Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: 13SCM
Program Code: 13SCM000005
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00:31 Hello and good morning.
00:34 You know, when you see a bunch of Christians gathered 00:37 you almost want to say "Happy Sabbath" automatically. 00:39 It is not quite Sabbath yet. We've still got a couple days 00:42 to go but we've been having a good time in the Lord, 00:45 haven't we? Amen. And I asked our audience here 00:48 if anyone had gone to breakfast and they said it was 00:50 French toast this morning which was very good. 00:53 I didn't make breakfast. I was taking my wife to the doctor. 00:56 She's got a little foot injury that we are going to have to 00:58 take a look at, so you want to keep her in prayer. 01:00 But it's a good day... it's a "sunshiny" day. 01:02 They have predicted a little rain but the rain has not come 01:05 yet. And so far it's "sunshiny" outside 01:07 and I pray that there is sunshine in our souls. 01:11 This is our second presentation for the day. 01:14 Our speaker is Pastor Stephen Bohr. 01:16 He is the Speaker/Director of Secrets Unsealed Ministries 01:19 headquartered in California 01:21 and just a wonderful student of the Word, 01:24 a wonderful fellow. And sometimes we get the impression 01:27 when we see these fellows preaching and they're dealing 01:29 with such serious subjects that they are very serious 01:31 people. And Pastor Bohr is a serious person about serious 01:35 subjects but he also likes to laugh and have fun. 01:38 He's a good guy to sort of hang out with 01:40 and we love Pastor Stephen Bohr very very much. 01:43 He is going to be speaking today on the subject 01:46 "That Woman Jezebel. " 01:48 That should be an interesting study together 01:51 and we are looking forward to it. 01:53 Before we go into our music would you now bow your heads 01:56 with me in a word of prayer? 01:59 Father God, we thank you so very much 02:02 for the privilege of calling upon You. 02:06 We thank you, Father, for the privilege of 02:09 studying the Word and understanding the Word. 02:12 And we are thankful for what the Word does 02:16 to strengthen us, to encourage us, 02:19 to fortify us against the trials that will surely come our way. 02:24 We ask You, loving Father, just now to bless us. 02:27 Be with us. Open our ears, open our hearts, 02:31 open our minds that we may receive the Word, 02:34 and then use your speaker in a marked way 02:37 to teach the Word so that we can be hearers 02:41 of that Word and doers of that Word. 02:44 And we thank you in Jesus' name, Amen and amen. 02:50 I just looked out in the audience and saw a long-time 02:52 member of a church I used to pastor from New York City. 02:56 I won't call her name now but I will before it's all over 03:00 Grace Phipps. And we're just happy to have her here. 03:06 What a blessing; what a blessing. 03:07 I'm going to have to give you a big hug before we're quite done. 03:11 There is a song written by Horatius Bonar 03:14 back in the 1800s. Very simple song that he wrote 03:18 when he was going through some things in his life 03:20 called I Lay My Sin On Jesus. 03:25 He was worried about his past and expectant about his future 03:28 and so he wrote these words: 03:34 I lay my sin 03:38 on Jesus, 03:41 The spotless Lamb 03:45 of God; 03:49 He bears them all, 03:52 and frees us 03:56 from the accursed 04:00 load; 04:03 From the accursed 04:07 load. 04:10 I bring my guilt 04:14 to Jesus, 04:17 To wash 04:19 my crimson stain 04:24 White in His blood 04:28 most precious, 04:32 Till not a stain 04:36 remains... 04:39 Till not a stain 04:43 remains. 04:54 I lay my wants on Jesus; 05:00 All fullness dwells 05:04 in Him; 05:08 He healeth my 05:12 diseases, 05:15 He doth my soul 05:19 redeem... 05:23 He doth my soul 05:27 redeem. 05:44 I long to be with Jesus - 05:50 Don't you? - 05:52 Amidst the heavenly throng, 05:58 To sing with them 06:02 His praises, 06:06 And learn the angels' song... 06:13 And learn the angels' 06:17 song. 06:21 I'll lay my sins 06:25 on 06:26 Jesus. 06:50 Good morning. 06:52 Good morning. 06:53 How is everybody today? 06:56 Did you survive the graveyard shift last night? 07:01 Kind of difficult you know when you're from the eastern 07:05 time zone to have a meeting late at night. 07:09 But I hope that you weren't agreeing with me 07:12 all during the presentation. 07:19 Before we begin our study we do want to pray, 07:22 and so I invite you to bow your heads with me 07:24 as we implore the Lord's presence. 07:27 Our Father and our God, 07:29 thank you for giving us life this day. 07:33 Thank you, Father, for being a wonderful Father. 07:36 Thank you because You have told us exactly what is happening 07:40 and what will soon happen in this world. 07:44 We thank you that You have not left us in the dark. 07:47 We thank you that we know that the final movements will be 07:50 rapid ones and we see this transpiring before our eyes. 07:55 We ask that as we open Your Holy Word this morning 07:57 Your Holy Spirit will be with us 07:59 through the ministry of Your holy angels 08:02 to open minds and hearts. 08:04 And thank you, Father, for hearing our prayer 08:08 because we come boldly to the throne of grace 08:10 in the name of Jesus. Amen. 08:16 In this series we are studying about the four Elijahs 08:20 that are mentioned in scripture. 08:22 The first Elijah is the historical Elijah 08:26 or the Old Testament Elijah. 08:28 He is the root and foundation of the other Elijahs. 08:32 The second Elijah is the one that I call 08:35 the prophetic Elijah. 08:37 And the prophetic Elijah can also be called the New Testament 08:40 Elijah. It is John the Baptist. 08:43 And this evening we will be studying about the prophetic 08:46 Elijah. And then we have the ecclesiastical Elijah 08:51 which is what we studied last night, the church of Thyatira. 08:54 The Elijah during the Dark Ages. 08:57 And finally we have what I call the apocalyptic Elijah. 09:01 That's the Elijah that will come to this world 09:04 immediately before the second coming of Jesus Christ. 09:09 Now there's a governing principle that we need to keep 09:12 in mind when we study these Elijah prophecies. 