Matt 3:1-4 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[a]” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’”[b]
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.
Before the birth of our Lord Jesus, God had sent someone to prepare the Way. Scripture tells us in Malachi chapter 4 that the prophet Elijah will be sent. Therefore, many of God's people expected the real Elijah to come. But God had sent John the Baptist with the spirit and power of Elijah. Since the majority of God's people were not able to discern the spirit of the message, many ended up rejecting their Messiah during the first coming. Will history repeat?
Many are waiting for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many are being taught the two witnesses described in the book of revelation to be the real Moses or Elijah to come. Some say perhaps, Moses and Enoch are the two witnesses.
Regardless, for HIS Second Coming, someone must prepare the Way. God is calling HIS Church or Bride to prepare the Way. But not all are the Bride as many are still infants and babes on milk. Many are still spiritually blind and deaf. A baby cannot get married nor does a baby have the ability or capacity to be married. A baby must grow to maturity. A person who just gets saved is but an infant. Even if someone has been a Christian for decades, time does not make them mature. Time and knowledge does not define your maturity. The bible says you are known by your fruit. One who is muature bears enduring fruit.
John the Baptist was a man who lived in the wilderness. He wore clothes woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. A camel has very hard callous knees. John wearing clothes woven from a coarse camel hair represented that he was a praying man on his knees. He would be sent in the spirit and power of Elijah. In the book of James, Elijah was described as a ordinary human but one who earnestly prayed.
James 5:17(NKJV) Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
Elijah and John are not like most Christians today who do not pray at all or just pray over their meals. They are not like many Christians who define themselves as praying people who walk around thinking they are talking to God all day. They were men who were on their knees with closed eyes praying in the spirit of God. We must be a people that are able to sit still and pray in the spirit with our eyes closed for hours. Both John and Elijah wore leather belts. The belt represents the truth of God and wearing it around their waists defined their positions of authority and calling. The belt holds the clothes in place. They were in position to do God's work. John ate locusts and honey. John the Baptist was able to feed both spiritual meat and judgment. The locust represents judgment. Honey enlightens the eyes and gives strength but babes are not able to digest. John is one who cannot touch wine nor strong drinks. Christians are not allowed to drink at all but this represents that John has separated himself with the world.
Since John the Baptist was a praying man, one who was in position of authority and calling, and he had the authority to preach and bring discipline/rebuke, he was able to with authority rebuke the Pharisees. Just because one is a Christian, it does not mean one has authority to preach or rebuke other servants of God. Many Christians out there in the internet who slander and rebuke ministries and other servants of God must repent for many are speaking without authority.
John is a servant of God who had humbled himself to go into the wilderness. His father was a priest and he was in the line of priests. But rather than following his father's footsteps to go into institutional religion, he humbled himself to step down. He was a voice in the wilderness. Many Christians are in their wildernesses. There must be a people or church like John who is willing to stay in the wilderness to help those who are wondering in their spiritual wilderness to repent and guide them across the spiritual Jordon River onto the spiritual Promise Land.
John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. John can represent a person or the church. For the second coming of Christ, HE will send the prophet Elijah.
Malachi 4:5-6 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
In the last days, HE will send someone (church) to prepare the way in the spirit and power of Elijah. What type of ministry was the Prophet Elijah? The Prophet Elijah was a FIRE MINISTRY as he was one to call on fire from the heavens. Moses had a FIRE MINISTRY as he met God through the burning bush and as the pillar of FIRE led God's people.
The Church that will prepare the way in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the Return of our Lord will be like John the Baptist. This Church will be a praying church. This Church will be in position of authority and calling. This Church will be eating spiritual honey and locust to preach revelation and have the authority to rebuke the spiritual Pharisees. This Church will call for the repentance of God people to return the hearts of the fathers to their children. This Church are the churches under the Holy Fire Ministry.
The two witnesses in the book of Revelation are mainly considered by many bible scholars as either Moses and Elijah. But many Christians are expecting the real Moses and Elijah during the Great Tribulation to bring forth Fire from their mouths. Our senior Pastor Kim, Yong Doo has told me he believes the two witnesses are the Church. The Praying Church is a Church filled with HIS Spirit and will be working in the spirit and power of Moses and Elijah in the last days. The Church will go through the Great Tribulation. We must prepare now in prayer for these last days.
Glory to HIM
Pastor Steve Yong Kim
Fire of God Church - Branch of the Lord's Church South Korea
An International Holy Fire Ministry for these last days
Preparing for the Coming of our Great KING
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