PROPHETIC RESTORATION (2)

“And he REPAIRED the ALTAR of the Lord that was broken down” – 1 Kings 18:30b

In opposition to the anti-Christ trends of his days, Elijah engaged in acts of PROPHETIC RESTORATION: “And Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he REPAIRED the ALTAR of the Lord that was broken down” (1 Kgs.18:30).  Restoration implies a building back of everything to its original state, just as God had made it at the beginning. Restoration means recovering one’s freedom, liberty, and inheritance. However, restoration rarely occurs in an atmosphere of neutrality. It is common for it to encounter Opposition and Resistance. This was the case with Elijah on Mount Carmel, one man and His God against the evil King Ahab, his vile wife Jezebel, and hundreds of the prophets of Baal.

Ahab and Elijah were absolute opposites to one another. Ahab had done more to provoke the Lord to anger than anyone else before him (1 Kgs.16: 30-34; 21:25). An anti-God man, a man of apostacy, Ahab gave himself over entirely to idolatry. Eijah, on the other hand, was God’s restored man, who operated in realms of Prophetic Restoration. These two men were totally opposed to one another. Creation always strives for equilibrium. Therefore, when the apostate Ahab emerged, a man of God in the person of Elijah had to be raised up to stand in opposition.

Thus, Elijah came forward at the time of greatest darkness, at the Antichrist-time, as a type of God’s Man. Times of darkness and trouble produce such exemplary men of God. Before the Lord’s return, there will be times of trouble and birth-pains, when everything will disintegrate. The balance then demands the opposite course of things – times of restoration. The Elijah generation must be raised up, in order to restore all things (Matt.17:11). Apart from repairing the Altar, here are few qualities in Elisha that distinguished him as a Prophetic Restorer:

Elijah appeared as the Lord’s representative, the Lord’s agent with full powers to act on His behalf. He derived his authority from the Lord, similar to how Adam, before his fall, was appointed to have dominion over creation.

Elijah learnt to live in the Lord’s unlimited resources, as seen in the encounter with the widow of Zarephath.

Elijah had authority over, and was in harmony with the created world. He intervened in the weather pattern and stopped the rain, until Ahab and the people were ready to stand before the Lord on Carmel. This right to interfere with nature was also a right given to Adam (Gen.1:28).

Elijah had a highly-developed prayer life. He undertook prayer-responsibility for the nation. He challenged the whole anti-God state by means of a sign, given to him by God, so as to carry the whole people forward to the point of decision.

Elijah is the type of the man who arises as counter-balance to the Antichrist type – the man of lawlessness and destruction (2The.2:3-4).