Elijah’s Family Government Three Elijahs are mentioned in the Bible. After the original Elijah, there later were two types of Elijah. Christ told His disciples that John the Baptist was the first-century type of Elijah. Christ also prophesied of an end-time Elijah. The history and prophecy of the original Elijah is contained mainly in 1 and 2Kings. So these books tell us a lot about the end-time Elijah. All three Elijahs came into the midst of great religious confusion. All of them were voices crying out in the wilderness. The name Elijah means “My God is God.” These Elijahs taught the world about the true God Family. It is a Father and Son family rule. The three Elijahs clearly revealed the government that the God Family administers in God’s Church and will implement in the soon-coming Millennium. This is the gospel—the good news of the coming Kingdom, or Family, of God. The three Elijahs didn’t just point to the Son; they showed how the Son exalted His Father—unlike the religious confusion taught about Christ and the Father today. So, if we just understand about the three Elijahs, we should expect that the original Elijah was involved in a very prophetic work. That Elijah work, which includes the work of all three Elijahs, will provide the educational structure of the wonderful World Tomorrow. If we want to be a part of it, it is essential that we understand. We cannot be ready to rule with Christ unless we understand the Elijah work. Then we will understand what Christ did in the past, what He is doing today, and shall do in the future. However, we must be childlike to have this truth revealed to us (Matthew 11:25; 18:1-3). The key to revelation is in our own hands. The Schools of Elijah Let’s take a closer look at the original Elijah’s work. 2Kings talks about the people Elijah taught, the “sons of the prophets.” Elijah raised up three colleges. They were probably located in Bethel, Jericho and Gilgal (2Kings 2:3-6; also see 2Kings 4:38—this is why the sons of the prophets were sitting before Elijah). Elijah was educating students to teach the whole world. Here we begin to see how God will educate the whole world. Herbert W. Armstrong was the end-time Elijah. He also raised up three colleges. God used him to help get His bride ready for marriage when Christ returns. Gilgal was in Ephraim. Mr. Armstrong also had a college in Ephraim. Hosea 4:15-17 and Amos 4:4 show that Gilgal was a very evil city. Bethel is also mentioned in Amos 4:4. Apparently God established these schools in evil areas because He wanted to combat that evil as much as He could with His truth. God has to warn Israel, so He gets right in the middle of the evil to get the message out. Why did God establish these colleges? We can know the answer to that because we know why Mr. Armstrong established Ambassador College: Without it, the work simply couldn’t grow. The work kept falling apart as fast as he could build it, because he didn’t have the ministerial help to keep people’s minds on what God was doing. Through the college, God was able to deeply educate people in His vision! That is His goal. People don’t naturally have godly vision, but once He can educate them and point them in the right direction, they can do a great work for God! That is also why we have established Herbert W. Armstrong College at the Philadelphia Church of God headquarters in Edmond, Oklahoma. God truly wants His young people to catch the vision of His work and His plan. To really get it takes a lot of effort on your part. Satan does all he can to keep you distracted and focused on the present. You really have to fight hard to combat that. Realize, 95 percent of the young people Mr. Armstrong worked so hard to educate didn’t get it. This is a rather frightening challenge. But that fabulous 5 percent who did get it are so special to God! If you can understand what God has in mind for you, it is truly inspiring! Don’t Leave Elijah Elijah was about to be taken away by God. Apparently, right before God took him away, Elijah was visiting his three colleges to say goodbye. He loved those young people and what they were achieving. His followers were very emotional about his departure. “And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel” (2Kings 2:1-2). In these verses you see that Elijah, as he went from college to college, kept offering Elisha the chance to stay behind. But Elisha would not leave Elijah’s side. How loyal Elisha was to Elijah! When they arrived at the college in Bethel, they were greeted by the students. “And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace” (verse 3). I don’t know how these students knew God would take Elijah; maybe He revealed it to them. This same thing happened at the college in Jericho (verses 4-5). Surely the fact that Elijah was to be taken meant a great deal to these students, just as Mr. Armstrong’s death touched all of our lives. It appears, though, that God wanted to test how dedicated Elisha was to Elijah. We can see that Elisha passed this test. “And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And [Elisha] said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on” (verse 6). Elisha had learned something most of God’s people still haven’t learned today, and that is not to leave Elijah! Even after he’s dead, don’t leave the spirit of Elijah or what he taught. If we are going to make it, we need Elisha’s attitude toward what