Good morning. Yesterday, we ran out
of time and stopped in the middle, so let’s continue today. First, we’ll review
what we learned yesterday. We learned that Elijah always obeyed God’s commands
100%. When he entered Ahab’s palace alone, he knew that he would not be able to
make it out alive. It was a very dangerous mission because there were no other
prophets that ever survived. So Elijah knew that he would not be able to make
it out alive, but still he went to that foolish leader to rebuke him. When he just
barely made it out, God did not command him to go home and rest, but instead He
sent him to the Brook Cherith where there was no bread, water, and no one
waiting there for him, yet he just obeyed. He did not ask, “Is there a place
for me to stay? Is there food for me to eat?” he just obeyed God and went. When
he arrived, because of the drought, even the brook had dried up. Then he was
sent to the land of Gentiles, to a young widow in Zarephath, and that was our
Father’s great providence. He sent such a holy man as Elijah and had him live
with a young widow for three and half years. But it was to teach these last
Elijahs a very important lesson. People couldn’t understand it at the time of
course, but God had a reason for sending Elijah to live with a Gentile widow.
All throughout history, God would
often have His servants, His workers, go on paths that no one could understand,
but still they were required to simply trust Him. This was our Father’s amazing
providence. Only after time passes are we able to understand that it was truly
God’s will. Elijah had lived his life in such holiness, but why was he suddenly
made to live with a young widow? It may have seemed shameful, but it was a
lesson that we must go to all those widows, those churches, that left their
true Husband, and lead them back to God. It is our mission to save all of
humanity that have wandered away from our Real Father, that they may return
into His arms. That is why God sent Elijah to that house of a widow and an
orphan.
Another lesson God wanted to teach
us was that we must keep ourselves holy no matter what situation we find
ourselves in. Also, Elijah didn’t understand why God sent him to a Gentile
widow and at first, he could not sleep, eat, or live properly because he was so
uncomfortable. But at that time when religion and government had joined
together to kill Elijah, our Father knew they were trying to kill him, so He
sent him there and kept him safe. No matter how they sought for Elijah, they
could not find this man of God. So no matter how God leads us, though we may
not understand immediately, we should just obey and follow wherever He leads.
There is another lesson, a very important lesson, for these last Elijahs who
are to ascend just like the first Elijah did. They must be found without
blemish in words, heart, and character. Only those who have no guile in their
tongue, who are without spot in character, and who are not defiled with women,
will be the ones who will ascend to heaven. So to keep oneself undefiled with
women, we should not join ourselves to the churches that have joined themselves
to Satan, but stand firm on the side of righteousness, like the tribe of Levi
that never compromised with the prostitute.
It also means that we should reach
a spiritual level of not committing sin even in our thoughts, especially
concerning the members of the opposite sex. During the three and half years
that Elijah lived there, had there been even one unrighteous act in the sight
of God, He would never have used Elijah again, forsaking him as Moses was
forsaken after making one mistake.
Had Elijah made a single mistake,
his work would have been given to Elisha. But after being with that widow for
three and a half years, he was immediately sent to Mt. Carmel to do a greater
work. Just by seeing that, we can be certain he lived a most holy life while
being with that young widow. Likewise, men and women should be holy in the
sight of God in their relationships, only then can they ascend to heaven. Even
now, if we sinned in our thoughts and they were impure, we would never be able
to ascend to heaven, because there is so much to eat in heaven, we would always
be filled with energy and vitality. Men and women would be living together all
the time, so if we had impure thoughts when we are there, heaven would
instantly become defiled. We must realize how unfit for heaven we would be
then. So during this period of grace while the intercession is still being
given on our behalf, we must quickly come out as holy and perfect beings.
The three and half years at the
house of the young widow in Zarephath was a comfortable time for Elijah. He had
not been understood or sympathized by his family or the church, and he had
nowhere to go being chased out by them. Truly he had nowhere to lay his head
until he met the young widow and her son. They were devoted to Elijah, and
probably if that widow’s husband were alive, he could not have taken such
tender care of that young widow and her son as Elijah had. Though he had been
so tough and firm before King Ahab, he was such a kind and gentle man with the
young widow and her son. In fact, probably no one would have believed that
Elijah could scold the king like that. He took care of those souls like a dimly
burning wick that was about to go out. Such a person is called “a man of God.”
