The Life of Elijah #8: Passing the Baton
CCEA
School of Discipleship
November
2, 2025
Have all the guys go to one side of the room, the gals to the other.
Guys with guys, gals with gals. Share one thing you could pray for each
other.
Homework
I think we’ll skip talking about homework and memory verses this week and
dive into our study. But first …
Your finals are due this week, I will give you one more week to turn in
your final through email.
I will also give you until next Sunday (November
9) to catch up on any classes you’ve missed by watching the
YouTube videos and emailing me your quiz answers.
The assignment was to read Swindoll: Chapter 10: A No-Death Contract
Can anyone share with us one thing you were encouraged by?
How are you doing with your Bible memory verses? Anyone want to try and
recite all three?
(James 5:16–18
NKJV) —16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous
man avails much. 17 Elijah was a
man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain;
and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth
produced its fruit.
Introduction
Last week we saw the confrontation between Elijah and Ahab over Ahab taking
the vineyard belonging to a man named Naboth.
Because of the way that Jezebel had done it for Ahab, through deceit and
murder, there would be judgment against the house of Ahab.
There would one day be no male descendants, Ahab’s dynasty will end in the
northern kingdom.
Before we get into our main text in 2Kings 2, I want to fill you in on what
happened after Naboth’s vineyard.
1Kings 22
In 1Kings 22, there is going to be a big battle between Israel and Syria at
the city of Ramoth Gilead.
Ahab asks Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him in the battle.
They call for the prophets to prophesy whether or not
they shall go to war.
When Jehoshaphat asks why there aren’t any “prophets of Yahweh” around,
Ahab reluctantly summons a man named Micaiah, the son of Imlah.
Ahab doesn’t like Micaiah …
(1 Kings 22:8 NKJV)
…I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but
evil.”
After some prodding, Micaiah speaks and prophesies that Ahab will die in
the battle.
(1 Kings 22:18
NKJV) And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he
would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
And Ahab dies.
A random bowman from Syria shoots an arrow in the air, and it somehow
strikes Ahab in the joints of his armor, and he dies.
But note: There was another
prophet (Micaiah) in Israel besides Elijah.
That makes three if you count the other two mentioned in 1Kings 20.
When God told Elijah that he was not alone, He meant it.
2Kings 1
Ahab’s son Ahaziah will take the throne after his dad dies, but he has an
accident in 2Kings 1, falling through a lattice in his upper room.
Ahaziah wants to know if he’s going to recover, so he sends messengers
(2 Kings 1:2 NKJV) …“Go, inquire
of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.”
You’ve probably heard the word “Beelzebub”.
It means “Lord of the flies”. In the New Testament it becomes another
name for “Satan” (Mark 3:22).
(Mark
3:22 NKJV) And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has
Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts
out demons.”
Elijah intercepts the messengers and sends them back with this message:
(2 Kings 1:3 NKJV) …‘Is it because there
is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the
god of Ekron?’
Elijah also tells them that Ahaziah will die of his injury.
Ahaziah doesn’t like to hear this kind of news, so he sends a platoon of fifty
men to arrest Elijah.
(2 Kings 1:10 NKJV)
So
Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God,
then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And
fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
Does fire from heaven sound familiar??? (1Kings 18)
This happens a second time and another fifty men are burned up.
The third platoon’s captain begs Elijah to be gracious to he and his men. God
tells Elijah it’s okay to go with this guy, and Elijah goes with them back to
Ahaziah and tells Ahaziah he’s going to die.
This is one of the reasons why I believe Elijah will be one of the two
witnesses of Revelation 11 (the other one would be Moses). There aren’t too
many people in the Bible who have called down fire…
(Revelation 11:5
NKJV) And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth
and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed
in this manner.
This story is also where James and John got an idea of how to deal with a
village in Samaria (maybe even in the same area where Elijah was) that wasn’t being
very nice to Jesus.
(Luke 9:54–56 NKJV)
—54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said,
“Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume
them, just as Elijah did?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and
said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son
of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they
went to another village.
There’s a lesson here about what kinds of examples in Scriptures we apply
to our lives.
