Four Days of John - Part
1
The Four Days of John's Ministry
The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the
kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. (Luke 16:16)
John's Ministry Represented Moses and Elijah: The ministry of
John the Baptist was short but vital in preparing the way for the ministry
of Christ. He was the last prophet of the Old Testament era. His ministry
was the culmination of all his predecessors, most notably Elijah, by whose
spirit and power he ministered. (Luke 1:17) But John also represented Moses
and the divine Law, and in this capacity he testified of Jesus (John 5:39)
and worked to bring men to Christ. (Galatians 3:24) Consequently, all that
is written in the Old Testament, both the law and the prophets, find their
culmination and completion in John. When John preached, it was as if Moses,
Elijah, and all the prophets were speaking through him. In fact, it is
the entire Old Testament administration that spoke through the mouth of
this one man, as though John were the summary of all that went before him.
This does not mean that either the law of the prophets became irrelevant
or were put away by the coming of Jesus and His ministry. God has not put
away either. On the contrary, Jesus said: "Think not that I am come to
destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy but to fulfill."
(Matthew 5:17)
The purpose of the divine law is to set His standard of righteousness
by which we may know how to define sin and righteousness in practical terms.
(Romans 3:20) For instance, Paul said he would not have known that coveting
was a sin, except the law said, "Thou shalt not covet." (Romans 7:7) So
without the law being given, we would not be able to repent of sin, for
we would not know what to repent of.
If the law had not been given, there would be no sin, for sin
is transgression of law. (1 John 3:4) Our modern term is "crime." If there
were no laws in our nation, there would be no criminals either, because
men could do as they pleased without violating any law. In precisely the
same way, without the divine law, there would be no sinners. "Where no
law is, there is no transgression." (Romans 4:15)
John's ministry was indeed glorious. Jesus said he was the greatest
of the prophets. (Luke 7:28) In this one man was the ministry of Moses
and Elijah, which makes him an Old Testament type and shadow of the two
witnesses of Revelation 11, who shall manifest the ministries of Moses
and Elijah. (See Revelation 11:5-6, compared with Exodus 7:19 and 2 Kings
1:10)
John's Ministry Had to Decrease: Great as it was, John's ministry
cannot even be compared with that which was to come. Though this law administration
was so glorious that it made Moses' face radiant with the divine presence,
yet it was on a "ministration of death" (2 Corinthians 3:7) leading to
"condemnation." (2 Corinthians 3:8) The law can only convict sinners; it
cannot bring Grace, for all have sinned, and the law does not have the
authority to forgive the sinner.
John was destined from the beginning to decrease in direct proportion
to the increase in Jesus' ministry. (John 3:30) And so it was not until
John was cast into prison (Matthew 4:12) that Jesus began His ministry.
(Matthew 4:17) Further, there came a time when Jesus had to increase fully
into His calling; and at that point John was killed by Herod. (Matthew
14.)
With the ministry of John, the foundational work of the entire
Old Testament era was completed. If Jesus had come earlier, He would have
built His house upon the sand, for the foundation would yet have been incomplete.
This fact alone should make us appreciate the ministries of Moses and Elijah
(law and prophets), for they laid the foundation stones for the coming
of Jesus Christ.
Preparing the Way: It was customary in those days for men to prepare
the roadway before a visiting dignitary arrived. Men would go out and fill
in the low places and ruts. They would remove the rocks and make the way
smooth. Where the road was crooked, going around small hills, they would
remove the hills and make the road straight. This was how men prepared
the way before Him, and this is how John's ministry is described by Isaiah:
"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of
the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.' Every valley
shall be exalted (filled in), and every mountain and bill shall be made
low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain."
(Isaiah 40:3-4)
This was not only fulfilled in John, (Matthew 3:3) but also by
the entire ministry of the law and prophets that had their focus in John.
