|
How
Will We Know This Prophet
Messenger?
But how
will we recognize him?
This may not be the easiest
to discover because
we are so complex
in our thinking, and so
in our own ideas
as to how he should come,
and what he will be like,
and what he will say and
how he will act. But if
we will just consider
the Messenger of the
First Coming we ought
to find help regarding
the Messenger of the
Second Coming.
John came
apart from every school
of religious thought.
He was not a priest,
though he was entitled
by birth to be one.
He was not a Pharisee,
nor was he a Sadducee.
There is no record
that he belonged to the
Essenes. He was not
educated either formally
or religiously by men.
He was, however,
filled with the Holy Ghost
from his mother's womb,
and that same Spirit that
Filled him taught him.
His
aims were so different
from those round about
him that he was NOT ONLY
misunderstood but
violently repudiated.
He was not truly understood
by his own disciples,
and much less understood
by the groups who came
to question him. His coming,
his actions, his preaching
- all caused more confusion
than apparent illumination.
He seemed more against
men than for men.
In all
realms, except that of
the Spirit, he was absolutely
a non-conformist.
Except for the Very Elect
of that day he was either
repudiated or held
in doubt. Now then,
is it not more than
possible that the
Messenger who foreruns
the Second Coming of Christ
will be every bit such
a man? Surely we must
credit Bible history when
it shows profusely that
every major prophet
and messenger of God was
both misunderstood
and finally rejected
by all except a bare minority
in whom was the same Spirit
of God.
Only a
very small minority
will recognize this Prophet-Messenger
because only a
very small minority have
the courage to
face up to Scriptural
Proof and accept the
Truth even when it
is contrary to their
own ideas. STOP! Consider
WHAT you are believing!
Is it the real
genuine Revelation (by
the Spirit) of the Word
of God, OR is it your
own interpretation
of that Word?
God
interprets His own Word
by bringing it to pass.
All we're doing in this
study is showing you What
God has interpreted, "HAS"
brought to pass, and "IS"
bringing to pass.
A factual
study of the spiritual
conditions of the last
day or Laodicean Church
will give us much insight
as to what kind of a person
this Messenger will be.
In Rev. 3:14-22,
14. And
unto the messenger of
the church of Laodicea
write, These things
saith the Amen, the
faithful and true witness,
the beginning of the
creation of God;
15.
I
know thy works, that
thou art neither cold
nor hot. I would thou
wert cold or hot,
16.
so
then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither
cold nor hot, I will
spue thee out of my
mouth.
17.
Because
thou sayest I am rich,
and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing;
and knowest not that
thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked,
18.
I
counsel thee to buy
of me gold tried in
the fire, that thou
mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that
thou mayest be clothed,
and that the shame of
thy nakedness do not
appear; anoint thine
eyes with eyesalve,
that thou mayest see.
19.
As
many as I love, I rebuke
and chasten: be zealous
therefore, and repent.
20.
Behold
I stand at the door
and knock: if any man
hear my voice, and open
the door, I will come
into him, and will sup
with him and he with
me.
21.
To
him that overcometh
will I grant to sit
with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame,
and am set down with
my father in his throne.
22. He
that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches."
According
to what is set forth here,
the last church of the
last age is the most deplorable
of all ages, and climaxes
its shame and confusion
in utter apostasy for
Rev. 3:20 says, "Behold
I stand at the door and
knock and if any man hear
my voice and open the
door I will come in to
him."
This is
none other than Christ
shoved out of His own
church, and he is
now outside trying to
regain admittance. This
is not a far-fetched
interpretation, but the
desolate truth - "He
that hath an ear let him
hear what the Spirit is
saying." Verse
twenty has been used
for so long on sinners
by well meaning but wrong
believing personal workers
that we have failed
to see the Spirit
of God is foretelling
the exact condition
of the Laodicean Age Church.
It
Finally Becomes Christless.
Now do
not be confused. The
reason we have failed
to see this truth
is because of another
failure in our reading
the Word of God the way
it is written. Read again
carefully, Revelation,
chapters 2 and 3. Notice
that in every single age
the Spirit is speaking
to those who are true
Christians and those
who are pretenders,
or unbelievers. On
one hand He lashes out
at their gross sin and
on the other He commends
them for their piety,
faith, suffering, understanding,
etc.
How
is this? The answer
is simple. All Israel
is not Israel. Therefore,
All Christianity is
not Christian. As
Israel means, 'Prince
with God', there were
multitudes who bore the
name as in the days of
Elijah, but that did not
make them truly Israel.
Perhaps there were as
many as five million
in that day that were
Israelites after the flesh,
but there were only
seven thousand true Israelites
that had not bowed the
knee to Baal.
