The Mystery Behind The Spirit Of Elijah!

I have always been fascinated by Elijah's exploits. At the time when faith was nothing to write home, to a people engrossed in idol worship introduced by the monarch Jezebel. For starters, no genealogy is given other than Elijah being a Tishbite and living in the Gilead area 1Kings 17.1. Sensing Tishbitic trace or being from Gilead, one may be tempted to believe he was not an Israelite, then lacking moral standing to castigate the King. But for any Bible pundit one needs to be privy to the fact that people were being referred to, with places one hailed from in some instances. A good example is Mary Magdalene, meaning she was from Magdala hence her last name being referred to as Magdelane, which signified where she came from. This is true on touching on Elijah, as either coming from Tishba, or among folks there. The same applies to Elkanah, the father of Samuel, who was from Ephraim and referred to as, Elkanah the Ephrathite.

A little research will show you Samuel genealogy is numbered among the children of Levi and not among the tribe of Ephraim 1chronicles 6.22-28, this is startling when you get to learn about this genealogy. This is very interesting, and an urge begins to build up, when genealogy of Elijah is not given, just in the same way Melchizedeks' genealogy is not given, save a brief line that- he was the King of Salem and the priest of the Most High, whose attributes are replicated in the person of Jesus Christ.

 Why is much not highlighted about this man Elijah as touching to his childhood upbringing like many others before him and after him. How can people unravel this startling state of affairs in our time? When we look in to his prophetic ministry we see a great shift from the acclaimed prophetic move to rather unique attributes unequaled in his time, and even after his departure, except instances where his servant Elishah operates in a unique unction. Remember his prayer prior to his master being taken away? "I pray for the double portion of your Spirit"- a hard prayer made at that time. The end of his ministry on the planet is as dramatic as the start of the prophetic ministry. His clothing, manner of eating, combative spirit when others were busy hiding from the face of Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel, and the mind boggling departure that was so dramatic to those who witnessed the episode first hand lives a lot to desire about this man. One thing that adds mystery to the whole saga is when a letter purportedly written by Elijah many years after he is carried away with Chariots of fire- is read to the King 2Chronicles 21-12.
 It is so intriguing to a carnal mind when all this is read about this man, that operated so differently from the laid down norm. He commanded both respect and awe among the Jewish people. He still does to date command,  awe, and inspiration, in the same breath.

When God appoints a man in a specific office, and he is available to be used of Him, nothing can deter God from exihibiting all he wants. It was the most terrible times in the history of this nation that had only seen  few Kings since the glorious days of David and his son Solomon. Jeroboam had caused the nation to sin against God, by deviating people from sound worship, and made them turn their backs against God who had brought them out of slavery. Certain acts though appealing may distract many and lead them away from God. Jeroboam for fear he would lose his grip on people if they trekked to Jerusalem was the root cause of this problem that kept repeating itself in this Northern Kingdom that was dominated by 10 of the tribes of Israel, save for the two tribes, that remained in the South, and commonly known as the House of Judah.

He substituted the worship in Jerusalem by introducing Baal worship. And this looked very okay among most of the people. He erected higher places, where the worship will go on, and appointed priests. What made him do this? His interests. No one saw this scheme, every one was so happy with it, till the time God dispatched a young prophet from Judah, with a clear cut message to the King whom God had entrusted with ten of the Northern tribes. When God entrusts us with any noble task do we change the plan, when we are under threat because we want a hold on Gods people? The things we introduce to replace God's accepted way of doing things are they ordained of God, or they are sparked by the fear raging in us?. One outstanding scenario was about an old Prophet who lived there, but had no guts to tell the king  that what he was involving himself in was idolatry. He had outlived his usefulness. It is sad when you outlive your usefulness because of compromise. Most  people, have chosen to remain mum, even though they are aware of what is going on. They will not desire to be seen as antagonizing some players with a timely godly discourse. God does not relent, and will not hesitate to send one of the many vessels he has ordained to pass the message.

Even after conveying the message and starting for home, this old prophet with a lying spirit, had the audacity to mislead this young and promising prophet. How many folks have been mislead by old Prophets who were compromised and lost favor? He meets his demise on the way home for failure to heed God's stern warning that he should not take the same path he did tread when heading there, neither drink or eat in any of those places. The old prophet said to him, "I am also a man of God and His Spirit told me to tell you to change tact, and come in my house to drink and eat". Whereas God seeing this in advance fore warned him, not to use the same path, neither turn in anywhere near the place for a meal or drink. He believed this man since he pointed to him that he was a man of God just like him .He never took time to inquire of the Lord as to whether that was true. And  he should have asked himself since when did God rescind his earlier stern warning he had given him, and what prompted him to rescind the warning sternly given.
Many have been spiritually mislead by old prophets, and died a spiritual death, they need Jesus to breathe new life in their spiritual death. After the young prophet has come to his house and eaten, the Spirit of God came upon the old prophet and began to upbraid him for failure to heed Gods voice, and he was told about his imminent death. It is such a sad story, nevertheless the prophecy was to come to pass according to the word of the young prophet. The nation had began to walk in the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

When Ahab takes the reins of power,  the nation is awash with idolatry introduced by his great grand father Jeroboam the son of Nebat. He became the defender and promoter of this propensity through his wife, the queen of the land who polluted the nation with Baal worship. There was no stopping for her, she did outrageous things. She had the prophets of the Lord killed. She usurped authority, and did all the evil things that were abominable in the eyes of God. Ahab the King was a pale shadow of himself, subdued by Jezebel who was not an Israelite at all.

