The Spirit and Power of Elijah -- Part 2

The best way to begin this week’s discussion may be to repeat a question that was asked towards the end of “Part 1.” Why is it that throughout the writings of the Apostles there is absolutely no mention of John ever exhibiting even one of the powers of Elijah? Those who believe that John came in the spirit and power of Elijah must provide an acceptable answer to this question; if only to themselves.

Have you ever taken the time to search the Old Testament account of Elijah; and of Elisha who not only took up the mantle of Elijah but also inherited his powers? If you have not, then perhaps it’s time you did.

In 1st Kings 18:22 Elijah said of himself: “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD”; and yet, if we are to understand the full powers of Elijah we must also research the experiences and abilities of Elisha. Notice 1st Kings 19:15-16 “[The Lord said to Elijah:] ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.’” And then in 2nd Kings 2:9 “And so it was ... that Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?’ Elisha said, ‘Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’”

2nd Kings 2:15 “Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw [Elisha], they said, ‘The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.’ And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.”

Remember: it is not the actual Elijah who fulfills the prophecy, but someone who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah! You must decide for yourself, in the light of Holy Scripture, whether this was fulfilled by John the Baptist -- or by Jesus the Christ.

The following passages compare the powers displayed by the Old Testament prophets Elijah and/or Elisha with the powers which were manifest by Jesus. Rather than insert comments of my own with each example, I would prefer that you determine for yourself what these comparisons may or may not mean. It is also strongly recommended that you read each and every one of these passages by yourself, from the pages of your own Bible, placing each pertinent fact carefully within its own scriptural context:

1st Kings 19:7-8 “And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched [Elijah], and said, ‘Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.’ So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights...”
Matthew 4:1-2 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry.”

1st Kings 17:10-16 “The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.”
Matthew 14:15-21…The five loaves and two fishes feed a multitude -- and Matthew 15:32-38 the seven loaves and a few fishes also feed a multitude.

2nd Kings 5:1-27...Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, is healed of leprosy by Elisha.
Matthew 8:1-3 “When [Jesus] had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Then Jesus put out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

1st Kings 18:37-39…The miracles of Elijah cause the people to say: “The Lord he is the God.”
John 4:48 “Then Jesus said: ‘Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.’”

1st Kings 17:17-23…When the son of the widow of Zarephath died: “Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the [life] of the child came back to him, and he revived.”
Mark 5:35-42…The daughter of a ruler of the temple had died … “[Jesus said], ‘Little girl, I say to you, ‘arise.’ Immediately the girl arose and walked...”

2nd Kings 6:4-7 “…the axe head fell into the water…[Elisha] cut down a stick and cast it into [the water] and the iron did float.”
Matthew 17:27 “[Jesus said to Peter:] ‘...go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money...’”

2nd Kings 6:15-17 “And when the servant of [Elisha] arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And [the servant] said to [Elisha], ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ So [Elisha] answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
Matthew 26:51-53 “And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels?’”

In a previous posting to this blogsite “Turning Water into Wine” I discussed what it must take for anyone to carry out his or her first miracle. For even Jesus to successfully carry out a miracle, he would not only have to believe the miracle would work, but know it was correct (before God) to even make the attempt.

Before turning the water into wine at the feast of Cana, Jesus had survived a fast of forty days and forty nights, a feat no human could accomplish without the intervention of God; and at the completion of this fast God’s angels had come and ministered unto him. Both of these events were manifestations of miracles which were carried out for, not by Jesus -- miracles which had also been carried out for, not by the prophet Elijah!

The Bible refers to yet another event which I consider one of the most beautiful examples of God’s mysteries. This event is mentioned in a rather offhand and obscure way so you may need to spend a little time thinking about it; but consider the deep meditation which must have been the habit of our Saviour and try to learn from it. Notice:

2nd Kings 6:8-12 “[The secret plans of the king of Syria were being relayed to his enemy, the king of Israel, and he was convinced there was a traitor in his house:] Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, ‘Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?’ And one of his servants said, ‘None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.’”

Now consider the first meeting of Jesus with Nathaniel, who later become one of His twelve principal disciples:

John 1:45-47 “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ And Nathanael said to [Philip] ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!’”

