by Gabriel Williams

The last words of the Old Testament were recorded by the prophet Malachi saying:

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5).

Now, the angel Gabriel prophesied that John the Baptist would come in the power and spirit of Elijah (cf. Luke 1:16-17) and Jesus stated that if the people of Israel would receive and accept John, then he was the Elijah prophesied in Malachi (cf. Matthew 11:14). However, the people of Israel did not accept John the Baptist and so this prophesy has yet to be fulfilled. Therefore, the ministry of Elijah will be fulfilled by the Church in preparation for the second coming of Christ. So, the question must be asked: what is the ministry of Elijah and why is this ministry so important in the last days?

The ministry of Elijah begins at the lowest spiritual point of Israel’s history with Ahab as the king of Israel. Ahab perpetuated the sins of former kings by marrying Jezebel (who is a symbol of the evil of false religion; see Revelation 2:20-24) and by actively promoting the worship of Baal in Israel (cf. 1 Kings 16:29-33). In like manner, the ministry of the Church in the last days becomes most needed and effective during the lowest point in Christianity. If we look at the Christianity that we see around us, we see similar sins: Christianity which is married with the world and actively engaged in the love of money. Elijah’s response to this spiritual low in Israel wasn’t to retreat away from Israel, but because of his deep love for Israel and his zealousness for God, he prayed earnestly for Israel so that they would turn back to the Lord by any means necessary, including a drought (cf. James 5:17). This demonstrates that the Church in the last days is a church devoted to intercession. Just as zeal for God caused Jesus to cleanse the temple (cf. John 2:17), so should zeal for God cause us to intercede constantly for the state of Christianity so that many would turn back towards God.

Led by the Holy Spirit, Elijah gathers all of Israel together with 850 false prophets and issued a challenge to Israel:

“How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal is God, follow Him” (1 Kings 18:20-22).

The problem wasn’t that Israel rejected God completely for Baal, but they attempted to combine the worship of the two. Here is the central ministry of Elijah: Elijah told Israel plainly that Israel must choose to be wholehearted for God because half-hearted devotion to God is unacceptable. If we look in Christianity today, the same challenge and decision must be made. In our day, professing Christians have not rejected Christ, but they have attempted to combine the worship of Christ with many things. In particular, we see professing Christians attempting to love God and to love money, the world, and their self-life. Jesus has strong words for those who attempt to love God and money:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [riches and earthly possessions]” (Matthew 6:24).

In regards to love of the world, James states:

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4-5).

In regards to loving our self-live, Paul states:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

Finally, John sums up the entire topic in addressing the church in Laodicea:

“So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those who I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:16-19).

These words are very harsh, but in many ways, they describe the Christianity that we see around us. The challenge of the Church is not to simply watch apathetically from our small fellowship groups, but to actively bring this message of repentance and return to those who are professing Christians. For this reason, the greatest work of evangelism that we could do in America doesn’t necessarily involve going out to bars and clubs and preaching the word there, but our greatest work could be preaching this message to professing Christians in churches and other small group gatherings.

When Elijah issued this challenge to Israel, the people didn’t answer him a word (cf. 1 Kings 18:21) so instead of trying to convince Israel with a speech, he offered a simple test: the God Who answers by fire is God (cf. 1 Kings 18:24). The prophets of Baal can perform counterfeits of many things, but they cannot manufacture fire that comes from heaven. So despite praying for hours upon hours, there was no response from their gods (cf. 1 Kings 18:29). However, Elijah knew that he was a servant of God and that God approved of him; therefore, his short prayer was answered with much power (cf. James 5:16). In the same way, we cannot convince modern, lukewarm Christendom to turn away from their idols to serve God simply by giving rousing speeches and pleading for them. Our preaching and evangelism means nothing unless the fire of the Holy Spirit is within us. When God approves of the message and the messenger, He sends His approval by giving the Holy Spirit. Paul emphasized this point:

“And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

This is what makes the ministry of Elijah so powerful and so necessary. Even though the number of false gospels, false teachers, and false prophets may outnumber the Church, it is the Holy Spirit that authenticates this ministry and affirms it by sending the power of His Holy Spirit. This is the ministry that must precede the second coming of Christ and it is my prayer we would walk in this ministry that we are called to do. In the same way that Ahab called Elijah “the troubler of Israel”, when the Church performs this ministry, it will lead to slander and controversy, but God will uphold His Church and affirm His work. Let us prepare ourselves for this ministry.

by Zac Poonen

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” (Rev. 2:8-11)

The church in Smyrna faced the “blasphemy of those who say they are Jews” (Rev. 2:9). Slander is something that all of God’s faithful children have to face. Notice here that the slander and opposition that this church was facing was from those who called themselves God’s people – “those who say they are Jews, but are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9).

