Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG021347A
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00:14 >>WE'RE CONTINUING WITH A SERIES OF MESSAGES.
00:17 DOES ANYONE HERE REMEMBER THAT WE WERE DOING A SERIES ON ELIJAH 00:21 AND, YOU KNOW, THEN OUR EVANGELISTIC MEETINGS CAME IN 00:24 THE MIDST OF THAT, BUT I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN. AND SO, 00:27 IF YOU'RE VISITING TODAY, I JUST WANTED TO CATCH YOU UP. 00:31 WE HAVE BEEN DOING A BRIEF SERIES ON THIS BIBLE HERO - 00:36 ONE OF THE GREAT PROPHETS OF SCRIPTURE - 00:38 BY THE NAME OF ELIJAH. AND FIRST SECTION WE TALKED 00:43 ABOUT ELIJAH'S GOING IN BEFORE AHAB. 00:46 THE PEOPLE IN THE KINGDOM HAD GIVEN THEMSELVES OVER TO BAAL 00:49 WORSHIP AND HE SAID THERE WOULD BE NEITHER DEW NOR RAIN THESE 00:53 YEARS EXCEPT AT MY WORD. 00:55 AND THEN ELIJAH DISAPPEARS AND THERE IS NO RAIN AND THERE IS NO 00:59 DEW AND A GREAT DEAL OF TIME GOES BY. 01:01 GOD TELLS ELIJAH TO HIDE BY THE BROOK CHERITH, WHICH IS ON THE 01:05 EASTERN SIDE OF THE JORDAN VALLEY AND RUNS DOWN INTO THE 01:09 JORDAN AND GOD FEES HIM THERE MIRACULOUSLY. 01:12 RAVENS BRING HIM BREAD AND THEY BRING HIM FOOD TWICE A DAY. 01:18 THEN GOD TELLS - THE BROOK DRIES UP AND GOD TELLS ELIJAH TO GO TO 01:22 STAY WITH A WIDOW THAT HE HAD CHOSEN UP IN ZEREPHATH, WHICH IS 01:27 UP IN THE COUNTRY NOT FAR FROM WHERE JEZEBEL'S FROM. 01:30 IT'S, OH ABOUT FIFTY MILES NORTH OF JEZREEL OR MOUNT CARMEL. 01:36 AND HE STAYS THERE FOR AWHILE AND GOD MIRACULOUSLY FEEDS THEM 01:40 THROUGH THIS BIN OF FLOUR THAT SEEMS TO JUST ALWAYS HAVE MORE 01:43 IN IT WHENEVER THEY REACH IN. KIND OF LIKE JESUS MULTIPLYING 01:46 THE BREAD. AND THERE'S A LITTLE OIL AND IT 01:48 ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE OIL LEFT AND HE 01:50 MIRACULOUSLY MULTIPLIES THE FOOD, FEEDS ELIJAH AND THIS LADY 01:54 AND HER FAMILY FOR MANY DAYS. AND AFTER MANY DAYS IT SAYS THAT 01:58 HER SON BECOMES VERY ILL AND DIES. 02:02 AND GOD PERFORMS AND INCREDIBLE MIRACLE WHERE ELIJAH BRINGS THE 02:07 CHILD UP TO HIS ROOM AND PRAYS AND GOD PERFORMS A RESURRECTION. 02:11 FIRST RESURRECTION IN THE BIBLE THAT YOU FIND. 02:16 AND THEN AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS IS WHERE WE TAKE UP OUR 02:18 STORY. IF YOU'LL TURN IN YOUR BIBLES 02:20 WITH ME TO THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS - 1 KINGS CHAPTER 18. 02:33 AFTER HE RESURRECTS THE BOY OF THIS WIDOW SHE SAYS, IN VERSE 24 02:38 OF CHAPTER 17, "'NOW BY THIS I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A MAN OF GOD, 02:42 AND THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD IN YOUR MOUTH IS THE TRUTH.'" 02:46 THROUGH THE MIRACULOUS RESURRECTION OF THE SON WE KNOW 02:49 THE WORD IN HIS MOUTH IS TRUTH AND IT'S THROUGH THE MIRACULOUS 02:52 RESURRECTION OF JESUS WE KNOW THE WORD OF GOD IN HIS MOUTH WAS 02:56 TRUTH - IT IS TRUTH. 02:59 AND IN CHAPTER 18, VERSE 1, "AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER MANY DAYS 03:05 THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ELIJAH, IN THE THIRD YEAR, 03:08 SAYING, 'GO, PRESENT YOURSELF TO AHAB, AND I WILL SEND RAIN ON 03:14 THE EARTH.'" NOW, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT TIME PERIOD. 03:18 WE JUST READ IN OUR SCRIPTURE READING WHERE IT SAYS IN THE 03:21 BOOK OF JAMES THAT ELIJAH PRAYED AND IT RAINED NOT ON THE EARTH 03:25 FOR THE SPACE OF THREE YEARS AND SIX MONTHS. 03:27 AND SO WHEN IT SAYS HERE 'AFTER MANY DAYS AND IN THE THIRD YEAR' 03:31 - THE WAY THIS IS WRITTEN IN THE ORIGINAL HEBREW, WHEN IT SAYS 03:34 'IN THE THIRD YEAR' IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT BEFORE THREE YEARS 03:37 WERE UP, IT MEANS SOME TIME AFTER THE THREE YEARS ARE UP. 03:40 WE READ FROM THE OTHER SCRIPTURES THIS IS THREE AND A 03:42 HALF YEARS. NOW THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT TIME 03:45 PERIOD IN THE BIBLE - WHEN IT SAYS 'AFTER MANY DAYS'. 03:49 IT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY REFERRED TO PROPHETIC PERIODS. 03:52 SEE, A PERFECT CYCLE IN THE BIBLE IS SEVEN. 03:56 SEVEN IS THE PERFECT NUMBER FOR GOD. 03:58 IF YOU WANTED TO PERFECTLY DISSECT OR INTERRUPT SEVEN, YOU 04:01 CHOP IT IN HALF, YOU END UP WITH THREE AND A HALF. 04:04 THREE AND A HALF OFTEN REPRESENTS A TIME OF TRIAL, 04:07 PERSECUTION, HARDSHIP, RESISTANCE, APOSTASY - AND YOU 04:13 SEE SEVERAL TIMES IN THE BIBLE PROPHECIES THIS TIME PERIOD OF 04:18 THREE AND A HALF. NOW YOU'LL SEE IT UP ON THE 04:20 SCREEN HERE, IT COMES OUT SEVERAL WAYS. 04:22 SOMETIMES IT SAYS, 'A TIME, A TIMES AND HALF A TIME' AND WHAT 04:27 THAT MEANS IS A TIME IS ONE YEAR - THAT MEANS A COMPLETE CYCLE OF 04:31 THE SEASONS IS A CALLED A TIME. 04:33 A TIMES - MEANING A PAIR OR A COUPLE OF TIMES IS TWO. 04:38 SO NOW YOU'VE GOT THREE AND A DIVIDING OR A HALF OF A TIME - 04:41 HALF OF A YEAR - THREE AND A HALF. 04:43 THAT'S ONE WAY IT'S SAID IN THE BIBLE. 04:44 ANOTHER WAY IT SIMPLY SAYS THREE AND A HALF YEARS - AS WE JUST 04:47 READ IN JAMES. IT ALSO SAYS 42 MONTHS. 04:51 SEE, THE JEWISH YEAR HAD 360 DAYS FOR CALCULATION AND THAT'S 04:56 42 MONTHS AND THEN IT ALSO SAYS 1,260 DAYS. 05:00 SOME OF THE PLACES YOU'LL FIND THAT IN THE BIBLE - I THINK 05:03 THERE'S AT LEAST SEVEN TIMES IT APPEARS IN PROPHECY. 05:06 LET ME GIVE THOSE TO YOU QUICKLY: DANIEL 7:25 - SPEAKING 05:10 OF THE BEAST POWER - "FOR A TIME AND TIMES AND HALF A TIME." 05:15 DANIEL 7:12, "A TIME AND TIMES AND HALF A TIME." 05:20 REVELATION 11:2, "FORTY-TWO MONTHS". REVELATION 11:3, 05:25 "ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS" - SAME PERIOD. 05:29 REVELATION 12:6, "ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS." 05:33 REVELATION 13:5 - CONNECTED WITH THE BEAST POWER, "FORTY-TWO 05:37 MONTHS" - AND YOU KNOW ONE OF THE PLACES MOST PEOPLE MISS - 05:41 NOT ONLY THE STORY OF ELIJAH WHERE THERE'S 1,260 DAYS OF 05:45 FAMINE, IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER - DID YOU KNOW IN THE BOOK OF 05:48 ESTHER - VERY INTERESTING - IT BEGINS - ESTHER CHAPTER 1, VERSE 05:53 3, IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE REIGN OF AHASUERUS THE KING, HE 05:58 MADE A FEAST FOR ALL OF HIS OFFICIALS AND SERVANTS AND THE 06:01 FEAST LASTED 180 DAYS. THE THIRD YEAR OF HIS REIGN PLUS 06:05 180 - YOU KNOW, THAT'S EXACTLY 1260 DAYS. 06:09 THAT'S THREE AND A HALF YEARS. 06:10 AND WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END OF THAT PERIOD? 06:12 THE PAGAN QUEEN IS DETHRONED AND A PROCESS IS BEGUN TO CHOOSE A 06:18 JEWISH QUEEN THAT SAVES THE PEOPLE. 06:20 AND SO, YOU REMEMBER, THERE WAS A DEATH DECREE, IN THE BOOK OF 06:23 ESTHER, TO ANNIHILATE ALL OF GOD'S PEOPLE. 06:26 SO IT SORT OF IS AN ECHO OF WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE 06:28 LAST DAYS WHERE THERE'S A DEATH DECREE TO EXTERMINATE GOD'S 06:31 PEOPLE WHO DO NOT BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP THE IMAGE. 06:34 IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER THERE'S A DECREE TO DESTROY GOD'S PEOPLE 06:36 BECAUSE MORDECAI WILL NOT BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP HAMAAN. 06:39 SO A LOT OF PARALLELS THERE. NOW, DON'T MISS THIS IMPORTANT 06:43 POINT: IN THE BIBLE, A WOMAN IS OFTEN THE SYMBOL OF A CHURCH - 06:49 BEAUTIFUL BRIDE, PURE CHURCH - PROSTITUTE HARLOT, IMPURE 06:54 CHURCH. REVELATION 12 - BEAUTIFUL BRIDE, 06:56 A SYMBOL OF GOD'S CHURCH - THE DRAGON IS ANGRY WITH HER. 07:00 REVELATION 17 YOU'VE GOT THIS SCARLET WOMAN - SHE'S CALLED A 07:04 HARLOT - SHE RIDING ON THE DRAGON - THE BEAST - THEY'RE IN 07:07 COOPERATION. TWO OPPOSITES. THE TIME PERIOD IN WHICH THIS 07:13 BABYLONIAN WOMAN PERSECUTES THE PROPHETS OF GOD IS 1,260 DAYS. 07:19 GOD'S PEOPLE HAD TO FLEE INTO THE WILDERNESS WHERE THEY WERE 07:22 MIRACULOUSLY FED FOR 1,260 DAYS. YOU READ THIS IN REVELATION. 