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Jesus commanded one generation of believers to know that His return was near. It was the generation that would be alive to see all these things or the signs that He prophesied in Matt. 24:33,

“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”

As a believer who loves Jesus, we are eager to know what is on His heart, and thus what He meant by “all these things” that will lead to His glorious return to the earth. The Man we love has given us much insight into what He considers to be the important things to know about the generation in which He returns. He wants us to know them because we will live differently.

If we are living in the last generation, then we need to know it. There are three questions that many ask. First, can we know if we are living in the last generation? Second, how will we know if we are living in the last generation? What are the signs? The good news is that there is much biblical information on this because Jesus wants us to be prepared for His End-Time purposes. Jesus would not tell us of the circumstances around His coming then say no one could know it.

I believe that we are in the early days of the generation in which Jesus will return. In other words, I believe that there are people alive today who will see the return of Jesus. It may be the 20 year olds or the 2 year olds who see it. I do not know with certainty. No one knows this with absolute certainty. For this is by God’s design because He wants us to move forward by faith as we search the Word and live in deep connection and relationship with Him through the Spirit.

By observing the biblical signs of the times, it is possible to know the generation of Jesus’ return yet without knowing the day or hour (Matthew 24:33 – 36). My opinions on this generation are based on observation of the biblical signs, not on personal revelation such as prophetic visions. We must insist that our faith be based on what the Bible says, not on personal revelations about the timing of His return.

“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. …But of that day and hour no one knows…” (Matt. 24:33 – 36)

The Signs of the Time

The signs of the times can be classified into three categories. Sign events are the most convincing and we need to focus our attention on the first two because they are biblical events and trends.

1. Sign events: actual events predicted in Scripture that alert us to the timing of His return. These include the rebirth of the state of Israel, the revealing of the Antichrist, etc.
2. Sign trends: escalating negative trends in society (e.g. civil disorder), the earth (e.g. earthquakes) and heavens (e.g. sky) and positive trends in the Church such as the harvest in the nations (Matt. 24:14) that signal the generation of Jesus’ return. Some of the negative trends are part of what Jesus called the beginning of sorrows or beginning of birth pangs (Matt. 24:8).
3. Prophetic experiences: subjective personal experiences that alert us to the end times. Do not put undue importance or focus on these because they are subjective and fallible.

Jesus’ Teaching at Mount Olives

The most complete teaching of Jesus on the End-Times is called the Olivet Discourse because Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives when He gave this great prophecy. The most complete record of it is in Matthew 24 – 25. Mark and Luke gave a much shorter account of this prophecy, yet included a few more details (i.e. Mark 13; Luke 21). Jesus also taught on the End-Times in Luke 17.

“His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” (Matt. 24:1 – 3)

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus prophesied of the great crisis of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the End-of-the-Age together in one great prophecy. Some emphasize one of these two time frames at the exclusion of the other. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD parallels what will occur in the generation in which the Lord returns.

In Matthew 24:4 – 8, Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11 – 25, Jesus gave twelve negative sign trends that indicate the generation the Lord returns. Matthew described seven trends (i.e. false christs, war, ethnic conflict, economic warfare, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes), Luke described four (i.e. fearful sights, great signs in the heaven, distress in the nations and the sea) and Mark added one (i.e. trouble).

Then Jesus gave a very positive trend that indicates the generation in which He will return (Matt. 24:14). The leading missionary organizations project from statistical data that the Gospel will be presented to all 6,000 people groups (ethnic) for the first time by 2020.

“This Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations (ethnos or ethnic groups) and then the end will come.” (Matt 24:14)

Jesus also gave several sign events that indicate the generation of His return in Matthew 24:15 – 20. The abomination of desolation refers to the Antichrist putting an image associated with himself in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and then commanding the nations to worship him as God. The Church will “see it” standing in the holy place of the temple and will understand that it signals the beginning of the Great Tribulation (2 Thes. 2:3 – 9).

“When you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place… Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains…” (Matt. 24:15 – 16)

In Scripture, Jerusalem is always the reference point or the primary indicator in God’s prophetic timetable for the End-Times. The state of Israel had to be re-established to fulfill many End-Time prophecies (Dan. 9:24, 27; Joel 3:2, 12; Zech. 12:3; 14:2). Israel was scattered to the nations from her land in AD 70. On May 15, 1948, Israel became a nation in one day. The return of Jews to their homeland to establish the state of Israel is the most striking event in biblical prophecy.

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Shall a nation be born at once? …Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.” (Isa. 66:8)

Jerusalem being under the control of the Jewish people is necessary for the fulfillment of many prophecies (Dan. 9:24, 27; Joel 3:2, 12; Zech. 12:3; 14:2). In June 1967, as a result of the Six Day War, and for the first time in 2,000 years, the Jewish people gained control of Jerusalem.

