The Message Of John The Baptist

This is the third of a three-part series of journals concerning God's prophetic word to Israel at Sinai, the days of Samuel and the time of John the Baptist who was sent to prepare Israel for THE PROPHET - the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as John prepared the hearts of Israel for Messiah's first coming, the church of the 21rst Century has been ordained to be the prophetic forerunner for Messiah's second return. We are the friends of the bridegroom! There are elements of John's message that are just as relevant for today's forerunner generation of Christ's SECOND COMING as they were for the generation of Christ's first coming. Jesus Himself attested to John's message and words by saying he was the greatest man born among women. We would do well to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church!

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: Matthew 11:1-10 - And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. [2] Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, [3] And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? [4] Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: [5] The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. [6] And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.  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? [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. [9] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. [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.

        This is the third and final part of a three-part journal series we have written concerning three prophetic voices the Lord used to speak to Israel prior to the revelation of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Israel rejected God's plan to speak to them directly at Mt. Sinai through Moses and again during the reign of Samuel as judge and prophet.  After 400 years of silence of God speaking through other prophets (Malachi, being the final word from the Old Covenant) John the Baptist came on the scene suddenly like a meteor a blaze with fire. His words stung the nation to its core as he preached in the wilderness - "make straight the paths of the Lord." His message was one that was the prepare the hearts of the nation for the eventual Redeemer who was coming after Him to reveal the fullness of God's revelation to Israel. Sadly, like with Moses and Samuel, Israel rejected the words of John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:4-6 - [4] And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. [5] Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, [6] And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
 

        John was not your typical preacher. He did not have a three-piece suit on or wear the best garments the local clothing stores in Jerusalem could provide. The Bible says he wore a garment made of camel's hair and he eat locusts and wild honey. But this man, who by the standards of the "church" of Israel's day fell short in appearance and behavior was the vessel through which God used to prepare the way for HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON! Jesus would attest to John's character later saying, "he was the greatest man born among women." It's an interesting thought but most of the time before we can be used by God fully, we must be rejected by the organized church system. Most men in history who have shook kingdoms, nations, cities and the world itself with the power of the Holy Spirit were men just like John - regarded as an outcast and vagabond. To look at John one would turn their head and say, "THIS IS THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS?" Most of us today would have been offended at John's words and his actions. None of us would have readily accepted what he was saying simply because we would be looking at the vessel God was using to bring His message. That's the problem with the church and the prophetic message God so wants to deliver today. We are so caught up in logistics and machinery that if the message we are wanting to hear don't come in the package we want it wrapped in - we reject the message. And by rejecting the message like Israel did - we miss JESUS! And that will be the greatest tragedy of the 21rst Century Church is that in all of our activity and seeking to be busy for Him, that we miss the INTIMACY OF KNOWING JESUS! And without knowing Jesus, we will never see a true harvest of souls for His kingdom!

John 15:1-5  - I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. [2] Every branch in me that bears not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. [3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
 

            In turn, instead of his message softening Israel's heart for her Messiah, the words of John's message hardened the hearts of the religious. Those whose heart was softened received His message and eventually would be the ones who received JESUS. The central theme of John's message is the same theme the Holy Spirit is birthing in the church today for WE now are the forerunners of the Messiah. John the Baptist was a type of the prophetic church sent to the earth to speak to the world concerning its coming KING. John the Baptist was a type of the BRIDAL church who would prepare herself for the COMING OF HER BRIDEGROOM!  John prepared the way for the FIRST COMING of Jesus. We as the church of the 21rst Century have been ordained to be the preparers of the way for the SECOND COMING of Messiah which is soon to take place. It's this bridal paradigm that screams at us today but we are so busy doing other things we are not listening to the prophetic voice of the Spirit no more than Israel would listen to the prophetic voice of John the Baptist.

Repent, For The Kingdom Is At Hand

Matthew 3:1-17  - In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, [2] And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [3] For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

        The first thing John the Baptist told Israel to do was to REPENT, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. He said "prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths STRAIGHT." It's the message that the church of THIS hour has lost but must regain. Our message should be "REPENT, for the KING IS AT HAND!" The King is coming! The King is coming! Repent! Turn around. Change your heart. Listen to me believer, we can change our behavior, we can change churches, we can change the cover on the can of peas, but what's inside the can, or what's inside the HEART OF MAN - only the power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ can do that! -

1 Cor. 1:17-19 -  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.  [18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? [21] For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. [22] For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; [24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. [25] Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
 