07:27 HERE IN THE BOOK OF ELIJAH YOU'VE GOT A PAGAN QUEEN NAMED 07:30 JEZEBEL - LIKE THAT WOMAN IN REVELATION 17 - WHO IS 07:35 PERSECUTING THE PROPHETS OF GOD. SHE'S KILLING THEM. 07:38 AND ELIJAH HAS TO FLEE INTO THE WILDERNESS WHERE GOD 07:41 MIRACULOUSLY FEEDS HIM FOR 1,260 DAYS. AM I JUST DREAMING 07:45 THESE THINGS UP OR DO YOU SEE REAL PARALLELS HERE AND 07:49 GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT HISTORY REPEATED ITSELF? 07:52 NOW, I'M JUST GOING TO GO OUT ON A LIMB A LITTLE WAYS. 07:56 PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE SEVEN YEARS OF TRIBULATION. 07:59 HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE SEVEN YEARS OF TRIBULATION? 08:02 IT'S NOT IN THE BIBLE BUT WE'VE ALL HEARD ABOUT IT. 08:04 PEOPLE TALK - IT DOESN'T SAY SEVEN YEARS OF 08:06 TRIBULATION ANYWHERE IN THE BIBLE. 08:07 IT'S TRUE THAT THERE WERE SEVEN DAYS WHEN THE DOOR OF THE ARK 08:11 WAS CLOSED WHILE NOAH AND HIS FAMILY WERE INSIDE. 08:15 MAYBE THEY DRAW OR EXTRAPOLATE IT FROM THAT OR THEY TAKE THE 08:19 LAST WEEK OF DANIEL CHAPTER 9 AND THEY PULL IT OFF AND PATCH 08:22 IT SOMEWHERE AT THE END OF TIME, BUT THE BIBLE DOESN'T TEACH THAT 08:25 THERE'S SEVEN YEARS OF TRIBULATION. 08:27 THERE IS A SMALL TIME OF TROUBLE BEFORE THE BIG TIME OF TROUBLE 08:31 WHEN THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES FALL. 08:33 SMALL TIME OF TROUBLE YOU CAN'T BUY OR SELL. 08:35 THERE'S GOING TO BE GREAT OPPOSITION, PERSECUTION, GOD'S 08:38 PEOPLE WILL BE BROUGHT BEFORE KINGS AND RULERS TO PREACH, AND 08:42 IT MAY BE, DURING THAT TIME, WE NEED TO FLEE INTO REMOTE COUNTRY 08:45 PLACES WHERE HE'LL SUSTAIN US. COUNTRY LIVING WILL BE A GOOD 08:50 IDEA DURING THAT TIME. HOW LONG WILL THAT BE? I DON'T KNOW. 08:55 IT MIGHT BE THREE AND A HALF YEARS. IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME. 08:59 I DON'T KNOW THAT, I'M JUST SPECULATING SO DON'T SAY 'PASTOR 09:03 DOUG SAID THIS IS HOW IT'S GOING TO BE.' 09:04 I'M JUST - CAN I DREAM LIKE YOU? YEAH, SO I'M JUST SHARING - 09:08 I'M NOT SAYING THIS BY COMMANDMENT BUT BY PERMISSION. 09:11 SOMEONE'S GOING TO RUN WITH THAT AND PRINT IT SOMEWHERE. 09:15 ANYWAY, BUT JUST IN MY PRIVATE MUSINGS I THINK THAT MIGHT BE 09:18 HOW LONG THE SMALL TIME OF TROUBLE WILL BE. 09:21 THE LAST PLAGUES I DON'T THINK ARE GOING TO TAKE VERY LONG 09:24 BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT THE NATURE OF THEM AND THE WORLD WOULD NOT 09:26 SURVIVE. SO IT TELLS US THAT THERE'S A SEVERE FAMINE. 09:30 LET'S GO BACK TO 1 KINGS CHAPTER 18:1-3. GOD TELLS ELIJAH, 09:35 "GO PRESENT YOURSELF TO AHAB," - THE KING OF ISRAEL. 09:38 HE'S GOT A 50-MILE WALK - "SO ELIJAH WENT TO PRESENT 09:42 HIMSELF TO AHAB; AND THERE WAS A SEVERE FAMINE IN SAMARIA." - 09:46 YOU KNOW WHY IT SAYS THAT? 09:47 WHAT DO YOU THINK HE SAW DURING THAT 50-MILE WALK? 09:50 THREE AND A HALF YEARS OF NO DEW, NO RAIN, AND NOTHING. 09:54 THERE IS DEATH AND SUFFERING AND POVERTY AND FAMINE AND 09:59 STARVATION ALL AROUND HIM BECAUSE THE PEOPLE HAD BEEN 10:02 WORSHIPING BAAL AND THANKING BAAL FOR THE WEATHER AND TURNING 10:04 TO THESE TERRIBLE SINFUL RELIGIONS - NOT ONLY BAAL 10:08 WORSHIP BUT ASHERAH WORSHIP AND THEY HAD THESE TEMPLE 10:15 PROSTITUTES AND THERE WAS TERRIBLE IMMORALITY IN THE 10:18 COUNTRY AND SO GOD WITHDREW HIS BLESSING. 10:22 AND AS ELIJAH WALKED THROUGH THE COUNTRY - AND YOU JUST THINK 10:25 ABOUT HIS BOLDNESS IN DOING THAT BECAUSE AHAB HAD BEEN LOOKING 10:29 EVERYWHERE FOR HIM. HE WAS PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER 1. 10:32 LITTLE SKETCHES WITH ELIJAH'S PICTURE WERE ON EVERY TELEPHONE 10:36 POLE ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY. AND SO HE'S WALKING BY, YOU 10:38 KNOW, IT SAID, 'WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE' AND MAYBE A BIG REWARD 10:42 ALSO, LIKE THOSE OLD WESTERN POSTERS, YOU KNOW, 'BOUNTY' - 10:46 AND ELIJAH'S PICTURE IS EVERYWHERE AND HE'S JUST WALKING 10:49 THROUGH THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT HIM BUT THEY'RE 10:50 TOO WEAK TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. 10:53 AND FOR SOME REASON HE LOOKED WELL FED. 10:56 AND SO - SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROPHET OF GOD, YOU KNOW, HE 10:59 CARRIES AN AURA OF POWER WITH HIM. 11:01 AND HE WALKED THROUGH THE COUNTRY AND AS HE NEARS - A 11:04 50-MILE WALK - HE'S GOING NEAR THE LAND OF ISRAEL - HE'S 11:10 REACHED THE TERRITORY - AT THE SAME TIME, NOW THE STORY TELLS 11:14 US WHAT'S GOING ON IN ISRAEL AT THIS TIME. 11:17 "AND AHAB" - THE KING OF ISRAEL - RIGHT ABOUT THE TIME GOD SENDS 11:19 ELIJAH BACK DOWN - HE CALLS OBADIAH, WHO'S THE CHIEF STEWARD 11:23 OF HIS HOUSE. "OBADIAH FEARED THE LORD GREATLY. 11:27 FOR SO IT WAS, WHEN JEZEBEL MASSACRED THE PROPHETS OF THE 11:30 LORD, THAT OBADIAH HAD TAKEN ONE HUNDRED PROPHETS AND HIDDEN 11:33 THEM, FIFTY TO A CAVE, AND HAD FED THEM WITH BREAD AND WATER.)" 11:36 - AND SO, AGAIN, OBADIAH - EVEN IN THE PALACE OF AHAB THERE WERE 11:41 PEOPLE WHO STILL LOVED THE LORD, BUT THEY WEREN'T COMING OUT OF 11:43 THE CLOSET, SO TO SPEAK, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT. 11:47 BUT WHEN HE SAW THAT SHE WAS GOING TO KILL ALL THE PROPHETS, 11:50 OBADIAH SENT MESSAGES TO WARN THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS. 11:53 YOU SEE, IN THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM THEY HAD THE PRIESTS AND THE 11:55 LEVITES. THE NORTHERN KINGDOM HAD 11:57 SEPARATED - THEY HAD THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS THAT WERE LOYAL TO 11:59 GOD - THESE SCHOOLS THAT HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED. 12:02 ANOTHER WAY TO SAY 'SONS OF THE PROPHETS' IS 'AFCOE' - 12:06 SIMILAR TRANSLATION. AND SO THEY GOT WORD 'YOU BETTER 12:11 HIDE IN THE CAVE' AND THEY ALL HID IN THESE TWO CAVES - 12:13 A HUNDRED OF THEM - AND OBADIAH TOOK SOME OF THE VERY SCANT 12:16 PROVISIONS THAT AHAB STILL HAD IN THE PALACE AND HE'S GIVING IT 12:20 TO THE PROPHETS THAT JEZEBEL'S WANTING TO KILL. 12:23 NOW THE WORD 'OBADIAH' MEANS 'YAHWEH'S SERVANT'. 12:27 THIS IS NOT THE SAME OBADIAH THAT HAS A BOOK IN THE BIBLE BY 12:30 THAT NAME. FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE THIS 12:34 OBADIAH IS IN THE NORTHERN KINGDOM; THE OBADIAH WHO WRITES 12:37 THE BIBLE BOOK IS IN THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM. 12:39 OBADIAH WAS A FAIRLY COMMON NAME SO IT SHOULDN'T SURPRISE US 12:42 THERE'S MORE THAN ONE IN THE BIBLE. 12:44 SO AHAB TELLS HIM, 'LOOK, WE'D BETTER GO OUT AND SCOUR THE 12:47 COUNTRY AND SEE IF WE CAN FIND IF THERE'S ANY GRASS LEFT' - 12:50 VERSE 5, "'GO INTO THE LAND TO ALL THE SPRINGS OF WATER AND TO 12:55 ALL THE BROOKS; PERHAPS WE MAY FIND GRASS TO KEEP THE HORSES 12:59 AND MULES ALIVE,'" - AND IT MIGHT BETTER BE TRANSLATED HERE, 13:02 'TO KEEP THE REMAINING' - THERE'S PROBABLY NOT MANY LEFT - 13:06 "'HORSES AND MULES ALIVE SO THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE TO KILL ANY 13:09 LIVESTOCK.'" - THEY WERE ALL DYING OFF - "SO THEY DIVIDED THE 13:13 LAND BETWEEN THEM" - THEY FOUND THIS SECTION OF LAND THAT WAS 13:16 STILL WILD IN THE TERRITORY OF ISRAEL AND THEY'RE LOOKING - 13:19 THERE MAY NOT BE MUCH LEFT IN THE SPRINGS BUT, YOU KNOW, IF 13:21 THERE'S ANY GREEN GRASS IT'S GOING TO GROW IN THE SUMMER 13:23 WHERE THERE USED TO BE WATER. AND THEY THINK, 'WE MIGHT FIND 13:26 SOMETHING LEFT FOR THE ANIMALS TO LIVE - TO KEEP THEM ALIVE. 13:31 THAT'S KIND OF INTERESTING: ELIJAH IS COMING TO MEET AHAB TO 13:35 SAVE THE PEOPLE. AHAB IS PREOCCUPIED WITH SAVING 13:40 THE ANIMALS. HE'S NOT INTERESTED IN DOING 13:43 SOMETHING THAT WILL TURN THE THING AROUND, HE'S DEALING WITH 13:47 THE PROBLEM, ELIJAH IS DEALING WITH THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. 13:52 AND THAT'S BECAUSE AHAB WAS THE STATE AND THEY DEAL WITH 13:57 POLITICAL ISSUES, WHERE ELIJAH WAS WANTING TO DEAL WITH THE 14:00 HEART ISSUES. YOU KNOW, WE WOULDN'T NEED 14:04 NEARLY SO MANY LAWS IN OUR COUNTRY IF WE WOULD DEAL WITH 14:06 WHAT THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM IS. 14:09 WE MAKE MORE AND MORE LAWS BECAUSE PEOPLE'S HEARTS AREN'T 14:11 RIGHT. AND WHEN PEOPLE WOULD FIND THE 14:13 LORD, YOU WOULDN'T NEED QUITE AS MANY LAWS. 14:15 MAKING NEW LAWS EVERY YEAR - WHAT WE NEED IS NEW PEOPLE. 