And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

​Matthew 10:5–15 contains Jesus' instructions for His twelve apostles, for their missionary trip to the towns of Galilee, in northern Israel. Their mission will be to preach His message that the kingdom of heaven is near, while also healing people and casting out demons. The apostles must not take with them extra money or clothes. Instead, they will stay with those who are worthy in each town they visit. If nobody in a town believes their message, the disciples are to shake the dust of that town from their feet. Jesus will follow these instructions with a series of warnings and encouragements.

This continues a very thorough set of instructions for the Twelve, the hand-picked apostles of Jesus Christ. He is sending them out into Galilee, and only to the people if Israel, for now (Matthew 10:1–6). There, they will do the work they have seen Him doing since each of them began to follow Him. 

Now Jesus tells them what they should say to the people of Israel. The message He gives them is the same one proclaimed by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and the lesson Jesus Himself declared (John 4:17). Both John the Baptist and Jesus began that message with the word "repent," and the same is implied here. 

In short, the disciples were to go out and tell people that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised King of Israel. His kingdom was near, because He was on the earth now. The time had come for the people to put their faith in the Christ in order to be welcomed into His kingdom. Nobody understood, yet, that the kingdom would begin not with the overthrow of the Romans but with Jesus' death for the sins of humanity and His defeat of death in the resurrection.

God is the gifter and provider of all our talents,  and gifts, as he is our creator. He calls -us- to use those gifts to minister his message, than freedom, peace, jor, deliverance, all belongs in Christ.

​When he gifts people for a calling, God rewards the faithful who accept his calling, even if it takes preserverende, we know that ultimately, our treasures are given to us, most certainly in the age to come by following his call to use the gifts and talents he predestined you with, to glorify him and his sacrifice, than you and i, are given eternal life through the Sacrifice he made on our behalf. God especially calls to those he called as separate, unique, chosen, he calls them to a higher purpose,  In the beginning of my journey, the hardest part was identifying this kingdom and the kingdom to come. It's hard for us, as human beings, to comprehend this existence as being temporary. How could it Not? Unless, perhaps, we have been given reason to believe otherwise? What I have learned, as it was spoken, is that the more time spent in his word, the more faithful he becomes.

It's not always easy-usually, it's not!  Ever! It's tough. it's not seamless.
​
​God promised hills and valleys. Once we trust that his word is true, which it is, then perhaps- we can trust his plan, too.

​And what happiness that may bring?

​The joy and glory of the promises of the world to come!

​ It's clearly given.
​His promises are sure. 

The horizon is like a rainbow,
​God's promise-
​ it comes right after the storm,
There may be a few storms, maybe God is refining us. I promise, if you cling to his word, he will not forsake you, it's really the only thing he asks of you. 
​
STAY STRONG!
​

​https://youtu.be/GFf7QcYk5-0

How was Jesus treated by those closest to him? Gethsemane was one of the darkest moments of Jesus’ life. There, he fought a raging spiritual battle: yielding to his Father’s will even though it involved gut-churning, spirit-crushing suffering.
As we know from the Gospel accounts, the disciples failed pretty miserably when it came to supporting Jesus. Over the next few posts we’ll look at what they did – and didn’t do – as Jesus suffered.

Jesus was abandoned by friends
Jesus spent hours in turmoil, crying out to God, in Gethsemane. He knew what was coming: an unjustified arrest, a sham of a trial, physical torture, emotional humiliation and a gruesome public execution. (Imagine knowing all that was about to happen, and still choosing to go ahead with it!)
As he pleaded with God to take away the coming pain, Jesus needed the support of his closest friends in the faith. He even asked them directly and specifically to support him. (Matt 26:36, 38)

But what did they do? These deeply flawed men on whom Christ later built his Church… They fell asleep. Yep. They did not travel the hard road with him. He had to do it alone. (Matt 26:40, 43, 45)

Jesus was abandoned by GodNot only did Jesus’ friends in the faith abandon him, but God also abandoned him. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. (Matt 27:46NIV)

Thankfully, you and I don’t have to face the ultimate suffering: separation from God. Jesus’ sacrifice reconciled us to our loving God, who has promised never to abandon us. (2 Cor 5:18, 21, Rom 8:38, 39)

Take comfort in this: Jesus knows what it’s like to face an unimaginably painful future, alone. Jesus knows how it feels to be abandoned and left to fend for himself. He knows! I find that so reassuring.
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[Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Heb 4:15-16)


Why Was Jesus Forsaken on the Cross?

I have heard it said: Whatever happened on the cross must have been very terrible for Jesus to cry out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Have you thought much of what took place on the cross? What was it that made Jesus feel abandoned, forsaken by His heavenly Father?

Why did Jesus cry out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

This question comes from the crucifixion of Christ. On the cross Jesus said “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34b). Jesus felt abandoned and forsaken because He really was abandoned in fulfillment of the Scriptures. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin on behalf of all who would believe (2 Corinthians 5:21a). This was fulfilled on the cross. As the sinless Lamb of God was made sin, the full hammer of the wrath of God the Father was poured out upon Jesus, the Son (Isaiah 53:6; 10). This was all in accordance with God’s predetermined plan (Acts 2:23). As Jesus died accursed upon the tree (Galatians 3:13), He was abandoned and forsaken by God’s goodness, kindness, love, etc. Jesus was left with only God’s wrath, vengeance, and fury. Jesus endured this for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2a) because of the love He has for God the Father and for us (Ephesians 5:2).

What an incredibly weighty topic. Let’s dig deeper into the Word of God to discover more of these wonderful and terrifying truths.

Psalm 22, Fulfilled In Christ

Before we dive into the meat of this question we must first note that there are objections to Jesus actually being forsaken of by God the Father. Some deny it. Those objections will be addressed in their own section below. For now, let’s look to what God’s Word says.

The Scriptures (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34) record Jesus saying, as He is dying on the cross for the sin of the world,
​
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me.”

Jesus knew Psalm 22. He does not paraphrase. He quotes it word for word. This psalm is a Psalm of David. As such, many commentators explain that this had some sort of direct fulfillment in David’s life. However, Jesus is quoting this psalm as Messianic. And the Scriptures tell us that David wrote some prophetic psalms directly about the Messiah. For example, look at Peter’s message on Pentecost:

“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.” (Acts 2:29-32, bold added)

Some of David’s psalms are undoubtedly prophetic. They are directly about the Messiah. Jesus points to Himself as the fulfillment of David’s Psalm 22.
​
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest. (Psalm 22:1-2)

Jesus quotes directly from the first half of verse 1. He is announcing to the people, and to us, what was happening to Him. He was actually being forsaken by God. Jesus was enduring the full weight of the hammer of God’s wrath against sin.

Notice that the Psalm doesn’t say, My God, my God, why does it appear that you have forsaken me? The question is asking why He has been forsaken. Everyone looking at Jesus upon the cross would have come to the same conclusion: this man is accursed by God. That’s why the Jews wanted Him to be crucified. So, the question is: why did it have to happen this way? Why did this righteous, sinless Lamb of God, need to die accursed on a tree? Jesus was accursed by the plan of God in fulfillment of the Scriptures. Not because the Christ deserved it but because we do as the penalty for our sin, transgression, and iniquity.

The psalm also speaks of the mockery of the people towards Christ. As He hung on the tree, being made a curse for us, the people derided Him.
All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads. (Psalm 22:7)
This was directly fulfilled.
And those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads. (Matthew 27:39)

More details of Psalm 22 are fulfilled in the crucifixion of Christ,
For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet--
I can count all my bones--
they stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots. (Psalm 22:16-18)
The direct fulfillment is made explicit.
And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among them by casting lots. (Matthew 27:35)

In Jesus’s day, Gentiles were often referred to as dogs by the Jews (for example, see Matthew 15:22-28). Jesus quoted from Psalm 22:1 as He was surrounded by Roman executioners (“dogs”). They were a company of evildoers who literally pierced His hands and His feet. They fulfilled the Scriptures by dividing His garments among themselves.

Jesus quoted Psalm 22 intentionally. He was pointing to the deeper reality beneath the surface. Jesus wasn’t dying like other criminals for His own crimes. He was not just saying that the first verse applied to Him. Jesus was declaring to all that He was being despised, rejected, afflicted, and cast down for a purpose. Not by the sword of man, or ravenous dogs, or the mouths of lions, or by a herd of wild oxen (Psalm 22:19-21).
But by God Himself.

Jesus Made Sin:

The word impute means “to credit to one’s account.” This word is important. We all need to pay close attention.
The Scriptures declare,
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, came in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3). He stepped out of eternity and into time. Taking a second nature, humanity. Jesus, being fully God and fully man, lived an earthly life. Free of sin. Sin did not dwell in His flesh as it dwells in ours.

He was perfect. Sinless. He did not know sin. He only knew the Father and His perfect will for Him.

The Scripture says that He who knew no sin (Jesus) was made to be sin. How can this be? God the Father imputed sin to Jesus’s account. The Father reckoned sin to Jesus’s spotless account. Why?

This is a huge answer that all of Scripture points to. For the sake of simplification, let’s look at two main points.

Condemning Sin in the Flesh

1) Jesus came to condemn sin in the flesh. God is good, just, and righteous. Thus, the problem of our sin must be dealt with. Either we will pay the punishment for our own sin or God Himself will have to. There is no third option.

Jesus, the God-Man, is the only One qualified in His own merit to be the substitute for Man. As He who knew no sin was made to be sin, the hammer of the Almighty God fell upon the Son. Crushing the Son. Thereby condemning sin in the flesh.

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. (Romans 8:3)

Becoming the Righteousness of God

2) So that we might become the righteousness of God. The Father imputed or “credited sin to His account.” For those who are found in Christ by faith, believing in the Son of God and His perfect work on their behalf, God imputes (or credits) righteousness to our account.
No one can earn right standing with God. It’s not possible. Because no one is good and no one does what is right (Romans 3:10-12). No one can escape condemnation by themselves. The condemnation that our sin has brought upon us is inescapable without a perfect Savior. Jesus is that Savior.

God imputed our sin to Christ and it was condemned in His flesh. Meaning He paid the price for it. Endured the wrath of God on behalf of sin. So that we, by faith, who are “in Christ” could have His righteousness credited to our account. Therefore, all who are found in Christ stand before God justified. Not on our merit but on the merit of another. There is no longer any condemnation for all who are in Him.