Today we
have an identical situation
in the Church. All
who bear the Name "Christian"
are not truly WORD
BORN, SPIRIT FILLED
CHRISTIANS. They identify
with the church, profess
to believe in God,
the Virgin Birth and basic
Christian Doctrines BUT
they are NOT truly
Christian - Christ-like.
They were just caught
in the Gospel net; A
fisherman goes forth
to cast a net. All
kinds come in. There
are eels, serpents, turtles,
crabs, lobsters, shrimp,
water spiders, frogs,
etc., that get in that
net - but also there are
FISH.
A shepherd
has a flock, both sheep
and goats. A farmer
has a field –
it contains wheat and
tares. Today we have second,
third, fourth, fifth,
tenth, twentieth, and
thirtieth generation Christians.
But God does not have
grandchildren, only children.
The REAL BODY OF CHRIST
- the REAL CHRISTIAN is
only a small part
of all that professes
to make up Christianity,
and it is spiritual
as were the seven thousand
in the days of Elijah.
But as
Israel after the flesh
purported to speak for
God, and worshipped God,
and regulated the religious
life for their day, even
so now does the present
nominal church
purport to speak for God,
worship God and regulate
worship as we know it
today. BUT Jesus,
knowing that the church
would become lukewarm
and spiritually
blind, asked the question:
"When the Son of Man
cometh, will He find Faith
on the earth?" (Luke
18:8). Will He find
someone to believe
in the Whole Body
of revealed Truth
as restored and revealed
by the Prophet-Messenger
to the age.
In spite
of being lukewarm and
spiritually blind
the church today is rich.
She has vast holdings
in real estate and stocks
and bonds. Her pastors
have retirement funds
of multiplied millions.
She is rich in worldly
goods but poverty stricken
in the spiritual.
She is so far from God
spiritually that God
calls her wretched,
blind, and naked and she
doesn't even know it.
Yet for all her apostasy
she says she speaks for
God. God says, " You
can't speak for me. You
are lukewarm. You won't
take a truly righteous
stand though you claim
to believe the major truths
of the Word. Thus you
are no longer my mouthpiece
- I spue you out of
my mouth."
Not only
is this so, but the organized
religious moves we have
today is so all-embracing
that Christ is forced
to step outside the
church, for light and
darkness cannot mix. The
Protestants are getting
back with the Roman
Catholics in the ecumenical
and charismatic moves.
The Patriarch and the
Pope have come into fellowship.
Millions of Protestants
and Roman Catholics are
already finding common
ground to unite on.
The
one thing which they consider
expendable in this unity
is the WORD OF GOD.
They
are sacrificing the WORD
for unity.
America has already
had one Catholic president
and no doubt will
have more to follow.
When Americans voted for
it's first Catholic President
in 1960 it was an indication
of the shift which had
taken place in American
religious thinking.
The
leaders of each of the
religious groups have
repudiated the Word
and drawn up their own
creeds and dogmas as
a substitute so that
people live no longer
by the Word of God,
but by a Church creed.
Yet, in
spite of all of them denying
the Holy and Infallible
Word of God, these
same people dare to say
that they speak for God.
Some go so far
as to say they are the
vicars of Christ. This
is truly antichrist.
Christ must needs leave
the church to its bankruptcy.
As He leaves He has a
word of warning to His
own:
Come
out
of her my people and
be not partakers of
her sins. Wherefore,
come out from among
them , and be
ye separate, and
touch not the
unclean thing, and I
will receive you.
Rev. 18:4 and 2
Cor. 6:17.
To reject
the Word is to reject
Christ. When Eve
allowed Satan to
change but ONE WORD
of the commandments of
God, she opened the door
to the floods of sin and
misery that have dogged
the ways of mankind for
all these thousands of
years. The very last
words of Jesus to the
church warns, "Don't
take away one word - don't
add one word - leave it
exactly as it is, and
go by that."
But the church has
not listened. She
has changed the Word of
God to suit herself.
Why right now there is
a conclave of students
from the Jews, Catholics
and Protestants who are
rewriting the Bible to
suit all three groups.
No
wonder Dr. Billy Graham
said that if the Holy
Spirit left the church,
she would be so unaware
of it that she would
go on doing ninety percent
of what she is now presently
doing, and would not
miss Him.
And that
is exactly right. For
when the Word is rejected
the Spirit is rejected,
for the Word and the Spirit
are ONE. You can't
have God apart from His
Word. It is impossible.
Now since
these are the true conditions
of the church, what
kind of a man will the
messenger be who comes
to this age? He will
not be from ANY ORGANIZED
group. That would be impossible
for these organizations
are coming together and
are bereft of God. He
will not be from any
so-called REPUTABLE religious
source. He will stand
alone, and that FOR
GOD and WITH GOD. His
manner of life, speech
and attitudes both
spiritual and material
will be unlike others.
