Re: POWER of PRAYER- No Matter Which Faith You Follow=GOD is With You
The Watchmen on the Walls
The Old Testament concludes with this remarkable prophecy from Malachi: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6, NKJV).
This prophecy was largely fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist. An angel appeared to John's father and prophesied that his son would turn many in Israel to the Lord and that "he will also 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" (Luke 1:17).
Jesus, speaking to his disciples about John the Baptist, said, "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:14-15). I believe Jesus was asking them to see the spiritual significance of John's coming, as prophesied, in the spirit and power of Elijah.
John was anointed with the same fearless spirit and power that was upon Elijah. He spoke openly about the sins of the disobedient, pleasure-seeking people of his day. Christ was soon to appear, and this mighty man of truth suddenly came on the scene to prepare a people for the Lord. John preached repentance, restitution, purity of heart, justice, and a practical walk of holiness to correspond with an open confession of sins.
Beloved, I believe the prophet Malachi, as well as other Old Testament prophets, speaks of a company of holy people who will be raised up just before Christ's second coming. They will minister under the very same spirit and power that rested upon Elijah and John the Baptist.
On the last day, the company of believers will heed the prophecy of Isaiah, "Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isaiah 58:1).These are the watchmen upon the walls, who "shall never hold their peace day or night...and give him no rest till he establishes and till he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth" (Isaiah 62:6-7).
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I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
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