While the kings served the gods of this world, Elijah and Elisha did not. Rather, they were dedicated only to the Word of the Lord, and if the Lord didn’t speak directly to them, they didn’t move at all. When they did move, it was with the power and authority of the Lord, resulting in the dramatic calling down of fire from heaven, a three-year drought, people raised from the dead, and many other miraculous events. But did Elijah and Elisha take any glory? No, Elisha didn’t even accept Naaman’s token of appreciation – so completely was he relying only on the Lord’s provision.
The lives of Elijah and Elisha, as well as the corrupt lives of the kings, serve as important lessons for us today. In addition, there are many prophecies in 1 and 2 Kings that are now being fulfilled. In fact, the entire account is filled with living parables that are relevant for today. The last Chapter of 1 Kings ends with the prophetic ministry facing serious jeopardy.
The first Chapter of 2 Kings opens with an awesome supernatural vindication of God's prophet. Even Elijah seems to have been unaware of exactly when the timeline went past a tipping point into a new day in which the true prophets were never forced to retreat. We seem to be approaching a similar tipping point today. Your own life will be changed forever if you heed the truth that the Lord reveals to you in this book.
The author, Russell M. Stendal, is the editor and translator of the Jubilee Bible (JUB) and Biblia del Jubileo (JBS) translations that are published in English and in Spanish. Well over a million copies of the Biblia del Jubileo have been donated and distributed into the most impoverished areas of Colombia and Venezuela.
Russell Stendal was born in Minneapolis and raised on the mission field in Colombia, South America. He became a missionary jungle pilot at age nineteen. Almost ten years later he was kidnapped in 1983 by Marxist rebels and held hostage for five months. Russell has written many other books, produced videos, and produced the two aforementioned Bible translations.
Russell heads up the work of Colombia Para Cristo, which operates 12 radio stations involving over 100 staff and co-workers and covering much of Latin America with the Gospel. A thriving, underground church has developed in remote jungle areas of Colombia. New, high-gain antennas are now beaming the Gospel message deep into areas of deepening crisis across the borders of Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil as well as throughout Colombia.