In the Spirit and Power of Elijah

We're going to go into a special area of the Bible. It's actually the last chapter of the Old Testament, because it's a very important chapter. It's based on prophecy. And it also applies to us today. So let's go to Malachi 4. After that, we get into the New Testament. There would be over 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament. So God truly wanted to leave a very important message. And as we see here in Malachi 4, you can break it down into four parts. The first part is the description of the Day of the Lord, which has not come yet. It is coming in the future. It says, verse 1, For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly, will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts. So this is a description of the Day of the Lord, when He will intervene in world affairs and to ready His return to this earth, which is in such bad shape as we heard in the first message, just going over a little bit of the past 50 years or so. And we see the world just going crazy. I was watching a bit of the news, and afterward they had Dr. Phil, which has to do with issues. And they were talking about people that now are doing self-marriage, which is they're not marrying someone else, they're marrying themselves. And the whole program was how this new way, and they had people there to, I want to marry myself. And that, I just, this is sufficient for me, in a way. And I don't want to think of myself as marrying myself. I want to marry someone else to compliment me. Do you have this self-love, which tells us it can be a big problem? I know people who really overdo that. Now you should have self-esteem for yourself, but to marry yourself. And the person spent $15,000 in the ceremony and going together. So how crazy is this? If we would have seen this 10, 15 years ago, we would have taken them to the Looney House. But not today. Oh, they're thinking, oh, how wonderful. Wow, is this world confused? So the day of the Lord is coming when God is going to intervene. And He's coming to spank mankind.

He's not going to come here to congratulate for all these crazy things that are going on. Notice verse 2. This is the second part. It says verse 2 and 3. But to you who fear My name. Remember, in the Bible, when you see the word fear, it doesn't mean be afraid. It means deeply respect. You who deeply respect My name. The Son of righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings, and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. Well, that last part before it really was nice to be able to fatten the animals and things like this. Let me give it to you here in a more modern translation. It says, but for you who obey Me, My saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall. That's a good news Bible version. So, calves, as you know, have a lot of energy, and when they're stuck behind the fence, they can't do much. You let them out. Boy, they like to spread and go with their legs and jump up and down. That's going to be the feeling when Christ comes back. We're going to be jumping up and down with such joy. It's going to be the greatest moment for those who fear and deeply respect. God, His name, His laws, His way of life. Continuing on in verse 4, this is the third part of this prophecy. Well, sorry, this is still part of the second one because verse 4 starts the next one. He said, verse 3, You shall trample the wicked, and they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this, says the Lord of hosts. This is a prophecy that one day the earth is going to be purified. It won't be any more. A remembrance of sin, of bloodshed, and the wicked are going to end up being like stubble. Just burn up in the lake of fire. Verse 4, this is the third part now. It says, Remember the law of Moses. God is saying, Before the day of the Lord, Remember the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. That was on Mount Sinai with the statutes and judgments. So he's warning us because people were going to forget God's laws. And they were going to go after man's laws and everything built up in all of these Christian religions that they've added to the Scriptures with different false teachings. So he says, Remember this. And we just read or sang one of the hymns, Oh, how I love thy law. So that's talking about David's desire to understand and apply better God's laws.

And then the fourth part, which is the central part of this message. We're coming to it. This is the introductory part. Now we're coming into the main theme. Verse five. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. In other words, if Elijah doesn't carry out the mission and people's hearts are not turned back to God in obedience and repentance, God is going to add the curses. He's going to multiply the punishment upon this earth and curse it. But he says that can be avoided.

And so what does it mean here to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and children's hearts to the fathers? Is that just, oh, let's get along? No, it's far deeper than that. And as one of the principles of the Bible can be applied here is that the Bible interprets itself. We don't have to guess because further on we'll read exactly what turning the hearts of the children to the fathers and the fathers' hearts to the children actually mean. Let's go to Luke chapter one, because we are talking about the spirit and power of Elijah. In Luke chapter one verse 14, it talks about John the Baptist's ministry.

