Prepare The Way by Rick Joyner

Starting on August 11, we will be looking into a Morning Star Prophetic Bulletin, from June 2005.

http://www.morningstarministries.org/pages/bulletins/bulletins_main.html

The Morning Star
P R O P H E T I C B U L L E T I N
June 2005
PREPARE
THE WAY
by Rick Joyner
The greatest sign of the return of the Lord is
recorded in Matthew 24:14, “And this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in the whole world for a witness to all the
nations, and then the end shall come.” An
acceleration of transformation is now going on
in the church in order to prepare the way for
this gospel to be preached and this prophecy
fulfilled. The greatest force for truth is now
being assembled for this purpose.
There are true, last-day prophets and apostles
already living among us. Most are still immature,
but they are here, they are maturing, and they
will soon be released in power. Their commission
will be foretold by the earth itself suffering
spiritual contractions so that all who dwell on
the earth will tremble. God is
coming to shake things up.
The Revolution
This “gospel of the kingdom”
is not the same as the gospel of
salvation, commonly referred to
as “the gospel” which has been
the primary message of the Protestant
and the evangelical
churches for the past five hundred
years. It is now time to understand
the gospel of the kingdom, how it
is distinguished from the gospel
that has been preached, and how
the message of the church is about to change so
that it is preached throughout the whole world.
We also need to examine the way that the
gospel of salvation has been perverted in recent
times, changing it from Him coming to save His
people from their sins, to Him coming to save
His people from their troubles. This is why so
few remain in the faith after their “conversion.”
The only true salvation comes from the conviction
of our sins and our profound and desperate
need for the atonement of the cross of Jesus
Christ. Anything other than this is a wrong
foundation that cannot stand. He did not come
to deliver us from troubles, but rather the
opposite. When someone comes to Christ, he or
she needs to immediately be prepared for
troubles, as the whole fallen world
will be against them.
Without question the Christian
life is the most fulfilling, wonderful
adventure that anyone can experience
in this world, but it is also
the most difficult life that can be
lived on this earth. When people
come to Christ, they need to be
prepared for battle from the first
day. If they are not prepared for
this, they are very unlikely to
remain in the faith, as the glaring
statistics of those who “come to
Christ” that are lost again to the
world should boldly teach us.
2
P R E P A R E T H E W A Y
When we are born, it is not the goal of our
lives, but only the beginning. Likewise, to be born
again is not the ultimate goal of the gospel; it is
the beginning of the greatest quest and journey
toward the full maturity of what we are called
to be. It is now time for the church to go on to
maturity, and this must begin with our message.
It is the greatest message of hope, but also a call
to battle.
To preach the gospel of the kingdom does
not in any way negate or denigrate the gospel of
salvation. In fact, it is the gospel
of the kingdom that leads to
true salvation, which is why the
Lord Jesus Himself preached this
gospel, as well as the first century
apostles. Redemption, reconciliation,
and restoration are all part
of the gospel of the kingdom, and
these are reasons for which the
kingdom is coming. However,
the gospel of the kingdom does
include more than the salvation
of believers—it is the message
that the rightful King is coming to
take over.
Those who are born again
with the hope of salvation may be
changed, but those who are born
again in order to see the kingdom will be so
changed that they are a “new creation” (see
Galatians 6:15) which stands out in great
contrast to those of the old creation. Just as the
first century Christians stood out in stunning
contrast to all who lived in their time, the radical
faith that is about to be revealed through such
radical Christians will cause the whole world to
stand in shock and awe.
Recent studies have revealed that modern,
evangelical Christians are really no different
from non-Christians in basic moral and integrity
issues such as honesty, cheating, and immorality.
That is about to change. As the Lord warned in
John 15, every branch that does not bear fruit
will be cut off. If you receive anything from this
bulletin, heed the following clear warning from
Galatians 5:16-25:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and
you will not carry out the desire of
the flesh.
For the flesh sets its desire
against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh; for these are in
opposition to one another, so that
you may not do the things that
you please.
But if you are led by the Spirit,
you are not under the Law.