14:21 "SO THEY DIVIDED THE LAND BETWEEN THEM...AHAB WENT ONE WAY 14:24 BY HIMSELF, AND OBADIAH WENT ANOTHER WAY BY HIMSELF." 14:26 - NOW, WHAT DOES IT SAY WHEN THINGS ARE SO DESPERATE IN THE 14:30 KINGDOM THAT AHAB, THE KING, HAS TO GO OUT BY HIMSELF LOOKING FOR 14:33 GRASS? MAYBE HE DOESN'T HAVE TOO MANY 14:37 SERVANTS LEFT THAT CAN HELP HIM OUT. 14:39 MAYBE HE DOESN'T WANT THE PEOPLE TO KNOW HOW DESPERATE THINGS 14:41 ARE. NOW, AS OBADIAH WAS ON HIS WAY, 14:46 SUDDENLY ELIJAH MET HIM; AND HE RECOGNIZED HIM, AND FELL ON HIS 14:52 FACE, AND SAID, 'IS THAT YOU, MY LORD ELIJAH?'" - 14:56 YOU KNOW, BY THE WAY, JESUS IS COMING SUDDENLY, ISN'T HE? - 15:00 "AND HE ANSWERED HIM, 'IT IS I. GO, TELL YOUR MASTER, 15:04 'ELIJAH IS HERE.''" - GO TELL YOUR MASTER ELIJAH IS HERE. 15:09 NOW, THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR HIM FOR YEARS AND 15:13 AS SOON AS OBADIAH HEARS THAT HE SAYS, "'HOW HAVE I SINNED THAT 15:18 YOU ARE DELIVERING YOUR SERVANT INTO THE HAND OF AHAB, 15:20 TO KILL ME? AS THE LORD YOUR GOD LIVES, 15:22 THERE IS NO NATION OR KINGDOM WHERE MY MASTER HAS NOT SENT 15:25 SOMEONE TO HUNT FOR YOU; AND WHEN THEY SAID, 'HE IS NOT 15:28 HERE,' HE TOOK AN OATH FROM THE KINGDOM OR NATION THAT THEY 15:31 COULD NOT FIND YOU. AND NOW YOU SAY, 'GO TELL YOUR 15:34 MASTER, 'ELIJAH IS HERE,''!" CAN YOU UNDERSTAND? 15:38 HE'S THINKING - AND THEN ELIJAH, YOU KNOW, HE HAD A REPUTATION 15:40 KIND OF FLITTING IN AND OUT OF THINGS. 15:43 HE SUDDENLY APPEARS IN THE PALACE AND SAYS, 'THERE'S NOT 15:45 GOING TO BE ANY RAIN.' AND POOF! HE'S GONE. 15:48 THAT'S WHY, WHEN ELIJAH FINALLY GOES TO HEAVEN, THE SONS OF THE 15:50 PROPHETS SAY TO ELISHA, 'WE'D BETTER SEND OUT A SEARCH PARTY. 15:53 HE HAS A WAY OF DISAPPEARING.' AND SO OBADIAH SAYS, 'I'M GOING 15:57 TO GO GET AHAB AND I'LL COME BACK AND YOU'RE NOT THERE AND 15:59 HE'LL THINK I'M PLAYING A PRACTICAL JOKE AND HE'LL CUT MY 16:01 HEAD OFF BECAUSE HE WONT' BE LAUGHING.' - HE SAID, 'WHAT DID 16:04 I DO THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS TO ME? 16:07 I'LL GO LOOKING FOR HIM AND YOU'LL - THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD 16:09 WILL CALL YOU SOMEWHERE ELSE AND" - AND ELIJAH SAYS, "'GO 16:15 TELL YOUR MASTER 'ELIJAH IS HERE' AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, 16:20 AS SOON AS I AM GONE FROM YOU, THAT THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD WILL 16:22 CARRY YOU TO A PLACE I DO NOT KNOW; SO WHEN I GO TELL AHAB, 16:25 AND HE CANNOT FIND YOU, HE WILL KILL ME. 16:27 BUT I YOUR SERVANT HAVE FEARED THE LORD FROM MY YOUTH. 16:31 WAS IT NOT REPORTED TO MY LORD WHAT I DID WHEN JEZEBEL KILLED 16:33 THE PROPHETS OF THE LORD, HOW I HID ONE HUNDRED MEN OF THE 16:36 LORD'S PROPHETS, FIFTY TO A CAVE, AND FED THEM WITH BREAD 16:39 AND WATER? AND NOW YOU SAY, 'GO TELL YOUR MASTER, 'ELIJAH IS 16:41 HERE.'' HE WILL KILL ME!' THEN ELIJAH SAID, 'AS THE LORD 16:45 OF HOSTS LIVES,'" - YOU NOTICE THEY'RE ALL SAYING 'AS THE LORD 16:48 LIVES'? YOU KNOW WHAT ELIJAH'S NAME IS? 16:51 'MY GOD IS JEHOVAH' AND EVERY TIME YOU HEAR THEM SAY AN OATH 16:55 LIKE THIS, THEY'RE ACTUALLY - THEY'RE INCORPORATING THE NAME 16:58 OF JEHOVAH IN THE OATH - "THEN ELIJAH SAID, 'AS THE LORD OF 17:03 HOSTS LIVES, BEFORE WHOM I STAND, I WILL SURELY PRESENT 17:07 MYSELF TO HIM TODAY.'" - DON'T WORRY, I WILL PRESENT MYSELF - 17:10 I'M NOT GOING TO GET YOU IN TROUBLE. SO, OBEDIENTLY, 17:13 "OBADIAH WENT TO MEET AHAB, AND TOLD HIM; 17:18 AND AHAB WENT TO MEET ELIJAH." - HE PROBABLY WENT AND HIS 17:21 KNOBBY KNEES WERE BOUNCING OFF EACH OTHER BECAUSE HE DOESN'T 17:26 HAVE HIS ARMY TO STAND BEHIND HIM NOW. 17:28 THIS IS THE MAN WHO SAID THAT 'IT'S NOT GOING TO RAIN EXCEPT 17:30 AT MY WORD' AND IT HASN'T RAINED FOR THREE AND A HALF YEARS. 17:32 AND NOW HE MANAGES TO FIND YOU WHEN YOU'RE OFF BY YOURSELF AND 17:35 SAYS, 'I WANT TO TALK TO YOU.' HE WAS PROBABLY A LITTLE SCARED. 17:38 I NEED TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND. 17:41 FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHY AHAB BEHAVES THE WAY HE DOES, YOU 17:45 NEED TO KNOW THE WHOLE STORY. THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL, WHAT 17:49 WAS HIS NAME? DO YOU REMEMBER? NOT - I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT 17:53 JUDAH AND JERUSALEM, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE NORTHERN KINGDOM. 17:55 WHO WAS THE FIRST KING OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM? JEROBOAM. 17:59 WHEN THE KINGDOM SPLIT WITH SOLOMON, YOU HAD REHOBOAM, 18:02 SOLOMON'S SON, JEROBOAM - I KNOW THEY SOUND THE SAME - WE'LL 18:05 WRITE A SONG ABOUT IT SOMEDAY - JEROBOAM, HE WENT TO THE NORTH. 18:10 JEROBOAM STARTED WORSHIPING PAGAN GOLDEN CALVES. 18:15 A PROPHET WAS SENT FROM ISRAEL - FROM JERUSALEM TO DENOUNCE WHAT 18:20 HE WAS DOING WAS A SIN - AND WHEN HE HAD THE AUDACITY - WHEN 18:22 THIS PROPHET OF GOD SAID, 'WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS A SIN AND GOD IS 18:25 GOING TO DESTROY THESE ALTARS,' JEROBOAM STUCK OUT HIS ARM - THE 18:27 KING - AND SAID, 'ARREST HIM' AND HIS ARM FROZE AND SHRIVELED 18:31 JUST LIKE IT WAS SKIN ON BONE - HE COULDN'T PULL HIS ARM IN. 18:34 AND HE REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND HE SAID, 18:35 'I WAS JUST KIDDING. I'M SORRY. PRAY FOR ME. 18:38 GOD'LL HEAL MY ARM.' SO THE PROPHET PRAYED FOR HIM AND HIS 18:41 ARM WAS HEALED AND THEN THE ALTARS CRACKED AND ALL THE ASHES 18:44 WERE POURED OUT JUST LIKE THE PROPHET HAD SAID. 18:46 SO THOSE KINGS OF ISRAEL WERE VERY RELUCTANT TO BE ROUGH ON 18:49 THE PROPHETS. THEY REMEMBERED WHAT HAD 18:51 HAPPENED TO OTHER KINGS THAT DID NOT - I MEAN, EVEN IF THERE'S A 18:54 CHANCE THAT HE'S A TRUE PROPHET, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANT TO GET 18:58 PARALYZED AND SO, WHEN AHAB RAN INTO ELIJAH HE WAS VERY 19:03 CAUTIOUS. I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND 19:07 THE HISTORY OF WHY THEY SEEMED SO FEARFUL. 19:14 AND IT SAYS AHAB WENT TO MEET ELIJAH - VERSE 17, I'M IN 19:18 CHAPTER 18 - 1 KINGS - VERSE 17, "WHEN AHAB SAW ELIJAH, THAT AHAB 19:23 SAID TO HIM, 'IS THAT YOU, O TROUBLER OF ISRAEL?'" 19:28 - 'YOU'RE THE REASON FOR ALL OUR PROBLEMS. 19:31 BECAUSE OF YOU - YOU MADE THAT DECLARATION AND WE HAVE ALL 19:34 THESE PROBLEMS.' IS THE PROBLEM THE WORD OF GOD OR IS THE 19:40 PROBLEM THAT WE DON'T OBEY THE WORD OF GOD? 19:42 SOMETIMES WE THINK IT'S RELIGION THAT'S THE PROBLEM. 19:45 MAYBE IT'S OUR DISOBEYING THE LORD THAT IS THE PROBLEM. 19:48 AND LISTEN TO THE BOLDNESS OF ELIJAH. 19:51 HE SAYS, "'I HAVE NOT TROUBLED ISRAEL, BUT YOU AND YOUR 19:55 FATHER'S HOUSE HAVE, IN THAT YOU HAVE FORSAKEN THE COMMANDMENTS 19:59 OF THE LORD AND HAVE FOLLOWED THE BAALS.'" - WOW, THAT TAKES A 20:03 HOLY AUDACITY TO SAY TO A KING, 'I'M NOT THE TROUBLER OF ISRAEL, 20:07 YOU ARE AND YOUR FATHER'S HOUSE, AND THAT WIFE THAT YOU MARRIED, 20:11 KILLING THE PROPHETS OF GOD.' YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE TELLS US 20:15 THAT JOHN THE BAPTIST WOULD COME IN THE SPIRIT AND THE POWER OF 20:17 ELIJAH. ONE OF THE WAYS WHERE JOHN THE 20:20 BAPTIST WAS LIKE ELIJAH IS THAT JOHN HAD THE AUDACITY TO TELL 20:24 KING HEROD, 'YOU SHOULD NOT BE LIVING WITH THAT WOMAN. 20:28 YOU TOOK YOUR BROTHER'S WIFE. SHE IS MARRIED TO ANOTHER MAN. 20:31 THAT'S ADULTERY.' YOU DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT TO A KING. 20:35 THAT CAN - WON'T GET YOU A RAISE. 20:39 IT WON'T GET YOU PROMOTED. IT WON'T GET YOU REELECTED. 20:43 BUT PROPHETS OF GOD, WHEN THEY'RE SPEAKING FOR GOD, YOU'VE 20:46 GOT TO TELL THE TRUTH EVEN THOUGH IT MAY NOT BE POPULAR. 