All the way through 17, we're going to read. It says, And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. Talking about John the Baptist. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. So we know three that were born with the Holy Spirit. Only three. The first one was Jeremiah, the prophet. It says that from the mother's womb, God called him and gave him the spirit. We also see John the Baptist, who received the spirit before he was born. And finally, Jesus Christ, of course, is the third one.

It says, going on, And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 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. So he's talking not here about just social reconciliation. He's talking about people that are going to be brought into God's way of life. They're going to repent, having broken God's holy laws, and there will be this reconciliation, yes, spiritually, that the parents can bring their children to the Lord, and that the children's hearts are going to be obedient and turn to their parents' hearts. Because he says if nobody here follows God, there's going to be a curse on this earth that is going to be absolutely horrendous.

So it's talking about turning people to God's way of life, not only the fathers, but also the children, that they will follow the straight and narrow path, that they won't follow the world's way, which is going to end in destruction.

Notice in verse 76 of Luke chapter 1, it says about John the Baptist, He says, So that's the role of John the Baptist. And he was a type of Elijah that God sent to prepare the way for the first coming of Jesus Christ. Notice in Matthew chapter 11, 7 through 10, we're just going step by step, proving everything by the Scriptures, not using human reasoning or human opinions. Matthew chapter 11 verse 7, this is what Jesus Christ said about John the Baptist. Verse 7, And as they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? Some type of a milk toast individual? A person that is spineless? He says, That's not the case at all. This is a powerful, courageous man of God. But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet. Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. That was part of Malachi chapter 3 verse 1. As surely I say to you, among those born of women, there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

And verse 14 says, And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. So here it explains, it's not the person who died in the Old Testament. Elijah, it's the spirit and power of a person coming in the same spirit and power as Elijah. John the Baptist was not Elijah. He was the one representing the prophecy that somebody would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. And now let's go back a little bit and see the four parallels between the ministry of Elijah and later Elisha, who completed the work at that time and the end times. So there's something very similar to the ministry of Elijah and what's going to happen in the future when Christ returns for a second time. This time not to die for our sins, but to rule the earth. So let's begin in 1 Kings 17.

This is the first recorded appearance of the prophet Elijah. 1 Kings 17 and verse 1. Things had gotten so bad in Israel with King Ahab and Jezebel, his pagan wife. People had left God's way of life. And Jezebel, she was a religious fanatic. She was a follower of the false god Baal, and she wanted all the Israelites to follow Baal. And she killed those that would obey God, Yahweh. It was a terrible time. People had to flee. They had to hide from this vicious queen.

It was almost like a Hitlerian woman. The Gestapo was there. And things had gotten so bad, people were crying out to God. God help us! This is the worst that's gotten in the house of Israel. And so God, in the right time, in the right place, He chose the prophet Elijah to face King Ahab, Jezebel, and all the prophets, which actually are the religious leaders of Baal. It starts here in 1 Kings 17. And it says, And Elijah, by the way, the name Elijah in Hebrew means Yahweh is my God.

And boy, did He live up to that. He was one of the most courageous, powerful men that we have in the Bible. He was an educator. He was just right on target as far as following God. And so it says that Elijah the Tishbite, which was a small village of the inhabitants of Gilead. So that was the tribe of Manasseh. And said to Ahab, apparently Ahab came single-handedly inside the palace to the enemy. And he came up to Ahab himself, representing God, and said, As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, in other words, I'm following Him, I'm representing Him, there shall not be due nor reign these years except at my word.

Boy, that's a nice way to get a compliment from the King, right? You got all of these soldiers with spears and bows. Here comes this man in front of everybody and just says, guess what? There's going to be a drought in this land until I say otherwise.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Get away from here, and turn eastward, and hide by the brook, sherrath, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the brook, sherrath, which flows into the Jordan. And here's another miracle. It wasn't just the first miracle, but saying, God has commanded, and I'm telling you, there's not going to be any rain in the area of the house of Israel.

And it lasted three and a half years. People were starving at the end of that. Ahab was so mad, he got all his men to try to find Elijah. He went to other nations, made them swear that Elijah wasn't there. It's like the Gestapo. And that's why God said, Well, I'm going to hide you. And guess what? So you're not out in the open when you have to eat. I'm going to have ravens come and take bread from this house and that house.

