
drought which had come as a judgment on the nation,
because of the wickedness of the king and his
foreign wife, Jezebel. But the time had come for
the drought to end, and God was once again going to send
rain on the land. Elijah
therefore had to emerge to get the people ready for what
was coming,
A living drama. What takes
place in the story of Elijah as recorded in the 17th
& 18th chapters of I Kings is extremely
significant for the day in which we are
living. God has wrought a
"living drama" for us that we might learn by the things
that are written aforehand for our admonition (I Cor.
10:11). This story takes on special significance in
light of that which is spoken by Malachi the prophet:
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he
shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and
the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come
and smite the earth with a curse" (4:5-6). Signs
indicate that the great "day" of the Lord's judgments on this earth and His return in
power and great glory (Mt. 24:30) are near at hand.
Therefore the prophecy of Malachi must be fulfilled
before He comes.
Preliminary fulfillment. Many
prophecies in the Bible have both a preliminary and a
final fulfillment. Sometimes there is even more than one
preliminary fulfillment before the prophecy finds its
final and complete fulfillment. God's Word is rich and
many-sided, having many facets of application, like the
many sides of a beautiful jewel, each reflecting the
light in its own way, and adding to the symmetry of the
whole. Paul speaks of the "manifold (many-sided) wisdom
of God" (Eph. 3:10), and certainly this is incorporated
into His Word, as history (His story) unfolds in harmony
with the predictive words of the prophets, pulsating in
rhythmic fulfillments, both preliminary and final, but
conforming to the basic pattern of each prophetic
declaration.
John the
Baptist. The disciples asked Jesus a question. "Why
do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" Jesus
replied, "Elijah does come and will get everything
restored and ready; but I tell you that Elijah has come
already, and they did not know or recognize him, but did
to him as they liked. Then the disciples understood that
He spoke to them about John the Baptist" (Mt.
17:10-13 Amplified). The scribes knew the law, and were
familiar with the prophecy of Malachi that Elijah
was to be sent before the day of the Lord's appearing,
but because they were blinded by their own traditions,
these religious leaders did not recognize the
fulfillment of the prophecy before their very eyes. But
Jesus said John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the
Elijah prophecy for His day.
Warning.
The above should be a warning to us. Unless we
have "eyes to see and ears to hear" (Mt. 13:16), it is
possible for important prophetic events to be taking
place around us and not even be aware of it. Jesus said
"The kingdom of God comes
not with observation (with outward show and display so
that everyone is aware of it): neither shall they say,
Lo here! or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God
is within you (or, in your midst)" (Lk. 17:20-21). God's
kingdom workings and progressive fulfillment can be
taking place right in the midst of even religious
people, and yet they may not be aware of it, or its
spiritual significance in relation to God's unfolding
purposes. Concerning John the Baptist, Jesus spoke
on another occasion, "All the prophets and the law
prophesied until John. And if you will receive it, this is
Elijah who was to come. He that has ears to hear, let him hear"
(Mt. 11:14-15). Ah, dear friend, pray for spiritual
perception and attunement to the divine Word and
its fulfillment even in this day, that you may have grace to receive
what shall be unfolded herein.
Preliminary
and partial. To show how a prophetic scripture may
be fulfilled in part but not fully in a particular
historical setting, let us take a look at Isa. 40:3-5:
"The voice of him that cries
in the wilderness. Prepare [ ] the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every
valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill
shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of
the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." This passage is
quoted in Mt. 3:3 & Lk. 3:4-6 as being fulfilled in
the ministry of John the Baptist, as he prepared the way
for the coming of Jesus and pointed the people to Him.
Although many did see the "glory" of the Lord in the
person of Jesus (John 1:14), it can hardly be said that
"ALL FLESH shall see it together" has been fulfilled.
Also, the scriptures are clear that the full GLORY of
the Lord is not to manifest until He appears a second
time (Lk. 21:27).
Patterns by
the prophets. Before we look further at the Elijah
ministry for our day, let us examine the story of Elijah
in the 17th & 18th chapters of I Kings and behold
the prophetic drama. God makes clear His manner of
speaking through the prophets in Hos. 12:10: "I have
also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied
visions, and have used similitudes (patterns) by the
ministry of the prophets." The last statement means that
God had the prophets act out "symbolic dramas" by things
which He required them to DO. And through such "living
parables" God SPEAKS to His people.
Let's use this KEY then in unlocking the meaning
of that which God told Elijah to do.
By the brook. Elijah suddenly
bursts on the scene in the days of Ahab the king and
says, "As the Lord God of Israel liv
es, before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but
according to my word." Immediately following God told
him to "turn you eastward,
and hideyourself by the
brook Cherith, that is before Jordan" (I Kings 17:1-3).
Why was Elijah to hide himself? We might surmise just
from a practical standpoint that it was to escape the
wrath of Jezebel who was destroying the true prophets of
the Lord (I Kings 18:4). But if this is all we see, we
are "limiting the Holy One of Israel" (Ps. 78:41), and
deliberately ignoring His word of truth that He SPEAKS
to us in PATTERNS by the ministry of the prophets. To
understand the prophetic drama we must understand the
meaning of the names involved. "Elijah" means
the might or strength of
Jehovah. "Cherith" meansa
gorge or trench. It was during the time of no rain
and consequent drought, that Elijah (the strength or
might of Jehovah) was hid from the people in the
gorge.
Seeing the picture. Natural
Israel is a type of spiritual Israel or the church. What
happened in the history of natural Israel has been
repeated in the history of the church (as far as the
basic pattern of fulfillment is concerned). God promised
Israel that if they obeyed Him, He would always give
them rain at the proper season so that they would never
know drought (Deut. 11:14; Lev. 26:4). In God's symbolic
language, rain is a type of the refreshing or outpouring
of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29). Spiritual "rain" or
the effusion of God's Spirit is absolutely necessary for
the church to fulfill its divine commission and for
fruit acceptable to God to be brought forth (Lk. 24:49;
Acts 1:8; Eph.3:16; Gal. 5:22-25; James 5:7). If the
church had been faithful and obedient to the Lord, there
would have been no lack of the power of God's Spirit,
and God's perpetual blessing from on high would
have continuedon it. But because the church "fell away" from its first
love (Rev. 2:4) and from obedience to the truth (II
Thess. 2:3), God withheld the "rain" of spiritual
enduement, and the result was spiritual drought and
barrenness of fruit. Except for occasional "seasons of
refreshing from the presence of the Lord" (Acts
3:19), bringing revival, renewal to the church, such
"drought" conditions have more or less prevailed
throughout church history.
