ELIJAH THE TISHBITE

Elijah the Tishbite

 

Elijah the Tishbite

            The birth, life and history of many of the men whose  activities are recorded in the Sacred Record are prophetic of things to come. As an illustration,

the "time of Jacob's trouble," to which Jeremiah refers (Jeremiah 30:7), defines a period in the experience of the people of Israel in the last days and

is a description of the troubles which would overtake them as the age draws to its close. But this period of trouble has its pattern in the difficulties

Jacob himself experienced during his lifetime and this is the specific reason it is called the "time of Jacob's trouble."

Our Lord referred to Noah and to happenings in his generation, which would furnish a pattern of events to just precede the close of the age and His triumphant

return. In the days just preceding the coming of the Son of man, the Lord said that conditions upon earth would be "as the days of Noah were." Many other

instances could be cited to show the prophetic significance of the lives and activities of men of old. A study of the many parallels between their lives

and present-day events will shed much light upon the fulfillment of prophecy in modem times.

Translation

Among the men whose lives are recorded in the Bible, those of Enoch and Elijah are of special interest because neither of these men saw death. Both were

translated. Elijah was translated in 3108 A.M. and 888 years later, in 3996 A.M., Christ was born and His name was called Jesus. Now 888 is the numerics

of the name Jesus and He was born 888 years after the ascension of the prophet Elijah, who is a type of those who shall not taste death but be translated

at the time of the second appearing of Jesus Christ. Elijah appeared with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration when Peter, James and John were eyewitnesses

of the coming of the Lord in power and glory (II Peter 1: 16-18).

Law of Moses

The message Elijah gave is associated with the warning which was to go out just before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord: "Remember ye the law of

Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before

the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their

fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:4-6.)

As a prototype, a study of the times and events in Elijah's day, his ministry, the message he gave and the acts he performed, plus the ending of his sojourn

upon earth by translation, throws much interesting prophetic light upon these days in which we are living.

Elijah Appearance

Let us review the life of Elijah as it is revealed to us in the Scriptures. We find that in his day a foreign ideology had so undermined the spiritual

stability of Israel that the nation was in mortal danger from the activities of the enemy within, supported by Jezebel, the wife of Ahab the King. Elijah

suddenly appeared upon the scene and vanished from it as abruptly as he appeared. Young's Analytical Concordance says of him:

"The grandest and most romantic character that Israel ever produced. 'Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead' is literally all we know of his

parentage."

Drought Predicted

The name Elijah means "My God is Jehovah," or "God Himself." In the year we first hear of this prophet, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, had reigned nine years

in Jerusalem and Ahab, King of Israel, twelve years in Samaria. Elijah suddenly appeared on the scene with a message for the King of Israel: "And Elijah

the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain

these years." (I Kings 17: 1.)

James informs us that the actual length of this period of drought was three and a half years (James 5: 17. See also Luke 4: 25).

God Versus Baal

            Israel had apostatized, the people having turned away from the worship of Jehovah, the God of Israel, to embrace Baalism, which was flourishing

in the land under the patronage of Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. The conflict was between Jehovah and Baalism, with Elijah sponsoring the cause of the Lord

and Jezebel that of the false prophets and idolatrous worshipers. Jezebel had sought to murder all the prophets of the Lord and while she had killed many,

she had not succeeded in destroying Elijah, for he suddenly appeared before Ahab and announced that a judgment of drought was to afflict the land. This

drought was not to end until the people acknowledged Jehovah as the God of Israel.

Immediately following that announcement, Elijah disappeared and, though Ahab sought for him in all the surrounding nations, he was unable to find him.

Elijah was not a prophet of peace; his messages were of judgment and his mission was the destruction of heathen worship and judgment upon Israel if the

people refused to heed God's injunctions as the prophet warned them of their evil ways. Ever since the days of Joshua a conflict had been in evidence in

Israel between the forces of good and the powers of evil. The question continually before the people was whether they would follow Jehovah or accept the

heathen God Baal. A crisis had now come in that conflict and Elijah represented the forces of righteousness and Jezebel the power of evil.

Jezebel's Influence

Jezebel exerted a tremendous influence over the affairs of state, though holding no office herself. As the wife of King Ahab her influence in the land

was very great. The King himself was definitely under her power in conducting the affairs of state.

Jezebel was personally responsible for importing the worst and most debasing form of the idolatrous practices of Baalism from Phoenicia and in her zeal

instigated persecution of the followers of Jehovah.

Many of the things Jezebel desired to do, and was able to accomplish, were contrary to the Israel law and to the policies of the predecessors of Ahab.

Strong willed and popular to an extent, at least with those whom she favored, she became a tremendous power behind the throne, even to securing her husband's

consent to the acceptance of the anti-God teachings of a foreign politico-­religious system. These anti-God teachings of a foreign power were repugnant

to the God-fearing men and women in Israel but, in spite of their opposition, Baalism was protected and cultivated and finally became well entrenched in

the land under Jezebel's tutelage and with the consent of Ahab. The leaders, teachers and supporters of these anti-Israelitish beliefs were accepted,

pampered and entertained by Jezebel, and she saw to it that they lacked nothing insofar as she could provide for their needs, even to eating with her at

her table.