I believe that the beginning of birth pangs started either in 1948 when Israel became a nation or in 1967 when Jerusalem came under Israel’s authority.

The Parable of the Fig Tree: Know the Generation of His return

In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus is answering the Apostle’s question concerning what signs would indicate His return (Matt. 24:3).

“Learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. …Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (Matt. 24:32 – 42)

In Matthew 24:32 – 42, Jesus gave us three commands. First, He commanded us to learn the parable of the fig tree (v. 32), then to know that His coming was near (v. 33) and therefore, to watch (v. 42). We “see” more clearly (v. 33) as we watch more consistently (v. 42). Have you learned this parable? Do you have a biblically informed opinion about the significance of this generation?

The lesson of the parable of the fig tree is easy to understand. The fig tree loses its leaves in wintertime and does not sprout till late in the spring. Thus, when the leaves of a fig tree begin to sprout, we know that summer is near. In the same way, when the prophetic sign events and trends take place together making global headlines, then we know that the End –of-this-Age is near. They must occur in a way that makes headline news worldwide. This is to constitute a prophetic sign that has a message from God in it that could be discerned by the Body of Christ.

As the fig leaves signaling the summer can be seen by anyone who is paying attention, in the same way, the events signaling the Second Coming will be obvious to anyone looking for them.

How long is a biblical generation? A generation in Scripture ranges from 40 to 100 years (Gen. 15:13 – 16; Num. 32:13; Ps. 90:10; Matt. 1:17; Acts 7:6). Moses spoke of Israel’s captivity in Egypt as lasting 400 years or 4 generations (Gen. 15:13). Thus, a generation could refer to 100 years. There were 14 generations from Abraham to David (Matt. 1:17) each averaging about 70 years.

“All these things” in (v. 33 and v. 34) include the prophetic signs spoken of in Matthew 24:4 – 28. There is only one generation in which God’s people will see all the trends and events of Matthew 24 occurring at the same time at an alarming measure or making headline news on a global basis. Jesus commanded His people in that generation to know that His coming was near.

My opinion is that the beginning of birth pang began in either 1948 (when Israel became a nation) or 1967 (when Jerusalem came under Jewish control) because Israel is always the reference point for understanding God’s redemptive history (both past and present). Israel gives us the prophetic timetable for the unfolding of God’s End-Time plans. The three most significant prophetic dates before the Great Tribulation are 1948 (i.e. rebirth of the nation of Israel), 1967 (i.e. re-capturing of the city of Jerusalem) and the Anti-Christ’s peace treaty with Israel and other nations in Daniel 9:27.

Trends and Signs in the World

For the first time in history, most of these trends and some of the necessary developments that will lead to the events are happening in an alarming measure at the same time on a global basis. For example, Israel had to become a nation before the abomination of desolation could occur.

It seemed incredible to the Apostles that all these sign events and trends would occur in a global way in one generation (v. 34). This was the unspoken issue that Jesus addressed by comparing the passing of the heavens and earth to the truthfulness of His words or prophecies (v. 35).

The emphasis on Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:35 is not on His general teachings, but on the reliability of His prophetic words concerning the future given in Matthew 24. As impossible as it seems that all these events would occur together in one generation, the prophetic words of Jesus guarantee it. Jesus compared His prophetic words in Matthew 24 to the reliability and durability of heaven and earth.

We are called to know or recognize the generation in which the Lord returns. One will only look up and lift up their heads if they know it is drawing near. That is the point.

“There will be signs in the sun, in the moon…and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear… Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. Then He spoke to them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree…’” (Luke 21:25 – 29)

Like the Days of Noah

In Matthew 24:32 – 39, Jesus emphasized that the people alive in the generation in which He returns are to know with confidence that it is the generation of His return. He gives a significant qualifier to this command, namely that we not take it a step further and seek to know the day and the hour.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be… Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (Mt. 24:36 – 42)

Jesus emphasized that we would not know the hour of His return (Matt. 24:39, 42, 44, 50; 25:13). The Father has strategically hidden that from His people so that we live free from fear and filled with understanding, only as we search the Word and stay deeply connected to Him. It is ironic that this qualifier to the command to know the generation is used as an argument against knowing the generation. We must seek relationship with the Father because only He knows.

The main message in this passage is that the people of God who could have understood the prophetic significance of the generation they lived in, did not. The surprise with which Noah’s flood came on the majority illustrates the ignorance that Jesus wants His people to avoid. Jesus pointed out how the majority were unaware, even in the face of the preaching of Noah.

