"A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;  make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3, NIV)
 
"I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"-- "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" (Mark 1:2-3, NIV)

Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself who the phrases in these verses refer to and it's significance?
I decided to take a closer look at the above verses:
1. “I will send” refers to God speaking to Jesus Christ.
2. “my messenger” refers to God’s messenger.
3. “ahead of you”  refers to Jesus Christ
4. “who will prepare” refers to messenger
5. “your way” refers to Jesus Christ
6. “a voice of one calling in the desert”  refers to messenger
7. “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” refers to Jesus Christ

Point 1:  “I will send” refers to God speaking to Jesus Christ.
I was very excited to know this because it tells me that Jesus Christ existed during the Old Testament too! What we know is that God was speaking to Jesus Christ giving that prophesy to Isaiah.

Jesus is referred to as God in Isaiah which is evidenced by "prepare the way for the LORD;  make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3, NIV)

Point 2: “my messenger” refers to God’s messenger.
Jesus is told that a messenger will come but no name is given.

Point 3: “ahead of you” refers to Jesus Christ.
Jesus is told that this messenger will precede His coming which tells me that Jesus would not come until the messenger foretold by God came first.

Point 4: “who will prepare” refers to messenger.
Jesus is told that this messenger will prepare.

Point 5: “your way” refers to Jesus Christ.
Jesus is told His way will be prepared.

Point 6: “a voice of one calling in the desert” refers to messenger.
Jesus is told this messenger will be 'a voice of one calling in the desert.'

Point 7: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” refers to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is referred to as Lord! Throughout the Old Testament only God Almighty, the 'I AM' is referred to as Lord. Now this same title is being given to Jesus speaking of His Deity and Divinity. The name of the messenger is revealed too!

"And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4, NIV)

The messenger to precede Jesus would be John. He was “a voice of one calling in the desert” which is evidenced by “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region”

(To be continued)

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life by looking at these verses. The most important thing that stuck out to me was the divinity of Jesus Christ and  prophesy. It made me see how prophesy can validate the beginning about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It also made me see how important the Old Testament is even for Christians if we want to get to know Jesus of the Bible. God spoke to Jesus in the Old Testament through a prophesy revealed to Isaiah. Both Old and New Testament are God's message for all people.

God's Word is Eternal and His message from Genesis to Revelation is for anyone. God gave us His Word so through the message, we can come to Him to have a personal relationship with Him as we read, study, and meditate upon His Word. All 66 books of the Bible are for anyone to read whether believer or unbeliever.

It is very interesting for me to know that there are 66 chapters in the Prophetic Book of Isaiah. Out of those 66 chapters, 39 chapters remind me of the 39 books of the Old Testament while the next 27 chapters of Isaiah remind me of the books of the New Testament. It is so interesting to me that in Isaiah 40:3 it starts out with "prepare the way for the LORD;  make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3, NIV) similar to how Mark 1:2-3 start out with.

This reiterates the importance of the Old Testament and New Testament to me. However we are feeling, Jesus said that He did not come for the healthy but for the sick. By sick, Jesus meant spiritually sick. In other words, Jesus came for those who were missing the mark,  those separated from God because of their sins, and not for those who think they are righteous already. Jesus' words even apply in this age where Bibles are sent to so many unbelievers so that they may read it and come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the ways, I have seen people come to Christ is by reading the Word and hearing the Word. You cannot believe if you don't know what you are believing in.  Believing in itself is the Work of the Holy Spirit and His grace as the Word of God is taken in. So read both the Old Testaments and the New Testaments allowing God's message to speak to you. As you investigate the life of Jesus daily, you will be excited to come to know Him as your Lord and Personal Savior who is worthy of our praise and allegiance.

APPLICATION:
I ask you now dear friend, why bother seriously with P.R.O.P.H.E.C.Y everyday?
Dear friend, prophesies in the Bible have always come true and will continue to come true. If you take prophesy seriously, let God’s Word speak to you not only through the New Testament but also through the Old Testament realizing the New Testament makes so much more sense and becomes exciting to read when we realize most of the events that took place in the New Testament were prophesized in the Old Testament revealing why Jesus Christ came to earth!

Prophesy still matters today and the Book of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelations and other books of the Bible have prophesies that have come true in the past and that will come true in the future. The key is that none of them have been proved to be false. Predictions can be true or false but when God gives prophesy it will always come true.

I personally know of an atheist who gave his life to Jesus Christ to be His Lord and Personal Savior because he was shown all the prophesies in the Old Testament about Jesus that were fulfilled in the New Testament.  We were proud to have invited him to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to speak to our students many years ago when I was on staff.

