Elisha and the resurrection

2 Ki 13:20  And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
2 Ki 13:21  And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

One more miracle from Elisha. Israel had lost their prophet, they were running from their enemies when in haste a man is lowered into the convenient open grave of Elisha and the dead man became alive again and stood up on his feet. 

There is a fictional book written about "Elisha's bones" I have not read it, but it probably is somewhat like the "raiders of the lost ark" movie. People searching for the bones of Elisha or the ark because they were seeing it as a source of power. The power is not in Elisha's bones, nor the ark. When Israel and Judah were into idolatry, eventually the spirit of God left the temple and the ark.

Ezek 10:18  Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

The glory of the LORD left the nation because of their wickedness and their worshiping idols. So let us not be seeking power from dead bones or an empty ark. The power is of God by faith. In the miracle of this dead man's resurrection we are to look to the God of life and resurrection. Jesus came and he gave us power over death through faith in him.

John 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
John 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Jesus went on to raise a dead man, Lazarus, from the grave. Jesus died, but we do not seek his bones for life, their is no body in a grave. He was raised from the dead by the power of God. This power to give eternal life is in the name of Jesus.

John 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We as Christians who have been born again by the power of God are made alive forever because our spirit is one with God. We have the power in Jesus' name to make dead men alive. The world is full of people who are dead in their sins who need the resurrection life given only through the name of Jesus.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Ezekiel also prophesied that the dry bones of Israel would again be made live and brought back as a nation.

Ezek 37:4  Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
Ezek 37:5  Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Mark 12:26  And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
Mark 12:27  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ...

Our nation is dying because we have put our trust in evil men instead of the God of our fathers. Our symbols of power, the flag, the dollar, the military, our past glory, these will not save us. We must put our trust in the God of Israel, repent and do his will. We must believe our motto "In God We Trust."

Our Spiritual Possibilities

John 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

 

Jesus said that his disciples would do greater works than himself. If anyone questions what a spirit filled man of God can do and see by the power of God, then examine the life of Elisha, the double anointed man of God.

 

2 Kings 6:8 When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, "We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place."

9 But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, "Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there."

10 So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God, warning the people there to be on their guard. This happened several times.

11 The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called in his officers and demanded, "Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?"

12 "It's not us, my lord," one of the officers replied. "Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!"

13 The king commanded, "Go and find out where Elisha is, and we will send troops to seize him."And the report came back: "Elisha is at Dothan."

14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere."Ah, my lord, what will we do now?" he cried out to Elisha.

16 "Don't be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For there are more on our side than on theirs!"

17 Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!" The LORD opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

18 As the Aramean army advanced toward them, Elisha prayed, "O LORD, please make them blind." And the LORD did as Elisha asked.

19 Then Elisha went out and told them, "You have come the wrong way! This isn't the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for." And he led them to Samaria.

20 As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, "O LORD, now open their eyes and let them see." And the LORD did, and they discovered that they were in Samaria.

21 When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them?"

22 "Of course not!" Elisha told him. "Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master."

23 So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their king. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel. (NLT)

 

Because Elisha was in Israel the Aramean (Syrian) king stayed away from Israel. Because of the presence of God in Israel, they were protected. We who are the anointed of God need to walk in the anointing we have through Jesus Christ. Do we know what God is thinking and saying? Are we able to see as Jesus saw? If Jesus could call ten thousand angels to his aid, We should have this protection as Elisha had. Our leaders may protect our enemies as brothers. Our brother and Spiritual leader is the Son of God. How much greater can we be in the Spirit. We are in Jesus who is omnipresent, all knowing and all powerful. We must get closer to him in awareness and as Elisha was so much like Jesus, so can we be. We have prophets, but do they do mighty works as did Elisha? There is more for us and we will have more and more as we seek his wisdom and will. We will have it all when we are with Jesus. We will be like him and be joint heirs of all he has. LORD increase my anointing to see and to do your will in this time. LORD your faithful people want to be channels of your power and mercy with your loving heart. Help us to walk in our Spiritual possibilities

and keep us from evil.

Fill my vessel

2 Ki 4:1  Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 Ki 4:2  And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
2 Ki 4:3  Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
2 Ki 4:4  And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
2 Ki 4:5  So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
2 Ki 4:6  And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
2 Ki 4:7  Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

 

My first thought was that God did miracles like Jesus did through Elisha; Amazing and good. The widow borrowed all the vessels she could get and the LORD filled them miraculously through his servant Elisha. This story has been used as an allegory, the LORD will fill you with the oil of His spirit, he will fill all you give to him.

