God raises a man to meet a Spiritual crisis

“From the time of Jeroboam’s death to Elijah’s appearance before Ahab the people of Israel suffered a steady spiritual decline. Ruled by men who did not fear Jehovah and who encouraged strange forms of worship, the large number of the people rapidly lost sight of their duty to serve the living God and adopted many of the practices of idolatry.” PK 109

Did you notice the italicized words above? When was it that the Lord raised up Elijah the Prophet?

What were the leaders of that particular bit of history teaching the people who professed ancient Adventism?

Now many might be surprised to find out that being guilty of idolatry doesn’t necessarily mean that a person has to carve some figure out of wood or stone and then bow down to it, although it certainly could.

Lets see what Webster Collegiate Dictionary has to say about an idol: 1. A representation or symbol of an object of worship; broadly, a false god. 2 a) a likeness of something b) pretender, imposter 3. form or appearance visible but without substance 4. an object of extreme devotion. 5. a false conception, fallacy. Therefore brothers and sisters, to be an idol worshiper can be someone who dedicates to his ideas, job, hobby, likes, food, family, children,
wife, church, more than to Jehovah, the real One who can understand you and listen to us and help us find eternity.

It also is very interesting that it is at this time that we are told that God would send one last time the Elijah message which will have the same effect it had many years ago. We are told that in the earth’s last moments the church of God will appear as about to fall but it will not fall. This statement, should give us much courage and confidence in our Lord’s ability to save us, but must also be a warning to all – that times are going to get very tough and that only through God’s help and plan – not man’s – do we have actually any hope of salvation.

In the days of Elijah there is a parallel to this event. In the time of this great apostasy by Israel the tribe of Judah (make a note that this is the tribe of Jesus) had a king who did serve God. Kind Asa had stood firm during his reign and led his people away from idolatry and false worship. Many years after King Asa began to reign, his kingdom was invaded with the threat of extermination by Zerah the Ethiopian. As a matter of fact, this warrior brought with him a host of a thousand thousand and three hundred (300) chariots. 2 Chronicles 14:9. So Zerah had an army of at least 1,000,000 soldiers and 300 chariots.
This army could have easily wiped out the tribe of Judah and King Asa knew it. So this tribe of Jesus (Judah) appeared as about to fall.

The thing that we should take note of concerning King Asa is that during the years of prosperity this godly King did not use his time in idle amusement and pleasure but spent the greater part of his time preparing for just an emergency as he now faced. He used the time of peace to train an army for the conflict, which was now before him. He bent his energies in educating his people in the faith of the true God and encouraged them as their leader to put their trust and faith explicitly in Him (Jesus). And now the test of battle and trial of faith were physically before them.

Because the king and his people had remained faithful to the Lord in times of peace, they could now, with confidence, call upon Him in this time of crisis.
The odds were definitely against them by all appearance, their army, though well trained was much smaller than their opponents, but the kingdom of Judah (Jesus) could rightfully claim the Lord’s promises of protection and this they did. Their prayer, we are told, God has given to every Christian as well.

“The prayer of Asa is one that every Christian may fittingly offer. We fight in a warfare, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. In life’s conflict we, must meet evil agencies that have arrayed themselves against the right. Our hope is not in man, but in the living God. With full assurance of faith we may expect that He will write His omnipotence with the efforts of human
instrumentalities, for the glory of HIS name. Clad with the armor of His righteousness, we may gain the victory over every foe.” PK 111.

Brothers and sisters, the God of Asa is the true God. We can have confidence in Him as long as we are truly cooperating with Him. In fact, that is the only way we can claim the promises of God, is if we are willing to obey what He asks of us.

The very good news is that we have to fight a battle in which we will win! Not, we can win, not, we might win, but we WILL win! This is tremendous news and we need to invest our total beings in the reality of this eternal promise.

Just as the Lord answered the prayer of this righteous king (Asa) for the salvation of his people against a humanly unconquerable enemy in ancient times, so today He will answer the same prayer against the same odds during these last days of this earth.

It was through the influence of a weak and wicked ruler (Ahab) and a woman in spiritual power (a position over that of man) Jezebel, that a gross spiritual crisis had come to the majority in Israel of the Ancient Israel movement. These two rulers had brought the spiritual worth of Israel so low that only the message of the prophet Elijah could bring revival and reformation. It was their only chance for salvation and salvation would only come in the truest sense to those who accepted the message, no matter how severe it seemed, with the whole heart.

“Alas, how had the glory of Israel departed! Never before had the chosen people of God fallen so low in apostasy… Nothing short of the miracle working power of God could preserve the nation from the utter destruction. Israel had VOLUNTARILY separated herself from Jehovah, yet the Lord in compassion still yearned after those who had been led into sin and He was about to send them one of the mightiest of His prophets, though many were to be led back to allegiance to the God of their fathers. PK116 (emphasis supplied) It’s amazing to me that the vast majority, not excluding many who claim to continue in the historical paths don’t seem to realize that the Elijah message, with all its seeming harshness is the chosen method of redemption at certain levels of apostasy and it is the message that will bring salvation for those fallen ones who truly want it. Our need to be honest with the Elijah message is paramount if we will ever have any hope for salvation.

First of all we should admit or perhaps discover that it is God who is calling for the Elijah message and not men who have nothing better to do than go around shouting at everybody. We must understand that it is God’s plan to use men (women) to give this message, men of His own choosing and we must understand that nobody, including the men God raises up, finds the job agreeable in the feeling department any more than did the prophet whose name the message bears.

It would be to the advantage of all if we understood as well that the job is so disagreeable that God has a hard time finding anyone who will do it and that is why there have been so few throughout the earth’s history who have taken on the task and why it is true today.

And then after we have properly analyzed these truths we must ask God to give us the conviction and the courage to support the message and the messengers that God Himself, the God who knows the end from the beginning, has raised up to bring salvation to all who will have it.
AMEN

To be continued..

Alin Emanuel
Finland