Biblical Prophets - Bible Study Online

In the last article we learned that the Baal prophets and the storm god that they were serving, weren't able to rain down fire from the sky like the Holy One of Israel had done. Because of this they were proven to be frauds, and the storm god they served were shown to be false.

Next would find Elijah getting revenge for the Lord's prophets that Jezebel had martyred, by executing the Baal prophets by the sword.

And after Elijah had done this, he then proceeded to tell Ahab to go and eat, and drink, for there is the sound of heavy rain approaching.

A short while later we find that Elijah had retired himself to the top of Mount Carmel and then proceeds to fall on his knees praying, and giving thanks to the Lord for what He had just did during the fire contest between Him and the Baal prophets.

Next we find that Elijah sends his servant out to the Mediterranean Sea in order to see if there's any type of sign that rain is finally approaching?

Now up to this point Elijah was going on faith that rain was near, but he also wanted to see a natural sign of some sort, which would be a confirmation for the people to see. Know that the prophet had sent his servant out to the sea six different times, and also know that each trip would end with no natural signs that indicated that rain was finally coming. But Elijah would send his servant out again for the seventh time, and it would be this time around that the servant would finally bring some good news to the prophet. For there was a very small cloud that was about the size of a man's hand that had risen from the sea.

After hearing this report Elijah tells his servant to send word to Ahab. The prophet also instructs his servant to tell the king to head back to Jezreel before the rain makes the travel more difficult, or impossible to venture out in. However in the meantime, the sky had grown black, and with the clouds and wind came a heavy rain. Needless-to-say Ahab immediately rides off in his chariot back to Jezreel.

As for Elijah, the spirit of the Lord had fallen upon him as he ran the six miles back to Jezreel - arriving ahead of Ahab. Now after Ahab finally makes it back to Jezreel he meets up with his wife Jezebel. It would be at this time that Ahab starts to tell her all that Elijah had done during the fire contest between God and Baal. He also had mentioned that Elijah had the Baal prophets executed by the sword afterwards.

Now after hearing these things Jezebel becomes very angry and sent word by messenger to Elijah: "May the gods deal with me, but it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." And after hearing this, Elijah had become very afraid and ran for his life. He ended up traveling 150 miles to the southern Palestine city that was known as Beer-sheba.

Now this is where the prophet decides to leave his servant while he continues on for an extra day into the desert. Know that Elijah would not rest until he becomes exhausted. After this had happened he decides to rest under a juniper tree. Now while he was under the tree he starts praying to God telling the Lord that he had enough and that he was no better than his ancestors. He wanted God to take his life - for he was now giving up on his calling.

Be that as it may, Elijah would soon fall asleep while praying to God and a short while later, an angel comes to visit him. This angel would end up touching Elijah and he told the prophet to get up and eat. Elijah would awake, and by doing so, he'd looked around and saw that the angel had brought him a loaf of hot bread and a jar of water. The prophet would eat what the angel had brought him and then he laid back down and went back to sleep.

The angel would come back for a second time and he touched Elijah and again told him to get up and eat. Now the angel goes a little farther this time around, by telling the prophet that he would need to eat for the journey that he was about to take. For if the prophet did not eat, the journey that he was about to take would be too much for him.

Elijah would wake up for a second time and eat, and drink some more while gaining the much needed strength to make the journey that the Lord had set before him. Now this journey would take the prophet forty days and forty nights to complete. He would find that God had led him to Horeb which was also known as "The Mountain of God." This was the mountain where Moses first presented the Law (Ten Commandments) to his people. After arriving and still battling his state of discouragement the prophet would go into a cave and rest for the night.

While Elijah was resting in the cave the Lord came to him and asked him a question: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" The prophet answers the Lord by saying this: "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death by the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

Then God tells Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain for he was about to pass by. Now Elijah was still resting in the cave after the Lord had told him to get up and go to the entrance of the cave, when all of a sudden a mighty wind started shattering the rocks and tearing the mountain apart. But this wouldn't cause Elijah to rise up, for he continued to lie in the cave. But then there came an earthquake that was followed by fire. But Elijah still stayed in the cave until he heard a gentle whisper. Then the prophet gets up and pulled his cloak over his head and stood at the mouth of the cave like the Lord had instructed him to do.

Then a voice said to him: "What are you doing here Elijah?" Then Elijah repeated his earlier reply: "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death by the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." Now after hearing Elijah's reasoning for giving up, the Lord replied to the prophet by saying:

"Go back the way you came, and go to the desert Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu."

Now God addresses Elijah's concern that dealt with him being the last of the Lord's prophets. And after letting Elijah know that Israel will still suffer further punishment for their idolatry and sinful ways. God continues to tell the prophet that he is not alone in his faith and servitude towards Him: "Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel - all who knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

Now that God had reassured Elijah that he wasn't alone - will the prophet be encouraged enough to continue forward with his ministry? And what about Elijah's successor that the Lord had promised that he would send - Will this successor be obedient to the Lord and leave everything in order to go away with a stranger he never met?

**YOUR CURRENT BIBLICAL PROPHETS SERIES WOULD BE HERE**

Elisha the Apprentice

Elisha the Master Prophet

Family Dynasties Unite

01) Elijah The Fire Prophet

02) Obadiah and the Caves of Refuge

03) The Fire Contest Between God & Baal

04) <-CURRENT BIBLICAL PROPHETS PAGE->

05) Elisha The Prophet Apprentice

06) The Thirty Two Kings of Mass Destruction

07) Ben-Hadad The Drunken King

08) The Vineyard of Envy

09) The Prophets of the Groves

10) Micaiah The One True Prophet

11) The Demise of King Ahab

12) The Cursed Seed of Ahab

13) Elijah and the Chariot of Fire

14) Elisha the Miracle Prophet