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The Showdown

Back to Elijah’s story: when King Ahab approached the young prophet, Elijah did not enter into a conversation with Ahab. There was nothing to discuss. Elijah spoke to the king as though he were a servant. He said,” ‘Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.’ So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.” (1 Kings 18: 19,20) When the hand of God rests upon a person, smart kings pay attention! In this case, the prophet gave the orders and the king obeyed.

When the appointed day came, thousands of people gathered on Mount Carmel for a showdown between Baal and Jehovah. Consider the scene: There stood the king with his 450 false prophets. Elijah however stood alone. For three and half years the prophets of Baal and Asherah had been unable to produce rain!  Now, on the mountaintop, would Baal respond to the corporate invocation of his prophets to prove his superiority over Jehovah? From a human-interest point of view, the contest must have been very interesting to watch. On one side stood the 850 prophets holding up religious icons, smoking censers and wearing imposing priestly regalia. On the other side stood a country boy from Tishbe wearing the course garment of a poor man. “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’ But the people said nothing. Then Elijah said to them, ‘ I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire – he is God.’ Then all the people said, ‘What you say is good.’ Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, ‘Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not [deceitfully] light the fire.’”(1 Kings 18:21-25, insertion mine)

The prophets of Baal could not weasel out of Elijah’s offer or the people would have understood the deception and stoned them. “So they [the prophets of Baal] took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. ‘O Baal, answer us!’ they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.’ So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and then continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.” (1 Kings 18:26-30, insertion mine) Can you imagine how disgusted the people must have been after watching their 450 prophets spend the whole day dancing and shouting – and after it was all said and done, there was not even a spark!

Have you ever seen a person forced into the admission that his religion was false? False religion is vanity, a figment of fallen imagination. Carnal man needs God, but he prefers a god that condones carnal behavior! False religion appeals to the carnal nature because it offers loopholes to justify sin and wrongdoing. The carnal heart is inherently opposed to God’s commandments. (Romans 8) The carnal mind thinks nothing of blaspheming God and usurping His authority. The carnal does not hesitate to trash God’s wisdom by presumptuously thinking it knows more than God and how things ought to be done. False religion accommodates the carnal heart, making it always popular with the masses. When Jeroboam installed a foreign religion within Israel, the nation went along with the religion because the majority of the nation’s population was carnal in nature. When Elijah put the priests of Baal to the test on Mount Carmel, he knew a showdown would not change the hearts of the vast majority of the people. However, he hoped that by proving Baal to be a false god, some people might repent and humbly submit to God’s authority.

Elijah’s Turn

“Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come here to me.’ They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, ‘Your name shall be Israel.’ With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs [about 3.25 gallons] of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said unto them, ‘Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.’ Do it again,’ he said, and they did it again. ‘Do it a third time, ‘he ordered, and they did it a third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of  [the evening] sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’ Then he fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The Lord [Jehovah] – he is God! The Lord [Jehovah] – he is God!’” (1 Kings 18:18:40) The only way to eliminate the influence of false religion is to destroy its preachers. (Of course, the same will be said of God’s servants during the Great Tribulation. See John 16.)  When the people affirmed that Jehovah was God, Elijah lawfully ordered the execution of the prophets of Baal on the basis of god’s authority in Deuteronomy 13.  “If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ‘Let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the Lord your god, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he had tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)

Critical End Time Parallel

The fire-from-Heaven display in Elijah’s day has a critical end time parallel. In fact, the primary reason for this study on Elijah centers on the fire-from-Heaven parallel. Here is the problem: A time is coming when the devil [the Antichrist] will be allowed to appear on Earth. He will masquerade as God and to prove his assumed divinity, the devil will do many miracles, sign and wonders. His crowning deception will be his ability to call fire down from Heaven in full view of men! Notice this text: “and he [the lamb-like beast] performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth [into thinking he was Almighty God.] He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.” (Revelation 13:13,14, insertion and italics mine) Why is fire-from-Heaven a problem? The problem is that God’s servants will not be able to respond to this deception! This miracle will trump any miracle which God’s servants will be allowed to do. This is God’s plan and here is an explanation: During the Great Tribulation, there will be “a showdown of gods.” According to Bible prophecy, the setting for this showdown unfolds like this: A series of devastating judgments from God will cause the Great Tribulation.  About 1.5 billion people will be killed by the initial wave of these judgments. At that time, God’s 144,000 servants will be empowered to proclaim the gospel (the terms and conditions of salvation.) The 144,000 will testify of the coming kingdom of Christ.  The religious and political leaders of each nation will form a crisis government and in an attempt to appease the wrath of Almighty God, they will impose a series of laws upon the inhabitants within each respective nation. These laws will require people to honor and worship god. During this time, the 144,000 will also command the human race to worship God, but the worship required by the laws of men will be contrary to the law of God. This is the setting – a great controversy over worship during the Great Tribulation.