The surprise of Noah’s flood proves the widespread problem of lacking prophetic understanding and faith in a significant history changing generation. The people in Noah’s day were caught totally by surprise as they went about the ordinary activities of daily life. Noah and his family prepared for an entire generation without knowing the specific day or hour.

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household…and became heir of the righteousness…” (Heb. 11:7)

One of Jesus’ main points is that many living in that generation will not know it (Matt. 24:37 – 39). Thus, they will make wrong decisions because of their fear, offense towards God or ignorance of what the Scripture says is happening. Though it is possible for them to know it, many believers will not see it because they did not care about the last generation being important to Jesus.

Believers can know the generation just as Noah did, even though it will come suddenly to those without understanding. However, it will not catch the righteous off guard (1 Thes. 5:1 – 6). Many use Matthew 24:36 to justify their unfamiliarity and their lack of study of biblical prophecy. They use this passage in the opposite way from how Jesus intended in its context. Jesus had just laid out main signs necessary to prepare the Body of Christ for that generation. I exhort you to not give way to such shallow arguments. Stand your ground. God has given His word with clarity.

As believers who love Jesus, we are eager to know what is on His heart and thus, what He meant by “all of those things” that will lead to His glorious return to the earth. The Man we love has given us insight into what He considers to be the important things to know about the generation in which He will return. He wants us to know them because we will act differently and make different decisions if we understand what is happening.

It is essential to have understanding in that hour so that we embrace what is right and refuse what is wrong. For example, the greatest counterfeit justice and unity movement will emerge in that hour. It is referred to as the Harlot Babylon worldwide religion (Rev. 17). Many believers, who are not aware of what is happening, will embrace the Harlot Babylon religion, thinking it is good.

Our faith is to be stirred by searching the Bible to gain understanding of what the Word says about the prophetic signs that declare the generation in which the Lord returns.

God could easily settle the issue of timing by telling His prophets in the Church today, but He has chosen to leave the specific day and hour unknown so that we must cultivate a heart of faith with hunger to know what is on His heart about that generation. Jesus taught that most of the people living in the generation of His return would not know it (Matt 24:37 – 39).

Not Discerning the Signs of the Times

Jesus rebuked His generation for not discerning the signs of His first coming. Asking for a sign was legitimate because Joel prophesied that God would send signs just before the Messiah came (Joel 2:30). The Pharisees’ hypocrisy was in asking for signs beyond those Jesus did, to test Him.

“The Pharisees…came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven… Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign…” (Matt. 16:1 – 4)

Jesus rebuked them for not seeing the prophetic signs of the times for that generation. However, the signs of that generation were not recorded in the OT. If they were rebuked for missing signs not in Scripture, how much more responsible are we to know the biblical signs of the times?

Israel’s unresponsiveness to Jesus was related to them not knowing the time of “their visitation”. He wept over Jerusalem because they did not respond rightly. He had warned the cities of Israel.

“He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known…the things that make for your peace… For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’” (Luke 19:41 – 44)

Paul also taught that the Church should know the times and seasons related to Jesus’ second coming.

“Concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you… But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this Day should overtake you as a thief… Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thes. 5:1 – 6)

The Fear of Man

Many draw back from teaching on the End-Times because of the fear of man. Peter warned the saints to first be aware of the dangers of a scoffing or mocking spirit. The first thing we need to know is what we are up against. All who stand for God’s truth in the End-Times will be resisted by scoffers or mockers from both outside and inside the Church.

“Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days…saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? All things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’” (2 Peter 3:3 – 4)

Many will scoff and mock the necessity to understand, proclaim and prepare for the Lord’s return. Scoffers will argue that people have always said that Jesus was coming. It was a top priority to Peter to warn the saints to not become cynical. Rather, we are to be “anointed observers” of the signs of the times. We must not let a mocking spirit steal these truths from our heart. We do not want to impart a mocking spirit to our children and grandchildren.

I do not ask anyone to accept my views; rather I urge you to boldly challenge all the ideas that you hear. Refuse any that you cannot see in Scripture for yourself. I urge you to be like the Bereans who searched the Scriptures to see if the things that Paul said were so as in Acts 17:10 – 11.

Common Lies against Knowing the Second Coming of Jesus

There are five common lies that tell us we do not know the signs of Jesus’ return.

1. Every generation believed they were the last one.

   It is a common misperception that most generation believed they were in the End-Times. It is true that a very small group (probably less than 1%) of every generation thought they were at the end. Only twice has there been a universal sense that it was the time of the end – in the generation of the early apostles and our generation.

2. There is not enough information on the signs of the generation that the Lord returns.

   There is more prophetic evidence about Jesus’ coming than any other prophetic event in the Bible. The Scripture requires those in the generation the Lord returns to know it and prepare accordingly. Also, Jesus and Paul emphasized the know-ability of the signs of the End-Times (Matt. 24:32 – 34; Luke 21:25 – 29; 1 Thes. 5:1 – 6; 2 Thes. 2:1 – 11).