        The prophetic voice and power of the gospel is the message of repentance. The prophetic word of God comes from the power of the Cross which cries to sinful man, "REPENT!" It cries to not only sinful man, but to religious man, "YOUR WORKS ARE NO GOOD HERE! ONLY THE BLOOD COVERS SIN!" It cries to a self-righteous church "the people you reject are the ones My cross was ordained to save." It says to the church of this hour, "RETURN TO THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS - the death, burial and resurrection of JESUS" It says to the church of this hour, "The Holy Spirit will only ordain and bless that which comes through CALVARY!" It says to the church of this hour, "I purchased a bride with the blood that was shed on this place, and I'm coming for her one day soon!" If we can hear what the SPIRIT IS SAYING TO THE CHURCH, then we are hearing Him cry, "REPENT, for the KING IS AT HAND!"

        Listen neighbor, when we take repentance out of our preaching we lose the power of the blood! When we repent, then our sins are washed, cleansed and we are set free. Repentance is not just sorrow - it's a choice to turn away from that which is wrong!  The command of Jesus is clear -  "repent, or perish!" It's not easy to repent. When we repent, we confess to God that we are wrong and that is hard for sinful man to do. It's even harder for sinful, RELIGIOUS man to do!

        The reason John's message STUNG Israel so is because as a whole the nation (especially the religious) did not believe it  needed to repent! And a wide vast majority of the church today feels the same way - that we are just fine as we are and God is so pleased with the arrogance and pride and self-righteousness we exhibit over our accomplishments. Israel was God's chosen people. The "apple of God's eye." To Her had been given the law of God. To Her had been given the very oracles of God, the covenants, the very fiber of all humanity's existence hung on the laws God gave to ISRAEL. But to repeat something I said in the first journal of this series, God did not choose Israel as His own to just write a bunch of laws down on two tables of stone and say, "ok, here it is, do this and do that." NO! He wanted to DWELL WITH HER! He wanted to cleanse her of her iniquity. He wanted to make her a PRECIOUS STONE, a JEWEL in the earth, that would reflect not only His power, but HIS CHARACTER and GRACE to all the nations around her. He wanted Israel to be the center piece for all humanity to gaze upon and see the HOLINESS OF GOD in her so all of humanity would then want to dwell with GOD TOO! He wanted Her to commune directly with Him and listen to His voice without the distractions of bearing the guilt and shame and penalty of breaking His law which was inevitable for fallen humanity to do! NO MAN COULD KEEP THE LAW - and Israel was no exception! All the sacrifices, all the covenants, all the ceremony, all the efforts of God to build the tabernacle of Moses were just screams in the ears of a hardened nation's ears that "I WANT TO DWELL WITH YOU IN BLOOD COVENANT RELATIONSHIP, NOT LAW!" And Israel rejected that voice time and time and time again until God sent a man named John to pave the way for the final voice - the Lord Jesus. And his message was REPENT!

        This is why modern converts don't exhibit much change from the time before conversion and the time following. We tell them if they will come down and confess Jesus then they are set. That is only partially true. Yes, one must confess Christ as their Saviour to be born again, but being born again means that one has repented of his sins and seeks to live holy and right before the Lord. Once we take that message out of the gospel, we lose the POWER of the gospel! And as the return of the Bridegroom approaches, the Spirit of God is rebirthing a deep desire in the BRIDE for her to cleanse herself of anything that would hurt her groom! The type of repentance John preached is the same type of repentance the Spirit is birthing in us today. It's a renouncing of not only what we are DOING, but who we ARE - both GOOD AND BAD and we will deal with that further in a moment. If we are hearing the love song of the Spirit in these last days, we're hearing Him repeat the message of the first forerunner - REPENT. Get ready, the KING IS COMING!

The Axe Is Laid To The Root Of The Tree

Matthew 3:7-10 - But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: [9] And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. [10] And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

        As John is preaching, many of the religious leaders come to witness his words and see what he is doing. John goes further into his explanation of repentance with them asking them point blank, "who has warned YOU to flee from the wrath to come?" He lays down another line in the sand and says, "bring forth fruits MEET for repentance...the axe is laid at the root of the tree and if you don't bring forth the right type of fruit, you're going to be cut down and cast into the fire!" What was he saying? Why is that so vitally important for the church of today to grasp this in our role as forerunner of the coming King?

