Monthly Archives: September 2010

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7.

A pupil is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. (Matthew 10: 24)

In Part 1, I mentioned about the night I visited a small country church where two traveling prophets were conducting meetings. Both prophets were veterans who had been in ministry for twenty years or more.

The preaching was okay and the prophetic words were excellent. But yet, the two prophets did not discern the deeper spiritual needs of the people.

This oversight bothered me and I sought the Lord on why the spiritual radar systems of these two top-notch prophets were so defective.

Finally, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart: “The two prophets are trained by the traditional church system and are dependent on the traditional church system for their financial livelihoods. Thus, their spiritual radar systems for discerning the spiritual needs of believers and then delivering them are dulled and made useless by the system.”

Maybe, you’re not sure about this, right?

Well, who was Elijah’s biggest enemy?

Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ” So may the gods do so to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And he [Elijah] was afraid and arose and ran for his life… (1 Kings 19: 2- 3)

Though Ahab was the king of Israel, it was Jezebel who influenced Ahab to worship pagan gods and turn away from God.  Thus, Jezebel was Elijah’s biggest enemy.

The same is true today for the Elijah-type prophets.

There have been numerous books written about demonic spirits which are labeled Jezebel Spirits, but my personal belief is that Jezebel represents a religious spirit. Nothing more. Nothing less. It plainly dislikes God and His ways and wants to hinder and control prophetic words within the Body of Christ.

And furthermore, it is my belief that the traditional church system is under the control of a  major principality in the demonic hierarchy which rules over America and it is – in fact – a religious spirit.

The only way to break the control of religious spirits on believers’ lives is to have Elijah-type prophets arrive on the scene. Where will they come from?

I believe the Elijah-type of prophets will come from outside the traditional church systems. Maybe from prisons. Maybe from the deserts or wildernesses of America. Maybe from the armed forces. Maybe from professional sports. Maybe from businesses. But no matter where they come from, they will be trained to discern and fight religious spirits.

Lastly, I believe Elijah was the chosen prophet at the transfiguration of Jesus, rather than David, Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel, because it will be prophets like Elijah who will set us free from the religious requirements and bondage imposed on us by the weakness of the Law, which is the flesh.

Obviously, this is a lot to digest for now. So, we’ll do more on the Elijah prophets in the future.

(Conclusion)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

3. John the Baptist

It is he [John the Baptist] who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1: 17)

Unlike Elijah and Elisha, John the Baptist did not have a powerful signs and wonders ministry. Instead, John was primarily a  prophetic voice.

But much like Elijah, who arrived on the scene without any advance warning, John the Baptist did the same. One day, he was a man hidden away in the wilderness, and the next day, he was standing at the Jordan River, preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan. (Matthew 3: 5)

And the crowds showed up to listen to his message and to be baptized. He was the man!

Yet, his ministry only lasted six months.  But in that small amount of time, John the Baptist stirred the hearts of the people so that they were prepared for the arrival of the Promised One who immediately followed him.

Jesus Himself validated the ministry of John the Baptist as an Elijah-type of prophet when He said:

For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. (Matthew 11: 13-14)

Yes, John was filled with the Holy Spirit from when he was within his mother’s womb. Yes, he was a cousin, first removed, of Jesus, but unlike the Lord, John was a Levite, not from the tribe of Judah.

But what was it that set John apart from the other prophets and made him an Elijah-type of prophet? And who are the remaining two prophets?

(Continued in Part 6)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

2. Elisha

The Lord said to him [Elijah], “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu, the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. (1 Kings 19: 15 – 16)

Elijah had one of the greatest days in the whole Bible when he called fire down from heaven, executed four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and prayed for rain. Now, forty-three days later, after struggling with fear, depression, hopelessness, and then, finally hearing the voice of the Lord in a cave, Elijah was directed to do three important things.

Interestingly enough, how many of the three things did Elijah actually accomplish?

So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. (1 Kings 19: 19)

This is the only recorded time in the Bible where a prophet passed his mantle and anointing to another prophet. There are other examples of transference of power in the Bible, such as  Moses laying his hands on Joshua, but this is the only recorded time for this particular type of transference.

So how can I positively say that Elisha was an Elijah-type prophet?

Because Elijah only did one of the important things the Lord commanded him to do and that was anointing Elisha. But it was Elisha who then fulfilled the other two important things: by anointing Hazael king of Aram and anointing Jehu king of Israel.

Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and then received it.

And finally, Jesus Himself linked Elisha with Elijah in His discourse at the synagogue in Nazareth.

But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah…and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in  Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman, the Syrian. And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things. (Luke 4: 27 – 28)

Yes, like Elijah, Elisha was a prophet of power. Also, in terms of signs, wonders and miracles as recorded in the Bible, Elisha’s ministry was second only to Jesus.

But once again, what sets Elijah and Elisha apart from the other prophets in the Old Testament? And who are the other three Elijah-type prophets?

(Continued in Part 5)

Click on following links for earlier articles: Part 1 and Part 2.

They asked Jesus, saying, “Why is it the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things… (Mark 9: 11-12)

There are five examples of Elijah-type prophets in the Bible. Each prophet is uniquely different, but each has an important trait which is also common to the other ones. This common trait is not seen in King David, Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel.

And guess what? This trait is also the reason why today’s church has not seen the Elijah-type of prophets….as yet.

1. Elijah.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word. (1 Kings 17: 1)

One moment, Israel was a backslidden nation without a prophet who had the anointing to point the people back to God. And then, in the next moment, Elijah arrived on the scene.

Little is known about Elijah before he prophesied to King Ahab, except that he came from the nation of Gilead, and not from Israel. Most likely, he was an Ishmaelite, which made him a Gentile.

Isn’t that interesting? God used a Gentile to prophesy to His people, the Jews. This fact may help explain why the listeners were so touchy when Jesus stood up and spoke at the synagogue in Nazareth.

And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah, was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow….And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things. (Luke 4: 24 – 26, 28)

Yes, Elijah was the prophet of power. Yes, he slew four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Yes, he prayed a drought away. Yes, he called fire down upon a hundred soldiers. And yes, he was taken alive up to heaven in a chariot of fire.

But even with all of this, what was it that set Elijah apart from the other prophets in the Old Testament? And who are the other four Elijah-type prophets?

(Continued in Part 4)