And they're like crows, right? We have problems with crows. Do you have problems with crows? They're everywhere. And so, and look what happened. It says, verse six, the ravens brought him bread and meat. So it wasn't just bread. He had meat as well in the morning and bread and meat in the evening. And he drank from the brook until finally it dried out. Because if you don't have rain, pretty soon the rivers start drying out and you don't have any water left.

And so then he went to outside of Israel to Sarepta. That's over in the area today. It's called Lebanon. And he hid there. I'm not going to go into that moment, but I'm going to go farther. Before I do, I do want to read Luke chapter four, verse 26, where Jesus Christ talks about this time of Elijah. Just to let you know how long it lasted. It says Luke four, 26. He said, but none of them was Elijah sent except to Sarepta in the region of Sidon to a woman who was a widow. And previous to that, verse 25, it says, But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heaven was shut up three years and six months.

And there was a great famine throughout all the land. Apparently, there wasn't one widow in Israel that God considered, had the faith and feared his name to hide him out. So he had to go outside to the area of the Gentiles to protect Elijah. So let's go to 1 Kings 18 and verse one. It says, Then it came to pass, after many days, that's three and a half years, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth. So, okay, that period of punishment was over. And so Elijah had to go before King Ahab.

Notice in verse 16, this is when Ahab goes to see Elijah and confronts him. So, Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. Then it happened when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Is that you, O trouble of Israel? Typical. The bad people always think it's the good people that are the problems.

You try to sustain good, traditional moral values. Oh, you're a bigot. Oh, you're this, you're that. But they, they feel great. It's like, Ahab, he'd been killing prophets. He'd been doing the worst things. And he thinks, Oh, how terrible Elijah. You're the one that troubles. So that's how egoistical human beings can be. And Elijah answered, I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the bales, the false teachers and false prophets. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel. This is something that God told Elijah to do when he was to talk.

He says, bring them to Mount Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table. You can imagine a woman feeding 450 religious nuts there. She was so fanatical about things. She had the money to other people were starving. There was a drought, but oh, not her. You know, she's so pious. She has to be feeding all of her priests. Verse 20, so Ahab sent for all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.

So Ahab thinking, here's one man and we're going to bring the whole crowd. This is going to be the end of Elijah, just like Hitler bringing all of the Gestapo, all of the armies. And then there's this one solitary man, unarmed, who dares to face him down.

And Elijah came to all the people and said, how long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him. But the people answered him, not a word. Typical. People, oh, I don't know. Who's right? They tell me, Baal is the one that's right. You're telling me God is right. How can I tell the difference? I'd like to read this from the Knowledge Bible commentary. It says, Elijah stood before them and challenged them to end their double-mindedness, wavering between two opinions. Has that ever happened to us? We're just never willing to jump in with both feet to follow God. One foot in the world, one foot in the church. It was not good to try to walk the fence, worshipping two gods. Apparently, the Israelites thought that if Yahweh let them down, they could turn to Baal and vice versa. Elijah was saying that if one is the true God and the other falls, they should follow the true one wholeheartedly and forget about the impotent imposter. So, Elijah was saying we need to worship God in purity and truth, in spirit and truth. We have to do it fully. We can't do it halfway because you can't mix false teachings with true teachings. You have to purge and purify them to please God. 1 Kings 18, verse 22. Let's see what happens with this challenge.

2 And lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. And I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but no fire under it. 3 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord. And the Lord and the God who answers by fire, He is God. So all the people answered, said it is well spoken. Oh, yeah, now we're going to have a showcase here. We're going to have fireworks. Boy, this is going to be entertaining. Who is who? This has been going on through history. Who is who? Who to follow? Because everybody is saying, oh, follow me. We've got the truth. And so what happens afterwards?

Verse 28. So they... Verse 27.

And when midday was passed, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice. No one answered. No one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. So the people came near to him and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And then he built his altar.