While God could let you call down fire to protect
yourself, He is also very concerned about saving others, not destroying them.
2Kings 1 ends with Ahaziah dying, and his brother Joram will take the
throne in Israel.
2Kings 2:1-14 – Passing the Baton
We believe it’s now been several years since Elijah found himself in a cave
complaining that he was the only follower of Yahweh left.
If you recall, this was God’s response:
(1 Kings 19:15–16
NKJV) —15 Then the Lord said to
him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you
arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you
shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah
you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
These three men would be involved in finishing the kinds of things that
Elijah had started.
Elijah had a race to run, but he wasn’t going to be the one to finish that
race. Others would finish it for him.
We often think of life or ministry as a marathon race.
We have to pace
ourselves. We need to run for the long haul. That’s all good.
But there’s also a sense in which successful life and ministry is also a relay race.
The ministry shouldn’t end when I stop.
I need to have someone to “pass the baton” to.
Play Passing Baton video
We are going to see a “baton pass” happen between Elijah and Elisha.
:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into
heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
:1 about to take up Elijah
We don’t know exactly when this bit of information became available and
through whom, but just about everyone in our passage knows that Elijah is going
to be taken into heaven, including Elisha.
:1 into heaven by a whirlwind
This is the first time anyone will do this. Not even Dorothy has done this yet.
This is in fact the first time this word (“whirlwind”) is used.
The word (seh-aw-raw) means a
“storm, tempest, whirlwind”
:1 Elijah went with Elisha
Elijah: “my God is Yahweh”
Elisha: “my God is salvation”
:1 from Gilgal
There are at least two places in Israel named “Gilgal”.
I have to admit I even found one source that said there
are eight different places that might be called “Gilgal”.
This is probably due to the meaning of the name.
It is based on the root word galal, which
means “to roll some object”
Some even interpret it as a “circle of stones”, or perhaps
even an altar of some sort.
I have to admit I’ve spent so much time looking at
“Gilgals” that my eyes are rolling…or my head is
spinning.
The Bible seems to only talk about two places called “Gilgal”.
Play Gilgals Galore Map Video
In the video, keep your eye on Bethel.
The most famous “Gilgal” was down in the Jordan valley, near the city of
Jericho.
This was the first place that Israel camped when Joshua
took them across the Jordan River.
This is where Joshua had the entire army circumcised
before entering battle with Jericho.
(Joshua 5:9 NKJV) Then the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the
reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of the
place is called Gilgal to this day.
It will be one of the first “headquarters” for the armies
of Israel under Joshua.
The problem with this “Gilgal” is that is it located down
in the Jordan River Valley, and in verse 2 of our passage, we are told Elijah “went down” to Bethel from Gilgal. If it was this “Gilgal”, they would have
“gone up” to Bethel.
The key to the Gilgals is their relationship to Bethel.
In verse 2, Elijah and Elisha “went down” from Gilgal to
Bethel.
The only “Gilgal” you go “down” to Bethel from is Gilgal2
This “Gilgal” is north of Bethel, up in the hills so you
would “go down” to Bethel.
:2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me
on to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I
will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel.
:2 they went down to Bethel
Play Gilgal to Bethel map clip
Bethel is about 7 miles south of “Gilgal2”.
Bethel is an ancient worship place.
It had connections to Abraham (Gen. 12:8) and Jacob (Gen. 28:10-22)
Abraham built an altar there (Gen. 12:8)
(Genesis 12:8 NKJV) And he moved from there to the
mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west
and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
Jacob had a vision of heaven there (Gen. 28:10-22)
(Genesis
28:16–17 NKJV) —16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and
said, “Surely the Lord is in this
place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was
afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other
than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Its name means “House of God”.
This is also one of the two cities where King Jeroboam put his “golden
calves” to provide an alternative to Israelites going to Jerusalem to worship
(1Kings 12:28-29)
(1 Kings 12:28–29
NKJV) —28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said
to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your
gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
:2 Stay here, please
The language here is a “polite form”. Elijah is giving Elisha “permission”
to stay behind. He’s not ordering him.
So Elijah asks Elisha to stay in Bethel while he
moves on to his next place.