Mr. Armstrong taught. “My Father, My Father” There were 50 very concerned students watching what the two men were doing by the Jordan River (verse 7). They wanted to follow their leaders. “And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground” (verse 8). What an impressive miracle! Today God provides us with many miracles of a different sort, but they do keep God’s people looking to His leaders. “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so” (verses 9-10). Elisha had asked for something only God could give. But as we’ll see in the next verse, God did give him a double portion of the Spirit so he could do the work God wanted him to do. “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (verse 11). This was an impressive sight. As Elisha watched that, he must have thought, wow, I will get a double portion of God’s Holy Spirit. I’m sure he remembered that miracle for the rest of his life. Now as Elijah was being taken away, Elisha cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof” (verse 12). Elijah was not his physical father. But he was Elisha’s spiritual father. That is because Elisha and the sons of the prophets came to God through Elijah. In that sense they were all his sons. Some people didn’t see Elijah’s office as one of importance, but Elisha saw that it was the only office that could lead and carry Israel forward! It was Israel’s only hope—then and now! He saw that, ultimately, all Israel would be governed by the teachings of Elijah. He understood the value of the education Elijah had offered, and he was very emotional about it. Elisha’s statement, “My father, my father,” revealed a deep understanding and a beautiful attitude. God liked it so much that He used Elisha to replace Elijah. God loved his attitude. Some people today scoff at such an attitude, but it is very biblical. “I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you” (1Corinthians 4:14). Paul considered his followers to be his spiritual sons. Why? “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (verse 15). Paul was their spiritual father because they came to God through him. He called himself their spiritual father. Mr. Armstrong said the same to all of those who came to God, either directly or indirectly, through him. Paul and Mr. Armstrong were rare, because we have not many fathers. This “father” label is a very exalted calling from God! The original Elijah and the end-time Elijah held extremely important “father” offices for God. The pcg, like Elisha, recognizes that fact. This is the foundational issue that sets the pcg apart from the Laodicean groups. It is such a vital principle to understand. If you follow the Elisha example in this respect, God will make you a king with a headquarters position forever. Why? Because this foundational truth points us to God the Father. The lukewarm Laodiceans show by the way they treat Mr. Armstrong’s writings that they are not honoring God the Father! If you don’t understand the role Mr. Armstrong filled, you don’t understand God the Father! God truly loves you. He is your Father. But you have to love Him back. God wants you to honor Him; He even wants your education to honor Him. Mr. Armstrong established Ambassador College to teach the young people that. If all those students had stuck with it, we would have many thousands of people in the Church today, doing a spectacular work! We ought to have many more people helping to deliver God’s message, because it is the only hope in the world today. All of the Laodiceans have rejected the father office, which means they have rejected God’s family government. This is the foremost reason why they are Laodicean. Jesus Christ said, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). He repeatedly made such statements to establish the Father-Son family relationship. God is trying to get us to capture, or recapture, this God Family vision. We can rule in the God Family only after we prove to God that we will be ruled. This Family understanding will keep us in God’s Church forever! Then God knows we shall always remain loyal to the Father and Son and anybody else they place over us. We must become locked into God’s family government—and accept the Family rule forever! This is a beautiful family vision that a person with a carnal attitude cannot grasp. God cannot reveal it to anyone who has a carnal attitude. God prophesied that He would send an end-time Elijah to teach this fabulous vision. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6). This Elijah was to build strong physical families by teaching them about the God Family. Mr. Armstrong wrote a booklet titled Why Marriage! Soon Obsolete? He showed that marriage is a God-plane relationship that is a type of our marriage to Christ (Ephesians 5:23-32). He often asked, and answered, the revealing question, “Why family?” He taught the Church that it too is a God-plane relationship—a type of the God Family. No other religion today has ever taught this amazing truth about God’s Family! The whole book of Malachi is condemning God’s Laodicean Church, specifically the ministers. (You’ll find thorough proof in Malachi’s Message.) “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy [family] name?” (Malachi 1:6). They fail to honor their spiritual Father. This means they have lost the God Family vision taught by Mr. Armstrong. The ministers are the primary cause of this problem. If