He will appear to be
the same misfit as was
John and just as controversial.
He will not be
popular.
In
fact any popularity
he gains in the early
days of his ministry
he will lose when he
begins to speak the
truth as it is given
him from on high.
But he
will be God's man,
and the Elect will
know him as they
have always through the
ages. This man's ministry
will open wider
the eyes of the elect
but it will close and
make even blinder
the eyes of those who
have become hardened.
This is how it was
in the days of Jesus.
In the
days when Jesus walked
the earth, those who
had a measure of light
and righteousness were
the Pharisees. BUT
when they began to
question and doubt
and reject, all
their light turned
to darkness and they
were utterly darkened
until they killed their
very Lord. But on
the other hand there was
a Samaritan lady of
ill fame who saw Him
at a well. In her sin
she believed in Him,
and all her darkness
became pure light
and she lived through
His GRACE while the Pharisees
died. Hear, then, this
Prophet-Messenger when
he comes with the Word,
and close not the ears,
lest your light become
darkness, and the
Spirit of God speak no
longer to you.
Having
seen this much, let
us go further in finding
what scripture has to
say about this messenger.
Since this man must
come to us in the last
day just before Jesus
returns, let's examine
in the Light of Scripture,
the conditions
which will exist on the
earth at that time. Let's
see if we can find more
illumination on this messenger.
Jesus, Himself, gave
us the key in Luke
17:26-30. The characteristics
of two specific periods
of time will reappear
at the endtime. Those
characteristics are from
the days prior to the
flood and the overthrow
of Sodom.
It is written...
17:26
"And
as it was in the days
of Noah, so shall it
be also in the days
of the Son of man.
17:27
They
did eat, they drank,
they married wives,
they were given in marriage,
until the days that
Noah entered into the
ark, and the flood came,
and destroyed them all.
17:28
Likewise
also as it was in the
days of Lot; they did
eat, they drank, they
bought, they sold, they
planted, they builded.
17:29
But
the same day that Lot
went out of Sodom it
rained fire and brimstone
from heaven, and destroyed
them all.
17:30
Even
thus shall it be in
the day when the Son
of man is revealed."
Natural
insight alone will
surely confirm to the
reader that we are living
in the days like unto
the "days of Noah" and
the "days of Lot".
Those with spiritual insight
will surely answer with
a resounding "AMEN!" The
conditions of the world
and the world systems
have waxed worse and worse
until it is like the days
of Noah and Lot (Sodom).
Even more so because
it is on such a larger
scale.
BUT
what
does it profit us to
recognize the condition
the world is in if we
FAIL to recognize what
God HAS done and IS
doing to give us the
Faith that pleases Him
in this day?
The above
Bible reference clearly
shows us what the
world will be like at
the time of the Second
Coming of Our Lord Jesus
Christ. BUT remember,
there are always TWO
SIDES to consider.
We know what the
world was doing in the
"days of Noah" and the
"days of Lot" BUT what
was the True Seed (children)
of God doing during those
times?In the days
of Noah there were two
groups. There were
the wicked who perished;
but there were also the
righteous who escaped.
In the days of Lot there
were three groups:
1. The dwellers
in Sodom, 2. Lot
and his family, 3. Abraham
and his family. Now if
our days are to be
an exact parallel
to those days we must
look to see WHAT GOD
WAS DOING then and
apply that to ourselves
in this day. As God was
on the scene in the days
of Noah and Lot, so also
God comes on the scene
today. Paul in his Epistle
to the Romans (15:4) reminds
us that "Whatever things
were written in earlier
times were written
for our learning....."
Look at
the days of Noah. Here
is not only a preacher
of righteousness but a
PROPHET for the Word
of God came to him
and through him for
that day. He warned
and preached. He built
the ark. This was in obedience
to the whole counsel of
God and thereby he and
seven others were saved.
The Spirit of Christ was
in this man.
But even
before Noah there
was a prophet called
Enoch. Jude speaking about
Enoch said that in the
desperate time before
the flood this man spoke
of the SECOND COMING OF
CHRIST. Imagine that.
Enoch had spoken of
The Second Coming when
there had not even been
a First Coming. Here,
indeed, is something we
ought to know about for
we are waiting for the
Second Coming right now.
Way back
there, where for many,
many years they had gone
against God and His holy
Word there arose a
PROPHET. There, when
the sons of God had defiled
themselves with the daughters
of men - when knowledge
was so great, and men
so renowned - a period
when they were rich
and lacked nothing, yet
spiritually they were
wretched and blind as
in this day - yes
in those days there came
a PROPHET with the
WORD of the Lord.
