Preparing the Way for the King

The Spirit of Elijah, John the Baptist, and a People Prepared for the Lord.

REPAIR THE ALTAR. TURN THE HEARTS. PREPARE THE WAY.

There are passages of Scripture that I have read and pondered for years, yet every time I return to them, I sense there is still more to understand. Matthew 16:28 through Matthew 17:1–13 is one of those passages for me.

Jesus makes this remarkable statement: “There are some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”  Matthew 16:28

Then Matthew tells us that six days later Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. There He is transfigured before them. His face shines like the sun. His clothing becomes white as light.

Moses and Elijah appear, and the voice of the Father declares: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”  Matthew 17:5

As they come down the mountain, the disciples ask another intriguing question: “Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?”  Matthew 17:10

Jesus responds that Elijah has already come, and Matthew tells us the disciples understood that He was speaking about John the Baptist. What does all of this mean? What did Jesus mean when He said some standing there would see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom before they tasted death? Why did Moses and Elijah appear? What did Jesus mean when He connected John the Baptist with Elijah? And what might all of this say to a generation asking God for revival, awakening, and another visitation of His presence?

As I look at these passages together, I see a powerful biblical pattern: Before the glory, there was surrender. Before the fire, there was an altar. Before the Messiah appeared, there was a forerunner. Before the visitation, there was preparation.

And at the center of it all is Jesus.

THEY SAW THE KING IN HIS GLORY

Context is important. We should not separate Matthew 16:28 from what immediately follows in Matthew 17. Jesus says that some standing there would not taste death until they had seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.

Then Matthew deliberately tells us: “And after six days…”

Peter, James, and John go up the mountain with Jesus. There they see Him as they have never seen Him before. They had walked dusty roads with Him. They had eaten with Him. They had watched Him heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, calm storms, multiply food, and perform miracles. But now they see something of His majesty and glory.

Years later Peter would describe this experience: “We…were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”  2 Peter 1:16

Interestingly, Peter connects the experience with “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Transfiguration was not the final Second Coming of Christ. Rather, before Peter, James, and John tasted death, they were given a foretaste, a glimpse, of the glory belonging to the King and His Kingdom.

For a moment, the veil was pulled back. They saw the King in His majesty. But notice what Jesus had been teaching immediately before He showed them His glory: Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Me. Lose your life for My sake.

Then He showed them the glory.

There is a Kingdom order here that we dare not reverse: The Cross before the Crown. Surrender before Glory. Consecration before Manifestation. Faithfulness before Fulfillment. We can become enamored with manifestation while resisting preparation. We want the glory without the Cross. The fire without the altar. Revival without repentance. Kingdom authority without Kingdom surrender.

But God’s order has not changed.

BEFORE THE FIRE, REPAIR THE ALTAR

This is where the appearance of Elijah becomes especially meaningful to me.

When we think about Elijah, we often think about Mount Carmel. We remember the confrontation with the prophets of Baal. We remember the fire falling from heaven.

But before the fire fell, Elijah did something that is easy to overlook: “And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.”  1 Kings 18:30

We can become so fascinated with the fire that we overlook the altar.

Before Elijah called for fire, he confronted the people’s divided loyalties: “How long halt ye between two opinions?”  1 Kings 18:21

Then he repaired what had been broken. He prepared the sacrifice. He prayed. Then the fire fell.

There is a principle here that has continually challenged me when thinking about revival and awakening:

PREPARATION PRECEDES VISITATION.

We cannot manufacture genuine revival. We cannot manufacture the glory of God. We cannot manufacture the rain. But we can prepare the altar. We can humble ourselves. We can pray. We can repent. We can consecrate ourselves. We can repair what has been broken. We can remove the idols competing for the throne of our hearts.

Throughout Scripture and revival history, we repeatedly discover that prayer preceded power and repentance preceded renewal. Maybe our greatest need is not another method for getting God’s attention. Perhaps we need to give God our attention again.