09:17 And that principle is that the first two Elijahs 09:21 are literal individuals 09:24 and their enemies are literal individuals 09:28 localized in the land of Israel 09:32 whereas the last two Elijahs - 09:33 the ecclesiastical Elijah and the apocalyptic Elijah - 09:37 are actually world-wide systems, 09:40 world-wide movements, that are symbolized 09:43 by the literal individuals in the Elijah story. 09:47 Now the Bible tells us that God promises to send Elijah 09:52 immediately before the second coming. 09:54 I'd like to read Malachi chapter 4 and verses 5 and 6 10:00 where we find this Elijah prophecy about the end time. 10:04 It says there: "Behold, 10:07 I will send you Elijah the prophet 10:10 before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 10:16 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children 10:19 and the hearts of the children to their fathers 10:22 lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. " 10:27 So we are to expect an end-time Elijah. 10:31 Now as I mentioned in our first study 10:34 Elijah never appears alone. 10:37 You can't say that Elijah comes at the end 10:40 without also having the three enemies of Elijah 10:44 along with him. 10:45 Because the entire story of the Old Testament 10:49 and of the New Testament Elijah 10:51 is repeated on a larger scale in the last two Elijahs. 10:55 And so when Elijah appears - 10:58 which he will before the second coming - 11:00 we must expect his three enemies to appear with him 11:05 as well. And we should also expect that the message 11:08 of the end-time Elijah will be like the message 11:11 of the Elijahs of the Old Testament and the New Testament. 11:16 In other words, the Old Testament and New Testament 11:18 stories are the root. And the New Testament stories 11:22 that we find in the case of the church in the Middle Ages 11:26 and the end-time church must be global and based 11:30 on the root prophecy of the Old Testament. 11:33 Now let's review what we studied last evening 11:38 in our first presentation. 11:39 Let's review what we said about the ecclesiastical Elijah. 11:43 I'm going to go quickly. 11:45 You'll remember that in Revelation chapter 2 11:49 beginning with verse 18 Jezebel is mentioned. 11:53 Now if Jezebel is mentioned immediately that should awaken 11:56 in our minds the Elijah story. 11:59 And we should look for the protagonists that accompany 12:03 Jezebel in the Old Testament story. 12:06 And so we find Jezebel, 12:09 this apostate church of the Middle Ages or of the Dark Ages, 12:15 fornicating with the kings of Europe. 12:19 Beginning with the days of Constantine in Western Europe 12:23 the church becomes linked with the political powers. 12:26 You are not only dealing with one king now in Israel. 12:29 It's much broader. 12:30 You're dealing with a religious apostate system 12:33 symbolized by Jezebel that is fornicating with 12:36 the kings. In other words, has illicit relationships 12:39 with the state. We also noticed in the story 12:42 that daughters were born from this system. 12:45 And we know that in the 16th century daughters 12:48 that share many of the beliefs and practices of this apostate 12:52 religious system were born from her. 12:54 We also noticed that this system mixed paganism 13:00 with Christianity just like Jezebel mixed 13:02 God-worship with Baal-worship. 13:05 Also we found that this Jezebel of the Middle Ages - 13:10 this apostate religious system - 13:12 actually embraced the worship on the day of the sun 13:17 from paganism. 13:19 Just like in the Old Testament story you have Jezebel 13:22 imposing the worship of the sun god Baal. 13:26 We also noticed that because of this apostasy 13:29 no rain was to fall during the period of her dominion. 13:34 And of course, rain represents doctrine. 13:39 And when there is rain there is true doctrine, 13:42 there is true teaching. When there is no rain 13:44 there's a scarcity of true doctrine. 13:46 This is exactly what happened during the 1260 years. 13:50 We also noticed that God gave this religious system 13:54 time to repent 13:56 but this system did not repent. 13:59 The period that God gave her to repent 14:02 was time, times, and the dividing of time: 14:05 three and a half prophetic years. 14:06 Just like in the Old Testament 14:08 story we have 3-1/2 literal years 14:10 in the case of literal Elijah. 14:13 We also noticed that in the story that we find concerning 14:17 the Middle Ages, the faithful remnant had to flee 14:21 to the wilderness. And immediately we think of 14:23 the Waldenses and the Albigenses 14:26 and all those who had to flee to the desolated places 14:29 of the earth because they were being persecuted by this 14:32 apostate religious system that had blended Christianity 14:36 with paganism. We noticed also that 14:39 Elijah was blamed for the calamities just like 14:43 the Waldenses and the Albigenses 14:45 were blamed because of all of the turmoil and the disease 14:49 and all of the problems that existed in Western Europe. 14:53 We also noticed that spiritual Jezebel wanted to 14:56 slay or wanted to kill these people who were followers 15:00 of God. We noticed that God prepared a place 15:04 for those who were being persecuted. 15:07 And in this place God fed His people. 15:11 So you have all kinds of Elijah terminology 15:15 and, of course, this lasted 3-1/2 symbolic years. 15:19 We also noticed that at the end of her career 15:22 she was thrown into a sickbed. 15:24 This is the same as the deadly wound. 15:27 But the sickbed does not mean 15:29 that she's out of commission forever 15:31 because the book of Revelation says that her deadly wound 15:34 will be healed... which means that Jezebel will reign again. 15:38 And if Jezebel will reign again 15:41 that means that the other protagonists of the story 15:44 will also come into view because Jezebel never appears alone. 15:48 You have to study the entire and complete story 15:52 as we find it in the Old Testament. 15:54 Are you understanding the principle? 15:56 Now, let's talks about the Old Testament Elijah. 16:00 This is the root prophecy 16:02 and this is the one that we're going to look at 16:04 this morning... because everything else is based 16:07 on the root story of the Old Testament Elijah. 16:10 Now, in the story of Elijah there is a three-fold alliance. 16:16 First of all, there is a king. 16:20 He is the political ruler. 16:22 In other words, he can make political decrees. 16:25 Secondly, there is a harlot woman. 