Quiz Alert
Lesson
1. How serious are you?
Here, put yourself in Elisha’s sandals.
We’re going to see that there will be some kind of connection with how long
Elisha can keep up with Elijah, and the kind of blessing that will be on his life after Elijah is gone.
It sounds as if Elijah is trying to discourage Elisha.
Yet it might be some kind of a test.
If God has truly called Elisha to be the next main prophet for the nation,
what are his priorities?
When it comes to a successful “baton” pass, one of the questions you have to ask the “receiver” is, “Do you want the baton?” How
serious are you?
Are you willing to finish this race?
How bad do you want God’s work in your life? Would you receive the
baton?
What does it take to get you sidetracked?
Play Video: Kids Chanukah Donut Test
There’s nothing wrong with settling for a single donut.
But there is a special blessing when you aren’t distracted
and you follow through.
Are you sidetracked after a polite, “You can take the evening off if you
want”? Or, “It’s okay to skip church this morning to
go waterskiing”.
Please don’t misunderstand me – it’s okay to take time off
with your family. It’s okay to waterski.
But sometimes when God has a specific calling on your life, there may be times
when the “easy way” out is not the right path to take.
It’s why your pastor would still teach on a Sunday morning
or Wednesday night when he’s a little sick.
He could call in sick just like anyone else, but sometimes
he doesn’t.
People who were interested in following Jesus had all kinds of excuses to
delay them in following Him.
(Matthew
8:19–22 NKJV) —19 Then a certain scribe came and said
to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus
said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of His disciples said
to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus
said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
You’re going to see that Elisha is not going to allow anything to come
between him and following Elijah.
You are also going to see God do amazing things through Elisha.
:3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and
said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over
you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
:3 the sons of the prophets
I’d like to suggest that these men are in a “school for prophets”.
The phrase appears 9 times in 1 & 2 Kings.
It starts during the ministry of Elijah and continues into the ministry of
Elisha.
The first time this phrase appears is in:
(1 Ki 20:35 NKJV) Now a
certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the
Lord, “Strike me, please.” And
the man refused to strike him.
Besides this verse, we’ll see the phrase eight more times in 2Kings.
Including
(2 Kings 2:3 NKJV) Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to
Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?” And he said,
“Yes, I know; keep silent!”
(2 Kings
2:15 NKJV) Now when the sons of the prophets who were
from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And
they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before
him.
(2 Kings
4:38 NKJV) And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was
a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before
him; and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the
sons of the prophets.”
The references run through 2Kings 9:1
(2 Kings 9:1 NKJV) And Elisha the prophet called one of
the sons of the prophets, and said to him, “Get yourself ready, take this flask
of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.
We think the prophet schools originated during the ministry of Samuel.
When Saul was on his journey looking for dad’s donkeys …
(1 Samuel 10:10–11
NKJV) —10 When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets
to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among
them. 11 And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed
prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is
this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among
the prophets?”
I think this was one of Samuel’s prophet schools.
When Samuel judged Israel, he had a regular “circuit” that he followed,
visiting certain cities in order to guide the nation.
(1 Samuel 7:15–17
NKJV) —15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and
Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. 17 But he
always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged
Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
See the map.
I believe Samuel established schools at these four places:
Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and Ramah.
Notice that Samuel’s “circuit” included Gilgal and Bethel.
We think that’s the same Gilgal that Elijah was at.
In Elijah’s day, the schools of Mizpah and Ramah would be
across the border in the nation of Judah.
In Elijah’s day, the schools were now located in Gilgal,
Bethel, and Jericho.
Elijah is visiting his “junior prophets” on this his last day.
Quiz Alert
Lesson
2. My priorities
This time we’ll put ourselves into Elijah’s sandals
Training someone to replace me in the race ought to be a priority in my
life.
If you want to run a successful relay race, perhaps you need to help train
up the next generation of “receivers”.
Will there be someone to hand things off to?
It has been said (Archbishop Carey said in 1999), “The
church is always one generation away from extinction”.
We should always be raising up the
next generation.
If you knew that you only had one day left on earth, how would you spend
it?
Go to Disneyland??
