INTERESTING FACTS : "IN THE CHAIN OF HUMAN EVENTS, THE BIRTHDAY OF THE NATION IS INDISSOLUBLY LINKED WITH THE BIRTHDAY OF THE SAVIOR. THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE LAID THE CORNERSTONE OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT UPON THE FIRST PRECEPTS OF CHRISTIANITY." JOHN QUINCY ADAMS [6TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES]

 

DAILY READING : 2 KINGS 1 - 3

 

TEXT : TEXT - 2Ki 3:16  And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. 2Ki 3:17  For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 2Ki 3:18  And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.

 

THEME : THE POWER OF GOD

 

Ahab is dead, Jehoram reigns in his place, and Elijah is taken to Heaven by God in a supernatural way. In the latter case, this is the nature of the Bible. That is, God working in ways that are "super" nature, proving He, and He alone is God. Announcing the end from the beginning, or in some case, before the beginning, we are blessed to have such a Book.

 

Robert Green Ingersoll,[1] known as "The Great Agnostic," and son of Presbyterian pastor John Ingersoll [John Ingersoll filled the pulpit for Charles G. Finney and was associate pastor to Finney for a time] had his own opinions of the Bible. As a pastor's son whose experience being raised in a pastor's home was entirely negative,[2] he turned his back on the God of his father stating - "The inspiration of the Bible depends upon the ignorance of the gentleman who reads it." He also evidently said - "I am going to put the Bible out of business." Ingersoll's radical and bitter remarks aimed at the Bible, Christianity, and Christians were not only a reflection of his [adverse] experience of being raised as a pastor's son, but he also reflected the growing sentiment of the 19th century, as the Bible came under increasing scrutiny and criticism.

 

"Were we allowed to read the Bible as we do all other books, we would admire its beauties, treasure its worthy thoughts, and account for all its absurd, grotesque and cruel things, by saying that its authors lived in rude, barbaric times. But we are told that it was written by inspired men; that it contains the will of God; that it is perfect, pure, and true in all its parts; the source and standard of all moral and religious truth; that it is the star and anchor of all human hope; the only guide for man, the only torch in Nature's night. These claims are so at variance with every known recorded fact, so palpably absurd, that every free, unbiased soul is forced to raise the standard of revolt." [Robert Ingersoll]

 

However, we read the Bible with love, admiration, and awe. The reason is simple. For those of us who have not been tainted by apostates - like the late Robert Ingersoll, agnostics, acrimonious critics, narcissistic intellectuals, heretical theologians, false prophets, power hungry Church leaders, and other corrupt men, inside and outside the Church, we read and study without bias. Again, we thank God for this. To read the Bible without prejudice is a wonderful experience. More than that, it is our anchor, our meat, and our source of strength and encouragement. This is only natural since it is God's Word, and not man's. Happy is the man or woman who can trust God through the Bible without being tainted, polluted, and infected with the incurable disease of unbelief by the wiles of cynical and sneering men. Like Elisha, we grasp the garment of God's Book, and take His mantle for our own!

 

The taking of Elijah is certainly spectacular and miraculous. He knows how God is going to take him, and amazingly, so do the students in the school of the prophets. The Spirit of God had revealed to Elijah, Elisha, and the young prophets, the manner of Elijah's transport to Heaven. Altogether, it makes for a remarkable, and somewhat fearsome spectacle as Elijah is brought to Heaven in a chariot of fire. Like Enoch, perhaps Moses, and certainly Jesus, Elijah is "translated" [that is, taken up body, soul, and spirit] into Heaven. This may explain why it is Elijah and Moses that appear to our Lord on the mount of Transfiguration, and why some Bible expositors believe the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation are Elijah and Moses. In any case, Enoch, Elijah, and Christ all share one thing in common - none of them saw physical death. They were all translated to Heaven without dying.< o:p>

 

"No honest exegesis can explain this passage in any other sense than as teaching the translation of Elijah, who was taken from the earth, like Enoch Gen_5:24, without dying." [Albert Barnes]

 

