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The Spirit of Elijah

 

The Spirit of Elias 

Luke 1:16-17:

¹⁶ And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

¹⁷ And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Elijah means – Yahweh is my God

So, what is the spirit and power of Elias?  From where does this spirit and power arise?  What is the effect of releasing this spirit and power of Elias on the children of Israel?  How does one obtain this spirit and power of Elias?  When will this spirit and power of Elias be released?  Who will receive this spirit and power of Elias? Why will this power be released?  Here we ask all the necessary questions to create a story, who, what, when, why, where and how. 

To understand the spirit and power of Elias, we must understand the story and meaning of Elias.  The bible identifies Elijah as “the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead”.  What is a Tishbite?  Well, it could mean that Elijah was born or resided in the land of Tishbite, or it could mean that he was a resident alien among the inhabitants of Gilead.  Strong’s Concordance states that the word Tishbite could actually mean dweller, not a native of Gilead, but rather a resident alien of it.  We cannot know for sure.  Although interesting, it is not the focus of the verse.

1 Kings 17:1 - And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said

unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

What is important is that this “resident alien” from Gilead, goes before the King of Israel, to give him a message from the God of Heaven, that there would be no rain or dew for three years.  Remember, if Strong’s Concordance has the correct definition of Tishbite, then Elijah has no rights of citizenship in Israel, no due process of law, no protection by the law.  He is going before the King of Israel, without the protection of citizenship.  Do not forget, Ahab is the same King whose wife murdered a citizen, to steal his vineyard.  This was a corrupt monarch, who cared nothing for his people.  This act was no small task, and required faith.  

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Mathew 10:18-20 -

¹⁸ And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

Luke 21:12

¹² But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

Does this mean that the spirit and power of Elijah might mean that we have to go before the corrupt leaders of this fallen word and testify of the “Will of God”? I think it might.  Does this mean that the spirit and power of Elias will enable God’s remnant to have “the spirit of prophesy”?

Next, we find that God commands Elijah to go and hide at the brook of Cherrith, where the ravens fed him every morning and evening.  Cherrith, is referred in Hebrew as nahal, which means, a seasonal stream, one which dries up when there are no heavy rains.  You see, it was not meant for Elijah to remain hiding from Ahab in Cherrith for the three years. 

Luke 21:20-22

²⁰ And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

²¹ Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

²² For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

So, does this mean that the spirit and power of Elias will cause God’s people to flee from so called civilization?  Does this mean that God’s people will have to completely depend upon God for their substance?  I believe so.

Next, we find Elijah is ordered to leave Cherrith and go to Zaraphath, where a specific woman, designated by God would sustain him.  So, Elijah obeys.  He finds this woman, collecting wood for the fire, for her and her son’s last meal.  Elijah asks the woman for a cake, but she explains the situation, she has nothing to offer him, she only has enough flour and oil to make herself, and her son their last meal before

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they both starve.  Elijah says to her, give me a cake first, and your flour, nor your oil shall fail you.  She obeys.  For the remainder of the three-year drought, the barrel of meal, and the cruse of oil, never run out. 

1 King 17:12-14

¹² And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

¹³ And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

¹⁴ For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. 

So, does this mean, that the spirit and power of Elijah will require God’s people to be a blessing to those who are yet to become children of God, and the world?  I believe so. 

John 14:12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Does the spirit and power of Elisha give God’s believing people, the ability to cause spiritual supernatural signs and wonders?  I believe so.  God has bestowed upon every one of His children, special talents in order to help His church, leading up to, and thru the time of trouble. 

Next, we find Elijah, ordered of God to return and shew himself to Ahab, and he obeys.  Remember, by now Ahab hated Elijah and had attempted to hunt him down for three years, in every country.  Ahab then calls Obadiah, the governor of Ahab’s house, so that they could search for grass for the animals.  They divide the land and each searched in a different direction.  Now just who is Obadiah? 

1 Kings 18:4

(Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly: 

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⁴ For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 

Who is Obadiah?  The Bible says that he feared the Lord greatly.  Therefore, Obadiah was a man of tremendous faith.  He loved the Lord so much, that he was willing to commit treason against his mortal king, in order to serve his Heavenly King.  The bible goes on to say that Obadiah refused to let the true religion of God pass away, in that he hides the last hundred prophets of God.  He then goes on to feed them bread, and water, exactly what Elijah had eaten in hiding.  So, Obadiah is God’s human raven. 

So, does this mean that the spirit and power of Elisha mean, that, God’s people will “keep”, protect God’s Law and Word?  Will the remnant, be called upon to protect the original religion?  I believe so.  To keep God’s Law does not mean to do, it means to so much more.  To keep one must first understand its meaning and purpose.  Next, to keep one must develop a loving relationship with what is being kept.  Finally, to keep, one must protect, that which is being kept, even to the death.  Therefore, keeping God’s Law, is not an action (doing), it is a state of mind.

Revelation 3:2

² Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.  (watchful & strengthen = protect)

Exodus 19:5-6

⁵ Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

⁶ And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (obey & keep = protect)

1 Kings 18:7-8

⁷ And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?

⁸ And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

So, does this mean that in the spirit and power of Elisha, God’s remnant people will have a way of recognizing one another, even though they never met?  Does this mean that God’s people will have a duty to herald the coming of someone very special?  I believe so. 

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Revelation 14:6-11

⁶ And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

⁷ Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

⁸ And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

⁹ And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

¹⁰ The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest (Sabbath) day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Next, we find Elijah, before Ahab, making a religious challenge.  He commands Ahab, the king, to summon all the people of Israel to Carmel, and Ahab, the king obeys.  Why did the king obey a man who was not even a citizen?  He recognized who this man Elijah was, and just who he represented.  Remember, three years earlier, Elijah had come before Ahab, in the name of the true King of Israel, and prophesied that there would be three years of famine, and there was exactly three years of famine.  There must have been some fear in Ahab’s mind after the statement below was made.

