- Feb 1, 2013
- 5,188
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Men Like Elijah and Elisha
The fact that the two witnesses will be inspired of God to declare a great drought is directly connected with the power that God also gave to Elijah, who did the same thing! The apostle James wrote:
"Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed,
and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops" (James 5:17-18).
The fact that fire will destroy all those who attempt to harm the two witnesses is directly reminiscent of Elijah and Elisha. We read that during the ministry of Elijah, when he sent a message to the king of Judah telling him that he was going to die, because he had consulted
9
with the pagan god of healing, the god of flies, Baal-Zebub, instead of looking to the God of Israel for healing (II Kings 1:1-8), the king became angry and sent several platoons of soldiers to bring Elijah the Tishbite to him. We read the awesome account:
"Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain
went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, 'Man
of God, the king says, "Come down!"' Elijah answered the captain, 'If I am a
man of God, may FIRE come down from heaven and consume you and your
fifty men!' Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
"At this time the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The
captain said to him, 'Man of God, this is what the king says, "Come down at
once!"' 'If I am a man of God, Elijah replied, 'may fire come down from heaven
and consume you and your fifty men!' Then the fire of God fell from heaven and
consumed him and his fifty men.
"So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up
and fell on his knees before Elijah. 'Man of God,' he begged, 'please have respect
for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! See, fire has fallen
from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have
respect for my life!'
"The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, 'Go down with him; do not be afraid of
him.' So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king. He told the king,
'This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to
consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?
Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You
will certainly die!' So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah
had spoken" (II Kings 1:9-17).
Elisha was called of God to be Elijah's assistant. He was not somebody whom Elijah selected but a man whom God Himself picked (I Kings 19:15-21). When the time came that God was going to remove Elijah from the scene, to take him up in a whirlwind (II Kings 2:1), Elisha traveled with him, refusing to leave his side. They journeyed first to Bethel (vs.1-2), then to Jericho (vs.3-4), and then to the Jordan river (vs.5-6). They crossed the Jordan, as Elijah struck the river with his cloak or mantle, and the waters of the river parted, forming a dry path for them to walk across (v.8). At this point, Elijah asked Elisha what it was that he wanted. Notice:
"When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Tell me, what can I do for
you before I am taken from you?' 'Let me inherit a DOUBLE PORTION of
your spirit,' Elisha replied. 'You have asked a difficult thing,' Elijah said, 'yet
if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours -- otherwise not.'
"As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire
and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up
to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and called out, 'My father! My
father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!' And Elisha saw him no more.
Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He picked up the
cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the
Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water
with it. 'Where now is the YHVH, the God of Elijah?' he asked. When he
struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
10
"The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, 'The
spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha'" (II Kings 2:9-15).
Men with a Double Portion of God's Spirit
The two end-time witnesses of God, described in the book of Revelation, will, like Elijah and Elisha, work together, and both of them will be filled with a double portion of the Spirit of God, and will do the works and miracles which are similar to those God used Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha, to do, during their lifetimes. These great works will be necessary, as this End-Time is a time which is sunk into deep depravity, apostasy, and wickedness, and the world has forgotten the existence and the power of the true God of Israel! God called Moses and Aaron during a time when His people were mired in captivity in Egypt, with virtually all hope gone -- a time of great apostasy.
God then called Elijah and Elisha during another time when the truth of God was on the verge of being eclipsed and lost forever, as paganism swept over the land and awesome apostasy spread everywhere, and true servants of God were being martyred and hunted down by wicked king Ahab and his wife, and then their descendants (I Kings 17-19). It was a time of terrible tribulation for the saints of God. Queen Jezebel was on a killing rampage, as she sought to slay ALL the prophets of the Lord whom she could find in the land (I Kings 18:4, 13). To keep the forces of apostasy from conquering, and overrunning the land completely, God raised up His servants the prophets. That is why He raised up Elijah, and Elisha, to be a WITNESS to that generation!
The End-Time State of Affairs
Similarly, this End-Time will be the time of "Jacob's trouble" prophesied by Jeremiah (30:7), Daniel (12:1), and Jesus Christ Himself. It also is a time of tremendous apostasy and departure from the truths of God, with every form of false prophet rising up to proclaim his own "ideas" and "interpretations," today! These things will culminate in tremendous warfare and great distress among nations -- the worst time of trouble the world has ever known.
Jesus Christ foretold:
"For then will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the
world until now -- and never to be equaled again. If those days had not
been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those
days will be shortened" (Matt.24:21-22).