The question may not simply be: “Lord, will You send the fire?”

Perhaps the deeper question is: “Lord, is the altar ready?”

MOSES, ELIJAH—AND JESUS ONLY

On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus. Moses represents the Law. Elijah represents the Prophets. Both testify toward Christ. Peter apparently wants to preserve the moment. He suggests building three tabernacles—one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

But the Father interrupts: “This is my beloved Son…hear ye him.” Not: “Hear Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.” Hear Him.

Then the disciples fall on their faces. Jesus touches them and tells them not to be afraid. When they lift their eyes, Matthew records a simple but profound statement: “They saw no man, save Jesus only.”  Matthew 17:8

Jesus only.

That may be one of the most important truths in the entire passage. Authentic spiritual revelation should ultimately leave us more captivated with Jesus—not prophets, personalities, platforms, movements, ministries, or manifestations. Moses disappears. Elijah disappears. Jesus remains.

The messenger must never become greater in our eyes than the One whose message he carries. The movement must never become more important than the One who moved upon us. The manifestation must never become more important than the Manifestor.

Ultimately, the question is: Who sits on the throne? Our ministry? Our reputation? Our movement? Our experiences? Our opinions? Or Jesus?

When everything else fades from view, may we see:

JESUS ONLY.

DID JOHN THE BAPTIST ACTUALLY COME AS ELIJAH?

As they descend the mountain, the disciples ask why the scribes say Elijah must come first.

They knew Malachi’s prophecy: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.”  Malachi 4:5

And they had literally just seen Elijah.

Jesus answers: “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already…”  Matthew 17:11–12

Matthew then tells us: “Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”  Matthew 17:13

Does that mean John was literally Elijah? No. When John was directly asked, “Art thou Elias?” he answered: “I am not.”  John 1:21

Luke gives us the clearest biblical explanation. Before John’s birth, the angel declared: “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias…”  Luke 1:17

John came in the spirit and power of Elijah. It was an Elijah-like prophetic assignment. Elijah confronted a compromised generation and called people back to covenant faithfulness. John confronted compromise and cried: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Elijah repaired the altar. John prepared the way.

Both were preparing people for something—and Someone—greater than themselves.

MORE THAN CALLING DOWN FIRE

Sometimes when we speak about an “Elijah ministry,” we immediately think of confrontation. Certainly Elijah confronted compromise. So did John. Neither adjusted his message to accommodate those occupying positions of power.

But Malachi reveals another dimension of the Elijah assignment: “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers…”  Malachi 4:6

Luke deliberately picks up that language when describing John: “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children…and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  Luke 1:17

Notice the purpose: Turn the hearts.

And: Make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

The spirit of Elijah is not merely about exposing what is wrong. It is about restoring what has been broken. Not merely confrontation, but restoration. Not merely denunciation, but reconciliation. Not merely calling down fire, but turning hearts.

A prophetic voice that only identifies everything that is wrong but never helps turn hearts toward God has missed something essential. John’s message was uncompromising, but his purpose was preparation.

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”  Matthew 3:3

The prophetic assignment is not simply to expose the darkness. It is to prepare people for the King.

THE FORERUNNER MUST DECREASE

John understood something else every leader and ministry must understand. Crowds were coming to him. There was spiritual momentum surrounding his ministry. People wondered whether John himself might be the Messiah. He could have built something around himself.

Instead, John said: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  John 3:30

That is the heart of a true forerunner. The forerunner prepares the way but does not become the Way. John knew his calling was not to build his own throne. His calling was to point people to the King.

When Jesus appeared, John declared: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”  John 1:29

John’s success wasn’t measured by how many people continued following John. His success was measured by whether he faithfully pointed them toward Jesus. There is a temptation for those whom God uses to begin building around what God has done through them. Movements can become monuments. Assignments can become identities. Platforms can become thrones.

But authentic forerunner ministry says: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

I have often said: While men reach for thrones to build their own kingdoms, Jesus reached for a towel to wash men’s feet.