And so then verse 36, it says, And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and said. This is his prayer. Everybody had been praying for eight hours. Nothing had happened. He just said about a twenty-second prayer. If you're saying a twenty-second prayer to the true God is worth more than all the prayers to all the false gods that are out there. He said, Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and I am your servant and that I have done all these things at your word. So you see, he didn't invent this. He was just carrying out God's instructions. God's the one that's carrying everything out here. Hear me, O Lord, hear me that the people may know that you are the Lord God and that you have turned their hearts back to you again. Again, it's turning religiously, spiritually, people to God. Everyone who turns to God is one win for God and one loss for the devil and this world.

Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now, when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, the Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God. And Elijah said to them, because now he was going to clean house, no more false prophets.

When Christ comes back, he's going to clean house. We're not going to have Christmases. We're not going to have all of these Sunday worship services. At that time, God is going to know this is the time to do it. He hasn't intervened yet. Just like the prophets of Baal are all over the place. It's not the time yet, but there will be a time when God steps in and acts. And so they said, and 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 executed them there. Unfortunately, when there's false religion involved, it's going to contaminate. And so here's a moment when Elijah was able to clean and reform Israel and bring them back to God from all these false and non-existent gods.

And so it's so important to worship God in spirit and in truth with purity, because God doesn't like anything that's polluted, anything that's mixed. See, it wasn't Baal and God that people said, well, we still take into account God. Yeah, but what are you doing with the Baals and following the false teachings they have? In 1 Kings 19 verse 13, we continue. So it was when Elijah, he was taken to Mount Sinai or Horeb, and he had a confrontation with God because Jezebel had scared him so bad he fled.

He lost his nerve at that time. So here's this great prophet. He was able to deal 450 false teachers, and yet this wrath and scorn of one woman scared him. And so it was in verse 13. So it was when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, what are you doing here, Elijah? I thought I had sent you out there.

Now you started the reform to bring back people. They need your leadership. What are you doing over here? Elijah answered, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts because the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life. So here Elijah was basically said, Lord, I can't do it all.

And I'm not up to the task. Then the Lord said to him, Go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, so there will be these several things he would have to do, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. So there would be a change against the enemies of Israel. They would put a friendly king so the people could start obeying God easier. Because now people, they didn't want to deal with bales anymore.

They'd seen who is the one that has the fire come down. God answers. Yes, this is it. This is where you should be. This is where I will bless you. Verse 16, And you shall anoint Jehu, the son of Ninchi, as king over Israel. So Ahab was going to be killed, Jezebel as well. See, they were going to clean their act up so people could worship God as they should. And Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abel, Melohe, said, You shall anoint as prophet in your place. So he said, I realize how much you've gone through. I'm going to appoint Elisha to finish your ministry, your work.

And so Elisha actually received powers like Elijah. He actually received a double portion. And he was able to continue. So you see, we're made out of flesh and bones. Elijah just was weak at that moment, but God honored him for what he had done.

So let's go to James, chapter 4, where it talks about Elijah. I'm sorry, James, chapter 5. James, chapter 5.

It says in 17, James 5, 17, it says, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. Yes, he had strong moments, but he also had weak moments. And he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. You see, God is not calling angels. He's calling human beings. But again, who is the God? Is it the God of the Bible, or is it the God of the Baals, the false pagan teachings? We have to decide on our own. And now, to finalize, I want to go over the parallels in the future with the prophet Elijah, as he came in the spirit and power, and what's going to happen in the future as the role of Elijah is going to be fulfilled by these two witnesses in the future. It's in Revelation 11. So we see here in Revelation 11 four parallels. This is for our time. This has not been fulfilled yet.

We will probably see this in our lifetimes. It says in verse 1 of Revelation 11, John talking here, Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod, and the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. So there's going to be a time when there's going to be that three and a half year period called the Great Tribulation. And it says here that you are to measure, you are to separate those who follow God. Those are symbolized by those who worship God in the temple, as he says here, measure them, those who worship there, because God is going to separate and protect those people from the Great Tribulation that is coming. But he says those outside, they are left for those forty-two months, which are the same as three and a half years, which has to do with the Great Tribulation. It says, and they will tread the holy city, talk about Jerusalem, underfoot for forty-two months. So that's the first parallel that we see here. As in Elijah's day, God protected the faithful. And by the way, after he told Elijah, do these things, and he says, oh, by the way, I've been protecting seven thousand of my people. So you're not the only one, Elijah. God has many people that he protects, even during the reign of terror of Ahab and Jezebel. And so this is the first thing. As in Elijah's day, God protected those faithful, hiding them from Jezebel. Number two, Revelation 11, three through six, says, and I will give power to my two witnesses, just like he gave Elijah and Elisha the power to carry out God's will, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, exactly the same as forty-two months. This is three and a half years, clothed in sackcloth. So they're going to be mourning for what they see in the world.