3. No one can understand these prophecies because they are too complicated. Why even try?

   The Scriptures on the End-Times were written to be understood by all, since they were written for all. The majority of people throughout history have been uneducated peasants and Scripture was written in the days when most could not read. It is not true that End-Time Scriptures are too complicated. Any system of theology that takes End-Times out of the hands of the people has not treated the text in the way God designed it. The lie claims that End-Times prophecies are impossible to understand except by scholars because they must be interpreted symbolically. Scriptures on End-Times are literal unless specifically indicated as symbolic by the Scriptures. The truth is that many do not want to take the time and effort to wrestle with the vast amount of biblical information in the face of so much criticism. It is easier to just ignore it.

4. Understanding the End-Times causes us to minimize our work in the kingdom.

   This is a criticism toward the escapist and defeatist mentality of some who believe in the pre-tribulation rapture. They conclude that they should not work hard to transform the culture since the Antichrist will take over everything anyway and since they may be raptured at any moment.

5. It will all pan out in the end.

   The question is, will it pan out well with you and your loved ones? It will only go well for those who are prepared.

A Most Common Argument

Many use Matthew 24:36 to justify their unfamiliarity and lack of study of Biblical prophecy. This passage is to be used in the opposite way. Jesus had just laid out main information that was necessary to prepare the Church to know signs of the times of His Second Coming. Then Jesus said, “When you see these things happening, know My coming is near.” We must seek the Father’s word as to when this begins because only the Father knows.

God did not want to make the day and hour known in the early Church. Jesus did not say we could not know the season or the conditions surrounding His coming. Neither did Jesus say that the Church would not know the day an hour in generation the Lord returns. Daniel and the Apostle John made it clear the Messiah would come exactly 1,260 days after the Abomination of Desolation. (Rev. 11:2 – 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5; Dan. 7:25; 12:7)

God’s Nature to Tell and Warn

God’s nature is to tell and warn His people of trouble beforehand (Amos 3:7). The nature of God is always to warn before releasing judgment. It is not consistent with His nature that He would come without warning to surprise the whole earth.

God appeared to Abraham in Genesis 15 to renew the covenant. The Lord told Abraham that his family will be sent to Egypt for 430 years of oppression. The Lord spoke many years before the Assyrian and Babylon exiles warning Israel of its coming and He spoke a generation before Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

The Scripture gives us trends in many areas of life including spiritual (positive and negative), social, political, technological, natural (signs in heaven and earth) and the accelerator signs and especially the prophetic developments in Israel. Jesus said only the Father knows, not so the Church would be passive, but so the Church would pursue the Father and seeks out what is in His heart (1 Pet. 1:10 – 11; 2 Pet. 1:19).

The prophets of old searched carefully. We need to search what manner of time the Holy Spirit was indicating when He testified about the glories of Jesus that would follow. The prophetic spirit searches out carefully the application for prophecies. Jesus calls us to, “Watch therefore or search it carefully.”

Watch and Pray

The Scriptures exhort us to watch and pray. There are at least ten Scriptures that are related to preparing for the End-Times – Matthew 24:42; 25:13; Mark 13:9, 33, 34, 35, 37; Luke 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6 and Revelation 16:15.

To watch is to cultivate faith and understanding that agrees with what the Word and the Spirit say about Jesus’ return. We prepare by watching what the Spirit is saying in Scripture, in circumstances, and in our life.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (Matt. 24:42)

We must search out what the Bible says (both OT and NT) about the signs of His coming. There are over 150 chapters in the Bible that focus on the End-Times. With a heart of faith, watch the sign events and trends that are predicted in Scripture progressively unfold. Set your heart to be an “anointed observer” of these.

Be alert to the Spirit’s stirring and challenges in your personal life and ministry. Many unique things are happening at a high level at the same time for the first time in history, yet this alone will not move a spiritually dull heart. We are to keep alert to our communion with God so as to always be in a disposition to agree with the Spirit.

May God grant us the spirit of the “sons of Issachar” (1 Chronicles 12:32) so that we may have understanding of the times and know what to do!

Our Christian faith is more than the “do”s and the “don’t”s but about becoming the person that God desires (Deut. 10:12 – 13; 2 Chron. 16:9; Isa. 66:2; Matt. 22:37 – 38). It is more than an act but a response to who God is! I am incapable of loving God passionately and wholeheartedly by my own sheer will and desire (Zech. 4:6). I am passionate for Jesus because He is firstly passionate for me.