16:28 This harlot woman also has false prophets 16:33 that do her bidding and extend her religion. 16:37 Through these false prophets she actually controls 16:41 the children of Israel. 16:44 God called Elijah to denounce this apostasy, 16:48 to denounce this going astray from the Lord. 16:52 And Elijah, of course, when he preaches God's message 16:55 is hated and he's persecuted. 16:58 His main message to Israel is: "Come back 17:02 to the Lord your Creator. " 17:05 Now let's analyze each one of the protagonists 17:08 individually because as we study the Old Testament 17:12 story we're going to see that the characters of these 17:17 individuals actually foreshadow the characters in the case of 17:22 the days of Jesus, John the Baptist. 17:24 They also foreshadow the character of the individuals 17:28 during the Middle Ages as well as the end-time Elijah. 17:32 So let's look at first the king. 17:35 Go with me to I Kings chapter 16 and verses 30 and 31. 17:39 I Kings 16:30-31. 17:44 I want you to notice here 17:46 that the king carries on an illegitimate relationship 17:51 with this harlot woman Jezebel. 17:53 And she instigates him as the king to do her bidding. 17:58 In other words, Jezebel controls the king 18:01 and gets the king to do what she wants. 18:03 Notice once again I Kings 16:30-31. 18:09 Says there: "Now Ahab 18:11 the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord 18:15 more than all who were before him. 18:17 And it came to pass as though it had been a trivial thing 18:20 for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam 18:23 the son of Nebat that he took as a wife 18:26 Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, 18:29 king of the Sidonians. And he went and served Baal 18:34 and worshiped him. " 18:36 So here we find a king linking up with this apostate 18:40 woman Jezebel... with this harlot Jezebel 18:42 as she's called in II Kings chapter 9 and verse 22. 18:46 Now what kind of character did Ahab have? 18:50 Was he? Did he have a mind of his own? 18:52 Did he do what he wanted to do? 18:54 Absolutely not. 18:56 He was a weakling. He was easily manipulated 19:00 by the strong-willed Jezebel. 19:02 Notice what we find in Prophets and Kings page 115 19:06 where Ellen White describes the character of this king 19:11 Ahab. She says: "Ahab was weak in moral power. 19:16 His union by marriage with an idolatrous woman 19:20 of decided character and positive temperament 19:24 resulted disastrously both to himself and to the nation. " 19:29 Then she says: "Unprincipled and with no high standard of 19:35 right doing, his character was easily molded by the determined 19:40 spirit of Jezebel. " 19:43 In other words, Jezebel manipulates the king. 19:46 She uses the king. 19:47 And the king who has no principles, 19:50 who has a weak moral character, 19:52 simply goes along. 19:54 Does this sound like something that's going to happen 19:56 in the end time with the kings of the earth? 19:58 Absolutely! Now let's look at the character of Jezebel, 20:02 the harlot woman. 20:03 Go with me to II Kings chapter 9 and verse 22 20:07 where we find several details about this apostate woman. 20:11 It says there: "Now it happened when Joram 20:14 saw Jehu that he said: 'Is it peace, Jehu? ' 20:18 So he answered: 'What peace 20:21 as long as the harlotries... ' 20:23 Notice she's called a harlot. 20:24 'the harlotries of your mother... ' 20:27 She is called the mother. 20:28 'Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many. ' " 20:32 So notice: she was a harlot. 20:34 She was involved in witchcraft 20:37 and she is called the mother. 20:40 Now go with me to I Kings chapter 21 and verses 8-10 20:45 where once again we find how Jezebel 20:48 uses the political power to accomplish her purposes. 20:52 It's as if the king doesn't exist. 20:54 He simply goes along with what she wants. 20:57 It says there... 20:59 and this is, of course, speaking about the experience 21:02 of Naboth. You know Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard. 21:05 And he bargained with him. He said: "Sell it to me. " 21:08 Naboth said: "No. " So Jezebel says: "I'll take care of it. " 21:10 Notice what kind of person she was. 21:12 It says: "And she wrote letters in Ahab's name, 21:15 sealed them with his seal... " 21:17 She's using the seal of the king. 21:19 "and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles 21:22 who were dwelling in the city with Naboth. 21:24 She wrote in the letters saying... " She's using the seal 21:27 of the king... "She wrote in the letters saying 21:30 'Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth with high honor 21:34 among the people and seat two men 21:36 scoundrels before him to bear witness 21:40 against him saying you have blasphemed God and the king. 21:44 Then take him out and stone him that he may die. ' " 21:48 False witness. 21:51 Using the power of the king 21:54 to slay everyone who was against her agenda. 21:58 In fact we are clearly told 22:03 that Jezebel enticed the king to do evil. 22:07 We are told there: "But there was no one like Ahab 22:11 who sold himself to do wicked- ness in the sight of the Lord 22:16 because Jezebel, his wife, stirred him up. " 22:20 So she represents a religious system 22:26 that uses the political power to accomplish her purposes. 22:31 And the political powers with no backbone 22:34 simply go along. 22:37 Now Jezebel imposed a syncretistic religion. 22:41 In other words, a religion that was a mixture between 22:43 God-worship and Baal-worship. 22:46 In I Kings chapter 18 verse 21 we find this indicated 22:50 when Elijah speaks to Israel on Mt. Carmel. 22:54 Notice what he says: 22:55 "And Elijah came to all the people and said: 22:58 'How long will you falter between two opinions? 23:02 If the Lord is God, follow Him. 23:05 But if Baal, follow him. ' 23:08 But the people answered him not a word. " 23:11 Notice that Elijah's message at this point 23:15 was fruitless because the people simply kept silent. 23:19 But the fact that Elijah says: "Why do you falter 23:22 between two opinions? " means that they were trying to 23:25 serve two masters. They were attempting to serve God 23:28 but at the same time they had an infiltration of paganism. 23:34 Now she imposed the worship of Baal. 23:37 Who was Baal? 23:38 Baal was the ancient sun god of the Phoenicians. 