The prophet Elijah lived in Israel and Judah during the 8th century B.C., which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline. This particular prophet was used by God to teach many about the Lord and to confront the evil rulers in the land of Israel and Judah.
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Elijah’s life was full of many challenges, miracles and adventures that were given to him by God.
The Widow and Elijah
King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were Elijah’s greatest Earthly enemies during his life. They were wicked rulers who reigned over the land of Israel. One day God told Elijah to tell King Ahab that a famine would come to the land of Israel, and it did. God then sent Elijah to a widow to Zarephath and the woman had a son. When Elijah discovered who the widow was he wanted to eat a meal with her. She told him that she was going to cook the last of her food before she and her son would die. Elijah told her to make him some bread first and that there would be enough left over for her and her child. Elijah then prophesies to the woman that God will always provide her with enough flour and oil to eat. The Lord said that he would perform this miracle up until he decided to send rain again to the land.
The widow’s son became sick while Elijah stayed with them, and the Prophet brought him back to life by lying on top of him three times and crying out to the Lord. Many people use this particular story from Elijah to explain how God will meet the needs of his people and the great miracles that God can do to help people out in life.
Elijah vs. Baal
During the reign of King Ahab, many followers of God were persecuted for their beliefs. King Ahab allowed Jezebel to kill off God’s prophets, and the situation was so bad that they had to go into hiding just to survive. God eventually had enough of this situation and sent Elijah to stop Jezebel from slaughtering his people.
Obadiah was a follower of God who served King Ahab. There was a famine in the land at the time, and King Ahab told Obadiah to go and find some suitable cattle and horses. While Obadiah was out fulfilling his duty he ran into Elijah. The prophet told Obadiah to tell Ahab that he was going to stop Jezebel and her minions. Obadiah was reluctant and fearful to carry out this command, but he ultimately relented to Elijah because he was a godly prophet. So Obadiah told King Ahab that Elijah had issued a challenge to Baal and his followers. King Ahab and the prophets met Elijah on Mt. Carmel where they performed a contest to see who had the strongest god. Baal’s priests lost the competition, and they were slaughtered by the people. King Ahab was angry, and Jezebel wanted to destroy Elijah for the damage that he had done to her false religious system. God had used Elijah to avenge his followers deaths.
Elijah on the Run
Elijah had to run into the wilderness because Jezebel wanted to spill his blood for discrediting her God. He then encountered God while he was out in the wilderness. Elijah was fed up with fighting against evil, and he wanted to die, but God encouraged him to continue. God then uses a windstorm, an earthquake, and fire to teach people how God speaks. The verses tell us that God was not in those three, but afterward he spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice. God then sent Elijah to Elisha so that he could make him the next leader.
The Cloak of Elijah
Elijah was nearing the end of his journey on Earth and God told him to make a man named Elisha the next leader. Elijah found Elisha plowing in a field and placed his cloak over his shoulders. Elisha then left his family and friends in order to serve the Lord. Elijah had taught Elisha many things about serving God since their initial encounter and eventually the Lord was ready to take Elijah to heaven. God told Elijah to travel to three places before he took him up to heaven. These places were Bethel, Jericho and the Jordan River. Every time that Elijah traveled to one of these places some prophets of God would run up to Elisha and tell him that the Lord is going to take Elija into heaven and each time he would tell them to be quiet because he already knew.
Once Elijah reached the Jordan River, he used his cloak to divide the water in order to cross to the other side. Elisha asked Elijah if he could be the next leader, and Elijah told him he could be the leader if he could see him when God takes him away to heaven. If he doesn’t see him while he is being drawn up to heaven, then he could not be the next leader. So the two men started to walk again and then a chariot from heaven appeared and carried Elijah away. Elisha then cried out “My father! My father! The chariots and charioteers of heaven” before he picked up Elijah cloak to become the next leader of the prophets. Many Jewish and Christians believe that Elijah never experienced death, and he was expected to come back to the world right before it ends.
Bible References:
- 1 Kings 17 Elijah and the widow.
- 1 Kings 18 Elijah challenges the priest who serve Baal.
- 1 Kings 19: 1-13, 1 Kings 19: 19 – 21, 2 Kings 2 Elijah passes on his mantel of leadership.
http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Elijah.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SaintIliaFromRilaMonastery.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_Leighton-_Elijah_in_the_Wilderness.jpg
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wonderful teaching about Elijah the prophet .I appreciate the great information and the scripture.
I hadn’t know a lot on him so glad I read this love it
Thank you for the word of God,u may be blessed,i appreciate.
I was just reading the Bible , Luke 4:24-26, and a question came to my mind…where Jesus says, “when the sun was shut for three and a half years”…so I looked up on your timeline and saw that it was in 8,000 BC, which would be 10,000 years ago…does that explain the ice age and the extinction of the dinosaurs? Just curious:). Thanks for the hard work:). It’s helping we get an idea of times in the Bible:)
Celeste not sure where you are seeing that date?
I don’t know where you got that translation from but it is erroneous.
The proper translation is heaven and is referencing the rains not the sun. Jesus was speaking specifically of the famine that was in the land of Israel as a result of the prophesy of Elijah the Tishbite.
1Kings 17:1: And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
Luke 4:25: But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
The story of the widow that Elijah was sent too begins with 1Kings 17:7.
1Kings 17:7: And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8: And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9: Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10: So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11: And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12: And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13: And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14: For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
While a day is with the Lord a 1000 years and a 1000 years as a day, we must take care not to apply that with every day in the bible as some would have us do.
The Genesis account of the 7 days of creation indicate that those days were seven literal, 24 hour days;
“and the evening and the morning was the first day”
“and the evening and the morning was the second day”
“and the evening and the morning was the third day”
“and the evening and the morning was the fourth day”
“and the evening and the morning was the fifth day”
“and the evening and the morning was the sixth day”
“and the evening and the morning was the seventh day”
Am glad to learn alot about elijah,what wonderfull ministry and faith he had in God.
..Seeing as we Are in The Last Days, Before The Rapture, The Mystery Snatching Away, of Christians That Truly have given their Hearts & Lives, to *JESUS*.. Elijah’s Taking Away to Heaven, without Dying..being Raptured, will Happen Too, then all hell’s gonna Break loose (7 Year Tribulation). I’m Beyond Ready, Looking..Listening for Shout & TRUMPet, Soon! Up, UP & Away, Soon! CONVERGENCE Of The Signs Given, by Christ, happening Now. Tge last portion of Matthew 24, is about HIS 2nd Coming, For The 1000 Year Reign. FACE-To-Face with The LORD, Can NOT Wait. I wanna go “HOME”
Elijah – never led any army or group.
never fought a war
always alone
bold, brave man. rebuke the king when he did evil
God loved him so much to take him alive to heaven
This was useless no information I needed about is major events