Jezebel's powerful influence (with a personality which enabled her to carry out her will) and her control through Ahab over the affairs of state were detrimental

to the well-being of the nation; her sponsorship of a political and religious concept foreign to Israel's constitution and purity of worship brought upon

the nation the very evil which Elijah had announced to Ahab would come upon the land - a great drought. The idolatrous worship of Baalism produced political

deterioration and moral decadency, and exerted a most dangerous influence upon the policies of those who governed the nation.

With this background it is fitting that the name Elijah means "My God is Jehovah" or "God Himself," for the conflict had reached a climax and the tests

were about to be made to see whether the people would serve God or continue to worship Baal. While Ahab was King, back of him was Jezebel and the trial

or test of strength was between Elijah and Jezebel though the

prophet appeared to Ahab and announced God's judgment to him.

The Prophet Miraculously Sustained

Jezebel would have sought to kill Elijah through direct command or by treachery, so immediately following the pronouncement by the Prophet that there would

be no rain in the land the Lord directed him:

"Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook

Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there."

(I Kings 17: 3- 4.)

            The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says:

"Elijah's 'ravens' may indeed be converted by a change of vowel-points into 'Arabians'; but in spite of the fact that Orientals would bring offerings of

food to a holy hermit, the whole tenor of the narrative favors no other supposition than that its writer meant 'ravens."'

Ferrar Fenton, in his translation of this text, suggests Arabs instead of ravens with the following footnote: "The word Arabim, was erroneously translated

'ravens' by the Greek versioners, and the blunder, as usual, has been repeated since. It means Arabs, as I have translated in my text."

Regardless of how this text is rendered, God saw to it that Elijah was supplied with bread and meat: "And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the

morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook." (I Kings 17: 6.)

Elijah and the Widow

            The brook finally failed as a result of the continued drought and the Prophet was instructed to go to Zarephath in Zidon where he would find

a widow with her son and he was to dwell there. Elijah departed and found the woman gathering sticks. He spoke to her:

            "Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me,

I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand." (I Kings 17: 10-11.)

The woman replied that she had only enough meal and oil to make a cake for herself and her son, after which they expected to die. But Elijah told her not

to fear but to make a cake for him first and afterward make cakes for herself and son: "For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall

not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth." (I Kings 17: 14.)

The woman obeyed Elijah, and the barrel of meal did not become empty, nor was the supply of oil exhausted during the remaining years of the drought.

During the time that Elijah stayed with the widow her son was stricken ill and died. She mourned her loss in Elijah's presence, and he took the child to

his chamber and interceded with God that the spirit of life might return again to him. The child was revived and Elijah delivered him to his mother. The

widow then testified: "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth."

(I Kings 17: 24.)

Elijah Sent to Ahab

After many days had passed the Lord commanded Elijah in the third full year of the drought to go to Ahab. Commenting upon the length of the drought, a

footnote in The Companion Bible has this to say concerning the statement in I Kings 17:1; "These years, (not three years). No definite

period stated. 'Years' is pl., not dual. In Luke 4: 25 and James 5: 17: 'three years and six months.' These six months must be reckoned before the three

years, not added at the end because of 'the third year,' i.e., the third full year."

The famine was very severe in the land and Ahab and Obadiah, the governor of his house, were out hunting pasture in order to save the lives of the king's

horses and mules if possible. Obadiah had gone in one direction and Ahab in another.

Obadiah Meets Elijah

When Jezebel sought to slay all the prophets of the Lord Obadiah hid one hundred of them in a cave, supplying bread and water to sustain them. It was at

that time that Elijah met Obadiah and the latter exclaimed, "Are you here, my Lord Elijah?"

            The prophet told him to go inform Ahab that he was there, but Obadiah was fearful that, while he went to tell Ahab, Elijah would again disappear.

He told the Prophet that there was not a kingdom or nation where Ahab had not sought to find him and he had even taken an oath from those in the places

where he sought Elijah to positively confirm the fact that they did not know his whereabouts. Obadiah told Elijah that if he informed Ahab that the Prophet

was in the vicinity and Elijah again disappeared Ahab would slay him. Obadiah reminded Elijah that he had saved the lives of a hundred of the prophets

when Jezebel sought to kill them. At the conclusion of Obadiah's plea Elijah reassured him that he would be there and would meet Ahab that same day. Obadiah

did as he was instructed, and Ahab came to meet Elijah. When he saw the Prophet he exclaimed: "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" But Elijah answered:

"I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Balaam." (I

Kings 18: 18.)

A Challenge

Elijah wasted no time in coming to the point and, with the boldness that marks the true prophet, disregarded himself as he lashed out against the false

beliefs of the people and the idolatrous religion sponsored by Ahab's wife. Elijah immediately challenged Ahab to arrange a test. He demanded that all

Israel be gathered at Mount Carmel and with them four

hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, besides four hundred of the prophets of the Shrines of Baal who dined at Jezebel's table. Ahab complied with the Prophet's

request and when all Israel had gathered at Mount Carmel Elijah addressed them:

"How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." (I Kings 18: 21.)