By the grace of God, through faith, God has made it possible for us to receive Jesus Christ’s perfect righteousness as a gift.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, bold added)

Justice Must Be SatisfiedSome have twisted the Scriptures to avoid God’s justice being satisfied in Christ. They may say things like:

• “My god would never…” or
• “God is love so how could He ever punish anyone for an eternity in hell?” or
• “This is a form of cosmic child abuse,” etc.

You get the picture.
Yet, the Scriptures declare this to be true. Anyone who reads the Bible honestly in its context cannot escape this truth.

God is holy, righteous, and just. He cannot nor will He allow the guilty to go unpunished. God will not just simply look past sin and not punish it. He cannot take sin and ball it up and throw it into the sea. Justice must be served. It will be served because God always does that which is right.

This is what the Scriptures point to. This wonderful, terrific, and amazing truth that God satisfied His justice. He did it through the God-Man, Jesus the Christ. He punished sin in Christ so that all who believe would not perish but have everlasting life!

This is a demonstration that God is both just and the justifier of sinful men, those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26).
For more on this, see our articles:

• Why Did Jesus Die For Sins?
• Why Did Jesus Die For Our Sins?
• Why Did Jesus Ask For The Cup To Pass?

The Foreordained PlanIt must be clear that this was never plan B, or C, or D, or E. It was always plan A. From before the foundation of the world. That God would send His Son to condemn sin in the flesh. Making a way for people to be reconciled to God through Jesus, the Son.

God Himself was the very first to declare the gospel.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heal.” (Genesis 3:15)

Peter understood the plan of God and proclaimed it on Pentecost.
This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Acts 2:23)
The Apostle to the Gentiles also understood and proclaimed this truth.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (Ephesians 1:3-4a)

Likewise, the Apostle John taught from this foundation.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)

While some interpret these passages differently and choose to divide over them, these passages are meant to be unifying. God planned from the very beginning to send His Son and satisfy His justice in Him. Jesus came as a willing servant. Christ offered His life willingly as a ransom for many in accordance with this foreordained plan. Jesus did it for the joy that was set before Him, enduring the cross and despising its shame (Hebrews 12:2).

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

At the appointed time. According to the foreordained plan of God. He sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. Although the Son Himself knew no sin. He was made sin. Made a curse under the law. So that all could be set free from the curse of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

This Jesus is no longer dead. Christ has been raised up by His Father. Highly exalted by His Father. Seated at His Father’s right hand. Made both Lord and Savior by His Father. Glorified by His Father.
​
For more on the fullness of time, see our article: Why Did Jesus Come When He Did?

Forsaken by God

What does it really mean to be forsaken by God? The Scriptures declare,
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13).

To really grasp this text I suggest that you read all of Galatians. But don’t stop there. Turn back the pages to Deuteronomy 27 and 28.

Jesus is the one who, in His own merit, earned all the blessings of God. He did not break the law of God even once. He who knew no sin, when He became sin (2 Corinthians 5:23), was treated as a sinner.

He was cut off from all of God’s goodness, love, grace, mercy, and kindness. Knowing only (for that time on the cross) the wrath, justice, anger, and severity of God.

As Jesus was made sin, He truly was judged by God as a sinner. Sin was condemned in His flesh.

Yet, because He Himself was sinless, He did not remain condemned forever. He was raised from the dead. Given the authority now to judge the world in righteousness.

For more on the cursing, see our articles:

• Why Did Jesus Wear A Crown Of Thorns?
• Why Did Jesus Curse The Fig Tree?

God is LoveGod is love.

He demonstrates it in this,
That while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
This is not how the world understands love. This is much greater. The Bible is consistent in its teaching about God’s love.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:16-17)

In Jesus’s first coming, the world was not condemned for its sin. Instead, God condemned sin the the flesh of Christ. The promise of everlasting life, redemption from sin, and peace with a holy and righteous God is only given to those who are found in Christ on the Day of Judgment.

Christ is coming again to judge the world in righteousness. Are you ready? Are you hidden safely in the refuge of Christ? 

​

One of the most fascinating and significant prophecies recorded in the bible is Daniel’s seventy weeks vision. The Jews had been in exile and Daniel understood from Jeremiah’s prophecy that God would bring them back to the Promised Land after seventy years. As Daniel was deep in prayer, the angel, Gabriel, appeared to him. God had sent Gabriel to give Daniel understanding concerning Israel’s destiny beyond those seventy years in exile. It concerned Israel’s future until the end.

Essentially, God has decreed 70 weeks of years, meaning 490 years (70 times 7) for Israel and the city of Jerusalem before the end will come. Bear in mind that these are lunar years (360 days a year) and not solar years (365.25 days a year), which we are more accustomed to. During these 70 weeks of years, God will deal with Israel’s sin and rebellion against His covenant, and He will turn the nation back to Him. At the same time, all the prophecies pertaining to Israel and the present world will be completely fulfilled.


At the Beginning & End of the First 69 Weeks

Daniel 9:25-26 (NASB) - "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.26 "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

The countdown would begin on the day when the decree to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem was issued. This event happened 93 years later after Daniel was given the vision. A Persian king, Artaxerxes Longimanus, issued the decree for the Jews to rebuild the broken walls and their beloved city. Based on the date given in Nehemiah 2:1 (the month of Nisan on the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’ reign and assuming it falls on the first day of Nisan in the Jewish calendar),the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, United Kingdom, computed the date to be 14 March 445 B.C.

According to the prophecy, the 70 weeks of years are divided into 3 periods of 7 weeks, 62 weeks and the final 1 week.

At the end of 7 and 62 weeks, which is essentially 69 weeks, “the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.” 69 weeks of years equal to 483 years(69 x 7) or 173,880 days (69 x 7 x 360). Using 14 March 445 B.C. as the start date, the date for the end of the 69 weeks of years works out to be 6 April A.D. 32.

Fascinatingly, this was the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and presented Himself to the Jews as their Messiah. However, the political and religious Jewish leaders rejected Jesus as the prophecy has indicated -- “the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing.” They executed Him on a cross. They cut Him down and cut Him off.

Barely 40 years later, “the people of the prince who is to come,” that is, the Roman armies under the command of Titus Vespasianus destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. The formidable Roman military force literally came in like a flood. As Jesus had also prophesied, “not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down” (Matthew 24:2). During the next few decades, the Romans continued to put down guerrilla attempts by small Jewish rebel groups until they banished all the Jews from the land.


The Church Age

After 69 weeks of years, the prophetic clock for Israel stopped ticking. The final one week of Daniel’s 70 weeks was suspended indefinitely. In a sense and prophetically speaking, Israel disappeared from the scene and the church emerged and took centre-stage since then until today. This period is known as the church age. It is also known as the time of the Gentiles. We are living in the church age.

The church is a mystery (Ephesians 5:32). The entity of the church was unknown to the Old Testament saints. No rabbis or scholars anticipated the emergence of the church. 


The Final One Week

Daniel 9:27 (NASB) - "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

The church age straddles between verse 26 and verse 27. It will come to an end when God decides to rapture the church. On that day, our Lord Jesus will appear in the sky. There will be an element of surprise to it. it will be sudden and unexpected. Suddenly all the faithful Christians will be snatched up by Jesus and caught up to be with Him, and then brought to heaven (I Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4;15-17).

When this happens, the last one week (7 years) of Daniel’s 70 weeks of years will kick in. The prophetic clock for Israel, which has stopped for more than 2,000 years, will start ticking again. This is the 7-year tribulation period, which we read in the book of Revelation when God unleashes His wrath and judgement on the inhabitants of the earth.

God will finish His dealing with Israel in this last 7 years and then the end will come. It will be a terrible time of severe judgement for Israel. There will be wars and catastrophic disasters in Israel. This is the consequence of their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah some 2,000 years ago.

Besides the rapture, another political event will also mark the beginning of the final one week of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy. The Anti-Christ will make a covenant with Israel and her enemies guaranteeing her peace and security. However, he will break the covenant and turn against Israel at the 3.5-year mark (“in the middle of the weeks”). He will also set up something sacrilegious, described as “the abomination of desolation” by Jesus (Matthew 24:15)in the rebuilt Jewish temple.

The good news is that finally all the remnants of Israel will be saved (Zechariah 12;10, 13:8-9; Romans 11:26).

At the end of 7 years of Tribulation, Christ Jesus will return to the earth with the armies of heaven, which includes the church (Revelation 19:7-8, 14). He will fight and utterly defeat the Anti-Christ (the beast) and the kings of the earth and all their armies that are gathered to fight Him and Israel (Revelation 19:19-21).

Notice that the church is not present during the 7-year Tribulation period. It is God’s appointed time to deal with Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the church, which has been raptured 7 years earlier, will return to the earth with Christ Jesus. The church will return as the Bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7-8, 14, 17-18).


God’s Sovereignty

This amazing prophecy of Daniel’s 70 weeks points to the existence as well as the sovereignty of God over human affairs. God is in absolute control over the world and everything that is happening. He has sovereignly decreed the times for both Israel and the church, and the Jews and the Gentiles. He alone determines how this present age will end. Jesus is the Lord of history and the future.

Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ!


Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua


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Jesus cleansed the temple of the money-changers and sellers of merchandise because of His disgust at what they had made of God’s house of prayer and His zeal to purify it from the abuse of ungodly men. Judea was under the rule of the Romans, and the money in current use was Roman coin. However, the Jewish law required that every man should pay a tribute to the service of the sanctuary of “half a shekel” (Exodus 30:11–16), a Jewish coin. It became, therefore, a matter of convenience to have a place where the Roman coin could be exchanged for the Jewish half shekel. The money-changers provided this convenience but would demand a small sum for the exchange. Because so many thousands of people came up to the great feasts, changing money was a very profitable business and one that resulted in fraud and oppression of the poor.

Also, according to the Law, two doves or pigeons were required to be offered in sacrifice (Leviticus 14:22; Luke 2:24). Yet it was difficult to bring them from the distant parts of Judea, so a lucrative business selling the birds sprang up, with the sellers gouging the faithful by charging exorbitant prices. There were other merchants selling cattle and sheep for the temple sacrifices as well. Because of these sellers who preyed on the poor and because of His passion for the purity of His Father’s house, Jesus was filled with righteous indignation. As He overturned the tables of the money-changers, He condemned them for having turned God’s house of prayer into “a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). As He did so, His disciples remembered Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”

Jesus’ first cleansing of the temple is described in John 2:11–12 as having occurred just after Jesus’ first miracle, the turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. John makes it clear that it was “after this” that He went to Capernaum, where He “stayed for a few days.” Then in the next verse (verse 13), John tells us that the “Passover of the Jews was at hand” (NKJV). These verses trace Jesus’ movements over a short period of time from Cana in Galilee to Capernaum and eventually to Jerusalem for the Passover. This is the first of the two times Jesus cleansed the temple. The Synoptic Gospels do not record the temple cleansing mentioned in John 2, instead only recording the temple cleansing that occurred during Passion Week.