"While they were walking on and talking to each other, "behold (there suddenly appeared) a fiery chariot and fiery horses, and separated the two (by driving between them), and Elijah went up in the tempest to heaven." As God had formerly taken Enoch away, so that he did not taste of death (see at Gen_5:24), so did He also suddenly take Elijah away from Elisha, and carry him to heaven without dying. It was בַּסְּעָרָה, "in the tempest," that he was taken away." [Keil and Delitzsch]

 

"What convoy his Lord sent for him - a chariot of fire and horses of fire, which appeared either descending upon them from the clouds or (as bishop Patrick thinks) running towards them upon the ground: in this form the angels appeared. The souls of all the faithful are carried by an invisible guard of angels into the bosom of Abraham; but, Elijah being to carry his body with him, this heavenly guard was visible, not in a human shape, as usual, though they might so have borne him up in their arms, or carried him as on eagles' wings, but that would have been to carry him like a child, like a lamp (Isa_40:11, Isa_40:31); they appear in the form of a chariot and horses, that he may ride in state, may ride in triumph, like a prince, like a conqueror, yea, more than a conqueror." [Matthew Henry]

 

Elijah's transport to Heaven, as with Enoch, creates the foundation for the rapture of the Church. Christ promised to come and receive us to Himself. Since we have examples of men in the Bible being taken to Heaven without dying, we can be assured Christ will come for us. He said He would. Further, as Elijah's departure was known by more than just himself [that is, Elisha knew and the entire school of the prophets knew], we also know - through the Holy Scriptures, that Christ will take us home as well.

 

Imagine the difficulty, intellectually, the prophets and Elisha [perhaps Elijah as well] would have had trying to imagine this revealed truth. That is, that Elijah is going to be taken to Heaven - bodily in a chariot, which happens to be on fire as well! We read and believe. However, put yourself in the place of those who knew this truth about Elijah. Indeed, the fact that this great prophet is going to Heaven without dying sounds incredulous! Who would believe it? Yet, all of these men did believe it. Further, Elisha saw it, and grabbed Elijah's garments, tore them in two, as Elijah's mantle [a symbol of God's miraculous anointing] fell on Elisha.

 

We too should believe in the imminent return of Christ for His Church, even as the Scriptures say. It is a revealed truth. Though not seen [yet] with the eyes, one day it will be seen as much as Elijah's departure was first, known, and then seen. This is always God's way. Believe [first] and receive [after]. We should follow the example of the young prophets as well as Elisha who believed the Lord would take away Elijah, and trust our Lord for His return to take us away!

 

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. [1 Th 4: 13 - 18]

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : "WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!"

 

Elisha asked for a double portion of the Spirit and anointing of Elijah. As arranged, as he sees Elijah go into the heavens, the ma ntle of Elijah falls on Elisha. Asking for a "double - portion" probably belongs more to the birthright of the firstborn, then to ambition on the part of Elisha. The firstborn received two portions of a father's inheritance because he would assume responsibility for the family estate and the care of his widowed mother. No doubt, the work needed to be done by Elisha in continuing the ministry of Elijah would take a double portion.

 

"Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me - Like Solomon, Elisha asks for no worldly advantage, but for spiritual power to discharge his office aright. The "double portion" is that which denotes the proportion of a father's property which was the right of an eldest son Deu_21:17. Elisha therefore asked for twice as much of Elijah's spirit as should be inherited by any other of the "sons of the prophets." He simply claimed, i. e., to be acknowledged as Elijah's firstborn spiritual son." [Albert Barnes]

 

Between Elijah and Elisha we see many miraculous works done. Like Elijah, Elisha too meets a widow in need. He instructs her to get pots from all her neighbors - as many as she could, and then God supernaturally fills them with oil. Afterward, there is enough oil to pay her debts, and therefore, her sons do not have to be slaves as payment of her debt. [Remember, a widow in these days could not work, and many widows were forced to beg or turned to prostitution to meet their needs. This is why the firstborn played such an important role. However, in this woman's case, if her son's were taken from her, she would have no means to support herself other than simple trust in God, or by being a beggar or a prostitute.]