Nowadays, there are those religious
leaders who are afraid to lose their position and power, and they mistreat
other members and abuse their authority; such are not the “men of God.” People
who go to church these days swear to be faithful unto death, but their faith
and courage is not that of Jesus but of a courageous hunted animal. Hunting
dogs can have great courage and will not retreat in front of any wild animals
like bears or wolves. Yet they just obey its owners regardless without knowing
whether their owner is a thief or a robber. We must have the courage of Jesus,
to say wrong is wrong and call Satan for who he is. Meanwhile, we should also
be able to bind up and heal the wounded souls. During the three and half years,
though Elijah may have lived in peace, all the churches and the entire nation
were seeking him to kill him because they had fallen apart. They wanted revenge
against Elijah, so government and religion all joined together to kill Elijah.
This will happen again in these last days. Wait and see whether my words are
true or not. If you stand firm as true Elijahs, you will see history repeat
itself.
When curses fell upon Ahab and his
people, they did not realize that it was because of their sins, thinking only
that it was because of Elijah. It will be the same in the last days as well,
all people will try to get revenge on these last Elijahs and come after you.
Though everyone wanted to kill Elijah, what did God say? He said. “Go to Ahab.”
So he went, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. It is written that Elijah
was like the king and the king instead seemed like a lowly man. That is why a
human king cannot stand before the man of God. Though Ahab had all of the
government and religious leaders behind him, yet when they gathered together on
Mt. Carmel, Elijah alone gained such a sweeping victory.
He saved all of Israel. After that
victory, Elijah was exhausted and fell asleep in exhaustion on the ground in
front of Ahab’s palace. Then while fighting against Jezebel, he was struck and
was defeated by her. He had risked his life and been victorious on Mt. Carmel,
but that night he was defeated by a weak woman. He became afraid for his life
and ran away to save himself. Now Elijah had betrayed God.
When all of God’s people followed
the demon, Satan, and became an impure church, the only one that God could
trust was Elijah. But even he now betrayed God and was running away from Him.
How inexcusable it was of Elijah. Then did God take a big stick and chase after
him because He was so upset? Did He say, “I trusted you and you dare to betray
Me?” No, God did not say that. He did not beat him. God rather followed after
that Elijah who was betraying Him and running away from Him. Elijah ran and ran
and he became so exhausted that he collapsed and fell asleep. Our Father went
to him and caressed the sleeping Elijah, saying, “Elijah! If you’re going to
run away from Me, you’ll have to go far. You might collapse and die on the way
so eat something. Even if you’re betraying Me, at least eat before you go.” And
our God is One who fed this very son who was betraying Him. That is who our
Real Father is. He is our God of love. He does not forsake us just because of a
small mistake that we make, nor is He One who will keep reminding us of our sin
that we committed long ago. He is not that kind of God.
So after eating because he was so
hungry, Elijah fell asleep because usually when you eat something when you are
very hungry, you get sleepy afterwards. So he ate and fell asleep. Again our
Father came to him and said, “Elijah, if you want to betray Me, you’ll have to
run for forty days. If you want to run for a month, for ten days straight, I’m
afraid you might faint on the way, so eat before you leave to betray Me.” And
so our Father continued to feed Him again and again. This is the kind of God
our Real Father is. He is the true God.
If you think about the fearful God
they teach of in the world, truly He is terrible. He is a God who only wants to
kill and judge and mercilessly destroy. I hope that you will never depart from
the true God, our tender and loving Father, ever again. Though our Father fed
Elijah with such a great love and he ate the food God gave him, still he
betrayed God, just like Judas who walked out and sold Jesus with the very feet Jesus
had washed. That is why it is so important to take that right first step. Our
first step of stubbornness and hardness of the heart may send us to our deaths.
However, if we change our hearts, it will guide us to eternal life. So a
moment’s choice can determine our future. That is why they say even a thousand
miles begins with one step. If you go on the path of betrayal, then there is no
way for you to turn around.
As Elijah went on that path of
betrayal, though he had been such a wonderful and beautiful son, still he
betrayed God while even eating the food that God had prepared for him. He ran
away for more than a month, for forty days he went to the mountains, to a cave
in the mountains. He went to this cave where he felt he was safest. But let me ask
you, what is the best medicine? Even if you take the best medicine in the
world, how can it allow you to run for forty days? They say that ginseng and
other medicines are good, but can you take two servings of that medicine and
run for forty days? You probably couldn’t even last a couple of days.