The gorge. As Elijah was to hide himself in
the gorge during the time of drought, so has this symbolic picture
been fulfilled in the church, as the might and strength of the Lord
through the Holy Spirit's power has been "hid away" from the people
of God because of the unbelief and apostasy of the church's
clergy and priesthood. Such apostasy is portrayed by Ahab, king
of Israel, taking into his bosom through marriage the daughter of a
foreign king by the name of Jezebel (I Kings 16:31). This was contrary to
God's law, for the people of God were not to
intermarry with the heathen nations, lest they be
drawn into their idolatry (Deut. 7:3-4). Since Ahab was
king, he symbolizes the "ruling" spirit which has
largely dominated the church down through this age; the
spirit of compromise with that which is "foreign" to the
Spirit of Christ. Because of this, "Elijah" (the might
of God's power through the Holy Spirit) has been hid
away in the "gorge" of ceremonialism, lifeless and
powerless forms, sectarianism, lust for power, political
expediency, unbelief and modernistic denial of
scriptural truth, fundamentalist self
righteousness, and many stupefying "fleshly" vanities,
so that much of the church world has been guilty of
"having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof" (II Tim. 3:5). This is the negative side of the
picture, of course, and shortly we shall take a look at
the positive side, as we see Elijah's ministry to the
widow woman; a type of the spiritual remnant.
Eastward. In order to hide himself in the
brook Cherith, Elijah went eastward (I Kings 17:3). In God's
symbolic language, east portrays going away from God into the false
light of man's reasoning and ways. Much scriptural evidence could be
given to illustrate this truth, but we will mention only the
following:
Adam and Eve
were cast out of the garden toward the east (Gen. 3:24). After Cain
had sinned, he was sent out from the presence of the Lord
toward the east (Gen. 4:16). When Jacob fled from his brother Esau,
and left the Promised Land behind, he went to the "land of the
people of the east" (Gen. 29:1), there to be dealt with by the Lord
through many trials. When Jacob returned to the Promised Land in
response to the revealed will of the Lord, and found a new place of
submission and obedience to Him, he turned his back on the east and
traveled west. Later, when the children of Jacob/Israel crossed the
Jordan and entered the Promised Land, it was from the east in
the land of Moab towards the west. Entrance into the sacred
tabernacle which God commanded the Israelites to build was through
the eastern gate with progression towards the west where the Lord
dwelt in the Holy of Holies. Thus west speaks of going toward God.
Cherith and Jordan. We have already seen
that Elijah hid himself in the gorge of the brook Cherith, but the
record says that this was "before Jordan" (I Kings 17:3). The brook
flowed into the Jordan River. Jordan means "descender," and
symbolizes death. Thus Elijah's place of hiding also pictures the
spiritual deadness which comes on the
people of God when they turn from the light and truth of God's
ways to the ways of man. And how often in
the history of the church has Paul's admonition been needed:
"Awake[sleeper] , and arise from the
dead, and Christ shall give you light"
(Eph. 5:14). Elijah was also fed in the gorge by ravens (I Kings
17:4). The raven was an unclean bird according to God's law,
therefore it speaks of the uncleanness that has come into sacred
things as a result of the church's apostasy. Ravens are black, and
they pick out the eyes of their victims, speaking further of the
darkness; or the lack of spiritual understanding (blindness) which
has pervaded the church through much of its history.
The widow woman. After hiding in the brook
Cherith, God ordained that Elijah should continue to portray by the
living drama of his ministry a further aspect of God's plan.
God told him to "Arise, get [ ] to Zarephath, which belong s to Zidon, and there dwell: behold, I have
commanded a widow woman to sustain you."
(I Kings 17:9). This widow woman was a gentile, and the part she
played in God's prophetic drama was so important that Jesus made
personal reference to her in Luke 4:24-26, in His first message in
His home town of Nazareth. It was in connection with His divinely
revealed awareness that His own people and nation would reject Him,
with the resultant casting off of natural Israel and the opening of
the door to the Gentiles to become a part of God's covenant people
(Rom. 11:7-11, 25; I Pet. 2:9-10). This widow woman, then, is a type
of the Gentile church of this age; that is, the spiritual and
faithful remnant which has always existed in the midst of
nominal "churchianity" down through this age. As the widow
woman sustained and kept alive Elijah, so has this faithful remnant
"kept alive" the true, vital, living evidence and witness of Christ,
and the might and power of His Spirit, in the lands of Christendom.
God has moved many times through such faithful remnants to bring
revival and restoration, with mighty movings of His Spirit, both
within and outside of organized churches.
Why a widow? In the scriptures, the church
is pictured as being united to Christ in a marriage covenant
relationship (Eph. 5:25-32). But since the Bridegroom (Christ) has
been taken away (Mt. 9:15) and the church, which is the Bride, is
not now personally living with her Husband, the church is
symbolically pictured as a "widow,” waiting for her Bridegroom to
return and take her to dwell with Him in His own house or Kingdom
(John 14:1-3). In the meantime, the Bride (covenant wife) is making
herself ready (Rev. 19:7-8), that she might be presented to Him as a "chaste" and faithful "virgin"
(II Cor. 11:1-3; Rev. 17:14). What a glorious destiny is
hers!
Jezebel. In contrast to the widow woman who
was sustaining Elijah, another woman, Jezebel, was on the throne,
seeking to destroy Elijah (I Kings 16:31; 18:4; 19:1-2). Jezebel
symbolically represents the seducing, compromising, "flesh
spirit" that comes into the church and always "wars" against the
Spirit (Elijah). The unfaithful "Jezebel spirit" began to grow
in the history of the church after the church had "lost its
first love" (Rev. 2:4). By the time the historical period was
reached which is represented by Thyatira (the 4th of the 7 churches
of Asia—600 A.D. and. after), the spirit was so strong that Christ
commanded the church to repent, saying, "I have a few things
againstyou, becauseyou [allow] that woman Jezebel, which call
s herself a prophetess, to teach and
seduce my servants to commit fornication (unfaithfulness to
Christ—see Rev. 17:1-2), and to eat things sacrificed to idols (partake of that which is
unholy—see I Cor. 10:20-21, II Cor. 6:14-18). Since the church
failed to repent (Rev. 2:21), the Jezebel spirit continued to grow
[and] there came into being the mother harlot and her daughters of
compromising, unfaithful "churchianity" (Rev. 17:5). In contrast to
the "widow" of the faithful remnant, the Jezebel harlot spirit
boasts, "I sit a queen, and am no widow (Rev. 18:7), because she is
"kept" by many worldly "lovers" (Rev. 17:2).
Meal and oil. Not only did the widow sustain
Elijah, but Elijah ministered to the widow and provided the
means for her to continue to live. But only because she PUT HIM
FIRST. This is a type of how the Spirit of Christ has ministered to
and kept alive the witness of His faithful ones down through this
age, and especially how He is ministering to those who are
diligently seeking to do His will in this end time. Because the
widow was willing to obey Elijah's command to "make me thereof a
little cake first,” Elijah promised her that "the barrel of meal
shall not waste, neither the cruse of oil fail, until the day that
the Lord send s rain on the earth" (l Kings 17:13-14). The meal
speaks to us of the WORD of God, and the oil of His SPIRIT. Truly
the Lord is being faithful in this day to visit His hungry saints
with "living bread" (see Ruth 1:6), and the oil of His Spirit is
flowing freely to those whose hearts are seton Him. This is in anticipation of and
preparation for the "latter rain" which the Lord is going to send on the earth.