23:43 In fact, in Hosea 2 verse 8 we are told that Baal 23:46 was given creative power. It was believed that Baal was 23:49 the Creator. Notice what it says in Hosea chapter 2 and verse 8. 23:54 God is indicting Israel and He says: 23:57 "Nor did she know that I gave her... " 24:01 That Israel... that is, Israel... 24:02 "that I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, 24:06 and multiplied her silver and gold 24:09 which they prepared for Baal. " 24:13 They attributed creative power to Baal... the sun god. 24:17 Ellen White in Testimonies for the Church Vol. 3 page 282 24:22 confirms that Baal was the sun god. 24:25 And Israel was worshiping one who was not the Creator, 24:29 a false creator. She says 24:32 speaking about what the prophets of Baal did on Mt. Carmel: 24:36 "Their pleadings are mingled 24:39 with cursings to their sun god. " 24:41 Notice: "to their sun god. " 24:44 "but he did not send fire upon their altars. " 24:48 And so she is imposing the worship of the sun god. 24:52 Is there any relationship between that and what happens 24:55 in the end time? 24:57 Yeah, you are no longer dealing with a literal sun.. 25:00 you're dealing in the end time with the day of the sun. 25:04 And we will see that there is a clear connection 25:06 in our last study tomorrow morning. 25:09 Now as I mentioned, Jezebel was a murderess 25:13 of everyone who did not agree with her. 25:15 In I Kings chapter 18 and verse 4 we are told 25:18 "For so it was while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the 25:23 Lord that Obadiah had taken 100 prophets and hidden them 25:27 50 to a cave and had fed them with bread and water. " 25:31 Here we find God's people hiding from the wrath of Jezebel 25:35 because we're told that she massacred 25:38 the prophets of the Lord. 25:39 In other words, she delighted in shedding the blood 25:42 of those who disagreed with her syncretistic religion. 25:48 In fact, after the episode on Mt. Carmel 25:52 Jezebel spoke to Elijah and she said: "You're going to die 25:55 just like they did. " I Kings chapter 19 verses 1-2 25:59 we find these words: "And Ahab told Jezebel 26:03 all that Elijah had done. 26:05 Also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 26:09 Then Jezebel sent the messenger to Elijah saying: 26:13 'So let the gods do to me 26:15 and more also if I do not make your life 26:19 as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. ' " 26:24 And so here we find this murderous woman who hates 26:29 God's prophet because of the message that he has delivered. 26:32 So we've studied the king. 26:34 We've studied the characteristics of the harlot. 26:38 Now let's take a look at the apostate priesthood 26:41 or the apostate false prophet that did the bidding of Jezebel. 26:46 In I Kings chapter 18 and verse 19 26:49 we are told that Jezebel fed the false prophets. 26:53 And by the way, you don't bite the hand that feeds you. 26:58 In other words, they simply did what she said. 27:01 We are told there: "Now therefore 27:04 send and gather all Israel to me on Mt. Carmel" - 27:07 here Elijah is speaking - 27:08 "the 450 prophets of Baal, 27:11 and the 400 prophets of Asherah 27:14 who... " What? "who eat at Jezebel's table. " 27:19 And so basically they also do what she says. 27:22 They are religious cohorts if you please 27:25 of Jezebel to extend the religion of this apostate 27:29 harlot woman. 27:31 And through this triple alliance: 27:34 the king, Jezebel, and the false prophets 27:38 the people of Israel were deceived and controlled 27:42 with the exception of a very small remnant. 27:45 In fact, in I Kings chapter 21 and verse 22 27:49 we are told that Ahab and Jezebel actually were the ones 27:52 that enticed the entire people to sin. 27:55 They had control over the multitudes in other words. 27:59 Here it says: "I will make your house... " 28:01 God is predicting what's going to happen to Ahab. 28:04 "I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam 28:06 the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha 28:09 the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation 28:13 with which you have provoked My anger 28:15 and made... " Who? "and made Israel sin. " 28:20 And so this triple alliance actually makes Israel sin 28:24 and they have the entire people almost with the exception of 28:28 a small remnant practicing this false worship. 28:33 In I Kings chapter 19 and verse 10 28:36 we are also told once again that the children of Israel 28:39 were enticed by this triple alliance 28:41 to be on the side of error. 28:44 It says there: "So he said... " Elijah is speaking. 28:47 "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts 28:51 for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, 28:55 torn down Your altars, 28:57 and killed Your prophets with the sword. " 28:59 Notice the children of Israel have done this. 29:02 And then he says: "I alone am left 29:05 and they... " That is, the children of Israel... 29:07 "seek to take my life. " 29:10 So let me ask you: did Jezebel and Ahab 29:13 and the false prophets have almost full control 29:16 over the people? Over the multitudes, nations, 29:19 tongues, and peoples? Absolutely. 29:22 Now let's talk about the role of the fourth protagonist 29:26 in the story: Elijah. 29:28 God raises up Elijah to denounce this apostasy 29:32 and to bring God's people back to the straight and narrow. 29:36 You see, Elijah is not an innovator. 29:40 Elijah is a reformer 29:43 who wants to bring Israel back to where they once were. 29:47 The mission of Elijah is to call God's people 29:50 who have been deceived by this triple alliance 29:53 to come out of apostasy. 29:55 He preaches about the true Creator God 29:58 and he calls Israel to come back. He's not an innovator. 30:02 He is a reformer and he is a restorer. 30:05 He's seeking to restore true worship. 30:08 He's seeking to restore the true covenant sacrifice. 30:11 He's seeking to restore the commandments of God. 30:14 And interestingly enough, his message was not for 30:17 the unchurched but for the churched! 30:21 You see, the message of Elijah is given to Israel. 30:26 Would this perhaps mean that in the end time the Elijah message 30:30 will go to an apostate Christendom? 