With the food which our Father
gave, with that energy he was able to run for forty days. Surely when the
tribulation begins, you also will be able to eat the food that Elijah ate.
There are people in the world who have prepared food for the time of
tribulation. They have stocked up five years’ worth of food. But actually,
people who are like that are like orphans without a father. I hope that you
will be faithful and loyal to our God, because He will feed you in the time of
tribulation. So Elijah went to the cave where he thought he was safe, but he
was not safe. It ended up being a cave of anxiety, despair, and death. It was
the cave of his soul.
On Mount Carmel where he thought it
would be so frightening, he was safe filled with love, joy, and the peace of
heaven. There he was able to overcome and defeat the eight hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal. But in this cave where he thought he would be safe, because
God had not sent him there, he was so restless, nervous, and filled with
despair though not a single enemy was there. To Elijah, it was a cave of death.
There is a lesson to be learned
here. Though a path may seem dangerous to you, if it is the place God wants you
to go, then there is safety, victory, and the guarantee that your life will be
preserved. However, if you go to a place where you think it is safe but God
does not want you to go, then no matter how safe it may seem, it will be a cave
of death. Elijah was so confident without fear before his enemies gathered on
Mount Carmel, but in this cave, though there was not even one enemy, he was
shivering in fear. So no matter what, you should always be in the place and
position God puts you in.
God followed Elijah even to the
cave where he was crouching in fear. Our loving Father came to him and said,
“Elijah!” Elijah was so surprised; he didn’t think the Father had followed him
there. So our Father said, “Why are you crouched here with a face full of fear
and despair?” And this was Elijah’s excuse, he answered, “I have been very
zealous for the Lord God of Hosts. The children of Israel and the church have
forsaken your covenant, set Baal up on the altars, and killed your prophets by
the sword. I alone am left and they are trying to kill me as well.” “Oh, really?
Then who is the one who begot you and nurtured you? Who fed you, clothed you,
and protected you up to now? Who gave you victory when you went to Ahab’s
palace? How about the victory on Mount Carmel? Who gave you bread and the
energy to come all the way here?” Elijah was startled at himself. He realized
that our Real Father had never left him and had been with him always. Though he
was victorious in front of all those enemies, he found himself embarrassed and
ashamed for running away from that one woman.
So God said, “Elijah! Come out of
the cave.” Elijah had betrayed God and run away from Him, his face filled with
despair and anxiety. Our faces would always be bright if we did not leave God.
Why is it that all those people in the world who should be filled with heaven’s
love, joy, and peace, walking around with happy faces, are rather only looking
for money with dismal countenances? It’s because they have departed from God
and from the rock of truth. That is why there is no happiness in them. They are
wandering in the cave of death, wandering without the truth. It is up to you to
let them know about eternal life, to lead them out of the cave and into the
light that they may meet our Father. Thus, our Father brought Elijah out of the
cave of death, despair, and darkness. He put him on a rock in front of a
mountain. That’s what we must do: take all the people to the mountain – the
rock of truth which is Christ.
So the King of heaven, the LORD of
Hosts came down and had a revival meeting just for that one son, Elijah. Isn’t
that amazing? God came down just for that one son. It is because He is our Real
Father. There is no way to understand this Bible if you do not realize God is
our Real Father. Can you believe that the King of the universe came down to
hold a revival meeting just for that one son? First, a great wind passed by and
rocks were thrown down. Elijah thought, “Oh! God must be there.” But God was
not there, it was just a wind. Then there came a great earthquake and the whole
earth shook and the earth was divided into two then joined back together again
with a crash. “Oh! God must be there!” But God was not there, and it was just
an earthquake. Then there was a fire. It was so fierce that it seemed it could
melt the whole earth. Elijah was afraid and thought, “Oh! God must be there!”
But God was not there. Finally, there was a still, small voice which was the
word of God saying, “Elijah, I am here.” That was the end of the revival
meeting. Truly the great truths of the universe which our Father teaches us can
be taught in a moment. That which you could not learn for a thousand years He
can teach in a day.
He could teach us in mere moments.
All that I am teaching you during these ten days are lessons I learned in brief
moments. At last Elijah understood. He had displayed himself and been so proud,
thinking, “I am a man of God. I am His servant.” But it was all just like the
passing of wind.