What a glorious and highly important ministry that was! Just think what
an honor it was to be the spokesman for the entire Old Testament era, summarizing
all things that had been revealed up to that point, and tying all the "lose
ends" together. What an honor not only to turn over to Him the reins of
history, but also to initiate that new era in baptizing the Messiah.
Some think that once Christ "fulfilled the law and the prophets"
by walking that prepared highway, this highway was then removed, or "put
away." On the contrary, the highway is there to stay, for it is the highway
of holiness (Isaiah 35:8-10) on which the New Testament saints march to
Mount Zion. It was laid as a firm foundation to the next age, whose believers
were meant to walk upon it always.
This highway represents the work accomplished in the Old Testament
era, which leads us to Christ. But once that work was accomplished, the
focus of history turned to a new work, the building of His Temple. Without
the highway, it would be impossible to build the Temple. Without the completed
ministry of the Old Testament law and prophets, there would be no New Testament
ministry. The only difference is that now we as New Testament Christians
are able to utilize and build upon a completed foundation; we are able
to turn our prime attention away from highway construction to building
His Temple. The preparation work has been done; it is now time to do the
real work.
The Four Days of John's Ministry: It is well known that John the
Baptist ministered much longer than a mere four days. But the Gospel of
John only deals specifically with four of those days. The reason for this
was to prophetically summarize in John the Baptist the entire administration
of Old Testament which he represented.
1). Day 1: John 1:19-28 (4,000 - 3,000 B.C.)
2). Day 2: John 1:29-34 (3,000 - 2,000 B.C.)
3). Day 3: John 1:35-42 (2,000 - 1,000 B.C.)
4). Day 4: John 1:43-51 (1,000 - B.C. - Christ)
Four Days of John - Part
2
Day 1: Man Created and Defined: The
events of this first day of "the record of John" are recorded in John 1:19-28.
It is characterized primarily by the question asked him by the priests
and Levites: "Who art thou?" John's answer was to quote Isaiah 40:3. "He
said, ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the
way of the Lord,' as said the prophet Esaias." (Isaiah 1:23) Here John
speaks by the spirit and power of Adam. It is as though Adam were looking
out over a vast created "wilderness." It is as though Adam were viewing
the great expanse of time and history that lay ahead. Adam was the first
to begin preparing the way for the promised Messiah, known to him as the
seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) who was to bruise the serpent's head.
This was the true work that Adam was assigned to perform by "the sweat
of his face" (Generis 3:19) that would begin to prepare the way for
the Messiah. The Psalmist, too, mused over the significance of man in such
a vast creation by asking: "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy
fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained, what is man that
Thou art mindful of him and the son of man that Thou visitest him?" (Psalm
8:3-4)
It is almost as though John in this first day has suddenly become
endowed with the spirit of Adam who is speaking through him: "There standeth
One among you, Whom ye know not; He it is, Who coming after me is preferred
before me, Whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose!" (Psalm 8:3-4)
Can we not hear him tell us, "No, I am not the Christ; I am only
the first Adam. The Second Adam who stands in your midst, one you do not
recognize, is much greater than I. From the beginning I have labored to
prepare the way for his coming."
In Genesis, Adam was the head of a newly-created Kingdom of God
upon the earth. But in the book of John, Christ is seen as the head of
the re-creation of this Kingdom, brought forth out of its state of death
into new life. Even as the Genesis Kingdom was prepared for Adam's Dominion
by a Voice crying in the vast recesses of space (for God Spoke all things
into being), so also in John do we see another voice crying in the wilderness
to prepare a new Kingdom, a New Heaven, and a New Earth; a Kingdom in which
the Second Adam would be given full Dominion.
Day 2: The Earth Cleansed: This second
day takes us from the death of Adam to the time of Abraham. The midpoint
of this second day is the time of Noah's Flood. 1 Peter 3:20-21 tells us
that Noah's flood prefigured baptism. Hence, the record of John here in
Day w speaks of baptism. "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." (John 1:26-27)
The record of Genesis 8:6-12 states that after the flood, Noah
first sent out a raven, and then a dove. There is no record of the raven
ever returning to the ark, but it does say that the dove found no rest
and so returned. Noah waited another week and then sent the dove again.