Three Keys to having Passion for Jesus

1. Knowing the passion of Jesus for me (1 John 4:19; Eph. 3:16 – 19)

I love God because He first loves me. I seek to love Jesus with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength because I know that He loves me with His all. Passion for Jesus is the result of knowing a God who loves me so jealously like an All Consuming Fire. (Deut. 4:24)

2. Knowing who Jesus is (Phil. 3:7 – 11) How could Paul respond this way? What did he see and understand? The measure of our knowledge and revelation of “who Jesus is” correlates to the measure of our passion for Him. Our lack of passion for Jesus is primarily due to our lack of knowledge of who He is.

In his book Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer wrote,

“The decline knowledge of the Holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them. It is impossible to keep moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we should bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more clearly as He is.” 

He added, “The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us… With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence.”

We have too little an understanding of Jesus, too few thoughts of Him and too low a view of Him. A low view of Jesus produces little passion for Him. We need to have a fresh revelation of who Jesus is!

Thus, the most foundational and fundamental question for every believer now is Matthew 16:15 – “Who do you say that I am?”

3. Knowing the privilege of the invitation to be intimate with God (Jer. 9:23 – 24) Everyone craves to be in the inner circles and be closely associated with popular, famous, and important men and women. Yet we overlook the greatest privilege and honor of being invited to be intimate with the Most High God. Intimacy with God is an invitation to know and understand His heart, to be His friend, to stand and partner with Him and His will. What a privilege and honor! Like David in Psalm 8, my response is, “Who am I, Lord? Why are you inviting me to such privilege and honor?”

Keys to Sustaining our Passion for Jesus

1. Desire J. Osward Sanders said,

“It is an incontrovertible fact that some Christians seem to experience a much closer intimacy with God than others. They appear to enjoy a reverent familiarity with Him that is foreign to us. Is it a matter of favoritism on the part of God? Or do such people qualify in some way for that desirable intimacy? Both Scripture and experience teach that it is we, not God, who determines the degree of intimacy with Him that we enjoy. We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be. We are now, and we will be in the future, only as intimate with God as we really choose to be.” 

Hunger and desire are some of the most important keys in our quest for intimacy with God. (Ps. 63:1; Matt. 5:6; Matt. 15:21 – 28)

2. Discipline We have to jealously prioritize and guard our time with the Lord. Reading the Bible, meditating on the Word of God, praying, and seeking His face have to be the number one agenda in our life. Jesus said in Luke 10:42, “One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part…” No one can choose for us. No one can read the Word and pray on our behalf. No one can press in on our behalf.

3. Delight Discover the pleasure of loving God and the joy of intimacy with Him (Ps. 37:4; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 1:1 – 4). Knowing and loving God is not a duty and obligation. It is man’s greatest joy and highest pleasure!

The Confrontation between Elijah and King Ahab in 1 Kings 18

The confrontation between Elijah and king Ahab in 1 Kings 18 is organized around a theme on restoration of the covenantal relationship between Yahweh and the people of Israel. Through the entire narrative, Elijah was on the mission of calling the people of God to repent as they had “forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed Baals” (v. 18) and to return to the worship of the LORD and to follow Him wholeheartedly. Elijah’s mission is presented in a chiastic framework in 1 Kings 18.

The story begins with the promise from God that He is going to send rain if His people repent and follow Him again (i.e. “…I will send rain…” in verse 1) and concludes with the fulfillment of God’s promise (i.e. “…there was a heavy rain.” in verse 45) as the people of God repented and returned to Him. In the Bible, “rain” often symbolizes the outpouring of God’s Spirit and His blessings. The Lord loves us but He hates idolatry. He will hold back His blessings in love when we have “idolatry” in our hearts.

The turning point of the entire event is when Elijah ”repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.” in verse 30. The altar of the LORD often symbolizes the restoration of our covenantal relationship with God and our wholehearted devotion and worship of our Almighty God. As we rebuild the “altar” of our lives, the Lord will repay to us those years of “famine” in our lives.

The Patterns and Characteristics of a Forerunner Ministry

The narrative in 1 Kings 18 also forms a pattern and characteristics of a forerunner ministry. As we study carefully, we will discover several unique patterns and characteristics of a forerunner ministry.

1. Season of Hiding – Times of Preparation and Training

Before his public confrontation with king Ahab at Mount Carmel, Elijah was led by the LORD into hiding (1 Kings 17:2 – 3). He went into hiding for about 3½ years before appearing again in 1 Kings 18. It seems that going into a place of hiddenness before a public ministry is a pattern of the forerunner ministry.

It is similar for John the Baptist who is known as the forerunner for the coming of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. We do not know much of John the Baptist except the fact that he was in the wilderness for many years. All we know about John is that he was living and hiding in the wilderness before the word of the Lord came to Him in Luke 3:2. Interestingly, both Elijah and John the Baptist had a relatively short “public” ministry in comparison to their time of hiddenness.