Look at the churches today, are
they like that or not? They build huge and grand buildings and wear
nice-looking robes with a huge crowd before them. But God is not with such
pompous beings. They jump up and down and scream, speaking in tongues. But God
is not with them. And what is the earthquake? It symbolizes the unregenerate
tempers, but God is not with them. How about the fire that can symbolize ardor
and zeal? God does not use the wood that is burning and smoking, He only uses
the wood when it is all burned and has become charcoal. God is not pleased with
fire-like ardor and the unregenerate frenzy of so-called zeal. Elijah had
thought God’s work was making the fire come down from heaven, or going to the
palaces and rebuking kings, but that was not God’s work. How did Jesus do God’s
work? Then what is the true work of God? God’s true work is to transform a
sinner into God’s image so that he can live in heaven for eternity.
Therefore, scolding King Ahab was
not God’s work. Having fire come down from heaven was not God’s work. How did
Jesus do God’s work? He was like a lily and had the fragrance of his life.
People were attracted to Him by the fragrance He gave out. Quietly and solemnly
he spoke to the people of God’s Word. He transformed their inner heart and soul
– this was God’s true work. It is the only work that can be called “God’s
work,” that can prepare people so that they can go to heaven.
Nowadays, people think that jumping
up and down is receiving the Holy Spirit. But what is receiving the Holy
Spirit? Isaiah chapter 42 verse 1 to 4, [Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My
Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will
bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not
break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for
truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in
the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law.]
Those who have received the true
Holy Spirit will not be arrogant or loud or jump up and down; rather they will speak
words of truth quietly in a gentle way. And no matter what enemies should rise
up and strike them, they will not be discouraged but proclaim this truth to the
ends of the earth. We must discard all false pompousness and fanatical zeal and
return to our Father’s truth. In this way, when Jesus communicated the truth,
our Father’s words to the multitude, they were attracted by the fragrance of
His life, and Jesus transformed and regenerated them. This is God’s true work.
Elijah understood all of this and
realized his mistake. Up until yesterday, just a few days ago, all the people
at Mt. Carmel had been fooled by the false religion and thought Elijah a false
prophet. But they realized Elijah’s God was the true God and they had shed
tears in repentance, returning to God. Elijah should have continued to speak of
God’s word to the people who had returned to God so that their hearts could be
transformed – that would have been God’s true work. But instead of doing the
work he should have been doing, he had run away.
To Elijah who truly repented of his
mistake, God immediately sent him back to his position, to the very place where
he had betrayed God. In the army, when the soldiers in training do something
wrong, they are told to retreat “back to their positions.” Upon seeing Elijah
repent, our Father who is so tender and kind, took his son who had betrayed him
and put him back to his original position. That is why our Father is not like
some military instructor; he is like a kind coach who teaches us in love.
Let us look at 1 Kings chapter
19:15 to 16, [Then the LORD said to him: “Go, return on your way to the
Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha
the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.]
As soon as Elijah came to
understand his mistake, our Father sent him back to his original post. But
Elijah was human, he was a man of flesh with two legs and though God had fed
him and he ran for forty days, he was still exhausted, so he could have said,
“Father, please let me rest just this one day.” He had to run again for forty
days, so he could have said that, but he only said, “Yes,” and immediately
after repenting, he returned. What a beautiful son he was. There’s no mention
here that God even fed him anything this time; for God’s command is our power
and it is our strength.
Until now while doing God’s work, I
have been invited more than a hundred times to give this seminar, and sometimes
my health is very poor. At times I would be healthy and at times I would not be
in such good health. But I would always ask God, “Should I go to the seminar or
not?” And if His answer was, “Go,” then I obeyed no matter what, for within that
command was guaranteed all strength, power, and victory.
Secondly, though he ran back
another forty days, there is no record of God feeding him, of Elijah carrying a
pot around to cook for himself, or that he stopped somewhere to buy some food.
When God’s command is given, you must obey immediately without any delays in
the middle.
[And Elisha the son of Shaphat of
Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.] This command was
rather a harsh one. Until now, it was Elijah who had gone into Ahab’s palace,
and to Mt. Carmel, and he was told to go before that King Ahab who had for
three and a half years wanted to tear him to pieces and kill him.