I thought this next video had some good insight from a man who wasn’t a
Christian.
Play Steve
Jobs video – If today were my last day
Someone once asked the preacher John Wesley this question.
“What would you do if you knew that you would have to die within three
days?” “I should just do the work which I have already planned to do: ministering in one place; meeting my preachers in
another; lodging in yet another, till the moment came that I was called to
yield my spirit back to Him who gave it.”[1]
What did Elijah do on his “last day”?
He made the rounds to the schools of the prophets.
It was his priority to see his students one last time.
:3 the LORD will take away …
These fellows were also aware that today was Elijah’s day to go to heaven.
:3 Yes, I know; keep silent!
Perhaps he doesn’t want to be reminded that Elijah will soon be gone.
Swindoll suggested that Elisha didn’t want Elijah disturbed by their
questions.
One commentary explains,
(BKC) “Do not add to my sorrow at this prospect by reminding me of it.”[2]
:4 Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the LORD has
sent me on to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul
lives, I will not leave you!” So they came to Jericho.
:4 on to Jericho
Play Bethel to Jericho map clip.
Jericho is 14 miles east of Bethel, down in the Jordan River valley.
:5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said
to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you
today?” So he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
Another school of prophets was in Jericho. The same scene is repeated again.
:6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on
to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will
not leave you!” So the two of them went on.
:6 to the Jordan
Play Jericho to Jordan map clip
Jericho is only about 5 miles from the Jordan River, making the days’ trip
so far about 26 miles. It’s been a pretty long day.
It’s pure speculation where they went after crossing the Jordan. They might have even gone as far as Mount
Pisgah, also called Mount Nebo, where Moses died.
:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at
a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
:7 stood facing them at a distance
I find it interesting to compare these “fifty men” with Elisha.
Elisha wants to get as close as he can to Elijah.
These fellows are just fine to stand “at a distance”.
Which one describes you?
How close do you want to get to Jesus?
:8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it
was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry
ground.
:8 crossed over on dry ground
You might be thinking this reminds you of Moses parting the Red Sea.
It also reminds me of when Joshua led Israel across the Jordan River to
conquer the land.
(Joshua 3:17 NKJV) Then the
priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst
of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the
people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
:8 mantle – ‘addereth – glory, cloak; splendor; mantle
The prophet’s mantle, or “cloak” was a symbol of his authority or power
with which God clothed him.
We think Elijah’s cloak was made up of rough camel’s
hair.
My reasons for this will be in my notes.
When King Ahaziah asked his messengers to describe the man who gave this
prophetic word…
(2 Kings 1:8 NKJV) So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt
around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
hairy – “sey-ar” – hairiness,
bristling hair.
Maybe Elijah was just a guy with a lot of body hair.
I’d like to suggest he was a man wearing a garment made of coarse “hair”,
with a leather belt around his waist.
Zechariah uses the same word to describe what some prophets wore so they
could be labeled a “prophet”, including false prophets…
(Zechariah
13:4 NKJV) …they will not wear a robe of coarse hair
to deceive.
I wonder if this practice of prophets wearing these robes
came from Elijah.
Elijah’s counterpart, John the Baptist, was described like this:
(Matthew 3:4 NKJV) Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt
around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
Camel’s hair is made up of two components, “guard hair” and “undercoat”.
Camel’s hair is collected from the Bactrian camel, and it was used in
making tents, carpets, and cloaks.
The “undercoat” can be very soft.
The “guard hair” is very coarse. I think that’s what Elijah was wearing.
:9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha,
“Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said,
“Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
:10 So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me
when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be
so.”
:9 What may I do for you
They are now getting close to the end of their time together.
Elijah wants to know what he can do for Elisha before he leaves.
:9 double portion of your spirit
If you’re not careful, you might get the idea that the “spirit” was
Elijah’s spirit, but it’s not, it’s the Holy Spirit.
And it’s not up to Elijah to give it, but to pray for it.
Perhaps Elisha is asking for twice the anointing of the Holy Spirit that
Elijah had.
Some look at the record and see what it resulted in.