20:50 HE SAID, 'NO, I'M NOT THE TROUBLER, YOU ARE THE TROUBLER 20:53 OF ISRAEL.' AND THEN HE SAYS, IN VERSE 19, "NOW THEREFORE, SEND 20:59 AND GATHER ALL ISRAEL TO ME ON MOUNT CARMEL, THE FOUR HUNDRED 21:05 AND FIFTY PROPHETS OF BAAL, AND THE FOUR HUNDRED PROPHETS OF 21:07 ASHERAH, WHO EAT AT JEZEBEL'S TABLE.'" - SO YOU'VE GOT 400 AND 21:10 450 - HOW MANY IS THAT? 850 - NOW WHO'S GIVING THE 21:15 ORDERS, THE KING OR THE PROPHET? WOW. 21:19 AND THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A SPIRIT THAT JUST CAME ON ELIJAH. 21:24 YOU KNOW WHAT IT MAKES ME THINK OF? 21:26 HOW COULD MOSES STAND BEFORE THE PHARAOH AND SAY, 'LET MY PEOPLE 21:30 GO.' AND THE PHARAOH SAID, 'NO!' AND HE SAID, 'OKAY, YOU'RE GOING 21:32 TO HEAR FROM GOD.' HE COMES BACK THE NEXT DAY, 'LET MY PEOPLE 21:35 GO.' PLAGUE AFTER PLAGUE. 'PLEASE SEND MOSES.' AND YOU 21:37 THINK, 'WHY DIDN'T THE PHARAOH JUST SAY 'OFF WITH HIS HEAD'? 21:41 THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN HIS PROPHETS 21:45 THAT THE DEVIL CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT. 21:47 IT'S LIKE THE BOLDNESS OF PETER WHEN HE STOOD BEFORE THE 21:50 SANHEDRIN AND HE DECLARED TO THEM, 'WHETHER IT IS RIGHT IN 21:53 THE SIGHT OF GOD TO OBEY YOU MORE THAN GOD, YOU DECIDE. 21:58 GOD TOLD ME TO PREACH ABOUT JESUS. 22:00 WE'RE GOING TO PREACH ABOUT JESUS. 22:02 IF YOU THINK WE'RE GOING TO OBEY YOU MORE THAN GOD' - AND SO 22:07 ELIJAH WAS FEARLESS BECAUSE HE WAS USED TO LIVING IN THE 22:09 PRESENCE OF A GREATER MONARCH THAN AHAB. 22:13 MOSES, IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS FEARLESS BEFORE THE PHARAOH 22:15 BECAUSE HE HAD SPENT YEARS LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF A 22:17 GREATER MONARCH. SOMEDAY YOU, FOR YOUR FAITH MAY 22:21 BE BROUGHT BEFORE KINGS AND RULERS. 22:23 ISN'T THAT WHAT JESUS SAID? ARE YOU COMFORTABLE AND 22:27 CONFIDENT THAT YOU'RE LIVING IN THE SIGHT OF A GREAT GOD SO 22:30 YOU'RE NOT INTIMIDATED BY MAN'S FACE? 22:34 'UNLESS IT IS A MAN THAT PUTS NOT HIS TRUST IN PRINCES, IN 22:38 THAT DAY THAT HE DIES HIS BREATH GOES FORTH AND HIS THOUGHTS 22:41 PERISH.' ALRIGHT, BACK TO OUR STORY - SO AHAB, OBEDIENTLY, HE 22:49 SENDS MESSENGERS AND HERALDS OUT AND HE GATHERS TOGETHER THE 22:53 PROPHETS AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL - ALL THE CHILDREN OF 22:55 ISRAEL AND HE GATHERS THE PROPHETS TO MOUNT CARMEL - HE 22:58 OBEYS EXACTLY - I MEAN, HE KNOWS THAT DOING IT HIS WAY HASN'T 23:01 WORKED. THEY'RE ALL DYING. THEY'RE ALL STARVING. 23:03 'MAYBE IF WE LISTEN TO ELIJAH IT MIGHT RAIN. 23:06 THINGS MIGHT TURN.' SOMETIMES WE WAIT UNTIL WE'VE TRIED 23:09 EVERYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE TRY GOD'S WAY. 23:14 "SO AHAB SENT FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND GATHERED THE 23:16 PROPHETS TOGETHER ON MOUNT CARMEL." 23:17 - NOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PLACES IN THE WORLD NAMED 'CARMEL' AND 23:20 WE'VE GOT ONE HERE IN CALIFORNIA - CARMEL - AND IT'S ALL NAMED 23:23 AFTER THE BIBLE PLACE AND IT MEANS 'FRUITFUL'. 23:28 GOD PICKS MOUNT CARMEL FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS: 1) BAAL - 23:32 THEY HAD ALTARS UP THERE. NOT FAR FROM THE ALTAR OF GOD 23:36 WAS A NEW ALTAR OF BAAL. THE ALTAR OF GOD WAS BROKEN DOWN 23:38 BECAUSE NOW JEZEBEL WAS WORSHIPING BAAL. 23:40 SO ON THE MOUNTAINTOPS THEY HAD ALTARS TO BAAL. 23:43 ANOTHER REASON IS IF YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK FOR RAIN, YOU WANT 23:46 A MOUNTAIN THAT'S GOING TO BE SEEING WHERE THE RAIN COMES FROM 23:50 AND RAIN NEVER CAME FROM THE EAST BECAUSE THERE WAS A DESERT 23:53 TO THE EAST OF ISRAEL. RAIN ALWAYS CAME FROM OVER THE 23:56 MEDITERRANEAN. SO THEY'RE UP ON MOUNT CARMEL FOR A VANTAGE POINT 23:59 AND THERE'S A LOT CONNECTED WITH THAT. THEY GATHERED ALL THE 24:03 PEOPLE. VERSE 21, "AND ELIJAH CAME TO ALL THE PEOPLE, AND 24:07 SAID, 'HOW LONG WILL YOU FALTER BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? 24:12 IF THE LORD IS GOD, FOLLOW HIM; BUT IF BAAL, FOLLOW HIM.' BUT 24:17 THE PEOPLE ANSWERED HIM NOT A WORD." - YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD 24:20 HAVE THOUGHT YOU'D GET ONE 'AMEN' OUT OF THE CROWD WHEN HE 24:22 SAID, 'IF THE LORD IS GOD' - SOMEONE WOULD HAVE SAID, 'AMEN!' 24:25 OR SOMEONE WOULD HAVE RESPONDED, 'OF COURSE JEHOVAH'S GOD. 24:28 HE'S THE ONE THAT LED US INTO THIS LAND.' BUT GOD'S PEOPLE HAD 24:31 BECOME SO INTIMIDATED BY THE OTHERS POWERS THAT NOT ONE OF 24:34 THOSE 7,000 KNEES THAT HAD NOT BOWED TO BAAL WOULD SPEAK UP. 24:39 THEY ANSWERED HIM NOT A WORD. NOW SOMETIMES I'M PREACHING AND 24:43 I WONDER WHY PEOPLE AREN'T SAYING 'AMEN' AND I JUST TELL 24:45 MYSELF, 'MAYBE THEY'RE THINKING IT.' SO THAT'S OKAY. 24:48 BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU GET - YOU EVER BEEN IN A SITUATION 24:55 WHERE IT'S LIKE NOBODY WANTS TO SPEAK UP FOR THE LORD AND YOU 24:58 KNOW PEOPLE ARE THERE? "IF THE LORD IS GOD, SERVE HIM." 25:02 WHAT A SAD QUESTION FOR A PROPHET OF GOD TO HAVE TO ASK 25:06 THE PEOPLE OF JEHOVAH: 'IF JEHOVAH'S GOD, SERVE HIM. 25:09 IF BAAL'S GOD, SERVE HIM.' HAD BAAL BROUGHT THEM OUT OF THE 25:13 LAND OF EGYPT AND SAVED THEM FROM SLAVERY? 25:16 HAD BAAL PARTED THE RED SEA? 25:17 HAD BAAL FED THEM THROUGH THE WILDERNESS? 25:19 HAD BAAL DELIVERED THEM FROM THEIR ENEMIES IN ALL THOSE 25:21 BATTLES WITH JOSHUA AND BROUGHT DOWN THE WALLS OF JERICHO? 25:24 HAD BAAL DONE ANY OF THOSE THINGS? 25:26 AND HERE THEY'RE WORSHIPING BAAL. 25:28 IT'S AMAZING HOW QUICKLY WE CAN FORGET OUR HISTORY. 25:32 YOU COULD FORGET YOUR LITTLE HISTORY TOO. 25:34 HAS GOD DONE MIRACLES IN YOUR LIFE? 25:36 DO WE SOMETIMES FORGET WHAT THE LORD DOES FOR US? 25:39 YOU KNOW, WE GET DISCOURAGED AND WE LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE'S 25:40 NEGATIVE TALK AND WITHIN FIVE MINUTES WE CAN FORGET A WHOLE 25:44 LIFETIME OF GOD'S PROVISION AND MIRACLES. 25:47 NOBODY ANSWERED HIM A WORD. HOW LONG WILL YOU FALTER? 25:52 AND THAT WORD THERE, 'FALTER', IT MEANS HOW LONG WILL YOU LIMP? 25:55 HOW LONG WILL YOU STAGGER BETWEEN TWO DECISIONS. 25:59 IT'S ALMOST A PICTURE OF SOMEONE GOING, 'IS THE LORD GOD? 26:03 NO, MAYBE, MAYBE BAAL IS. NO, MAYBE IT'S THE LORD. I'M NOT 26:07 SURE.' IT'S LIKE A STAGGERING BETWEEN: 'I DON'T KNOW WHICH GOD 26:11 I'M GOING TO WORSHIP.' IT'S A PITIFUL PICTURE. 26:14 IF THEY CAN'T MAKE UP THEIR MIND AND SAY, 'THIS IS WHO I'M GOING 26:16 TO WORSHIP' AND BE PROUD OF IT. THE PEOPLE WERE VACILLATING. 26:23 THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN TO THE CHURCH IN OUR TIMES, I KNOW. 26:28 "HOW LONG WILL YOU FALTER" - WILL YOU HALT, WILL YOU LIMP - 26:31 "BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? IF THE LORD IS GOD, FOLLOW HIM;" 26:36 - IF JESUS IS SAVIOR, FOLLOW HIM. 26:39 IT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT WHEN JOSHUA SAID, 'LOOK, IF YOU WANT 26:42 TO SERVE THE OTHER GODS THAT YOUR ANCESTORS SERVED, IF YOU 26:45 WANT TO SERVE THE GODS OF EGYPT - AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, 26:48 WE'RE GOING TO SERVE THE LORD.' AND HE WAS VERY DEFINITIVE 26:51 ABOUT IT. IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE A 26:52 CHRISTIAN THEN BE A CHRISTIAN. JUST WAFFLING BACK AND FORTH 26:57 BETWEEN CHRIST AND THE WORLD, THE SPIRIT AND THE FLESH, 26:59 YOU'LL BE MISERABLE. IT'LL MAKE YOU LIMP. 27:04 "THEN ELIJAH SAID TO THE PEOPLE, 'I ALONE AM LEFT A PROPHET OF 27:07 THE LORD;" - NOW, IT TURNS OUT THERE WERE OTHER BELIEVERS, BUT 27:10 NOT MANY PROPHETS - "BUT BAAL'S PROPHETS ARE 27:13 FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY MEN." - THAT'S NOT COUNTING THE OTHER 27:16 400 - "THEREFORE LET" - THEY WERE THE PROPHETS OF ASHERAH 27:19 THERE TOO - "THEREFORE LET THEM GIVE US TWO BULLS" - TWO 27:23 SACRIFICES - "AND LET THEM CHOSE ONE BULL FOR THEMSELVES, CUT IT 27:26 IN PIECES, AND LAY IT ON THE WOOD, BUT NO FIRE UNDER IT;" - 27:32 THEY HAD ROCK ALTARS AND BAAL ACTUALLY HAD A CARVED BEAUTIFUL 27:35 STONE ALTAR AND GOD'S ALTAR WAS MADE OUT OF JUST ROUGH STONE 27:39 THAT WAS PILED UP - TWELVE OF THEM - "AND I WILL PREPARE THE 27:43 OTHER BULL, AND LAY IT ON THE WOOD, BUT PUT NO FIRE UNDER IT. 27:46 THEN YOU CALL ON THE NAME OF YOUR GODS," - NOTICE, PLURAL - 27:51 "AND I WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD;" - JEHOVAH - "'AND THE 27:55 GOD WHO ANSWERS BY FIRE, HE IS GOD.' SO ALL THE PEOPLE ANSWERED 28:00 AND SAID, 'IT IS WELL SPOKEN.'" - 'SOUNDS GOOD. 28:04 LET'S JUST - LET'S HAVE A SHOWDOWN. 