PREPARING THE WAY OF THE LORD
By W. G. Guy
The ministry of John the Baptist was to prepare the way of the Lord’s coming into the lives of the people by announcing and identifying Jesus Christ to them and calling them to repentance.
Malachi 3:1 – Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
Isaiah 40:3 – The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for out God.
John’s ministry was carried out as recorded in the gospels:
John 1:29-34 – The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
His ministry was very short lived, but very specific and significant: it only lasted about six months before he was imprisoned, then later executed for speaking boldly against the sins of the political leadership of Galilee – Herold.
Will history be repeated? Is it possible that the Lord will raise up a group of prophets/preachers to do the same thing that John the Baptist did: to prepare the way of the Lord and call people to repentance prior to His return? Could this be what is prophesied in the Book of Revelation regarding the two witnesses. Will these two individuals, (or two groups), come upon the scene with the spirit of Elijah’s anointing, as did John the Baptist. Note their ministry as follows:
Revelation 11:3-12 – And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hunndred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
The two witnesses are thought to be two individuals, but since prophetic words tend to be allegories or figurative, it is possible that this refers to two groups of end-time prophets/preachers.
The ministry of these witnesses occurs between the sixth trumpet and the seventh trumpet of Revelation: the seventh trumpet and the seventh vial signify the end when it is all finished.
Revelation 9:13-15 – And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
Revelation 10:7 – but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Note: there are not fourteen end-time judgments, as in seven trumpets followed by seven vials; just a total of seven. The trumpets are simply the announcements, and the vials are the actual events. For example: compare the sixth and seventh trumpets (above) with the sixth and seventh vials (below):
Revelation 16:12 – And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Revelation 16:16-17 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Notice that the sixth trumpet and sixth vail both deal with the River Euphrates and prepare for a major war – Armageddon.
The seventh trumpet and seventh vial both identify the END, when all dealing with sin and corruption is finished. (Note also the similarity of the other trumpets and vials; each refers to the same events as the trumpets and vials are concurrent, not consecutive.)
Note also that the River Euphrates identifies that these end-time events are centered in the mid-east; primarily in Iraq, the area of the former Babylonian and Persian Empires. Also note that the conclusion of the seventh trumpet and vial lead to the destruction of Babylon which is covered in Revelation 17 and 18.
Is God raising up those whose ministry will be in the pattern and anointing of John the Baptist? Consider how long the ministry of John the Baptist lasted before he was executed: approximately six months. How long will these last day witnesses, (preachers/prophets) of God be allowed to serve before they are executed?
Revelation 11:7 – And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
This indicates that it will be a very brief and significant period. So what happens between the sixth and seventh trumpets and vials? One third of the population is killed in warfare; the witnesses that declare the Word of God and are executed; and Armageddon; the declaration that IT IS FINISHED, (THE END). All the trumpets and vials conclude the end of this age as Jesus returns to set up is kingdom here on earth.
Note also that we come here with Him for the next thousand years, so we are not in Heaven. We, God’s true children, have a work to do during that thousand years. We are to govern, or rule, with Christ; to teach and train those who remain alive on earth, who were not killed in the end-time events, to live and walk in truth and righteousness. Then after the end of that thousand year period; the seventh millenium is THE SABBOTH millennium, in which Jesus is LORD of the SABBOTH:
Luke 6:5 – And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Satan is loosed from his imprisonment to tempt those who never knew of his temptations. This is so that they have the opportunity to choose to follow Satan in sin, or to walk in the righteousness that they have been taught and shown by us.
Revelation 20:2-3 – And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Revelation 20:7-8 – And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Note: this battle mentioned here is not Armageddon, but the final conflict at the end of the seventh millennium. Note also that during this last millennial period mankind can live for the whole thousand years if he continues to live righteously.
Isaiah 65:20 – There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hatth not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
Are you ready for what is about to occur in these last days? Will you heed the message of these last day prophets and preachers? Will you repent and turn to God through Jesus Christ with all your heart and soul? Your security will be assured if
your faith and trust is completely in Jesus Christ.
Luke 21:34-36 – And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
It would benefit us all to pay attention and heed the words and warnings of these last day servants of the LORD!