“Hiddenness” is a place where God prepares and trains His forerunners for their “future” ministry. It is at the place of hiddenness that the Lord refines and tests the motive and the heart of a forerunner. The place of hiddenness is also a place where character is being built and grown. Most of all, our faith, trust and intimacy with Him are being cultivated and established during this season of hiding. It is at the place of hiding that we become the voice of God, just like Elijah and John the Baptist.

The ministry of forerunner is often strategic and vital in shaping history and preparing the Church. Therefore, they need to be well-prepared and equipped for the task. It is at the place of hiding that a forerunner is being made ready. It is interesting to note that IHOP, which is also known as the Friends of the Bridegroom, is also a place of hiding for many. I believe that the Lord is preparing and equipping many would-be forerunners in the coming age. We need to be patient and submit ourselves to the training and preparation of the Lord, for the moment that He is going to use us!

2. The Voice of God

The forerunner is the VOICE of God. They are the ones who trumpet the very heart and message of God for their time. More than just “echoing”, they have the message of God for the hour and they will bring it to the people of God with great zeal. This means that the forerunner must be sensitive to the voice of God and have the ability to know the heartbeat of God and His kairos word for the NOW!

In 1 Kings 18:1, “the word of the LORD came to Elijah” which launches him into the ministry of the forerunner. The LORD gave Elijah a specific message and a clear mandate. Suddenly, Elijah became the voice of God in confronting king Ahab and calling the people of Israel to repent and return to the LORD.

Mike Bickle is a type of forerunner in these last days. The Lord has given him a message for the Church of Jesus Christ on the Bride of Christ and the Bridal Paradigm. He is the voice of God who is trumpeting and preparing the way of the Lord.

3. Sent by God

A forerunner has to be someone who receives a clear call and mandate from the Lord! He is not self-appointed or man-appointed but one who is appointed and sent by the Lord. He is one who has been set apart with the unction and anointing of the Lord. The ministry of Elijah clearly demonstrated that. In 1 Kings 18:1 – 2, the LORD spoke and appointed Elijah with the mission of confronting king Ahab.

“And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD cam to Elijah, in the third year, saying, ‘Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.’ So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab…”

To be a forerunner, we must have a mandate from the Lord. With the mandate of the Lord, we also have the zeal of the Lord, His authority and His power to authenticate our message.

4. Repairing of Altar – Message of Repentance, Return and Restoration

During the reign of king Ahab, the nation of Israel has compromised and strayed away from the LORD. The people of God began to serve and worshiped Baals and the altar of the LORD was broken down. This really provoked and angered the LORD.

Out of His love and jealousy for His people, the LORD called Elijah and gave him a mission of repairing the broken altar of the LORD. In the Old Testament, the altar of the LORD symbolizes a wholehearted devotion to the LORD and a covenantal relationship with the Almighty. The purpose of the ministry of Elijah is to restore the covenantal relationship between God and the people of Israel. His message is a message of repentance and return to the LORD!

This is the very message of a forerunner ministry. The message of a forerunner ministry is a message of repentance, return unto the Lord and restoration by Him! The trumpet call of the forerunner ministry is to call forth a Bride who is worthy of the Lord, a Church that is ready for His return and a people of God who are wholehearted unto Him! This is the message of Elijah. This is the message of John the Baptist. In fact, the message of the forerunner is being stated in Isaiah 40:3,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”

A forerunner’s message is often about calling the people of God to repentance and to return to the Lord so that God will make them ready. John the Baptist preached the same message in the New Testament. His typical message is “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2) and he preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5. Ministry of Intercession

A forerunner is not only a messenger and a voice of the Lord; he is also an intercessor of the Lord, who births forth the purpose and promise of God through his fervent prayer and intercession.

After Elijah had confronted king Ahab and the people of Israel, repaired the altar of the LORD, and restored the covenantal relationship between God and the nation of Israel, he interceded for the fulfillment of God’s promise in sending the rain in 1 Kings 18:42,

“So Ahab went up and drink. And Elijah went to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.”

As a result of his intercession, the LORD sent forth rain (1 Kings 18:45). Therefore, intercession is part of the “job description” of a forerunner.