After many days. I Kings 17:15 tells us that
the widow was sustained "many days" by the meal and oil. Then
in I Kings 18:1, we read that "after many days, the word of the Lord
came to Elijah in the third year, saying. Go show your self to
Ahab; and I will send rain on the earth."
In the account following, we see pictured in symbolic drama another
phase of God's plan to prepare for the coming of the "latter rain.”
Elijah was not only used to minister to and sustain the widow woman,
but he also came out of hiding and began to be used of God to
manifest His might and power to the
people. In the midst of the religious apostasy of his day, he gave a
demonstration of the reality of his God. Surely this is also a
pattern for our day, as an Elijah ministry comes forth in the power
of the Spirit to make known the coming of the Lord and prepare a
people with a manifestation of that which is vital, real and
mighty through God.
On Mount Carmel. Elijah called for all the
people to gather on Mount Carmel, along with the false prophets of
Baal and of Asherah who ate at Jezebel's table. There he challenged
them with these words: "How long [do] you
halt between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if
Baal, then follow him." But though I'm sure Elijah put all of the
sincerity of his heart, and the "unction" of the Spirit which was on him, into this message, the record says
that "the people answered him not a word" (1 Kings 18:19-21). How
characteristic this is of people; and how prophetic of the day in
which we live. The masses of people have heard so many sermons, and
have been preached to so much, and yet by and large they remain
unmoved to action. It was only after God sent fire from heaven in
answer to the prayer of Elijah, that the people fell on their faces
and said, "The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God" (I
Kings 18:38-39). FIRE is a type of the Holy Spirit moving with
supernatural power to baptize, deliver, and empower the people
of God for a witness to the reality of a living Christ. Beloved, it
is going to take more than just preaching in this day to a "gospel
hardened" generation; it is going to take the FIRE of God's Holy
Spirit moving with "signs and wonders and by various miracles and by
gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will" (Heb. 2:4), in
order to move vast numbers out of indifference into the "valley of
decision" (Joel 3:14).
The altar. Before the fire fell, Elijah had
to do a preparatory work. We read in I Kings 18:30 that "he repaired
the altar of the Lord that was broken down." An altar was not only
God's appointed place for blood to be shed as an atonement for sins,
but the altar also symbolized the consecration and dedication of the
one offering the sacrifice. As Christians, our bodies are a "living
sacrifice" which we offer to God on His "altar" (Rom. 12:1). The fact
that the altar was broken down in Elijah's day speaks symbolically
of the lack of the heart-consecration of God's people to do His
will. Where there is no altar, there is no power of God's Spirit
(fire). Fire can only fall on that which is on the altar; where nothing
is on the altar, there will be no fire. What a lesson this is for us
today. Before God can move in a greater way in our midst, the
"altar" of consecration must be repaired (restored) among the
saints. For this very reason an "Elijah" ministry is going
forth in this day to "stir up" the hearts of those who are willing
to make the necessary sacrifice for God to fulfill that which is
pictured in the story of Elijah for our day, for IT MUST COME TO
PASS!
For all Israel. In repairing the altar, we
read in I Kings 18:31, that Elijah took twelve stones, according to
the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob. This has to be
very
significant, when we realize that at the time of
Elijah's ministry, Israel was divided into two factions or nations,
and there was much strife and warfare between them. Elijah was
ministering in the northern kingdom, which consisted of the ten
tribes which had revolted and broken off from the ruling house
of David in Jerusalem, under the leadership of Jereboam (see I
Kings 11:26-37; 12:19-20). But Elijah was not willing to "write off"
the southern kingdom and the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi. In
other words, he was not "sectarian" in his thinking. His altar
and sacrifice was for ALL the house of Israel. Is there not a lesson
in this for us? Are not Christians divided as the people of Israel
were? What is our vision, and the purpose of our sacrifice and
consecration? Is it just for "our group," "our denomination," "our
church," or is it FOR THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST? In our tendency to
judge and condemn, we may think of certain Christians as being so
blind or "unworthy" that we are sure they will never come into what
the Lord is doing. But instead of thinking "we
are it," and proudly "writing off" all the rest of God's children,
we need to pray and consecrate ourselves to the end that many will
yet awaken and arise to the challenge of this hour, and let the
"fire" of God's Spirit fall on them, that
they might also help "prepare THE WAY of the Lord.”
Water. After Elijah had put the sacrifice on
the altar, he saturated it with water, so that the water ran
down around the altar and into the trench he had dug about it
(I Kings 18:32-35). There were four barrels filled and poured on
three times. Three is the number of the WORD of God, and four is the
number of FRUITFULNESS. In the natural, water cleanses as we use it
for washing, and it refreshes as we drink it (also cleansing the
inner body as it flushes out wastes). It is the WORD of God
that cleanses (John 15:3; Eph. 5:26). It is the SPIRIT that
refreshes the "inner man" of the heart as we "drink in" of God's
provision (John 7:34-38; 1 Cor. 12:13), so that there is not
only a deeper cleansing and purging within, but there is also an
impartation and empowering, that through such "watering," FRUIT
might be brought forth to the praise of
God (Eph. 3:16-20; Gal. 5:22-23). Thus Elijah set the pattern for
us, as this type is fulfilled in our day. As an "acceptable
sacrifice" to the Lord, we must be
thoroughly saturated by the Word and the Spirit.
Evening Sacrifice. When Elijah finished
preparing His burnt offering, it was the time of the evening
sacrifice (I Kings 18:36). When God gave His law to Israel, He
required that the priests offer two burnt sacrifices every day, one
in the morning and one in the evening on behalf of all the people
(Ex. 29:38-39). Must not this type also be fulfilled in this "day"
(or age) of grace? The 120 who gathered in the upper room on the day
of Pentecost constituted the "morning sacrifice" of this "day.” They
placed themselves on God's "altar" of consecration, wholly and
completely, and the FIRE of God's Spirit came on them (Acts 2:1-4). As we approach the
close of this age, it is now time for a people of God to offer
themselves to God as the "evening sacrifice,” that the FIRE of God's
Spirit might comeon us in a greater way
than we have ever known. This MUST be, or the pattern God has given
us is not true. Beloved in Christ, are YOU willing to be a part of
this "evening sacrifice,” that the world may know that God is real,
alive and powerful? Even now God is "answering by fire"
as more and more hungry and dedicated ones place themselves on the
altar and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But this is only
the preparatory stages of a greater operation and manifestation of
the "fire” of God's Spirit in and through those He is making ready
through an "Elijah" ministry.
