The Spirit And Power Of Elijah

Today I am tackling a 'biblical mystery' in my study time and I am hesitant to go into to much detail because unlike other subjects I discuss in my blog this one does not yet have a tidy 'take away' to give you the reader.

Perhaps I will just give you the scriptures I am looking at and you can look at them also. There is this interesting linkage between Elijah's ministry and the ministry of John the Baptist.

"In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.' " - Luke 1:5-17 ESV

John was to come 'in the spirit and power of Elijah' but then we see this later...

"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.'...

So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, 'Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?' And he said to them, 'Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.' " - Mark 9:2-5, 10-13 ESV

Elijah appears on the mountain with Moses and Jesus is speaking with them but then just a few passages away the disciples ask about him and Jesus again points to John the Baptist.

Here is John speaking about himself early in his ministry.

"And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?' He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.' And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?' He said, 'I am not.' 'Are you the Prophet?' And he answered, 'No.' So they said to him, 'Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?' He said, 'I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said.' (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)" - John 1:19-24 ESV

Clearly, they are not the same person. That alone is important. Elijah appears during John's ministry. Over time different sects of Judaism have been infected with the idea of reincarnation. Some say that souls are reborn. I was speaking to a learned Jewish man once and he was convinced by the end of the conversation that I was the reincarnation of an ancient prophet because of the power he sensed in my words and no matter how much I insisted otherwise he was stuck on that idea. Kabbalah has this idea interwoven into its tenants.

People use this idea to try to tie up concepts that are too hard for them to come face to face with like death and coming judgement.

"...it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment," - Hebrews 9:27b ESV

That is a clear doctrine.

Elijah is, however, a mystery. He didn't die like other men. He was taken and his mantle fell on another man.

"And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground... And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over." - 2 Kings 2:7-8, 11-14 KJV

Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah as he took on his mission and there was power in that calling. John took on the calling of being 'the voice of one crying out in the wilderness' and had a ministry. It wasn't one of miracles but it mirrored Elijah.

This story isn't over either. Jesus is coming again and Elijah has a role in that.

Like I said... It is a mystery. The Bible is full of both clarity and mystery. Just pondering these things makes us wiser. Just debunking errors like reincarnation alone is valuable and worthwhile because these things become stumbling blocks for people.

We aren't ancient people reborn in new bodies working out some cyclical process of purging. We are us. We are born once and unique. No one can be us and we are not anyone else. God loves us and gives us one life to make one important choice. Will we believe in His Son and live or will we go our own way and perish?

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