Whether ten times or a hundred
times, whatever request was made of him with his life on the line, Elijah had
obeyed without question. And he had been the one to lead all of Israel back to
God. But now, just because of a single mistake, God was saying, “I can’t use
you as My prophet anymore. Give your job to Elisha.” In other words, God was
saying, “I am discarding you.” How heartbreaking it is. But Elijah was not
offended in the slightest bit and only said, “Yes, Father. Whatever You want.
I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude that You used me until now.” And he gave
the job of prophet to Elisha, saying, “You must increase and I must decrease.”
Blessing Elisha like that, he left. As I think of Elijah walking away with his
hands in his pockets, how lovely he seems to me. He was truly selfless. This is
the kind of person you call a “man of God.”
These days, in order to be chosen
as a head pastor, those pastors trample on each other and attack each other,
even spending money for lobbying … truly how disgusting it is! This is what
those politicians in the world do, those presidents and congressman may do
that, but how can those who call themselves servants of God be like that? I
hope that you will take yourself out from such a place. I cannot bear to look
at them. If they are truly God’s servants, they should be saying, “Oh, pastor!
You should do it, not me,” and they should yield to one another. But instead
these pastors curse each other and bring out their pasts, attacking them like
that and using money for lobbying … it’s truly unbelievable. We must learn to
give all the glory to our brethren and bless them as Elijah did, to be
possessors of such a beautiful character.
But even though Elijah came out
having passed on his position as the prophet, God used him yet again on a
deadly mission. Let’s look at 1 Kings chapter 21 verses 17 and 18. [Then the
word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet
Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of
Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it.”] God was sending
Elijah once again to pronounce a death sentence upon Ahab and his household.
Though Ahab was the leader of God’s people, he had not led the people to God,
instead leading them to the demon and to evil spirits. He was bringing all of
Israel to ruins. So in order to forgive him, God had sent Elijah and revealed
His power on Mt. Carmel, giving Ahab an opportunity to repent by seeing God’s
divinity. There is no one that does not repent before God’s divinity. As long
as you are not mentally deficient, all will repent and be penitent in tears,
saying, “I will also stand on the side of Elijah’s God.” When all of Israel
repented and returned to Elijah’s God, Ahab did so as well. But when he went
home, his wife said, “Were you deceived by that heretic as well?” He was
embarrassed, so he said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I just went to look, do you think I
would actually follow Elijah?” And he obeyed his wife and betrayed Elijah. It
was at that moment that his conscience completely died. There is no salvation
for those who fall again having once partaken in divinity.
[For it is impossible for those who
were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become
partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the
powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance,
since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open
shame.] (Heb 6:4-6) The reason is that a greater God than He who was revealed
to you must come in order to save you, but there is no greater God in the
universe. We must be careful that we don’t become people like that.
We must never become such infidels
with no integrity. When Ahab repented before God’s divine presence, then
returned home to his wife and entrusted his soul to evil, his conscience
completely died and no hope for him remained. After that, he no longer had any
insight as to whether his actions were evil or sinful, and he became Satan’s
medium, Satan’s channel. In other words, he completely became Satan’s agent.
One day, as Ahab was taking a
stroll, he saw a beautiful vineyard in front of his palace. It was a time for
harvesting grapes and truly they looked so wonderful set in a background of
lush green leaves and scrumptious grapes hanging in full season splendor. At
sight of the grapes, Ahab became greedy. The vineyard belonged to Naboth and
Ahab immediately called him. “Hey Naboth, I will give all the money you ask,
sell your vineyard to me.” It was the custom of the Israelites to pass down the
inheritance of their ancestors down to their sons for generation after
generation. You could not buy or sell something that was an inheritance. This
very vineyard was an inheritance of Naboth that had belonged to his family for
generations. So he said to Ahab, “O King! I’m so very sorry. I would offer this
vineyard to you without a penny, but it is an inheritance passed down from our
forefathers, so I cannot sell it. I am so sorry.”
Even in Korea in my hometown, there
was a huge mansion and you had to go through many gates in order to reach the
main house. It was fourteen generations old but had to be torn down because of
a government order since they were building a big reservoir there. Later, the
owner died of mental depression because his inheritance that had been passed
down from generation to generation was lost in his time while he was alive.