1 Kings 18:17-18

¹⁷ And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

¹⁸ And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou (Ahab), and thy father's house (Jezebel), in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim (Paganism).

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So, does that mean that spirit and power of Elias means that when protecting God’s truth, we might have to challenge those who would attack or oppose it?  I believe so, that is why, as we read above, we will be brought before rulers and kings, as a testimony against them.  That is why we will be hated of men for God’s sake. 

Now we find Elijah at Mount Carmel, with the King, the four-hundred-fifty priests of Baal, four-hundred priests of Ashtoreth (groove worshipers) and the people of Israel.  Now he makes a challenge to the priests, and the people.  Here we find that paganism rules the land of Israel, and God’s people are in hiding.  Is it possible that the spirit and power of Elias will cause God’s people to be separated from the world, physically and spiritually?  I believe so. 

Revelation 18:4

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her (Babylon), my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (separate spiritually & physically)

Jeremiah 51:45

45 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord.  (separate spiritually & physically)

1 Kings 18:21

²¹ And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.  (pick a side or get the mark of the beast in the hand)

Revelation 3:15-16

¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  (pick a side or get the mark of the beast in the hand) 

So Elijah allows the pagan priest to choose which bullock they desire to sacrifice.  When given a choice, we usually choose the biggest, best, most worthy, so most likely this is the one they chose.  They then cut up the bullock.  They placed the wood on the alter, then the sacrifice.  Then from morning to the time of the evening sacrifice, the pagan priests called upon their god, the storm god, Baal, to send fire

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from heaven.  It did not happen, so the priest start jumping on the alter, on top of the sacrifice, screaming and yelling, and still no fire.  Then the priest start cutting themselves as a form of self-sacrifice, in an attempt to appease their gods, but to no avail. 

Elijah starts to mock the priest by teasing them to yell louder, perhaps their god is asleep.  The priests continue their gruesome ritual until the time of the evening sacrifice.  Then Elijah calls the people around him, and they comply.  He then restores the broken down alter of God by placing twelve stones, one for each tribe of Israel, one upon the other and says, “Israel shall be thy name.”  Next, he builds a trench around the alter, and lays the wood, followed by the sacrifice on the alter.  Then, he drenches the sacrifice, wood, alter and trench with water three times so that everything is soaked.  Finally, Elijah calls upon God to send the fire from heaven as a sign of acceptance of the sacrifice (resurrection of Israel). 

1 King 18:37-38

³⁷ Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again (restored).

³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench (complete acceptance).

So, does this mean that the spirit and power of Elisha will cause God’s people to worship in a manner different form the world, in a manner of reverence and respect, and not of a manner that is of their own choosing and grotesque?  I believe so.  The manner of worship will be one of the defining characteristics of the remnant church, and the Sabbath will become a principal that separates those who worship God, from those who worship paganism. 

After this confrontation between Jehovah and his man, against Baal and Ashtoreth and their eight-hundred-fifty men, we find that the people realize that they have been duped.  Elijah commands the people to seize the false prophets and take them down to the Kishon River.  Why the Kishon, is there something special about this body of water? 

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1 King 18:40

⁴⁰ And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

The answer to the question is yes.  You see, it was at the Kishon river where the Prophetess Deborah prophesied about the defeat of the Canaan army of Sissera.  It is also where Israel sang the song of celebration for washing away the enemy of Israel, the army of Sissera.

Judges 4:6-7

⁶ And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

⁷ And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. 

Kishon River is where Israel washed away her enemies.  Here the enemies of Israel, and God, were the pagan priests.  Therefore, the people, realizing this, turn against the priests, and killed them.  Will there be a time in the last days when the world will realize that false ministers have led them astray, and will there be consequences to these men for knowingly doing it?

Revelation 18:9-10

⁹ And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

¹⁰ Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Now the followers of Babylon are starting to understand the come out of her my people, lest you suffer of her consequences, but it is too late.  

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After the victory over the false religions, we find Elijah at the top of Mount Carmel.  He is in prostrate position, before Yahweh.  He prays for the rain and waits for it.  He has his servant look to the sea seven times.  On the seventh, his servant sees a small little cloud, like a man’s hand.  This is significant because when Christ comes again, there too will be a small cloud, like a man’s hand, which will eventually fill the skies, and every eye shall witness it.  Eventually this small cloud filled the skies over Israel.  Elijah sends his servant to find Ahab and tell him to go home quick, or the rain will overtake him, so he does.

1 Kings 18:43-44

⁴³ And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

⁴⁴ And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.

So does the spirit and power of Elias mean that God’s people will have to believe and prepare for the latter rain, followed by the second coming of Christ.  Must Christ’s people be Adventist, awaiting the great advent?  I believe so. 

Conclusion:

Therefore, the spirit and power of Elias is many things, causes many things, and leads to many things.  First, it makes God’s remnant witnesses against the worldly.  Second, the gift of prophesy is derived from it.  Third, it will separate the God’s children from the world.  Fourth, it will make Israel completely dependent upon Yahweh.  Fifth, it will give some of Jehovah’s followers, supernatural abilities.  Sixth, it will cause the world to be blessed thru the Almighty’s children.  Seventh, it will cause a desire and duty to protect God’s word.  Eighth, we will be able to recognize on another thru our love for one another.  Nineth, we will have a desire for truth, and we will oppose all that is false.  Tenth, it will cause God’s family to worship with reverence and complete obedience.  Lastly, the hearts of the fathers (God) will return the children, the church. 

 

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