And
since our day is to
pattern after that period,
we will not only look
and see the increase
of sin, and the lack
of spirituality amongst
those that claim to
be Christians, but we
will ALSO look for that
Prophet who MUST come
to fulfill Malachi 4:5-6
and Revelation
10:7.
As Enoch
blasted out against sin
and iniquity, he also
preached about the
Second Coming of Christ
just before the
earth was destroyed by
water. So will it be soon.
That age of the
flood, then, is a type
of today when the Coming
of the Lord draweth nigh.
In Noah's day God sent
a Prophet with the
WORD to catch the righteous
and save them from
destruction. God did it.
The wicked perished.
That will all happen
again . But don't
ever forget, as they
had a Messenger who
was a prophet we have
had one also.
Take now
the days of Lot
when Sodom was destroyed.
The whole story is in
Genesis Chapters 18 and
19. Again we must not
have eyes only to see
the wicked. We must
see what is the portion
of the righteous. When
the enemy comes in like
a flood, God raises
up a standard. In
Isaiah 59:19 we read,
"So shall they fear
the name of the Lord from
the west, and his glory
from the rising of the
sun. When the enemy
shall come in like
a flood, the Spirit
of the Lord shall lift
up a standard against
him." Well, the
enemy has come in
- let us then look for
that standard.
In the
days of Lot when
the cup of iniquity was
filled, God did not
forget His own elect.
They had His special care.
What was that care? God
Himself appeared to
Abraham. There in the
heat of the day as Abraham
sat at the door of his
tent he saw three "men"
approaching. He ran and
fell at the feet of ONE
of them and cried
"MY LORD". For
a while Abraham sat and
had fellowship with these
three "men".
BUT towards
Evening "two" of these
"men" rose up and went
toward Sodom. The "third"
"man" stayed with Abraham.
He began to converse with
His prophet, Abraham,
revealing to him the Word.
In Gen. 18:17, God said,
"Shall I hide from
Abraham the thing I am
about to do?"
No, He could not do
that because God
reveals His secrets
unto His servants, the
prophets. And as He
is revealing to Abraham
about the coming destruction
He also tells him about
the COMING SON
for whom FAITHFUL Abraham
longed.
And notice
this. Here is God appearing
in human flesh, revealing
to Abraham the time of
that Coming Son. As He
does so, Sarah
(in the tent behind Him)
laughs in her heart.
And God, with His back
to the tent, knows that
she laughs in her heart
and He speaks out revealing
her very thoughts, even
the thoughts of her heart.
God the GREAT PROPHET
HIMSELF read the heart
of Sarah. And this is
exactly as it should be.
In Hebrews
4:12 we read,
For
the word of God is quick,
and powerful, and sharper
than any twoedged sword,
piercing, even to the
dividing asunder of
soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents
of the heart.
That is
what the Word does. It
discerns the thoughts
and intents of the heart.
But the Word is God. Thus
the Manifested Word
(God) in the presence
of Abraham discerned
the thoughts and intents
of the hearts of
those present.
This is
exactly what Jesus
did when He came 2000
years ago. And we know
that Jesus was God manifested
in flesh. It was this
sign (discerning the
thoughts and intents
of the heart) that
made the elect accept
Him as the Messiah.
Read what
the Bible says in John
1:40-51.....
1:40
"One
of the two which heard
John speak, and followed
him, was Andrew, Simon
Peter's brother.
1:41
He
first findeth bis own
brother Simon, and saith
unto him, We have found
the Messias, which is,
being interpreted, the
Christ.
1:42
And
he brought him to Jesus.
And when Jesus beheld
him, he said, Thou art
Simon the son of Jonas:
thou shalt be called
Cephas, which is by
interpretation, A stone.
1:43
The
day following Jesus
would go forth into
Galilee, and findeth
Philip, and saith unto
him, Follow Me.
1:44
Now
Phillip was of Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and
Peter.
1:45
Philip
findeth Nathanael and
saith unto him, We have
found him, of whom Moses
in the law and the Prophets,
did write, Jesus of
Nazareth, the son of
Joseph.
1:46
And
Nathanael said unto
him, Can there any good
thing come out of Nazareth?
Philip saith unto him,
Come and see.
1:47
Jesus
saw Nathanael coming
to him, and saith of
him, Behold an Israelite
indeed, in whom is no
guile!
1:48
Nathanael
saith unto him, Whence
knowest thou me? Jesus
answered and said unto
him, Before that Philip
called thee, when thou
wast under the fig tree,
I saw thee.
1:49
Nathanael
answered and saith unto
him, Rabbi, thou art
the Son of God; thou
art the King of Israel.
