The servant of the Lord for over 30 years now has been sent persistently to a rebellious, covenant breaking people, living in Babylonian exile with a warning message of repentance.
For it is written: 2 Chronicles 36:15-16
Warning God’s Judgement
Taking the battle to the gates, with unwavering, stable and enduring faith, the servant of the Lord, under the quickening, energizing and enabling power of Holy Spirit, has to the very day stood as a light shining in the midst of gross darkness that covers the people. The strong rebukes and warning messages of repentance and reconciliation he speaks at the entrance to the house of the Lord is ignored by the people, ignorant of the tragic consequences of their deeds and mindset.
Call to Earnest Repentance
He who hath an ear to hear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. The great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
LISTEN, hear, understand and heed. The return of Jesus draws nigh! Don’t be afraid. Repent and be ready!
Hurry! confess your sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38
Pharisaic Spirit Exposed
Jesus said, Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” Luke 10:16.
Jesus also said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Matthew 23:29-39.
Rebellion and Apostasy
The people refuse to listen because of their religious pride, arrogance, conceit, prejudice, apostasy, rebellion and rejection of Christ’s dispensation of grace.
Despite their rejection of him as God’s anointed prophet and messenger, convicted of the imminent return of Christ, Elijah fearlessly, boldly and courageously continues to proclaim the Gospel message of Truth, regardless of his personal situation or the consequences.
Message of Repentance
Elijah takes his great calling and responsibly very seriously. Despite the intimidation and threats to his person, he with unwavering faith boldly and courageously continues to confront the religious leaders, pastors, elders and influential people for their hypocrisy, duplicity, spiritual apathy, abominable worship, lukewarm condition and idolatry even to this very day.
Persecution from Within
Humanly speaking, this has been a dangerous undertaking. Elijah has had a difficult time and experienced a series of persecutions, arrests, imprisonment that risked his liberty and freedom for Christ’s sake, proclaiming the truth and constantly exposing the religious hypocrisy of Pastor, Elders and Leaders of the people. He has openly and publicly accused them in their faces of their sins, iniquities, transgressions, lies and corruption, especially after they have delivered a sermon and spoken a word from the pulpit that witnesses against themselves.
Regardless of his sufferings, betrayal and the injustice endured, Elijah has trusted God’s word, His delegated authority and divine mandate to be God’s mouthpiece in the face of much adversity and strong opposition from the very religious so-called experts and scholars in Biblical theology.
He has trusted in Yahweh’s covenant promises. It is an unbreakable partnership between Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to be with him no matter the situation. Elijah knew in his heart and believed that he would never be left alone without divine support. God promised to deliver him from all dangers, seen and unseen and warned that would fight against him for his faithful obedience to God’s commands. Jeremiah 1:16-19. He was to fear not, his life was no longer his own. Isaiah 43:1-3
God’s Judgement
He warns the people about God’s coming judgement, while pointing those diligently seeking God, to place their future eternal hope in Christ alone, through faith in God’s grace, the love of God and each other. Elijah encourages them to place their confidence not in human leaders, traditions, political philosophies, religious doctrines, corrupt church institutions but in the word of God to nurture a deeper relationship with Christ alone. They are to live by the Holy Spirit power, cultivating the fruit of Spirit. Their half-hearted, superficial faith with their external form of godliness is just not enough.
Elijah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls for repentance, with a new passion and fervor for the promises of God’s eternal Kingdom over the temporal things of the world that’s perishing. God hated their abominable worship and leaven filled messages of hypocrisy and double standards.
As it is written; “Let justice run down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream [flowing abundantly].”
Amos 5:24 AMP
Jesus is Coming Soon
The servant of the Lord’s message about the imminence of the second coming soon of Christ to redeem His loyal and faithful believers is ignored. It ignites the people’s rage, hatred, anger, reproach and disdain that contradicts the very Advent name they so proudly boast about.
Elijah’s message is an urgent call to shift their focus from their church denominational identity, doctrines, traditions, culture and value system as the means of Salvation. His stern warning and rebuke is that people should not place their trust in their profession as God’s commandment keeping people, who worship the Lord on the seventh day Sabbath in their man-made buildings, temples and great edifice that’s devoid of the presence of Christ. Matthew 24:1
Elijah reminds them what the Scripture says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. John 4:24
Faith Among the Faithless
The servant of God appeals to the people to focus on the Gospel message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone is ignored. But the people under the influence of the corrupt and self-centred leaders and the Hirelings, glory and pride themselves on the things of this world. They exalt their worldly accomplishments, status, distinctions, worldly honour and fame and lifestyles. They show partiality to the wealthy but neglect, ignore, scorn the poor and unfortunate among them. The vital things, what’s needed to reap an eternal inheritance from heaven, such as cultivating and producing the fruit of repentance are ignored. Have they not read in the Scriptures, “We are not to love the world and put our trust and confidence in the things of the world.
Persistent and Enduring Faith
As it is his custom, as it was with the prophet Jeremiah, Elijah is standing outside the gates and doors of the temple of the LORD as an outcast, rejected and despised as one who greatly troubles those who assemble in the temple every Sabbath day to worship the LORD. Jeremiah 7:1-11 …“He is banished and restricted; He cannot enter the temple of the LORD. Jeremiah 35:5
As it is written in the Book of Acts:
We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. Acts 24:5-6.
As it was in the days of the prophet Elijah, so it is today…When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” “I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. 1 Kings 18:17
Walk by the Spirit
They preach about the power of the Holy Spirit, but little do they know, that they are in reality a lukewarm, weak, powerless, impudent and apostate church assembly, devoid of the Holy Spirit power.
Blind Allegiance to Babylon
They are caught up in the ways of the world, having made unholy allegiances with unbelievers to enforce their laws, rules, mandates and regulations. False prophets and teachers are everywhere, that preach another twisted gospel for selfish gain and profit. They speak from the pulpits falsehoods and lies of the devil, camouflaged as Bible truths and normalized in their denominational theology, eschatology, culture and traditions.
As it written in the Scriptures:
“In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.” These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit.” Jude 1:19
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. John 3:5
Hope for Christ-Focused Believers
For it is written, Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Corinthians 2:12