The second cleansing of the temple occurred just after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem the last week of His life. This second cleansing is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not in John. There are differences in the two events, aside from their being nearly three years apart. In the first cleansing, temple officials confronted Jesus immediately (John 2:18), whereas in the second cleansing, the chief priests and scribes confronted Him the following day (Matthew 21:17–23). In the first event, Jesus made a whip of cords with which to drive out the sellers, but there is no mention of a whip in the second cleansing. So there are two recorded occasions when Jesus cleansed the temple—the first time at the beginning of His public ministry, and the second time just after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem shortly before He was crucified.

​The scene I’ll focus a lens on today is found in all four Gospels. The account is relatively light on words but so heavy with meaning that to overlook it could well leave an insufficient impression of what Jesus was like. Without it, He’d be significantly easier to typecast. We’d think we knew how holiness always acts and how love always reacts.

Check Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19 and John 2 and you’ll invariably find the scene captioned with the three-word phrase, “Cleansing the Temple.” The caption is provocative if not ironic since Jesus’s method of cleaning the Temple was to make a mess of it. Don’t think for a moment Jesus can’t make a mess of things. 

Sometimes the only way to sufficiently clean house is to turn it upside down.
Today we’ll look at Matthew’s Gospel, the 21st chapter and verses 10-13, but I’ll fill out the account with additional bits and pieces supplied by the other Gospels, particularly Mark’s. The scene follows on the heels of a donkey. The Temple cleansing is a quickly-appearing stand-alone in John but you’ll find it in Matthew, Mark and Luke following the triumphal entry of Christ when He entered Jerusalem in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy:

Tell Daughter Zion,
“See, your King is coming to you,
Gentle and mounted on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

His way was paved in garments and branches. The crowds welcomed Jesus with royal acclamations. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” The insinuation of kingship was so insulting to some of the religious leaders, they demanded Jesus rebuke his disciples. “I tell you, if they were to keep silent,” Jesus plainly stated, “the stones would cry out.”

Our present scene is particularly compelling with the echoes of the triumphant crowds still ringing in our ears.
Read the words of Matthew 21:10-13:

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, saying, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
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Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!”

A lot of wheeling and dealing goes on in the name of Scripture. A lot of scheming and scamming. They’re hard to miss in this scene. According to Mark’s Gospel, this event happened on Monday, the day following the triumphal entry and three days prior to Christ’s arrest.  

Mark 11:11-12 tells us that, after he rode into Jerusalem on the back of the colt, “He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem. He’d turn around and come back the next day.

It doesn’t take much imagination to guess what Jesus thought about all night. He’d replayed what he’d seen that day over and over, is what I’m thinking. And holy zeal would fill his lungs. The Holy Spirit put the words in the psalmist’s mouth in advance: “Zeal for your house has consumed me and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” And it burned like fire on his tongue. There might have been something else he was doing. John’s account in his Gospel, the second chapter and 15th verse, says, “After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple.” He might have been braiding a little leather. There again, he could easily have just grabbed a strap from a tethered animal on his way in.

That Monday when He headed back to the Holy City, He would’ve entered the Temple Mount through the Huldah Gate at the south end of an enormous complex. Think of it in terms of the Temple Precinct and the Temple Proper. The Temple precinct included all the buildings and courtyards complete with an enormous stall for animals that could be purchased for sacrifices as well as crowded housing for their keepers. This was the Monday before Passover when the city would have been bursting at the seams with travelers from all over Israel and beyond to keep Israel’s most important feast.

People gathered in allocated areas according to qualifications strictly guarded by Temple police. Worshippers were as defined by where they could not go as where they could. There was the Court of the Gentiles open to anyone and the only place open to those who believed in Israel’s God but weren’t of Israel’s blood. Inscriptions were etched in stone that no Gentile, man or woman, could go beyond it without threat of death. There was the Court of the Women for those of Jewish blood and no woman could inch a single step further. Then there was the Court of Israel which was Jewish men only and no man could step beyond it into the sanctuary of the Temple proper except the priests and no priest could step beyond the Holy Place into the Holy of Holies except the high priest on the Day of Atonement. Every step toward the Presence of God bore a warning of prohibition.

“Stop right there. Are you qualified?”

There was no such thing as all-access. Don’t lose sight of that this Holy Week or the tearing of the veil will be lost on you.

As Jesus entered the Temple precinct, he would have ascended up a flight of steps and entered a long hall with four rows of forty large columns. This is where the market was set up for exchanging the money of all the Jewish pilgrims from other regions into temple currency. With shekels they’d pay a required temple tax then purchase animals or birds for sacrifices. It was a necessary transaction for out-of-towners but foolishly misplaced in an area set apart for worship.  

Now for Mark’s Gospel, chapter 11:15-17:

 They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!”

There are times in Scripture when Jesus slips in and out of scenes publicly unnoticed. This isn’t one of those times. He marched straight to the check out desks with a whip in his hand where people were buying and selling. He flipped the over the tables and turned over the chairs. Coins would have jingled and rolled all over the floor. Dove cages would have toppled. Feathers would have flown.

Jesus can rattle cages when he wants to.

Everything he’s doing in the scene is purposeful. A couple of things are in play that aren’t immediately obvious. I’d like to make mention of two of them. First, did you hear the Evangelists make a point of noting that those selling doves were among the ones whose tables and chairs Jesus overturned? Doves could be used for a couple of different purposes but they were primarily the offerings purchased by the poor. Those with any kind of money would make their selections from farm animals to offer as sacrifices. It could a status thing, you know, whether your offering had fur or cheap feathers.
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Sellers could set the price at what they wanted, knowing full well the devout would pay whatever was necessary for an offering rather than appear before the Lord empty handed. If the sellers were cheating, only the privileged had the clout to accuse them. The voices of the poor, then as now, were mostly ignored. Perhaps nothing testifies to the depravity of the human heart like the consistent propensity throughout history to exploit, cheat and oppress the poor. What is far more astonishing is with what regularity it happens in religious environments. There’s nothing quite like price-gouging in the name of God.

That brings us to the second element in the scene that begs for a little background. Did you catch the phrase “den of thieves”? Let me place it back in context. “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!” Nothing was accidental in his wording. He’s talking straight out of the Old Testament.

Look at Jeremiah 7:1-10:
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This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand in the gate of the house of the Lord and there call out this word: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who enter through these gates to worship the Lord.

“‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Correct your ways and your actions, and I will allow you to live in this place. Do not trust deceitful words, chanting, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” Instead, if you really correct your ways and your actions, if you act justly toward one another, if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow and no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods, bringing harm on yourselves, I will allow you to live in this place, the land I gave to your ancestors long ago and forever. But look, you keep trusting in deceitful words that cannot help.

“‘Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known? Then do you come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, “We are rescued, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts”?

The people in Jeremiah’s day adhered to what scholar M. Eugene Boring calls “a false Zion theology that regarded the Temple as a guarantee of divine protection, and charged them with regarding the Temple as a robber’s hideout to which they could retreat in safety after their acts of injustice.” (NIB, Volume 8, p.406)

This becomes even more provocative six centuries later when Jesus uses the phrase “den of thieves” or “den of robbers” in the Gospels. According to scholar Michael Wilkins “The term ‘robber’ (lestes) is not the word for a common thief but for one who is an insurrectionist, such as Barabbas and the two revolutionaries between whom Jesus will be crucified. This may be a subtle use of the term to indicate that the temple authorities are making it a nationalistic stronghold, or more subtly, a place where they are insurrectionists against God’s intended plan for the temple.”[1]

It is of no small significance that Jesus said according to Mark’s Gospel, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” All this big enterprise, all this wheeling and dealing was conveniently happening right in the court of the Gentiles. What did they really matter anyway? The blood of Abraham didn’t run through their veins. They were expendable.  Second class. Lucky to even be there. How much value would God put on the worship of Gentiles anyway? But, you see, they’d forgotten the explicit calling God placed on Abraham. “In you shall all nations be blessed.” This was the very gospel preached beforehand.

Does God see? Yes. Does He care when His name is exploited and His words are twisted to manipulate people and rob them of power? Yes. Does He care when the worship of him has been thoroughly coopted and commercialized? Yes. Will He act? Oh, yes. He warns. He gives the remedy: in a word, repentance. He waits. Then, when He’s had enough, He acts.

So, here’s a question to throw on that overturned table: is it fair to say that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, acted in anger in this scene? Somehow I can’t picture him braiding up a whip and flipping over furniture because he was mildly annoyed. What sets divine anger—and even ultimately divine wrath—apart from human anger is that it cannot be extracted from his love. God cannot set it aside His love because it is not only what he does. It is who He is. It is his very essence. We’re simply too quick to forget that love has a spine.  

He who strode into that temple with a whip that day and turned the place upside down for making a commercial expo out of sacrificial worship would offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice just four days later. The coins now scattered and rolling all over the courtyard floor were woefully insufficient funds for their remission of sins. The payment for their substitutionary offering was pumping that moment in the veins and arteries of the one overturning those tables. Peter would write, “For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life…not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.” And, as for that Temple, it could never have been clean enough. The only Temple clean enough was the one wearing flesh and blood and still standing after the courtyard was cleared.

Let’s lastly read from Matthew’s Gospel that brings the scene to an end, Matthew 21:12-17:

Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!”

The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read:
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You have prepared praise
from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?” 

Then he left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

The scene is in the same place. Right there in that big mess. Tables and chairs turned upside down. Cages toppled. Bird droppings splattered. Feathers still floating. The scent of animal dung wafting through the air. Right there in the mess, Jesus healed the lame and blind. The very ones the Law of Moses prohibited from drawing near for worship. Make no mistake, Jesus is deeply committed to clearing out the obstacles to worship in Spirit and in Truth.
I’m of the notion that the church in America is in a bit of a mess and I believe it’s quite possibly for some of the very reasons his house was in a mess in the days of Jeremiah and in the days of the Word made flesh. I think He’s come to clean house and I think sometimes the way He cleans house is to turn it upside down. But, if we’re willing to not run away, we may hear an inaudible voice say, “Come all who know your infirmities, your weaknesses and blemishes. Come all who know you are broken and blind. Come and be healed.”