Those Jews were religious people, who studied their Bibles (Genesis to Malachi). Yet the Lord called them “a synagogue of Satan”, because they were hypocrites. That is why they persecuted the true disciples of Jesus.

Many a synagogue that was started by God-fearing Jews degenerated into a synagogue of Satan over a period of time. In the same way, many churches that were started by God-fearing believers, have also degenerated into “churches of Satan”, in God’s eyes, today.

Opposition for the true disciples of Jesus today, comes not just from heathen religions (which is understandable), but also from “those who say they are Christians, but who are not, but are a church of Satan”.

Today, if we said that a so-called Christian “church” was “a church of Satan”, many would accuse us of being un-Christlike. But they forget that it was Jesus Himself Who rebuked Peter saying “Get behind Me, Satan” (Mt.16:23), and that it was Jesus Who called this group of religious people “a synagogue of Satan”. He would use exactly the same strong language today to rebuke “churches” that have drifted from their calling.

Jesus warned His disciples, “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue; but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. And these things they will do, because they have not known the Father, or Me.” (Jn.16:2,3).

What He said then that the people in a synagogue would do to His disciples, was in later centuries done by “churches” too. In the middle ages, God fearing disciples of Jesus were killed by “Christian” inquisitionists.

This hatred of the disciples of Jesus will reach its peak during the time of the Antichrist and the Babylonian “world church”. We must be prepared to face it when it comes. That is why we must not be afraid of the little slander and opposition that we face from so-called Christians these days.

We must never be afraid of being slandered – for Jesus Himself was maligned. He was called a gluttonous man, a false teacher, a blasphemer, an insane man, a demon-possessed man, a half-breed and one who had Satanic power (Lk.7:34; Jn.7:12; Mt.26:65; Mk.3:21,22; Mt.12:24; Jn.8:48).

He told His disciples, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul (a Jewish title for Satan, the prince of demons), how much more the members of his household!” (Mt.10:24,25).

Peter exhorts us saying, “Keep your behaviour excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Pet.2:12).

God’s promise to us is, “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. And their vindication is from Me.” (Isa.54:17). So we need not fear slander. The Lord Himself will vindicate us at the right time. Until then we can afford to keep quiet and ignore what ungodly people say about us.

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by Phil Lapp

In Luke 7:40-50 we read the story of the woman who loved Jesus much. Consider how she expressed her love for him and her desire to experience his love…

In this context Simon, a Pharisee, had invited Jesus to his house to eat a meal with him. It seems he was honored to have Jesus come to his house, and was trying to impress him with good food, and good fellowship.

Then this woman who was a sinner, came into the room as they were eating, and began to weep, and anoint Jesus’ feet with ointment. Simon, immediately began to judge Jesus, for allowing this woman to have such close contact with him.

Then Jesus shared a truth with him. A truth that is revolutionary to our natural way of relating to Jesus and other Christians. You see Simon, the Pharisee, didn’t think of himself as a sinner, so his actions towards Jesus was quite different. I think Simon really wanted to get to know Jesus better, however, it was with a very different attitude of heart that he approached Jesus, in this public meeting.

Notice the end result of these two people and their efforts to get to know Jesus better. I believe that many Christians are like Simon. They, like Simon, invite Jesus into their lives, and eat with him. But they try to impress Him and the others in the house with their good food, and their nice house. It is in this way they try to become better aquainted with Jesus.

When people whom they consider to be sinners, come into their house and begin to fellowship with Jesus in a way they consider improper, they immediately question it and they can’t figure out why Jesus would have anything to do with them.

It is very natural to try to impress others and God with our good lives. It makes us feel like we have something good to offer to Jesus. But when we come to him in this spirit, it hinders his love in our life. This woman acted as she did because she realized she needed his forgiveness, and Jesus said to her; “Woman, your sins are forgiven.”

She experienced Jesus in a way that deepened her love for him, whereas Simon and the others in the room, it seems were more confused with Jesus then before.
When we realize we need Jesus as our continual interceder with God, He becomes very precious to us. Not that we live in Sin, so we can continually be forgiven. Rather, it is an attitude of our hearts. To Love him much, we must live in the continual reality of his forgiveness in our lives. This will deepen our love for him every day and will keep us from pride and a judgmental spirit towards others.

The thing we need the most from Jesus, He will give to us. This is the forgiveness of our sin of pride and judgment towards others. When we come to learn from Jesus and hear his Word in this attitude, we will always leave in peace.

© Copyright – This article has been copyrighted to prevent misuse. It should not be reprinted or translated without written permission from the author. Permission is however given for this article to be downloaded and printed , provided it is for FREE distribution, provided NO ALTERATIONS are made, provided the AUTHOR’S NAME AND ADDRESS are mentioned and provided this COPYRIGHT notice ["Copyright by Phil Lapp"] is included in each printout.

For further details, please contact: RLCF