28:06 LET'S FIGURE OUT WHICH GOD IS A REAL GOD AND SETTLE THIS TODAY.' 28:09 NOW, IF YOU WERE ELIJAH, WHAT PROSPECT FOR A FUTURE WOULD YOU 28:16 HAVE IF NO FIRE COMES DOWN ON YOUR ALTAR THAT DAY? 28:21 CAN YOU IMAGINE THE CONFIDENCE, THE FAITH, AND THE COURAGE HE 28:24 MUST HAVE HAD TO BE ABLE TO ISSUE A CHALLENGE LIKE THAT? 28:28 I DON'T REMEMBER ANYONE EVER DOING THAT BEFORE. 28:32 NOW, THERE ARE EXAMPLES IN THE BIBLE WHERE GOD BRINGS FIRE DOWN 28:35 OUT OF HEAVEN, AND SO THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT WAS 28:38 GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT NOT BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD EVER THROWN DOWN THE 28:42 GAUNTLET, SO TO SPEAK, LIKE THIS. 28:45 SO THE PEOPLE SAID, "IT IS WELL SPOKEN." 28:49 "THE GOD WHO ANSWERS BY FIRE, HE IS GOD...NOW ELIJAH SAID TO THE 28:54 PROPHETS OF BAAL, 'CHOOSE ONE BULL FOR YOURSELVES AND PREPARE 28:57 IT FIRST,'" - 'YOU GUYS GO FIRST. 28:58 THERE'S MORE OF YOU' - "'FOR YOU ARE MANY; AND CALL ON THE NAME 29:01 OF YOUR GOD, BUT PUT NO FIRE UNDER IT.'" - NO MAGNIFYING 29:06 GLASSES, NO MATCHES, NO TRICKS, NO RUBBING STICKS TOGETHER.' AND 29:14 ALL THE PEOPLE DREW NEAR AND THEY WERE WATCHING VERY CLOSELY. 29:16 EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF PROPHETS, ELIJAH STOOD RIGHT 29:19 UP CLOSE SO HE COULD SEE IF THERE WAS ANY HANKY PANKY WITH 29:22 THE FIRE. - "SO THEY TOOK THE BULL WHICH 29:25 WAS GIVEN THEM, AND THEY PREPARED IT," - 29:27 AND THAT BULL PROBABLY DIDN'T LOOK TOO GOOD 29:28 BECAUSE THERE WEREN'T VERY MANY HEALTHY ANIMALS LEFT IN THE 29:31 KINGDOM - "AND CALLED ON THE NAME OF BAAL FROM MORNING EVEN 29:36 TILL NOON, SAYING, 'O BAAL, HEAR US!'" - 29:41 NOW, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? 29:45 YOU WOULD HAVE HEARD 'O BAAL, HEAR US!' 29:46 AN AWFUL LOT. YOU WOULD HAVE HEARD THEM SAYING 29:49 THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BUT THERE WAS MORE TO IT THAN THAT. 29:54 YOU'VE GOT 400 PRIESTS THAT ARE DANCING AROUND THE ALTAR AND 29:57 THEY'RE SAYING, 'O BAAL, HEAR US!' 29:58 AND YOU READ ON AND FIND OUT IT GETS PRETTY EXCITING. 30:00 THEY PROBABLY HAD THEIR DRUMS GOING. THEY WERE DANCING. 30:06 THEY WERE LEAPING - THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS LATER, 30:08 YOU KEEP READING - THEY WERE CARRYING ON. 30:11 AND WHAT THEY COULDN'T PRODUCE IN GENUINE POWER THEY TRIED TO 30:15 AT LEAST PRODUCE THROUGH ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. 30:19 IF THEY COULDN'T HAVE - YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT A 30:21 FORM OF RELIGION WITH NO POWER THEREOF. 30:24 SO THEY HAD ALL THE OUTWARD FORMS AND CEREMONY AND THEY HAD 30:27 THE SACRIFICE. THEY WENT THROUGH THEIR 30:29 INCANTATIONS AND THEY JUMPED AND THEY YELPED AND THEY KEPT - 30:33 TALK ABOUT JESUS SAID 'PRAY NOT IN VAIN REPETITION LIKE THE 30:36 HEATHEN DO.' CAN YOU IMAGINE VAIN REPETITION ALL DAY LONG, 30:40 'O BAAL, HEAR US! O BAAL HEAR US!'? 30:43 OH, I LEFT OUT THE DRUMS, IT WAS 'O BAAL, HEAR US! 30:46 KACHUNK, KACHUNK. O BAAL, HEAR US! 30:47 KACHUNK, KACHUNK.' ALL DAY LONG AND THEY WERE HOPING TO PUT THE 30:52 PEOPLE IN A TRANCE SO THEY WOULDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE 30:57 MAGNIFYING GLASS OR THE MATCHES OR SOMETHING. 31:01 FINALLY, "BUT THERE WAS NO VOICE; NO ONE ANSWERED. 31:06 THEN THEY LEAPED ABOUT THE ALTAR WHICH THEY HAD MADE. 31:11 AND SO IT WAS, AT NOON, THAT ELIJAH MOCKED THEM AND SAID, 31:14 'CRY ALOUD, FOR HE IS A GOD; EITHER HE IS MEDITATING, OR HE 31:19 IS BUSY,'" - HE'S DOING SOME CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYING - "'OR HE 31:23 IS ON A JOURNEY, OR PERHAPS HE IS SLEEPING AND MUST BE 31:26 AWAKENED.'" - NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT - YOU MIGHT WANT TO 31:29 NOTE THIS IN YOUR BIBLE. THIS IS ONE OF THE VERY CLEAR 31:33 BUT NOT FREQUENT TIMES IN THE BIBLE THAT THE PROPHETS OF GOD 31:35 INCORPORATE HUMOR AND, YOU COULD EVEN SAY, SARCASM. 31:39 ELIJAH, UNDER THE INSPIRATION, IS TRYING TO SHOW HOW ABSURD IT 31:43 IS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO WAKE YOUR GOD UP. 31:47 IF HE'S A REAL GOD, HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE TO DO THIS? 31:48 THEY'D BEEN GOING ALL DAY. PEOPLE WERE GETTING TIRED. 31:52 AND SO, BOY, THEY'RE GETTING PROVOKED. 31:54 YOU KNOW, ELIJAH BETTER COME THROUGH, BECAUSE IF HE DOESN'T, 31:56 THEY'RE REALLY GOING TO BE MAD. I MEAN, IT'S ONE THING IF YOU 31:58 ISSUE A CHALLENGE LIKE THIS, BUT THEN IF YOU HUMILIATE THE 32:01 PROPHETS IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY - NO VOICE, NO ONE ANSWERED - 32:06 'MAYBE HE NEEDS TO BE AWAKENED, CALL A LITTLE LOUDER.' SOME OF 32:09 GOD'S PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO SNICKER NOW AND THEY'RE 32:11 REALIZING HOW ABSURD THIS LOOKS. THEY'RE STARTING TO QUESTION, 32:15 'WHO HAVE WE BEEN WORSHIPING ALL THESE YEARS? 32:17 WE WERE TOLD THAT BAAL IS THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO BRING THE 32:19 RAIN.' YOU SEE, WHAT THE PROPHETS OF BAAL HAD BEEN 32:22 TELLING THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, 'IF WE KILL ALL THE PROPHETS OF 32:26 GOD THEN BAAL WILL SEND THE RAIN. 32:29 IT'S BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT THESE FALSE PROPHETS OF JEHOVAH IN THE 32:31 LAND' - THAT'S WHAT JEZEBEL HAD BEEN SAYING. 32:33 SHE'D BEEN TURNING THINGS AROUND 180 DEGREES. 32:36 BOY I'LL TELL YOU, YOU CAN FIND THIS IN GOVERNMENT TOO. 32:38 JUST COMPLETELY - PEOPLE SPIN THE STORY COMPLETELY THE 32:41 OPPOSITE SO THEY TRY TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE THEY'RE NOT THE 32:45 PROBLEM, YOU'RE THE PROBLEM. AND SO IF WE CAN KILL ALL THE 32:49 PROPHETS OF GOD, AND THEY'D BEEN SAYING THAT THAT'S THE REASON 32:55 GOD'S NOT SENDING THE RAIN. WILL THE DAY COME WHERE GOD'S 32:58 PEOPLE WILL BE BLAMED FOR THE PROBLEMS IN THE LAND? 33:02 IT'LL ACTUALLY BE THE DISOBEDIENCE OF THE PEOPLE OF 33:04 THE WORLD THAT BRINGS THE CALAMITIES, BUT THE LEADERS - 33:08 RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND OTHERS WILL SO TWIST, DISTORT, AND SPIN 33:12 THE STORY, THAT SOMEHOW GOD'S PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE THE ENEMY 33:16 AND THERE'LL BE A DEATH DECREE TO EXTERMINATE ALL OF THEM. 33:18 ISN'T THAT RIGHT? FIRST THEY CAN'T BUY OR SELL 33:20 BECAUSE THEY WON'T COOPERATE. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO CAPITULATE 33:23 THEIR CONVICTIONS AND, ULTIMATELY, THERE'LL BE A DEATH 33:26 DECREE BECAUSE ALL OF THE PROBLEMS AND PLAGUES IN THE 33:30 WORLD ARE GOING TO BE BECAUSE OF THE JEWS, BECAUSE OF THE CHURCH 33:35 - HASN'T THE DEVIL DONE THAT IN THE PAST? 33:37 AND SO, BOY, IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE, BUT ELIJAH'S MAKING 33:42 EVERYBODY THINK. NOTHING'S HAPPENING. SO FINALLY, 33:48 "THEY CRIED ALOUD, AND CUT THEMSELVES, AS WAS THEIR CUSTOM, 33:52 WITH KNIVES AND LANCES, UNTIL THE BLOOD GUSHED OUT ON THEM." 33:57 - AND THEIR BLOOD WAS MINGLING WITH THE BLOOD OF BULLS AND 34:00 GOATS - AS THOUGH GOD WANTS HUMAN BLOOD. THE ONLY BLOOD THAT 34:05 WASHES AWAY SIN IS THE BLOOD OF HIS SON - NOT GOATS OR PEOPLE. 34:13 THEY "...CUT THEMSELVES, AS WAS THEIR CUSTOM" - SO IT WAS - 34:17 "WHEN MIDDAY WAS PAST, THEY PROPHESIED UNTIL THE TIME OF THE 34:20 OFFERING OF THE EVENING SACRIFICE." 34:22 - EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD NO FIRE, THERE'S BEEN NO RESULTS, THERE'S 34:26 BEEN NO EVIDENCE OF ANY POWER OR ANY GOD. 34:28 THEN THEY STARTED TO PROPHECY - THEY BEGAN TO MUTTER AND MUMBLE 34:31 AND THEY BEGAN TO PROPHECY, 'O, THUS SAYS BAAL, 'IT'S BECAUSE 34:34 ELIJAH IS STILL ALIVE. IF YOU GET RID OF HIM THEN HE 34:37 WILL SEND THE RAIN.' AND 'IF IT WASN'T FOR THESE FALSE PROPHETS 34:40 THAT STILL WORSHIP JEHOVAH, THEN' - AND SO THEN THEY'D BEGIN 34:42 TO PROPHESY - 400 OF THEM JUST BABBLING. 