God has promised to send another release of the Spirit of Elijah before the Lord’s return. What does the Father long to reveal through the spirit of Elijah that is so desperately needed today? A glimpse back to the times when God has previously released this Spirit will help us understand His purpose and recognize our need to earnestly seek that which will awaken us to rend our hearts and prepare for the coming King.
In Mathew 11:14, Jesus declares to the people that John the Baptist is Elijah, “And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.” He came to prepare the hearts of the people so they could receive the message of the Kingdom. John the Baptist lived an austere, fasted life. He was completely sold out to the heart of God and the message he carried from God. He was born to prepare the way for the One who would fully reveal the Father’s will. In John, the spirit of Elijah turned the hearts of the people to repentance. This is how they were made ready to embrace the Lord. Only the Spirit could draw people that were steeped in religious tradition to embrace the uncompromised truth that John the Baptist lived through his radical lifestyle. John who remained in the desert, dressed in camel’s hair and eating locust and honey, drew crowds ranging from kings and priests to common people. Just as God separated John unto Himself, God drew and separated people from their spiritual traditions in order to hear the truth.