Elisha doesn’t seem to have done twice as many miracles as Elijah, though
he did do more. Elijah had eight miracles recorded, Elisha had eleven.
But perhaps Elisha did go through twice as many troubles – Elijah went
through 3 ½ years of drought. Elisha will go through 7 years of drought.
Elijah
Drought caused. 1Ki 17:1; Jas 5:17.
Meal and oil multiplied. 1Ki 17:14-16.
A child restored to life. 1Ki 17:22,23.
Sacrifice consumed by fire. 1Ki 18:36,38.
Rain brought. 1Ki 18:41-45; Jas 5:18.
Men destroyed by fire. 2Ki 1:10-12.
Waters of Jordan divided. 2Ki 2:8.
Taken to heaven. 2Ki 2:11.
Elisha
Waters of Jordan divided. 2Ki 2:14.
Waters healed. 2Ki 2:21,22.
Children torn by bears. 2Ki 2:24.
Oil multiplied. 2Ki 4:1-7.
Child restored to life. 2Ki 4:32-35.
Naaman healed. 2Ki 5:10,14.
Gehazi struck with leprosy. 2Ki 5:27.
Iron caused to swim. 2Ki 6:6.
Syrians smitten with blindness. 2Ki 6:20.
Syrians restored to sight. 2Ki 6:20.
A man restored to life. 2Ki 13:21.
Some of the Jewish Rabbis taught that this was referring to the right of
the firstborn son, who would receive twice as much inheritance as the other
sons (Deut. 21:17).
So, of all the prophets remaining, Elisha is asking to be the “firstborn”,
or the heir to Elijah’s ministry.
:10 if you see me
In other words, if Elisha will just hang around,
he’ll get the blessing, or, the passing of the baton.
Quiz Alert
Lesson
3. Endure to the handoff
It seems that there are times when the Lord gives us a chance to take a
break.
But I like Elisha’s attitude. He’s not leaving Elijah until he gets his
blessing.
It’s kind of like when Jacob was faced with going back to face his angry
brother, and he had all his family and flocks to worry about:
Jacob figured out a plan to try and bribe his brother with gifts, and after
he got the plan all ready, he went off to be by
himself for the night before he was to see his brother Esau. He found a
stranger (I think it was Jesus) who wrestled with Jacob all night long.
(Genesis 32:26 NKJV) And He said, “Let Me go, for the day
breaks.” But he said,
“I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
Note that the suggestion came to “let go”.
Jacob wouldn’t let go until he got his blessing.
Maybe you feel like God has a special calling on your life.
I remember after seminary wondering when I would be a pastor.
It would be five more years before I was an assistant pastor, and I still
wondered if I would ever be a senior pastor.
It didn’t happen until 13 years after seminary.
But my race isn’t yours.
Your timing may be different.
Just keep following Jesus.
Wait for the baton to be handed off to you.
It may be from a mentor who hands you his/her ministry like Elisha.
It may be a calling from God to step out into the next thing.
Here are some verses that got me through that time of persevering:
(Philippians
1:6 NKJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who
has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
(1
Thessalonians 5:24 NKJV) He who calls you is faithful,
who also will do it.
:11 Then it happened, as they continued on and
talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into heaven.
:11 they continued on and talked
Quiz Alert
Lesson
4. Training
A good baton handoff doesn’t come without lots of training.
I love the picture here with these two men.
Just walking and talking.
I would imagine they had been doing that all day.
I wonder what they talked about? I’d love to hear
the tape when we get to heaven.
It reminds me of Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They
walked and talked.
(Luke 24:27 NKJV) And
beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Jesus actually did this for three
and a half years with His disciples.
The title of our lesson today was “Passing the Baton”.
In a real sense, this phrase “they continued on and talked” is the essence
of how you train to “pass the baton” – it’s the key component in how to pass
leadership on from one person to the next.
This is what discipleship is all about, walking and talking together.
Connection. Relationship. Sharing.
Over the years I’ve had various “discipleship groups” of young guys I’ve
spent time with.
We’ve met early in the mornings.
We’ve met over lunch.
We’ve read the Bible and discussed it together.
We’ve read books together.
We’ve done ministry together.