30:33 Doesn't go to the secular. It goes to a people 30:38 that claim to serve the true God. 30:40 Now, the succinct message of Elijah is to bring God's people 30:45 back once again to the religion that they knew 30:50 when they were on God's side. 30:52 In I Kings chapter 18 and verse 37 30:56 we find this clear indication that Elijah is actually 31:02 one who restores Israel to what they once were. 31:05 Here Elijah says in his prayer: 31:09 "Hear me, oh Lord, hear me... 31:12 that this people may know that You are the Lord God 31:15 and that You... " Now listen carefully: 31:17 "and that You have... " What? "turned their hearts 31:21 back to You again. " 31:23 He's the restorer. 31:25 In other words, he's not an innovator. He's not bringing 31:27 a new religion. He's saying to Israel: 31:29 "Return to the Lord your Creator. " 31:32 Now I want to read also Luke 1 verse 16. 31:35 This verse is dealing with the New Testament Elijah 31:37 but the principle applies that the New Testament Elijah 31:41 is also called to be a restorer. 31:44 We'll study this particular verse this evening. 31:47 It says in Luke 1 and verse 16 31:49 speaking about John the Baptist, the New Testament Elijah: 31:53 "And he will turn... " Listen carefully: 31:56 "many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. " 32:00 Now wait a minute. He's going to turn who to the Lord their God? 32:04 The children of Israel. 32:06 So had the children of Israel gone astray from the Lord 32:09 their God? Absolutely. This is a message for Israel! 32:13 It's a message for those who profess to be God's people. 32:16 It's not a message for atheists and for secular people, 32:19 people that profess no religion. 32:21 It's a message for people who belong to God's church. 32:26 In Matthew chapter 17 verse 11 one again speaking about 32:29 the New Testament Elijah - but the New Testament Elijah 32:32 is connected with the Old Testament one - 32:34 we are told about Elijah: 32:37 "Indeed Elijah is coming first... " And listen carefully: 32:42 "and will restore all things. " 32:46 What does it mean "to restore? " 32:49 Can you restore something that has not existed before? 32:52 No! Elijah is the great restorer 32:56 of God's truth: of God's message, 32:59 of worship to the Creator, 33:00 of the commandments of God, 33:02 of the true covenant sacrifice. 33:05 In fact, we are clearly told in several texts that 33:09 Israel had broken the covenant 33:10 and they had gone astray from the Lord. 33:13 In I Kings chapter 18 and verse 30 33:15 we are told that the altar was in ruins, 33:17 which means that they had for- gotten how to worship the Lord. 33:20 It says: "Then Elijah said to all the people: 33:23 'Come near to me. ' So all the people came near to him. 33:26 And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. " 33:30 He's restoring true worship in other words. 33:33 Now the twelve... This altar was composed of 12 stones 33:37 which means that he's restoring God's Israel 33:40 because Israel had 12 tribes. 33:42 I Kings chapter 18 and verses 31 and 32: 33:45 "And Elijah took 12 stones 33:48 according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob 33:51 to whom the word of the Lord had come saying: 33:54 'Israel shall be your name. ' Then with the stones he built 33:57 an altar in the name of the Lord. " 33:59 He's restoring God's people and he's restoring true worship. 34:04 And in his prayer he invokes Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 34:09 because they are the fathers - the founding fathers - 34:11 of Israel. Notice I Kings chapter 18 verses 36 and 37. 34:16 This is on Mt. Carmel. 34:18 "And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the 34:20 evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and said: 34:24 "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel 34:28 let it be known this day that You are God in Israel 34:32 and I am Your servant 34:33 and that I have done all these things at Your word. 34:36 Hear me, O Lord, hear me... 34:39 that this people may know that You are the Lord God 34:42 and that you have... " Listen carefully now: 34:45 "and that You have turned their hearts back to You again. " 34:51 So he's restoring God's people. 34:54 He's restoring true worship. 34:56 In I Kings chapter 18 verses 17 and 18 35:00 we are also told that he is restoring the commandments 35:03 of God. It says there - and here, of course, Elijah 35:07 meets with Ahab and Ahab says: "Oh, you're the troubler 35:11 of Israel. " Notice what Elijah has to say, 35:15 I Kings 18:17-18: 35:17 "Then it happened when Ahab saw Elijah 35:20 that Ahab said to him: 'Is that you 35:23 O troubler of Israel? ' 35:25 And he answered: 'I have not troubled Israel 35:28 but you and your father's house have 35:32 in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord 35:36 and you have followed the Baals. ' " 35:38 Did Elijah have a role in restoring the commandments 35:41 of God? Yes he did. 35:43 Did he have a role in establishing true worship? 35:46 Yes he did. Did he have a role in re-establishing the 35:49 true gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ represented by 35:53 the covenant sacrifice? Absolutely! 35:56 And he rebuked Jezebel for imposing the worship 36:00 of the sun god Baal as the Creator instead of the Lord. 36:06 Now go with me to Psalm 95 and verse 6 36:09 and let's notice something very interesting. 36:12 Can you separate worship from the Sabbath? 36:15 Can you separate the Sabbath from worship? 36:19 Absolutely not. 36:21 Notice Psalm 95 and verse 6. 36:23 Here the Psalmist says: "Oh come, let us worship 36:29 and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. " 36:35 Why do we worship God? 36:37 Because God is our what? God is our Creator. 36:41 And let me ask you: did God give us a sign 36:44 to remind us that He is the Creator? 36:47 Absolutely. What is the sign? 36:49 The sign is the Sabbath. 36:51 This is the reason why in the end time... 36:53 And I'll get ahead of myself a little bit... 36:55 We are told in the first angel's message that God's people, 36:58 God's end-time Elijah, will bring people back to worshiping 37:02 the Creator God. 37:04 It says there in Revelation 14:6-7: 37:07 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven 37:10 having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who 37:13 dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue and people 37:16 saying with a loud voice: 'Fear God 37:18 and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment 37:21 has come. And worship Him who made heaven and earth, 37:24 the sea and springs of water. ' " 37:26 A clear allusion to the fourth commandment 37:29 in Exodus chapter 20. 