At a time when most of humanity believed in the existence of many different gods and idols, the God of Israel stated:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” [Exodus 20:2-3]
There are two common prejudices among those who oppose Jesus’ followers: The first one is that we have taken a man and turned him into a god. (We have devoted a different video to this). The second one is that Jesus bewitched

​, incited and turned the people of Israel away from the God of Israel and to idol worship.

THE BLOOPER OF JOSHUA BEN PERACHIAHThis claim is based on a fable in the rabbinic Talmud, according to which, Jesus was allegedly a disciple of Rabbi Joshua Ben Perachiah, had an altercation with him and, for revenge, decided to learn the Satanic Witchcraft Arts in Egypt for the purpose of leading the people of Israel to sin.

The problem is that this bizarre rabbinic legend has just as much evidence and historical credibility as the claim that Santa Claus hands out gifts by sliding down chimneys on Christmas Eve.

First of all, the claim has no support outside of Talmudic writings and secondly, this fable was written many hundreds of years AFTER Jesus’ time for the obvious aim of attempting to abolish Jesus and to rationalize His supernatural abilities.

But here is the most embarrassing part of the claim, where it fails due to its lack of chronological reliability: When claiming that Jesus was a disciple of Rabbi Joshua Ben Perachiah. Joshua Ben Perachiah lived in the second century BC, hundreds of years before Jesus was even born.

It is as if I told you that Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl, who lived in the 19th century, was the disciple of Rabbi Joseph Karo, who lived in the 16th century.
In short: Embarrassing.

THE SAGES AGREED THAT YESHUA PERFORMED MIRACLESHowever, the really interesting part is that Jewish Sages don’t even attempt to deny the supernatural miracles that were performed by Jesus and by His disciples.

An example of this can be found in the Talmud, Tractate Abodah Zarah, page 17, where a conversation takes place in which Rabbi Eliezer tells Rabbi Akiva about a disciple of Jesus, a Messianic Jew named Jacob, who was renowned for his ability to heal people in Jesus’ name. Later on, page 27 tells of the son of Rabbi Ishmael’s sister who was bitten by a snake. That same disciple of Jesus, Jacob, offered to heal Rabbi Ishmael’s nephew in Jesus’ name. However, even though he acknowledged his ability to heal people in Jesus’ name, the Rabbi refused and said he prefers that his sister’s son DIE instead!

Even rabbis today don’t try to deny the fact that Jesus had supernatural powers but they try to undermine the authority by which Jesus performed His miracles, based on that fable.

For example, see what Rabbi Daniel Asor said: “Jesus was indeed a false prophet, for he acted only through sorcery… He is the embodiment of Satanism.” [Rabbi Daniel Asor]

WHAT YESHUA’S MIRACLES TELL US“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” [Luke 7:22]

The miracles that Jesus and His disciples performed for all to see, attested to a wide range of things over which Jesus had authority. He had authority over the forces of nature, over diseases, over demons, over creation and even over death.

Unlike false prophets, who performed wonders in the name of idols, Jesus always acted in the name of the God of Israel alone. Every miracle performed by Him was in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It would seem, based on the Book of Isaiah chapter 35, that expectations were increasing among the Jews of the third century BC that when the Messiah comes, he alone will be able to perform what is known, “The Four Miracles of the Messiah”:

1. Healing a leper,
2. Healing a man born blind,
3. Casting out a mute demon
4. Raising a man who has been considered dead for at least four days.

This is based on Scroll 4Q521 (or: The 4QMessianic Apocalypse). Furthermore, Tractate Nedarim in the Babylonian Talmud verifies this insight.

Ever since the Torah’s completion and until the time of Jesus, not a single Jewish leper was healed. This, as aforesaid, is because God has saved the right to cure a Jewish leper for the Messiah alone. Lepers lived outside of the cities. They were not allowed to come in contact with other people lest they infect them with leprosy as well. Therefore, the priests and Jewish leaders knew exactly who had leprosy. Not only was Jesus seen healing dozens of people in Israel from leprosy, but He even said to one of them:

“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” [Matthew 8:4]

Jesus knew that the priests would know that leper. And once they see he has been cleansed and healed, they would know that the Messiah is truly among them. The problem is that, as recorded in the Talmud itself, the priests at the time were evil and corrupt. The kind of people who were only interested in power and control (however, we deal with this issue a separate video).
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If Jesus indeed used satanic witchcraft to heal, He wouldn’t have been able to heal that leper. God would not have allowed Him to do that which is reserved for the Messiah alone. But more importantly, Jesus performed all of the miracles in the name of the God of Israel. Jesus never claimed to heal by the power of Satan. On the contrary, He claimed to heal by the power of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thereby directing both Jews and Gentiles towards God. Nevertheless, the religious leaders accused Him of being a satanic sorcerer:

“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons…” [Matthew 12:24]
Jesus pointed out the fallacy in their claim by answering them wisely:
“Knowing their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” [Matthew 12:25-26]

Not only would God probably not allow Jesus to perform miracles in His name, but also the very rabbinical claim against Jesus is an internal contradiction in itself. Why? Because at least three of the miracles performed by Jesus involved water: Walking on water, turning water into wine and healing a blind man. In the Talmud, Jewish sages teach that sorcery is undone when brought into contact with water. (Sanhedrin 47b / Berachot 9b).

This means that the rabbinic Talmud shot itself in the foot. Without even noticing, the Sages admitted that Jesus couldn’t have possibly been a sorcerer.
Furthermore, take a look at the results of Jesus’s miracles: If Jesus tried to perform sorcery in Satan’s name and turn people away from YAHWEH and to idol worship, then He performed poorly and did a miserable job, as He only brought people closer to the God of Israel.

The miracles that Jesus performed in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob only made both Jews and Gentiles abandon their idols and believe in the God of Israel!

Jesus performed those miracles because He was the Messiah. And to this day, people around the world

are supernaturally healed in the name of Jesus – our own Jewish Messiah, whom we have rejected.

See what Daniel Zion, the Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria during World War II who came to believe in Jesus, said:

“If you Rabbis would pray to God with your whole heart and read the New Testament thoughtfully, approaching this book and the Messiah with reverence, I am convinced that God would open your eyes. Jesus did nothing but good, He called Israel to repentance and to the Kingdom of God. He did many signs and wonders, as no prophet before Him. He wished to unite people; that they should love each other and also their enemies. Thus He wished to build a bridge between Israel and the nations; [that] there should be peace between them and the prophecies of Isaiah and all the prophets be fulfilled, That the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be King over all the earth.”

[Rabbi Daniel Zion]


​Why were the Christians then expelled from the synagogues as apostates in about 85 A.D.?

First of all, it is important to point out that Judaism in the 1st century of the Christian era was not entirely homogeneous. There was a variety of groups or parties: most obviously the Pharisees, the theological teachers; the Sadducees, the ruling and priestly class in Jerusalem; the Zealots who sought political liberation from Roman domination; the Essenes, in all probability the community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran; and then the Christians or the Nazarenes, as they were sometimes called. Each of these parties had its own particular emphases and teachings. In the beginning, it is extremely likely that mainstream Judaism did not see in the Christian movement any great threat. 

However, as the divinity of Christ came to more articulate and explicit expression, first in the letters of St. Paul, the realization gradually emerged that they were expanding the traditional Jewish monotheism so as to encompass the person of Jesus. The Jewish Synod of Jamnia, probably in the mid-80s of the 1st century, was responsible for excommunicating the Christians/Nazarenes from mainstream Judaism for two reasons: first, this expansion of monotheism, and second, the repudiation of Torah dietary laws and circumcision that came with the embrace of the Gentiles. Many Jewish Christians in the late 1st century found themselves aposunagogos, literally, “cast out from the synagogue.” We see hints of this both in the gospel of St. Matthew and in the gospel of St. John. It is better to see the separation of the ways between Christianity and Judaism as a process over time rather than something that took place exclusively at one point in time.

Peter Schäfer examines how the rabbis of the Talmud read, understood, and used the New Testament Jesus narrative to assert, ultimately, Judaism’s superiority over Christianity.

The Talmudic stories make fun of Jesus’ birth from a virgin, fervently contest his claim to be the Messiah and Son of God, and maintain that he was rightfully executed as a blasphemer and idolater. They subvert the Christian idea of Jesus’ resurrection and insist he got the punishment he deserved in hell — and that a similar fate awaits his followers.

Schäfer contends that these stories betray a remarkable familiarity with the Gospels — especially Matthew and John — and represent a deliberate and sophisticated anti-Christian polemic that parodies the New Testament narratives. He carefully distinguishes between Babylonian and Palestinian sources, arguing that the rabbis’ proud and self-confident countermessage to that of the evangelists was possible only in the unique historical setting of Persian Babylonia, in a Jewish community that lived in relative freedom. The same could not be said of Roman and Byzantine Palestine, where the Christians aggressively consolidated their political power and the Jews therefore suffered.
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(Dear rabbis, we urge you to reconsider Jesus’ status. Just like Rabbi Daniel Zion, it may cost you your pride, your authority or your livelihood. But following the truth of God and His Messiah is worth more than any worldly treasure. 

One for Israel Ministry)



https://youtu.be/OeAfIuOBIFA

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https://youtu.be/Y88nqP8pOAw

Rabbi Eliezer: The Elijah of legend did not lose any of his ability to afflict the comfortable. The case of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Simon ben Yohai is illustrative. Once, when walking on a beach, he came upon a hideously ugly man—the prophet in disguise. The man greeted him courteously, "Peace be with thee, Rabbi." Instead of returning the greeting, the rabbi could not resist an insult, "How ugly you are! Is there anyone as ugly as you in your town?" Elijah responded with, "I don't know. Perhaps you should tell the Master Architect how ugly is this, His construction." The rabbi realized his wrong and asked for pardon. But Elijah would not give it until the entire city had asked for forgiveness for the rabbi and the rabbi had promised to mend his ways.[90]


Elijah was a mighty prophet during a turbulent time in Israel’s history. The nation had turned away from the Lord to worship Baal, and King Ahab had formed an alliance with Sidon by marrying their princess, Jezebel. Elijah was sent to show Israel the evil of their ways and encourage them to return to the Lord. Learn more about his ministry in this latest installment of our Biblical Figures series.