Abundance of rain. After God had answered
Elijah by fire, the prophet went to the top of Mount Carmel, where
the great sea to the west could be seen in the distance. There he
cast himself to the earth and began to pray. He told his servant to
go up higher and look toward the sea. This he did in response to the
command of the prophet of God for six times; each time
returning with the report that he saw nothing. But the seventh
time he went and looked, he brought back the message, "Behold, there
aris es a little cloud out of the sea,
like a man's hand" (I Kings 18:42-44). In God's symbolic language,
waters in the sea portray "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues" (Rev. 17:15). Clouds can symbolize people (Heb. 12:1). A
little cloud such as Elijah's servant saw would symbolize a small
remnant ARISING TO GOD out of the
nations in the present preparatory move of the Spirit. This is
another way of portraying those who have placed themselves on
God's altar as the "evening sacrifice." God is
drawing them to Himself, even as clouds
represent waters drawn from the sea, and He is preparing them
for a mighty visitation. Elijah sent a message to Ahab and
said, "There is a sound of abundance of rain" (I Kings 18:41). What
a "remnant" of God's people are now experiencing, as God moves
by His Spirit, is only a foretaste and first-fruit of that which is
coming, when the Lord shall "pour out of His Spirit on all flesh" (Joel 2:28), and there shall
be an abundance of rain.
Restoration first. In the
passage from Joel just quoted, when read in the context in which it
was given, the inspired prophet said, "And it shall come to pass
afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.” After what? Read the verses
preceding in the 2nd chapter of Joel and you will discover that
God promised a restoration. In Joel's day the people of Israel,
because of their unfaithfulness to the Lord, were suffering
from drought, famine and a locust plague. The land was languishing,
and being stripped (see Joel, chap. 1). But Joel was to lift up his
voice like a trumpet and call the people to return to the Lord with fasting and prayer (Joel
2:1, 12-18). Then the Lord promised to RESTORE what had been lost
(Joel 2-25), by sending rain and blessing them again with
"grain and wine and oil,” as well as driving off the "locust army"
(see Joel 2:19-30). In God's symbolic language, "grain" stands for
the WORD (the living Bread), wine pictures JOY and BLESSINGS,
and oil represents the SPIRIT. The natural nation of Israel lost
natural resources through natural disasters. This is a type of how
spiritual Israel has lost spiritual resources through spiritual
disasters. But as God restored to natural Israel what was lost, so
will He restore to the church what has been lost. Let us look
further. . .
Locusts. The locust plague which had
devastated the land of Israel is a type of the demonic hosts of
Satan coming against the church. Through the "wiles" of Satan (Eph.
6:11), the church was gradually deceived and "seduced" into leaving
her first love, and falling away from the truth (Rev. 2:4; II
Thess.2:3). Then followed in time conditions of drought (lack of the
"rain" of the Spirit), and famine (lack of hearing the Word of
God—see Amos 8:11). In the land of Palestine, locusts always come in
times of drought, stripping the land of its remaining vegetation.
True to this type, when the church began to experience spiritual
drought and famine, the Satanic inspired doctrines of Balaam
(compromise with the pagan world—Rev. 2:14), the doctrine of
the Nicolaitanes (political power of the clergy and subjection of
the people in ignorance and superstition—Rev. 2:16), and the
seducing tactics of Jezebel (mixing pagan religious ideas and
practices with Christianity—Rev. 2-20), began to STRIP THE CHURCH of
its remaining spiritual life and power. Giving in to "seducing
spirits and doctrines of devils" became common; two of which Paul
mentions as "forbidding (the clergy) to marry, and commanding
to abstain from meats (on certain days, etc.)”—I Tim.
4:1-3).
Opening of the pit. Rev. 9:1-4 definitely
shows that locusts are a type of Satanic spirits. The
symbolic picture shows the pit being opened and the demonic spirits
of Satan in the form of locusts, going forth to "torment" mankind.
In 9:2, we read that the sun was darkened by their activity. The sun
is a type of Christianity and the church, which has been "darkened"
(robbed of its light and power in relation to the people)
because of the corrupting tactics of Satanic spirits. But though the
"sun" of traditional "churchianity" is being darkened, there is
another side of the picture, and it fits the pattern of God's
promise to deliver Israel from the locusts and their devastation,
and restore what had been lost, when they would heed His call
to "return [ ] even to me with all your heart, and with
fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning (repentance)"—Joel
2:12.
Sevenfold brighter. Isaiah
speaks of a day when "the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as
the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the breach of his people and heals the stroke of their wound" (Isa. 30:26).
The number seven symbolizes the church and also speaks of the
completed cycle or consummation of this age. Therefore as we reach
the climax of God's plan for this age, a segment of God's people are
going to shine forth in the glory and power of Christ SEVEN TIMES
BRIGHTER than ever before. This will take place when the Lord "binds
up the breach" (restores UNITY) among His people, and "heals the
stroke of their wound (restores SPIRITUAL HEALTH)" and VITALITY
through the cleansing and refreshing of His Word and Spirit. The
beginning of this work is already evident in what the Lord is now
doing among many spirit-filled Christians of all backgrounds. Surely
we are beginning to see Hosea's prophecy fulfilled in our day:
"Come, and let us return to the Lord: for
he has torn and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up. After
two days (2,000 years—11 Pet. 3:8) will he revive us: in the third
day (the ‘day of the Lord’—now dawning) he will raise us up, and we
shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know
the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he
shall come to us as the rain, as the
latter and former rain to the earth."
(Hos. 6:1-3.)
Recovery. "Restoration" means the recovery
of that which has been lost; to bring back, or put back into the
former or original state. God moves by His Spirit, not just so that
we might be blessed, but that His Church (His spiritual "house" or
"temple") might once again be BUILT UP and RESTORED out of the
"ruin" into which it has fallen. The recovery of the spiritual
truths and practices of the New Testament church results in
spiritual renewal and power. God's order as given in Acts
3:17-21 is REVELATION, REPENTANCE, REFRESHING, RESTITUTION
(restoration), and RETURN of Christ. Christ must remain in the
heavens until the "times of restitution of all things" which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy
prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21). This does not mean that
Christ remains in heaven until all things spoken by the prophets are
restored, for the great millennium coming is itself a time of
restoration when many things, including paradise conditions on this
earth, will be restored. But restoration begins with the church, the
house of God, through the judgments of God (I Pet. 4:17). We are now
in the beginnings of the times of restitution or restoration, and
since the church is God's instrument during this age of grace, then
the church must be restored to its pristine glory and power before
this age ends.
Prophet of restoration. The spirit and
ministry of Elijah is especially associated with restoration. In his
prayer in I Kings 18:37, he uses an expression meaning restoration:
"turned their heart back again.” John the Baptist was to go forth in
the "spirit and power of Elijah"(Lk. 1:17). When the disciples
asked Jesus concerning Elijah, He said, "Elijah is coming and
will restore all things; but I say to you, that Elijah already came,
and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished.
. . Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about
John the Baptist" (Mt. 17:10-13). But we have already seen that
John the Baptist's ministry was only a partial and preliminary
fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy. OUR DAY must see the final and
complete fulfillment of the restoration ministry of Elijah. John the
Baptist was "filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's
womb" (Lk. 1:15). John brought a preliminary and preparatory move of
the Spirit before Jesus came to His people. Even so in this end
time; God is moving now by His Spirit, in what we might call the
"restoration rain,” which shall culminate in the "double portion"
rain spoken by Joel the prophet: "Be glad then, [ ] children of Zion
(we are children of the heavenly Zion—Gal. 4:26, Heb. 12:22-23), and
rejoice in the Lord your God: for he has
given you the former rain moderately (this is the restoration
of the "early" or Pentecostal rain which came on the church in its
beginning), and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the
former rain, and the latter rain in the first month (the 'double
portion')." Joel 2:23.
Prophet of revelation. Restoration can come
only through revelation of the truth. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall
make you free" (John 8:32). Free from the corruptions of Satan
which bring bondage. When John came on
the scene, he found a nation that was in bondage because the Divine
Revelation God had given them was "encrusted" and overlaid by the
"traditions of the elders" (Mark 7:3-I I), and as a result the Word
of God was made of "no effect" (without
life and power). Thus "THE WAY" of truth and righteousness which God
had given Israel, was no longer a straight, level "path" for the
nation to travel on toward its appointed destiny. John's task was to
renew and restore the Divine path by turning the people back to the
truth of God's ways. His message, as foretold by Isaiah was:
"Prepare [ ] THE WAY of the Lord, make straight in the desert a
highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every
mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough places plain" (Isa. 40:3-4). He could
only straighten out the "crooked" ways they were walking in by
calling them from their ways back to God's ways.
Prophet of repentance. In
calling the people back to God's ways, he commanded them to REPENT;
and the people went to be baptized of him, "confessing their sins"
(Mt. 3:6). Repentance means a change of mind and heart, leading
to a change of action. John spoke to the people thus: "Bring forth
therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say
within yourselves, we have Abraham for our father; for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to
raise up children to Abraham. And
now also the axe is laid to the root of
the trees: every tree therefore which brings not forth good fruit is [cut] down, and
cast into the fire" (Luke 3:8-9). This message is applicable to our
day, for the church has followed in the "way" of Israel:
substituting man's ways for God's ways, "encrusting" the Word of God
by religious traditions, and failing to enter the "covenant land" of
spiritual blessing and power through unbelief. The "axe" of
divine truth and judgment is now laid at the root of all man-made
ways and religious systems. All are going to be "[cut] down" and
cast into the "fiery" tribulation which is coming on the earth (see
Rev. 2:22; 3:16). The "fire" (of tribulation) is going to TRY every
man's WORK of what sort it is (see I Cor. 3:12-15). The question is
not so much with whom we are working in our affiliation (in or out
of a denomination), but rather HOW FREE are we to BUILD with the
"gold, silver, and precious stones" of God's truth and ways, rather
than the "wood, hay, and stubble" of man's traditions and
ways.
God's call. God's call to those who have ears
to hear is REPENT and COME OUT of her (religious Babylon—the
confusion and bondage of man's ways) MY PEOPLE, "that you be not partakers of her sins, and
that you receive not of her plagues"
(Rev. 18:4). Boast not in either your physical OR religious
pedigree. Say not within yourselves, "We have Abraham (or some
religious group or denomination) as our father (putting your
TRUST in such a relationship): for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to
raise up children to Abraham." And THAT is just what He is
doing!
He is "raising up" and "shaping" LIVING STONES (I Pet. 2:5)
which are "built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
cornerstone. In whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord" (Eph.
2:20-21). And in doing so, He is breaking through all religious
barriers that man has erected, and Christians of all backgrounds are
beginning to "flow together" as never before, regardless of
what their "affiliation" might be as far as fellowship and
worship.
No one man. Elijah and John the Baptist were
both called to minister to a small nation within a very small
geographical location on the earth. For how long a period John the
Baptist's ministry continued, we do not know. But that one lone man
could cover the land through itinerant preaching and prepare the
people for the coming of the Messiah. However, when Christ comes again,
He will return to the whole world, not to just one small nation, so
that it will take a worldwide preparatory ministry through many
chosen vessels. Thus the "Eiijah" for our day is not one man, but
rather a movement involving many servants of the Lord. No
person or group can say "I" or "we" are "it.” "It" is a move of the
Spirit encompassing many. When John the Baptist was asked who he
was, he replied, "I am the VOICE of one crying in the wilderness"
(John 1:23). He indicated by such an answer that who he was
(personally) was unimportant. He had not the slightest desire
to exalt himself as an individual, or to build something around
himself.
He felt no jealousy or rivalry toward anyone.
His answer to those who came to him with information that
Jesus was baptizing and all men were coming to Him was this: "A man
can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. . . He
(Christ) must increase, but I must decrease." The same spirit
of self-effacement must be manifest today among those who are
CRYING out this last day message of preparation.
Individual personalities are of little importance, but the
VOICE (of prophetic authority) must be heard in the land. Any
ministry that we may have has been given to us from heaven and there
is no occasion for boasting or self-exaltation. We must not
call attention to ourselves, but MAGNIFY CHRIST.
Unity. John the Baptist set the PATTERN of
oneness or UNITY when he said, "I am the voice of ONE crying." Not
many voices, but ONE. If we are to "Make ready a people prepared for
the Lord" (Lk. 1:17), we must realize that this people is ONE BODY
IN THE LORD, and that we must be "endeavoring to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace. (For) there is one body, and one
Spirit, even as you are called in one
hope of your calling: One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and
Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all"
(Eph. 4:3-6). There should be no rivalries, no jealousies or
sectarian spirit among those who are seeking to move out in this
last day message and ministry; but ONE BODY beginning to function in
God's divine order with each ministry and each member of the Body
functioning as the Spirit equips and directs, and in subjection to
one another in love (Eph. 5:21; I Pet. 5:5).
Let Christ Increase. Our personal ambitions
must be replaced by the desire to see the Lord INCREASE in the
"church which is His Body” (Eph. 2:22-23), as EACH MEMBER develops
in his or her ministry. The five gift-ministries of Eph. 4:11 are
"for the equipping of the saints for the work of service (ministry),
to the building up of the body of Christ" (New American
Standard). Each ministry must fulfill his function, and yet be
willing to decrease that the Lord might increase IN THE WHOLE BODY.
"But speaking truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body, fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effective working in the measure of every part,
makes the increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love" (Eph.
4:15-16).