Now the deeds of the flesh are
evident, which are: immorality,
impurity, sensuality,
idolatry, sorcery,
enmities, strife, jealousy,
outbursts of anger,
dispute s, dissensions,
factions,
envying, drunkenness,
carousing, and things like
these, of which I forewarn
you just as I have forewarned
you that those who
practice such things shall
not inherit the kingdom
of God.
But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against
such things there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ
Jesus have crucified the flesh with
its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also
walk by the Spirit.
Again, we can know for sure that those who
practice such things as are listed under the works
of the flesh “shall not inherit the kingdom
of God.” The scariest thing in the world should
be if we are doing these things and getting away
with them. As we are told in Hebrews 12, the
Lord disciplines His children, and if we are
without discipline, then we are not His.
The Gospel of the Kingdom
The gospel of the kingdom is not just the gospel
of our atonement, but it is the good news of
the kingdom of God and the declaration that the
Redemption,
reconciliation,
and restoration
are all part
of the gospel
of the kingdom,
and these are
reasons for which
the kingdom is
coming.
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P R E P A R E T H E W A Y
King is coming to establish it here on the earth,
beginning with us. To be saved with a vision of
our salvation is good, but it is man-centered. To
be saved by a vision of the kingdom is an enlistment
into the army of the coming King. This is
not a matter of “majoring on minors;” each has
very different consequences and different fruit.
When the gospel of salvation is preached, we are
compelled to “accept the Lord” and often it is
done as if we are doing Him a favor. When the
gospel of the kingdom is preached so that His
kingdom is seen, we will bow the
knee begging His acceptance.
As the Lord instructed His
people to pray for nearly 2,000
years, His kingdom is going to
come, and His will is going to be
done right here on the earth just
as it is in heaven (see Matthew
6:9-13). This prayer of so many
millions for so many years, the
prayer that the King Himself gave
us to pray, is going to be answered.
He wants to start with us. That He
came to be our Savior is something
we will marvel at for eternity;
however, He did not just come to
be our Savior, but our King. There
is a difference.
The coming of His kingdom is the greatest
hope that has ever been preached on the earth.
There is no hope found in any other religion or
any philosophy of utopia that is as great as what
we have been given to proclaim. As the troubles
of the end of this age increase, the light of the
hope of His kingdom will shine brighter and
brighter. Now is the time to fill our lamps with
this oil.
The earth will be restored to its former
paradise so that there is no more war, sickness,
dying, hunger, or even pain. The lion will lie
down with the lamb, children will be able to play
with cobras, and no one will hurt anyone else.
This is the greatest message of hope that the
world has ever heard. The gospel is not just “good
news,” but it is the greatest news, the greatest
message OF A FUTURE that the world has ever
heard. Our message must change from proclaiming
that the end is coming to proclaiming that the
beginning is coming.
He Comes to His Temple First
This is a sure promise, and the time is near
for its fulfillment. The kingdom of God is surely
coming to this earth, and soon. However, it can
come to us today! We can live in the kingdom
now, and those who begin to proclaim it will do
this as true citizens of this kingdom. As we read
in Revelation 3:20, the Lord has been standing
at the door of His church, patiently knocking to
see who would open to Him, but the time is near
when He will suddenly burst into
His temple and take over. His
church is then going to be His
body who does His will, speaks
His words, and does the works
that He did.
We may think this is what we
have been doing, following His
leading in everything, but in truth
few have followed Him in much
at all. Many wonderful things
have been done in His name
which the Lord has blessed, but
He will bless many things that He
will not inhabit. There have also
been many terrible, even diabolical
things done in His name.
Soon we will know the difference
between what was truly born in the heart of God,
and that which was born in the hearts of men.
He is going to cleanse His temple, destroy the
idols that have been set up there, and drive out
the money-changers. He is then going to rebuild
it so His church is in fact His church—His body
of which He alone is the Head.
