Jesus is coming back and the time is coming close and many have asked the question, “How shall we know the timing of His coming?” The Bible has many indication and prophecies of the timing of his imminent return. The greatest sign of the Lord's return is found in the scriptures used in this lesson.

We needn’t look for a world leader as the anti-Christ or the mark of the beast or increase of knowledge or the pleasure craze although all of these can be indicators of His return.

We don’t need to look far for the signs of His return, all we need to do is look at the condition of the Church and see how the Church is being active. A prophecy of God found in Joel 2:29-32 where we see the first wave of the final days will be an outpouring of the Spirit.

Did this happen at the time Montanists who had gained great popularity in Asia with their strong tendency in the prophetic gifting of the Spirit? They were deemed to be too extravagant. Under scrutiny they were condemned as hieratical and therefore excommunication followed by the Synod of Iconium (230 A.D.).

We have the benefit if hindsight and we know it didn’t happen then.

Joel 2:29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. (ESV)

The out working of Joel’s prophecy  

The period from late 18th and early 19th centuries produced what we now call the Classic Evangelicalism period with common antecedents coming from the Protestant Reformation, Continental Pietism, Puritan Calvinism and the Wesleyan Arminianism. Evangelicalism movement came out of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and North American colonies in this period. From Wesleyan Arminianism who developed teaching termed Christian Perfection or Second Blessing. Charles Grandson Finney had read Wesley's Plain Account of Christian Perfection. The perfection teaching of Wesley had a big influence on Finney and then he was followed in 1831, by Phoebe Palmer, Sarah Langford, Hannah Smith, and Joseph H. Smith, who were all movers in the Holiness Movement.

Now we come to the 20th century where Charles F. Parham of the Bethel Bible School Topeka, Kansas teaching about the infilling of the Holy Spirit in 1901 concurrently as theses development took place Spurling, Bryant and Tomlinson were brought together. In the year of 1906 W. J. Seymour led a group of people in the Pentecostal revival at Azusa Street in Los Angeles. Over the last hundred years the contemporary Evangelicalism movement developed in the Universal Church to present the most social Gospel teachings in the history of the Church since the time of Jesus.

Has there been an outpouring of the Spirit come upon mankind yet?

To answer this question I would say, “No not completely” which may surprise many, but let me explain my perspective.

Yes the Spirit of God has always been active from Genesis 1:1-2 to now and we have seen a rise in the gifts of the Spirit with a large amount of excess which has caused many to even advocate theology to speak against the Spirit moving. This position from some has meant we don’t have unity in the Body of Christ and God can’t command a blessing for evermore.

Once we accept the fact that the Pentecostal movement is from God built on all the positive elements which were brought to the Lord's table in previous generations then we can see the flow of the Spirit of God in His Church. All of the people above have had extremes in their own time but what lives on is Spirit and Truth.  

We are living in, “The age of His glory covers the sea”

Knowledge connected to the information technology has meant that in this age, walls that had kept the word of God away from the people, no longer work effectively.

Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (KJVR)

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (KJVR)

All of creation is waiting for the Church to rise up and take back that which belongs to the Kingdom of God.

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was not willingly subjected to vanity, but because of Him who subjected it on hope 21 that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 And we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. 23 And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, awaiting adoption, the redemption of our body.(MKJV)

“The age of His glory covers the sea”

The gifts of the Holy Spirit should be working in the Church (who have the first fruit of the Spirit) as there is no Biblical evidence to say to the contrary. A simple test is if you were placed on an Island with a Bible and you had never read it or been in contact with Christians, would you conclude that the gifts mentioned below would be in the Church? YES!

1Corithians 12:3,12

Gifts of the Spirit to the believer- There are nine gifts.

1/ Word of wisdom

2/ Word of knowledge                                   Discernment  

7/ Discerning of spirits.

3/ Gift of faith.

4/ Gifts of healing                                           Power Gifts

5/ Working of miracles.

6/ Prophecy.

8/ Different kinds of tongues.           Voice gifts Oral utterance

9/ Interpretation of tongues             Acts 2: 4

The early rain & latter rain

The early rain of the out pouring that Joel prophesied has taken placed last century and now is the time for the latter rain in this dispensation of the Spirit. We have the first fruit of the Spirit and all we need to do is walk in that power of love.

Jesus was questioned on how we would know He was about to return. He answered the questions by saying the greatest sign of His return is Elijah first will come.

Matthew 17:10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? 11 And answering Jesus said to them, Elijah truly shall come first and restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but have done to him whatever they desired. Likewise also the Son of Man shall suffer from them. 13 Then His disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist. (MKJV)

1/ Elijah must come first

2/ Elijah comes and will restore all things

3/ Elijah has already come

Point (3) the last part of the statement here by Jesus is in the past tenths, “saying he has come” and as we read on he is referring the John. We know that John is John and not physically Elijah so what did Jesus mean here.  We have no record of John’s miracles but we do know that he was called to prepare the way for Christ to come by preaching a Gospel of REPENTANCE. This is the dynamic after believing that restores the fellowship with God.

