Even a cursory look at church history reveals many things that were not only contrary to the teachings and nature of Christ, but were diabolical in nature. Today the church tends to deal mostly with matters of insensitivity, but in times past, the issues were how to deal with the brutal and inhuman cruelty being inflicted on literally millions in the name of Christ. Certainly, progress has been made out of the deep darkness which the church had fallen into. So where are we now? What's next?
This terrible time of darkness was clearly prophesied in Scripture, and it was allowed for a reason. In the same way that the nation of Israel failed in its covenant relationship with the Lord and was scattered over many nations, the church failed also, and was likewise scattered into thousands of denominations. Just as Israel has been re-gathering to its inheritance in the natural, there is a corresponding re-gathering of the church to its spiritual inheritance. As we are told in I Corinthians 15:46, "However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual." What is taking place in the natural is a forerunner and prophecy of what is about to take place in the spiritual realm.
The Jew has always been a prophecy of the condition of the nations. Just as Israel has been re-gathering to its promised land, but has no peace within or without and is also still groping for its purpose, the church is likewise in a similar place. The nation of Israel will awaken to its purpose and its Messiah. When it does, we can expect the church to likewise awaken to its purpose in these times, which is linked to Israel's purpose in the natural.
The spiritual seed of Abraham, those who are grafted into the vine by their faith, and the natural seed of Abraham, the Jew according to the flesh, will join in purpose. When they do, it will open a bridge between the heavenly realm and earthly, leading to the restoration of all things lost by the Fall. Even death will ultimately be destroyed.
There was a time of about 2,000 years in which the Lord worked almost exclusively through the Jews to lay the foundation of His plan for the redemption and restoration of the earth. Now there has likewise been a time of about 2,000 years, the "times of the Gentiles" in which He has worked almost exclusively through the Gentiles. Contrary to what many believe, what we are about to enter into is not another time of the Jews, but a time of the Jews and Gentiles being joined together in purpose. We will witness the Jew, the natural seed of Abraham, and the church, the spiritual seed of Abraham, becoming the "one new man" Paul wrote about (see Ephesians 2:15). When these two are joined, it will open the gate between the heavens and the earth, and for the kingdom of God to be established on the earth.
Because of the terrible history that both Israel and the church has suffered, and since the greatest threat to the existence of the Jewish people came from the institutional church or "Christian nations," the gulf between Israel and the church will take a great miracle to cross. This is a reflection of the similar gulf between God and mankind which seems to be greater than ever. How will these be bridged?
Just as all of Israel's problems are really beyond human remedy and will take a miracle from God to solve, so are the church's and the world's problems. The great troubles at the end of this age are the result of mankind trying to run this world without God, a lesson that will finally and profoundly be learned. However, God will resolve the entire mess which we have made of things.
In the meantime, between now and these great miracles that will surely come, the greatest of all being the return of the Son of God Himself, it is our calling to help prepare the way for His return. How do we do this? In the prophecy that was quoted from Isaiah in relation to John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Him the first time He came, the same principle applies for how we are to prepare the way for His return:
A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
"Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley.
Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken" (Isaiah 40:3-5).
Here we see that a highway must be prepared for the Lord in the wilderness, "Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed." So building this highway is first. How do we do this?
If you have ever been part of a crew building a highway, you know that this is some of the most difficult of all construction work. As this text declares, it requires mountains and hills being brought down and valleys being built up. It is slow, tedious, and messy, as anyone who has lived near the building of a highway can surely attest. There are times when it is easier and faster than at other times, but it can be grueling work for days, weeks, or even months to make the smallest amount of progress, and it is fraught with constant danger.
After extraordinary labors, when the highway is finished, people will drive on it and zip through at 70 mph in the same place where progress was at times measured in inches a day. And very few of those people who go merrily along the highway, which was so much labor to accomplish, will ever think for even a moment about those who built it, much less ever thank them. Few who build highways are celebrated, but they have made the progress of the modern world possible, both in the spiritual and natural.
In this same way, the job of preparing the way for the Lord is hard, being done through the wilderness, the most inhospitable territory where the progress is usually slow and difficult. Few will thank us for what we are doing, and some will curse us for the mess we are making, especially if it brings them any inconvenience. Few who see the present mess have the vision to see how much better it will be when the highway is finished. It is quite a thankless task.
In seeking to see authentic, biblical, prophetic ministry restored to the church, our team at MorningStar has experienced some of this. It has been hard work, with at times seemingly very little progress. Most who see us working just remark about the mess we are making, with very little encouragement coming even from those who will ultimately benefit from what we are doing. We know also there will be very little thanks when it is finished, at least from people, but to hear the words "Well done, good and faithful servant" (see Matthew 25:21 NIV) from the King will be worth it. We are doing it for the church, which may have little appreciation for it now, but more than this, we are doing it for Him and are very thankful just to have a job in His service.
Even so, for those who labored for so long and hard to watch others walk on the path they have cut with such difficulty, just taking off, may be hard. However, that is the reason for building a highway—to make it much easier and faster for those who come behind us. If we have been successful, others will be able to go as far as we have much faster, easier, and safer. In fact, that is what church history has been.
The great souls in history took ground that future generations could walk over much easier, faster, and safer. A good example is Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians, who took a generation to establish the principles of modern missions. They not only cut a path which others could follow, but at times, they wandered up box canyons and had to turn around, seemingly losing a lot of time and resources with their mistakes. However, even those diversions saved future generations from having to make the same ones. They prepared a highway and a good map to go with it.
We only stand where we are today because others fought through the forests and underbrush, cut down mountains and hills, and built up the low places—spiritual swamps that were full of dangers and disease. They left us a wonderful highway so we could easily make it this far with relatively little effort. Let us resolve to carry this highway as far as we can in our own generation, making it much easier for others to make it as far as we have, and then go farther.
There will be a generation who actually finishes the job. It could even be ours. We may go around the next turn, cut through the next acre of underbrush, and come face to face with His glory. Even if we are not the one who finishes the job, let us do our part as well as it can be done. The way we prepare the way for the Lord and His kingdom to come to the earth, so that His will be done here just as it is in heaven, is to build a highway.
In the next few weeks we will look at this highway in a bit more depth, seek to locate our position on it and where we go next. If we have been wise in raising up those with true prophetic gifts, maybe we can send scouts ahead so that they can map out the territory well enough so we do not go up any more box canyons. Maybe they can see easier paths which to us would look like diversions from a straight line, but in fact will make our progress toward the goal much easier, faster, or safer.
If the highway becomes more clear, maybe others, who are now all cutting their own individual paths in various directions, will join together, making the progress of our generation much greater. Instead of doing so much work that will not really be used, cutting down a lot of underbrush destined to grow right back because no one is going to follow on that path, wouldn't it be better to see our efforts actually result in a useful highway which leads to the kingdom? There is a highway being built. We should all want to be sure that we are a part of building the one which really prepares the way for the King.