If I’ve done this, so can you.
I think that we all ought to play a role in what we call “discipleship”, to
help people grow, mature, and learn to serve the Lord.
(2 Timothy
2:2 NKJV) And the things that you have heard from me among
many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others
also.
Find that person or persons God wants you to encourage.
Spend time with them.
Talk about life. Talk about
Jesus. Talk about the Bible.
Are there people in your life that you should be spending
more time with, with the intention of helping them grow in Christ?
:11 …suddenly … a chariot of fire
Play Chariots of Fire theme
The chariot actually came with its own background
music…
This picture of the fire was done by my grandson
Micah (5yrs old)
:11 chariot of fire
Angels come to pick up Elijah for the ride home:
(Ps 104:4 NKJV) Who makes
His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
:11 Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven
:11 whirlwind – ca‘ar – tempest,
storm, whirlwind
It seems that Elijah got in the chariot, and the whole thing was caught up in the whirlwind.
:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot
of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more.
And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.
:12 My father, my father, the chariot of Israel…
If you’re not careful here, you can think that Elisha is talking about the
“chariot of fire” being the “chariot of Israel”.
Elijah is the “chariot of Israel”.
F.B. Meyer wrote,
That man, whom he had come to love as a father, had indeed been as an
armed chariot of defense to Israel. By his faith, and prayers, and deeds, he
had often warded off evil and danger with more certain
success than could have been effected by an armed
troop.[3]
This phrase will also come up again when Elisha is dying.
(2 Kings
13:14 NKJV) Elisha had become sick with the illness of which
he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his
face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their
horsemen!”
Joash didn’t see any chariots of fire. But he did have another amazing
prophet before him. The prophets were the chariots of Israel.
I wonder if we, as a praying people, might be the “chariots of America”?
:12 he saw him no more
Elijah was one of the few people who have escaped physical death, at least
for now.
He apparently went straight to heaven.
He appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mat. 17).
He will be coming again.
(Malachi 4:5 NKJV) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
We believe he will be as one of the two witnesses
in Revelation 11.
:12 tore them into two pieces
Elisha is done wearing his own clothes, and he’s now going to wear Elijah’s
clothes.
:13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
:13 took up the mantle of Elijah
Elijah may have taken a chariot to heaven, but he left his “mantle”, the
symbol of his authority, behind.
Elijah’s mantle fell from the chariot of fire and Elisha now has it.
We use the phrase “passing the mantle” to refer to handing leadership off
to another.
This isn’t the first time that Elijah’s “mantle” had fallen on Elisha.
It also happened when Elijah first called him.
(1 Kings 19:19–20
NKJV) —19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who
was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen
before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw
his mantle on him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after
Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then
I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?”
(1
Kings 19:20 NLT) …Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to
you.”
Elisha then heads back to cross the Jordan, but he’s faced now with
crossing the Jordan.
:14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck
the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had
struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.
:14 Where is the Lord
God of Elijah?
Quiz Alert
Lesson
5. The real power
Illustration
A woman was out golfing one day when she hit the ball into the woods. She
went in to look for it and found a frog in a trap. The frog said to her, “If
you release me from this trap, I will grant you three wishes.”
The woman freed the frog, and the frog said, “Thank you, but I failed to
mention that there was a condition to your wishes. Whatever you wish for, your
husband will get times ten.”
The woman said, “That’s okay.” and for her first wish, she wanted to be the
most beautiful woman in the world. The frog warned her, “You do realize that
this wish will also make your husband the most handsome man in the world, an
Adonis whom women will flock to. “
The woman replied, “That’s okay, because I will be the most beautiful woman
and he will have eyes only for me.” So, KAZAM! she’s the most beautiful woman
in the world.
For her second wish, she wanted to be the richest woman in the world. The
frog said, “That will make your husband the richest man in the world and he will be ten times richer than you.”
The woman said, “That’s okay, because what’s mine is his and what’s his is
mine.” So, KAZAM! she’s the richest woman in the world.
The frog then inquired about her third wish, and she answered, “I’d like a
mild heart attack.”
But wait! There’s more...
The man actually had a heart
attack ten times MILDER than his wife. Duh.