This time the dove returned with an olive sprout in its mouth. Noah knew
then that the waters were abating, but it was not yet time to emerge and
re-claim the earth as God's Kingdom.
Another week went by, and then Noah sent the dove out again. This
time it did not return to him, and so the time had come to re-claim the
earth as the Kingdom of God upon the earth. The significance of Noah's
actions are both simple and profound. The sending forth of the raven (an
unclean bird (Matthew 13:4, 19)) speaks of the sending forth of evil spirits
into the world. It portends the downward spiral of history, the degeneration
of man, both physically and spiritually, until the day of God's Kingdom
spoken of by Zechariah the prophet: "In that day there shall be a contain
opened to the house of David and tot he inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin
and for uncleanness...and also I will cause...the unclean spirit to pass
out of the land." (Zechariah 13:1-2)
Just as in the days of Noah "the fountains of the great deep"
(Genesis 7:11) were broken up to cleanse the earth of the unclean giants
(Nephilim), so also in the Kingdom Age there shall be another fountain
opened up for cleansing the land. The raven sent out by Noah typified the
return of the unclean spirit upon the earth that had just been cleansed
by the flood's baptism. Yet the day shall come when the unclean spirit
will be eradicated. The Dove was also sent forth three times. This foretold
three distinct historical moments in which the Holy Spirit was to be sent
forth.
The first time the Dove was sent forth, it "found no rest" and
returned to Noah. In the vast sea of humanity, this Dove could find no
man worthy of its anointing. This speaks of the first Pentecost at Mt.
Sinai, at the institution of the Old Covenant, where man was not yet ready
to house the Divine Presence. This is shown by the reaction of the Israelites
at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 20, where they fled in fear and did not want to
hear His voice. And so the Dove found no rest and another Ark had to be
built to house His presence.
The second time the Dove was sent forth was in the time of the
New Covenant. This time it rested upon the olive tree (Israel) and found
an Olive Sprout in the person of Jesus. This foretold the coming of Jesus
and His ministry, particularly the fact that the Spirit of God rested upon
this one man in full measure.
As in the days of Noah, it tells us that the waters had finally
begun to abate, and that new life was beginning to spring forth upon the
earth, God's Kingdom that had been in a state of ruin. This little Sprout,
however, was only a tiny beginning, a Firstfurit of a greater harvest to
follow. One might argue that the Pentecost in Acts 2 was the final outpouring
of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, and that this was the third and final
fulfillment of the sending forth of the Dove. It is not. It was a spring
feast day, set up in conjunction with Passover, which fulfilled the second
time the Dove was sent forth. It was only the "earnest" (Ephesians 1:14)
or down payment of the unlimited outpouring yet to come.
This is made plain by the simple fact that Pentecost was to be
celebrated with 2 loves of bread cooked withy leaven. (Leviticus 23:17)
This tells us that even those who enter into the experience of Pentecost,
with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, are yet imperfect. Pentecost was the
completed wheat harvest, but not until the fall Feast of the Ingathering
were the corn, the wine, and the olive oil gathered into the barns. Pentecost
was the fullness of the harvest in relation to the Feast of Firstfruits
(Leviticus 23:10) associated with Passover. But Pentecost itself was only
a firstfruits harvest to be followed by the fullness - the Feast of the
Ingathering, or Tabernacles. (Leviticus 23:34)
And so, Pentecost in Acts 2 was like a promise to send forth the
Dove in full measure (the third time), and this promise was made with a
small down payment as "earnest money." The third time the Dove was sent
forth by Noah, it did not return to him again. This speaks of an unlimited
fulfillment, the full harvest yet to come. It speaks of the day when we
see the Holy Spirit fully poured out upon "all flesh," the day when the
full Promise shall begin to be poured out, the day when the Manchild Company
shall come forth of the Melchizedek Order. As of this date, this unlimited
baptism by the Holy Spirit Dove has not yet been fully sent out (where
it never returns to God empty-handed). Yet it was all prefigured in the
Dove Noah sent out in Genesis 8.