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. God's representatives. Olive oil represents God's spirit. They will be filled with God's spirit, just like Elijah and Elisha were. And you notice here, it says in verse five, And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. So these are the two that have the same type of power that Elijah and Elisha had. You can write this down, 2 Kings 1.10, where Elijah asked fire to come down and destroy all of these troops that were trying to capture him. So the third parallel is, these are the miracles that they have. It says here that they have power to turn. It says, Fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy, just like at the time of Elijah.

And they have power over waters to turn them to blood, just like at the time of Moses in Egypt, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. So the world is going to be so hardened, they're going to be so confused. Here are God's servants saying, turn back to God. Turn back to God's commandments, to His way of life. Don't forget the law of God, as it said in Malachi 4. And people are going to say, I can't stand these bigots and these religious fanatics. Look at all the harm they're doing to us. You don't think the press is going to do that? Of course they are. They've been conditioned to destroy God's way of life. And you see more and more disrespect for God, the Bible, and His way of life. But they want to turn this earth into another Sodom and Gomorrah, everybody doing their own thing. And then finally, the fourth parallel, it says, verse 7, When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit, remember this has to do with that political power that will rise up and will make war against them, overcome them and kill them. So they have three and a half hours and then they get martyred. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, because that's what it has become under the beast and false prophet, where also our Lord was crucified. So we know it's Jerusalem. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies. So this is the time of television. This is the time of Internet. This is one of the proofs about the end time. People were able to see what's going on in that plaza in Jerusalem. It says nations and tongues. Different people will be able to witness that. And they will not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth with what? With God's law, with love, with concern for others. See, they don't want that. Everybody wants to live their own lives. Leave me alone. If I want to be this, I want nobody to tell me how to live. That's the problem. And so, the last parallel, their ministry, just like John the Baptist, will end with the coming of the Messiah. But this time, Jesus Christ is coming to rule, not to die for our sins.

And so, we are part of the work of Elijah today. In spirit and power, we are carrying out that work, returning people to God's laws. They're not bad. They're not evil. It also includes God's grace. Mr. Armstrong began this stage of the work around 1933, 90 years ago. A little, lone voice on the radio, which Dave Markham mentioned, brought him in when he was a teenager at that time. Brought me in, and we heard the voice crying in the wilderness, Come back. Keep God's commandments. Follow this way of life. You know what? The church that I belonged to, when I went back, all I saw was statues of Baal. All I saw were these rituals and brainwashing, and hardly anything about God's word was ever taught. When I came into the church, everything had to do with God's words, and nothing had to do with man's words. And so we are part of the work of Elijah, preparing the way, keeping God's word in purity and truth. So here are some action steps to take. First of all, remember who we are. Backing the work of the spirit and power of Elijah. Restoring God's truths in this present evil age. And the spirit of Jezebel is alive and well in our days. It's up to you to find out what that spirit is all about, because it's the one that's deceiving the world. Number two, remember what is ahead. Time of trouble as never before. How many have seen that movie Oppenheimer? Anybody seen? Very few. Well, that's when the atomic age began. And you know what it tells us? The world that we live in.

Number three, God is measuring His church. Let's be part of those inside the temple that are measured and separated for blessings instead of cursings. Strive for the unity of faith. Four, we are also living now, not only to see, but back up those two witnesses when they appear. Because they are going to be teaching this way of life to the world, and we will know them well if we are alive at that time. Can you imagine how cool is that going to be? We're going to be saying these biblical personages, we got to know. Maybe we got to help in their mission. We are preparing a people for that. And finally, number five, pray to stay close to God and His revealed Word, because that's the connection. God and His Word. So, brethren, what about that spirit and power of Elijah? Let's be part of it.