We are truly unique by virtue of the time in which we are living. We may actually be living in the final prophetic moments preceding the Second Coming of the Lord. The Lord may just raise up an entirely new generation of forerunners out of the wilderness of obscurity to proclaim the same message as John the Baptist: Make the way straight for Christ’s Second Coming!

by W. Choong

Many Christians (myself included) are like 5-year olds. We read the Word and pick out the nice bits, and conveniently ignore the difficult bits. How does that apply? Take John 15:7, where Jesus says:

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

Many of us would take to heart the second part of the verse that says that God will give us all we desire – and forget that we have to abide in Him! We want what we desire, and not what our Father in heaven wants for us. This is the perfect recipe for frustration. We yearn for more money, influence, a fulfilling career, and for Christians, even “spiritual” things such as ministry and outreach. All these things are good, and God does desire to bless us with them, but if we ask for such things when they are not part of His will, we will never be truly be satisfied.

God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. ~ John Piper

Let’s think about the context of John 15. In the five chapters running from John 13 to 17, Jesus is having a private time with his disciples at the Last Supper. What Jesus said to them was His last will and testament before He went on to the pain (and joy) of the Cross. And boy, did Jesus pour out all of Himself into those 5 chapters! In Chapter 13, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, and “loved them to the end” (v1). In Chapter 14, he promised to “prepare a place” (v1) in His Father”s house (which was mind-blowing to the Jewish disciples, because the distinct imagery was that of a Jewish man preparing a house for his betrothed, and as such, Jesus was offering a marriage proposal – to the soon-to-be birthed Church!). In Chapter 16, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will guide the disciples into “all truth” (v33). In Chapter 17, Jesus says something truly staggering – God the Father loves us the same way He loves the Son (v23)!

But if Chapters 13, 14, 16 and 17 constitute the “cake” that Jesus was offering, Chapter 15 would be the icing. Embedded in this chapter is the answer to the question that philosophers have wrestled with through the ages – how and where does man get joy?

What does Jesus say? We will get what we want, and the true joy that we desire, when we abide or remain in Him.

What does “abiding” mean in practical terms? Three things. To abide in Jesus means to talk to Him as a man talks to his friend. More than that, it means using the Word of God as “conversational material” to talk back to God. For example, Song of Songs 1:2 declares that His (God’s) love is “better than wine.” When we use this to talk to Him, we simply ask: “God, thank you that Your love is better than wine, better than all the finest things in the world. Please show me what this means.” And lastly, abiding involves obeying His commandments.

How then do we get true joy by doing these things? As we do them, our will and His will become indistinguishable – one and the same. If one is into Venn diagrams, we take His will to be one big circle, and our will a small circle. The area in which the two circles meet is life’s “divine intersection” – where joy is realised. By abiding more and more in Him – that is, when the smaller circle moves deeper into the big circle – the scope and depth of joy is maximised. Conversely, anywhere in the small circle (man’s will) which is not part of the “divine intersection” results in what the writer of Ecclesiastes refers to as the “vanity of vanities” (1:1).

Abiding in Him involves the simple “formula” of speaking to Him, using the Word to converse with Him and obeying His commandments.

John 15:7 is not some diabolical device for God to be a killjoy – taking away the things that we want and replacing them with things He wants. Rather, true joy stems not from getting what we want, but from asking God what He wants for us. This is the statistical equivalent of the “sure thing” – you will always get what you ask for, when your wants become His wants!

Therein lies Jesus’ promise of joy. Joy lies in the fact that the Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are deeply committed to making us “ornaments of gold” (Songs 1:11) – that is, the Trinity will see that we grow in godly character. In John 15, Jesus shows how we can cooperate with God’s nurturing – we abide in Him. To abide in Him, we talk to Him, use the Word to interact with the Living Word and obey His commands, Jesus promises that His joy will remain in us, and that our “joy will be full” (15:11)! Unlike happiness, which is from without and based on external circumstances, true joy is from within. As John Piper writes, God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. C. S. Lewis called joy an “unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” “Joy,” he said, “must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure” [1] Lewis found joy because he had found God as its source.

Abiding in Him sounds simple, but consistent application of this principle is the path to true joy.

In On War, one of the classics in the study of war, Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz wrote that “everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult.” This powerful axiom applies to our quest for joy. Abiding in Him involves the simple “formula” of speaking to Him, using the Word to converse with Him and obeying His commandments. But these “simple things,” however, can be difficult because it requires consistency, discipline and determination – even in the mundane, and even when He doesn’t seem to respond. But Jesus is worth all our effort! Press in to seek out the “true vine” (Jn 15:1) and source of all joy! He is the true source of all life, vibrancy in the Spirit and the fount that will satisfy the thirst of the human heart!

References [1] Leland Ryken, James C. Wilholt, Tremper Longman III (eds.), Dictionary of Biblical Imagery

[Editor’s note: Having just concluded IHOP Internship III last week, we are once again getting back into the grind and routine of life at the House of Prayer. Burning in the House for seven sessions a week…fasting on a weekly basis…growing deep in message… After the adranaline-rush and all the excitement that such an event brings, it’s always good to remind ourselves why we keep coming back day after day, week after week, event after event, to burn in His House and to sit at His feet.]