Four Days of John - Part 3
This second day (3,000 to 2,000 B.C.) Ends with Abraham, the father
of Faith, and in whose loins was the promised Messiah and the Sons of the
Kingdom. Abraham's great faith is best portrayed in his willingness to
offer up his only son, Isaac, upon the altar. As the story goes, God provided
a Lamb as a substitute for Isaac. (Genesis 22:8) This was the final highlight
of the era of the second day, and so it is alluded to in Day 2 of John's
ministry. As Jesus approached, John the Baptist proclaimed: "Behold the
Lamb of God Which taketh away the sin of the world!"
He was indeed the great Substitute Lamb of God which Abraham received
by faith in place of Isaac. And so all of us who are of like faith are
Abraham's seed, in place of whom the Lamb of God has died. Thus, the second
day of John's ministry focused upon two important incidents: (1) Noah's
flood with the raven and dove being sent forth, and (2) Abraham's sacrifice
of Isaac, with the Lamb substituted.
Day 3: The Kingdom Called: The third
day of John's ministry takes us from Abraham to Moses and on to David,
roughly 2,000 to 1,000 B.C. The events of this day are recorded in John
1:35-42. It is characterized primarily by the fact that it is here that
Jesus begins calling his twelve disciples. This begins with John's witness,
where he again says: "Behold, the Lamb of God." (John 1:36) The calling
forth of the Kingdom and its people began with Abraham in the Old Testament.
Abraham was called forth out of Ur of the Chaldees. (Genesis 12) The next
important calling forth came in the days of Moses, when Israel as a new
nation was called out of Egypt. And so, Jesus too began calling His disciples:
"And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus
turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, ‘What seek ye?' They
said unto Him, ‘Rabbi...where dwellest Thou?' He saith unto them, ‘Come
and see.' They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day."
(John 1:37-39)
These two disciples fulfilled a role much like ancient Israel
in the days of Moses. If you will recall, Israel went first to Mount Sinai
to see the place where God dwelt. God had appeared to Moses in the burning
bush on Mount Sinai. (Exodus 3) The name "Saini" means "the bush of God."
In Moses' blessing to Israel in Deuteronomy 33, God is again referred as
"Him that dwelt in the bush." (Deuteronomy 33:16)
Mount Sinai is to the Old Testament what Mount Zion is to the
New. Both mountains typify the dwelling place of God. This third day introduces
us to both of these mountains. In the "morning" of this third day, Abraham
offered up Isaac on Mount Zion; in mid-day, Moses found God on Mount Sinai;
and in the evening David found Him again on Mount Zion, where he made all
the preparations for the building of the Temple. All of this was graphically
depicted in the third day of John's ministry, for it was then that men
began to recognize Jesus through John's witness and to follow Him, even
as Israel in ancient times. But there is another incident recorded in "the
record of John." It deals with Peter and his ministry. "One of the two
which heard John speak, and followed Him (Jesus), was Andrew, Simon Peter's
brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, we
have found the Messias (which is, being interpreted, the Christ). And he
brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou art Simon
the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation,
a stone). (John 1:40-42)
We may ask how this "stone" fulfilled the Old Testament type in
Day 3. There are a number of things that can be brought up here. The first
deals with Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. As he fled from his brother,
Esau, he stopped for the night at Bethel, where he had a dream about a
ladder leading into heaven. When he awoke, he said: "This is none other
but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up
early in the morning, and took stone that he had put for his pillows, and
set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called
the name of that place Bethel...And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will
be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread
to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house
in peace; then shall the Lord be my God; and this stone, which I have set
for a Pillar, shall be God's house." (Genesis 28:17-22)
This pillar, or memorial, which Jacob anointed with oil, later
became one of the major themes throughout the Scriptures. For example,
Genesis 49:24 refers to "the stone of Israel Jacob)." Later, in many places
such as in Psalm 62:2, God is called "the Rock of my salvation." The term
"Christ" simply means "anointed one," Thus, by strictest definition, when
Jacob/Israel prophetically anointed (or, encristed) the stone, he made
it a symbol of Christ, Who is truly "the Rock of our salvation."