37:31 God's end-time Elijah will call people back 37:35 to the worship of the Creator and of His day - 37:38 which is the Sabbath - in contrast with the day 37:40 of the sun. 37:42 Now because of the apostasy in the days of Elijah 37:46 there were terrible calamities 37:48 that overtook the nation of Israel. 37:50 There was a famine. 37:52 I Kings chapter 18 and verse 5 37:55 we are told: "And Ahab had said to Obadiah 37:58 'Go into the land to all the springs of water 38:01 and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass 38:04 to keep the horses and mules alive 38:07 so that we will not have to kill any livestock. ' " 38:12 The drought was terrible! 38:14 The famine was terrible. 38:15 It was because of the apostasy and yet who was blamed? 38:20 Elijah was blamed. 38:22 In II Chronicles 7:13-14 38:24 which we read in our presentation last evening 38:27 we are told why rain would not fall in Israel. 38:31 Here God says: "When I shut up heaven 38:34 and there is no rain or command the locust 38:37 to devour the land or send pestilence among My people... " 38:40 I'm almost tempted to say tornadoes. 38:44 "If my people... " 38:46 Notice He's talking about His people... 38:48 it's not the secular people. 38:49 "If My people who are called by My name... " 38:52 See, they claim His name. 38:53 "will humble themselves and pray and seek My face 38:57 and turn from their wicked ways 38:59 then I will hear from heaven 39:01 and will forgive their sin and I will heal their land. " 39:05 But those who were guilty 39:08 refused to recognize that they were at fault 39:12 and so they blamed the prophet Elijah. 39:14 In fact, in I Kings 18:17 when Elijah finally goes before 39:18 Ahab, we read this before: 39:21 "Then it happened when Ahab saw Elijah 39:23 that Ahab said to him: 39:25 'Is that you, O troubler of Israel? ' " 39:28 In Prophets and Kings page 126 39:31 we find Ellen White's comment about this persecution 39:36 against Elijah and the fact that Elijah was blamed 39:40 by this triple alliance. 39:41 She says: "Jezebel utterly refused to recognize 39:45 the drought as a judgment from Jehovah. 39:47 Unyielding in her determination to defy the God of heaven 39:51 she, with nearly the whole of Israel, 39:55 united in denouncing Elijah as the cause of all their misery. 40:00 Had he not born testimony against their forms of worship? 40:05 If only he could be put out of the way, 40:08 she argued, the anger of their gods would be appeased 40:12 and their troubles would end. " 40:16 And so Elijah is persecuted 40:19 because the triple alliance tells the people: 40:22 "He is to blame for all of our calamities. " 40:25 Does this ring a bell when it comes to the end time? 40:28 Absolutely. This is the foundation. 40:31 I Kings chapter 18 verse 10 we are told: 40:34 "As the Lord your God lives there is no nation or kingdom 40:38 where my master... " This is when the servant 40:40 of the king meets with Elijah. "There is no nation or kingdom 40:45 where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you. 40:48 And when they said 'He is not here' 40:51 he took an oath from the kingdom or nation 40:54 that they could not find you. " 40:56 In other words, it was so serious 40:57 that when the messenger went to a certain city or a certain 41:01 nation he would ask: "Have you seen Elijah? " 41:03 They had to swear with an oath that they had not seen Elijah. 41:06 In other words, he was sought in every nation 41:09 in every place. 41:11 Prophets and Kings page 137 41:14 we find these words: "For three years 41:16 the messenger of woe was sought for in city 41:20 after city and nation after nation. 41:23 At the mandate of Ahab many rulers had given their oath 41:26 of honor that the strange prophet could not be found 41:29 in their dominions. Yet the search was continued 41:33 for Jezebel and the prophets of Baal hated Elijah 41:37 with deadly hatred and they spared no effort 41:39 to bring him within reach of their power 41:42 and still there was no rain. " 41:45 So where did Elijah have to flee? 41:48 Elijah had to flee to the wilderness. 41:52 Did God have a place prepared for Elijah in the wilderness? 41:55 Yes! In fact, God commanded Elijah 41:58 'Go to the brook Cherith. 42:00 I have a place prepared there for you. " 42:03 And we're told that not only did God prepare a place 42:06 for Elijah to find refuge from the wrath of this triple 42:09 alliance but we are also told 42:12 that God fed His prophet there. 42:16 His waters were sure and his bread was sure 42:20 there where he was hiding 42:22 from the wrath of this triple alliance. 42:25 Let me ask you: was Elijah whisked out of the world 42:30 so that he would not experience the tribulation? 42:33 Absolutely not! 42:35 Elijah was here during this period of tribulation. 42:39 He had to flee; he had to hide... 42:42 yet he was sustained by the Lord. 42:45 In other words, he was not saved from experiencing 42:50 tribulation. He was saved in the midst of tribulation. 42:54 He was not whisked away to some other place 42:57 so that things would be easy for him. 42:59 Now up to this point the message of Elijah 43:04 has not experienced any response... 43:06 any positive response from the people. 43:08 We are told that on Mt. Carmel when Elijah said: "If the Lord 43:12 is God, follow Him... if Baal, follow him 43:15 the people answered him not a word. " 43:17 It was necessary to have a powerful manifestation 43:21 of God's power from heaven in order for Elijah's 43:24 message to have an impact and convert the people. 43:27 In I Kings chapter 18 and verse 21 43:30 we find these words: "And Elijah came to all the people 43:34 and said: 'How long will you falter between two opinions? 43:38 If the Lord is God, follow Him... 43:40 but if Baal, follow him. ' 43:42 But the people answered him not a word. " 43:45 Not until the fire comes down from heaven 43:47 will people be convicted. 43:49 In Prophets and Kings page 147 43:52 Ellen White remarks about this experience. 43:54 "Facing King Ahab and the false prophets 43:57 and surrounded by the assembled hosts of Israel 44:01 Elijah stands... the only one who has appeared to vindicate 44:05 the honor of Jehovah. 