(This is Part 2 of our first article that can be found here.)

Prayer with worship is at the heart of a House of Prayer. This is because the Lord Jesus requires that Christians congregate across the earth, crying out for His return in fervent prayer with worship (Matt 9:15, Rev 22:17).

If prayer with worship is at the centre of all Houses of Prayer, this brings up a critical question: what happens when one doesn’t enjoy prayer?

This is something that many believers struggle with. In fact, Mike Bickle, the founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, testifies of this. In his younger years, he would tell God that he planned to persevere in prayer for an hour, but those times were more agony than anything.

But there is hope. God has mandated that believers congregate in prayer across the world, and that such prayers would bring joy (Isa 56:7)

Sustaining days, weeks and even decades in the House of Prayer boils down to this: we pray, because He enjoys us; He enjoys us, because our gaze at Him – weak, distracted, and however momentary – overwhelms Him!

He is overwhelmed when we stay engaged, seeking Him and Him only, even when we don’t seem to see, hear or feel Him.

How does this work? The Lord has buried this mystery in the Song of Songs, an allegory of how the Church (or the believer) grows from an immature bride who is dark and lovely (Songs 1:5) to one who comes out from the wilderness of a sinful world, leaning on her Beloved (8:5)

In the Song of Songs, the Shulamite woman (a “type” of the individual believer and the Church) learns to relish His love (1:2), the sweetness of His Word (2:5) and the joy of ministering to younger, less mature believers (5:8)

In Chapter 5, however, the Bride experiences a 2-fold crisis – at a time when she has overcome her fears to seek after Him, she loses two precious things – her veil (or ministry) is taken away, ironically by the leaders of the church (5:7). Even His sweet love – love that is more precious than all the delectable pleasures of the world (1:2) – is gone as He withdraws His presence momentarily to enable her love for Him to grow (5:6).

This is the much-feared “dark night of the soul” of which Saint John of the Cross wrote about – a term referring to the times when the saint doesn’t feel the presence of God. As ominous as this sounds, the Lord’s training school has this core module – training us to press into His presence, even when He says nothing, or little.

The Bride does well in this module. She doesn’t take it sitting down. In 7 verses, in Songs 5:10-16, she goes on to tell the daughters of Jerusalem (younger, less mature believers) about her lovesickness and determination to pursue Him. In these 7 verses – one of the longest passages in Scripture that go into fine, exquisite detail about the beauty of her Beloved – she calls Him the “chief among ten thousand,” “altogether lovely” and one whose “mouth is most sweet.” These are descriptions of Jesus that believers should spend their lives – and through eternity, for that matter – meditating on.

The response from Jesus (as typified by Solomon) is one of the climaxes of Holy Scripture. In Song 6:5, Jesus calls on the Bride to turn her eyes away from Him, as they have “overcome” Him!

This is profound and mind boggling. Jesus, the one who rules the skies and created the heavens, the One who is at peace and in perfect fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, this same Jesus is overwhelmed, captivated and downright goes weak in knees when He sees the gaze of a weak, sinful broken believer!

As believers, this is a mystery that will take us years – again, even through eternity – to ponder and wonder about. When she doesn’t feel anything in her heart, He feels everything! Likewise, our hearts feel might feel cold and numb, but based on this truth, we can still reach out to Him in the poverty of our spirit, knowing that He is deeply, deeply moved. Indeed, His heart burns with holy passion for us when we reach out to him in weakness!
 This is the secret to staying and burning long in the House of Prayer. Sometimes, burning in the House of Prayer can be mundane and routine. In the House of Prayer, people can at times feel distracted and weighed down by cares. Sometimes, I have felt that my prayers are so weak that they have not even ascended to the ceiling. But knowing that He hears, and is deeply moved, motivates me to press in.

This is a mystery that we will through eternity meditate on and rejoice in.

We can live this out in 2 ways.

Firstly, this truth is buried in the Word. Even when our hearts are not moved, our minds are distracted and we would rather be somewhere else than burning in the House of Prayer, we know that He desires and is overcome by us – simply because His Word says so.
 Secondly, there will be times of sweetness when the Spirit of God touches our hearts with His love, or when He reveals His heart for us and His desire for us. Many of us who burn in the House can testify to this. In this His Word is validated by experience. Indeed, feeling His love, and loving Him back constitutes one of the sweetest, most delectable emotions imaginable this side of heaven!

This is what causes us to burn, and stay long in the House of Prayer. It’s not the music, the eloquence of the prayers nor the length of our intercession. Rather, it is about how our weak hearts move a strong God.