![]() 2:1-7.Įlijah tests Elisha’s heart to prepare him for the rapture. Preparation: Live Your Life Prepared For Jesus’ Return at Any Time. God wants you to be His salt and light in the wound of sin to allow Him to bring sinners to repentance. Finally, Elijah judged sinners who rejected him. God also wants you to use the gifts of the Spirit to restore others and to prepare them for Jesus’ return. Sixth, Elijah used the power of the Spirit to restore the cursed land and waters of Jericho. God now wants you to put your hope in Jesus’ return. Jesus later revealed that John the Baptist came with Elijah’s spirit to prepare the people for Him. Yet, later prophets gave the hope of Elijah’s return. Fifth, the prophets looked in vain for Elijah. God also wants you to seize your mantle of Spirit-led leadership by serving in obedience to Jesus. Fourth, Elijah took the mantle of God’s prophet, and the remaining prophets bowed in service to him. God also wants you to have faith in Jesus to prepare yourself for His return. Third, God raptured Elijah because of his incredible faith. Jesus also wants you to seize your spiritual inheritance to serve Him and to help others. Second, Elisha asked for a double inheritance of the Holy Spirit to prepare for service after Elijah left. Jesus will also test you to prepare you for His return. These include: (1) testing and preparation, (2) being Spirit-led, (3) having faith, (4) serving Jesus, (5) having hope in Jesus, (6) restoring sinners, and (7) convicting sinners.įirst, Elijah tested Elisha to prepare him for Elijah’s rapture. Through Elijah’s rapture and Elisha’s succession, God reveals seven lessons on preparing for Jesus’ return and the rapture. Just as Elijah prepared Elisha for his rapture, Jesus also seeks to prepare His believers for His future return and the rapture. Elijah’s rapture foreshadowed Jesus’ future return and rapture of His appointed believers. In other words, the true power to defend Israel was found not in her armies but in the God who spoke by the prophets.Introduction: This chapter tells the story of Elijah’s rapture to heaven and Elisha’s preparation and succession as God’s next appointed prophet. When Elisha saw Elijah being taken up, he cried out, “My father, my father!” calling Elijah, “the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” (vv. Otherwise, what is the meaning of the request made by Elisha that there might be in him double the Spirit of God that was in Elijah? And how is it that among the saints some are more holy than others, except that they have a more abundant indwelling in God?” “He who is everywhere does not dwell in all, and he does not even dwell equally in those in whom he does dwell. Augustine of Hippo notes also that this request for a double portion of the Holy Spirit tells us something about the Spirit’s work among His people. Elisha recognized that the power behind Elijah’s ministry came not from Elijah but from the Lord. This story of Elijah’s being taken directly to heaven is well known, but it is worth noting that Elisha asked for a “double portion of spirit” on Elijah (vv. Second Kings 2:1–14 describes how God finally replaced Elijah with Elisha. While saying his goodbyes, Elijah sacrificed his oxen on a fire built with the oxen yoke, demonstrating that he would never return to his former life on the farm (1 Kings 19:21). He did ask for time to say goodbye to his family, which Elijah allowed, but he was no servant of the kingdom who signed up and then looked back (v. However, Elisha immediately left his life on the family farm to fulfill his calling. Elisha was going to take Elijah’s place as the leading prophet in Israel, but not immediately. Passing by Elisha, Elijah threw his cloak on him, signifying the transfer of prophetic authority (v. First, let us look at 1 Kings 19:19–21, which describes God’s call of Elisha. ![]() The appointment of Elisha to succeed Elijah reveals this point. ![]() Yet, the maintenance and advance of God’s kingdom did not depend on Elijah, for it depends on no one but the Lord Himself. ![]() He would not abandon His covenant commitments as Israel did, but He would judge the people for their sin, just as He promised when He enacted the Mosaic covenant (1 Kings 17–2 Kings 1 see Deut. Time and again, he announced to the Israelites that although most of them had forgotten the Lord, the Lord had not forgotten them. Elijah played a critical role in the northern kingdom of Israel as it descended further into idolatry.
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