Great changes have been happening deep in
the heart of the church for years. These are about
to accelerate, resulting in such a great transformation
that it will be viewed as the greatest move
of God in His people since the Day of Pentecost
when He first poured out His Spirit on the
church. Like the Day of Pentecost in the book
of Acts, it will begin with a remnant that has
been very close to Him, but it will quickly get
the attention of the rest of His people in every
nation. These will also begin repenting of their
ways that have in fact caused them to reject Him
and live contrary to His will. Just as John had to
Soon we
will know the
difference
between what
was truly born
in the heart of
God, and that
which was
born in the
hearts of men.
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P R E P A R E T H E W A Y
preach repentance before Jesus came the first
time, a great repentance is going to precede His
second coming.
The sword of the Lord will sweep over the
whole earth and remove from among His
people all who are not bowing before Him. He
will remove the arrogant and the stumbling
blocks. When we see this deep repentance even
touching the most highly visible and influential
leaders of the church, we can begin to expect a
radical transformation of the
church so that true, New Testament
church life as the Lord
intended can be re-established
on the earth. Then the church
will not be known so much for
its organization, facilities, or even
its message, but it will be known
as the place where the living
God dwells. His people will be continually
in awe of Him, and the
rest will be in awe of His people.
Another sign that His kingdom
is near will be the mountains
being brought low, and the valleys
and low places being raised up.
Many of the things that have been
high and lofty in the church will
be brought down, and things that have been kept
in low esteem will be exalted. The message of
the cross and the crucified life will be the first to
be lifted up. The messages that have promoted
presumption, self-seeking, and selfishness will be
brought low. The messengers who promote them
will likewise follow them.
Through the coming repentance, a great and
profound maturity will come to the church. It will
be such a radical change that Christians will
claim that they have begun to see the kingdom of
God and even the King for the first time. To a
large degree this will simply be the result of
getting our eyes off of ourselves and turning to
Him. Instead of the church being so focused on
building itself, it will begin to focus on preparing
the way for His kingdom. This reorientation from
self-focus to that which is greater will, in fact,
do more to build the church than all of our
self-focus was ever able to do.
Even so, this great repentance will result in
a great pruning of the church. Many will not be
willing to make these changes. The recent split
of many denominations around basic issues is but
a small foretaste of what is coming. Those who
are more devoted to institutions or organizations
than to the Lord will have a hard time, and many
will not make it. Even so, those who do must
press on.
In a relatively short period of time, the church
will become more brilliant and
powerful than it has ever been.
The branches that are cut off
from it will wither and die very
fast. Do not die with them. Our
allegiance must be to the Lord and
His kingdom, which is bigger than
any denomination or movement.
When denominations turn from
the Lord and His Word, it is time
to turn from them.
From Control to
Authority
There have been many messages
that have come proposing to
be the gospel of the kingdom, but
as Robin McMillan observed, most
of these messages have somehow been about
how to control people. Indeed, a control spirit has
not only entered into many of these teachings, but
has sat in the seat of authority in much of the
church since the first century. There is still a
great deal of confusion in the church on the
issues of authority, but that will soon change as a
true authority is raised up.
Obeying the Lord and His delegated authority
is important. The Lord Himself explained that
if we call Him “Lord,” but do not do what He
says, we are building on a foundation that will
surely collapse (see Luke 6:46-49). Therefore,
obedience to Him as the King is crucial for being
a true messenger of His kingdom. However, the
way in which the Lord preached the gospel of the
kingdom actually said very little about authority
and obedience, but rather He demonstrated their
power over the conditions on earth.
For example, when the Lord saw a cripple it
was as if He said (I am paraphrasing), “You
Many of the
things that
have been high
and lofty in the
church will be
brought down,
and things that
have been kept
in low esteem
will be exalted.
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P R E P A R E T H E W A Y
know, there are no cripples in heaven, so watch
what happens when the kingdom of heaven
touches this cripple on the earth.” Then the
cripple would be made whole. When He saw a
multitude hungry with no food, it was as if He
said, “You know, there is no lack in heaven, so
watch what happens when heaven touches these
few loaves and fishes...” The condition of heaven
would touch the circumstances on earth and
prevail over them. In this way, the authority of
the kingdom of heaven was demonstrated
to be greater than any
authority or condition on the
earth. He told His disciples to go
and live the same way so that they
could preach the same message.