34:45 OH, ALL YOU HEARD WAS NOISE AND PROPHESYING - THEY COULDN'T EVEN 34:48 TELL YOU WHAT THEY SAID. ABOUT THE TIME OF THE EVENING 34:52 SACRIFICE - CLOSE TO SUNDOWN - WHAT TIME OF DAY DID JESUS DIE? 35:01 "BUT THERE WAS NO VOICE; NO ONE ANSWERED," - AND NOTICE THIS - 35:05 "NO ONE PAID ATTENTION." I MEAN, LET'S FACE IT, AFTER ALL 35:09 DAY LONG, 'O BAAL, HEAR US! O BAAL, HEAR US! 35:12 O BAAL' - THE PEOPLE STARTED DRIFTING AWAY. 35:14 AND THEY SAID, 'WAIT, WAIT, WE'VE GOT MORE. 35:15 WE'RE GOING TO CUT OURSELVES NOW.' SO THEY'RE CUTTING 35:17 THEMSELVES AND PEOPLE SAY, 'OH' - AND THEY SAY, 'WAIT, WAIT, 35:19 WATCH US LEAP ON THE ALTAR.' AND PRETTY SOON THERE'S NOTHING THEY 35:23 COULD DO TO KEEP THE PEOPLE'S ATTENTION. 35:26 YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS IN THE WORSHIP OF THE WORLD. 35:28 THEY KEEP HAVING TO GO TO MORE EXTRAORDINARY AND OUTRAGEOUS 35:33 LINKS TO KEEP THE ATTENTION OF THE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY DON'T 35:37 HAVE THE GENUINE POWER. BUT THE BIBLE SAYS JESUS SAT 35:41 DOWN AND HE TAUGHT THEM AND THEY STAYED ALL DAY LONG WITHOUT 35:43 THINKING OF DINNER BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING PROFOUND IN WHAT 35:47 HE WAS SAYING. "NOBODY EVEN PAID ATTENTION." 35:52 THINGS GOT QUIET. ONLY THING ON THE ALTAR? 35:55 FLIES - CLOUD OF BUZZARDS CIRCLING OVERHEAD. 36:01 "THEN ELIJAH SAID TO ALL THE PEOPLE, 'COME NEAR TO ME.' - I 36:04 THINK IT'S INTERESTING, ABOUT THE TIME OF THE EVENING 36:06 SACRIFICE HE SAYS, 'COME NEAR TO ME.' YOU KNOW WHAT ELIJAH'S NAME 36:09 MEANS? 'MY GOD IS JEHOVAH'. 36:12 JESUS' NAME IS 'MY GOD IS SAVIOR'. 36:15 AROUND THE TIME OF THE EVENING SACRIFICE HE SAYS, 'COME NEAR TO 36:17 ME.' THAT WAS REALLY GOD SPEAKING TO THE NATION SAYING, 36:22 'COME BACK TO ME.' IT'S LIKE JESUS SAID, 'COME UNTO ME ALL 36:26 YOU WHO ARE WEARY AND HEAVY LADEN AND I'LL GIVE YOU REST.' 36:29 SO NOW THE PEOPLE ARE - THEY'RE COMING. 36:33 AS TIRED AS THEY ARE, ELIJAH SAYS, 'COME TO ME.' AND THERE'S 36:36 SOMETHING ABOUT HIM THAT THEY COME. 36:38 AND WHILE THEY WATCH, WITH A TENDER HEART, HE REVERENTLY 36:44 REPAIRS THE ALTAR OF THE LORD THAT WAS BROKEN DOWN. 36:47 YOU KNOW, IT JUST MAKES YOU WANT TO CRY. 36:49 THE PEOPLE HAD TURNED TO THE WORSHIP OF BAAL AND NOBODY THERE 36:54 HAD FIXED THE ALTAR OF THE LORD ALL DAY LONG. 36:57 ELIJAH HIMSELF IS WRESTLING THESE BIG STONES, TWELVE OF 37:00 THEM, INTO PLACE SO THAT HE COULD BUILD UP THE WORSHIP OF 37:04 GOD. DO YOU HAVE AN ALTAR IN YOUR 37:06 HOUSE THAT MIGHT NEED A LITTLE REPAIR? 37:10 SOME PEOPLE USED TO HAVE AN ALTAR IN THEIR HOME BUT IT GETS 37:13 REPLACED BY THE TELEVISION AND INSTEAD OF THE WORSHIP OF GOD 37:18 THERE'S 'AMERICAN IDOL' - A DIFFERENT KIND OF WORSHIP 37:23 HAPPENING. THE ALTAR OF THE LORD KIND OF 37:26 GETS BROKEN DOWN OVER TIME. IT MIGHT NEED TO BE RESTORED. 37:31 TALK ABOUT BABYLON. "THEN WITH THE STONES HE BUILT 37:35 AN ALTAR IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; AND HE MADE A TRENCH 37:38 AROUND THE ALTAR LARGE ENOUGH TO HOLD TWO SEAHS OF SEED." - 37:44 TWO BIG DITCHES WERE DUG AROUND THE ALTAR AND HE PUT THE 37:48 WOOD IN ORDER, CUT THE BULL IN PIECES, AND LAID IT ON THE WOOD, 37:54 AND SAID, 'FILL FOUR WATER POTS WITH WATER, AND POUR IT ON THE 37:58 BURNT SACRIFICE AND ON THE WOOD.'" - AND I KNOW THERE'S 38:00 BEEN A FAMINE BUT THEY'RE NOT FAR FROM THE OCEAN SO THEY 38:02 BROUGHT UP THESE BARRELS OF WATER - "THEN HE SAID, 'DO IT A 38:06 SECOND TIME,' AND THEY DID IT A SECOND TIME; AND HE SAID, 'DO IT 38:10 A THIRD TIME,'" - WHEN DID JESUS RISE? 38:14 WASN'T IT AFTER THE THIRD DAY? - "AND THEY DID IT A THIRD TIME. 38:18 SO THE WATER RAN ALL AROUND THE ALTAR; AND HE ALSO FILLED THE 38:22 TRENCH WITH WATER." - HE DIDN'T WANT ANYBODY SAYING 38:25 THAT HE, YOU KNOW, 'SINCE I BUILT IT UP AND I PUT THE WOOD 38:28 THERE, MAYBE I STUCK SOME COALS IN THERE OR SMOLDERING CIGAR OR 38:32 SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY GOING TO IGNITE IT ALL AND' - HE SAID 38:35 - 'I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IF THIS THING CATCHES ON FIRE IT IS 38:38 A MIRACLE.' ANY OF YOU EVER GONE CAMPING BEFORE AND YOU KNEW IT 38:41 WAS GOING TO TAKE A MIRACLE TO START A FIRE EVEN WITH MATCHES? 38:46 I'VE TRIED TO START SOME BURN PILES OUT IN THE WOODS WHEN IT'S 38:49 POURING RAIN AND IT'S PRETTY TOUGH STARTING A FIRE 38:51 UNDERWATER. AND HE JUST ABSOLUTELY DRENCHED 38:55 AND SATURATED IT SO THAT IT WOULD MULTIPLY THE POWER OF GOD 38:59 WHEN IT - BOY, CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING ELIJAH? 39:03 WAS HE THINKING IN HIS HEART, 'BOY, I SURE HOPE THIS WORKS'? 39:11 AND DO IT AGAIN - "SO THE WATER RANK ALL AROUND THE ALTAR; AND 39:14 HE ALSO FILLED THE TRENCH WITH WATER. 39:16 AND IT CAME TO PASS, AT THE TIME OF THE OFFERING OF THE EVENING 39:19 SACRIFICE, THAT ELIJAH THE PROPHET CAME NEAR AND SAID, 39:24 'LORD GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND ISRAEL, LET IT BE KNOWN THIS DAY 39:30 THAT YOU ARE GOD IN ISRAEL AND I AM YOUR SERVANT," - WAIT A 39:33 SECOND, HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE A WATCH WITH A TIMER ON IT? 39:37 STOPWATCH. COME ON, ANYONE HAVE A WATCH 39:39 WITH A STOPWATCH ON IT? ALRIGHT, WHEN I SAY 'GO', TIME ME. 39:43 OKAY? ANYONE. YOU - I'LL ASK YOU AND THEN I'LL TELL YOU STOP, 39:46 OKAY? I WANT YOU TO TIME ME. YOU ALL READY? ANYONE READY? 39:50 WHO'S READY TO TIME THIS? A COUPLE? OKAY. 39:56 I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THIS - GO - "LORD GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND 40:05 ISRAEL, LET IT BE KNOWN THIS DAY THAT YOU ARE GOD IN ISRAEL AND I 40:10 AM YOUR SERVANT, AND THAT I HAVE DONE ALL THESE THINGS AT YOUR 40:13 WORD. HEAR ME, O LORD, HEAR ME, THAT 40:17 THIS PEOPLE MAY KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE LORD GOD, AND THAT YOU 40:20 HAVE TURNED THEIR HEARTS BACK TO YOU AGAIN.' - STOP. HOW LONG? 40:27 HOW MUCH? 20 SECONDS? 20.3 SECONDS. NOT EVEN 30 SECONDS. 40:35 THE PROPHETS OF BAAL HAD ALL DAY LONG - HOURS AND HOURS OF 40:39 PRAYING WITH NO POWER. ELIJAH PRAYS A 20-SECOND PRAYER. 40:46 OF COURSE, THAT 20-SECOND PRAYER IS COMING AFTER YEARS AND YEARS 40:49 OF SERVING GOD. SOME OF US WANT GOD TO HEAR OUR 40:53 20-SECOND PRAYER BUT WE HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO GO BEHIND IT. 40:57 BUT BECAUSE HE KNEW GOD AND HE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, HE 41:00 DIDN'T NEED A LONG PRAYER. AS SOON AS HE SAYS - NOTICE THIS 41:07 - "TURNED THEIR HEARTS BACK TO YOU AGAIN." 41:11 YOU KNOW WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT FELL AT PENTECOST - THAT FIRE - 41:15 THOSE TONGUES OF FIRE? AFTER GOD HAD TURNED THEIR 41:17 HEARTS BACK. IF YOU WANT THE FIRE TO FALL ON 41:21 YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FAMILY - THE FIRE OF GOD'S SPIRIT - IT'S WHEN 41:25 OUR HEARTS ARE TURNED BACK THAT THE FIRE'S GOING TO FALL. 41:29 "THEN THE FIRE OF THE LORD FELL AND CONSUMED THE BURNT 41:33 SACRIFICE, AND THE WOOD AND THE STONES AND THE DUST, AND IT 41:38 LICKED UP THE WATER THAT WAS IN THE TRENCH." 41:43 SUDDENLY FROM A CLOUDLESS SKY - THERE'S NO CLOUDS - IT HAD JUST 41:46 BEEN BURNING CLEAR AS IT HAD BEEN FOR YEARS. 41:50 FROM A CLOUDLESS SKY THIS BOLT OF LIGHTNING COMES DOWN LIKE A 41:53 HOLY ARC WELDER FROM THE HEAVENS AND JUST BEGINS TO BURN AND IT 41:57 BURNS THROUGH THE SACRIFICE AND IT KEEPS BURNING AND THE PEOPLE 41:59 ARE JUMPING BACK FROM THE LIGHT - BURNS THROUGH THE WOOD, BURNS 42:02 THROUGH - THE ROCKS ARE POPPING EVERYWHERE AND THEN YOU HEAR THE 42:04 SIZZLE OF IT BURNING AND STEAMING ALL THE WATER OUT OF 42:07 THE DITCH AND THEN IT GOES AWAY AND THERE'S NOTHING BUT A CRATER 42:10 WHERE THE ALTAR USED TO BE. NOW, YOU'RE IN THE CROWD THAT 42:15 DAY; WHICH GOD ARE YOU GOING TO SERVE? 