Elijah shown in stained glass in the Great Upper ChurchElijah and the WidowElijah is first mentioned in 1 Kings 17, where he proclaimed a drought as penalty for the evil deeds of the kings of Israel. During this time, ravens brought him food, and he lived by a seasonal river until it dried up. The Lord then told him to visit a widow in Zarephath for food and water. Once he arrived, her jar of flour and jug of oil did not run dry. While he was staying there, her son fell ill and died. Elijah pleaded with the Lord and stretched himself on top of the child three times, restoring him to life.

The True GodElijah then presented himself to King Ahab, telling him to summon the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel, along with all the people of Israel. He confronted the people and told them that if they prepared a sacrifice and called on Baal, he would prepare a sacrifice and call on the Lord. Whichever caught fire would then demonstrate who was the true God. The worshippers of Baal prepared their sacrifice and called upon him from morning until noon, with no answer.

Then Elijah rebuilt the altar of the Lord, prepared the sacrifice, and poured four jugs of water on it. He called upon the Lord, and the Lord answered him:
The Lord’s fire came down and devoured the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” 

— 1 Kings 18:38-39

Elijah Fears for His Life: after this, the prophets of Baal were seized and killed. When King Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done, she vowed to kill him. Elijah was terrified and fled into the desert, where he prayed for the Lord to take his life, then fell asleep under a broom tree. A messenger from the Lord came to him twice, urging him to eat and drink. After doing so, he journeyed 40 days in the wilderness to Mt. Horeb, where he hid in a cave. The voice of the Lord came to him and commanded him to stand out on the mountain.

A violent wind came by, followed by an earthquake, then a fire. But the Lord was not in any of them; instead, He spoke to Elijah in a quiet voice:

When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, Why are you here, Elijah? He replied, “I have been most zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant. They have destroyed your altars and murdered your prophets by the sword. I alone remain, and they seek to take my life.” The Lord said to him: Go back! Take the desert road to Damascus. When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram. You shall also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel, and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed you. Anyone who escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill. Anyone who escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. But I will spare seven thousand in Israel—every knee that has not bent to Baal, every mouth that has not kissed him. — 1 Kings 19:13-18

After receiving these instructions, Elijah returned to civilization and recruited Elisha to minister with him.

Elijah and AhaziahSoon after, King Ahab died and was succeeded by his son, Ahaziah. After Ahaziah suffered an injury, he sought the assistance of the god of Ekron to see whether he would recover. Elijah confronted him for rejecting the Lord, which made him angry. In his rage, Ahaziah then sent a captain with fifty men to kill Elijah:

The prophet was seated on a hilltop when he found him. He said, “Man of God, the king commands you, ‘Come down.’” Elijah answered the captain, “Well, if I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.  — 2 Kings 1:9-10

This happened a second time; the king sent fifty men, and they were again struck down with fire. A third commander came, and he begged Elijah to spare the lives of him and his men. The Lord told Elijah not to be afraid of them, so he went down with them to the king. He told the king that because he turned away from the Lord, he would die. True to Elijah’s warning, the king was struck down by the Lord.

Elijah is Taken Up

Elijah being taken into heaven is depicted in the lower portion of the Ascension Chapel of the Great Upper ChurchWhen Elijah and Elisha traveled from Bethel to Jericho, Elijah tried to leave Elisha, but Elisha would not let him. The other prophets of the cities asked him repeatedly whether he knew that Elijah would leave him, and Elisha responded that he did. After they crossed the Jordan, Elijah asked Elisha if there was anything that he could do before he was taken up into heaven. Elisha asked to be given a double portion of his spirit, and Elijah said that was a difficult request, but that it would come to pass if he was able to see him taken up. Then a fiery chariot and horses came between them, and Elisha saw a whirlwind take Elijah to heaven.

What We Can Learn from ElijahEven in the face of adversity and discouragement, Elijah remained faithful. Throughout the Bible, he is held up as an example of godliness and might. Not only is he mentioned later in the Old Testament, but also in all four gospels and two epistles. He even appears at the transfiguration with Jesus, and when Jesus began his ministry, some thought that He was Elijah returned to earth.

The story of Elijah can be a comfort and an encouragement to us. Being a strong person of God does not mean that we will never feel discouraged, but rather, it means looking to God when faced with adversity. Elijah felt alone, and didn’t understand God’s plan, but he still searched God out. In return, he constantly saw God’s power displayed in his weakness: when He brought the widow’s son back from the dead, when He triumphed on Mt. Carmel, and when He rained down fire from heaven upon the king’s men.  For his faithfulness, Elijah was one of the few individuals in the Bible to be taken into heaven.

Elijah in the BasilicaElijah is depicted in multiple areas of the Basilica, including the east buttress of the south entrance, a lunette window in the west apse of the Crypt Church, a window in the west transept of the Great Upper Church, and in the Ascension Chapel of the Upper Church.

Elijah (/ɪˈlaɪdʒə/ il-EYE-jə; Hebrew: אֵלִיָּהוּ‎, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh[10]/YHWH";[11][12] 

Greek form: Elias[a] /ɪˈlaɪəs/ il-EYE-əs) was, according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel[13]during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BCE). In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worship of the Hebrew God over that of the Canaanite deity Baal. God also performed many miracles through Elijah, including resurrection, bringing fire down from the sky, and entering heaven alive "by fire".[14] He is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known as "the sons of the prophets".[15] Following his ascension, Elisha, his disciple and most devoted assistant, took over his role as leader of this school. The Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD",[16] making him a harbinger of the Messiah and of the eschaton in various faiths that revere the Hebrew Bible. References to Elijah appear in Sirach, the New Testament, the Mishnah and Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and Baháʼí writings.
Elijah

Prophet Elijah detailed in the Madonna and Child with Saints by Andrea di Bonaiuto

• Prophet
• Father of Carmelites

Bornc. 900 BCE
possibly Tishbe
Diedc. 849 BCE[1]
near Jericho


Feast July 20

In Judaism, Elijah's name is invoked at the weekly Havdalah rite that marks the end of Shabbat, and Elijah is invoked in other Jewish customs, among them the Passover Seder and the brit milah (ritual circumcision). He appears in numerous stories and references in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud. According to the Hebrew Bible, Elijah will return during the End of Times.[17]

The Christian New Testament notes that some people thought that Jesus was, in some sense, Elijah,[18] but it also makes clear that John the Baptist is "the Elijah" who was promised to come in Malachi 3:1; 4:5.[19] According to accounts in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Elijah appeared with Moses during the Transfiguration of Jesus.



Map of Israel as it was in the 9th century BCE. 
​

Blue is the Kingdom of Israel. Golden yellow is the Kingdom of Judah.[22]According to the Bible, by the 9th century BCE, the Kingdom of Israel, once united under Solomon, divided into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah (which retained the historical capital of Jerusalem along with its Temple). Omri, King of Israel, continued policies dating from the reign of Jeroboam, contrary to religious law, that were intended to reorient religious focus away from Jerusalem: encouraging the building of local temple altars for sacrifices, appointing priests from outside the family of the Levites, and allowing or encouraging temples dedicated to Baal, an important deity in ancient Canaanite religion.[23][24] Omri achieved domestic security with a marriage alliance between his son Ahab and princess Jezebel, a worshipper of Baal and the daughter of the king of Sidon in Phoenicia.[b] These solutions brought security and economic prosperity to Israel for a time,[27] but did not bring peace with the Israelite prophets, who advocated a strict deuteronomic interpretation of the religious law.

Under Ahab's kingship tensions exacerbated. Ahab built a temple for Baal, and his wife Jezebel brought a large entourage of priests and prophets of Baal and Asherah into the country. In this context Elijah is introduced in 1 Kings 17:1 as Elijah "the Tishbite". He warns Ahab that there will be years of catastrophic drought so severe that not even dewwill form, because Ahab and his queen stand at the end of a line of kings of Israel who are said to have "done evil in the sight of the Lord".

Books of KingsEditNo background for the person of Elijah is given except for his brief characterization as a Tishbite. His name in Hebrew means "My God is Yahweh", and may be a title applied to him because of his challenge to worship of Baal.[28][29][30][31][32]

As told in the Hebrew Bible, Elijah's challenge is bold and direct. Baal was the Canaanite god responsible for rain, thunder, lightning, and dew. Elijah thus, when he initially announces the drought, not only challenges Baal on behalf of God himself, but he also challenges Jezebel, her priests, Ahab and the people of Israel.[33]

Elijah in the wilderness, by Washington Allston
Widow of Zarephath

Main article: Raising of the son of the widow of ZarephathAfter Elijah's confrontation with Ahab, God tells him to flee out of Israel, to a hiding place by the brook Chorath, east of the Jordan, where he will be fed by ravens.[34][22] When the brook dries up, God sends him to a widow living in the town of Zarephath in Phoenicia.

When Elijah finds her and asks to be fed, she says that she does not have sufficient food to keep her and her own son alive. Elijah tells her that God will not allow her supply of flour or oil to run out, saying, "Do not be afraid ... For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."[35] She feeds him the last of their food, and Elijah's promise miraculously comes true.

Elijah reviving the Son of the Widow of Zarephath by Louis HersentSome time later the widow's son dies and the widow cries, "You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!"[36] Elijah prays that God might restore her son so that the trustworthiness of God's word might be demonstrated, and "[God] listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived."[37] This is the first instance of raising the dead recorded in Scripture. The widow cried, "the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth."[38]

After more than three years of drought and famine, God tells Elijah to return to Ahab and announce the end of the drought. While on his way, Elijah meets Obadiah, the head of Ahab's household, who had hidden a hundred Jewish prophets from Jezebel's violent purge. Obadiah fears that when he reports to Ahab about Elijah's whereabouts, Elijah would disappear, provoking Ahab to execute him. Elijah reassures Obadiah and sends him to Ahab.

Challenge to Baal

Elijah's offering is consumed by fire from heaven in a stained glass window at St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina.When Ahab confronts Elijah, he denounces him as being the "troubler of Israel" but Elijah retorts that Ahab himself is the one who troubled Israel by allowing the worship of false gods.