Jacob also proclaimed this stone to be "God's House" in Genesis
28:22. In the same way, Jesus Christ and His Body of Christians (little
Christs) make up the whole of the Church, which is God's House. In the
record of John, Day 3, Simon was given a new name, Cephas in Aramaic, and
Petros in Greek. Both names mean "a stone." when Peter made his confession
that "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God," Jesus said in reply:
"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
We learn from Genesis that the stone Jacob anointed was located
at "the gate of heaven." Now Jesus tells us that "the gates of hell" would
not be able to over come His Church; Bethel, the House of God, the body
of people in whom Christ dwells. And this anointed "stone," the confession
of Faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, is that which
is set up as a pillar, or memorial, in the hearts of every true believer,
every Bethel where He dwells. The Stone theme appears again at the end
of this third day during the time of David. When it comes time to build
the temple, it is said: "The stone which the builders refused is become
the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous
in our eyes." (Psalm 118:22-23)
Once again, this stone became a prophetic symbol of the Messiah
who was rejected by Levitical priests, the ones called to build the Church
of their day. Yet that same "stone" (Messiah) became the Chief foundation
stone of the New Temple on Mount Zion in the New Jerusalem. (Hebrews 12:22)
Taking this one step further, it is written about the Church: "And are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself
being the chief corner stone; in Whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord." (Ephesians 2:20-21)
Being one of the apostles," Peter would thus become an appropriate
subject for Jesus' "stone" prophecy. And this entire theme being brought
out in the third day of John's ministry is most remarkable, seeing that
it was in Day 3 of the Old Testament that the "stone" first emerges as
a symbol of Christ.
Four Days of John - Part 4
Day 4; A New Kingdom Mandate: In the
fourth day of the Old Testament 1,000 B.C. to the time of Christ, the old
kingdoms of Israel and Judah went from Solomon's Golden Age to the depths
of captivity. While one may correctly view this as a failure due to the
inadequacy of man, their partial success was at the same time an early
pattern toward the real and full manifestation of the Kingdom. In the mind
of God, His plan has always been to tell man to do something, giving Him
a divine law or standard to go by, as well as the authority and some empowerment
with which to fulfill the play. Man then partially succeeds, but at the
same time he sows the seeds of destruction in the plan. No man can fully
succeed on a partial endowment of Holy Spirit power.
Then God steps in with what looks like an alternate plan, but
which actually was His original plan, because He was well aware that the
first would not succeed. For instance, the Old Covenant was established
first, and Israel was given a mandate to establish the Kingdom. They made
an attempt to fulfill this, even coming to a high degree of success in
the days of David and Solomon. But ultimately, they failed because they
only had the Holy Spirt's power in an Ark in the Temple. It was external,
for man was not ready to house the Holy Spirit.
In the New Testament era, we find the same thing happening all
over again. At Pentecost in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit was given as a down
payment to establish the Kingdom, but the Church of the New Testament has
not fared much better than Israel of old. It remains now for us to appeal
to God for a new mandate with the full empowerment to get the job done.
All of this is graphically pictured in the fourth day of John's ministry.
(John 1:43-51) In this passage is found the account of how Jesus met Nathanael.
Jesus said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile."
