God created man in His own image. Man rebels against his Maker. The Second Person of the Godhead comes to earth and takes on human flesh to save man. What does man do? Man kills God. Man kills God.
What man was it that killed God? The savage man? The criminal man? No, it was the religious man that killed God. The leaders of Israel, God's true church on earth.
Sin confused man and, given time, man will confuse the truth of God.
God's plan of salvation is as simple as one, two. Satan confused man into thinking it is as simple as two, one. This doesn't sound simple. It sounds confusing.
Man has been saved by God's work of grace in, emphasis on IN, Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. In Him, man has justification, redemption, and righteousness (Romans 3:24-26). This is the number one aspect of salvation.
When man accepts his acceptance, worked out by the Father in the Person of the Son, which is #1, God performs a work of grace in man, the new birth, which is #2. The new birth is a consequence, a result, a by-product of #1.
Man is not saved by a new birth, but he is not saved without one.
While there is a time and place for man to testify how God has changed his life, man is not saved by a changed lift, but only by that perfect life and atoning death of Jesus Christ.
During the Dark Ages, the confused religious man taught that man was saved
by God infusing His grace in man's heart; a #2 salvation. Later the Protestant
Reformers said, "No, a man is saved by #1; God's work of grace in
Jesus Christ, not in man".
This message changed the Church and the course of history. It was the greatest Christian revival since Apostolic times.
Unfortunately, in Protestantism in America, the focus of the preaching, teaching, and literature is on #2; the confused gospel of the Medieval Church.
Sin has confused man and, given time, man will confuse the truth of God.
Just a there are two aspects to salvation, there were to be two comings of the Messiah. Israel was confused and looked for the Second Advent at the time of the First Advent.
Just as there were to be two comings of Christ, so are there to be two comings of the forerunner of Christ.
Gabriel told Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, that John would go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). Although when asked, John denied being Elijah, Jesus said that he was (John 1:21; Matthew 11:13, 14; 17:11-13).
In the last words of the Old Testament we find, "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5).
The First Advent of Christ was not, was not the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Therefore, we must understand that the message John the Baptist preached, which stirred all Judea before the First Advent, must be a preliminary and a partial fulfillment with the final and full message of Elijah to come just before the Second Coming of Christ, which must be acknowledged to be the "great and dreadful day of the Lord".
Just as there will be two comings of Christ, so there will be two messages to prepare the way for His comings. The preliminary and partial Elijah message of John the Baptist, and the full and final Elijah message just before the end of all things. It will go to all the world whereas John's message went only to Palestine.
Also, it must be seen that when Peter says that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, that this was a preliminary and partial fulfillment, with the final and complete fulfillment yet future (Acts 2:16).
"Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come" (Joel 1:15). This must apply to the Second Coming and not to the Day of Pentecost.
Signs in the sun, moon, and stars are to take place just before the Second Advent (Joel 2:10,31; Acts 2:20; Matthew 24:29 to come after the tribulation; Revelation 6:12,13 during the sixth seal). So it must be seen that the message in Joel received a preliminary and partial fulfillment on the Day of Pentecost, but the final, full, complete message is yet future. Just before the end of all things, it will go to all the world, not just Judea.
God's final message to a dying world is depicted in Joel as a locust army, which stops at nothing.
BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION!
God's people are called to arms! "Prepare war, wake up the might men, let all men of war draw near, let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak ay I am strong … Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe" (Joel 3:9,10,12).
Just as the gospel seed was sown by the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost, which was the former rain, the outpouring of the Spirit for the latter day harvest is the latter rain (Joel 2:23; Jeremiah 5:24; Hosea 6:3; Deuteronomy 11:14; James 5:7,8; Acts 3:19,20).
BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION!
"They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, they shall not break their ranks: neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path …" (Joel 2:7,8).
Old denominational differences are put aside. The seven thousand, who have not bent their knee to Baal, go forth and in a mighty voice proclaim: "The Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him!" There is harmony in Zion.
In Revelation 14:6-9 and 18:1-4, angels, messengers, and messages come down from Heaven and enlighten the earth, which must be in darkness.
BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION!
The Elijah message must be proclaimed to prepare the way for the coming King.
Let us notice how the life and ministry of Elijah parallels the events just preceding the coming of Christ.
Baal worship had invested Israel. Baal was the son of El, the father of the Phoenician's gods. He was the god of agriculture, of seed germination; in other words, life! Baal died in the Fall but was resurrected in the Spring.
Baal was a false Christ!
Elijah brought all Israel, God's true people, to a decision on Mount Carmel: worship the true God or Baal the false Christ. He brought down fire from Heaven, which decided the issue with God's people.
The early rain for sowing the gospel seed came on the Day of Pentecost in the form of cloven tongues of fire. Fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The latter rain will be poured out for the latter day harvest. The Elijah message brings down the Spirit to prepare the way for the coming King.
Elijah's ministry was to the ten northern tribes of Israel around 900 BC according to Ussher's chronology. Years later, they reverted to Baal worship and were overcome by the Assyrians in about 723 BC.
Judah in the south was also affected by Baal worship and went into Babylonian captivity beginning in 606 BC. They had been worshipping a false Christ. After 70 years they returned to Jerusalem and Harper's Bible Dictionary states that the Hebrews never again worshipped Baal after they came out of Babylon. So coming out of Babylon can be equated with ceasing to worship a false Christ.