My point?
Some folks can look at what Elisha is doing and think he’s got a “magic
frog”, or a “magic mantle”.
There is no “magic frog”. There is no “magic mantle”
The miracle happened because of the God of Elijah.
Be careful about getting your focus off of God.
He is the one with the power to change things.
Sometimes we get enamored with programs like AA and think
that what an alcoholic needs is AA. But a person who has truly worked
the program knows this isn’t right. What
an alcoholic needs is God. AA can be a wonderful tool (like Elijah’s
mantle), but it’s the God of Elijah that has the power to change things.
from Warren Wiersbe:
It was one thing to cross Jordan with Elijah, but quite another to step out
by faith by himself. But when you trust “the Lord God of Elijah,” you do not
need Elijah too.
We’ve talked a lot about prayer over these last few months.
Prayer is vitally important to our lives.
But keep in mind, it’s not “prayer” that brings miracles, it’s “the God of
Elijah”.
We don’t have faith in our prayers, we have faith
in God.
And so…
:11 Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven
If you think this is the last you’ll read about Elijah, you’d be wrong.
Even though Elijah is somehow taken straight to heaven, he will continue to
have influence.
There’s a sense in which your ministry, your life’s impact, doesn’t
necessarily stop at death.
Quiz Alert
Lesson
6. Continuing impact
Let me share five amazing things that happened after Elijah’s death.
Jehoram
There’s an interesting incident recorded in 2Chronicles regarding Jehoram,
the son of Jehoshaphat. He became king
of Judah a few years AFTER Elijah died.
Just a note here.
He was married to Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter, so he not only introduced
the worship of Baal to the southern kingdom of Judah, he
also killed ALL his own brothers.
Then one day he gets a letter in the mail. From Elijah. The dead prophet.
The letter said that because he had done all these wicked
things, like killing his brothers,
(2
Chronicles 21:14–15 NKJV) —14 behold, the Lord will strike your people with a serious affliction—your
children, your wives, and all your possessions; 15 and you will
become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines
come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.
I imagine that Elijah must have written this out and left
it with someone like Elisha to be given to Jehoram after he became king.
Remember that the anointing of Hazael as king over Syria,
and Jehu as king over Israel wasn’t done by Elijah personally as God had directed, but was fulfilled by Elisha and Elisha’s interns.
Malachi
The prophet Malachi wrote about 400 years after Elijah,
(Malachi
4:5–6 NKJV) —5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet Before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will
turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the
hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Elijah will return. Jews set a place for him at their
Passover seders.
He will be one who precedes the “day of the LORD”, or, the Messiah.
John the Baptist
John fulfilled the prophecy about Elijah coming the sense that he preceded the Messiah.
John’s dad Zacharias prophesied,
(Luke
1:17 NKJV) …He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,
‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient
to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Yet he was not the complete fulfillment of Elijah’s return.
(John
1:21 NKJV) And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I
am not.”
Mt. of Transfiguration
Elijah showed up at the Mount of Transfiguration
(Luke
9:29–31 NKJV) —29 As He prayed, the appearance of His
face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about
to accomplish at Jerusalem.
By the way, this event is one of
the reasons why I believe we don’t lose our “identity” in heaven. We will
recognize each other.
Peter, James, and John recognized Elijah. I don’t know
how. Perhaps he had a name badge on.
But he was still Elijah.
Two Witnesses
The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11
I believe one of them is Elijah.
If you subscribe to the “school of the prophets” idea we talked about, I
think you will find Elijah’s ministry impacting generations after Elijah.
Elijah’s ministry was approximately 865-847 BC
Isaiah’s ministry was approximately 742-701 BC (about 100 years later)
Jeremiah’s ministry was approximately 627-585 BC (about 200 years after
Elijah)
All the writing prophets follow after Elijah.
I pray that we would be concerned that our lives would also leave an impact long
after we are gone.
Quiz
From the lecture (10pts):
1. How serious are you?
2. My priorities
3. Endure to the handoff
4. Training
5. The real power
6. Continuing impact
Homework
None! Just turn in your Finals.
Prayer
Blessing