1:50
Jesus
answered and said unto
him, Because I said
unto thee, I saw thee
under the fig tree,
believest thou? Thou
shalt see greater things
than these.
1:51
And
he saith unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto you,
Hereafter ye shall see
heaven open, and the
angels of God ascending
and descending upon
the Son of Man."
See from
these verses that this
sign (discerning the
thoughts and intents
of the heart) caused Nathanael
to immediately claim
this man of Nazareth to
be the very Son of God,
the King of Israel. Likewise
the woman at the well
received Christ as the
Messiah on the same
basis.
In John
4:14-29 we read,
4:14 But
whosoever drinketh of
the water that I shall
give him shall never
thirst; but the water
that I shall give him
shall be in him a well
of water springing up
into everlasting life.
4:15
The
woman saith unto him,
Sir, give me this water,
that I thirst not, neither
come hither to draw.
4:16
Jesus
saith unto her, Go,
call thy husband, and
come hither.
4:17
The
woman answered and said,
I have no husband. Jesus
said unto her, Thou
hast well said, I have
no husband:
4:18
For
thou hast had five husbands;
and he whom thou now
hast is not thy husband:
in that saidst thou
truly.
4:19
The
woman saith unto him,
Sir, I perceive that
thou art a prophet.
4:20
Our
fathers worshipped in
this mountain; And ye
say, that in Jerusalem
is the place where men
ought to worship.
4:21
Jesus
saith unto her, Woman,
believe me, the hour
cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain,
nor yet at Jerusalem,
worship the Father.
4:22
Ye
worship ye know not
what: we know what we
worship: for salvation
is of the Jews.
4:23
But
the hour cometh, and
now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship
the Father in Spirit
and in truth: for the
Father seeketh such
to worship him.
4:24 God
is a Spirit: and they
that worship him must
worship him in spirit
and in truth.
4:25
The
woman saith unto him,
I know that Messias
cometh, which is called
Christ: when he is come,
he will tell us all
things.
4:26
Jesus
saith unto her, I that
speak unto thee am he.
4:27
And
upon this came his disciples,
and marvelled that he
talked with the woman:
yet no man said, What
seekest thou? Or, why
talkest thou with her?
4:28
The
woman then left her
waterpot, and went her
way into the city, and
saith to the men,
4:29 Come,
see a man, which told
me all things that ever
I did: is not this the
Christ?
She knew
that He had to be a prophet.
She knew that when Messiah
would come He would do
that. That would be the
SIGN of the Messiah.
That would be His Vindication.
The SIGN which Nathanael
and the Woman at the well
saw Jesus manifest in
the New Testament, Abraham
saw that same SIGN in
the Old Testament. This
is true. Read in John
8:56... "Your father
Abraham rejoiced
to see my day,
and he saw it and
was glad." Jesus was
talking about himself
at that time. He said
that Abraham actually
saw His day - the day
in which He was, right
at that time.
This is
what He meant by that
statement. Twice in the
Old Testament God appeared
to Abraham in human form.
The first time was when
He appeared after the
battle of the kings, and
was called the King of
Salem. Then, later, He
appeared at the tent of
Abraham immediately prior
to the destruction of
Sodom. In the first
instance His appearance
typed Him as the High
Priest, the office of
which He assumed after
His resurrection. But
at the tent He typed
out His ministry as the
PROPHET, which office
He would assume during
the days of His flesh.
In Deut. 18:15-19
we find these words,
18:15 The
Lord thy God will raise
up unto thee a Prophet
from the midst of thee,
of thy brethren, like
unto me; unto him ye
shall hearken;
18:16
Acording
to all that thou desirest
of the Lord Thy God
in Horeb in the day
of the assembly, saying,
Let me not hear again
the voice of the Lord
my God, neither let
me see this great fire
any more, that I die
not.
18:17
And
the Lord said unto me,
They have well spoken
that which they have
spoken.
18:18
I
will raise them up a
Prophet from among their
brethren, like unto
thee, and will put my
words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto
them all that I shall
command him.
18:19 And
it shall come to pass,
that whosoever will
not hearken unto my
words which he shall
speak in my name, I
will require it of him.
And what
He was at the tent, He
was on earth and so He
is right now. The sign
does not change. Only
now it will be the Spirit
in the Prophet bringing
that same sign back to
earth. It has to be
by way of the prophet,
for as Israel cried unto
God, "Let us not hear
your voice audibly or
see the fire visibly,
but speak to us through
a man, even Moses
." God hearkened and has
since then spoken
only by and thru the prophet.
That last day Prophet-
Messenger is duty bound
to produce that sign
if we are in the day that
EXACTLY parallels the
days of Lot and the destruction
of Sodom.