you properly understand Malachi 4:5-6, you will see that these rebellious ministers are in danger of losing their eternal lives! Malachi’s Message makes this clear. How can we ever expect to enter God’s Family if we don’t even understand family government? If we do understand, God exalts and rewards us as He did Elisha! Elisha knew that God worked through one man—one spiritual “father.” The college students were called sons because they understood the God Family vision. That is what the original Elijah taught them. And that is what Mr. Armstrong taught in the three colleges God raised up through him. God’s Family is the most profound truth in the Bible. It is also the most wonderful, inspiring revelation from God! But we must be very humble for God to reveal it to us. Our loving Father yearns to reveal this fabulous potential. What a ghastly failure it is when God reveals it and we become lukewarm about such a vision. The God Family understanding will be the foundation of education in the coming world. First of all, the true God must be revealed. The Father is offering only the firstfruits a chance to be Christ’s bride forever in His Family. What a catastrophic failure if we fail to grasp our potential! This precious knowledge is about to fill the Earth as the water fills the ocean beds (Isaiah 11:9). Where is the God of Elijah? After Elijah was taken away, Elisha picked up his mantle and went back to the Jordan River. “And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over”(2Kings 2:14). Do you want to know how to do the work of God today? How to have doors open for you—even rivers, if necessary? Here is the formula. Elisha knew where the God of Elijah was, and he was following his spiritual father. So God opened up the river for him, just as He did for Elijah. The problem with the lukewarm Laodiceans is that they don’t honestly ask where the God of Elijah is! God did a powerful work through Mr. Armstrong. So where is God today? He didn’t die with Mr. Armstrong. Yet none of the Laodicean groups have that kind of power. They don’t receive and proclaim God’s revelation. They don’t have the right government. We must find and remain with the God of Elijah! The Laodiceans will be held accountable for the fact that they were with that God for so long and now they’ve left Him. The fact is, they’re not interested in where He is! If they wanted to know, they would submit to God’s government and end up in God’s true Church. “And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him” (verse 15). These young students were deeply submissive to God’s government. It’s sad that more of Mr. Armstrong’s “students” do not have this kind of attitude. Elisha’s Wisdom When these 50 students realized Elijah was gone, they insisted on going and looking for him. “And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send” (verse 16). Elisha told them they wouldn’t find Elijah. But they kept insisting on going after him. Young people can be quite insistent at times. “And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?” (verses 17-18). The point is, Elisha didn’t use a heavy hand with these students. He used the same loving family government that Elijah did. They were learning about their new leader. They came to him for counsel and didn’t want to heed it, so they went on a worthless search for three days. But they learned, the hard way, that Elisha could be trusted. Expect Miracles An interesting side point is that some of these “sons of the prophets” were married students, just like I was when I went to Ambassador College. You can see that in 2Kings 4:1. In verse 38, it shows the students in a classroom-type session. “And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.” Where it says they were “sitting before him,” the verb sit implies a session or school. Again, God wants us educated. If you will be educated, then the same God who parted the river for Elisha will educate you—one way or another. As these students were preparing the food, one gathered some wild herbs and put them in the pottage. When they ate, they realized something was wrong with the food. Here is how Elisha handled this problem: “But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot” (verse 41). This was a great miracle performed for these young people. God has given this Church so many miracles! I believe that with our increased understanding, God holds us more accountable than He did those students of Elisha. They didn’t have near the truth that we have. God has opened so many doors for this work! “And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat” (verse 42). Here was a layman who brought his firstfruits to the college. Everybody wanted to serve God. “And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord” (verses 43-44). By this time there were 100 students, so the college was growing. And notice: There was plenty of food left over after these young people had eaten. That too is quite a miracle! Realize, if you’re loyal to God and submit to His government, He will perform miracles for you—great and small. He did it for these students time and time again. Let’s look at one more example. “And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us” (2Kings 6:1). The sons of the prophets were facing a problem. The college building was getting too small, and the students wanted to build a bigger place for themselves. They didn’t have enough