        The Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil

        John was actually referring to something that took place way back in Genesis when God warned Adam and Eve NOT to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There were TWO TREES in the Garden of Eden! The Tree of Life, which in type was Christ, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which in type was the LAW. There were two sides to the tree of knowledge - good and evil. It was actually the GOOD side of the tree that deceived Eve just as the GOOD side of man's nature deceives us today. We flail at the leaves and branches of our condition so many times when the Lord does not want to change our leaves - He wants us to lay an axe to the ROOT of our condition and CUT IT DOWN! All of man's good will never save him from the EVIL that is in his heart! All of Israel's works and "righteousness" she thought she had in the sight of God could not deliver her from the evil condition she had fallen into by rejecting the voice of the Lord.

        This is why psychology is such a waste of time. We go into another human's office, lay on their bed, tell them all of our problems and seek an answer to why we are so evil and depraved and wicked in hopes of finding deliverance. The alcoholic goes to his/her AA meetings in hopes that someone will offer them solace in the fact they are drowning in a pool of wickedness. Man and wife go to the marriage counselor seeking the counselor to grant them some magic formula to bring life back into their marriage. The drug addict checks himself in and out of every clinic in the world hoping to find some magic formula to set him free from an addiction that is killing him and sending his soul to hell. These are examples of the "bad" side of the tree of knowledge. We have a clear understanding of the "bad" side of this tree. We can easily recognize that alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual promiscuity, pornography, divorce, and those type things are bad and we should avoid them. The church is very good at condemning those who have partaken of the "bad" side of this tree. The horror of it is that while we as the church condemn others for partaking of the bad, we are on the other side of the tree partaking of the Good. BUT IT'S STILL THE SAME TREE!

        The Pride Of Life

Genesis 3:1-9  - Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  [2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: [3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. [6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. [7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. [8] And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. [9] And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

1 John 2:15-18  - Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. [17] And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abides for ever.  [18] Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

        Take a real close look at this comparison of what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and what John the Beloved defines as what comes from the world:

She saw the tree was good for food - appetite - The Lust Of The Flesh

She saw the tree was pleasant to the eyes - appeal - The Lust Of The Eyes

She saw the tree as a tool to make one wise - THE PRIDE OF LIFE

        You see, it was the PRIDE OF LIFE that clinched the deal between Satan and man in the Garden. There were certainly other factors but when it came down to cases, it was Adam and Eve's desire to be as wise as God that made them finally give into Satan's temptation and partake. It is this diabolical temptation that Satan is feeding the church of this century today and its coming from the same tree he fed Adam and Eve some 6,000 years ago!

        We don't rebuke pride in the church today. We applaud it. We put it on television. We parade our goods and services over the networks and published media more than even Hollywood at times. We want to be like the world. Our gospel singers want to be like Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, so we give out "Dove" awards to the "BEST SINGER of the year." Our ministers today are so quick and sharp so they want to be on television (I'm not slamming TBN or any other Christian network here, God bless them if they are being used to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ as they ought to be doing, follow what I'm saying) so all the world can see how big their ministries have become. We are BUSY doing the work of God so we can brag to others of how big our church is and how big our Sunday School has grown. We are BUSY doing the work of God so we can brag to others of how many people came to our service last week and how the tithes and offerings are coming in regularly. We are BUSY doing the work of God so we can prove to the world that God has ordained us so the world will feel inferior to us in some way. We mimic the world's system so we can reach people IN THE WORLD thinking that somehow if they see the same things done in the name of Jesus with the same results, we can get them into our systems and organizations.

        The Christian Rock scene is a great example of this. We play the same tunes with the same beat that the world does but we just put a few lyrics in the song about Jesus and clap our hands and say, "WHIPPEEEEE" we're doing this FOR Jesus. We give out awards for it. Before too long I would not be surprised one bit if the church as a whole didn't start giving out "Oscars" to preachers and churches to honor them for their accomplishments. ITS THE PRIDE OF LIFE AND ITS COMING FROM THE SAME TREE!