So anyways, after being refused,
Ahab was so upset and he wouldn’t eat, just sitting there sulking. Then Jezebel
his wife came in, “O King! What’s wrong with you?” “Bah, I just asked that
Naboth to sell me his vineyard but he refused.” Then Jezebel replied, “O King!
Aren’t you the king? Don’t worry. I’ll get it for you.” Ahab and Jezebel were
like-minded. You cannot live together unless you are the same. So this evil
pair devised a scheme to take the vineyard away from that good, hardworking
farmer. Ahab was so rich, he had two ivory palaces, the nation was his, the
whole world was at his feet, but he was greedy for that poor farmer’s sole
vineyard, even now planning to kill him.
So he called Naboth to his palace
having chosen some of the most heinous gangs in the city as well. He told them
that Naboth had sinned against God and insulted the king. After falsely
accusing him like that, Naboth was struck down and killed. Without paying a
cent, they killed that innocent man and then plundered his vineyard. What would
become of the family of that righteous man? He who was supposed to be the
leader of God’s people, a shepherd to lead them, did such a horrifying thing.
They had done it secretly thinking no one knew, but God had been a witness to
that slain righteous son. And while Ahab exulting at his success, was taking a
walk in the vineyard, at that very hour God called Elijah and commanded him,
“Go and proclaim the death sentence upon Ahab and his household.”
Of course, to Elijah, this was a
deadly errand once again, in which his life could be forfeited. Once the king
or a president goes somewhere, there are armies, police, and guards that
follow. So for this shabby man to declare to the king his destruction, you
wouldn’t be able to know which knife or sword would strike him down first.
Surely he would be cut into pieces, yet that is where God was telling him to
go.
What’s more, Elijah wasn’t even the
official prophet at the time, it was Elisha. His position had been transferred
to Elisha for that one mistake he made, but instead of using the official
prophet, God was using Elijah once again. The reason is that God liked having
Elijah do His errands. We must also become such charming beings as Elijah whom
God likes and loves to follow around. Elijah didn’t say, “God, You discarded me
saying You didn’t want me anymore, so why don’t you go and use Elisha. I won’t
go. You always have me do the dirty work while having Elisha do only the nice
things. I won’t go.” He could have said that, but even though Elijah knew he
would be cut into pieces and killed, he only said, “Alright, Father. If You
need to use me one more time, then I will go.” What a wonderful son he was! You
couldn’t find anyone like him in the world. Brethren he would send to safe places
while he himself went to the place of death. To say, “The path of life for
brethren, the path of death for me,” this is what it means to love your
neighbors as your own self, and to love God with your whole life; this is the
life of fulfilling the Ten Commandments.
So without a word of complaint he
went. He went to that evil sinner to sentence him to death, saying,
“Destruction has fallen upon you and your household. Where Naboth’s blood fell
will Jezebel’s blood fall.” And while that weaponless shabby person was giving
this death sentence, not a single person dared lay a hand on him as they only
turned pale and trembled in fear. They were frozen before Elijah’s dazzling
divinity.
Long ago when the priests of Israel
claimed their church to be the Orthodox church with millions of worshippers,
displaying themselves with such majestic appearances and worshipping with
exaggerated formalities, how they despised Jesus and His followers of a hundred
or so, looking down on him as the mere son of a carpenter, an ignorant being
who did not even come out of theology school, a fanatic. But when Jesus went to
the Jerusalem temple and overturned all the tables and drove away all the
sheep, rebuking them and saying, “How dare you make My Father’s house a den of
thieves!” those priests ran away before His divinity, forgetting their dignity
as they were unable to endure His presence. They were truly thieves and
robbers.
When multitudes came to Jerusalem
to worship, those priests bought sheep at wholesale prices and then sold them
for such huge profits that all went into their pockets. At least thieves are
honest about their identity and say, “I’m a thief,” they had a conscience. But
these priests wore the robes of a clergyman as they stole from the people. God
had established them to transform the pitiful people and lead them to eternal
life, not to collect money for themselves. So when Jesus, whom they had always
scorned, chased them away calling them thieves, as they faced Him with His
divine countenance, they were unable to endure it and ran away barefooted.
After running for some time, they suddenly stopped, saying, “Why are we running
away like this from that carpenter’s son, Jesus!” and when they returned in
haste despite their embarrassment, Jesus was there as if nothing had happened,
continuing to heal the pitiful, weak, and wounded souls.