It will be a time of awesome martyrdom of true saints, Israelites, and Christians who refuse to accept the mark of the Beast and to be identified with his system. The apostle John foretells in the book of Revelation, speaking of these End-Times:
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they
had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign
Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge
our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told
11
to wait a little longer, until the number of the FELLOW SERVANTS and
BROTHERS who were to be KILLED AS THEY HAD BEEN was
completed" (Rev.6:9-11).
Notice! The preaching of the two witnesses will be during the time when the BEAST has control over the earth, and is ruling over Jerusalem. During this time Temple worship will be restored (Rev.11:1-2). But the rest of the city of Jerusalem will be given over to the Gentiles for 42 months (v.2). This is the period when the Beast will reign (Rev.13:4-5). This represents the final 3 and 1/2 year period of the final WEEK of Daniel 9:27! This is the period of time covered by fifth, sixth, and seventh seals of the book of Revelation (Rev.6:9-17).
The fifth seal refers to the Great Tribulation (Rev.6:9-11). This Great Tribulation is instigated by the Beast himself while he is in authority! (Rev.13:6-8). The fifth seal is followed by "heavenly signs" (Rev.6:12) of the sixth seal. And these introduce the seventh seal, which is composed of the seven last trumpets (Rev.8:1-2). During the sixth seal, the 144,000 servants of God are sealed in the foreheads -- meaning they are given God's protection and spared from the wrath of God yet to come. They have repented and turned to God during the Great Tribulation, and have come "out" of it (Rev.7:1-4, especially verse 14). The fact that they are "sealed" means they will be protected -- come under God's mark or sealing (compare Ezek.9:1-6). Only those who are "sealed" or "marked" will come under God's protection (Ezek.9:4).
The final and seventh seal, then, is opened, containing the seven trumpets which pour out the wrath of God on the earth, as opposed to the wrath of Satan on the church of God and God's nations, during the Great Tribulation. Jesus Christ tells us that the heavenly signs (sixth seal) occur after the great tribulation (Matt.24:29-30), whereas the prophet Joel tells us these heavenly signs precede the day of the Lord (Joel 2:31-32).
The whole period of great tribulation through the wrath of God is to last a prophesied 42 months (Rev.13:5) -- the period that the BEAST is in power, and who pours out the tribulation!
The fact that the two witnesses will be inspired of God to declare a great drought is directly connected with the power that God also gave to Elijah, who did the same thing! The apostle James wrote:
"Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed,
and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops" (James 5:17-18).
The fact that fire will destroy all those who attempt to harm the two witnesses is directly reminiscent of Elijah and Elisha. We read that during the ministry of Elijah, when he sent a message to the king of Judah telling him that he was going to die, because he had consulted
9
with the pagan god of healing, the god of flies, Baal-Zebub, instead of looking to the God of Israel for healing (II Kings 1:1-8), the king became angry and sent several platoons of soldiers to bring Elijah the Tishbite to him. We read the awesome account:
"Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain
went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, 'Man
of God, the king says, "Come down!"' Elijah answered the captain, 'If I am a
man of God, may FIRE come down from heaven and consume you and your
fifty men!' Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
"At this time the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The
captain said to him, 'Man of God, this is what the king says, "Come down at
once!"' 'If I am a man of God, Elijah replied, 'may fire come down from heaven
and consume you and your fifty men!' Then the fire of God fell from heaven and
consumed him and his fifty men.
"So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up
and fell on his knees before Elijah. 'Man of God,' he begged, 'please have respect
for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! See, fire has fallen
from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have
respect for my life!'
"The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, 'Go down with him; do not be afraid of
him.' So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king. He told the king,
'This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to
consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?
Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You
will certainly die!' So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah
had spoken" (II Kings 1:9-17).
Elisha was called of God to be Elijah's assistant. He was not somebody whom Elijah selected but a man whom God Himself picked (I Kings 19:15-21). When the time came that God was going to remove Elijah from the scene, to take him up in a whirlwind (II Kings 2:1), Elisha traveled with him, refusing to leave his side. They journeyed first to Bethel (vs.1-2), then to Jericho (vs.3-4), and then to the Jordan river (vs.5-6). They crossed the Jordan, as Elijah struck the river with his cloak or mantle, and the waters of the river parted, forming a dry path for them to walk across (v.8). At this point, Elijah asked Elisha what it was that he wanted. Notice:
"When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Tell me, what can I do for
you before I am taken from you?' 'Let me inherit a DOUBLE PORTION of
your spirit,' Elisha replied. 'You have asked a difficult thing,' Elijah said, 'yet
if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours -- otherwise not.'
