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The meat of the word, part 15

At the end of the Old Testament, we read in Malachi 4:4, 5,

⁴ Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. ⁵ Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.

Moses represents the law, and Elijah represents the prophets. Malachi links them together, and the coming of “Elijah” is linked to “the great and terrible day of the Lord.” Recall from 2 Thessalonians 2:2 that Paul insisted that the day of the Lord had not yet occurred at the time of his writing. God instructs that we ought to always “remember the law of Moses,” but the coming of Elijah was to precede the day of the Lord.

Just as Joshua had to complete the calling of Moses, so also did Elisha have to complete the calling of Elijah. Elijah began to run out of steam after the showdown on Mount Carmel when Jezebel vowed to hunt him down and kill him (1 Kings 19:1, 2). Elijah ran south to Mount Horeb, where God told him to anoint his successor, Elisha (1 Kings 19:16).

Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s prophetic mantle in order to complete the calling (2 Kings 2:9), and God granted this. So we read of eight miracle-signs that Elijah performed, while Elisha performed sixteen. The important point for us to note here, however, is the fact that Elisha completed Elijah’s calling.

Elijah at Christ’s First Coming

When Christ came the first time, the way was prepared for Him by John the Baptist. Jesus later identified him as Elijah in Matthew 11:14,

¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.

Technically speaking, John the Baptist came “before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” But the day of the Lord was not to come, says Paul, until just prior to the second coming of Christ and after the great apostasy, which I identify as Christian Zionism.

Elijah—John the Baptist—was executed by King Herod, perhaps because he refused to flee in the footsteps of his predecessor, Elijah. John’s fate, I believe, is what might have occurred if Elijah himself had remained in Israel where Jezebel could have seized him. But the Elijah ministry still had more to accomplish to prepare the way for Christ in His second coming.

Elisha at Christ’s Second Coming

We now live in the time preceding Christ’s second coming. This time it is no longer Elijah but Elisha that is coming—and has come—to prepare the way.

There is an Elisha company today that God has raised up to prepare the way for Christ’s coming to claim His throne of Judah and the birthright of Joseph. For this reason, I believe it is imperative that we understand these prophecies prior to His coming. We must understand the types and shadows of the Old Testament, which form the bulk of the meat of the word.

Many today are looking for “Elijah” when, in fact, the double portion of Elijah’s calling is necessary to complete this calling. Hence, it is for “Elisha” that we must look. Elisha is Elijah part two, and the call of the Elisha company must be accomplished before “the great and terrible day of the Lord.” That day is fast approaching as of this writing. In my view, that day will see the destruction of Jerusalem, as prophesied in Jeremiah 19;10, 11.

In summary, Moses and Elijah were the main players in Christ’s first coming, but Joshua and Elisha are the main players in Christ’s second coming. In each case we see how the law and the prophets work together as one. The law prophesied of Christ, and the prophets interpreted and applied the law in a practical way to give us greater understanding of what Moses had written.

It is for this reason that our ministry attempts to teach both the law and the prophets. We want to “remember Moses” and look for “Elijah.” Our message differs from that of John the Baptist mainly because he was the last of the Old Covenant prophets, whereas we now have a New Covenant understanding. One could say that Elijah (i.e., John) was a spokesman for the Old Covenant, while the Elisha company speaks of the New Covenant.

This is why we have so much to say about the New Covenant. Our desire is to prepare the way for Christ’s second coming, and to the extent that we are able to do this, we are fulfilling the ministry of Elisha.

The Outpouring of the Spirit

In my view, the missing ingredient today is the outpouring of the Spirit. The Spirit of God has always been in operation, but there are times and seasons where He is more open about it. We have seen many “revivals” throughout the centuries. Many great miracles have been performed, but those times always seemed to wane and come to an end.

There have been many reasons for this, but the underlying reason is that they were Pentecostal in nature. Pentecost is a leavened feast (Leviticus 23:17). Leaven is built into human nature since the fall of Adam, and so it was always just a matter of time before the leaven spread to the whole loaf.

The final outpouring, however, will not end, because it will be based on the feast of Tabernacles, wherein the overcomers will be perfected. Yet prior to the historic fulfillment of that feast, there will be a time of the outpouring of the Spirit that will allow the Elisha company to complete its calling in preparing the way for Christ’s return. God has covenanted this with Moses and with us in Exodus 34:16,

¹⁶ Then God said, “Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations, and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.”

This covenant of miracles has been fulfilled only partially over the years. Certainly, it was fulfilled during Christ’s ministry in His first appearance. But if so, how much more will this be fulfilled in the time of His second coming? I look forward to this with great anticipation.

After Christ has come, and the overcomers have been perfected, they will have a thousand years to continue this work and to spread the benefits of the Spirit throughout the earth. The result will be that nations “will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nations, and never again will they learn war” (Isaiah 2:4).

Nations from around the world will send representatives to Kingdom teachers to learn the ways of the Lord and to study the laws of God (Isaiah 2:3). Even today, we can see how God is already setting the stage for this. With the rise of lawlessness and America’s export of Babylonian culture, nations are being confronted by unrighteous practices which they know instinctively are abominable. This is causing them to yearn for true justice and righteousness.

As for those aspiring to be part of the Elisha company, we ought to know both the milk and the meat of the word so that we know the mind of God, His plan for the earth, and how to be led by the Spirit as we teach and implement the law and the prophets.