This brings me to our times, are we experiencing things like this though in a modern set up?. And  is it hard to tell that many are walking in ways similar to those in the days of Elijah?. This is when the mystery behind the Spirit of Elijah is seen. God was so incensed by all this atrocious acts. Elijah confronts the King and declares "they will be no rain or dew till his word came to pass" Which duly takes place. He is searched everywhere. the King goes out of the way to make other Kings enter in agreement with him that Elijah will be handed to him once spotted. God takes charge of his life, by providing for him in unique situations, first by ravens, then the widow. For the space of three and half years the heavens are shut! no dew, nor rain, is spotted in the land. Man does not change even with all the unfolding events, because he is so engrossed with the mundane issues. We had good people even among the Kings' officials who had the fear of God like Obadiah, but did not have the guts to confront the King for fear of being put to death.

Today many people are afraid to speak the truth for fear of losing favor or being excommunicated from their respective assemblies and cathedrals. What a pity! The Lord speaks to him to go and show himself to Ahab with a message-" they will be rain again". A contest ensues on the mountain that pitted the priests and prophets of baal on one hand, against Elijah and His Lord on the other,  and God comes down to honor the sacrifice of the troubler of the Land ( Elijah), what a great vindication. When we do things the Lords way, following his instructions he will reveal himself, and we will for sure be vindicated. It is not about our interests, fame, or any other of  the things we value, and cherish most, but what is of God carries the day, and he wants those things he desires done, that is what counts and brings His power down.
Elijah Kills the prophets and priests of baal, though aided by people who saw fire come down from heaven, and prostrated themselves before God saying " The Lord,  he is the God; the Lord, he  is the God", this infuriated Jezebel, and she vows to do the same to Elijah, and with this he is put on flight for fear of death from the wicked queen, and in the nick of time God tells him to make a 40 day journey up the mountain. Here he instructs him on what to do on his way back. One thing I left out is the saying of Obadiah when he meets with Elijah who tells him to report to the King, that he wants to meet with him face to face. He says "do you want me to die"? when I am  told to come get you, and the Spirit of God takes you a way to unknown place, death will be meted.
This shows how God was working in the life of this great prophet. When much is going on in the spiritual realm that try to stifle Gods agenda, he raises men and women who are ready to be used of Him in a great way, and sends them with such power, and revelatory prowess unmatched, who will speak the word boldly in spite of the circumstances around them, and this is what we are being faced with today in our time. We need a great voice that speaks against all the ills that are being spotted today, which most folks are mum about! Immoral behavior, Neo- idolatry, self-same sex marriages and gay behavior, abortion among other evils commited today.
Malachi states God will send Prophet Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord Malachi 4.5

Prior to his coming the Jewish folks who read this book (Malachi) waited for the coming of Elijahs' person, but it was not to be. Seeing Jesus display all the power in both preaching and teaching on Kingdoms principals many were thrown in spiritual confusion.

Then it is patent evident, things- changed against the backdrop of this anticipation. Religion went through some changes, and reformation in Isreal at the same time was taking place according to the religious understanding of the time, when all was not going on well spiritually, sects sprung up. We see the Pharisaical sect, the Seducees, and the Scribes prominently trying to out do each other with the knowledge of the law. This made religious confusion reign the more. Today the same is happening when sects, denominations, and other religious outfit try to out do each other by selling their relevance. Everyone of them making people believe they are "sound" on matters partaining to the things of God.

When Jesus begins his ministry many were hard pressed to accept him as the King in the Davidic order, for many were spiritually myopic at the time, thus seeing things in a carnal way like most of their teachers.  Jesus says of John that he was the Elijah to come Matthew 11.14 and we see many of the Jewish folks knew nothing about it.

Going back to Malachi, he states that God will send Prophet Elijah before that dreadful day of the Lord. We are in the last days, when the unction will be great as the Lord allows it. To combat many of the spiritual vices we need the great working power of the Spirit, in the same way it operated in the life of Elijah. James has a perfect way of putting it James 5.17 Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
and he prayed again, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
He was human just like you and I, but had passion for the things of God. turning man to God, and also back to sound worship that God wants.

We need to have a great zeal for the things of God. Jesus says if you believe in me, and in my works, you shall do them, and great works than the ones he did, because he was going to the Father. We have never done what Jesus did, but it is not lost yet, time has come for us to do what is right, and we will see the power of God in our days! to be continued.
Dr. Ephantus N Steve