(John 1:47)
Nathanael was surprised and wondered how Jesus knew him, "Jesus
answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast
under the fig tree, I saw thee." (John 1:48) Nathanael is a type of Kingdom
that Jesus was calling out. His name means "Gift of God." God's "gift"
is Grace as a means of establishing the Kingdom, in contrast to the Law
method of man's efforts. Nathanael was "under the fig tree" in that he
was under the authority of the fig tree Nation and an part of that law
dispensation. The fig tree was the national symbol of Judah. (Jeremiah
24; Matthew 21:19; 24:32) Hosea prophesied during John's fourth day, and
he wrote about this as well: "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig tree at her first time;
but they went to Baal-peor and separated themselves unto that shame." (Hosea
9:10)
Jesus probably had this verse in mind when he told Nathanael He
had seen him under the fig tree. The old Kingdom had followed after Baal-peor
and failed to fulfill their mandate; but now Nathanael was seen as a true
Israelite without guile. As such, Nathanael represents "your fathers,"
all those who were called out of the old order into a new mandate. These
were those who, like Nathanael, would confess: "Rabbi, Thou art the Son
of God; Thou art the King of Israel." (John 1:49)
And so, this fourth day of John's ministry focuses upon the closing
moments of the day, with the change in authority. Jesus saw the Kingdom
under the authority of the fig tree during that "day" (1,000 B.C. to the
time of Christ); but now Jesus was proclaiming a new day, calling forth
the Kingdom out from the old authority and the Old Covenant mandate, into
a new day and with a greater empowerment. But Jesus then takes it one step
further in a prophecy to Nathanael of the fulness that would characterize
the Kingdom and its people: "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." (John 1:51)
This takes us back once again to Jacob's dream at Bethel, which
we mentioned earlier. Jacob saw this very thing in his dream during the
third day of the Old Testament when the Kingdom was first being called
out. It was this dream which caused him to anoint the stone and call it
the House of God (Church). Only when we see the fullness of the Divine
Presence upon us, with the heavens fully open above us (as with Jesus),
will we know the Kingdom of God is complete. This is no longer a partial
endowment of the Holy Spirit in a Pentecost that yet contains leaven. This
is a full inheritance, where Christ is fully formed within us. This is
the Feast of Tabernacles.
Days 5 and 6; The Present Age: The
record of John the Baptist tends with Day 4 at the end of the first chapter
of the book of John. There is then a 2-day interval, after which the apostle
picks up the story on "the third day" after the last event, which is actually
the seventh day from the beginning of the record of John. "And the third
day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was
there."
The two days in between here are not really skipped. John deals
with these days in the major portion of his gospel, where he records the
eight prophetic "miracles" (Gr. Semeion, or signs). These signs deal with
what we call the Church Age. A study of the rest of the book of John would
be necessary in order to obtain a good understanding of the mandate we
received at Pentecost at the beginning of this present age. However, this
is outside the scope of our present study.
Day 7; The Kingdom Fully Comes: The
seventh day, which is the third day after John, brings us roughly to the
year 2,000 A.D. it begins with the marriage feast at Cana and speaks of
the final marriage feast of the Lamb that shall yet take place at the beginning
of the Kingdom Age to come. (Revelation 19) In the wedding feast of John
2, Jesus tells the servants to fill the six stone jars with water up to
the brim. When they serve the water to the guests, they found the water
had been turned into wine. Six is the number of man. These jars represent
men filled with the water of Life, the Word, the Holy Spirit. It was good,
but it was not the best until the water was changed into wine. In this
present age, we who are endowed with the blessings of Pentecost and the
baptism of the Holy Spirit are like the water-filled jars. But not until
we are presented to the true "Ruler of the Feast" (our heavenly Father)
will our in filling be altered form water to wine. This is the new mandate
that we seek in order to be able to fully establish His Kingdom upon the
earth.
Four Days of John - Part 5 (Last
One)
When Jesus' mother first came to Him about the problem of running
out of wine, Jesus told her, "Mine hour is not yet come." It was early,
and this gives us hope that we will see this sign fulfilled in our day
Before this present age has been completed. We know Jesus did this sign
before John had been cast into prison, for in John 3:24 we read: "For John
was not yet cast into prison." This set the pattern for our own time as
well, and so we (like Mary) may ask Jesus to give us the fullness of the
inheritance before the end of the age. In fact, may we not see in this
connection to Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24:22: "And except those days
should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's
sake those days shall be shortened."