At Elijah's instruction, Ahab summons the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel. Elijah then berates the people for their acquiescence in Baal worship: "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him."[39]

Elijah proposes a direct test of the powers of Baal and Yahweh: he and Baal's prophets will each take one of two bulls, prepare it for sacrifice and lay it on wood, but put no fire to it. The prophets of Baal choose and prepare a bull accordingly. Elijah then invites them to pray for fire to light the sacrifice. They pray from morning to noon without success. Elijah ridicules their efforts. "At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, 'Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.'"[40] They respond by shouting louder and slashing themselves with swords and spears. They continue praying until evening without success.

Elijah then repairs Yahweh's altar with twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah digs a trench around it and prepares the other bull for sacrifice as before. He then orders that the sacrifice and altar be drenched with water from "four large jars" poured three times, filling also the trench.[41] He asks Yahweh to accept the sacrifice. Fire falls from the sky, consuming the sacrifice, the stones of the altar itself, the earth and the water in the trench as well. When the people see this, they declare, "The LORD—he is God; the LORD—he is God."[42] Elijah then orders them to seize the prophets of Baal, which they do, and Elijah kills them. Then the rains begin, signaling the end of the famine.

Mount HorebEditJezebel, enraged that Elijah had killed Baal's prophets, threatens to kill Elijah.[43] Elijah flees to Beersheba in Judah, continues alone into the wilderness, and finally sits down under a shrub, praying for death. He falls asleep under the tree; the angel of the Lord touches him and tells him to wake up and eat. When he awakens he finds bread and a jar of water. He eats, drinks, and goes back to sleep. The angel comes a second time and tells him to eat and drink because he has a long journey ahead of him.

Elijah travels for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb,[44] where Moses had received the Ten Commandments. Elijah is the only person described in the Bible as returning to Horeb, after Moses and his generation had left Horeb several centuries before. He seeks shelter in a cave. Elijah is told to "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."[45] There is a powerful wind, an earthquake and fire, but Yahweh is not in any of them. Then a gentle whisper comes to Elijah. Yahweh sends him out again, this time to Damascus to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha as his replacement.

Widow of Zarephath
​
Main article: Raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath

After Elijah's confrontation with Ahab, God tells him to flee out of Israel, to a hiding place by the brook Chorath, east of the Jordan, where he will be fed by ravens.[34][22] When the brook dries up, God sends him to a widow living in the town of Zarephath in Phoenicia.

When Elijah finds her and asks to be fed, she says that she does not have sufficient food to keep her and her own son alive. Elijah tells her that God will not allow her supply of flour or oil to run out, saying, "Do not be afraid ... For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."[35] She feeds him the last of their food, and Elijah's promise miraculously comes true.

Elijah reviving the Son of the Widow of Zarephath by Louis HersentSome time later the widow's son dies and the widow cries, "You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!"[36] Elijah prays that God might restore her son so that the trustworthiness of God's word might be demonstrated, and "[God] listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived."[37] This is the first instance of raising the dead recorded in Scripture. The widow cried, "the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth."[38]

After more than three years of drought and famine, God tells Elijah to return to Ahab and announce the end of the drought. While on his way, Elijah meets Obadiah, the head of Ahab's household, who had hidden a hundred Jewish prophets from Jezebel's violent purge. Obadiah fears that when he reports to Ahab about Elijah's whereabouts, Elijah would disappear, provoking Ahab to execute him. Elijah reassures Obadiah and sends him to Ahab.

Challenge to Baal

Elijah's offering is consumed by fire from heaven in a stained glass window at St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina.When Ahab confronts Elijah, he denounces him as being the "troubler of Israel" but Elijah retorts that Ahab himself is the one who troubled Israel by allowing the worship of false gods.

At Elijah's instruction, Ahab summons the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel. Elijah then berates the people for their acquiescence in Baal worship: "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him."[39]

Elijah proposes a direct test of the powers of Baal and Yahweh: he and Baal's prophets will each take one of two bulls, prepare it for sacrifice and lay it on wood, but put no fire to it. The prophets of Baal choose and prepare a bull accordingly. Elijah then invites them to pray for fire to light the sacrifice. They pray from morning to noon without success. Elijah ridicules their efforts. "At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, 'Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.'"[40] They respond by shouting louder and slashing themselves with swords and spears. They continue praying until evening without success.

Elijah then repairs Yahweh's altar with twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah digs a trench around it and prepares the other bull for sacrifice as before. He then orders that the sacrifice and altar be drenched with water from "four large jars" poured three times, filling also the trench.[41] He asks Yahweh to accept the sacrifice. Fire falls from the sky, consuming the sacrifice, the stones of the altar itself, the earth and the water in the trench as well. When the people see this, they declare, "The LORD—he is God; the LORD—he is God."[42] Elijah then orders them to seize the prophets of Baal, which they do, and Elijah kills them. Then the rains begin, signaling the end of the famine.

Mount HorebEditJezebel, enraged that Elijah had killed Baal's prophets, threatens to kill Elijah.[43] Elijah flees to Beersheba in Judah, continues alone into the wilderness, and finally sits down under a shrub, praying for death. He falls asleep under the tree; the angel of the Lord touches him and tells him to wake up and eat. When he awakens he finds bread and a jar of water. He eats, drinks, and goes back to sleep. The angel comes a second time and tells him to eat and drink because he has a long journey ahead of him.

Elijah travels for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb,[44] where Moses had received the Ten Commandments. Elijah is the only person described in the Bible as returning to Horeb, after Moses and his generation had left Horeb several centuries before. He seeks shelter in a cave. Elijah is told to "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."[45] There is a powerful wind, an earthquake and fire, but Yahweh is not in any of them. Then a gentle whisper comes to Elijah. Yahweh sends him out again, this time to Damascus to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha as his replacement.

Vineyard of Naboth

Elijah encounters Ahab again in 1 Kings 21, after Ahab has acquired possession of a vineyard by murder. Ahab desires to have the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel. He offers a better vineyard or a fair price for the land. But Naboth tells Ahab that God has told him not to part with the land. Ahab accepts this answer with sullen bad grace. Jezebel, however, plots a method for acquiring the land. She sends letters, in Ahab's name, to the elders and nobles who lived near Naboth. They are to arrange a feast and invite Naboth. At the feast, false charges of cursing God and Ahab are to be made against him. The plot is carried out and Naboth is stoned to death. When word comes that Naboth is dead, Jezebel tells Ahab to take possession of the vineyard.

God again speaks to Elijah and sends him to confront Ahab with a question and a prophecy: "Have you killed, and also taken possession?" and, "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood."[46] Ahab begins the confrontation by calling Elijah his enemy. Elijah responds by throwing the charge back at him, telling him that he has made himself the enemy of God by his own actions. Elijah tells Ahab that his entire kingdom will reject his authority; that Jezebel will be eaten by dogs within Jezreel; and that his family will be consumed by dogs as well (if they die in a city) or by birds (if they die in the country). When Ahab hears this he repents to such a degree that God relents in punishing Ahab but will punish Jezebel and their son: Ahaziah.

Ahaziah

Elijah destroying the messengers of Ahaziah (illustration by Gustave Doré from the 1866 La Sainte Bible)Elijah's story continues now from Ahab to an encounter with Ahaziah (2 Kings 1). The scene opens with Ahaziah seriously injured in a fall. He sends to the priests of Baalzebub in Ekron, outside the kingdom of Israel, to know if he will recover. Elijah intercepts his messengers and sends them back to Ahaziah with a message "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?"[44][47] Ahaziah asks the messengers to describe the person who gave them this message. They tell him he was a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist and he instantly recognizes the description as Elijah the Tishbite.

Ahaziah sends out three groups of soldiers to arrest Elijah. The first two are destroyed by fire which Elijah calls down from heaven. The leader of the third group asks for mercy for himself and his men. Elijah agrees to accompany this third group to Ahaziah, where he gives his prophecy in person. Ahaziah dies without recovering from his injuries in accordance with Elijah's word.[48]

Departure

Elijah's chariot in the whirlwind. Fresco, Anagni Cathedral, c. 1250According to 2 Kings 2:3–9, Elisha (Eliseus) and "the sons of the prophets" knew beforehand that Elijah would one day be assumed into heaven. Elisha asked Elijah to "let a double portion" of Elijah's "spirit" be upon him. Elijah agreed, with the condition that Elisha would see him be "taken".

Elijah, in company with Elisha, approaches the Jordan. He rolls up his mantle and strikes the water.[49]The water immediately divides and Elijah and Elisha cross on dry land. Suddenly, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appear[44] and Elijah is lifted up in a whirlwind. As Elijah is lifted up, his mantle falls to the ground and Elisha picks it up.

Books of Chronicles: Books of Chronicles

Elijah is mentioned once more in 2 Chronicles 21:12, which will be his final mention in the Hebrew Bible. A letter is sent under the prophet's name to Jehoram of Judah. It tells him that he has led the people of Judah astray in the same way that Israel was led astray. The prophet ends the letter with a prediction of a painful death.

This letter is a puzzle to readers for several reasons. First, it concerns a king of the southern kingdom, while Elijah concerned himself with the kingdom of Israel. Second, the message begins with "Thus says YHVH, God of your father David..." rather than the more usual "...in the name of YHVH the God of Israel." Also, this letter seems to come after Elijah's ascension into the whirlwind.[citation needed]

Michael Wilcock, formerly of Trinity College, Bristol, suggests a number of possible reasons for this letter, among them that it may be an example of a better known prophet's name being substituted for that of a lesser known prophet.[50] John Van Seters, however, rejects the letter as having any connection with the Elijah tradition.[51] However, Wilcock argues that Elijah's letter "does address a very 'northern' situation in the southern kingdom", and thus is authentic.[52]

In MalachiEditWhile the final mention of Elijah in the Hebrew Bible is in the Book of Chronicles, the Christian Bible’s reordering places the Book of Malachi (which prophecies a messiah) as the final book of the Old Testament, before the New Testament gospels.[53] Thus, Elijah's final Old Testament appearance is in the Book of Malachi, where it is written, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."[54]

Historicity

Scholars generally agree that a prophet named Elijah existed in the Kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah.[55] In the opinion of some, however, the biblical presentation of the prophet cannot be taken as historical documentation of his activity. The biblical texts present his career through the eyes of popular legend and subsequent theological reflection, which consider him a personality of heroic proportions. In this process his actions and relations to the people and the King became stereotyped, and the presentation of his behavior paradigmatic.[56]

In the Aggadah, Talmud, and extra-canonical books
​
Jewish legends about Elijah abound in the aggadah, which is found throughout various collections of rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud. This varied literature does not merely discuss his life, but has created a new history of him, which, beginning with his death—or "translation"—ends only with the close of the history of the human race. The volume of references to Elijah in Jewish Tradition stands in marked contrast to that in the Canon. As in the case of most figures of Jewish legend, so in the case of Elijah, the biblical account became the basis of later legend. Elijah the precursor of the Messiah, Elijah zealous in the cause of God, Elijah the helper in distress: these are the three leading notes struck by the Aggadah, endeavoring to complete the biblical picture with the Elijah legends. His career is extensive, colorful, and varied. He has appeared the world over in the guise of a beggar and scholar.
From the time of Malachi, who says of Elijah that God will send him before "the great and dreadful day",[57] down to the later stories of the Chasidic rabbis, reverence and love, expectation and hope, were always connected in the Jewish consciousness with Elijah.