Now while
we are dwelling on that,
Christian friend, elect
of God, remember that
Abraham was not mixed
up down there in Sodom.
He was separated
unto the Lord. God's
elect are always a separated
people. (Come out
of her my people) They
are not of the world.
Lot was down there, but
then, he was not elected.
God had not called and
separated him. He came
along only on the invitation
of Abraham. He was a good
man, to be sure, but God
did not appear to him.
God sent two angels with
a message, warning him
to get out of Sodom.
Lot
was not truly separated
and neither were his children.
They are a type of the
nominal Christians who
go through the tribulation.
The Sodomites,
of course, are the wicked,
and they are destroyed
as it says in Malachi
- they are burned to ashes.
But how wonderful it
is to know that right
now God is dealing
with His elect as He did
with Abraham who is
our father in the faith.
He has appeared to His
elect of the last days
in a prophetic ministry,
showing the same sign
He showed to Abraham and
his group. Truly Abraham's
seed is blessed with Abraham,
and visited by God through
the Spirit.
Since it
is absolutely impossible
to deal with a prophet
relative to the Second
Coming of Christ without
considering Elijah, we
will do so now. Matt.
17:10-13,
17:10 "And
His disciples asked
him, saying, Why then
say the scribes that
Elias must first come?
17:11
And
Jesus answered and said
unto them, Elias shall
truly first come and
restore all things.
17:12 But
I say unto you that
Elias is come already,
and they knew him not
but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed.
Likewise also shall
the Son of Man suffer
of them.
17:13 Then
the disciples understood
that He spake unto them
of John the Baptist."
It will
be noted here immediately
that the prophet Elijah
must certainly return
to this earth. But it
is also immediately noted
that Jesus termed John
the Baptist, Elijah. John
was not the reincarnation
of Elijah. He was John
with the same Spirit
upon him that was upon
Elijah. This is the same
case as is seen when Elisha
prayed for a double portion
of the Spirit that was
upon Elijah and he received
that double portion of
the same Spirit. This
did not make Elisha to
be Elijah. It simply gave
him the ministry by the
Same Spirit.
Now follow
this up to our time.
Will we not also have
a prophet upon whom this
same ministry by the Holy
Ghost descends? Will such
a one come at the end
of this church age? Look
at Malachi 4:5-6,
4:5
"Behold,
I will send Elijah the
prophet before the coming
of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord:
4:6
And
he shall turn the heart
of the fathers to the
children, and the heart
of the children to the
fathers, lest I come
and smite the earth
with a curse."
Here is
one of those most peculiar
scriptures that in
one sweep encompasses
two widely separated events
dealing with one person.
The person involved is
Elijah. The two events
are his manifestation
before both the comings
of Jesus Christ. Now
of course this is not
Elijah himself, but only
the "Elijah ministry"
for there is no reincarnation
in the Bible. In fact
the Word explains these
two events. Malachi
4:6a "And he shall
turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children,"
is a reference to John
the Baptist as set
forth in Luke 1:17.
4:6a "And
he shall go before Him
in the spirit and power
of Elias, 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."
This one
upon whom the Holy Spirit
comes in such a way as
to designate an Elijah
ministry is the very
same in Malachi 3: 1a,
3:1a "Behold
I will send my messenger,
and he shall prepare
the way before me."
John the
Baptist fulfilled Malachi
4:6a and Malachi 3:1a.
Notice what Jesus
said in Matthew 11:7-10.
11:7 "And
as they departed, Jesus
began to say unto the
multitudes concerning
John, What went ye out
into the wilderness
to see? A reed shaken
with the wind?
11:8
But
what went ye out for
to see? A man clothed
in soft raiment? behold,
they that wear soft
clothing are in kings'
houses.
11:9
But
what went ye out for
to see? A prophet? yea,
I say unto you, and
more than a prophet.
11:10 For
this is he, of whom
it is written, Behold,
I send my messenger
before thy face, which
shall prepare thy way
before thee."
Now as
it has been pointed out
in Malachi 4:6 only
the first part of that
verse referred to
John the Baptist upon
whom the Elijah ministry
had fallen. The last
part obviously belongs
to another messenger
with the same ministry,
who will at some time
turn the hearts of the
children to the fathers.
They will not be the same
person. They will be different
men, ages apart. Indeed,
if this prophet appears
today, he will be the
Elijah for our day,
living 2000 years after
John.
Now to
understand the meaning
involved in Malachi 4:6
let us study carefully
the thought, "He shall
turn the hearts of the
Fathers to the children."
John, with the "Elijah
ministry" for that day
was turning the hearts
of the Pharisee, Sadducee
fathers to the children
who were being made
ready to receive the
Messiah when He came.