 But the people did not answer him. Consequently Elijah, after asking that the prophets of the Lord be separated from those of Baal, proposed that the

following test be made. Two bullocks were to be brought and the prophets of Baal were to offer one on an altar while Elijah, the Prophet of the Lord, would

place the other on an altar. No fire was to be applied. The

prophets of Baal were to call upon their god and Elijah was to call upon his God. The one who answered by fire would be the one true God. The people all

agreed to the plan.

Prophets of Baal

An answer by fire was universally recognized as the acceptance of a sacrifice. In giving assent to the test Ahab, the King, and Israel admitted this. Baal

was the god of fire and a personification of the sun. Thus the test proposed by Elijah was readily accepted by the people. The prophets of Baal might have

been dubious but before the King and that great assembly they dared not hesitate.

Elijah asked the prophets of Baal to make the first demonstration, so they dressed their bullock and placed it upon the altar. Then they began to call

upon Baal, all that morning until noon, saying:

"O Baal, hear us, But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah

mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must

be awaked. And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass,

when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor

any that regarded."

(I Kings 18: 26-29.)

Evening Sacrifice

Noon, or midday, extended to 3 P.M., and during this time the prophets of Baal continued while Elijah made fun of them. The time of the evening sacrifice

would be three o'clock that afternoon. Elijah, under the direction of God, had selected that hour to make his demonstration as it was the hour of the day

with which all Israel would associate the time of sacrifice to Jehovah, the God of Israel. It was also the time of day that the Pastoral lamb was slain

for the Passover and later it was the hour that Jesus Christ died on the cross, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. It was therefore fitting

that Elijah should begin his demonstration at the time of the evening sacrifice for he had from three o'clock until sunset to complete the task:

"And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down."

(I Kings 18: 30.)

The Altar of the Lord

Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, and built an altar in the name of the Lord. He made a trench about the altar

and Ferrar Fenton gives the capacity of it as about two hogsheads or between one and two hundred gallons.

After completing the altar and laying the wood and the bullock upon it, Elijah commanded that four barrels of water be poured upon the burnt offering and

the wood. He commanded that it be done a second and a third time and the trench also was filled with water. It seems that Elijah had completed the construction

of the altar before the time of the evening sacrifice, no doubt building it during the time the prophets of Baal were constructing their altar and making

their demonstration:

"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and

of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me,

O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.” (I Kings 18: 36-37.)

The Fire of God

            God answered Elijah in a emonstration of fire and heat comparable to the energy released by the splitting of the atom. This fire the Scriptures

designate as the fire of the Lord for it was not like any other fire with which they were familiar:

 "Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the

trench."

(I Kings 18: 38.)

This demonstration of the power of God, who answered Elijah's prayer by fire, had an electrifying effect upon the people witnessing the

scene, who saw the results of the fire and its tremendous heat which consumed not only the sacrifice but the stones, earth and water. All the people fell

upon their faces.

Could it be that the small amount of force released for the purpose of consuming this sacrifice was sufficiently powerful to cause physical prostration?

The people knew that the power of God was in this fire and exclaimed: "The Lord, he is the God: the Lord, he is the God!"

It is certain that energy of this kind is only safe at the command of men who, like Elijah, are consecrated to the service of the Lord. They alone are

capable of the restraint needed in handling such power. In the contest before the King and the people, Elijah had established the fact that Jehovah was

the God of Israel. By this one test he annihilated the strength of Baal worship in Israel and defeated the subtle and evil works of Jezebel.

Prophets of Baal Killed

            Elijah ordered the people to take all the prophets of Baal and not let one of them escape. They were taken down to the Brook Kishon and slain

there. Under the law of Israel idolatry was punishable by death and there is no doubt that, as heathen priests, those prophets of Baal were far from guiltless

in the slaying of many of the prophets of the Lord as they helped

Jezebel in her murderous program.

The people having acclaimed: "The Lord he is the God," Elijah said to Ahab: "Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain." (I

Kings 18: 41.)

The Drought Broken

The Prophet was referring to a sound from the ocean which indicated the coming of rain. He sent his servant to the top of Carmel and Elijah sat down with

his head upon his knees, perhaps in complete exhaustion after the strenuous happenings of that day. The servant looked toward the sea and reported seeing

nothing. The Prophet sent the servant again-and for seven times. The seventh time he reported he saw a little cloud coming up from the sea, as small as

a man's hand.

Evidently the release of atomic fire had a marked and immediate effect upon atmospheric conditions, for Elijah warned Ahab to make haste for a very great

rain was about to begin.

Mean­ time, the heavens became black with clouds and there was a very high wind. As Ahab rode toward Jezreel, a city at the eastern side of the great plain

of Esdraelon, Elijah ran before him to the entrance of the city. Evidently the Prophet remained outside the city while Ahab entered and told Jezebel all

that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets of Baal with the sword.