42:19 WAS THERE ANY QUESTION WHICH GOD WAS THE REAL GOD? 42:23 "NOW WHEN ALL THE PEOPLE SAW IT, THEY FELL ON THEIR FACES; 42:27 AND THEY SAID, 'THE LORD, HE IS GOD! 42:30 THE LORD, HE IS GOD!'" - AND THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO 42:34 TOO - "AND ELIJAH SAID TO THEM," - WHAT DO YOU THINK THE PROPHETS 42:37 OF BAAL ARE DOING AT THIS TIME? 'BOY, IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY. 42:40 YOU KNOW, WE'VE ENJOYED BEING HERE, FOLKS. 42:42 WE'LL SEE YOU LATER.' AND HE SAW THAT THEY WERE ALL STARTING TO 42:46 EXCUSE THEMSELVES FROM THE PROGRAM AND ELIJAH SAYS, 42:50 'GRAB THEM. DON'T LET THEM GO ANYWHERE.' 42:53 YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY WAS IT IMPORTANT THAT THE PEOPLE 42:55 REALIZE WHO THE REAL GOD WAS, THEY HAD TO DO SOMETHING 42:57 ABOUT THE PROBLEM. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ENOUGH THAT 43:01 YOU SAY, 'LORD, THANK YOU FOR FORGIVING MY SINS.' ARE YOU 43:04 STILL GOING TO LET THE PRIESTS OF BAAL TALK TO YOU EVERYDAY? 43:08 SOMETIMES YOU'VE GOT TO ELIMINATE THOSE THINGS THAT ARE 43:11 BRINGING THE BAD TEACHINGS INTO YOUR LIFE. 43:15 IF YOUR RIGHT HAND OFFENDS YOU, CUT IT OFF. 43:18 IF YOUR EYE OFFENDS YOU, PLUCK IT OUT. 43:20 IS THERE SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE LEADING YOU AWAY FROM THE 43:22 WORSHIP OF GOD? HE SAID, "'DO NOT LET ONE OF 43:27 THEM ESCAPE!' SO THEY SEIZED THEM; AND ELIJAH 43:31 BROUGHT THEM DOWN TO THE BROOK KISHON" - THAT WAS RIGHT AT THE 43:33 BASE OF MOUNT CARMEL - "AND EXECUTED THEM THERE." 43:38 THIS BROUGHT ABOUT A GREAT REFORM. 43:41 NOW, I SEE OUR TIME'S UP. I'M NOT DONE WITH ELIJAH SO THIS 43:46 IS PROBABLY AS GOOD A PLACE TO STOP AS ANYTHING - AS ANYWHERE. 43:51 YOU KNOW WHAT THE LORD DID THAT DAY WITH ELIJAH WAS ONE OF THE 43:55 HIGH POINTS OF HISTORY - BIBLICALLY AND OTHERWISE. 43:59 WHEN ONE MAN STOOD UP AGAINST THE DEVIL 44:02 IS REALLY WHAT YOU HAVE HAPPENING THERE. 44:04 ONE MAN WITH GOD - DO YOU KNOW YOU AND GOD ARE A MAJORITY? 44:08 WHAT HE DID THERE THAT DAY IS LIKE WHAT DANIEL DID WHEN HE 44:11 SAID, 'I'M GOING TO OPEN MY WINDOWS EVEN IF IT MEANS I GO TO 44:14 THE LION'S DEN.' AND GOD STOOD UP FOR DANIEL. 44:18 IT'S LIKE WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SHADRACH, MESCHACH AND ABEDNEGO 44:20 SAID, 'WE ARE NOT GOING TO BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP YOUR GODS.' OR 44:24 WHEN MORDECAI SAID TO HAMAN, 'WE ARE NOT GOING TO BOW DOWN AND 44:28 WORSHIP YOU.' AND ELIJAH BOLDLY SURROUNDED BY - THE BIBLE SAYS 44:34 'FOLLOW NOT A MULTITUDE TO DO EVIL.' EVEN THOUGH HE WAS 44:37 COMPLETELY OUTNUMBERED - TALK ABOUT A SHOWDOWN - THIS IS THE 44:41 ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN. HE STANDS UP FOR GOD. 44:45 YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE SAYS, 'THOSE THAT HONOR ME I WILL HONOR.' AND 44:49 BECAUSE ELIJAH WAS PASSIONATE AND FAITHFUL ABOUT STANDING UP 44:52 FOR GOD ON THAT MOUNTAIN ON THAT DAY, HIS LIFE DID NOT END LIKE 44:56 THE LIFE OF MOST MEN, DID IT? 44:58 AND WHEN HE PRAYED THE FIRE CAME DOWN. YOU KNOW, I THINK 45:03 WE NEED TO HAVE A SIMILAR REVIVAL AMONG GOD'S PEOPLE. 45:07 THERE'S A LOT OF BAAL - BABYLONIAN WORSHIP THAT HAS 45:11 DRIFTED INTO OUR LIVES - A LOT OF COMPROMISE. 45:14 THE TRUE RELIGION OF JESUS - GODLY LIVING, LOVE FOR THE LORD 45:19 - NEEDS TO BE RESTORED. WHEN WE LIVE LIVES THAT HONOR 45:21 GOD - THAT NEEDS TO BE RESTORED AMONG GOD'S PEOPLE AND I THINK 45:25 WE NEED TO - WE NEED TO BUILD UP THE ALTAR OF THE LORD THAT HAS 45:29 BEEN BROKEN DOWN IN OUR HEARTS - IN OUR HOMES. 45:33 THE BIBLE SAYS THE LORD WANTED THE PEOPLE TO COME BACK. 45:37 HE WANTED TO TURN THEIR HEARTS BACK TO HIM AGAIN. 45:41 WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE THAT KIND OF REVIVAL? 45:43 WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE SPIRIT OF GOD COME DOWN IN YOUR LIFE? 45:47 THIS ISN'T A STORY ABOUT ANCIENT HISTORY, IT'S A STORY ABOUT 45:49 TODAY BECAUSE THE SAME THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN GOD'S CHURCH IN 45:52 THE OLD TESTAMENT, THEY HAPPENED IN GOD'S CHURCH IN JESUS' DAY, 45:56 THEY'RE HAPPENING TO GOD'S CHURCH AGAIN TODAY AND WE NEED A 45:59 REVIVAL. SO HOW LONG WILL YOU HALT BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? 46:08 >>AMAZING FACTS, CHANGED LIVES. 46:16 >>YOU KNOW, WE GREW UP IN A NEIGHBORHOOD UP IN THE MIDWEST 46:19 THAT WAS A PRETTY BAD NEIGHBORHOOD AND WHEN I BECAME A 46:22 TEENAGER I STARTED USING DRUGS. I WAS ON - I STARTED USING METH 46:27 WHEN I WAS LIKE, I THINK, 16 - 15 - SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 46:31 I WAS HAVING SOME PROBLEMS IN MY LIFE I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO 46:34 DEAL WITH. THE ONLY THING I REALLY KNEW WAS 46:38 VIOLENCE SO THIS NIGHT HERE I WAS GOING TO INFLICT 46:42 VIOLENCE ON MYSELF. I WAS REALLY HIG AND REALLY 46:46 DEPRESSED SO I TOOK, YOU KNOW, I HAD THIS .40 CALIBER. 46:48 SO I REMEMBER I PUT ONE IN THE CHAMBER AND I STUCK IT TO THE 46:51 SIDE OF MY HEAD LIKE THIS AND THAT GUN HAD A HAIR TRIGGER, 46:57 YOU KNOW? I REMEMBER I WAS TAPPING IT 47:01 'CAUSE A PART OF ME SAID 'NO, I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS. 47:05 'BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING VERY EVIL PRESENT THERE SAYING 'DO 47:08 IT.' I JUST SAID TO MYSELF, I SAID, 'GOD, IF YOU'RE REAL SHOW 47:15 YOURSELF TO ME.' MY MOTHER TOOK ME TO CHURCH WHEN I WAS A LITTLE 47:19 KID AND WE USED TO SING 'JESUS LOVES ME' AND I REMEMBERED THAT 47:24 SONG. IT STARTED PLAYING IN MY MIND. 47:29 I ALMOST HAD, LIKE, A VISION OF ME AS A LITTLE KID, YOU KNOW? 47:35 IN SABBATH SCHOOL WE USED TO BANG THOSE STICKS TOGETHER AND 47:42 SING 'JESUS LOVES ME' AND I HEARD THAT IN MY MIND. 47:50 SO I SAID, 'WOW.' SO I JUST, KIND OF LIKE, PUT THE GUN DOWN 47:56 AND I KIND OF FELL ON MY BEDSIDE THERE AND I SAID, 'LORD,' - 48:01 I JUST BASICALLY JUST PRAYED THIS CRAZY PRAYER. 48:03 I SAYS - I TOLD HIM EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG WITH ME. 48:07 AND I REMEMBER, ONE DAY, I WAS DRIVING AROUND AND I KIND OF 48:09 FELT LOST, AND I DROVE BY THIS CHURCH AND I SEEN TOM OUT THERE. 48:13 TOM WAS JUST OUT THERE WATERING THE FLOWERS, YOU KNOW? 48:17 >>SO I CAUGHT A VISION OUT OF THE SIDE OF MY EYE OF THIS BIG 48:21 HUSKY GUY WITH TATTOOS WALKING UP AND SAYING HELLO. 48:27 AND I - SO I ASKED HIM IF I COULD HELP HIM AND HE TOLD ME 48:32 THAT HE DRIVES BY THE CHURCH ON OCCASION AND EVERY TIME HE GOES 48:38 BY HE'S THINKING THAT HE SHOULD STOP IN. 48:40 >>AFTER HE SHOWED ME AROUND THE CHURCH, YOU KNOW, I WAS LIKE, 48:45 'OKAY, MAN, IT'S NICE MEETING YOU.' AND THIS AND THAT - SO I 48:49 JUMPED IN MY CAR AND I STARTED HEADING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND 48:54 THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW IN, LIKE, MY PERIPHERAL VISION, I 48:57 SEE HIM COMING AROUND THE CORNER LIKE JERRY RICE RUNNING A 49:01 FOOTBALL - NO, NOT THAT FAST, BUT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS TAKING OFF 49:07 AFTER ME AND HE SAYS, 'HEY, HEY, HOLD ON, HOLD ON.' 49:10 >>I ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOME BIBLE STUDIES AND 49:12 HE SAID, 'YEAH.' >>HE WOULD COME BY THE HOUSE. 49:15 WE'D ALL START - WE'D START HIDING THE BEER CANS AND TRYING 49:19 TO AIR OUT THE WEED SMELL. THERE WAS A PRESENCE THAT CAME 49:22 WITH TOM THAT WAS COMFORTING, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? 49:28 EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T TAKING THE BIBLE STUDIES AS SERIOUS AS I 49:31 SHOULD HAVE, LOOKING BACK, THERE WAS JUST A PRESENCE ABOUT HIM 49:35 BEING THERE IN THE HOUSE THAT WAS COMFORTING. 49:39 I TOLD TOM, I SAID, 'TOM, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T WIN EVERYBODY.' 