That remains our model.

PREPARE FOR THE RAIN

After the confrontation on Mount Carmel, Elijah tells Ahab: “There is a sound of abundance of rain.”  1 Kings 18:41

There had been drought. There was no visible rain. But Elijah heard something before others saw something. Then he prayed. Again and again his servant looked toward the sea.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Until finally a cloud appeared about the size of a man’s hand. Elijah discerned the sound of rain before the evidence of rain was obvious. Yet he still prayed. Expectation did not replace intercession. The promise did not eliminate preparation. There are seasons when we sense God wants to do something, but sensing it is not the same as stewarding it.

We must prepare for the rain. Repair the altar. Pray. Repent. Consecrate ourselves. Turn our hearts. Make straight the paths. Prepare the way of the Lord.

We cannot command awakening according to our timetable. But we can become a people prepared when God chooses to visit.

COULD WE KNOW THE PROPHECY AND MISS THE VISITATION?

Jesus makes another statement about John that should sober us: “Elias is come already, and they knew him not…”  Matthew 17:12

Think about that. They were waiting for Elijah. They knew the Scriptures concerning Elijah. They taught others that Elijah must come. Yet when the Elijah-like forerunner appeared, many did not recognize him.

Could we know prophecy and still miss what God is doing? Could we become so committed to our expectations of how God must move that we fail to recognize Him when He moves differently?

The religious establishment had information. John was in the wilderness. They knew the Messianic prophecies. Jesus was walking among them. They were looking for what God was going to do while failing to discern what God was already doing.

Discernment requires more than information. We need humility. We need the Holy Spirit. We need ears to hear. We need hearts that remain tender before God.

Otherwise, we can become experts in yesterday’s move of God while resisting what He is doing today.

WHAT ABOUT ELIJAH AND CHRIST’S RETURN?

There remains an intriguing question in Jesus’ wording: “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.”

Then: “Elias is come already…”

Clearly, John fulfilled the Elijah forerunner role in preparation for Christ’s first appearing. Some interpreters see an additional future, or “already and not yet,” dimension to Malachi’s prophecy associated with Christ’s return. Others understand the Elijah prophecy as having been fulfilled through John’s ministry.

We should be careful not to become dogmatic where faithful students of Scripture have reached different conclusions.

But one thing is unmistakable:

GOD DESIRES A PREPARED PEOPLE.

Perhaps instead of becoming consumed with identifying who a future “Elijah” might be, a more important question is whether we are embracing the qualities Scripture associates with preparing the way of the Lord.

Are we repairing broken altars? Are we calling people back to God? Are we confronting compromise, beginning with ourselves? Are hearts being restored? Are we willing to decrease so Christ may increase? And are we pointing people to Jesus?

LORD, PREPARE US FOR WHAT WE ARE ASKING YOU TO SEND

We are asking God for awakening. We are asking for revival. We are asking for another visitation. We are asking for the rain.

But perhaps the Lord is asking us: Have you repaired the altar? Have you turned your heart? Have you removed the idols competing for My throne? Are you willing to decrease so I may increase? Are you preparing My way—or building your own?

We cannot manufacture the fire. We cannot manufacture the rain. We cannot manufacture awakening. But we can prepare ourselves. We can repair the altar. We can humble ourselves. We can pray. We can repent. We can reconcile. We can turn our hearts. We can prepare the way.

Maybe the cry of the Elijah/John-the-Baptist assignment for our generation is not merely: “Lord, send the fire!”

But: “Lord, repair our altars and turn our hearts.”

Not merely: “Lord, send revival.”

But: “Lord, prepare us for what we are asking You to send.”

Not merely: “Lord, show us Your glory.”

But: “Lord, remove everything that keeps us from seeing Jesus only.”

May we repair the altars. May we turn our hearts. May we prepare for the rain. May we decrease so Christ may increase.

And when everything else fades from view, may we lift our eyes and see:

JESUS ONLY.