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.