    "My church is bigger than your church," - THE PRIDE OF LIFE. "My denomination knows more than your denomination," - THE PRIDE OF LIFE. "We have the best worship leader in town," - THE PRIDE OF LIFE. We can read the catch phrases on our church signs and see PRIDE just oozing out like a cancerous sore. "THE WHOLE TRUTH IS PREACHED HERE," like we're the only church in town who preaches the truth. Fundamental, Bible-believing, SOLIDLY GROUNDED," like we're the only place in town where people can find solid ground on - THE PRIDE OF LIFE. Satan has even gotten more clever in modern times with some of this. If we can't get people to come to our church through that we offer them other statements like, "Hurting people welcomed here," as if we're the only church in town that helps hurting people. "Our church preaches the FULL GOSPEL." Then when we can't get them in with the signs and promote ourselves that way - we start bad-mouthing other churches hoping to make our own church look better - THE PRIDE OF LIFE!  You'd not believe some of the things that went on just this past summer between area churches in the city my wife and I live in concerning their Vacation Bible School programs. One church sent a bus into a trailer park where a member from another church managed the park. The church from the other church was forbidden to pick up children just because the member's church was having VBS at the same time - THE PRIDE OF LIFE -and we don't rebuke that in the church - we applaud it! It's so subtle. It's from the same tree. It was the GOOD of the tree that DECEIVED EVE! And if we as the church miss Jesus in this greatest hour on planet Earth it will not be because of immorality as much as it will be our pride in our programs and activity.

        John's message was simple. He said Israel was to put an axe to the ROOT of its tree and cut it down. In spiritual terms, he was saying, to receive the MESSIAH who was coming, Israel would have to renounce her own goodness and righteousness and admit she was lost without Him. One day a rich young ruler came to Jesus and said, "GOOD Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replied to him in no uncertain terms - THERE IS NONE GOOD BUT GOD! The rich young ruler was like all the rest of Israel - he was seeking God through the "goodness" of man's condition. THAT IS THE PATH TO DECEPTION! We must  REPENT of both the GOOD and BAD of our nature and lineage.  Man's goodness will NEVER redeem him from the evil that resides within. It doesn't matter how "good" a person looks or appears. When man is given over to his own desires and schemes man is utterly WICKED, EVIL, DEMENTED and LOST! That's why God sent a Redeemer to save man from his condition.

 He Will Baptize You With The Holy Ghost And Fire

Matthew 3:11 - I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

        John foretold of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in his message concerning Christ's first appearance. You can't preach the gospel without preaching the mighty Baptism in the Holy Ghost! Prior to the SECOND COMING of Messiah one of the greatest outpouring's of the HOLY GHOST this world has ever seen will take place! It's happening in small pieces at this very moment but it will increase in even greater intensity as we approach the Second Coming of Jesus. The outpouring of the Holy Ghost will usher in a great harvest of souls. It's what James refers to as "the latter rain" We're living in that time today!

His Fan Is In His Hand

Matthew 3:12a  - Whose fan is in His hand...

        The word "fan" speaks of a blowing and separating. The ministry of Messiah would bring in fresh winds of the prophetic word of the Lord to Israel once again. For nearly 400 years Israel would hear NOTHING from heaven. Then in a lightning bolt of time winds of the Spirit would touch the nation once again. The winds of the Holy Spirit are blowing ALL OVER THE WORLD right now! The "sound from heaven" heard as a rushing mighty wind on the Day of Pentecost still blows strong today - and its bringing in a fresh word to the church which is not really anything new -it's just a word that is drawing us back to our BRIDEGROOM! The wind of the Spirit is a prophetic wind that will REVEAL CHRIST to us once again and prepare us for the COMING KING!

He Will Purge The Floor And Burn Up The Chaff

Matthew 3:12b - and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

        John the Baptist foretold that Messiah was coming with FIRE and WIND and when He came all of Israel's "chaff" or self-righteousness was going to be burned in the flames of His Glory! That's the theme of this entire mini-series of journals. The Glory of God. Our "chaff" will never survive in the light of His glorious light. It's when we try to "hide" that chaff that we get ourselves in deep spiritual trouble. The Lord knows the chaff is there and He is seeking to separate it from our lives so we can become "wheat" or pure bread in His hands to feed to a hungry world. He called Himself the BREAD of Life. His body is referred to as "ONE LOAF" or one BODY. In this final hour before Messiah is revealed again and comes to reign as King, the church will undergo one of its most painful times in her history.

        I firmly believe the modern church does not know what is about to hit it. My brother and I went to see the early summer film, "Pearl Harbor" not too long ago. As we were leaving the theater my brother looked at me and said, "Chris, just as our country never thought the Japanese would attack them, the church as a whole has no clue of the persecution and injustice it will soon suffer before the coming of Jesus." Another minister friend of mine reiterated this to me not too long after that. Friend, believe me that even though we've seen a shaking in the ranks in the late 80s and early 90s, that was NOTHING compared to what is about to happen to us as a BODY. The Bridegroom is going to have a PURE Bride when He returns. The process by which He burns the chaff from us is through the power of the GLORY that Israel beheld on Mt. Sinai and the FIRE OF THE HOLY GHOST! It's when the chaff is burnt away that we THEN enjoy TRUE INTIMACY with our Bridegroom.

