On August 19, 2005, Bethel Christian Fellowship celebrated seventy-five years of ministry in St. Paul. In the early 1960s, shortly before her retirement, Bethel’s second pastor, Helen Jepson, received a prophetic vision of BCF blooming like a rose in the wilderness. This picture came out of the prophetic vision Isaiah received, as recorded in Isaiah 35:1-10:

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return.

They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

We believe this vision is God’s promise to Bethel. It has nourished us through the years, as we have continued to grow and bloom into our calling as an Apostolic House of Prayer for All Nations. It was also the foundation for our 2005 theme, "A Year of Destiny." Out of this prophetic vision, we see a number of kingdom opportunities that emerge as direct outgrowths of our destiny.

God's Kingdom Will Blossom and Bloom with Fruitfulness and Beauty

The context for Isaiah 35 is, of course, Isaiah 34, where the prophet describes the desert in detail. That parched land represents the physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of a world that has become entirely desolate because of the domination of the enemy. Into that desolation comes the word of gladness and hope. As Isaiah 61:3 says, "He will comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, for the display of His splendor."

God's Kingdom Will Break Out in Healing and Deliverance

Another kingdom reality that expresses this prophetic destiny is the outbreak of miracles. Luke records a conversation that took place between Jesus and John the Baptist through John's followers:

John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' "

At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

The time of Jubilee has come, bringing rest to the restless, release to the bound, and restoration to the broken!

God's Kingdom Will Burst Forth with His Life-Giving Spirit

Down through the ages, the prophets spoke of a day when the Spirit would be poured out in fullness upon the earth. Jesus spoke of that day to His disciples when He urged them to wait in Jerusalem to receive the promised gift from the Father. Then, as recorded in Acts 2, that day arrived on the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit burst into an upper room where 120 were gathered in prayer; then He burst forth into the streets of Jerusalem and eventually to the outermost parts of the earth. And the life-giving Spirit of God will continue to burst forth wherever His kingdom is proclaimed.

God’s Kingdom Will Build Up a Highway of Holiness

When the angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah that he was going to have a son named John, he told him his mission would be "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). As John the Baptist began his ministry, he embodied the words of Isaiah 40:3-5: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation" (Luke 3:4-6).

On the kingdom highway, the high places of pride are brought down, the low places of failure and shame are brought up, the crooked places caused by rebellion are made straight, and the rough places of hurt and pain are made smooth. This highway of holiness will make a level place for the coming of the King.

God's Kingdom Will Bring Us into Everlasting Joy

As the psalmist wrote, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:11). This promise will be fulfilled when the kingdom is consummated in the new Jerusalem. The apostle John, looking forward to that day, wrote in John 21:1-4:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

This is the ultimate destiny of God's House of Prayer for All Nations. He has decreed these blessings. He has directed us into His kingdom purposes. And He will accomplish all He has promised for this House, Bethel Christian Fellowship. As we have heard in Haggai 2:6-9:

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory," says the LORD Almighty. "The silver is mine and the gold is mine," declares the LORD Almighty. "The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house," says the LORD Almighty. "And in this place I will grant peace," declares the LORD Almighty.

In this Year of Opportunity, let us continue to wake up, ask, and expect that He will fulfill these words!

--Pastor Jim