Jezebel's Reaction

Elijah had won the people and even Ahab was convinced by the demonstration which he had witnessed. He gave Jezebel an account of all that Elijah had done

with the hope of convincing her also, but without success. Jezebel sent word to Elijah saying: "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not

thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." (I Kings 19: 2.)

            Ahab had no control over his wife; in fact, she completely dominated the situation and was able to override any objections the King might have

had and assume authority to act as though she were the king. This is evidenced in her threat to kill Elijah before sunset the next day. The Prophet knew

the vindictive and evil ways of Jezebel and fled for his life, going into the land of Judah where he left his servant. Evidently he did not dare remain

there for Ahab, King of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, were friendly. After leaving his servant at Beersheba in Judah, Elijah went on a day's

journey into the wilderness. Weary, tired and despondent, he sat down under a juniper tree and requested of the Lord that he might die saying: "It is enough;

now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." (I Kings 19: 4.)

Fed By An Angel

Some have condemned Elijah for fleeing; yet the Prophet knew that the time of judgment upon Jezebel had not yet arrived, and she was in a position to carry

out her threat. So he fled to safety. While it is true that Elijah had won the acclaim of the people as a result of the trial with the prophets of Baal,

and they recognized the Lord as the true God, he had little success with Ahab. The King's acceptance was influenced by the reaction of Jezebel, whom Ahab

evidently feared to offend more than he feared the Prophet. As a result of the trial and subsequent flight for his life, Elijah was physically exhausted,

and he fell asleep under the juniper tree. He was finally awakened by an angel who had prepared food for him to eat and water to drink. After partaking

of this refreshment, the Prophet went to sleep again. Later the angel awoke him the second time, saying:

"Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee." (I Kings 19: 7.)

The Journey to Horeb

Following his refreshing sleep, and the strength gained through the food the angel served him, Elijah continued his journey for forty days until he came

to Horeb, the Mount of God. Arriving at the Mount, the Prophet made his lodging in a cave. The Lord asked him what he was doing there and Elijah said:

"I have been very jealous [zealous] for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain

thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (I Kings 19: 10.)

The Demonstration

Thereupon the Lord issued a command to Elijah which was followed by a tremendous demonstration:

"And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and

brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." (I Kings 19: 11-12.)

Elijah lived in a time of spiritual decadency, to which fact he bore testimony. It was a period of conflict and in the demonstration by tempest, earthquake

and fire--in a sense symbolical of the contending forces-the Prophet was shown that the Lord was not in any of it. Then he heard the still small voice.

The multitudes in Israel are always unable to hear this voice directing and guiding His servants in the paths of righteousness. When Elijah recognized

the Presence of the Lord he wrapped his face in his mantle and went and stationed himself in the entrance of the cave. The Voice addressed him and asked,

"What doest thou here, Elijah?" The Prophet replied as before that he was zealous for the Lord but His prophets had been slain, Israel had forsaken His

covenant and they even sought his life.

The Command

The Voice commanded him to return by the way of the wilderness of Damascus and anoint Hazael to be King over Syria and Jehu to be King over Israel. Also,

he was to anoint Elisha to be a prophet in his place. The Lord then said: "And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall

Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay." (I Kings 19: 17.)

In spite of the great apostasy, the misrule of Ahab and the violence of Jezebel, the Lord informed Elijah: “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel,

all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." (I Kings 19: 18.)

Elijah did as he was commanded and departed from the Mount of God. Finding Elisha plowing in his field, he cast his mantle over him as he passed by. That

was a sign to Elisha that he was to follow Elijah and, if faithful, he would finally become his successor. He accepted the call and the mantle of Elijah

was to become his after he had ministered to the needs of the prophet.

Smear Campaign

One of the early uses of the smear technique is recounted in the story of Jezebel's dealings and removal of Naboth so Ahab could possess his vineyard.

Ahab coveted a vineyard near his palace which was owned by Naboth, who refused to sell his ancestral inheritance to the King. Jezebel noticed that Ahab

was downcast and, learning that he was troubled because Naboth refused to sell his vineyard, she said:

"Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

(I Kings 21:7)

Naboth's Death

In order to discredit Naboth, Jezebel sent letters in the name of Ahab to the elders of the city where Naboth lived, instructing them to proclaim a feast

and place Naboth at the head of it. They were then to get two witnesses to testify that while in this position Naboth libeled God and the King, then he

was to be adjudged guilty, taken out and stoned to death.

If Naboth was true to God, he no doubt would have libeled Baal, the god of Jezebel. However, the false witnesses testified against him and he was tried,

found guilty and stoned to death. When Jezebel heard that her plans to bring false accusation against Naboth had succeeded, and that he was dead, she told

Ahab to take possession of his vineyard. And Ahab went down to the vineyard and took possession.

Ahab in Naboth's Vineyard

The word of the Lord came to Elijah to go and meet Ahab whom he would find in Naboth's vineyard and to whom he was to say:

"Hast thou killed, and taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth

shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." (I Kings 21: 19.)

