God has been speaking a great deal about the ministry that is to come forth in the earth. There is much we can learn from the Scriptures which tell us about the ministry of Elijah. First, in Matthew 17:1–13, we read about Elijah’s appearance on the Mount of Transfiguration.
And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shown like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him (this appearance of Elijah is of importance). And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles (sacred tents or booths like those used in keeping the Feast of Tabernacles) here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; hear Him!” Matthew 17:1–5.
Have you ever wondered why Peter wanted to build three tabernacles on top of that mountain? When Christ was transfigured before him, there was an association in Peter’s mind with the original days of God’s tabernacling with the people in the wilderness when the cloud of glory led them.
And when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were much afraid. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus Himself alone. And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”(Note that Elijah must come first.)And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you, that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. Matthew 17:6–13.
Are you beginning to realize the significance of Elijah’s ministry? Was John the Baptist a reincarnation of Elijah? You could say that; or you could say that the spirit of Elijah was resting on John the Baptist. And the spirit of Elijah will again rest upon people in the end time, when the day of the restoration of all things will come.
This is the day of restoration. There has been more truth and experience of the Word restored in the last four or five hundred years, but especially within the last generation, than in all the years since the first days of the New Testament.
The Dark Ages were exceedingly dark for the Church; but in this day the Lord has restored the miracles, the signs, the gifts, the wonders, the clear understanding of the experiences of receiving and being filled with the Holy Spirit, and the anticipation of the Lord’s return. Many things have been restored in our generation, which at first were rather faulty and erratic. Individual healing ministries came forth, but their commercialism left a reproach; however, it was a step in restoration.
God is showing us a more perfect way. The path of the just shines more and more unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). That is not true of the rest of the world. The rest of the world is watching darkness come upon them, but we are to see the Elijah ministry restore all things. This is the reason it is very significant that we study the ministry of Elijah and Elisha. These are the days of the double portion.
Isaiah prophesied that upon the end-time remnant there would be a double portion of the Spirit resting upon them (Isaiah 61:7). Elisha was the prophet who asked to have a double portion of the Spirit that was resting upon Elijah.
Isaiah 61:4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
Malachi prophesied that Elijah was to come in the end time. “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse” (or with destruction). Malachi 4:5, 6. Elijah and Elisha were, respectively, the prophet of restoration, and the prophet of the double portion.
Elijah’s way of life has become very real to my heart. As I learned to walk with God over the years, my whole idea of a good life-style changed. The comforts and necessities of life no longer held preeminence in my thinking. In my thinking, I identified with Elijah. Elijah could live in the wilderness, or he could come down and preach the word of the Lord to the people. It did not make any difference.
A wilderness is only effective when you think you are in a wilderness. As long as it is a real experience to you, you are in a wilderness. Some people will never get out of a wilderness, because they are always protesting their circumstances.
When a man has the idea that he does not have anything and that he is not blessed, he grabs for things; but they all seem to slip right through his hands. When you learn to live sacrificially, then the Lord will bless you. You must get over the idea that you must have comfort and security. The Lord is our security.
When Elijah came out of the wilderness to proclaim God’s word, it is significant that he did not think of himself as having been in a wilderness. He had been the instrument of God to bring a judgment wilderness, a wilderness of judgment upon the whole world. For three years it had not rained.
Much of what you experience is in your mind. If you think you are blessed and you believe to be blessed, you will be quite happy. Some people will never be happy. When they are brought out of Egypt, where they were beaten every day as slaves, and are put in the wilderness, they murmur. Some people murmur no matter what their circumstances. Some people are never blessed. No matter what you do for them they are not satisfied. Other people learn to rejoice in the Lord. They understand that joy and happiness are not dependent upon the external circumstances, rather they depend upon the internal condition of their spirits toward God.
If your spirit is right toward God, whatever the other circumstances are, a joyfulness comes to you. If you think that you will not be blessed until God solves all your problems, you never will be blessed. Some people are always reluctant to trust God. They think that when God works out the problems in their lives, then they will really serve the Lord. Serve God now. Let Him bring the joy and the blessing to your heart. Get away from the murmuring and the discontent, and learn to live with the Lord in this generation.