He has gone around testifying about prophesy and how he came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Testifying about prophesy is not ignoring the Gospel for within prophesy the Gospel is revealed too. Isaiah 53 is an example!

Friend, you have the opportunity to study prophesy in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Word of God is near you and able to transform you. Pick up the Word and read it. Ask the Lord to let it speak to you.

If psychics, tarot cards, crystal balls, etc maybe fascinating to you, they do not have the answers to life. Many times people hear someone predict something about themselves and it plays in their head. Without realizing, they themselves many times make that happen and think wow, he/she told me that it would happen and it did. Now they get more sucked into the occult. Predictions and prophesies are not the same. Predictions don't always come true. Prophesy from God's Word always comes true.

Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Universe knows the plans for you friend and they are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Yes, He does! We need not know what the future holds for us if we take the present as a gift and allow Him to guide us daily.  The future is not a mystery with the Lord. Claim the promises God has for you that you can claim for your future. There are prophesies in the Bible that have proven to be true! That is exciting to know for you and I to confidently testify about prophesy. Yes, it is!

Jesus testifies to His love for you based on being born on Christmas day as God-incarnate so one day He could rescue you and deliver you, not just you but all humanity who takes refuge in Him. Even Jesus' birth was prophesized. If you take prophesy seriously, you will come to believe in the Word of God as you ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you.

CALL TO COMMITMENT:

You can do that right now friend! Repent of your sin and confess them to the Lord. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse you with His precious cleansing blood to wash you clean. Believe that He rose on the third day to give you Eternal Life. Acknowledge that He is the Lord of the universe who you and I have the privilege of serving and being His children. This is exciting to know! He will dwell in your heart if you ask Him!

Won’t you come to Jesus this New Year of 2019 if you do not know Him personally?

Won’t you testify about prophesy and the love of Jesus in your life for He desires to give you a new identity?

No matter where you have been or what you have done, you can come to the Savior and make Him Lord of your life. He wants to be your Lord and Savior if you ask Him to!  Your age does not matter as the Lord can make an impact in your life. He reaches out to you with His helping hands.  

The Israelites were facing years and years of captivity and there was a desert time of hundreds of years before John the Baptist came to prepare the Way for Jesus Christ. People could have held on to their own misery but instead those that looked forward to the Lord Jesus Christ were transformed. Those who looked forward to the Lord Jesus Christ looked to the future of the open doors instead of dwelling in the closed doors. You too can do that in your life friend. Yes, you can friend. Jesus is there for you friend. Hold on to Him and you will be holding on to hope!

Come as you are and receive the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. You will never be the same again. Don't focus on the closed doors in your life but look to the One who opens new doors for you as He reaches out to you in His grace. 

My loving wife Chandraleela wrote to me once, "When the door of  happiness closes another opens but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us."

How true that is my friend. Many times we are so focused on what we lost or don't have that we don't see what the Lord Jesus has opened for us.

Take this time to investigate Jesus and come to know Him as your Lord and Personal Savior. You have a golden opportunity to start this New Year of  2019 with the Lord Jesus on your side no matter what happened before. Let me assure you, the transformation you will see in your own life. When Christ touches the hearts of those who come to Him, there life will never be the same again, never be the same again. You will have a totally new perspective on life as you spend daily time with Him praying, reading & studying the Bible meditating on its precepts, and being plugged into a Bible believing fellowship of believers.

Even as you face the storms of life, the winds cannot shake you for you will have a firm foundation on Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages!

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ to come and dwell in your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart and believing. Yes, you can!

"People Remember, Openly Prophecy Has Eternal Credibility, Yes!" (P.R.O.P.H.E.C.Y)/"Why bother seriously with P.R.O.P.H.E.C.Y everyday?”

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me about prophecy and how much we can learn about you Jesus when we study prophecy. Thank you for coming into this world to save us. I pray for those who need the covering of your precious blood to save them. Help us Oh Lord, to seek you so that we will find you. Help us not to ignore the Old Testament as Christians because through the Old Testament, we come to know more and more of you. Thanks so much Jesus. Save us from our sin and deliver us Oh Lord. Help us to seek you daily. Thanks for the new life you give us. It is so exciting to study your Word and learn of you. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior believing in my heart that you were raised from the dead and sit at the right hand of the Father.  You are my Lord. Thank you for being the Lamb of God. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior and changing me. Thank you for filling me with the Holy Spirit and I believe you who began a good work in me will finish it to completion as I confess my sin before you and repent of it. I give myself to you, all that I am and ask you to make something of my life. Thank you Jesus so much. Thank you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)