44:07 He whom the whole kingdom is charged with its weight 44:10 of woe is now before them apparently defenseless 44:13 in the presence of the monarch of Israel, 44:16 the prophets of Baal, the men of war, 44:18 and the surrounding thousands but Elijah is not alone. 44:23 Above and around him are the protecting hosts of heaven, 44:27 angels that excel in strength. " 44:31 Now we don't have time to get into this, but what was 44:34 the worship style of the prophets of Baal like? 44:38 They shouted; they jumped; 44:42 they rolled; and they even came to the point of 44:46 cutting themselves in order to invoke the blessing 44:50 of their god Baal, 44:53 but there was no answer from heaven. 44:57 What is it that finally brought conviction 45:00 to God's people and brought them back to the Lord? 45:05 Folks, it was the fire from heaven. 45:09 Notice I Kings chapter 18 and verses 38 and 39. 45:14 I Kings chapter 18 verses 38 and 39 says: 45:18 "Then the fire of the Lord fell 45:20 and consumed the burnt sacrifice 45:23 and the wood and the stones and the dust 45:27 and it licked up the water that was in the trench. " 45:29 Probably a hole as big as the one that you find in Arizona: 45:34 that meteorite that supposedly fell millions and millions 45:38 of years ago... which we know isn't true. 45:41 The power could not be denied! 45:44 And so notice the response, verse 39: 45:47 "Now when all the people saw it they fell on their faces 45:51 and they said: 'The Lord, He is God! 45:54 The Lord, He is God! ' " 45:56 In Prophets and Kings pages 152 and 153 46:00 we find the inspired commentary 46:02 of what happened there on Mt. Carmel. 46:05 "No sooner is the prayer of Elijah ended 46:08 than flames of fire like brilliant flashes of lightning 46:12 descend from heaven upon the upreared altar 46:16 consuming the sacrifice, licking up the water 46:19 in the trench, and consuming even the stones of the altar. 46:22 The brilliancy of the blaze... " Because this is at the hour 46:26 of the evening sacrifice, folks, right around sundown. 46:29 "The brilliancy of the blaze illumines the mountain 46:33 and dazzles the eyes of the multitude 46:35 in the valleys below where many are watching 46:38 in anxious suspense the movements of those above. 46:42 The descent of fire is clearly seen 46:45 and all are amazed at the sight. 46:47 It resembles the pillar of fire 46:50 which at the Red Sea separated the children of Israel 46:52 from the Egyptian host. " 46:54 What does fire represent in scripture? 46:57 Fire represents the Holy Spirit. 47:00 The descent of fire on the Day of Pentecost 47:04 was a sign that God had accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 47:08 And so the fire that consumed the sacrifice 47:11 that came and gave a boost to the message of Elijah 47:15 and brought conviction was the fire from heaven. 47:17 Is there going to be a message from heaven in the book of 47:20 Revelation that will illumine the whole earth with the glory 47:24 of the Lord? Revelation chapter 18:1-4. 47:27 That will be our subject of study tomorrow. 47:29 We will look at Elijah and his three enemies: 47:32 the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 47:35 They play the same role as the personages in the 47:39 Old Testament. Now we need to talk for a brief few moments 47:42 about the end of Jezebel, Ahab, and the prophets of Baal. 47:48 I Kings chapter 18 and verse 40 47:50 we find that after God revealed His power from heaven 47:54 the priests of Baal still insisted 47:57 that they were not going to accept. 48:01 Amazing how hardened they were. 48:04 In I Kings 18 verse 40 we are told that the very people 48:07 that admired them most were the ones that arose 48:10 for their destruction. 48:12 There it says: "And Elijah said to them: 48:15 'Seize the prophets of Baal. 48:17 Do not let one of them escape. ' 48:20 So they... " That is, the children of Israel... 48:23 "seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook 48:26 Kishon and executed them there. " 48:29 Prophets and Kings 153 and 154 we find this amazing commentary 48:34 about this experience. 48:36 "The priests of Baal witnessed with consternation 48:39 the wonderful revelation of Jehovah's power. 48:42 Yet even in their discomfiture 48:45 and in the presence of divine glory they refused 48:48 to repent of their evil doing. " 48:50 Does this sound like what's going to happen to the dragon, 48:51 the beast, and the false prophet? 48:53 They did not repent of their deeds we are told 48:55 in scripture. She says they "would still remain 48:59 the prophets of Baal. 49:00 Thus they showed themselves ripe for destruction. " 49:04 In other words, they committed the unpardonable sin. 49:06 "That repentant Israel may be protected from the 49:09 allurements of those who have taught them 49:12 to worship Baal, Elijah is directed by the Lord 49:15 to destroy these false teachers. " 49:17 Now notice who destroys them 49:19 because we're going to come back to this tomorrow. 49:21 "The anger of the people has already been aroused 49:24 against the leaders in transgression. 49:27 And when Elijah gives the command: 'Take the prophets 49:29 of Baal... let not one of them escape' 49:31 they are ready to obey. 49:33 They seize the priests and they take them to the brook Kishon 49:37 and there before the close of the day 49:39 that marked the beginning of decided reform 49:42 the ministers of Baal are slain. 49:44 Not one of them is permitted to live. 49:47 The swords that were to destroy Elijah 49:50 are used by the very people that were deceived 49:53 to destroy the prophets of Baal. " 49:56 Now what was the end of Ahab and Jezebel like? 50:00 Well the fact is in I Kings chapter 21 50:03 and verses 23 and 24 God predicted the end 50:08 of Jezebel. I Kings chapter 21 verses 23 and 24. 50:13 "And concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke saying: 50:16 'the dogs shall eat Jezebel. ' " 50:20 Do we find anything in Revelation about the beasts 50:22 of the field coming to eat individuals? 50:27 Absolutely. It's coming from this story 50:30 of Elijah: "The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. 