Many considered John Muir to be a sort of modern John the Baptist, “a voice crying in the wilderness”—for the wilderness.  His cry was not for repentance in preparation for the first coming of Messiah, but it was a cry for repentance in preparation for the second coming of Messiah, even though Muir himself probably had little faith in and awareness of Jesus as the coming Prince of Peace, the true hope for the kind of earth he longed for.

Biblical John the Baptist appeared, as prophesied in Isaiah 40:3-5, as “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord….’”  He spoke of the fact that “all mankind will see God’s salvation.”  In John’s day God’s salvation was revealed in the first coming of the Messiah which led to His death, burial, and resurrection.  Ultimate salvation for man and the creation was not fully attained at that time, but the provision was fully complete in the atoning act of the Son of God.  And from that time to this, God the Father has seen all believers as “white as snow” because we are under the blood of the Savior.

To prepare Israel for the First Advent, John the Baptist called the Jews of his day to be baptized in an act of “repentance for sin leading to forgiveness”—a cleansing that looked forward to the soon-coming Messiah. When the Jews who came to be baptized asked John what they were to do in their daily lives as a result of his baptism, he did not call them to more religious ritual, instead he responded by declaring that they must share both food and clothing with the poor, that they were not to defraud one another or extort money from one another, and they were to be content with their lot (behavior that’s always been kosher).

Today as we are looking for the Second Advent of the Messiah who will this time come in power, as the last Adam, to restore the groaning creation and “destroy those who destroy the earth” (Rev. 18:11), we all can take on the role of John the Baptist.  We too can call for repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  We can call for a return to justice not only for the poor and disenfranchised, but also for the entire creation.  We can call for a denunciation of self-centeredness and materialism that is destroying the earth and plead with our fellow believers to begin to act toward the creation like we will be expected to act when our prayer for the coming of God’s kingdom will finally be answered.  We can pray for, hope for, and work toward a revelation of the “first fruits” of the Messianic kingdom even now (Romans 8:23).

In John’s day, despite the truthfulness of his proclamation, only a minority responded.  Nonetheless the Messiah did make His first appearance and did make atonement for human sin and provide for the end of the curse.  No doubt only a minority will respond this time to prepare the way for the coming King, but He will come, He will be victorious, we will receive our final adoption, and there will be one grand and glorious united doxology as we harmonize with the billions of heavenly bodies as they “join with all nature in manifold witness to [God's] great faithfulness, mercy, and love.”  There will be “joy to the world” as the reigning Messiah takes away all sin and sorrow, eliminates the thorns that “infest the ground,” and makes His blessings flow “far as the curse is found.”

Let us with faithfulness be John the Baptist to what could be the terminal generation of those compelled to struggle under the curse.  Let us be “a voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God….  And the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind together will see it” (Isa. 40:3-5 NIV).

NEW YEARS’ IDEA: Consider adopting a behavior or discontinuing a behavior as a new sort of “sacrament” that looks forward to the restoration, redemption, and reunification of the earth.  It’s important to make this behavior personal, not legalistic.  You may even choose to discontinue a practice clearly allowed by God in this current administration of His grace that may likely not be a part of the restoration period (the “peaceable kingdom”) we will experience after the Second Advent of Jesus.

Things you could possibly do this year:

1.  Garden for food, fellowship, and charity
2.  Plant and use herbs for health purposes
3.  Eat significantly less red meat or meat from factory farms
4.  Indulge less in meaningless entertainment
5.  Do a “creation care” project
6.  Consume less and recycle more
7.  Take a natural history course
8.  Become an interpretive naturalist
9.  Take children from the inner city camping or hiking
10.  Do nature arts or crafts

See you outdoors!

Dean