As a Bride
figure,
Elijah is perhaps one of the primary figures in Scripture, and
certainly the most dramatic. From the prophetic happenings in
Elijah's life we can gain a great deal about the future Harvest
separation of the Bride. Likewise,
in Elisha we see a part of the commission to the next
group of the Harvest, and it is here we see some of the future
ministry of the double-portion Two Witnesses company.
Who is Elijah Today?
Elijah is a many-fold prophetic picture of the Bride. It is
the Bride who, like Elijah, will one day be separated from
the earthly realm, only to ascend alive into the presence of the
King. Let's look at some details.
Elijah the Tishbite, whose name in Hebrew is
Eli-Yahu
or shortened to Eli-Yah, means "My Elohim is Yahu" or, "My Mighty
One is Yahu." The Hebrew word Tishbite means "captivity,"
and appears six times. The number 6 speaks of the flesh.
The combined picture we get from these names, tells us just
who
this Elijah company is today. The meaning is this:
"Even as the Elijah-Bride
is being prepared for the bridegroom before her separation occurs,
she is still in the present-day captivity of her fleshly
body; yet she is full of the prophetic voice of an Elijah
company, proclaiming the truth of the Living Word of Yahuweh for
today."
Elijah lived in Gilgal. The Hebrew word Gilgal
comes from a
word that means "whirlwind." The Hebrew word for Barley also
means "to sweep away, as with a whirlwind." Gilgal was the
first place of encampment of Joshua and Caleb, and all Israel with
them, when they first came out of the Wilderness, and "ascended up"
from Jordan on the tenth day of the first month into the Promised
Land. This name Gilgal reveals a
many-faceted
prophetic picture. While the Bride lives and abides in Him,
she is eagerly awaiting her
"sweeping away." She abides in a place
of promised
resurrection, further helping us to see the picture beginning to appear
by the puzzle-pieces.
Who is Elisha Today?
It is not evident at first glance who Elisha speaks of
today. Let us look at some details in Scripture.
After having served Yahuweh, the time came for Elijah to
choose a
successor. Yahuweh told Elijah to find Elisha. The
Hebrew word for Elisha, <0477>
Eli-Shua means "My
Mighty One is Salvation." Known as the son of Shaphat,
meaning "He has Judged/ judgment," and was of Abelmeholah
-
from Hebrew words <058><04246>, meaning
literally
"field of the dance/dancing/company" - which traces back to
<04284>, meaning "thoughts/ imaginations/ cunning/
devised/
invented."
Putting together all the meanings of the names reveals a
rather
astounding conclusion. All the meanings of who Elisha was,
reveals to us exactly who he is today. Today Elisha is:
Yahuweh My Mighty One, who is bringing judgment on
the
field or harvest of the dancing company, and whose thoughts and
imaginations of the heart, are the cunningly devised inventions of
man.
Elisha's Call
The first thing we will note is that the call of Elisha
occurred while Elisha was going about his daily work, perhaps years
before Elijah was to leave.
19 So he departed
thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with
twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah
passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. (1Kings
19:19)
20 And he left the
oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my
father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto
him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? (1Kings
19:20)
21 And he returned
back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled
their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the
people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and
ministered unto him. (1Kings 19:21)
In these
passages we see that Elisha showed commitment to following Elijah,
but notice that Elisha showed his priorities in wanting to kiss his
father and his mother, and then follow Elijah. The
Bride will show no such inverted priorities, but will be totally
committed, "following the Lamb wherever He goes..." (See Rev
14:4). Those of the Bride company place following of Yahuweh
foremost, above all else.
Here we see Elisha as one who may not be ready when the
first
resurrection occurs. In Elisha we see one needing more time
for refining, thus Elisha is one prophetic picture representing the
second-resurrection saints.
Elijah's Departure
The time would come, however, when Elijah knew it was time
for Yahuweh to take him:
1 And it came
to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a
whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah
said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent
me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as
thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to
Bethel.
3 And the
sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and
said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master
from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your
peace.
4 And Elijah
said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath
sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy
soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to
Jericho.
5 And the
sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said
unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from
thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your
peace. (2Kings 2:1-5)
Elijah was not the only one to know
beforehand when he would leave. We can
see from the above passages, that Elisha knew
also.
Likewise, the Sons of the Prophets knew Elijah's time had
come.