Do you read the newspaper and then worry about what is coming to pass in the earth? Quit reading the newspaper if it bothers you to think about what is going to happen. Do not waste your time and energy worrying about the bills to be paid and all the work to be done. Commit it to the Lord and then go after it with all of your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, without any reservations in your thinking. Learn to abandon yourself in the Lord. Simply trust the Lord, and He will accomplish what He wants done.
There are at least six chapters in the Bible that are devoted to King Ahab; few of the other kings, even some of the good ones, rate half a chapter. You might wonder why this wicked king rates as many chapters in the Bible as he does. The reason for it is that the story of Elijah is often interwoven with the story of Ahab. God devotes more chapters to a man like Elijah or Joshua or Caleb than He does to creation. The story of creation is covered in two chapters. God places the emphasis on the men in whom He delights. This must be the perspective in our minds as well.
Now it came about after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, (the third year of a famine, the beginning of which is recorded in I Kings 17:1) saying, “Go show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household. I Kings 18:1–3a.
Obadiah was an administrator in the kingdom, and Ahab and Obadiah were going through the land searching for water so they would not have to slaughter the cattle; for the drought had reached such terrible proportions that the flocks and the herds were dying of thirst.
Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is this you, Elijah my master?” And he said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold Elijah is here.’ ” I Kings 18:7–8.
Obadiah was so afraid of Ahab, that he at first refused Elijah’s order, for fear that when Ahab returned Elijah would no longer be there. For perhaps the Lord would carry Elijah somewhere else, and Ahab would kill Obadiah. However, Elijah assured Obadiah. And Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” Verse 15.
We live in a day in which men of the religious world have various kinds of titles and degrees. The degrees give a certain honor, but they do not necessarily mean that the man is a real man of God or that he has anything at all to offer.
Elijah and Elisha had a distinction. They did not have a degree, nor were they called “Reverend.” In II Kings 3:11, when Jehoshaphat was looking for a prophet, a servant answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” II Kings 3:11b. This is another kind of distinction. Elisha was not identified as one who held credentials with the school of prophets, or as being an eminent man of religion; he was the man who poured water on the hands of Elijah. Who was Elijah? Elijah was one who stood in the presence of the Lord (I Kings 17:1). That was a good credential, as good as any person can have.
As you speak the word of the Lord, often persecutions and rejection result. It does not matter what people think about you if you can be as Elijah and keep standing in the presence of the Lord. Simply stand in the presence of the Lord. If the Lord accepts you and you stand in His presence, what more could you ask for? Do not be touchy and sensitive. Do not strive to be well thought of by many people. That is a waste of time. As much as lies within you, you should live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18).
We should strive to live peaceably; nevertheless, we are chosen instruments of judgment, as well as instruments of grace. The Lord intends to do something so quickly in the earth that it is not possible for the word that we preach to rest in books until another generation rises up to believe and teach it. We do not have that much time.
This gospel of the Kingdom has to come for a witness (Matthew 24:14). It has to reach to the ends of the earth. Men must face the word, and God will bring them rapidly into decision. In a short season God will deal with their hearts, and they will have to decide whether it is the word of God, or whether it is not the word of God!
Do you sometimes feel that as you receive this word it is almost too much for you? The word comes and it overwhelms you. You ponder it and weigh it. But as you do, if you love the Lord and seek Him, it becomes a revelation to your heart. It is not something that is proclaimed to you by a sale’s approach. As the word comes to you, it startles and shocks you. However, as you open your heart, God reveals to you that it is His word. When it becomes a living revelation to you, you realize that it does not come from man, but it comes from the Lord. Then you become another human channel proclaiming the word of the Lord.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came about, when Ahab saw Elijah that Ahab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” And he said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you have followed the Baals. Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” I Kings 18:16–19.
