The Double Portion and The Two Bears
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!”
He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
2 Kings 2:9-12,23-25
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said, “Take your son.” She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.
2 Kings 4:32-37
Elisha died and was buried.
Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
2 Kings 13:20
Many people do not realize the Old Testament is a history book of God's people, the good, the bad and ugly events are recorded. If you notice, many cults hide the bad things and only show the good, hence the mess that Bill Gothard's ministry has become. If this religion of God were just man-made then only the good stories would be told and all the war, murder, rape, lies and theft would have been swept under the rug, so the speak. But because God is who He says he is, then nothing is hidden. He tells on himself as well as telling on his people. And all the stories point to how badly we need a savior who was promised from the moment Adam and Eve sinned.
ReplyDeleteI can understand one not wanting to believe in god after being raised in gothardite homes. It was all based on performance and image, not developing a relationship with someone who cared and love them so much as to pay for their way into heaven. It is more like being beat with a teddy bear filled with razor blades. From then on, when the person sees a stuffed animal, they see hurt and paint, not cute and cuddly.
My best to you on your journey. No judgement comes from me towards your choices in life.