This is a very clear picture of today. Today there
are those
that are among the Elijah-Bride company, who know the time is
drawing near, for them to be caught up in a whirlwind to
heaven. Even today, some of the Elijah-Bride company know the
season, and even a few know the day, that they themselves will be
swept away. However, even as Elisha knew the time of Elijah's
departure, so there is also an Elisha company today, who know the
time of the Elijah-Bride's soon-coming departure.
Just as the Sons of the Prophets of Elijah's day knew the
time of
Elijah's departure, even today there are "Sons of the
Prophets"—those "having characteristics of" the
Prophets. These Prophet
look-alikes are numerous today, and even some of these are
beginning to know when the Elijah-Bride resurrection harvest will
occur.
Elijah: A Lesson for Today
This is a great lesson for us today. Even though the
Sons of the Prophets knew the time of Elijah's soon departure, they
did not go up in the whirlwind with Elijah. Likewise Elisha,
who knew the time Elijah was to leave, did not go up in the
whirlwind.
We may conclude that both Elisha, and the Sons of the
Prophets,
are prophetic pictures of the second-resurrection Believers, who
missed the first resurrection due to unpreparedness. However,
each group has a further job to do, and each is to proceed in his
own order of "ripening." Let us continue:
6 And Elijah
said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me
to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
7 And fifty
men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off:
and they two stood by Jordan.
8 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.
9 And
it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto
Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from
thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy
spirit be upon me.
10 And he
said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me
when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it
shall not be so.
11 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.
12 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. (2Ki
2:6-12)
What do
we see in the above passages? First we see the mantle parting
the waters in verse 8, with the dry ground speaking of resurrection
without seeing death.
Then we see the chariots and horses of fire, which parted,
or
divided Elijah from Elisha. This was a separation made by
Yahuweh Himself.
Then we see that Elijah went up by a whirlwind
into
heaven. What is the significance here? The Hebrew word for the
firstfruit crop Barley is from the same Hebrew root
word as the
word for whirlwind, signifying that this event
speaks of the
Firstfruit Barley, which is prophetic of the Bride
resurrection.
What is the Mantle of Elijah?
Next Let us look at the passing on of Elijah's mantle to
Elisha:
13 He
took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went
back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 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.
15 And when
the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him,
they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came
to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before
him.
16 And they
said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong
men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest
peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him
upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not
send. (2Kings 2:13-16)
We see in
the above verses Elijah's Mantle being passed on to Elisha. The
Mantle speaks of Yahuweh's original commission to Elijah, that
of proclaiming the prophetic Truths of Yahuweh, thus preparing the
Way for the people of Yahuweh.
The mantle or
commission of preparing the Way of Yahuweh is twofold. It first
reveals the stumbling-blocks to be removed, the sins that prevent Yahuweh's people from walking in the Way. It then reveals the Way in which His people are
to walk—that is, the Way in which they are to allow
'Messiah-in-them' to walk together with them, in full obedience to
Torah, by the Grace He supplies while living within them.
We see in Elijah's Mantle this same commission that has now
passed
on to Elisha, of proclaiming, and of preparing the Way—of
bringing the message of prophetic Truth (the "now" meaning of
Scripture) to those remaining Believers, who would become the next
phase of the Harvest.
The Hebrew word for mantle <0155> also means
"glory." This Mantle is very important, for it speaks of both the prophetic
message of Elijah, and the double-anointing of the Holy Spirit,
that was given to Elisha, in order for Elisha to take up Yahuweh's
Mission he inherited from Elijah.
So we see that Elisha's new Mantle speaks literally of the
"glory" of Elijah. Even as John the Baptist went forth
in the past, in the Spirit and Power of Elijah;
even so once again, Elijah will go forth in the future,
first in the form of an Elijah-Bride-Company, in the Spirit
and Power of Elijah; and then in the form of
an Elisha-Company, in the Spirit
and Glory of
Elijah.
The "Elijah to come" has certainly come, in John the
Baptist,
preparing the Way, before the Firstfruit Resurrection of
Messiah. Likewise, the "Elijah to come" will again come, to
prepare the Way, before the Firstfruit Resurrection of the
Bride.
What of the Sons of the Prophets of Elijah's day?
They
continued on, however oblivious to the true purposes of Yahuweh, not
understanding the true prophetic import of Yahuweh's message.
And so it is today, that the Sons of the Prophets will continue on
in their daily lives, oblivious to all the prophetic words and
events around them. And so it will continue to be, until the
completion of the Harvest.
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