Ahab said to Elijah, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" Actually, Elijah was his best friend but because of his evil acts the Prophet was sent to reprimand

him. Because of this Elijah had become an enemy in the sight of the King. But Elijah answered:

"I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy prosperity,

and will cut off from Ahab every male that is shut up and left in Israel. And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like

the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger and made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the

Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field

shall the fowls of the air eat." (I Kings 21: 20-24.)

The account then declares that Ahab had sold himself to work evil, stirred to such acts by Jezebel, his wife. He worshiped the idols and committed the

abominations of the Amorites whom the Lord had driven out of the land.

 Ahab Repents

            When Ahab heard the judgment Elijah pronounced against him he rent his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. Because he humbled himself, the

Lord told Elijah he would not bring about the evil in Ahab's day but it would come upon his house in the days of his son.

            In a war which followed between Syria and Israel, with Judah allied with Israel, Ahab was slain. His son, Ahaziah, became king but he served

Baal and worshiped him, provoking the God of Israel to anger.

Ahaziah Falls Sick

Ahaziah had a serious fall and became sick. He sent messengers to inquire of Beelzebub (the fly god to whom appeals were made in time of sickness), the

god of Ekron (a city of the Philistines) if he would recover. But Elijah met the messengers and said to them: "Is it not because there is not a God in

Israel, that ye go to inquire of Beelzebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art

gone up, but shalt surely die." (II Kings 1: 3-4.)

The messengers returned to the King who was surprised that they had turned back without completing their mission. They then gave the King the message Elijah

had given them. Ahaziah asked what type of man it was who sent him that message and the messengers said: "He was an hairy man [evidently a reference to

his raiment of hair] and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins." (II Kings 1: 8.)

Destruction by Fire

The King recognized the Prophet and he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite." Then the King sent the captain of his guard with fifty men to the hill on top

of which Elijah was living and commanded him to come down. The Prophet answered: "If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from

heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty." (II Kings 1: 10.)

A second company was sent to take Elijah and they were destroyed in the same manner. A third company came but their captain implored Elijah to spare him

and his fifty men. Then the Angel of the Lord told Elijah it was safe for him to go with this company. And so the Prophet went with this captain and his

guard to the King and said:

            "Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Beelzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in

Israel to inquire of his word? Therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die." (II Kings 1: 16.)

The King died according to the word of the Lord as spoken by Elijah.

The Journey to the Jordan

The time was approaching when Elijah was

From the Scriptures for America Dragon Slayer newsletter, 2025 Vol. 8. To receive the Dragon Slayer, email preacher@sfaw.org or phone 307-742-7582.

SAMUEL WHITMORE: GENTLEMAN FARMER, AMERICAN PATRIOT AND TIMELESS INSPIRATION

Know Your Heritage:   Samuel Whittemore: Gentleman Farmer,   American Patriot and Timeless Inspiration

 

Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.                          Psalm 144:1                   As Americans, we know about the significance of Lexington and Concord and “The Shot Heard around the World.” Many of the names of those involved on that faithful day have disappeared with time, but one name should stand out as a source of inspiration to all American Patriots; Samuel Whittemore.   There is some debate as to where Samuel Whittemore was born. However, he was probably born in England in 1694. Whittemore served in the British Army and rose to the rank of Captain. Captain Whittemore was drawn to the new world and he loved with his wife and his eight children to the Massachusetts  Colony. He settled in the community of Menotomy to pursue his dream of working the land as a farmer. However, Captain Whittemore’s dream of peace and tranquility would be short lived. You see, Samuel Whittemore’s hands were trained for war and his fingers for battle.    In 1763, when Captain Whittemore was 64 years old, he took up arms to fight against the French on behalf of the British. Five years later at the age of 69, he again took up arms as a Colonial militiaman to fight in the Indian Wars. Pretty impressive considering his age but this isn’t the end of Samuel Whittemore’s story… Captain Whittemore would go on to be the American Revolution’s Caleb.   In the book of Joshua, Chapter 14, we read about Caleb. Caleb was a powerful Israelite man, best known for his unwavering faith and loyalty to God during the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land. He was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to scout out   Canaan and, unlike the majority, he believed God's promise that they could conquer the land. Caleb made a special request of Moses. He asked to occupy the land of the Anakim. The land of the Anakim was a heavily fortified city inhabited by giants. However, Caleb was not afraid. Did I mention Caleb was 85 years old at the time...   So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘The land on which your foot has walked shall certainly be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’

 