land. So they asked Elisha if they could build in another area, down by the Jordan. They were clearly subject to God’s government. Elisha consented to their plan. The students wanted Elisha to come with them, so he did. The group was by the river, chopping down timber for the new building. Then an accident happened: “But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed” (verse 5). That iron ax head fell straight to the bottom of the river. This son of the prophets had character, which he was taught by Elijah and Elisha. (Mr. Armstrong taught his students how to live first, then how to make a living.) The young man lost an ax that was borrowed and it troubled him intensely. Because of his character, he was very emotional over this loss. He went to his master, or boss, and asked for direction. God’s family government was obviously there. Any place where you find God’s family government, you will find many inspiring miracles! “And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim [float]. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it” (verses 6-7). Because he was so faithful and obedient to God, the ax swam to him! Probably only four to six people in the whole world ever saw this event. But it was still a spectacular miracle from God—performed before His little flock! This certainly must have been inspiring for these students. God wanted these young people to learn that if you’re loyal to Him, He’ll work amazing miracles in your life. If you’re backing God’s work, you can expect miracles, because they will happen! We know that most people scoff at such miracles. But God has always performed mighty miracles for His own Family. He always has and will forever do so! This ax miracle is a prophecy that God will continue to perform miracles for those submissive to His family government! The world knows very little about God and His Family today. They reject His family government and, as a result, lack the faith to ever experience such miracles! This is why the firstfruits are called out now. Soon the world will understand about the miracle of the ax. We will teach them. We must understand that this is why we are called today. We are not called just to be saved. We must qualify to teach the entire world, or we won’t even be a part of God’s Family! The Apostle Paul got upset with the Hebrews. At a time when they should have been teachers, someone had to go back and teach them the basics—again (Hebrews 5:12). God’s true Church is a college to train teachers. A new civilization is being prepared right now. And only a small minority of God’s own people grasp this vision. Only they will become pillars in God’s headquarters temple. The very elect know that the swimming ax is trivial compared to God’s plan to build His Family! Only they will be qualified to administer God’s loving government. A God in Israel Elisha became famous throughout Israel for the miracles that were happening within and without his schools. Eventually that fame spread beyond Israel’s borders. The captain of the Syrian army, Naaman, was a great man, but he was a leper. During one of his military strikes, his men captured an Israelite woman who then served Naaman’s wife. This woman told Naaman about Elisha, saying the prophet of Israel could heal Naaman’s leprosy (2Kings 5:1-4). So the Syrian king sent a letter to the king of Israel. “And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy” (verse 6). When Israel’s king heard that, he thought he was being personally asked to heal Naaman. He assumed the Syrian king was trying to provoke a war, and became angry. He knew he couldn’t heal anyone. But when Elisha heard about the letter, he sent a message to the king saying, “Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel” (verse 8). That’s a pretty bold statement! Bring him to me, and I’ll show him there’s a God in Israel. He can’t learn that from you, oh king! So Naaman came to Elisha’s house and stood at the door. Notice what happened: “And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean” (verse 10). Elisha didn’t even come to the door himself. He sent one of these college students, no doubt, to tell Naaman to wash in the Jordan seven times. Elisha wanted Naaman looking to God, not to any man. Mr. Armstrong did the same thing throughout his ministry. The messenger’s directive didn’t sit well with Naaman. He got angry over the fact that Elisha didn’t deal with him directly, and he left in a rage. But his servants were able to cool him down and convince him to do as the student had instructed. “Then went he [Naaman] down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (verse 14). He wouldn’t have been healed if he’d have dipped six times. You must do it God’s way if you want to be healed. Naaman recognized that a miracle had occurred. “And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him [this time he met directly with Elisha]: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel…” (verse 15). Here is what the Elisha work must teach the world! This Gentile king learned from Elisha that the only God in all the Earth is Israel’s God. This is what we will teach the whole world!