From this passage it may be assumed that both Philip and Nathanael were well versed in their knowledge of the Scriptures and were actively looking for someone of prophetic importance to appear. Now notice the reaction of Nathanael as the meeting continues:

John 1:48-49 “Nathanael said to [Jesus], ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel.’”

You really need to study each of these passages, in context, from the pages of your own Bible. The immediate reaction of Nathanael to the statement made by Jesus tells me Nathanael had not only studied the scriptural accounts of Elijah and Elisha -- but had been anticipating the arrival of someone manifesting that spirit and those powers! When Jesus revealed what must have been a secret between Nathaniel and his God, Nathaniel readily accepted this as proof of something! Was that something the manifestation by Jesus of one of the many powers of Elijah -- a power which had been inherited from Elijah by Elisha?

This would be a good time to remind you that the object of this paper was to identify who it was that should come in the spirit and power of Elijah. So far we have only made reference to the times of Elijah and Elisha, and of Jesus and John; but it is important to remember that the message of Malachi 4:5-6 refers specifically to “the time of the end” -- the time immediately preceding the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Revelation 19:15-16 “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: ‘KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.’”

This is the one whose power will draw down fire from heaven to destroy the armies of the kings of this world -- just as Elijah did! He will destroy the false prophets and the false priests -- just as Elijah did! He will set up an organized system of education to teach the people understanding, wisdom and truth -- just as Elijah did! Can anyone still believe ANY of this is referring to John? It certainly wasn’t Herbert W. Armstrong!

Jesus was the one who came in the spirit and power of Elijah! When he returns it will be with powers far greater than most people could even imagine. The next question you ask might be, “When will He return?” I believe, in a general way, the answer to this question can be found in the seventy-week prophecy of Daniel Nine. It may also be answered in a more definitive way in the dream and the prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar recorded in the fourth chapter of the Book of Daniel. But ultimately we must wait, and watch, and pray: “[For] of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”

Note: During the past few years I have read two separate articles, written by ministers of two separate Churches of God, supposedly “proving” that Herbert W. Armstrong was the end-time Elijah and that before his death in 1986 he had already “restored all things” in preparation for the return of Jesus. I can accept and excuse blindness when it comes to understanding scripture; but when I see my brethren torn apart and scattered by the same men who would teach such ignorance and foolishness then I tend to lose patience.

The following is a direct quotation from one of those articles; notice the adamant and dogmatic attitude which seems to pervade so many of those who would minister over us:

Quote: “To deny that Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong was the Elijah to come before the end-time is either ignorance or willing denial of what is true concerning our history and what God did through him.”

Well I do deny it; and I do so with what I pray is a God-given confidence and humility! I remember Herbert Armstrong as a wonderful old man through whom God revealed many new truths. The ministry of Herbert Armstrong, as he proclaimed the good news of the soon-coming Kingdom of God, was truly inspired of God. However, the ministry of Mr. Armstrong was almost completely devoid of miracles -- it is certain that overt miracles in the spirit and power of Elijah, were not in any way a manifestation of his ministry.

Through the teachings of Herbert Armstrong, the Almighty and Everlasting God restored many truths to the “church” of God. Through his ministry he did indeed turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. Through his ministry Mr. Armstrong did indeed turn many of 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. He did indeed prepare the way for the one who shall soon come in the spirit and power of Elijah -- but Herbert W. Armstrong was not that Elijah!

Because I have an abhorrence of confrontation I have tried (until recently) to keep most of my thoughts and beliefs to myself. Lately I have become more and more convinced that it may have been wrong for me to remain silent. Not long ago this blogsite was made available to me by my eldest son; through his gift I have found not only an outlet for many of my concerns, but an immense relief from what I had begun to perceive as a mounting responsibility over that which I have come to believe.

I thank God for His mercy, His compassion, His many blessings, and His seemingly infinite patience towards me and towards my brethren. Until the return of our Saviour and the setting up of Our Father’s Kingdom I shall continue to pray; “Thy will be done!”

Note: Next week I want to share with you a series of scriptures I put together when I believed I was to be asked to speak at a friend’s funeral. I have never enjoyed any form of public speaking, so I was relieved when my services were not required. Nevertheless, several times since then I have enjoyed going over my notes on “When We Die” and sincerely hope you will find them as interesting and comforting as I do.