It is noteworthy that when the
Lord turned the water into wine
or multiplied the fish and loaves,
He always made too much! Of
course, He did this purposely to
demonstrate the abundance of His
kingdom. He did come to give
abundant life! He promises those
who are faithful to bring the whole
tithe into His storehouse that
He will pour out a blessing which
they cannot contain (see Malachi
3:8-12). Likewise, the apostle Paul
affirms the same in II Corinthians 9:6-8:
Now this I say, he who sows
sparingly shall also reap sparingly;
and he who sows bountifully shall
also reap bountifully.
Let each one do just as he has
purposed in his heart; not grudgingly
or under compulsion; for God loves
a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace
abound to you, that always having
all sufficiency in everything, you
may have an abundance for every
good deed.
Life in the kingdom is one of abundance,
having “all grace” abounding to us, “all sufficiency
in everything,” and “an abundance
for every good deed.” However, this is not
just for our consumption, but for service. It is
also in Spirit and power, which is why the apostle
Paul wrote:
And my message and my preaching
were not in persuasive words of
wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power,
that your faith should not rest on
the wisdom of men, but on the power
of God (I Corinthians 2:4-5).
For the kingdom of
God does not consist in
words, but in power (I
Corinthians 4:20).
The message of the kingdom
is about the King. The office of
king is obviously about authority,
but the authority of the kingdom
of God is not just about beating
people into submission. In John
18:36 the Lord said, “My kingdom
is not of this world.” His
kingdom is from above, and in
many profound ways, not like the
kingdoms of this world. Most of
the doctrines concerning the
kingdom and even those which
have been declared to be the
gospel of the kingdom, are very
hard to distinguish from the kingdoms of this
world, and have very little evidence or demonstration
of being from the realm of heaven.
What is coming will be different.
The foundational purpose of the coming
gospel of the kingdom will not be about getting
people to line up and obey. It will be about
healing them, feeding them, and transforming
their minds by such demonstrations of the
goodness of God that people begin to love Him,
His truth, His righteousness, and His justice.
Seeing Is the Beginning
In John 4:48 the Lord said, “Unless you
people see signs and wonders, you simply
will not believe.” This is often taken as a rebuke,
but when you read it in its context, it is
simply the statement of a fact. When the Lord
He promises
those who are
faithful to
bring the whole
tithe into His
storehouse that
He will pour
out a blessing
that they can
not contain...
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P R E P A R E T H E W A Y
said this, the royal official who was seeking the
healing of his son did believe, which is why he
came to Jesus. The Lord went about “to do and
to teach,” because people needed to see in order
to believe. When the gospel of the kingdom
goes forth, people will be given ample opportunity
to believe.
Even so, as the Lord said in John 3:12, “If I
told you earthly things and you do not
believe, how shall you believe if I tell you
heavenly things?” As Todd Bentley recently
told me, he was beginning to understand that we
must be born again to see the kingdom, and we
must see it in order to preach it, but the ultimate
goal is to “inherit the kingdom.” This is something
that great saints have pondered throughout the
church age, but we can expect it to soon become
a preoccupation with believers because a great
revelation of the kingdom is coming.
However, we are after more than a revelation
of the kingdom. We must be born again to see
the kingdom, but not everyone who is born again
sees it. In fact, until now very few seem to have
seen more than a passing glance. When we begin
to see the kingdom, the change it will generate
will be at least as great as being born again. Once
we see the kingdom, it becomes impossible to
be overly concerned about the temporary
things of this world. To see the kingdom is a
call to live in the power of the age to come.
When we begin to see the kingdom and see
its power demonstrated, we will not be able to
contain our hope, but will have to proclaim it.
Even so, our goal is more than just preaching
the gospel of the kingdom. Our goal is to live in it
now, demonstrating it.
The Church and the Kingdom
The end of this age will be the greatest time
of trouble that the world has ever known because
man will learn that he simply cannot rule over
the earth without being in proper relation to God.