It is not possible, even probable, that we will need this new
Kingdom mandate early with its full authority and Holy Spirit empowerment
in order to prevent the utter destruction of all flesh? Yet this also may
tell us that some will receive this full empowerment even before our own
John the Baptists are "decreased" or killed. This includes the two witnesses
of Revelation 11 and an entire company of people who are called to prepare
the way for the coming of Christ in our own age. Just as Jesus' first disciples
came from John's ranks, (John 1:37) so also will we see Christians switch
from the ministry of Preparation to the ministry of Restoration. Their
jobs will change from highway construction to that of Temple construction.
John the Baptist himself did not have the calling to move into the Restoration
ministry. The same applies to the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11. These
must decrease and eventually be killed, for this is in the plan of God
in order to fulfill all righteousness. Although we today consider ourselves
to be New Testament Christians, most recognize that the prophecy in Malachi
was not only applicable in John's day, but deals with the Two Witnesses
and the Preparation ministry of our own day as well: "Remember ye the law
of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel,
with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." (Malachi
4:4-5)
John the Baptist was the greatest of all the prophets before him,
yet he could not enter into Jesus' ministry. In our own day as well, if
any individuals are truly the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11, they will
have to die without entering into the Restoration ministry that Jesus had.
However, most who are a part of this Preparation ministry of John, and
who are faithful disciples, teaching the prophets, will have the opportunity
to cross over, even as John's disciples did. Those who are too attached
to John and cannot leave his ministry will decrease with his ministry,
for once the highway of holiness has been built, there will be little for
them to do under that old mandate.
In fact, there may be many who will not be able to make the transition.
Consider the fact that to most people, the ministry of John and particularly
that of the Two Witnesses is held in such reverence that many cannot conceive
of any higher calling to do. They do not realize that we are members of
Christs' Body, who shall do "greater works" than He did. (John 14:12) So
far, these greater works have not been done, because we, yet, have leaven
in our Pentecost experience. We need a fuller endowment of power. When
we do, we - His Body - will do the works that He did, only applied to the
modern situation. And the sign by which we do these things will be the
same as the one Jesus gave when asked in: "Then answered the Jews and said
unto him, what sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these
things? Jesus answered and said unto them, destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up!" (John 2:18-19)
It says further that He spoke of the Temple that was His body.
(John 2:21) Jesus Himself did die, but He rose again on the third day as
He said; and ultimately it also spoke of Herod's Temple, which was destroyed
40 years later by the Romans. That Temple was a suitable portrait of the
Pharisaical (Jewish) Church System of that day, and it had to be destroyed
to make way for a New Temple, a new body known as Christians. Today's Church
system is little better than that of old Jerusalem. Once again, we have
our own "Temple of Herod." It too shall be pulled down in order to make
way for a better one. Our Restoration mandate will be to rebuild it in
the image of God. Let us pray to God for the new Mandate of the Kingdom.
Let us seek the full inheritance of the Holy Spirit, that we might see
the Kingdom come in its fullness. Let us work to gather in the full harvest
of the Feast of Tabernacles, in which the grapes are harvested, that the
water we now contain might be changed into wine. ( Note: We believe that
this last section (Day 7) is of utmost importance to those who have considered
that they, as individual Christian Israel Identity believers, witnesses
and teachers, are a part of the latter-day Elijah-John the Baptist Preparation
Ministry. We encourage all have "ears to hear" to re-read this last section
and to ponder where and how the Lord has called you to work in His vineyard.
We have been consciously in a state of transition as we seek to be part
of those who will not taste of death at His appearing; Christ in us, the
hope (we believe is soon to be realized) of glory (glorification of the
body))