In the same way, when Elijah
appeared before Ahab, though Ahab had looked down upon him and despised him,
before God’s divinity he trembled in fear and no one dared to raise a sword
against him as he simply walked out after pronouncing the death sentence.
People say that they have attended
the seminar at Elijah Gospel Missionary Institute, that they agree with
everything, “It is correct and there’s nothing wrong, it is the truth, it is
God’s word from heaven.” But just agreeing does not mean you are saved. Only
when you accept God as your personal Real Father, only when He abides in you
and His divinity is in your heart, only then can you be saved. To simply say,
“Oh, it seems correct,” cannot give you salvation.
[But the angel of the LORD said to
Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of
Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are
going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore, thus says the
LORD: You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you
shall surely die.’” So Elijah departed.] (1Ki 1:3-4)
Here is a story of another shepherd
of God’s church, his name was Ahaziah. God had made him king to be a leader of
His people, but once he became sick with an incurable disease, instead of going
to the living God who was with him, he called his ministers and said, “Oh, I’m
getting sicker and am on the verge of death. There’s a famous sorcerer in Ekron
so ask him if I will be healed or not.” This was the state of the leader of
God’s church at the time. Can you imagine how our Father must have felt all
throughout history? These were the very beings who were supposed to know God’s
deep heart and His love, and lead the people to Him, to the path of eternal
life. But rather they were being dragged around by demons.
So these ministers obeyed the
king’s command and were going to that sorcereror in Ekron. But God told Elijah
to stop those ministers from going and proclaim the death sentence, saying, [Is
it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of
Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?] This, of course, was also an errand that put
Elijah’s life at risk.
Long ago in the military, if a
military police messenger received an order from his commander to detain even
the lowest-leveled general, if he detained this general for more than a few
minutes, he could be punished, even though he was only doing his duty. So how
much for Elijah in facing the king of a country – this shabby man who was not
even the official prophet, was going to proclaim that the king will die upon
the bed he lied in, so would the king’s ministers and subjects leave him alone?
They would behead him in an instant.
Even though Elisha was the official
prophet, God was once again sending Elijah out on this deadly errand. Truly God
liked having Elijah do His errands more than He did Elisha. God loved Elijah so
much and couldn’t live without him! We also must become such charming last
Elijahs.
God has feelings and emotions just
like us. He is happy, He loves us, He likes us, He even longs for us and
becomes lovesick for us. We must become such charming sons and daughters that
God and Jesus love so much They can’t live apart from us.
So Elijah who was truly worthy of
receiving God’s love, simply replied, “Yes,” and went. Truly what a lovely
relationship between this Father and son! Elijah appeared before those
ministers of the king and scolded them as to why they were going to the god of
Ekron, was the God of Israel dead? They turned pale with fright and ran away as
fast as they could.
Ahaziah was lying on his bed when
his ministers came in whispering amongst themselves? “What’s the matter?” “O
King! We were going over the hill when this man showed up and said, ‘Is there
no God in Israel that you are going to inquire from that demon of Ekron? Go to
your king and tell him he will surely die on his bed and not come down from
it.’” Even without having to ask, it was obvious who it was. All throughout
history, only Elijahs could rebuke the king and leaders of the world of their
sins. We have to become Elijahs.
Nowadays in the churches, if there
is some professor or pastor who rebukes the corruption of the churches,
suddenly their wages are cut and they lose their position, so they stop
speaking. God does not use such cowards. Only those who can stand up to and
rebuke the corruption of the churches and the world, risking their lives a
hundred, a thousand times in order to save the world, are Elijahs.
Now this was God’s second command
to Elijah, to pronounce the death sentence upon Ahaziah. It was a life-risking
errand once again. How could you go to the bedside of the king of a nation, to
dare pronounce a death sentence against him? To do such a thing, even your
corpse would disappear without a trace. But this life-risking errand God was
having Elijah do, not Elisha who was the official prophet at the time. God
always gives the deadly errands to Elijah. Why is that? The first Elijah is a
sample for the last Elijahs who will also do the errands that will put their
life at risk.
