Many false prophets will do signs and wonders to confuse you and lead you towards worship of the Anti Christ — even appearing as if they are Moses and Elijah. But, is there something to this idea of an “end-times” Elijah and Moses?
I often use my kids lately to make points, because through the way I interact with them I learn about how God interacts with us. This morning they were arguing about something, but they were both saying the same thing – just differently. As with my kids, I often find myself saying to believers, “stop fighting. You are both right and you are both wrong.” This isn’t always the case, of course.
The same can be said for this topic. People are looking for the spirits of Moses and Elijah. Some think that two individuals will inhabit these roles in the last days. One Moses the other Elijah. Others preach things like this “pouring out of the spirit of Elijah” that will happen after September 23, 2017.
I want to ask you something. Which spirit do you want? The spirit of Moses, Elijah, or God?
God is greater, isn’t He? Didn’t Jesus die so that the Holy Spirit could come to people of all nations? Consider this also: what spirit did Elijah have? What spirit did John the Baptist have? Was it not this very Spirit that is already available to us?
Now consider what Moses and Elijah did. (I’m not learned in the OT so I’ve had to do some research on this, and my understanding might be off to a degree so bear with me. I think I understand enough though to make this point). Moses led people out of the wilderness and towards the promised land. Elijah stood against the false prophets. I can see how we all should be doing both.
We should all be preaching the kingdom of God that leads people out of the wilderness of sin. Jesus Christ is that pillar of smoke by day and flaming fire by night. Once we accept the basics that Jesus Christ is God and He died so we can live, then we are on our way out of the wilderness. But, along the way there are many false teachers and prophets who would take you off the straight and narrow path – the path away from death and to that promised land we are making our way to. In that, we need Elijah. We need to be able to recognize a true and false teacher and lead people away from the many wolves. We also need Moses — the law of the kingdom and truths of God being made known to us as we continue to learn and grow.
We are all kings and priest before God, aren’t we? We need to lead people away from sin and show them how to rebuild their temples, don’t we? We need both, and we should all be as both – not one person a king and the other a priest. Sure, we all have our place in the body of Christ, so maybe I’m not completely understanding this, but I do know that it is the Spirit of God that does these works. He is what we should be seeking, not some end-times super stars, false prophets, or other vain idea.
Back to the Elijah character. I’ve read scriptures recently, such as Malachi 4, that seem to indicate that Elijah will come before Christ returns. I’ve also seen people, like on You Tube, who talk about how Elijah will come again and rain fire down from heaven. That is dangerous. That is the one of the identifying marks of the Anti Christ. “fire from heaven in the sight of man.” I don’t think it is too far fetched to consider that the Anti Christ will come as an Elijah character. So, we need to be very careful in that.
What about Malachi 4? I would still maintain then that Elijah comes to all of us as through the Holy Spirit. I might be wrong, but I do know this: did John the Baptist say he was Elijah? No. Jesus made it known. Anyone who claims to be Elijah or one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11 are liars. I still maintain that is not a job for two but many.
I can’t imagine that two could handle that responsibility, and I wonder who would really want that? Does anyone really want to call plagues on people and shoot fire out of their mouths to kill their enemies and then die themselves? Of course we do what we are called to do. There are times when I don’t want to do what I do, but what choice do I have? Even so, people who make these claims about themselves are looking for praise from man and they are not sent from God. People who speak of the pouring out of any spirit other than the Spirit of God himself are not sent from God either.
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. – Revelation 13: 11-14
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.— Mark 3:22
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