WHY DID ELIJAH NOT EXPERIENCE DEATH? | Part 2
The second point the Bible reveals about Elijah’s life is his obedience (1 Kings 18:36). It is essential to understand that serving the Lord and obeying Him are distinct matters. When service to the Lord is sincere and strictly in accordance with God’s will, it is accompanied by obedience. However, when one serves for a position, a salary, fame, power, or any other motive, that service does not constitute obedience.
Today, many claim to serve the Lord, yet they lack a heart of obedience. As mentioned earlier, “serving the Lord” is not limited to spiritual leaders within the church; it includes all Christians, regardless of profession or circumstances. While some may appear to serve the Lord, they are actually acting out of self-interest—or worse, following societal trends and the world’s prevailing fashions. Such service merely provides an opening for the devil and the world to manipulate the church, distort God’s truth, and lead His people astray from the path of the Lord. This type of service fails to strengthen God’s people, expand the church’s influence, or bring glory to His name; furthermore, it proves ineffective in hindering the advance of the dark forces that serve as agents of Satan.
The United States serves as a tangible example of the consequences of Christians’ disobedience. European Christians founded this nation and migrated here beginning in the 16th century—a fact reflected in its Constitution. Because of their hearts, a young nation like the United States could, in such a short time, become the world’s number one superpower. While humanity might attribute this success to its own capabilities, how could the United States have achieved such prosperity without God’s blessing? Are people in other nations truly incapable of such feats? It is this pride—this reliance on one’s own strength—that has led to the decline of the United States as we see it today.
Although vestiges of the founders’ original traditions remain, and some remnants of past prosperity endure, the devil’s dark forces have permeated every level of society. Corruption, deceit, crime, moral decay, madness, and unnatural, aberrant behaviors are rampant, infiltrating everywhere, including homes and families. This demonstrates that the forces of evil have gained ground not only in the spiritual realm but also in the physical world—within our schools and our government. The agents of the devil are visible everywhere. If Christians in the United States do not return to the Lord—if they do not begin to learn and practice obedience—then this nation, too, will fall into ruin, poverty, and the loss of freedom, just like so many other nations across the globe.
All the saints, from the time of Abraham onward, have shared a common characteristic: the willingness to obey the Lord (Genesis 26:5; Isaiah 20:2; Matthew 3:15; Acts 5:29; Hebrews 11:8). The Lord Jesus Himself set the example of obedience to the Father (Hebrews 5:8). In the sight of God, the obedience of His children is better than sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22). This is because the Lord desires for His people to be blessed. Obedience is one of the key secrets to receiving God’s blessings in every aspect of life—from the individual and the church to the nation as a whole (Exodus 19:5; Jeremiah 4:26; James 1:25).
Beyond receiving blessings, when Christians choose to obey the Lord, the LORD Himself will fight on our behalf in every circumstance (Exodus 14:14). A reality of both the spiritual realm and earthly life is that Christians cannot, by our own strength, overcome the powers of the devil—a malevolent spirit ever ready to devour and destroy individuals, groups, and entire nations (1 Chronicles 21:1; Mark 4:15; 1 Peter 5:8).
Even churches that refuse to obey the LORD face destruction, as seen in the case of the seven churches in the region of Asia. The Word of God warned that this area was the very seat of Satan on earth (Revelation 2:13), and that the churches there needed to rely on the Lord to achieve victory and ensure their survival. Yet, because they refused to listen or obey, they were destroyed; for centuries, that region has remained entirely under Islamic rule. Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon have faced a similar fate. The Gospel reached these lands in the first centuries following the birth of Jesus, but the churches there eventually declined and vanished, and today, these regions are entirely under the control of Muslims.
Christians cannot defeat Satan on their own; they must rely on the Lord’s power. While the LORD is the God of love, He is also the God of justice. God cannot, for love’s sake, set aside His virtue of justice. Out of love, He cannot enable the disobedient—or worse, compromise with the ways of the world. If God’s people continue to disobey His commands, following and worshipping Him only through outward forms, then Christianity will continue to suffer defeat at the hands of Satan and the dark forces that serve him. However, when Christians choose to obey God, we will gain access to the fullness of His power—power sufficient to overcome Satan and his agents, both in the spiritual and physical realms.
The Bible tells us that Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours (James 5:17); yet, because he obeyed the Lord, he became a “prophet of fire.” That fire was the power God granted him to triumph over his adversaries and those who opposed God. Elijah was not only elderly and frail, but he also stood alone (1 Kings 18:22). He had no army, no soldiers by his side—yet behind him stood the infinite power of the One Who created the universe. This power enabled an elderly, frail man like Elijah to prevail over the devil and his 450 servants. Today, Satan’s influence in this world is vast, with billions of followers; yet the Bible reveals that the entire world is, in God’s sight, no more than a speck of dust on a scale. No matter how numerous the weeds may be, they are nothing before the Lord’s power. The crucial issue remains the state of a Christian’s heart toward God—specifically, whether one is willing to obey Him, as Elijah was.
Elijah demonstrated obedience when he followed the Lord’s instruction to go and stay by the Brook of Cherith, and later in Zarephath, in the home of a widow. Neither location offered favorable conditions or an abundant supply of life’s necessities during that period of drought and famine. Yet Elijah followed the Lord’s command without any hesitation or doubt (1 Kings 17:3–5, 8–10). He viewed these hardships and trials through spiritual eyes rather than through a worldly perspective. Obedience requires both a devoted heart and faith. Elijah had a heart that feared the Lord and strong faith in Him; these two qualities enabled him to obey the Lord completely. Christians, too, must have such a heart to be capable of obedience.
Regardless of external circumstances or the severity of immediate challenges, faith remains the vital element that enables an individual, a group, or a nation to trust God and fully obey His Word. Some Christians often give in to their circumstances and are easily swayed by the deceptive propaganda of dark forces, leading them to abandon their obedience to God. Sometimes, before external difficulties become truly overwhelming or prolonged, Christians hastily conform to worldly trends in search of personal comfort or fleeting peace.
The people of the United States serve as a prime example. When food prices rise slightly or fuel costs increase, many readily heed the populist rhetoric of unscrupulous politicians—casting their votes in the hope of cheaper groceries or free public transportation. They lack the discernment and wisdom to realize that the very policies these politicians promise have, elsewhere, led to poverty, destitution, and the loss of freedom. Those people focus solely on their immediate appetites and finances, giving no thought to their own future—or that of their descendants—should such policies be implemented in the United States. They fail to see that, every year, millions of people seek to immigrate to the U.S. specifically to escape the authoritarian political and religious regimes of their own homelands. Such individuals think with their stomachs and their wallets (Philippians 3:19) rather than with their minds, and in doing so, they allow themselves to be exploited by the devil and his agents.
Throughout history, Satan and his demons have relied upon the darkness and ignorance of humanity to carry out their schemes to destroy the world. As children of the Light, Christians must not let ourselves fall into the devil’s traps. The best way to avoid this fate is to obey the Lord, following the example of Elijah. By choosing to obey God, Elijah emerged victorious and was granted the unique privilege of escaping physical death. In the same way, any individual, group, or nation that learns to obey the Lord, just as Elijah did, will also achieve victory, endure, and avoid ruin.
(to be continued)