—to say my father, my father, and to look to God the Father. Remember, this is prophecy. There is no God except the one who is leading this faithful little remnant of the Elijah work! The whole world will be educated about God by us! Gehazi’s Mistake Naaman was very appreciative of the healing, and at the end of verse 15 it shows that he wanted to give something back. “I pray thee, take a blessing [or a present] of thy servant,” he said. He wanted to give silver and gold and physical goods. Of course, Elisha flatly refused. “But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused” (verse 16). You can understand why. If someone is anointed by a minister and then wants to pay him for that healing, that can be very dangerous. God did the healing; the minister just prays and anoints as God directs. The ministers are not in it for the money. They are here to bring people to God the Father. After Naaman left and traveled a short distance, notice what happened. “But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him” (verse 20). Gehazi probably had to be one of the outstanding college students to be Elisha’s servant. But he got very materialistic here. Elisha didn’t take anything, the student thought. I’ll go and get something. “So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me [that was a lie], saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets [this may have been a lie, too]: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments” (verses 21-22). Gehazi wanted silver and gold, and was willing to lie to get it, clearly going against Elisha’s wishes. Naaman complied, giving him what he asked. It took two of his servants to help Gehazi bear the huge load back home. Of course, Gehazi dismissed the servants some distance from the house and stashed the wealth before coming back to Elisha—very unethical behavior. “But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither [another lie]” (verse 25). This outstanding student had a serious lapse here and was very weak. Then Elisha started asking his student some hard questions. “And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow” (verses 26-27). It is very serious to work against God’s Holy Spirit and His work, whether you’re young or old. This was a terrible punishment for Gehazi. But the same will happen to anyone who makes his mistake. You may think you won’t get leprosy by doing something along these lines, but consider those who leave the Church and don’t come back. The Tribulation is much worse to experience than leprosy—and they’ll know while they are in it that they could have escaped! Young people who have been taught by Elijah and who act this way are displaying spiritual leprosy. They will pay a penalty. Is it a time to receive money? To get caught up in things? Everywhere you look in this world there are things to distract you. It’s not that God doesn’t want you to have those things, but you’d better never put any of them before God! Instead, be careful to stay with God and with what His Elijah taught. Make sure you understand the wonderful instruction and lessons Mr. Armstrong taught for years. Make those teachings a part of your thinking! That will help protect your mind from materialism and other such spiritual traps. Our Spiritual Army God’s work is the greatest endeavor any of us could be involved in. But as Elisha’s students learned, sometimes the work can be dangerous. An example in 2Kings 9 illustrates the point. Elisha gave one of his students the honor of being able to anoint the next king of Israel. But notice his instructions: “Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead: And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not” (2Kings 9:1-3). Elisha was living in a dangerous time. He got involved in some dangerous warfare. Those young people had to be courageous to serve him. They had to trust God, because they could have lost their lives. But what an honor to be associated with that work! In this case, the young student changed the course of history. In another instance, Elisha had incurred the wrath of the king of Syria, and the king sent a whole army to kill him. The story is related in 2Kings 6. The king of Syria was angry because he thought one of his servants was revealing secrets to the Israelites. But there was no spy in Syria. The informer was the Prophet Elisha! In the middle of this traumatic series of events, one of the sons of the prophets had a faith problem. But he knew he had to go to God and Elisha to build his faith. He was clearly submissive to Elisha—his “master”—or God’s government. “And one of his [the Syrian king’s] servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about” (verses 12-14). It appeared that Elisha was in grave danger. “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?” (verse 15). That great army surrounded the city where Elisha was staying, and when this young college student saw it, he quaked with fear. This servant went to Elisha for help. He followed God’s government. The student saw this vast Syrian army and believed there was no hope. All he needed was more faith in how God protects His Family—those members subject to His government. This is what most people fail to grasp. This is why most of God’s people and the world are deceived. They don’t see God as a great miracle worker because they rebel against His government. This is such a difficult lesson for humans to understand. How did Elisha respond? How should we, the Elisha work today, respond when we are besieged by seemingly insurmountable problems? Think about this: If you saw a huge mechanized army surrounding Edmond, looking to kill me, that would be rather