50:34 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab 50:37 and dies in the city, and the birds of the air 50:40 shall eat whoever dies in the field. " 50:42 The beasts of the field and the birds of the air. 50:45 What was the end of Ahab like? 50:48 I Kings 22:37-38 says: "So the king died 50:52 and was brought to Samaria. 50:54 And the buried the king in Samaria. " 50:57 Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria 51:00 and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed 51:05 according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken. " 51:08 Dogs licked up the blood of Ahab. 51:11 What about Jezebel then? 51:13 We saw predicted that the dogs would eat her flesh. 51:16 II Kings 9:8-9 tells us the story. 51:20 It says: "For the whole house of Ahab shall perish 51:23 and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, 51:27 both bond and free. 51:29 So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam 51:32 the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha 51:35 the son of Ahijah. The dogs shall eat Jezebel 51:38 on the plot of the ground of Jezreel and there shall be 51:42 none to bury her. 51:44 And he opened the door and fled. " 51:47 In II Kings chapter 9 verses 30 and 31 51:51 we find the sad end. It says: 51:53 "Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel 51:56 Jezebel heard of it. And she put paint on her eyes 52:00 and adorned her hair. " 52:02 She said: "I'm going to continue enticing the king 52:04 by my beauty. " 52:06 She is dressing herself as a harlot, 52:09 but what she doesn't know is that her influence on the king 52:12 is over. And so it says she looks through the window. 52:15 "Then as Jehu entered at the gate she said: 52:18 'Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master? ' 52:22 And he looked up at the window and said: 'Who is on my side? 52:25 Who? ' So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 52:29 Then he said: 'Throw her down! ' 52:31 So they threw her down. " Notice: the woman has a fall, 52:35 right? In Revelation do you have the fall of Babylon? 52:39 Absolutely. "So they threw her down 52:41 and some of her blood spattered on the wall 52:43 and on the horses. " Notice she's trampled 52:45 by the horses. "And he trampled her underfoot. 52:49 And when he had gone in he ate and drank. 52:52 Then he said: 'Go now. See to this accursed woman 52:56 and bury her for she was a king's daughter. ' 52:59 So they went to bury her but they found no more of her 53:02 than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 53:05 Therefore they came back and told him 53:08 and he said: 'This is the word of the Lord which He spoke 53:10 by His servant Elijah the Tishbite saying: 53:13 on the plot of the ground at Jezreel 53:15 dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel. 53:17 And the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse 53:20 on the surface of the field in the plot at Jezreel 53:23 so that they shall not say here lies Jezebel. ' " 53:30 All of this is actually a prefiguring of what we find 53:34 in Revelation as we will study in our topic tomorrow. 53:38 So was the blood of God's people avenged? 53:41 Yes! II Kings 9 verse 7 53:44 says: "You shall strike down the house of Ahab 53:46 your master that I may avenge the blood of My servants 53:50 the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the Lord 53:53 at the hand of Jezebel. " 53:55 That's almost a precise quotation that is found in 53:58 Revelation chapter 17 and verse 6 54:01 speaking about the wrath of the end-time harlot. 54:04 But the story doesn't end there. 54:07 After the trial Elijah sees this cloud. 54:13 This cloud is coming. 54:15 There's a chariot coming. 54:18 There's a chariot coming to take him home. 54:21 And Elijah is translated after his trial. 54:25 After his fight with this three-fold alliance 54:28 Elijah is translated to heaven in a chariot of fire. 54:34 In II Kings chapter 2 verses 11 and 12 54:37 we find these words: "Then it happened 54:39 as they... " That is Elijah and Elisha... "continued 54:41 on and talked that suddenly a chariot of fire 54:45 appeared with horses of fire and separated the two of them. 54:50 And Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven. 54:53 And Elisha saw it and he cried out 54:56 'My father, my father... the chariot of Israel 54:59 and its horsemen. ' So he saw him no more. " 55:05 Do you know that in The Great Controversy 55:07 Ellen White describes how God's people will be translated 55:14 after they go through the end-time trial 55:16 and face this three-fold alliance? 55:20 She describes a chariot that has wings. 55:25 Of course the wings are the wings of angels. 55:28 And in the midst of the chariot is fire 55:31 because angels are compared with fire. 55:35 In fact, the word seraph where seraphim comes from 55:39 means fire. And so Elijah after his trial, 55:44 after the death decree, after having to flee, 55:47 after having to hide, 55:49 facing the wrath of the three-fold alliance, 55:51 after preaching with power and having the power 55:55 uniting with the fire from heaven and bringing conviction 55:58 to God's people, he is translated to heaven 56:01 from among the living. 56:04 Is this what is going to happen with God's people? 56:07 Absolutely. 56:09 Brings to mind that famous Negro spiritual. 56:12 You see, the person who wrote this had it straight. 56:18 Swing low, sweet chariot 56:22 comin' for to carry me home. 56:24 Swing low, sweet chariot 56:27 coming for to carry me home. 56:30 And then the next stanza says: I looked over Jordan... 56:34 And of course, Elijah and Elisha were there at Jordan. 56:37 I looked over Jordan and what did I see? 56:40 Coming for to carry me home. 56:43 What did he see? 56:44 A band of angels coming after me... 56:48 coming for to carry me home. 56:51 Folks, there's a trial ahead. 56:54 The final movements Ellen White said would be rapid ones. 56:57 We are seeing those rapid movements now! 57:00 It is time for God's people to awaken 57:02 and to proclaim the message with power. 57:05 But for that we have to have the commitment of Elijah: 57:08 a total and complete commitment to the Lord. 57:11 Not even consider our life important 57:14 but consider that sharing God's present-truth message 57:17 with the church and with the world 57:20 is of prime importance. 57:23 And like Elijah, we have this hope 57:26 that burns within our hearts: 57:28 hope in the coming of the Lord! |
Revised 2014-12-17