In the very last days of this earth's history, the earth is enlightened with a message from Heaven, saying that Babylon the great is fallen and God's people are to come out of her (Revelation 18:1-4).
Are God's people called out of Babylon because in their confusion, caused by sin, they have been worshipping a false Christ? Is this part of the Elijah message that is to precede the coming of the King?
The Holy Spirit, brought down by Elijah, enables God's true people to see that they have been worshipping a false Christ. So it is to be in the last days.
Elijah's message begins with the proclamation of a drought in the land (1 Kings 17:1).
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord" (Amos 8:11).
The 3½ year drought ended when Elijah's prayers produced rain which, of course, is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Elijah message revives the believers and proclaims the truth of the living God.
Israel, God's true people, were physically held captive by literal Babylon. In these last days, could God's true people, Christianity, be held spiritually captive by a spiritual or symbolic Babylon? If they are not in Babylon, why are they called out?
The Elijah message ends the drought, the famine for hearing the word of the Lord; the true gospel and not a confused Babylonian one.
In the ancient tongue, Babylon means the "gate of God". In the Bible, "Babel" (Babylon) means confusion. Babylon is a confused gate of God. A worshipping of a false Christ. A confused gospel.
Sin confused man and, given time, man will confuse the truth of God. Examples:
Old Testament Times
- Israel
Dark Ages - Medieval Church
Last Days - God's People in Babylon
From Eastern Orthodox to neo-Pentecostalism, there is a lot of CONFUSION in the Christian church.
American Protestantism may be the most confused of all because she claims the heritage of the Reformation but doesn't practice it. Her preaching, teaching, Bible Study, and literature have as its focus, its central theme, the #2 aspect of salvation. In the religion of Babylon, man bowed to his own image, which was 60 cubits high and 60 cubits wide: 66, the number of man.
God's saving work of grace has taken place in Jesus, who is the Christ; the #1 aspect of salvation.
To make salvation something that takes place in man, #2, is to put man "in place of Christ", which makes man an anti-Christ.
The Elijah message will be for those hungering and thirsting for the true word of God.
American Protestants are spiritual descendants of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and others, but they have veered from the Reformers' teaching. The hearts of the children need to be turned to the fathers; fathers of the Reformation.
BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION!
The Elijah message goes before the coming King to prepare the way.
After the demonstration of the mighty power of God, the Elijah message, on Mount Carmel, the rains came for which Elijah had prayed. Ahab got into his chariot to go to Jezreel.
"And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, AND RAN BEFORE AHAB to the entrance of Jezreel" (1 Kings 18:46).
As wicked as Ahab was, he was still the king, the Anointed One of Israel. He was a figure, a type of Christ, the coming king of kings. Elijah goes before the King to prepare the way.
BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION!
The King is coming. "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Luke 3:4; Isaiah 40:3,4 - the Elijah message).
When Jezebel, wife of Ahad, heard of the slaying of the prophets of Baal and the prophets of the grove, she directed her ire at Elijah. She sent word to Elijah that he would die the very next day because of what he had done (1 Kings 19:1,2).
Fearing for his life, Elijah fled the country. In the wilderness he is fed by an angel, which prepares him for his journey to Mount Horeb and a forty-day fast. Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry.
In the last days when the Elijah message goes forth as the invincible locust army, preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ, which exposes the false Babylonian, Medieval gospel, the apostates become so irate that they seek the life of these Elijah messengers.
"… there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation …" "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shaken" (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21,22).
There will be those who have the false Babylonian gospel in their minds. They believe it is the true gospel. It is written across their forehead. While others who may not theoretically hold to the false, by their practice they support it with their hand (Revelation 13:11-18). Man's number is 666 (NIV).
Another serious warning Jesus gives is in Matthew 24:26,27. "Wherefor if they shall say unto you, Behold … he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shinneth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be". Be especially careful about some sort of secrecy being connected with the Second Coming of Christ.
Just as an angel fed Elijah in the wilderness, the woman of Revelation 12, representing the true church, is fed and nourished in the wilderness for 3½ years (see verses 6 and 14; chapter 11:3,4). All the time periods (including Daniel 7:25) are 3½ years; the time of drought in Elijah's day, the ministry of Christ, and the ministry of the anti-Christ of Revelation 13:5.
The 144,000 in white robes washed in the blood of the Lamb, are those who have come out of great tribulation (Revelation 7:14).
Although hidden and nourished in the wilderness, they suffer great tribulations. "And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days will be shorted (Matthew 24:22).
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The Elijah message sounds, the way is prepared. The King comes:
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
A resurrection took place when Elijah raised the widow's son. At the end of his ministry, Elijah and his successor, Elisha, stood on the east bank of the Jordan River while 50 students from the school of the prophets stood by.
The prophet smote the river with his mantle and he and Elisha crossed over on dry ground. Crossing the Jordan into Canaan, the Promised Land, is symbolic of entering into Heaven.
Then the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof swept Elijah up into Heaven.
Thus, we see how the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet mirrors the last day events. A 3½ year famine of hearing the word of the Lord, the latter rain of the Holy Spirit, and the proclamation of the last message of truth to a dying world which causes God's true people to cease worshipping a false Christ which enrages those with only a form of godliness which brings about great tribulations, which are shortened for the elects' sake. The Second Coming is the resurrection of the dead and translation of the living.
I looked over Jordan
and what did I see?
A band of angels coming after me
Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot. Coming for to carry me home.
BELOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION!
OUR GOD COMETH!
The Elijah message prepares the way.