Then, through His church, which is composed
of men, He is going to establish His authority
over the earth and He is going to “restore all
things.” This means that mankind and the entire
earth will be restored from all of the consequences
of the Fall and the earth will be the
paradise that He originally designed it to be.
God’s original plan for man and the earth have
not been thwarted, but He will certainly finish
that which He began. About this we can be sure.
Because of the transgression, the atonement,
redemption, reconciliation, and restoration had
to be added to the plan of God. It does not negate
the fact that the Lord knew from the beginning
that it would have to be added, as “His works
were finished from the foundation of the
world” (Hebrews 4:3). Even so, His intention
all along has been to dwell with men upon
the earth. This is our ultimate goal—to be His
dwelling place and to have that intimate, personal
relationship with Him restored.
The gospel of the kingdom is not just about
heaven and eternal life—it is about heaven
coming to the earth. This is the prayer that He
gave us to pray in the beginning, that His
kingdom would come and His will would be
done, right here on earth as it is in heaven (see
Matthew 6:9-13). We can be sure the prayer that
the Son of God Himself gave us to pray for nearly
two thousand years will be answered, and the
time is near.
The Great Decision and the
Great Division
Since the first century, the church has found
a way to divide over almost any doctrine or
procedure. That will change in the near future
and ultimately a great unity will come, but first a
great division is coming. The whole church will
have to choose between following a control spirit
or the Holy Spirit—the headship of men or the
Headship of the Lord. Those denominations,
movements, or churches which choose to go
the way of building and following human political
alliances in place of the Headship of Christ will
quickly see huge numbers of churches and
people departing. If they do not quickly repent of
their error, they will fade away completely.
Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10: “If I were
still trying to please men, I would not be a
bond-servant of Christ.” The fear of man is
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P R E P A R E T H E W A Y
the most basic enemy of true spiritual authority.
Those who are controlled by the fear of men,
seeking the approval of men more than God, will
be removed from leadership in the church. The
Lord Jesus is going to be the Head of His church,
and He will rule through bond-servants who live
to do His will.
As stated, many things have divided the
church in the past, but in the future the main
division will be between those
who follow the Lord, and those
who follow after men, or human,
earthly ambitions. This is the
main division coming upon the
earth, and the judgment will
begin with His own household.
The issue is over who is going to
rule His house, and then over who
is going to rule the earth. The
Lord will ultimately rule over all,
but the end of the age is about
choosing who we will serve.
As the Scriptures make clear,
a great shaking is coming upon the
world, and everything that can
be shaken will be removed (see
Hebrews 12). We are told in I
Peter 4:17: “For it is time for
judgment to begin with the household of
God; and if it begins with us first, what
will be the outcome for those who do not
obey the gospel of God?” The key phrase in
this verse is “obey the gospel,” which is
more than just giving an intellectual assent to it,
but it is conforming our lives to the truth of the
gospel by acknowledging Jesus as the Lord by
obeying Him.
The Lord cannot judge the world if His
own people are doing the very things that He is
coming to judge the world for. He is going to
shake out of His kingdom those who have been
conformed to this world and have not submitted
to having their minds renewed and transformed.
The flesh or carnal nature of man is about to be
consumed like grass.
As the apostles make clear in the Scripture
we read previously, those who “practice” the
works of the flesh “shall not inherit the
kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). Many
have been duped by a cheap salvation which
in reality excludes the cross that we must each
take up daily, implying if they just believe that
God exists, and that Jesus went to the cross they
will be saved. This is an ultimate deception, and
has left many thinking they are safe who are in
fact still in eternal jeopardy. Those who truly
believe the gospel also obey it.
This does not mean those who slip and
do the works of the flesh are
condemned, but those who
“practice” them will not inherit
the kingdom. If we are Christ’s
and His Spirit is leading us, we
will war against the deeds of the
flesh until the flesh is not only subdued,
but dead.
Whoever controls us is our
true lord. If our carnal nature still
controls us, then it is still our lord
in place of Christ. If the fear of
man controls us more than the
fear of God, then we are still ruled
from below and not above. The
shaking that is coming will reveal
that which is hidden, and the true
state of us all.
