1 Kings 13 - 22: Micaiah, lying spirits, and false prophets
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- Created on Friday, 10 December 2010 11:53
This is a very strange passage where two "prophets of the LORD" claimed to speak for God and then asked another prophet of the LORD to do something. The first prophets' lie was believed by the younger prophet resulting in his death by a lion. The second prophet told the truth but was not believed by the other prophet which also resulted in his death by a lion!
Finally, there is the bizarre story of Micaiah where God himself is described as sending a lying spirit. What are we to make of these stories? How can we tell if God is speaking through someone or if we are being lied to?
2 Kings 1 - 13: Elisha's Greatest Miracle
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- Created on Thursday, 06 January 2011 11:53
The story of Elisha is filled with spectacular miracles -- in fact, other than the life of Jesus, Elisha's life contains the most dense collection of miracles in the entire Bible. Elisha called rain from heaven and multiplied bread, just as Jesus did. He resurrected a dead boy and provided continuous oil. He healed Naaman of leprosy, called she-bears from the woods, caused an ax head to float and cured poison soup with a little flour. This is just a small sampling of Elisha's impressive list of miracles (all done through the power of God, of course).
There was one miracle associated with the life of Elisha, however, that stands head and shoulders above all the rest and most clearly reflects a central teaching of Jesus Christ.
1 Kings 17 - 19: Mount Horeb to the Mount of Transfiguration
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- Created on Friday, 03 December 2010 11:53
Fire came down from heaven on Mount Carmel and everyone was on their knees, but yet there was no revival. Because of this, Elijah was depressed to the point of desiring death. His mission seemed a failure.
God brought Elijah to Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai) and had a surprising revelation for Elijah (and us). Wind, fire and earthquake came, but God was not in the wind, he was not in the fire, and he was not in the earthquake. God instead revealed himself as a still, small and gentle voice. The meaning of this revelation to Elijah is one of the most profound messages in the entire Old Testament.
Elijah & Elisha
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- Created on Wednesday, 07 May 2008 11:53
Can we find the Good News in this part of the Bible where even Elijah declared, in essence, "I'm the only one you have left God"? What is the Good News? What was revealed about God at the mouth of the cave? During the life of Elisha, countless miracles were performed. What is the point of miracles when it seems that throughout the Bible they are mostly ineffective in winning people to trust in God.
Splitting of the Kingdom
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- Created on Tuesday, 06 May 2008 11:53
During this Bible study we discussed the essence of idolatry that overcame the Kingdom of Israel. Are there any elements of idolatry in Christianity today? We also discussed the ministry of Elijah and Elisha.