If you look at the work that I’m
doing now, truly I am also risking my life. Am I not exposing all the
deceptions and hypocrisy of today’s churches? It seems that I am breaking up
families that were living so peacefully, but they are all actually falling into
ruins. I denounce all countries, families, religions, and education. But this
is the only way they can be saved. Even though I have done this meeting up to
now, no one has been able to touch me. I am perfectly safe as long as I am
doing God’s appointed work. No one can touch me, no one can harm me. Though
they may even try to kill me, every single meeting I am at risk. Who knows when
someone will come into my room with a knife or a gun in their pockets. Even
detectives and policemen have attended this seminar. But while I am obeying
God’s command, not a single person has the power to touch me.
When Moses went before Pharaoh, he
could have died, but God said, “I will fill the number of your days.” As long
as we are obeying God’s command, there is no one that can touch a hair on our
heads for that set time. Let us obey the commands of the Jehovah of Hosts with
our hearts rest assured.
Elijah finally entered King
Ahaziah’s palace. Since he had come under God’s command, there was no reason
for him to ask permission from the secretary of state or anyone. He went to the
bedside of the king and said, “Is there no God in Israel that you should inquire
from that demon of Ekron? You will therefore die upon the bed you lie.” And
after saying that, as he was walking out, not a single person could raise their
sword against Elijah. Had anyone even touched Elijah’s robe, that palace would
have fallen into ruins. Dazzling with divinity, as Elijah walked out with bold
steps, never mind striking him down, no one could even dare touch his robe.
Though all the nations of the world and all religions will unite as a single
force to kill these last Elijahs, no one will be able to touch a single hair on
your head without God’s permission. I hope that you will obey God’s commands
with perfect peace of mind and all go to heaven.
After fulfilling all his missions
that put his life at risk, he walked out hand in hand with God. Then God called
Elijah again. “Elijah!” “Yes?” Now Elijah’s days were all filled up. He had
fulfilled all the missions entrusted him. God could have buried Elijah and
raised him up at Jesus’ Second Advent to take him to heaven. But God could not
bear to be separated with this adorable son who obeyed Him 100% for even a
second. So He said to Elijah, “Elijah! I just can’t live without you. Why don’t
you come with Me, let’s go to our home now.”
When Elisha was called to be the
official prophet, he said, “O God, let me have a farewell party with my
family.” So he left his family after holding a farewell party. But when Elijah
was called, there was nothing like that. He only said “Yes” every time. Moses
had refused again and again when he was first called and God became so upset
that He scolded him, but with Elijah, he had always only said “Yes.” He began
with “Yes” and ended with “Yes.”
There was no one in the Bible as
obedient as Elijah. In these last days, only those who say “Yes” will be the
last Elijahs. Those who say, “Let me think about it, let me pray about it,” and
weigh their prestige, honor, and paycheck, will never be called. I hope you
will become the lovely Elijahs without whom God cannot live for even a minute,
who will just say “Yes.”
When God said to Elijah, “I can’t
live without you so let’s go home together,” Elijah didn’t reply, “Well, let me
say goodbye to the widow who fed me for three and a half years. Let me go home
and say goodbye to my family.” As he had always done, he only replied, “Yes,
Father, if that’s what You want,” and he left. Though Moses had been buried
before being taken to heaven, Elijah ascended to heaven without a grave. Let us
also become those without a grave.
Churches today say that when Jesus
comes, they’ll go to heaven on a cloud. How ridiculous they are! They are
dreaming! Please tell them to stop dreaming and wake up. God will never take
such rotten, smelly churches and put them on a cloud to heaven! They only seek
money and honor. What God will take them to heaven, such sinners that do not
live for God’s glory, only living for their own gain and glory! What God will
take such beings to heaven? The Elijahs that God will take to heaven are the
ones who will risk their lives for God’s glory; even if they lose their lives
ten or a hundred times, they will exalt God and glorify Him. Is there any among
the corrupt churches of the world that can be taken to heaven? Can anyone that
sins go to heaven? No.
Was there anyone that saw Moses
ascend to heaven? Was there anyone that saw Enoch ascend to heaven? Only
Elijah, like Jesus, was seen ascending to heaven in glory. It’s written that
God will give glory as much as glory was rendered Him (John 13:32). Elijah had
rendered the greatest glory to God, and that’s why God bestowed the greatest
glory to Elijah. Likewise with the last Elijahs, it’s because you will render
the greatest glory to God that you will ascend to heaven on the chariot of
clouds most gloriously before all of heaven and earth.
Let us all become such Elijahs.