It was the children
(spiritual) of these 'fathers'
who believed on John and
then went on to follow
Jesus. And this ministry
of John had to do with
the FATHERS of these elect
children.
Something
had to be done to turn
the hearts of the fathers
to them. It would come
through the ministry of
John. And it did come
through that ministry.
For when John appeared
the fathers were not taking
God's Word but their own.
They were sinning and
calling it righteousness.
They had made the Word
of God of 'no effect'
by their traditions. John
came thundering on the
scene.
Out of
the desert he came dressed
in skins, and rough and
coarse was his exterior.
Bold and cutting were
his ways. He slashed
with the Word and Spirit
of God. And they being
stronger than the gates
of hell cut at men's hearts
and brought many to the
baptism of repentance
and faith that the
MESSIAH was about to appear.
This ministry
in the Spirit that John
began was taken up by
Jesus, for John
had to decrease while
Jesus increased. The
hearts of the fathers
being tuned to the Word
(written) - it was
not so great a step now
to turn to the WORD
(Manifested). These
disciples, who were
children then,
later became the apostles
and they in turn became
the fathers of the
church, for the Gentile
church is built upon the
foundation of the apostles
and prophets.
2:19 Now
therefore ye are no
more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens
with the saints, and
of the household of
God:
2:20a And
are built upon the foundation
of the apostles and
prophets.
John
had, in forerunning
the First Coming of Christ,
" Turned the hearts
of the Fathers
to the Children".
NOW, 2000 years later
we look back to those
"Children" as being the
"Fathers" of the
Gentile Church. But since
the "fathers fell
asleep", the church
has drifted from the Original
Word. Once more the
Word has been left and
men have accepted tradition
in its place.
Now, there
was need for a man,
a prophet, like Elijah,
Elisha and John to come
and fulfill Malachi
4:6b - "Turn the
hearts of the CHILDREN
back to the original Church
Fathers" -
back to the Word originally
preached, back
to the signs that follow
the Word. This last-day
Prophet with the Elijah
Ministry will forerun
the Second Coming of Christ
wherein Jesus comes to
catch away His Bride.
Yes, a
Prophet-Messenger was
prophesied to come
and indeed that Messenger
has come to bring
the Bride back to the
Word and the mighty works
that follow the believers.
According to Rev. 10:7,
through his Ministry and
Message he will "finish
the Mystery of God" and
forerun the Second Coming
of Christ.. The Message
of this Endtime Messenger
has revealed the Mysteries
that have been hidden
in God since the foundation
of the world. This may
sound like a large order.
It is, but yet it has
come to pass.
This generation
needed this type
of ministry and this generation
HAS RECEIVED it. WHY
the desperate need?
Paul, The First Messenger
to the First Church Age,
had "Thus saith the
Lord", on the Scriptures.
He was God's vindicated
spokesman for that
age. BUT as the
church progressed into
the Second and Third Ages
DARKNESS overtook it.
The spirit of
Anti-Christ which
was present in the First
Age (1st. John 2:18)
began to lead the people
away from the True
Word into Creeds and
Dogmas of man-made
religion.
Since then
man has been divided over
the interpretation of
Scripture. But God
promised to RESTORE
back that which the Church
had lost through the DARK
AGES. Therefore, in this
last age, we needed a
Messenger to arise with,
NOT "Thus saith
the Church or Theologian"
BUT "Thus Saith
The Lord." To TURN
the hearts of the CHILDREN
to the exact Truth of
the FATHERS.
It was
abiding in that original
WORD that brought
the power. We have to
get back to the
TRUE meaning, TRUE Interpretation
of the Word and then ABIDE
in it. Only by abiding
in the Word can we become
WORD Believers, ready
for the Second Coming
of Christ and the Rapture
(Catching Away) of His
Bride. This messenger
to the Laodicean age had
a tremendous burden
placed upon him. It was
with him as it was with
other prophets, especially
Moses. The people
were oppressed under Pharaoh.
For
Moses to come and declare
himself a prophet of God
and worthy of attention
and obedience to the Word
of God in his mouth, he
would of necessity have
to gain their attention
through some vindication
by God that would defy
all dispute.
This can
be easily understood.
The Hebrews had not
had a prophet for
about 400 years.
Such a length of time
would see several generations
without the truth of God
in their midst, and
the result was ignorance
of God's Word and ways.
Moses would need supernatural
vindication of his
ministry to catch their
attention and TURN
their hearts to the TRUTH
of God's Promise for their
day - A Promise of Deliverance
(Genesis 15:13-14)
.
This is
the very same situation
when both John and
Jesus came. Israel
was without a prophet
for another 400 years
and the TRUTH had
in human hands deteriorated
into human tradition.