And now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was on the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out just as the Lord has spoken.Joshua 14:9-12   In the 1760s, the trouble between the American Colonies and the British King had been brewing for decades. The Massachusetts Bay colony was a hot bed of resistance against the king’s tyranny. Samuel Whittemore had long since given up his loyalty to the British crown. He was now an American and wanted his children, grandchildren, and future descendants to have a voice in making their own laws, free from the whims of a distant king.   By all accounts, the morning of April 19, 1775 was cold and damp. As was his custom, Samuel Whittemore was out of the house before daybreak, working on his farm. Whittemore had heard rumors in Menotomy that the Redcoats had orders to march on Lexington and Concord. Whittemore did not think much of it. Tensions were high and it was common to hear such talk. His thinking changed when he saw the first group of 700 Redcoats march through town. As he made his way back to his house, he saw another group of British soldiers marching towards Lexington and Concord. This time there were more than a thousand in number. He knew the British would be marching back. Much like Caleb, Sam Whittemore knew what he must do.   I am still as strong today as I was on the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.   Even though he was almost 81 years old, Samuel Whittemore returned to his home and prepared for battle. He first buckled on his sword and belt. The sword was French and had been taken from a French officer by Captain Whittemore during the French and Indian War. He then retrieved a matched pair of flintlock pistols which had also been liberated from a French Officer who had met with “sudden death” (as told by Whittemore). Lastly, he loaded his trusty musket and made his way out the door.     You see, much like Caleb, Samuel Whittemore knew who he was. He knew America was the land promised to his people by the Almighty God and Sam Whittemore was willing to go to war with giants to keep it.               Whittemore took up an ambush position behind a stone wall along the Lexington Road. Other Menotomy Minute Men formed skirmish lines in preparation to meet the British head on. The Minute Men plead with Samuel to move to a safer spot, but Sam proclaimed, “If I can only be the instrument of killing one of my country's foes, I shall die in peace.”   When the British drew near, the Menotomy Minute Men  started firing and then retreated out of range to reload their weapons.   However, Sam never waivered from his spot behind the stonewall. He waited in his ambush position until the Redcoats were almost right in front of him. At the last possible second, he leapt out. He first fired his musket, he then drew the brace of pistols and at almost point-blank range, fired both pistols. The result was two dead redcoats and one mortally wounded dying on the ground.   In between the chaos and smoke, a British soldier was able to close the distance on Samuel. The redcoat fired his musket at Whittemore’s head. The musket ball tore through his cheek, and ripped off most of one side of Sam’s face. The concussion of the muzzle blast threw Whittemore to the ground where a group of British soldiers surrounded and attacked him.   For a time, Sam managed to fend off the British bayonets with his sword until a soldier struck him on the head with a musket butt. The soldiers then went mad with rage and bayoneted Samuel 13 times. The people of the town overheard the redcoats as they exclaimed, “We have killed the old rebel bastard!”   The British left Menotomy and continued their retreat towards Boston. They paid the price though. The British left 40 of their soldiers dead on the ground and 80 wounded. About four hours later after the last British troops finally disappear in the distance, the Menotomy town people and Minute Men came out of their homes and off their farms in order to collect their wounded and dead.   Many fully expected to find Sam Whittemore's body, since a number of them witnessed his fight and saw him fall. Imagine their shock and surprise when they discovered him alive and in the process of reloading his musket, hoping to get one last shot at the retreating Redcoats.               Using a door as a makeshift stretcher, the towns people loaded Sam up and carried him to nearby Cooper Tavern. Dr. Nathaniel Tufts from Medford attended Whittemore’s extensive and rather horrific wounds. The townspeople recounted all of this in quite graphic detail in their letters and journals.

 

Certain that Whittemore would die from internal bleeding and injuries, Dr. Tufts remarked that even attempting to dress so many wounds was useless. Only because friends and family insisted did he patch Sam up the best he could before sending him home to die.   However, Samuel Whittemore did not die. He lived to see the Colonies throw off the chains of tyranny and declare their independence from the British Crown. He lived another 18 years dying at the age of 99… of old age.   At the time of his death, Samuel Whittemore had 185 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren. He left them an inheritance of the land, the example of a warrior and the legacy of liberty. At the time of his death, they were free Americans and not the subjects of a counterfeit king.   The land on which your foot has walked shall certainly be an   inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully. In fidelity to our God, men like Samuel Whittemore have left to us the same inheritance, example and legacy.               We all grow older and hopefully wiser. As we do, let us remember the  stories of Caleb and Samuel Whittemore. There is no time like the present to be a patriot and a warrior in  service to our Lord, King Jesus.               May we be prepared and willing to face the giants… in whatever form they may come.

  From the Scriptures for America Dragon Slayer newsletter, 2025 Vol. 8.

AH: Despite the errors, I thought it was worth posting this article concerning this little-known and remarkable historical figure.

EXTREMELY FLIRTY WOMAN GIVES MAN HER NUMBER EVEN THOUGH HER HUSBAND IS ON THE SAME FLIGHT

PEOPLE

 

'Super Flirty' Woman Gives Man Her Number on Plane, Then He Realizes Her Husband Is on the Same Flight

By Nicki Cox  Published on August 31, 2025 01:00PM EDT

 

A man is "still trying to process" what unfolded between him and the woman seated next to him on a recent flight

 

The 35-year-old man recounted the experience on Reddit, explaining that he had snagged a seat in the middle of the plane near the exit row when a "gorgeous woman asked if she could take the seat next to me."