frightening! That is exactly what happened to Elisha. This was an opportunity for this college student to learn a great lesson of faith. Elisha spoke up, “And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (verse 16). Elisha saw an army the young man didn’t see. “And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (verse 17). God showed His young son a vast army of angels with chariots of fire, ready to attack the Syrians. Then that student realized how helpless the enemy was against God’s army. This army is still protecting us today! Why do we win court cases? Why do great doors open for us? Why do we have all this new revelation? Because there is a real, spiritual army fighting for us and for God’s work! We must see that as Elisha did. How did the story end? The Syrian soldiers became blind, and Elisha led them back to Israel as captives. Can you imagine that? Then the prophet convinced the Israelite king to let them go, and that army never attacked Israel again. They knew that God was in Israel. What an awesome testimony. What a faith-building example for that student! Elisha was a magnificent educator. This is how God has always protected His obedient Family. It is a prophecy of how God protects His Elijah work today. That is why Mr. Armstrong did such a towering work in spite of his many enemies. This is the reason God’s Philadelphia Church today does such a powerful work with only a tiny group of people! God’s mighty army with chariots of fire is always there to support His work! There will always be many battles. Some battles may be lost by God’s people. But they always win the war, if they are obedient to God’s family government. Why wouldn’t the all-powerful, omnipotent God always protect the Family He loves? God always has. But only a few people have ever believed God! In future crises, we need to understand this truth profoundly. Then we can have a relaxed faith and not be continually stressed out in our spiritual war. We must continue to build the faith to see God’s army! Again, God always protects the Family that He governs. This is the foundation of our future civilization! This is the heart of God’s educational system in the World Tomorrow. Soon God’s Family will be comprised of every obedient human being who ever lived. Christ’s bride will be used to teach them by example and instruction. The bride is a critical part of God’s Family and educational system. That is why these lessons are taught in the former prophets. It is prophecy of our marvelous future. This is not new. God’s Family has always understood that He protects them. God promised He would “reveal it unto babes”—to those who are childlike and submitted to their Father (Matthew 18:1-3). God’s army is real. These prophecies are real. We must build the faith to believe God. That kind of faith will revolutionize any person’s life. The Chariot of Israel Toward the end of his life, Elisha had a very good relationship with the king of Israel. Notice this astounding passage: “Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof” (2Kings 13:14). King Joash said about Elisha the same thing Elisha had said of Elijah! (2Kings 2:12). What a wonderful thing for a king to say of a religious leader! The king knew that Elisha was the only “chariot” that would bring Israel (and the world) to success. God brought that king to this realization. God’s work is that “chariot.” If we don’t “hitch our wagon to this star,” we will go no place. That king was just a type of the kings who will be brought to David during the World Tomorrow, instructed in what Elijah taught, pointed to God the Father. Many of those kings will be you. And here God gave us an example of a king who knew where to look to solve his nation’s problems—the chariot of Israel. This isn’t just another work. It is the work that will save the world! God will bring all the world to this “chariot of Israel,” and He will do so through His people. Soon we will educate the whole world! We will build the Family of God like Elijah and Elisha did. We’re learning today to tell people how to solve their problems, how to be kings and priests, how to look to God and build His Family. That is why God’s very elect are the true royalty of God. We are the most honored people on Earth today! We honor God the Father and He turns around and looks after us in miraculous ways. Elisha’s Bones God records one final statement about what He thinks of Elisha, the man who served Him so well, the man who continually pointed his students back to Elijah. “And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet” (2Kings 13:20-21). Here a dead man just touched the bones of Elisha and he was instantly brought back to life! We are part of the same work that Elisha did. We continue the Elijah work. What a fabulous history we have. Yet we understand even more truth today than God’s people ever have in the past! There has never been a greater opportunity to learn about God’s truth than today! God has great plans for us. He wants to educate us to be kings and priests! Take advantage of the opportunity and the education available to you. Use this truth, build your faith, and let God work miracles in your life! Then, when we all reach a successful end, we will be able to look back on these times today with great joy!
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 22:23:01 +0000
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