The gospel of Jesus Christ will put the 144,000 servants of God and their followers in a position that will be at odds with the religions and governments of the world. People will accept the gospel presented by the 144,000 will be punished and persecuted for rebelling against the laws of the land. During the first 30 months of the Great Tribulation, the gospel will go powerfully throughout the world. Most of the world will hear and make a decision about the everlasting gospel. After most of the people have rejected the gospel, the showdown of gods then occurs. It happens this way: God permits the devil [the antichrist] and his angels to physically appear on earth. Remember, a majority of the world will have heard and already rejected the truth about the worship which God requires. Study the words of Paul: “They [the majority] perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but delighted in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, insertion mine) This verse indicates two things: First, the people of Earth “refused to love the truth.” Obviously, you cannot refuse something you have not heard or do not understand. So, Paul is talking about willful defiance. Second, because people have defiantly rejected truth, God sends a powerful delusion! Why does God send a powerful delusion to the wicked?

God allows the devil to physically appear before the people of Earth because God wants the world to see who they are actually worshiping if they refuse to worship God. God uses the devil, which masquerades as God, to separate His sheep from the goats. People who love truth and righteousness will worship God. Those who defy God will be deceived by the fire-from-Heaven miracle, thinking the devil is God! “Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the Earth…” (Revelation 13:14)

An Angel of Light

When Satan appears on earth claiming to be god, his radiant countenance will so dazzle the people of Earth that many will believe his claims that he is god based on his appearance alone. Paul says, “…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”(2 Corinthians 11:14) Revelation states that when Satan appears, he will be so dazzling that most people will be awestruck when they actually see him! John writes…The inhabitants of the Earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast…” (Revelation 17:8, italics mine.)

Satan Works Miracles, Signs and Wonders

Satan’s first work after appearing “in the flesh” as a magnificent God-man will be to convince the world that he is divine – that he is actually God. Paul warns, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day (the second coming) will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, and even sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God….The coming of the lawless one will be accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4,9,10)

Calls Fire Down out of Heaven

The one miracle that Satan will use above all others to convince the wicked that he is God will call fire down out of Heaven at will! Because God does not allow His 144,000 servants to call fire down from Heaven, the devil’s use of this miracle will make his deception secure for billions of people. John says, “And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to Earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the Earth….” (Revelation 13:13,14) Satan will make every effort to deceive the world into believing that he alone is worthy of worship. This is why god grants the devil the power to call fire down from Heaven. If I summarize what God might say, perhaps He would express the problem this way: If men and women refuse to love and obey the clearest evidences of truth and if they refuse to honor Me as their Creator and Redeemer, then I will grant them their evil and rebellious desires. I will send them the “father of rebellion.” Let them chase after their miracles instead of truth. Since humanity loves lies more than truth, I will grant Lucifer, the father of lies, the power to perform the ultimate miracle. The wicked will see fire fall from Heaven upon command and they will receive this miracle as “proof of divinity.” By doing this, the wicked will worship and receive Satan as their god of choice and seal their eternal fate.

Then the Rain Came

In Elijah’s day, the famine proved that Baal could not send water from Heaven. All-day service on Mount Carmel also proved Baal could not send fire from Heaven. The verdict was clear, Baal was no god. Baal was merely a figment of foolish imagination. No doubt, some of the older people remember the words of the covenant that had been spoken at Mt. Sinai. The Lord said, “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.” (Leviticus 26:3-5) Everyone knew that day that Israel’s apostasy and Israel’s famine were inseparably linked. In the last days, people who love truth will understand this linkage during the Great Tribulation.