 

Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24  Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

2 Cor 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

 

2 Tim 2:20  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2 Tim 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

LORD fill our clay vessels with the oil of  your Spirit for your service and we will give you all glory honor and praise. Amen

A Double Anointing

  

2 Ki 2:8  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.
2 Ki 2:9  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.
2 Ki 2:10  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.
2 Ki 2:11  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.
2 Ki 2:12  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.
2 Ki 2:13  He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
2 Ki 2:14  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.

 

Enoch was another man of God that was taken to Paradise by angels. 

Gen 5:24  And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

 

Elias followed Elijah closely and he followed God closely. He was given the gift of prophecy as he followed Elijah. He fulfilled all the requirements, being diligent in seeking to be like Elijah, his spiritual father. God rewarded him with Elijah's anointing and authority and he was given his own anointing from God, a double anointing. The evidence was shown to the 50 prophets who watched. He smote the waters with Elijah's mantle or cloak, a hairy garment of goats hair. (Elijah was called a hairy man, as John the Baptist would be called hairy with his camel hair garment and beard) and the waters parted.

 

One miracle that showed that God was with a leader, is the parting of the waters. Moses had the anointing as the Red Sea was parted at his command. Joshua followed Moses closely and even stayed in the presence of  the Ark in worship longer than did Moses. Joshua was given the anointing of Moses as he spoke and the Jordan parted as the priests carried the Ark across. Jesus didn't need to open the waters, he walked on the water, but Jesus being God had the anointing of God, he opened the way for those who believe in him to cross over to the eternal inheritance that we have with him. We truly receive an anointing from Jesus by following him closely and his inheritance of eternal life and all that he has. That is the greatest of blessings.

 

A final thought or two...If you want a double anointing, you must follow Jesus very diligently, in his word, his actions, his prayer life. You must want more of God then of the world. We cannot be involved in carnal things and expect the anointing of God. If we do not read his word, do not expect some holy man to give you a double anointing as a preacher of the word. You may receive a gift from God that is confirmed by the laying on of hands. If called, then we
must be diligent. The anointing of God is for all Saints. Are you really seeking a double anointing? I believe it requires a total commitment and the favor of God for HIS purpose.

The Disobedient Servant

2Ki 5:25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
2Ki 5:26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
2Ki 5:27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

Naamon, the captain of the armies of the king of Syria was told by a servant girl about a great prophet in Israel. Reluctantly obeying the prophet, he dipped himself seven times in the Jordan river and was healed instantly of Leprosy. Elisha obeyed what he heard from God, he walked close obeying him. By obeying Elisha, Naaman was made whole and clean. Naaman offered Elisha a great reward, but Elisha refused. In this way the Lord would received all the glory. Gehazi had a privileged position of being the servant of the most powerful prophet. However he disobeyed his master and took a reward for the work of God, this resulted in himself receiving leprosy and a curse on his family. Elisha received the mantel from the prophet Elijah and a double anointing of the Holy Spirit. I have great respect for those who hear from God and follow him in obedience. We in Christ Jesus are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We are to do and say what we hear from the still small voice of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. What is not of faith is sin to us.

In another story a sorcerer named Simon saw the mighty works of God through Phillip and the apostles. He had professed faith in Jesus Christ and he wanted this power for himself, probably to use it with his sorcery. Too many Christians are running back and forth to prophets of God and sorcerers giving readings. This is absolutely wrong.

Act 8:18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
Act 8:19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
Act 8:20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
Act 8:21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
Act 8:22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

Another example of miracle workers that were not of God.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

These probably were doing this for personal power and gain, for they never knew nor loved our Lord. Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, like Judas had his eyes on silver and other goods instead of faithful obedience to the voice of his master. We must be faithful servants of the Most High God, walking by faith, not covetous, not seeking personal gain or glory, but doing what he says. This is our greatest reward in being received by him. He will supply our needs and we need to obey him.

A final thought; we are not to be caught up in the fear of things coming in the world, but to pray humbly about them and our nation. We are in a time of sifting; may we not fall away but instead bring others to the harvest.

Jos 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.