 

The man, who noted that "seating is first come first serve" on that particular airline carrier, "politely accepted, made some room and the plane took off."

 

"Before take off, we hit it off instantly. For reference this woman was super flirty, had no wedding ring and from what I could see, looked like she was alone when boarding but I was wrong," he continues.

 

The two discussed their travel plans, as she was going to Los Angeles "to visit some friends" while he was there for "work."

 

"At one point she got super handsy and even ended up placing her leg over mine and moved the armrest between us to get closer," he explains.

 

Assuming "she was single," the man "quickly made plans," asking if she wanted to meet up for a drink while they were both in town.

 

"Turned out she was staying at the same hotel as me which was crazy," he writes. "We ended up exchanging numbers and we legit made plans for that evening and I had a feeling things were going to get spicy."

 

However, when they landed, her mood instantly changed. The poster said she "quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, said her goodbyes and made sure that she was one of the first people off the plane," which he "thought was odd."

 

"After I walked down the ramp, to my surprise I saw her, except this time she had a wedding ring on her finger and was holding hands with a man as they were walking to get their bags," he writes.

 

That night, he texted her about what he saw, but she "brushed it off and avoided the topic." With an uneasy feeling about the situation, the man decided to stop replying.

 

However, that wasn't the end of their strange story.

 

"I ended up grabbing the drink that night and again to my surprise, her and this same man ended up sitting at the bar directly across from me," he writes. "She never approached me and made flirty eye contact all night. Wild stuff."

STORIES ABOUT GRAHAM LINEHAN

The Free Press

 

I Posted on X. The British Police Arrested Me.

I was arrested at Heathrow, thrown in a cell, rushed to the hospital as my blood pressure spiked, and then silenced online—all for posting on social media.

By Graham Linehan

09.02.25 —

 

You may not know Graham Linehan’s name. But you should. The Irish comedian and co-creator of the popular sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd was long considered one of the most successful comedy writers in the United Kingdom.

 

Then he became one of Britain’s most outspoken critics of trans ideology. First Linehan was criticized for a 2008 episode of The IT Crowd which activists called transphobic when it re-aired years later. Then, in 2018, Linehan praised as “heroes” protesters at London’s Pride Parade who had carried banners that read “transactivism erases lesbians.” Ever since, Linehan has been the target of a relentless campaign by trans activists. He has been sued, repeatedly banned from X, and ostracized from the showbiz community. Linehan has said that accusations of transphobia have made it impossible for him to find work in Britain. Last year, he moved to the United States.

 

On Monday, Linehan was arrested by British police at Heathrow Airport, thrown in a cell, then rushed to the hospital for dangerously high blood pressure. All of this for the crime of three posts on X in April.

 

Today, we bring you Graham Linehan’s story, told from his hospital bed. —The Editors

 

Something odd happened before I even boarded my flight from Arizona to London. When I handed over my passport at the gate, the official told me I didn’t have a seat and had to be re-ticketed. At the time, I thought it was just the sort of innocent snafu that makes air travel such a joy. But in hindsight, it was clear I’d been flagged. Someone, somewhere, had made a phone call.

 

The moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, five armed police officers were waiting. They escorted me to a private area and told me I was under arrest for three posts on X. In a country where pedophiles escape prison, where knife crime is out of control, the state had mobilized five armed officers to arrest a comedy writer for these three posts (and no, I promise you, I am not making this up).

 

When I first saw the cops, I actually laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “Don’t tell me! You’ve been sent by trans activists,” I said. The officers didn’t react.

 

This was the theme throughout most of the day. Among the rank and file of the police, there was a sort of polite bafflement. They were entirely professional and even kind, but most had absolutely no idea what any of this was about.

 

Once the officers began reading me my rights, and I realized what was happening, the red mist descended. The officers saw how upset I was and treated me gently after that. They even arranged for a van to meet me on the tarmac so I didn’t have to be perp-walked through the airport like a terrorist. Small mercies.

 

At Heathrow police station, my belt, bag, and devices were confiscated. Then I was shown into a small, green-tiled cell with a bunk and a silver toilet in the corner.

 

Later, during my interview with an officer, the tone shifted. He asked about each of the posts in turn, with the sort of earnest intensity usually reserved for discussing something serious like. . . oh, I don’t know—crime?

 

I explained that the post about punching a trans-identified man in a female-only space was a serious point made with a joke. Men who enter women’s spaces are abusers, and they need to be challenged every time.

 

The officer mentioned the term trans people. I asked him what he meant by the phrase. “People who feel their gender is different than what was assigned at birth,” he said.

 

“Assigned at birth?” I responded. “Our sex isn’t assigned.” He called it semantics. I told him he was using activist language.

 

Eventually, a nurse came to check on me and found my blood pressure was over 200 mm Hg—stroke territory. So, I was escorted to the emergency room, where I wrote this piece after spending about eight hours under observation.