"As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire
and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up
to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and called out, 'My father! My
father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!' And Elisha saw him no more.
Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He picked up the
cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the
Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water
with it. 'Where now is the YHVH, the God of Elijah?' he asked. When he
struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
10
"The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, 'The
spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha'" (II Kings 2:9-15).
Men with a Double Portion of God's Spirit
The two end-time witnesses of God, described in the book of Revelation, will, like Elijah and Elisha, work together, and both of them will be filled with a double portion of the Spirit of God, and will do the works and miracles which are similar to those God used Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha, to do, during their lifetimes. These great works will be necessary, as this End-Time is a time which is sunk into deep depravity, apostasy, and wickedness, and the world has forgotten the existence and the power of the true God of Israel! God called Moses and Aaron during a time when His people were mired in captivity in Egypt, with virtually all hope gone -- a time of great apostasy.
God then called Elijah and Elisha during another time when the truth of God was on the verge of being eclipsed and lost forever, as paganism swept over the land and awesome apostasy spread everywhere, and true servants of God were being martyred and hunted down by wicked king Ahab and his wife, and then their descendants (I Kings 17-19). It was a time of terrible tribulation for the saints of God. Queen Jezebel was on a killing rampage, as she sought to slay ALL the prophets of the Lord whom she could find in the land (I Kings 18:4, 13). To keep the forces of apostasy from conquering, and overrunning the land completely, God raised up His servants the prophets. That is why He raised up Elijah, and Elisha, to be a WITNESS to that generation!
The End-Time State of Affairs
Similarly, this End-Time will be the time of "Jacob's trouble" prophesied by Jeremiah (30:7), Daniel (12:1), and Jesus Christ Himself. It also is a time of tremendous apostasy and departure from the truths of God, with every form of false prophet rising up to proclaim his own "ideas" and "interpretations," today! These things will culminate in tremendous warfare and great distress among nations -- the worst time of trouble the world has ever known.
Jesus Christ foretold:
"For then will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the
world until now -- and never to be equaled again. If those days had not
been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those
days will be shortened" (Matt.24:21-22).
It will be a time of awesome martyrdom of true saints, Israelites, and Christians who refuse to accept the mark of the Beast and to be identified with his system. The apostle John foretells in the book of Revelation, speaking of these End-Times:
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they
had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign
Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge
our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told
11
to wait a little longer, until the number of the FELLOW SERVANTS and
BROTHERS who were to be KILLED AS THEY HAD BEEN was
completed" (Rev.6:9-11).
Notice! The preaching of the two witnesses will be during the time when the BEAST has control over the earth, and is ruling over Jerusalem. During this time Temple worship will be restored (Rev.11:1-2). But the rest of the city of Jerusalem will be given over to the Gentiles for 42 months (v.2). This is the period when the Beast will reign (Rev.13:4-5). This represents the final 3 and 1/2 year period of the final WEEK of Daniel 9:27! This is the period of time covered by fifth, sixth, and seventh seals of the book of Revelation (Rev.6:9-17).
The fifth seal refers to the Great Tribulation (Rev.6:9-11). This Great Tribulation is instigated by the Beast himself while he is in authority! (Rev.13:6-8). The fifth seal is followed by "heavenly signs" (Rev.6:12) of the sixth seal. And these introduce the seventh seal, which is composed of the seven last trumpets (Rev.8:1-2). During the sixth seal, the 144,000 servants of God are sealed in the foreheads -- meaning they are given God's protection and spared from the wrath of God yet to come. They have repented and turned to God during the Great Tribulation, and have come "out" of it (Rev.7:1-4, especially verse 14). The fact that they are "sealed" means they will be protected -- come under God's mark or sealing (compare Ezek.9:1-6). Only those who are "sealed" or "marked" will come under God's protection (Ezek.9:4).
The final and seventh seal, then, is opened, containing the seven trumpets which pour out the wrath of God on the earth, as opposed to the wrath of Satan on the church of God and God's nations, during the Great Tribulation. Jesus Christ tells us that the heavenly signs (sixth seal) occur after the great tribulation (Matt.24:29-30), whereas the prophet Joel tells us these heavenly signs precede the day of the Lord (Joel 2:31-32).
The whole period of great tribulation through the wrath of God is to last a prophesied 42 months (Rev.13:5) -- the period that the BEAST is in power, and who pours out the tribulation!