OriginEditThree different theories regarding Elijah's origin are presented in the Aggadah literature: (1) he belonged to the tribe of Gad,[58] (2) he was a Benjamite from Jerusalem, identical with the Elijah mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8:27, and (3) he was a priest.

Many Christian Church fathers also[59] have stated that Elijah was a priest. Some rabbis have speculated that he should be identified with Phinehas.[60]
According to later Kabbalistic literature, Elijah was really an angel in human form,[44] so that he had neither parents nor offspring.[61]

The Midrash Rabbah Exodus 4:2 states "Elijah should have revived his parents as he had revived the son of the Zarephathite" indicating he surely had parents.

The Talmud states "Said he [Rabbah] to him (Elijah): Art thou not a priest: why then dost thou stand in a cemetery?"[62]


Zeal for God

The statue of Elijah at the Saint Elias Cathedral, Aleppo, SyriaA midrash[which?] tells that they even abolished the sign of the covenant, and the prophet had to appear as Israel's accuser before God.[63][clarification needed]

In the same cave where God once appeared to Moses and revealed Himself as gracious and merciful, Elijah was summoned to appear before God. By this summons he perceived that he should have appealed to God's mercy, instead of becoming Israel's accuser. The prophet, however, remained relentless in his zeal and severity, so that God commanded him to appoint his successor.[64]

The vision in which God revealed Himself to Elijah gave him at the same time a picture of the destinies of man, who has to pass through "four worlds." This world was shown to the prophet by God through symbolism: in the form of the wind, since the world disappears as the wind; storm is the day of death, before which man trembles; fire is the judgment in Gehenna; and the stillness is the last day.[65]

Three years after this vision, Elijah was "translated."[66] Concerning the place to which Elijah was transferred, opinions differ among Jews and Christians, but the old view was that Elijah was received among the heavenly inhabitants, where he records the deeds of men.[67]

But as early as the middle of the 2nd century, when the notion of translation to heaven underwent divergent possible interpretations by Christian theologians, the assertion was made that Elijah never entered into heaven proper.[68] In later literature paradise is generally designated as the abode of Elijah,[69] but since the location of paradise is itself uncertain, the last two statements may be identical.

EcclesiasticusEditAt the appointed time, it is written, you are destined to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.

— A line in the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira describing Elijah's mission (Ecclesiasticus 48:10).In the Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira,[70] his tasks are altered to:

1. herald the eschaton,
2. calm God's fury,
3. restore familial peace, and
4. restore the 12 tribes.

In Judaism

Elijah's chair

"Chair of Elijah" used during the brit milah (circumcision) ceremony. The Hebrewinscription reads "This is the chair of Elijah, remembered for Good."At Jewish circumcision ceremonies, a chair is set aside for the use of the prophet Elijah. Elijah is said to be a witness at all circumcisions when the sign of the covenant is placed upon the body of the child. This custom stems from the incident at Mount Horeb:[71] Elijah had arrived at Mount Horeb after the demonstration of God's presence and power on Mount Carmel.[72] God asks Elijah to explain his arrival, and Elijah replies: "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away".[73] According to Rabbinic tradition, Elijah's words were patently untrue,[74] and since Elijah accused Israel of failing to uphold the covenant, God would require Elijah to be present at every covenant of circumcision.[75][76]

Elijah's cupEditSee also: Passover SederIn the Talmudic literature, Elijah would visit rabbis to help solve particularly difficult legal problems. Malachi had cited Elijah as the harbinger of the eschaton. Thus, when confronted with reconciling impossibly conflicting laws or rituals, the rabbis would set aside any decision "until Elijah comes".[77]

One such decision was whether the Passover Seder required four or five cups of wine. Each serving of wine corresponds to one of the "four expressions of redemption" in the Book of Exodus:

I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an out-stretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."[78]

The next verse, "And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord."[79] was not fulfilled until the generation following the Passover story, and the rabbis could not decide whether this verse counted as part of the Passover celebration (thus deserving of another serving of wine). Thus, a cup was left for the arrival of Elijah.

In practice the fifth cup has come to be seen as a celebration of future redemption. Today, a place is reserved at the seder table and a cup of wine is placed there for Elijah. During the seder, the door of the house is opened and Elijah is invited in. Traditionally, the cup is viewed as Elijah's and is used for no other purpose.[80][81]

HavdalahEditSee also: HavdalahHavdalah is the ceremony that concludes the Sabbath Day (Saturday evening in Jewish tradition). As part of the concluding hymn, an appeal is made to God that Elijah will come during the following week. "Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah from Gilead. Let him come quickly, in our day with the messiah, the son of David."[80]



​New Testament

A Northern Russian icon from ca. 1290 showing the ascent of Elijah toward heaven

In the New Testament, Jesus would say for those who believed, John the Baptist was Elijah, who would come before the "great and terrible day" as predicted by Malachi.

Some English translations of the New Testament use Elias, a Greek form of the name. In the King James Version, "Elias" appears only in the texts translated from Greek.

John the BaptistEditJohn the Baptist preached a message of repentance and baptism. He predicted the day of judgment using imagery similar to that of Malachi. He also preached that the Messiah was coming. All of this was done in a style that immediately recalled the image of Elijah to his audience. He wore a coat of camel's hair secured with a leather girdle.[94] He also frequently preached in wilderness areas near the Jordan River.

In the Gospel of John, when John the Baptist was asked by a delegation of priests (present tense) "Art thou Elias", he replied "I am not".[95] Matthew 11:14 and Matthew 17:10–13 however, make it clear that John was the spiritual successor to Elijah. In the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Luke, Gabriel appears to Zechariah, John's father, and told him that John "will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God," and that he will go forth "in the spirit and power of Elijah."[96]

Elijah appeared at the Transfiguration of Jesus.

TransfigurationEditElijah makes an appearance in the New Testament during an incident known as the Transfiguration.[97]

At the summit of an unnamed mount, Jesus' face begins to shine. The disciples who are with Him hear the voice of God announce that Jesus is "My beloved Son." The disciples also see Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. This apparently relates to how both Elijah and Moses, the latter according to tradition but not the Bible, both were translated to heaven instead of dying. Peter is so struck by the experience that he asks Jesus if they should build three "tabernacles": one for Elijah, one for Jesus and one for Moses.

There is agreement among some Christian theologians that Elijah appears to hand over the responsibility of the prophets to Jesus as the woman by the well said to Jesus "I perceive thou art a prophet."[98] Moses also likewise came to hand over the responsibility of the law for the divinely announced Son of God.[99][100]

Other references: Elijah is mentioned four more times in the New Testament: in Luke, Romans, Hebrews, and James. In Luke 4:24–27, Jesus uses Elijah as an example of rejected prophets. Jesus says, "No prophet is accepted in his own country," and then mentions Elijah, saying that there were many widows in Israel, but Elijah was sent to one in Phoenicia. In Romans 11:1–6, Paul cites Elijah as an example of God's never forsaking his people (the Israelites). Hebrews 11:35 ("Women received their dead raised to life again...") refers to both Elijah raising the son of the widow of Zarephath and Elisha raising the son of the woman of Shunem, citing both Elijah and Elisha as Old Testament examples of faith.[101][102][103] In James 5:16–18, James says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," and then cites Elijah's prayers which started and ended the famine in Israel as examples.


​In Jewish folklore: the volume of references to Elijah in folklore stands in marked contrast to that in the canon. Elijah's miraculous transferral to heaven led to speculation as to his true identity. Louis Ginzberg equates him with Phinehas the grandson of Aaron.[82][83] Because of Phinehas' zealousness for God, he and his descendants were promised, "a covenant of lasting priesthood."[84] Therefore, Elijah is a priest as well as a prophet. Elijah is also equated with the Archangel Sandalphon,[85] whose four wing beats will carry him to any part of the earth. When forced to choose between death and dishonor, Rabbi Kahana chose to leap to his death. Before he could strike the ground, Elijah/Sandalphon had appeared to catch him.[86] Yet another name for Elijah is "Angel of the Covenant"[87]

Who Was Elijah in the Bible?

At Elijah’s word, kings trembled, the rains stopped, a jug of oil never ran dry, a boy was raised from the dead, fire fell from the sky, revival broke out, and hundreds of idolatrous prophets of Baal were executed.


Claims to fame: Elijah is one of the greatest prophets and miracle-workers in the Hebrew scriptures. He is also one of two prophets who appear with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Worst failures: Fearing Jezebel, Elijah flees into the desert and asks the Lord to take his life. He wrongly assumes that he is the Lord’s only prophet within the kingdom of Israel.

Meaning of the Name "Elijah"The name Elijah comes from the Old Testament of the Bible, and stems from a Hebrew expression signifying “Jehovah is my God.” The biblical Elijah was a prophet known for upholding the worship of God and doing miracles in God’s name. The prophet Elijah is venerated by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

According to VeryWellFamily, the name Elijah has the following origin, gender use, and pronunciations:

• Origin: The name Elijah comes from the Hebrew words El (God) and Yah (Jehovah). It is found in the Old Testament, specifically in the First and Second Books of Kings.
• Gender: Elijah is historically the masculine form of the name. Eliyah and Eliana are sometimes used as feminine variations.
• Pronunciation: el-EYE-jah or uh-LIE-jah

​Bible Verses about ElijahIf you’re going to read only three Bible chapters about Elijah, take 11 minutes and read 1 Kings 17-19. Or take four minutes and read the main part of the story in 1 Kings 18.
Most of Elijah’s story is told in 1 Kings 17-19 and 2 Kings 1-2.
Quick references to Elijah appear in 2 Kings 3:11, 2 Kings 9:36, 2 Kings 10:10, and 2 Kings 10:17. In addition, Elijah shows up near the end of the Hebrew scriptures in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 (letter telling Judah’s king Jehoram about his forthcoming and rather gruesome death).