Turning the hearts. Let's
look again at the Elijah prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6. "Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers
to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and strike the earth with a
curse." God places great importance on His divine order, whether in
the home or in the church. We cannot ignore the importance of the
headship and responsibility of fathers, and proper submission to
authority in the divine arrangement of the family and the church. It
is the BREAKDOWN of the home (and the consequent effect in all
society) that is causing the "curse" of divine judgment to fall on
the earth. "Lawlessness" is rampant in every segment of
society, even as Jesus said it would be (Mt. 24:12). It is not just
the increase of crime and violence that reflects this spirit of
lawlessness, but the "militancy" that is evident in the "demanding
spirit" of "I am going to get what is coming to me OR ELSE," with
strikes, marches, demonstrations, disruptions, destruction of
the rights and property of others, defying and disobeying the
law in various non-violent or semi-violent ways; and much of this
even aided and abetted by some Churches and Ministers. Then there is
the moral breakdown, also aided and abetted by many Churches and
Ministers who reject the divine authority of the Word of God, teach
the "new morality,” "situation ethics," etc., all fulfilling Jesus'
prophetic words in Mt. 7:21, concerning those who would SAY "Lord,
Lord," but would not do the will of His heavenly Father. Such, said
He, are those who "work iniquity" (the Gr. word means
"lawlessness"). It is the "fathers," who have the
authority and responsibility under God, whose hearts need to be
TURNED BACK to their children, to TEACH, LEAD, and SET the right
EXAMPLE, in order to stem the tide of lawlessness.
Spiritual fathers. The "fathers" spoken of
in the prophetic utterance, whose hearts are to be "turned back" by
an Elijah ministry, can be both natural fathers, [and] the spiritual
fathers (pastors) of the church. The hearts of the pastors must be
turned back to their spiritual children (their flock). God is
very severe in His Word in His denunciation of the pastors or
shepherds who have not properly taken care of their flocks (read
Ezek. 34 and Jer. 23). This is too large a subject to go
into here; but there are far too many "hirelings" in the pulpits of
the churches (John 10:12-13). They don't feed the people with the
"meat" of the Word of God, and they do not have a heart to the people as they should, but to their own career, success, popularity in
the eyes of people, etc. Isaiah states it in this way:
"they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his
quarter" (Isa. 56:11). But God made a promise, and I believe He is
fulfilling it in this day: "And I will gather the remnant of my
flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will
bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and
increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed
them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither
shall they be lacking, says the Lord"
(Jer. 23:3-4). We can praise God that He is turning the hearts of
the fathers (pastors) back to their flocks. And this is bringing to
pass the other half of the promise, "and the heart of the children
to their fathers (pastors)," as hungry hearts seek out those true
shepherds who will feed and care for them, and then render to these shepherds the true submission
and support which God desires.
Another phase of truth. The "turning of the
hearts of the children to their fathers" has another phase of truth.
We sometimes refer to those men whom Christ chose and appointed as
apostles as "church fathers." Paul indicates that he was a spiritual
father to the Corinthian church (I Cor. 4:15). The early
Christians "continued steadfastly" in the APOSTLES' doctrine
(Acts 2:42). In other words, their hearts were to their spiritual fathers in the
Lord.
In this day, I believe an "Elijah ministry" is turning the
hearts of God's people back to the NEW TESTAMENT and the TEACHING of
the APOSTLES. The desire is to see apostolic truth, order and power
return to the church, and this requires bypassing all the
accumulated traditions and manmade ways of the last 1900 years and
returning to the "fountain" of truth which Christ committed to His
apostles.
The home. We can see yet another phase of
the truth that the hearts of the fathers would be turned back to the
children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Among those
who are seeking to move in what the Lord is doing today, there is a
fresh emphasis on the place of the home in God's plan, and a
renewed desire to see God's divine order for husbands, wives
and children implemented in the home. We cannot enlarge on the
subject here, as it is beyond our scope for this booklet. But we are
beginning to see as never before that the church will only be as
strong as the individual family units which make up the church. Many
have had the strange notion that they can be "spiritual" and yet not
fulfill their proper "role" in the home as a husband and father, or
wife and mother. We MUST get back to the basic truth that if a
person is married, their FIRST and most IMPORTANT ministry
under God is to their family. HOW WE TREAT THOSE NEAREST TO US IN
OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY CIRCLE determines to a great extent how
"spiritual" we are in the sight of God. There are too many, both men
and women, who are out trying to minister to others when they have
failed to fulfill their responsibilities and ministry to their own
mates and children in their own family. God help us to get our
priorities right and put first things first. This is part of
the ministry of "restoration" taking place in our
day.
Elijah on the mount. There is another
evidence that an "Elijah ministry" must come forth and "prepare the
way" of the Lord in these last days. It is presented to us by
symbolic drama. The story is given in all three
synoptic gospels, so we know it is of great importance. I refer to
Jesus taking three of His disciples up into a high mountain and
being transfigured before them. In Mt. 17:3, we read, "And behold,
there appeared to them Moses and Elijah
talking with him." Moses was refused entry into the Promised Land by
the Lord because of his smiting of the rock in anger (Num.
20:11-12), but there on the Mt. of Transfiguration we see him
IN the Promised Land, talking with Jesus. This speaks of the
end-time of this age, when God is going to lead His people into the
FULNESS of their spiritual inheritance. Though the church has failed
many times through "striking the rock" (Jesus) in its unbelief,
waywardness and apostasy, we are yet to see the church in the
"spiritual mount" of the promised blessing and power and
victory. Since Elijah was there with Moses and Jesus, he pictures
the end-time ministry and move of the Spirit of God which is
PREPARING the church for her destined hour of full glory. The three
disciples (only one fourth of the chosen twelve) who went up into
the mount with Jesus, portray the fact that only a PORTION of the
church will be willing to "ascend" into that higher spiritual realm
which the Lord has prepared for His people in this end time.
Time element. I want to present two
evidences from the Mount of Transfiguration story to show that it
portrays events which are to take place in this very end time in
which we are living. First, in Mt. 17:1, we read that it was "after
six days" that Jesus took Peter, James and John up into the
high mountain. Six days after what? Reading the 16th chapter of
Matthew, we see that the event from which the transfiguration is
dated, is the Lord's first mention of His sufferings. In other
words, six days after He tells them that He is going to be killed at
Jerusalem, He takes them up into the mount. In II Pet. 3:8, we read
that according to God's reckoning of time, one day is a thousand
years; thus the six days represent six thousand years. However, we
are not to reckon the six thousand years from the time that Jesus
was historically crucified, but from the time that He was crucified
in the foreordained plan and purpose of God, for that was when God
reckoned it to be done. We need, then, to ask the question, WHEN was
Jesus thus crucified? According to Rev. 13:8, Jesus was "the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world." The Greek word translated
"foundation" here is katabole, which means "casting down." It is NOT
the word usually used to denote the foundation of a house or
building: that word is themelios, as used
in Lk. 6:48-49; 14:29; I Cor. 3:10-11, etc. I point this out because
I believe katabole (used in Rev. 13:8)
should not be translated "foundation,” but rather "casting down" or
"fall.” WHEN was the sacrifice for sin NEEDED? When Adam FELL, and
was "cast down" from his pristine perfection and unity with God, and
all creation fell with him. Thus Rev. 13:8 should read that Jesus
was the "lamb of God slain FROM the CASTING DOWN or FALL of the
world. Katabole (and the verb form kataballo) is incorrectly
translated "foundation" in a number of New Testament passages, such
as Mt. 13:35, Lk. 11:50, Eph. 1:4, etc., but in II Cor. 4:9, and
Rev. 12:10, we have the correct rendering, "cast down.”