Asherah was the goddess of fertility and the wife of Baal. Before the day was over, Elijah killed the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. You may think that was bloodthirsty, but the prophets of Baal, according to history, were the ones who sacrificed newborn babies. They continually slaughtered the infants in sacrifice. These four hundred and fifty prophets were the worst type of murderers. They had to be slain because they perpetuated the idolatry. When you think of all the innocents who had been slaughtered, do you begin to approve more heartily what Elijah did?
So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel, and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. Verses 20–21.
Elijah could not force the people into making a decision. Today the indecisiveness of people over the words of the Lord is staggering. They will tell you over and over that they are hungry for the Lord. Are they really hungry for the Lord? When they are put in a corner and must decide whether they will stay with Babylon or walk with the Lord, they are silent. They halt between two opinions.
Elijah’s day was a day of fire and rain. The people needed both. Elijah said, “…the God who answers by fire, He is God.” I Kings 18:24. Now notice how Elijah proceeded to deal with the priesthood, the religious ministry of the day. So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made. Verses 25–26. The margin says that they limped. Why did they limp? Their ceremonial dance required that they cut themselves and make the blood flow.
And it came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. And it came about when midday was past, that they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice (literally the Hebrew word for rave is prophesy); but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. I Kings 18:27–30.
The first step toward restoration is the restoration of the altar, the way of seeking God. We have learned so much about worship and praise and seeking the Lord that perhaps we do not remember what it was like to want to break through to God and not be able to do it. God has given us much, but we must not be satisfied. We do not have all the answers. Potentially, we do in the Lord, but we must reach into Him. The revelation has been consistent; it has not contradicted itself. Yet in the days ahead, we must have much more revelation, and much more revelation of the Lord Himself. We are walking in what God has promised, and we will continue to walk in more.
Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord, made a trench around it and put the ox on it. Three times Elijah commanded that four pitchers of water be poured on the altar and sacrifice, until the trench around it was filled with water. Then Elijah started to pray “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that Thou, O Lord, art God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again.” Verse 37.
This prayer changed everything that day. Let that be a lesson to you in your prayers. This prayer has less than three verses. It focuses on essentials. The Lord’s Prayer is very short. It is not a multitude of words. Yet if you really prayed the Lord’s Prayer with a great deal of meditation, you could spend all night getting through it. In prayer, the amount of time is not important, but rather how you voice the will of God with the proper faith in your own heart.
Then fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench (imagine fire burning water!). And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God.” Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them. I Kings 18:38–40.
It was not only a day of fire, but it was also a day of rain. Elijah told the king that there would be a heavy shower. Elijah went up to the top of the mountain and crouched down and put his face between his knees. That would not be an easy feat for an old man to do. There must have been much excellence in his physical body.
Seven times Elijah sent his servant out to look for a cloud, and his servant finally saw a little cloud as small as a man’s hand. Elijah told him, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’ ” So it came about in a little while, that the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel. I Kings 18:44b-46. That again was quite a feat! The king had a chariot and probably the best horses in the kingdom, but the prophet passed him up. Elijah outran the king to the gates of the city. I can imagine the smirk on Elijah’s face as the gates opened and he bowed to the apostate king.
The rest of the story is sad, a story of transition. After one victory you often find the areas within your heart of defeat that prevent you from going on to the next victory. God has to deal with these, so that you can go on to become an even greater conqueror in the Lord.
In this day, a group of people are coming forth with the spirit of Elijah upon them. I like to refer to them as the Elijah Company. The very spirit of Elijah seems to be in the earth, taking hold of a remnant of God’s people, making them bold like Elijah, giving them a word from the Lord. They are instruments in the hand of the Lord to bring a showdown between the almost godless professors of Christianity and what God really wants to do. You should not have the idea that it is just the so-called non-Christian world that God is judging. The apostates who have known Him and have drawn back are also in the scope of His pronounced judgments. This age will close with two things: judgment that will vindicate the Lord, and His presence that will impart a double portion to this Elijah Company.