        This process is not fun! It's one of the most humiliating processes to go through when God separates our chaff from the "wheat" of our nature. Only HE CAN DO THAT TO. We cannot even judge ourselves because our hearts are "utterly" wicked and deceitful. It's when we come before Him and say, "LORD no matter the cost, I want you to purge me of the chaff that's in my life," can we say we are becoming INTIMATE with our Saviour. Friend, that's what God desired to have of Israel and it's what He seeks for the CHURCH to have with HIS SON in these last days before Judgment. "He will THOROUGHLY purge his floor..." rings with the echo of a purifying of the Church of the Living God. When we are purged by His grace, we no longer care whether we're going through the Tribulation or not, because once we have tasted His grace in this manner, NOTHING that happens in the world will phase us anymore. We'll only seek to be like our BRIDEGROOM and in UNION WITH HIM! Nothing else will matter! All the earthly "things" we as a church get so engrossed in will pale in comparison! Friend, that time is coming! It's really already here - if we will but "HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING TO THE CHURCH," in preparation for the SECOND COMING OF MESSIAH  as John the Baptist said to Israel in his message of preparation for MESSIAH'S FIRST COMING.

This is My Beloved Son

Matthew 3:13-16 - Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. [14] But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and you come to me? [15] And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. [16] And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: [17] And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
 

       
        Before Jesus comes to be glorified in the earth, He is coming to be glorified in the church. The Lord Jesus is our head, we are HIS BODY; He is our HUSBAND, we are His BRIDE; He is the fine from which we, His branches, draw our life and virtue. These images, and many more, speak openly and passionately of our eternal union with the Son of God. However, as the day of Christ's return draws near, this seeming absence of power is in the process of dramatic change.

        There is a "day of power" at hand. Yet, not only this, but accompanying this time of power will be a glorious holiness, a radiance that will also appear upon God's people:

Psalm 110:3  - Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

       
        At the end of the age, the world will see the Lord Jesus Christ leading HIS CHURCH in ever-increasing displays of GLORY. Great power from God shall rest upon those who are choosing NOW to humble themselves before HIM - THE ONE THE FATHER LOVES! Without hype or self-promotion, the Presence of God shall once again be revealed among us.

        As John the Baptist prophetically proclaimed that God's glory was going to be revealed by the FIRST COMING of CHRIST, so the church of the 21rst Century is proclaiming that as we rush towards the close of this age - the GLORY OF GOD will once again be revaeld before the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST! If our hope has truly come from heaven, then the praying, hungering church of Jesus Christ is about to enter a season of unprecedented glory! It's going to more than miracles and manifestations, it's going to be a revelation of God's glory that will TRULY CHANGE SOCIETY! It will shake the foundations of the world to its core and usher in the final harvest before judgment.

        John preached boldly that "wrath" was coming to Israel and in 70 A.D. that wrath was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman leader Titus. Wrath is coming to planet Earth as well and we must be the voice that warns those around us of the certainty of impending judgment. John's message enveloped the GLORY that Israel saw at Sinai and rejected. Think of it. ISRAEL BEHELD GOD! Could anything have been more wonderful? John's message was the third time God spoke to the nation prophetically. It was a message that said, "Repent." It said, "lay the axe to the root of your tree and repent of your pride." It proclaimed a mighty outpouring of God's Spirit was on the horizon that would precede the FIRST COMING OF MESSIAH, just as a SECOND outpouring of God's SPIRIT would precede MESSIAH'S SECOND COMING. He proclaimed that the only thing God was pleased with was THE SON! IN HIM God was well pleased.

        If we are to see the glory of God in these modern times we must embrace and be in total union with CHRIST! That is the key to seeing the world shaken for the glory of God. Why? Because the glory the Father gave to the SON has been give to THOSE WHO ARE ONE WITH HIM! That was the power of John's message to Israel and its going to be the power of our message today. Praise God.

John 17:22  - And the glory which you gave to me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

Lord, forgive us as Your church for not seeking MORE of your GLORY in this last hour. Forgive us for putting our own agendas and programs ahead of an intimate pursuit of YOUR WAYS and heart. We need your radiance to light the way for what is ahead of us in the coming months. We recognize the fact that without YOU we can truly do NOTHING. We love you Jesus. We exalt you JESUS. We thank you JESUS for shedding Your precious blood to purchase and redeem us ,YOUR church, to be a beacon of Your glory to a lost and dying world. Give us the grace we need to be a fit vessel for that purpose.