However, the gospel remains “good news.”
There is still time to repent and turn back to the
Lord if we have become lukewarm, a backslider,
or have ceased fighting the good fight of faith
against our own fallen nature. As we are told in
I Corinthians 11:31-32, “But if we judged
ourselves rightly, we should not be judged.
But when we are judged, we are disciplined
by the Lord in order that we may not be
condemned along with the world.”
Many of the great gatherings of Christians
to repent and humble themselves before the Lord
in such places as Washington D.C. have been
heard, and the Lord has given us more time.
However, He will not indefinitely refrain from
judgment. To humble ourselves and pray is good,
but true repentance is to turn from the sin. These
are encouraging signs that there has been a lot
of true repentance and turning away from sin in
the church, but the battle is far from over.
If the fear
of man
controls us
more than the
fear of God,
then we are
still ruled
from below
and not above.
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P R E P A R E T H E W A Y
The Nature of Judgment
The judgments that are coming are not the
result of God reaching out to smite the earth as
much as it is Him removing the hand of mercy
that has stayed “natural processes.” The Lord
created His universe to live in harmony, and
there are spiritual and natural harmonics
which, if they are upset, set off everything from
earthquakes to storms to diseases. If it had not
been for God’s hand of mercy, holding back “the
winds of the earth,” earthquakes
and storms would be off the scale
and super viruses would have
already devastated the earth. The
judgments that will come in the
last days of this age are simply
the result of God removing the
restraints so that the earth and its
natural systems will begin to do
what they would have done a
long time ago had they not been
restrained (see Revelation 7).
The “judgments of God” are
really our own doing. They are
simply fallen men reaping what
they have sown. Just as the judgments
that came upon biblical
Israel by her neighbors being
released to plunder her were simply
the removing of the hand of the Lord from
restraining these nations, so it will be in what is
to come. God desires to show mercy far more
than judgment, and He has always restrained
the judgments until there was no longer any
choice because of the hardness of men’s hearts.
So as long as the judgments have not come they
can still be stayed, and even when they come
they can still be lessened if we repent.
Stand Upon What Stands
We have a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
The citizens of that kingdom are going to become
increasingly obvious as they will in time be the only
ones standing. Not only will they be standing—
they will be prevailing and prospering. As the
Lord Jesus’ own prophecies concerning these
times make very clear, we are coming to the
greatest times of trouble the world has ever
known. However, the good news is, if we have
built our lives on the kingdom which cannot be
shaken, we will not only survive what is coming,
but we will prevail and prosper. This is actually
the time when the church is going to cross over
and begin to possess its Promised Land.
The present world systems are going to be
shaking, and this will increase. As a sign of this,
increasing natural disasters such as earthquakes
and storms will continually break records until
they exceed all previous scales and frequency.
All who continue to think they can
run the world, or even their own
lives without God, are about to
learn that this is impossible.
Those who are “obeying the
gospel” will know increasing
light and prosperity at the same
time the world around them is
collapsing. We must not be
ashamed of this, but it too is a part
of the judgment. However, our
prosperity is not so we can live
luxuriously, but so we can help the
desperate and prepare the way
for the coming kingdom.
In Joshua 3:16, we are told
that the waters of the Jordan
“which were flowing down
from above stood and rose up
in one heap, a great distance away at
Adam.” This could have been translated that
the waters of the Jordan “were rolled back all
the way to Adam.” It was no accident that this
little town was named “Adam,” just as there are
no accidents at all in Scripture. This was a prophecy
that when God’s people begin to cross their
Jordan, we will begin possessing all of the promises
of God that we are called to inherit, and then
death will be rolled back all the way to Adam!
This means that all of the death which was
the consequence of the Fall will be reversed. This
is the good news and the reality of it will actually
be much better than we have even been able to
conceive. Now is the time—today is the day of
salvation! Today we can live in a kingdom that
will never shake and will surely prevail. Today
let your choice be for the Tree of Life—and you
will live forever.
If we have built
our lives on the
kingdom which
cannot be
shaken, we will
not only survive
what is coming,
but we will
prevail
and prosper.