Mark 9:11 And they asked Him, saying, Why do the scribes say that Elijah must first come? 12 And He answered and told them, Elijah truly does come first and restores all things. And how has it been written of the Son of Man that He should suffer many things and be despised?13 But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they have done to him whatever they desired, as it is written of him. (MKJV)

The first two points from the scriptures above state Elijah does come first, and restores all things don’t fit grammatical if you think Jesus is only talking about John as they are in the future. Before we go further here please answer this question. Which I have taken from Matthew 17:11 and Mark 9:11. Did John the Baptist restore all things? The answer is no!

Jesus was leaving us a message for the last days before His return. John was also questioned as we can see in John 1:21-25 which appears to be a contradiction with what Jesus said later, but it wasn’t. Before I explain why it is not a contradiction please read the next three scriptures.

John’s reply

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he says, I am not. Are you that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then they said to him, Who are you so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say of yourself? 23 He said, I am "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah said. 24 And they who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him and said, Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor that Prophet? (MKJV)

Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes

Malachi4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (KJVR)

The spirit and power of Elijah

Luke 1:11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him as he was standing on the right of the altar of incense. 12 And seeing this, Zacharias was troubled, and fear fell on him. 13 But the angel said to him, Do not fear, Zacharias. For your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drink wine nor strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he shall turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (MKJV)

John’s reply is, "I am not."  "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, indicating he is not Elijah and then Jesus said, “But I tell you, Elijah has already come” and in Mathew 11, Jesus said again, And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah”, the implication here is symbolic. In Malachi 4:5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes”. Luke 17 And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, (Like)

Malachi states the indicator of Christ return John states his purpose and as we know it was baptism unto REPENTANCE. Malachi’s indicators have not all been fulfilled but they are at the moment in the Church. As I have previously stated, “Over the last hundred years the contemporary Evangelicalism movement developed in the Universal Church to present the most social Gospel teachings in the history of the Church since the time of Jesus”.

Luke records, “He shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, and go in the spirit and power of Elijah”.

The great and terrible day is still to come but with the out pouring of the Holy Spirit in these days of the latter rain. Those who believe in the Holy Spirit power and the power of the word of God to bring about sanctification to the repenting person will move in a ministry that is similar to Elijah and they will do the same miracles as Jesus.

We are the voice of one calling in the wilderness! Trying to bring about repentance and develop a desire towards Holiness.

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain (KJVR)

Humanity of Elijah – just a man like us

James 5: 17 Elijah was a man of like passion as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for the time of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to sprout. (MKJV)

The least is the greatest sign of Christ return. That is you and I

Matthew 11:11 Truly I say to you, Among those who have been born of women there has not risen a greater one than John the Baptist. But the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of Heaven is taken by violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you will receive it, this is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (MKJV)

Jesus said John was the greatest of Old Testament prophets and we have been given the honor by Jesus as being greater than him. If we desire to become a servant to the world by proclaiming the Gospel of REPENTANCE then we will be moving in the ministry like Elijah. An active church proclaims salvation through the appropriation of the gift of Jesus on the cross and by and through the act of repentance.

If no prophet is accepted in his hometown just like Jesus was, we should Go into the world and become a missionary. As we read the scripture below we see Elijah was not sent to the Church of the day but to the unbelievers. We are called to Jesus first, then we study His word and find ourselves approved by God and then we are sent to the world to bring His children home.

Come on Church with 75% of the people claiming to be missionaries living in Western world we are missing the mark. With less than 1% of finances getting to missionaries in developing and third world nations the Church is being deluded by big so called Christian organizations. If they are asking for money for there TV or their college programs they are not walking by faith. Seek God in prayer like Elijah when he asked for rain and he got it, for Him to show you someone in your local church to support and send to the un-reached peoples of the world. If God tells you to support TV or their college programs then do it, because He said. Faith is hearing from God and going to Him in prayer for your needs.

Luke 4:24 And He said, Truly I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his native-place. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. 26 But Elijah was not sent to any of them, except to Zarephath, a city of Sidon, to a woman, a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. (MKJV)

With the Word of God inscribed in our new heart which is now holy, the Holy Spirit can communicate with our new spirit the Word of God and then with the mind of Jesus for comparison. With the knowledge of our new name sons of God, we now have all the dynamics for a holy life to come into play, all of this happened to bring about Jesus’ nature in us.

Hebrews 4:12  For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (MKJV)

With Jesus’ nature in us moving in the Ministry of Elijah we will be the greatest sign to all that Christ is coming back and all we have to do is go into all the world.

Mark 16: 15 And He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And miraculous signs will follow to those believing these things: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well. 19 Then indeed, after speaking to them, the Lord was taken up into Heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And going out, they proclaimed everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word by miraculous signs following. Amen. (MKJV)

Rise up my fair one for the winter is over and the flowers appear on the earth and it is time to bring them in.Inspired by the Song of Solomon

Prophecy for the Church in the next major move of God.

Spirit and Word welded together in love.