[Ed. Note – Brother
Earls’ exegesis of “katabole” should be considered more
prophetically interpretive than grammatically definitive.
Grammatically the word also means to “lay down” (as one lays tile on
a floor), hence “to found.” In certain passages, “katabole” cannot
sensibly be translated as a destructive casting down (e.g., Heb.
4:3; 11:11). ]
Foreordained before. In I
Pet. 1:20, we read that Jesus was "foreordained BEFORE the
foundation of the world.” The word "foundation" here is again from
the Greek word katabole (casting down). In the foreordained
plan and purpose of God, Jesus was chosen to become the sacrificial
lamb slain for sin BEFORE Adam and Eve fell and the "casting down"
of the world because of sin occurred; but He was actually "slain" in
the purpose of God FROM the time of that fall, for that was when the
sacrifice was needed. God Himself symbolically dramatized this
truth by killing some animals and clothing Adam and Eve with the
skins (Gen. 3:21). These animals slain at the time of the fall were
the first to shed their blood for man's atonement, beginning
the long succession of animal sacrifices to typify the eventual
sacrifice of Jesus Christ Himself as the "lamb of God."
Passover pattern. The
pattern for the slaying of the Lamb of God was set in the rites that
were given to Moses when the Passover was first instituted in the
land of Egypt. God told the people to "take" a
lamb for each family on the 10th day of the first month, and then
"keep" it until the 14th day of the month, when it was to be killed
in the evening. Thus the Lamb was "marked out" for death ("slain" in
the purpose of God) on the 10th day, but not actually killed until
the 14th day, being kept for 4 days. As a day is with the Lord as a
thousand years, we see how this portrays the fact that Jesus
(although "slain" in the purpose of God from the time of Adam's
fall), was kept in the heavenlies for 4,000 years before coming to
the earth to actually die.
Knowing the time. Based on the above
pattern, we know that the time previous to the cross of Christ was
4,000 years, and that leaves just 2,000 years on this side of the
cross in order to "fill out" man's "work week" of 6 days (6/000
years) before the "day of the Lord,” the
7th day begins. Time can be figured by either lunar (354+ days per
year), or prophetic (360 days per year) or solar (365+ days per
year): 2,000 years of lunar time ran out in the year 1941; 2,000
years of prophetic time ran out in 1972; and 2,000 years of solar
time runs out at the end of this century. Since the days are to be
"cut short" (Mt. 24:22), we will not likely reach the end of the
solar time reckoning. Which makes us realize that NOW we are in the
closing years of the 6th 1,000 year "day," and in the DAWNing of the
7th, which will be the "Sabbath" of God's REST: the one thousand
year millennium.
[ Ed. Note –Obviously we are well into the 21 st century without the fulfillment of
these time patterns having occurred. While referring to the cross as
his time point of reference, Brother Earls erroneously makes all his
calculations from the birth of Christ—which was the common starting
point for anybody calculating the Lord’s return in the late 20 th century. Truly, if we use Calvary as
the starting point of reference for calculations, two thousand solar
years will not actually occur until approximately 2030 AD
.]
Another evidence. The above shows that now
is the time for that which is portrayed by the Mount of
Transfiguration drama to take place. But we want to take a look at a
second evidence. The 6 days of Mt. 17:1 equate to exactly 144 hours.
Does not that number speak to us? Multiply 144 by 1000 (the number
of Christ in His High Priestly ministry: being the number of the
Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle—10 x 10 x 10 = 1000) and we get
144,000—the number of the Firstfruits of Rev. 14:1. These
"firstfruits" are seen standing WITH the Lord on mount Zion, BEFORE
the main harvest of Rev. 14:15. Thus after 6 days, or 6,000 years
from Adam's fall, shall 144,000 be READY to be taken by Jesus into
the "high mountain" of His Kingdom, and enter into the powers of the
"glorified life.” Whether 144,000 is to be taken as an exact number,
or merely symbolic of a larger firstfruits company, makes
little difference. The truth is the same: that a "remnant" of God's
people are now being prepared to "come up HIGHER"—as did Moses (Ex.
24:18), while the people stayed at the foot of the mountain.
Ascending the mount with Jesus, as did Peter, James and John,
symbolizes both that "higher" spiritual place or realm which the
Lord is NOW leading us into: to walk in His ways and be conformed to
His image, and also the coming literal entering into His
heavenly Kingdom through the translation of the physical body
into a glorified body liketo His (Phil.
3:21). Hallelujah! Elijah is here!—"talking with Jesus" in the
spiritual mount, and calling a people to ascend into their
spiritual inheritance.
A voice in the wilderness. We will now take
a final look at the preparatory ministry of John the Baptist, who
went forth in "the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk. 1:17). When
asked by the priests and Levites, who came out to where he was
baptizing, "Who are you?,” John said, "I am the voice of one
crying in THE WILDERNESS, make straight THE WAY of the Lord, as said
the prophet Esais (Isaiah)." (John 1:21, 23). We have already seen
that God speaks in "similitudes" (patterns) by the ministry of the
prophets. John was preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Mt. 3:1-3),
in order to portray the truth that in his day, the Jews were in a
spiritual "wilderness" OUTSIDE the "Promised Land" of Kingdom
blessing and fulness. Following John's ministry, Jesus came
preaching "The TIME IS FULFILLED, and the Kingdom of God is AT HAND:
repent [ ] and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Thus He
gave them a chance to ENTER IN and see the promises to Abraham
fulfilled and the kingdom fully established. But they refused to
accept Him: "He cameto His own, and his
own received him not" (John 1:11). Paul says in Rom. 11:7, "Israel has not obtained that which he seek s for; but the election has obtained it, and the rest were blinded."
"Even so then at this present time also there is a 'remnant'
according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5). This remnant
obtained the promise on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit
was outpoured to establish them in a position of spiritual
blessing and power. Later the Gentiles were added to
this elect company when the house of Cornelius received the Holy
Spirit (Acts 10:44-48).
Not maintained. History shows, however, that
the early church failed to maintain the spiritual estate in which
they were established; neither did they press in to "fully
possess" the ground given to them "in Christ." On the contrary, even
before the death of the apostles, a general declension had set in
which eventually led the church into a "wilderness" of spiritual
impoverishment. As we have already seen, though there have been
times of "spiritual refreshing" and revival, the church has been,
and still is to a great degree, in a spiritual "wilderness" OUTSIDE
the FULNESS of spiritual blessing and power manifest at the
beginning. But God is now moving by His Spirit, and giving His
people an opportunity to once again ENTER IN and fully POSSESS their
spiritual inheritance. As John the Baptist raised his voice in the
"wilderness" of his day, so NOW there are those that God has raised
up to be a VOICE in the "wilderness" of religious confusion,
sectarianism, and apostasy. WHY? Because "the Kingdom of Heaven
is at hand.” The "crossing over" of God's saints into the Promised
Land, first in spiritual power, and then in translation glory, IS
NIGH.