After the evening service was completed, “Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look towards the sea,’ he said to the servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there, ‘he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab, “Hitch up the chariot and go down before the rain stops you.”’ Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way [about 20 miles] to Jezreel.” (1 Kings 18:41-46,insertion mine) Ahab and his entourage must have been astonished to see Elijah outrun their horses all the way to Jezreel! What man can outrun horses for 20 miles?

When Elijah climbed to the top of the mountain to ask for rain, the Lord did not respond to His servant immediately. God tested the faith and endurance of Elijah just like He tested the faith and endurance of Moses when Moses struck the rock. Elijah’s faith did not wane. He kept pressing his petition to the Lord to send rain. There is an important parallel for all of us in this story. It is our privilege to press our heartfelt petitions before the Lord and there is good news! God responds. I believe there is a lot of confusion about the purpose and privilege of prayer among Christians. Here are ten short statements to consider:

1. Prayer does not entice God to do things that are not in our best interest.

2. Prayer does not give God permission to do things. God is sovereign.

3. Prayer does not nullify the cause and effect laws that God created because of sin.

4. Prayer does not make God love us more.

5. God will not violate the will of another person because of intercessory prayer.

6. The highest motive for prayer is to be used by God, not to use God.

7. God responds in some ways to every sincere prayer. Sometimes, it takes a while to figure out how He is responding or how He responded.

8. God closes His ears to our prayers if we defy the convictions of the Holy Spirit.

9. Frequent prayer changes us, not God. Prayer opens our hearts and minds to the greater and wiser will of God. Through prayer God gives us strength to better reflect His character of love when we are tested. Through prayer God gives us courage and peace to trust in His control over the matters that our beyond our control. One of the hardest things to believe is that God is intimately involved when everything is going wrong in our life. Prayer can transform doubt into trust.

10. Sometimes, in response to a specific petition, God will dramatically alter the natural outcome of an event to make a statement. (We call these acts of God, “miracles.”) But to remain fair to the millions of suffering people who pray for miracles every day, god does not casually alter the rules that He ordained by violating the cause and effect rules. If the cause and effect rules were violated frequently in the universe, there would be unintelligible chaos everywhere! Think about this. If God frequently violated the cause and effect rules, miracles would not be recognized because no one would know if god had averted a natural consequence or not. Everything favorable would be a miracle and everything unfavorable would also be a miracle, so miracles would not have the amazing effect they have on people today.

I believe the Lord waited to send rain until Elijah prayed seven times in order to humble His servant. God had publicly exalted Elijah’s, as no other prophet, when He sent fire from Heaven at Elijah’s request. Now, God humbled His prophet on the same day by making him beg for rain. The never-to-be-forgotten point here is that God is not our servant. He is forever God and we never rise higher, even on Mount Carmel, than the position of servant. Elijah was an ordinary man who became great because Elijah’s God was great.

Epilog

“Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, ‘May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by the time tomorrow I do not make your life that of one of them.’ Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.” (1 Kings 19:1-3)

This chapter has to close and I could not think of a better stopping place than Elijah’s running from Jezebel. After running faster than horses for the 20 miles to Jezreel, the prophet probably felt his best defense against Jezebel was running for his life. The contradiction within humankind, even in God’s servants, is bravery and boldness for the one problem versus weakness and anxiety. May God help us realize that unless we are filled with His presence and strength each day – our faith is weak, very weak.

Quiz:

1.      Would you like to do extraordinary things for the Lord if He asked you?

2.      Do you feel these end time parallels in this study is getting you ready for the Great Tribulation?

3.      Would you desire to be like one of the 144,000 servants that God is going to choose very soon from all humankind?

4.      How are you going to feel that the world will look upon the Christians of the world as troublers of all nations?

5.      When it comes to being faithful until death as a martyr, do you feel that you can stand firm in your faith to the end?

6.      Do you think that God is testing your personal faith right now in your daily life?

7.      Do you think the prayer of a sincere person changes things with God?

Notes:

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