And he shows up at the end of the Old Testament in Malachi 4:5-6 (prophecy about John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah).

In the New Testament, quick references to Elijah appear in Matthew 11:14, Matthew 16:14, Matthew 27:47-49; Mark 6:15 and Mark 8:28; Luke 1:17, Luke 4:25-26, Luke 9:8, and Luke 9:19; John 1:21 and John 1:25; Romans 11:2; and James 5:17-18.

Last but not least, Elijah appears with Moses and Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:3-13, Mark 9:4-13, and Luke 9:30-33.

Elijah’s Missing Years: We're introduced to “Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead” in 1 Kings 17:1. 

We’re told nothing more, not even who his parents were.

For that reason, Elijah’s life story doesn’t start until he’s probably 30, 40, or 50 years old. Yes, we typically think of Elijah as an old man, but that may or may not have been the case.

Elijah’s Ministry Years: Elijah never has anything good to say about wicked tyrants. Near the end of his ministry, Elijah writes a letter informing the southern kingdom of Judah’s wicked king Jehoram that he will die in a most excruciating manner.

Otherwise, Elijah focuses his ministry on the northern kingdom, condemning Israel’s wicked King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, and their sons.

Then again, Elijah isn’t just doom and gloom. During three and a half years without rain, the Lord instructs Elijah to hide. First, the Lord tells him to hide by a stream called Cherith east of the Jordan River, where ravens will feed him.

Second, the Lord tells Elijah to hide in a town called Zarephath on the Mediterranean coast between Tyre and Sidon. There a poor widow will feed him from a miraculous supply of grain and oil. In this season of hiding, the Lord graciously cares for Elijah at every turn.

At the end of these years without rain, Elijah calls a national contest on Mount Carmel between the Lord God, creator of heaven and earth, and the wicked pagan gods of Baal and Asherah. It’s quite a dramatic story well worth reading or reading again.

After his great triumph atop Mount Carmel, however, Elijah fears Queen Jezebel’s vow to take his life “by about this time tomorrow” (1 Kings 19:2).

Actually, “fears” is an understatement. Elijah flees into southern Judah’s wilderness, collapses under a tree, and begs the Lord to take him before Jezebel’s men find and slaughter him. In other words, Elijah is depressed out of his mind.

In this season of hiding, the Lord sends an angel to revive him and give him his final instructions, including appointing his successor, Elisha. 
Elijah’s Miracles 

• Causing rain to cease in Israel for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1). Being fed by ravens sent by the Lord (1 Kings 17:2-7). Multiplying a widow’s grain and oil (1 Kings 17:18-16). Raising that widow’s son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24).
• Calling fire from heaven atop Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-38). Causing it to rain again after three and a half years of drought (1 Kings 18:44-46). Fasting from food for 40 days while trekking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).
• Prophesies that Ahab’s sons would all be destroyed (1 Kings 21:22). Prophesying that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs (1 Kings 21:23). Prophesying that Ahaziah would die of his illness (2 Kings 1:4-17). Calling fire from heaven to destroy 51 soldiers (2 Kings 1:10).
• Calling fire from heaven on another 51 soldiers (2 Kings 1:12). Parting of the Jordan River while accompanied by Elisha (2 Kings 2:8). Promising that Elisha would receive a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:10).
• Being caught up to heaven with a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Prophesying that Jehoram would die a horrible death (2 Chronicles 21:12-15). Appearing with Moses and Jesus (Matthew 17:3-13; Mark 9:4-13; Luke 9:30-33).

Lesson's From Elijah's Bible Story Moses has his place in American cinema with The Ten Commandments and The Prince of Egypt. It’s about time someone commissioned a new epic about one of the Old Testament’s other truly great heroes.

The prophet Elijah ranks right up there with Moses as one of the most dramatic prophets of the Lord. At Elijah’s word, kings trembled, the rains stopped, a jug of oil never ran dry, a boy was raised from the dead, fire fell from the sky, revival broke out, and hundreds of idolatrous prophets of Baal were executed.

Yet James 5:17 says that “Elijah was as human as we are.”
After running almost the length of a marathon, this great prophet entered the city of Jezreel just in time to hear wicked Queen Jezebel’s murderous threats.
How does Elijah respond?

True to life, Scripture says he panicked.
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After several days on the run, Elijah collapses — exhausted, lonely, frightened, and feeling utterly defeated. In his desperation, he foolishly begs the Lord to take his life.

Instead, the Lord renews Elijah — with a double portion of food, drink, rest. And then he sends him out again with a powerful demonstration of his power, with a quiet word to his heart, with a new commission, and with the assurance that many others also were on his side.
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Whether in victory or despair, we can trust the Lord to know exactly what we need and to meet our every need in His sometimes, miraculous ways. 

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Would you have believed?

Sometimes you can read something a hundred times before the significance of it really sinks in. That’s exactly what happened to me when I was completely taken back by what John writes in his gospel about Jesus in John 7:5: 

Here’s why this is surprising.

The brothers of Jesus (James, Joses, Simon and Judas are all named in Matthew 13:55, and no not that Judas), had grown up with the very son of God living under the same roof:

• Some of them would have been old enough to remember their older brother Jesus, at the age of 12, going to the Temple and teaching the religious leaders (Luke 2:39-52).
• They were also likely invited guests at the same wedding when Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine (John 2:1-11).
• Some of them would likely have been present, or at least would have been aware of when their older brother turned the tables in the temple, and how this act carried with it the bold messianic statement that the temple was ‘my father’s house’.
• They would also have known that Jesus healed an official’s son (John 4:46-54), healed the man on the sabbath at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-17), fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish (John 6:1-14) and walked on water (John 6:16-21).

In John’s gospel, all of these events took place before John’s statement that, ‘…not even his brothers believed in him.” 

Why didn't they believe?It’s easy to wonder how Jesus’ brothers could have been witnesses, or at least heard about all of these things, but still not believed that Jesus was the very Son of God. Our temptation would be to think that surely we would have understood it, even if they didn’t. The truth is we probably wouldn’t have.

Jesus was completely man and completely God. Just as we can’t fully understand this mystery, neither could Jesus’ brothers. Because Jesus walked among them, they would have had no trouble believing that Jesus was at least a very special man, or an incredible prophet. But they hadn’t come to the vital conclusion that sets Jesus apart from any other person who had gone before or would come after - Jesus was God incarnate. God was truly walking among them. 

It’s possible for us to call ourselves friends of Jesus, exist around the church, be witness even to miracles, but still not believe that Jesus is exactly who he said he is. If this was the case for Jesus’ own brothers, how much more true will it be for us?

Are you looking for a sign?In Luke 11:16, we read that the people had been testing Jesus, ‘seeking a sign from heaven.’ Jesus answers their test, but not how they had expected.

He speaks about the Old Testament prophet Jonah, who spent three days inside a whale. Jesus tells them that the answer to their test will be similar ; a reference to his own death and resurrection three days later. It could be for exactly this reason that Jesus said in Luke 11:29,

This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

How often do we look for signs to confirm that Jesus was who he said he was? We sometimes pray asking God to prove himself through a miracle, as though God has something to prove to us. Clearly Jesus isn’t saying that all prayer for miracles is wrong, but it is wrong, if our intention is to have God do a trick as though he was a seal with a basketball.

Having faith in Jesus Christ means believing he is exactly who he said he is. Miracles, signs and wonders can certainly help increase our faith, but they don’t take us the entire way. As Christians, we musn’t say, "I see miracles, so I believe Jesus is the Son of God". Instead, our attitude should be, “Jesus is the Son of God, and because of this truth, I believe he can perform miracles.’

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Mark 3:21....

Mark 3:21 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓]Mark 3:21, NIV: When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'

Mark 3:21, ESV: And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Mark 3:21, KJV: And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

Mark 3:21, NASB: And when His own people heard about this, they came out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, 'He has lost His senses.'

Mark 3:21, NLT: When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. 'He's out of his mind,' they said.

Mark 3:21, CSB: When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, "He's out of his mind."

What does Mark 3:21 mean? [⇑ See verse text ⇑]The chain of events that lead Jesus' family to worry about Him is not clear. As is common for literature of the time, the Gospels tend to group passages by theme instead of chronology. As a result, we don't know if Jesus has returned to Nazareth since His ministry started. We do know that people from all over Galilee, Judea, and beyond have come to see Him, and Nazareth is only about twenty miles from Capernaum. In Mark 6:1–6, Jesus will return, just to be rudely rejected by the people in His hometown. 

So it's possible that people from Nazareth have gone to Capernaum for healing and returned, shocked to learn that the healer is Jesus. It's also possible that travelers have gone to Capernaum for healing and come back through Nazareth. Either way, the people from Nazareth refuse to believe that a man whom they have watched grow up could be an important prophet, let alone the Messiah. Whereas the scribes believe Jesus is demon-possessed (Mark 3:22), His townsmen think He's crazy. 

"Out of his mind" comes from the Greek root word existemi. It means to be mentally displaced. The same word is used when Jesus heals the paralytic (Mark 2:12) and Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:42), and when He calms the storm after walking on water (Mark 6:51). In this case, however, it means that Jesus' actions—seemingly out of control, to His family—can have a serious effect on the wellbeing of His family. So they resolve to find Him and. Most likely, to take Him back to Nazareth. 

Jesus has four brothers and at least two sisters (Matthew 13:55–56). Eventually, after the resurrection, at least two of His brothers will accept Him as their savior. James wrote the New Testament book in his name and became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. Jude, author of the New Testament book that bears his name, also became a believer. They and Mary will be with the disciples on Pentecost (Acts 1:14).
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Context Summary
Mark 3:13–21 is the third story about the reactions people had to Jesus' ministry. Here, we establish which men Jesus chooses to be in His inner circle. Jesus separates ''the twelve'' for special training so they can be equipped to heal (Matthew 10:1), cast out demons, and spread the gospel. Other than Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:30–31), there is no record that Jesus performed miracles of healing for them. But they have witnessed Jesus' power and authority, and are willing to dedicate themselves to His teaching. This is a stark contrast to Jesus' own family. This account is also recorded in Matthew 10:1–4 and Luke 6:12–16.