49:42 >>I LOOKED AT HIM AND I KNEW - I SAID TO HIM, 'RUEBEN, I NEVER 49:47 GET ANYBODY.' I SAYS, 'THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL DO THAT.' AND I, 49:53 KIND OF, IN MY HEART, KNEW THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS GOING TO 49:56 WORK ON RUEBEN. >>SO THEN TOM KIND OF LEFT THE 49:59 PICTURE FOR AWHILE AND I THINK ONE DAY, AT MY MOTHER'S HOUSE, 50:04 THEY WERE WATCHING THE FINAL EVENTS OF BIBLE PROPHECY . 50:07 SO I WATCHED THAT AND I REMEMBER THE SCENE WHERE THEY HAD THE 50:14 HELLFIRE AND STUFF, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OUTSIDE THE CITY AND IT 50:18 SHOWED THE HELLFIRE COMING DOWN AND BURNING PEOPLE AND STUFF. 50:24 I REMEMBER SAYING TO MYSELF, 'THAT'S WHERE I WOULD BE RIGHT 50:28 THERE.' AFTER THE HELLFIRE SCENE I SAW THE SAINTS IN THE CITY - 50:35 IN THE NEW JERUSALEM - AND JESUS RECREATING THE EARTH AND I SAID, 50:45 'I WANT THAT TO BE MY - ME AND MY FAMILY.' THERE WAS SOMETHING 50:48 ABOUT THE WAY DOUG PREACHED AND THINGS THAT I FELT THAT TOUCHED 50:52 ME BECAUSE HE'S KIND OF LIKE MYSELF, YOU KNOW, HE'S - HE 50:58 DIDN'T GROW UP LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW? 51:00 HE - HE DONE DRUGS AND THINGS SO I KIND OF FOUND THESE COMMON 51:04 GROUNDS THAT I HAD WITH HIM AND I LIKED HOW HE JUST, KIND OF, 51:08 LIKE, KEPT IT REAL WITH HIS PREACHING. 51:10 AND THEN PASTOR RODLEY CAME TO THE CHURCH AND I GOT TO KNOW HIM 51:15 VERY WELL AND WE STARTED DOING SOME FINISHING STUDIES. 51:20 HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS DOING AND 51:23 THINGS. HE BAPTIZED ME, MY WIFE, MY BROTHER. 51:28 NO MATTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE, WHERE YOU COME FROM, WHERE 51:33 YOU'VE BEEN, NO MATTER HOW BAD OF A SINNER YOU THINK YOU ARE, 51:38 THE LORD JESUS LOVES YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE. 51:42 >>FRIENDS, IT'S BECAUSE OF GOD'S BLESSING AND YOUR SUPPORT 51:46 THOUSANDS OF OTHERS, JUST LILKE RUEBEN, HAVE FOUND JESUS AND 51:49 ETERNAL LIFE. (MUSIC) 52:01 >>LET'S FACE IT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING 52:04 YOU READ IN THE BIBLE. WITH OVER 700,000 WORDS 52:08 CONTAINED IN 66 BOOKS, THE BIBLE CAN GENERATE A LOT OF QUESTIONS. 52:12 TO GET BIBLICAL STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS CALL IN TO BIBLE ANSWERS 52:16 LIVE - A LIVE NATIONWIDE CALL-IN RADIO PROGRAM WHERE YOU CAN TALK 52:20 TO PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR AND ASK HIM YOUR MOST DIFFICULT BIBLE 52:23 QUESTIONS. FOR TIMES AND STATIONS IN YOUR AREA, OR TO 52:27 LISTEN TO ANSWERS ONLINE, VISIT BAL.AMAZINGFACTS.ORG . (MUSIC) 52:42 >>YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THE EXPRESSION BEFORE, 'IF YOU DON'T 52:44 LIKE THE WEATHER IN TEXAS, JUST WAIT; IT'LL CHANGE.' AND YOU'VE 52:48 ALSO HEARD, 'EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS - THE RANCHES, 52:51 THE BELT BUCKLES, THE COWBOY HATS...' BUT THE MOST FAMOUS 52:55 SLOGAN ABOUT TEXAS IS 'REMEMBER THE ALAMO!' 53:02 THE VIOLENT BATTLES AND BRAVERY OF ICONIC HEROES, HAVE BEEN THE 53:05 STUFF OF LEGENDS, THROUGHOUT WHICH ENTIRE CULTURES OFTEN DRAW 53:09 THEIR IDENITY AND PRIDE, EVEN LONG AFTER CENTURIES ARE PAST. 53:12 AND IN TEXAS, THE STORY OF THE ALAMO HAS BEEN A RALLYING CRY OF 53:16 TEXAS INDEPENDENCE FOR 200 YEARS. 53:19 ONE REASON THAT TEXANS LOVE TO BRAG THAT EVERYTHING IS BIGGER 53:22 IN TEXAS IS, OF COURSE, BECAUSE TEXAS IS THE LARGEST OF THE 53:26 LOWER 48 U.S. STATES. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS 53:29 MASSIVE STATE GOT ITS BEGINNING IN A VERY SMALL CHRISTIAN 53:33 MISSION DURING THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO. 53:36 EVERY YEAR THIS FAMOUS MISSION MUSEUM RECEIVES OVER TWO AND A 53:40 HALF MILLION VISITORS FROM ALL PARTS OF THE PLANET, THAT ARE 53:43 EAGER TO GET A GOOD LOOK AT THIS LEGENDARY SITE. 53:46 THE ALAMO PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE TEXAS REVOLUTION. 53:50 IN DECEMBER 1835, TEXANS AND TEJANO VOLUNTEERS BATTLED 53:54 MEXICAN TROOPS QUARTERED IN THE CITY, FORCING GENERAL MARTIN 53:58 PERFECTO DE COS TO SURRENDER. THE VICTORIOUS VOLUNTEERS 54:01 THEN OCCUPIED THE ALAMO AND STRENGTHENED ITS DEFENSES. 54:06 FAMOUS AMERICANS LIKE DAVY CROCKETT, JIM BOWIE, AND COLONEL 54:09 WILLIAM TRAVIS MADE THIS LOCATION - THIS ANCIENT MISSION 54:12 - THE BEACHHEAD - THE LAST STAND IN AN EPIC BATTLE TO WIN 54:16 INDEPENDENCE OF TEXAS FROM MEXICO. 54:19 ON FEBRUARY 23, 1836, THE ARRIVAL OF GENERAL ANTONIO LOPEZ 54:24 SANTA ANA NEARLY CAUGHT THEM BY SURPRISE. 54:27 UNDAUNTED, THE TEXANS AND TEJANOS PREPARED TO DEFEND THE 54:31 ALAMO. FOR THIS SMALL RAG-TAG GROUP OF 54:33 REBELS, THE YOUNGEST OF WHOM WAS ABOUT SIXTEEN AND THE OLDEST 54:36 SEVENTY-FIVE, WAS AGAINST THE WELL-TRAINED AND ORGANIZED 54:39 MEXICAN ARMY OF SIX THOUSAND-PLUS SOLDIERS. 54:42 IT WAS A FIERCE AND LOPSIDED BATTLE, YET THE SMALL FORCE OF 54:46 REBELS WAS ABLE TO REPEL THE TROOPS FOR THIRTEEN DAYS. 54:50 LEGEND HOLDS THAT WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL HELP 54:54 FADING, COLONEL TRAVIS DREW A LINE IN THE GROUND WITH A SWORD 54:57 AND ASKED ANY MAN WILLING TO STAY AND FIGHT TO STEP OVER THE 55:01 LINE. ALL EXCEPT ONE CROSSED OVER. 55:05 THE FINAL ASSAULT CAME BEFORE DAYBREAK. 55:08 ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 6, 1836, THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF THE SIEGE, 55:12 CANON AND SMALL ARMS FIRE FROM INSIDE THE ALAMO BEAT BACK 55:16 SEVERAL MEXICAN ATTACKS. REGROUPING, SANTA ANA'S SOLDIERS 55:20 SCALED THE WALLS AND RUSHED INTO THE COMPOUND. 55:23 THE DESPERATE STRUGGLE CONTINUED UNTIL THE DEFENDERS WERE 55:26 OVERWHELMED. BY SUNRISE, THE BATTLE HAD ENDED 55:30 AND THE GARRISON WAS SLAIN. YOU KNOW, HISTORIANS MAY DEBATE 55:33 SOME OF THE DETAILS REGARDING THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO, BUT 55:36 NONE OF THEM QUESTION THE INCREDIBLE SACRIFICE THAT WAS 55:38 MADE AND THE COURAGE THAT WAS DISPLAYED DURING THAT 55:41 INTENSE CONFLICT. THEY MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE 55:45 - GIVING THEIR LIVES - AND THIS IS WHY THE STORY OF THE ALAMO IS 55:48 SO INSPIRING AND SO ENCOURAGING, YOU KNOW? 55:51 AND THAT'S WHY THE BIBLE IS SO INSPIRING, FRIENDS, BECAUSE 55:53 SOMEONE WAS WILLING TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE AND GIVE HIS 55:56 LIFE SO YOU COULD HAVE FREEDOM AND ETERNAL LIFE. 56:00 DON'T YOU THINK YOU COULD TRUST YOUR LIFE TO A FRIEND LIKE THAT, 56:03 THAT WOULD GIVE EVERYTHING? THE STORY OF THE GOSPEL IS A 56:05 STORY OF COURAGE AND HOPE. IT'S THE STORY OF GOD WHO WILL 56:08 NEVER LEAVE YOU WITHOUT DEFENSE AND SUPPORT. 56:11 JESUS IS THE GOOD NEWS AND THE GOSPEL IS A STORY WORTH 56:15 REMEMBERING. (MUSIC) 56:37 >>AMAZING FACTS BEGAN IN 1965 WITH A GOD-INSPIRED CONCEPT. 56:43 >>HELLO, THIS IS JOE CREWS AND THE AMAZING FACTS BROADCAST 56:46 FACTS WHICH AFFECT YOU. EACH RADIO BROADCAST WOULD 56:49 BEGIN WITH AN AMAZING FACT FROM SCIENCE, NATURE, OR HISTORY, 56:54 FOLLOWED BY A BIBLE MESSAGE THAT TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF LISTENERS 56:57 FROM EVERY WALK OF LIFE. THE PROGRAM WAS AN INSTANT 57:01 SUCCESS AND THE MINISTRY SOON BEGAN EXPANDING TO 57:04 INCLUDE BIBLE LESSONS. IN 1986 AMAZING FACTS ADDED THE 57:09 MEDIUM OF TELEVISION TO ITS GROWING OUTREACH EFFORTS, 57:12 OFFERING SOUL-WINNING EVANGELISTIC MESSAGES FOR 57:16 VIEWERS AROUND THE WORLD. IN 1994, PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR 57:21 ASSUMED LEADERSHIP OF THE MINISTRY, ADDING THE BIBLE 57:23 ANSWERS LIVE CALL-IN RADIO PROGRAM AND NEW MINISTRY TV 57:28 PROGRAMS BEGAN AIRING ON MULTIPLE NETWORKS 57:30 AROUND THE WORLD. FOR 50 YEARS, THE DRIVING VISION 57:35 OF AMAZING FACTS HAS BEEN THE BOLD PROCLAMATION OF THE 57:38 EVERLASTING GOSPEL AND, WITH A TEAM OF EVANGELISTS CIRCLING THE 57:42 GLOBE, AND THOUSANDS OF MEN AND WOMEN BEING TRAINED THROUGH 57:46 THE AMAZING FACTS CENTER OF EVANGELISM PROGRAM - AFCOE - THE 57:50 MINISTRY IS HELPING GOD'S CHURCH SEE A RICH HARVEST OF SOULS. 57:54 AMAZING FACTS: GOD'S MESSAGE, OUR MISSION. 58:02 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2017-10-30