How very difficult
it would be to TURN Israel
to Truth by a prophet.
Thus when God sent
Moses He sent him with
two signs. If the
people refused the first
sign (the rod made into
a serpent) they would
hearken to the voice of
the second sign (the hand
placed in the bosom, turning
leprous and then clean.)
Exodus 4:8: "And
it shall come to pass,
if they will not believe
thee, neither hearken
to the voice of the first
siqn, that they will believe
the voice of the second
sign."
Did
you notice? God said
that His signs had
a voice with it. God
NEVER sends a Sign
WITHOUT a Voice. The
SIGN is meant to attract
your attention to the
VOICE. There's bound
to be a Message to follow
the Sign. Don't focus
on the Sign only BUT Listen
for the Voice - it's
a Message from God.
The Voice
of the Sign usually
does Two things.
It will open the eyes
of some and bring
them closer to God and
harden the hearts
of others more and
more as they reject
what the Voice is saying.
In Egypt Pharaoh's heart
was hardened, but Moses
wasn't discouraged. He
knew that the VOICE
of the SIGN was a
Scriptural Voice. It was
"THUS SAITH THE LORD".
The VOICE that cried out
of the burning bush spoke
the Word of God as it
had been given to that
great Prophet, Abraham.
It said, "I remember
my promise to my people."
So Moses listened and
obeyed, and in so doing
he brought the promise
of God for the people
of that generation.
Now when
God spoke by that sign
there was only one avenue
left. Israel had to move
out of Egypt - the Exodus
had to come. So also
in this Age, there
has been a final vindicating
sign with a final
vindicated Message
announcing that "Time
shall be no longer delayed"
(Rev. 10:6).
It is Finished!
It is done! The
Second Coming of Christ,
the Resurrection and the
Rapture is about to dawn
in all it's fullness and
glory upon the endtime
Believer. Indeed, we are
caused to asked "What
hath God wrought in our
generation? We are
exhorted to take heed
lest it happen to us what
happen in the days of
John the Baptist.
In Matthew
17:12 it is written,m"But
I say unto you, that Elijah
is come already, and THEY
KNEW HIM NOT, but have
done unto him whatsoever
they desired....."
Think
of it! The forerunner
of Jesus' First Coming,
had arrived on the scene
but THEY KNEW HIM NOT
- They killed him!
Then they killed
the one whom he was trying
to introduce to them.
Blinded by tradition,
creeds and man-made religion
the majority of
Professing Christians
in this Age has failed
to recognize the Messenger-Forerunner
of the Second Coming of
Christ. And if we miss
the Forerunner we shall
surely miss Christ's Second
Coming and be left
to weep in the Great
Tribulation.
As
John the Baptist cried,
"Behold the Lamb of
God ", the Messenger-Prophet
to this last age continues
to cry out, "Behold
the Bridegroom cometh."
As the apostle
Paul declared the mysteries
of God in the First
Age, it produced Faith
for Salvation, Healing
and even Martyring
Faith - Faith to die
for the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Even so now
, the Mysteries of
God revealed through
the Elijah Ministry
of this day IS producing
Faith for Salvation,
Healing and the Rapture
- The Message of This
Hour, will in God's time
and season give us Faith
to walk of the earth without
seeing death. That's
the Promise for This
Day (1st.
Thess 4:17; 1st. Cor.
15:51-52).
Unfortunately,
most people today are
more apt to believe in
science-fiction rather
then the Promise of the
Word for this day. In
Luke 18:8, Jesus said,
"When
the Son of Man cometh,
shall He find Faith on
the Earth?"
So spiritually
blind with creeds
and man-made religion
would man be in this hour,
that Jesus questioned
whether or not anyone
would be found to Believe
the 'whole body' of
revealed Truth to
receive Rapturing Faith.
WHAT a Day! WHAT
an Hour!
God
made Promises concerning
this hour and God
HAS and God IS fulfilling
those Promises. God
Promised us a Prophet
Messenger to forerun His
second Coming and God
HAS sent that Prophet.
Without a doubt, most
Professing Christians
will acknowledge that
we are in the last
days BUT many do have
doubts as to WHO the Endtime
Prophet-Messenger really
is. WHO IS HE?
WHERE IS HE?
Who
is that man so vindicated
by God with visions and
signs and wonders? Who
is that man who never
yet had a revelation fail?
Who is he who leads
men to God through the
Word and never leaves
the Holy Writ?
Such
a man we look for.
According to the
signs of the times, such
a man even now must
be in our midst, OR has
he already come and
gone? - a Prophet
of prevailing truth! Come
with us into Chapter
Three as we discover WHO
this Vindicated Messenger
really is.
| 