 

Whether it's fire from heaven consuming the enemy, a chariot of fire, the parting of the Jordan river, pots of oil filled, or the raising of the dead [as Elisha does for the Shunnamite woman] the works of God are "super" nature and beyond the ability of man. Continually, we see God throughout the Bible supplying the needs of His servants and people by means not available to men. Further, God works in such ways as to encourage His people to believe on Him always. He is the One True God with whom nothing is impossible.

 

"For with God nothing shall be impossible." [Luk 1:37] These words sum up all that we need to know about God regarding our needs in this life and the next. Nothing is impossible with Him! With men, it can be impossible.  "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." [Mat_19:26]However, this is not so with God. God has no limits in any way.

 

"For with God nothing shall be impossible - Words of the very same import with those spoken by the Lord to Sarah, when he foretold the birth of Isaac, Gen_18:14, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? As there can be no doubt that Mary perceived this allusion to the promise and birth of Isaac, so she must have had her faith considerably strengthened by reflecting on the intervention of God in that case." [ Adam Clarke]

 

"For with God nothing shall be impossible. That is consistent with his nature and perfections, with his counsels, purposes, and promises: every thing that he has said, purposed, or promised, he is able to do, and will; every word that he has spoken, every thing predicted by his prophets, or declared by his angels, and particularly this of a virgin's conceiving and bearing a Son: so that the angel not only answers her question, how this should be, but confirms her faith in it; partly by the instance of her cousin Elisabeth, and partly by observing the infinite omnipotence of God." [John Gill]

 

Therefore, as we continue to read through the Bible, take notice of the omnipotence of God. Nothing can restrain His hand from doing what He wills. Further, when we pray - believing, nothing is impossible to us! "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." [Mat_17:20]

 

These words of Jesus are both an inspiration and a challenge. Therefore, what could be more impossible than a man, a man of passions such as you and I, will be taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire? More than that, what can be more of a challenge to the mind and intellect then to be told of this beforehand [as in Elisha and the young prophets' case] and believe that this supernatural event will come to pass? These things, and this faith, is reserved only for those who know the Lord and believe Him - wholeheartedly! We can come to God when Man cannot help us, and statistics and probability are emphatically against us, and say - "With God all thing are possible!"

 

Bring your life and circumstances to Christ today, and be encouraged. He is no respecter of persons. Whatever the problem, whatever the obstacle, look at God through His word and realize - God is able to help, aid, guide, heal, revive, and restore. "With God, all things are possible!"

 

"Though for many years the most noted of American infidels, Colonel Ingersoll was born and reared in a devoutly Christian household. His father, John Ingersoll, was a Congregationalist minister and a man of mark in his time, a deep thinker, a logical and eloquent speaker, broad minded and generously tolerant of the views of others. The popular impression which credits Ingersoll's infidelity in the main to his father's severe orthodoxy and the austere and gloomy surroundings in which his boyhood was spent is wholly wrong. On the contrary the elder Ingersoll's liberal views were a source of constant trouble between him and his narrow-minded parishioners. They caused him to frequently change his charges, and several times made him the defendant in church trials. His ministerial career was, in fact, substantially brought to a close by a church trial which occurred while he was pastor of the Congregational Church at Madison, Ohio, and at which his third wife appeared as prosecutor. Upon this occasion he was charged with prevarication and unministerial conduct. The evidence adduced—the trial is one of the abiding traditions of the dull little town of Madison—was of the most trivial and ridiculous character, but the committee which heard it decided that though he had done "nothing inconsistent with his Christian character," he was "inconsistent with his ministerial character," and forbade him to preach in the future. Elder John went before the higher church authorities and was permitted to continue his cl erical labors. However, he soon removed to Wisconsin, going from there to Illinois, where he died. The Madison trial occurred when young Robert was nine years old, and it was the unjust and bigoted treatment his father received which made him the enemy, first of Calvinism, and later of Christianity in its other forms." The Elmira Telegram, 1890 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_G._Ingersoll