 

The doctors suggested the high blood pressure was stress-related, combined with long-haul travel and lack of movement. I feel a contributing factor might have been that I’ve now spent eight years being targeted by trans activists working in tandem with police in a dedicated, persistent harassment campaign, all because I refuse to believe that men can become women.

 

I was offered bail, on one condition: I am not to go on X. That’s it. No threats, no speeches about the seriousness of my crimes—just a legal gag order designed to shut me up while I’m in the UK, and a demand I face another police interview in October.

 

The fact that the individual officers were civil doesn’t alter the fundamental reality of what happened. I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to the hospital because the stress nearly killed me, and banned from speaking online—all because I made jokes on X.

 

The UK has become a country that is hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, abusive men who have turned the police into their personal goon squad.

 

 

This piece was originally published on Graham Linehan’s Substack, The Glinner Update.

 

Graham Linehan

Graham Linehan is an Irish comedian and co-creator of the sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd.

National Review

 

England’s Arrest of Graham Linehan Was an Act of Calculated Tyranny

By Charles C. W. Cooke

September 2, 2025 7:19 PM

 

The country’s illiberalism toward speech about transgenderism shocks even me.

 

Here is the first line of a story in today’s Guardian, a British newspaper:

 

block quote

The writer of TV’s Father Ted has been arrested at Heathrow over three social media posts on transgender issues.

block quote end

 

If you click the link and scroll down, you’ll see that there is more to the piece than that one sentence. But there doesn’t need to be. The whole tale is contained within those 19 words. If you read on, you will find no complicating factors or exculpatory details or sins of omission. The news is exactly as it appears: In England, yesterday afternoon, the police deliberately arrested a man who was flying in from the United States because he had expressed views on Twitter that the British government does not like. England — not North Korea, or Russia, or China. England — the land of John Stuart Mill and Thomas Paine and Monty Python. For tweets on transgender issues. Tweets — not threats of imminent violence, or a credible vow to blow up the airport upon arrival. Tweets — on issues about which people profoundly disagree.

 

Since I moved to the United States in 2011, I have been chronicling the increasingly illiberal attitude to free expression that has been adopted in my country of birth. But this one, I will confess, surprised even me. Typically, I appeal to the First Amendment as the quintessential example of how things ought to be. Here, I do not have to go that far. Here, it is the British censorial attitude, not American permissiveness, that is the outlier on the world stage. I have no brief for Canada or Germany or New Zealand, but, bad as they may be when compared to the United States, I cannot imagine that any of them would have engaged in the same behavior given the same facts. This one was egregious on an entirely new scale.

 

The worst part, I think, is that it happened at Heathrow Airport. Why? Because that confirms that it was planned. Sometimes, police officers overreact or act rashly or misinterpret the law. But this was as deliberate and premeditated as it gets. Having seen a trio of social-media posts of which it disapproved, the Metropolitan Police saw fit to track a man down as he traversed international waters, and to intercept him before he could enter the country. To achieve this end, moreover, they sent no fewer than five officers — enough to staff a basketball team — the better to ensure that they had a policeman for each leg, a policeman for each thumb, and, just in case their target were to shout out defiantly to a phone-wielding assistant, a policeman to cover his mouth for good measure. I am making light of it, yes. But, in effect, that was the play: to use the power of the British government to silence a dissenting voice online. As it now stands, Graham Linehan has been bailed pending further investigation — of what, one must ask — with a single stipulation having been attached to his release: that he stay away from Twitter for the duration.

 

The nature of his arrest renders the contrast as clear as it could possibly be. Yesterday, Linehan was in the United States — living his life, sharing his opinions, enjoying his independence. Today, he is in England — under observation, subject to surveillance, at liberty only if he vows not to speak where people might hear. This is not, I’m afraid to say, one of those questions of taste: In this matter, America has got it right, and England has got it wrong. What was done to Graham Linehan was an act of calculated tyranny of the sort to which the British have become far too accustomed in recent decades. In other circumstances, they would be likely able to see this. Were an Englishman to fly to Russia and be arrested for making jokes or pointed comments, the contours would at once seem familiar. But with transgenderism as the topic, “hate” as the justification, and the United States as the foil, a myopia descends.

 

I cannot quite put my finger on why, but, all in all, it seems to me wholly appropriate that, immediately after Linehan was arrested for speaking, he was taken to an NHS-run hospital to recover. That, evidently, is the new British mode. In the year 2025, Britain has a parliament that can meet to help you kill yourself, but not to protect your speech; an exchequer that can pluck the population’s feathers from 9,000 different angles, but that has no interest in generating wealth; and a network of police forces that are incapable of solving the most sordid crimes imaginable, but that are sufficiently well-staffed to guarantee that if an outspoken Irish comedian steps off a plane from Arizona, he will be met by enough lawmen to fill a small office. During the worst days of Covid-19, the British government instructed the population to sacrifice every last human desire it had to ensure the survival and comfort of their state-provided nurses. Mercifully, that virus has mostly disappeared. Regrettably, it has been replaced by another one — and, this time, there is no antidote available but sustained mass revolt.