Back to God rule. We have seen that John the
Baptist preached a message of repentance to restoration. The
Greek word translated "restore" in Mt. 17:11 is apokatastasis. The first three letters are a
prefix. The Greek apo means "from" or "away from.” The rest of the
word is defined as follows: "setting, appointing, institution
and introduction; a state or condition; to bring ambassadors before
the assembly." The prefix and the word
together thus indicate a GOING AWAY (apo) from MAN APPOINTED
conditions of government. The "restoration" of John was
that of GOD-RULE. He was a preacher of RIGHTEOUSNESS.
He preached RULE BY GOD within the human heart and in all the
affairs of life and the nation. He was a spiritual REVOLUTIONIST.
Most of the people of his day were IN the world, OF the world and
FOR the world. While he was OUT of this world, IN the Spirit of God
and FOR the God of his fathers. All the deliberations of man were
but an abomination to him. He corrected the heart of countless
multitudes, and IN their hearts he "straightened the way" of his
Lord, that a PATH in human hearts might be prepared for Jesus
Christ. Thus must be our message: RESTORE RIGHTEOUSNESS within the
human heart and GOD RULE in all things. We must be so on FIRE in the
zeal of HIS SPIRIT that all the traditions and practices of man get
booted, that CHRIST ALONE shall REIGN supreme in the heart of the
individual, and in the affairs of His church.
Preparing the Way. "Go through, go through
the gates: prepare [ ] THE WAY of the people: cast up, cast up the
highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the
people. Behold, the Lord has proclaimedto
the end of the world. Say [ ] to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation com
es; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before
him. And they shall call them. The HOLY PEOPLE, The redeemed of the
Lord; and you shalt be called, Sought
out, A city not forsaken." (Isa. 62:10-12). The picture in this
passage is that of the exiles RETURNING to the Promised Land
from captivity. The speaker exhorts the people to pass forth from
Babylon, and speed on their homewards. They are clearing away
obstacles, bringing materials to construct a HIGHWAY along which a
stream of emigrants may march, removing stones that might cause
stumbling, and lifting up a STANDARD to direct the march. Even so,
would the Lord have us prepare a WAY in the desert (of spiritual
desolation), that others might follow after and enter into the
"Promised Land" of blessing and power which God has for His church.
Not many like to be pioneers, preparing the way for others, but some
must hear His voice and obey, saying to the "daughter of Zion,”
"Behold,your salvation com es; behold, his reward is with him, and his
work before him.” If we will be FAITHFUL to seek Him and obey Him in
all that He has shown us, then HE WILL DO THE WORK, and the time
will come when God's people will be called "The Holy People, The
redeemed of the Lord. . . SOUGHT OUT, A city (people) not
forsaken."
Are you willing? Dear reader, are you
willing to let the Lord PREPARE A HIGHWAY in your heart? Are you
willing to let him "straighten" all your ways and gather out the
stones of stumbling? Are you willing to LIFT UP A
STANDARD to others, that a WAY might be
prepared and a PEOPLE readied for His coming? In Isa. 40:4 we read:
"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be
made low: and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough
places plain!!" The poor and lowly in spirit are to be raised up;
the proud and self-righteous depressed; the "crooked" ways of
religious vanity and deceit are to be changed to those of simplicity
and integrity; the "rough" (rude) places caused by the
"hindering tactics" (Luke 11:52) of self-seeking leaders are to be
smoothed out. THEN shall the GLORY of the Lord be revealed. Praise
His Name! So may He hasten the day!
Postscript. Finally, in presenting the
evidence of an "Elijah" ministry for this end time, we must include
John's vision of the two witnesses of Rev. 11:1-12. In verse
6, we read that these witnesses have power to "shut heaven, that it
rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters
to turn them to blood, and to [strike] the earth with all plagues,
as often as they will." The miracles mentioned here were performed
by Elijah and Moses in the Old Testament, and this has led many to
believe that Elijah and Moses will literally return to this earth to
be the two witnesses in this end time. I fail to see that this is
necessary. We have already seen that Elijah and Moses were TYPES of
that which God would do through other special messengers and through
His church by the power of His Spirit. My personal conviction is
that the "two witnesses" represent the "faithful remnant" which has
witnessed to the truth of God down
through this age during the two-church system. The two-church system
was represented first by the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic
branches, and then re-fulfilled by the split between the Roman
Catholic and Protestant groups. God has al ways had a spiritual
remnant as faithful witnesses within and in the midst of the
organized church systems, and this witness will be intensified in the end time as God anoints
those whose hearts are whollyto Him to
"prepare the way" for His coming. Out of their mouths will go forth
the "fire" of His Word (see Jer. 5:14; 20:9) to "devour their
enemies" as we read in Rev. 11:5. I believe also that the
two-witness prophecy will find special fulfillment in this end time
in the two-fold ministry of the apostles and prophets that God is
restoring to the church (Eph. 2:20; Rev. 18:20; Lk. 11:49).
Two men. But because of the special witness
needed (particularly to the Jews) the two witnesses will also
most surely be two individual men, prophets of God, brought forth at
the strategic time, to do the works of Rev. 11:6, and to be martyred
in the streets of Jerusalem (Rev. 11:7-8). If God is going to bring
back two men, rather than Moses and Elijah, it would be prophets of
the New Testament era. Jesus said to His
disciples, " You shall be witnesses to me" (Acts 1:8). This was
true then and has been true of all His disciples down through this
age evento the end. But there is a
special way in which the two witnesses of Rev. 11 could be
witnesses to Jesus. They could be men who
actually saw Jesus, heard Him teach and perform miracles, and also
witnessed His death and resurrection. It would be impossible
for Moses and Elijah to be witnessesto
Him in this sense. Since the New Covenant is a better covenant with
better promises (Heb. 7:22, 8:6), why should the Lord have to
bring back two men who lived under an inferior covenant to be His
witnesses? The Greek word "better" in these passages actually means
"stronger" or "more powerful.” These specially chosen witnesses who
shall minister under the New and more powerful covenant than the
old, will certainly have no trouble doing similar or even more
powerful works than did Moses and Elijah, when the Lord gets ready
to use them. Jesus spoke to John, just before the vision of the two
witnesses, and said, "You must prophesy
AGAIN before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and
kings." Will John, then, be one of the two witnesses? Only time will
tell. Maranatha! Even so, come Lord Jesus! (see Rev. 10:11; 22:20).
[ Ed note – Brother Earls speaks more fully
about the identities of the witnesses in the prophecy entitled
“The Two
Witnesses.”]
[END]
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