How He Became King: After his father Jehu died
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 17 years
Ruled Over: Israel
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Elisha
Death: Uncertain
Burial: Buried in Samaria

Jehoahaz became king after his father Jehu died. He reigned over Israel for 17 years, and did evil:

2 Kings 13:1: “In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.”

Because of Israel’s sin, God delivered them into the hand of the king of Syria:

2 Kings 13:3: “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.”

However, when Jehoahaz cried out to God, the Lord delivered them:

2 Kings 13:4: “And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.”

Even though the Lord provided a deliverer, they still refused to serve God:

2 Kings 13:6: “Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)”

When Jehoahaz died, he was buried in Samaria:

2 Kings 13:9: “And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.”

His son Joash then reigned over Israel.

Matthew 4:23: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

Jesus did not hide Himself in a corner. He taught in public, He preached a gospel of repentance, and He healed the sick. God audibly pronounced Him His Son on the day Jesus was baptized. His birth was announced by angels. Magi from the east came to visit Him, alerting the priests that the Messiah had been born. There was nothing secret about this man; He made it obvious that He was both the Messiah and God. He was very much a public figure! Everyone had heard of Him:

Matthew 4:24: “And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.”

Yet, to this day, the Jews have rejected Jesus as their Savior. They will not believe in Him, even though He fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophecies. The apostle Paul said that one day that will change, for all Israel shall be saved, but it has not happened yet. That glorious day is still in the future.

Here is today’s lesson, which I have uploaded to this blog as a PDF:

The Catholic Church Is Not Christian

Matthew 4:18: “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”

It looks like Peter and Andrew (which were brothers) may have been some of the first disciples that Jesus called. They were fishermen, and were busy fishing when Jesus came by. However, the moment He spoke to them they dropped what they were doing and followed Him. Their old lives vanished, just like that, and they left everything behind. That is really quite remarkable! They didn’t even debate or ask questions; they just followed Him.

Matthew 4:21: “And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.”

Here we have the next two disciples: James and John, also brothers, who were called the sons of thunder. They were also fishermen, and as soon as Jesus called them they dropped everything and followed Him. They actually left their father standing there and walked away! Jesus called and they answered without hesitation. They were willing to sacrifice everything to follow Christ.

I have to ask: are we willing to sacrifice anything to follow Christ? Or do our lives (and our personal comfort) matter more to us than following our Lord?

How He Became King: After he assassinated Jehoram
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 28 years
Ruled Over: Israel
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Elisha
Death: Unknown
Burial: Buried in Samaria

Jehu was anointed king over Israel by one of the children of the prophets:

2 Kings 9:1: “And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead:
2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;
3 Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.”

Jehu was commanded by God to utterly destroy the house of Ahab, and that is exactly what he did. He killed Jehoram, the king of Israel:

2 Kings 9:24: “And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.”

He killed Ahaziah, the king of Judah:

2 Kings 9:27: “But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.”

He had Jezebel thrown out a window, and then ran her over with his chariot:

2 Kings 9:33: “And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.”

He had Ahab’s children executed:

2 Kings 10:7: “And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.”

Jehu left no survivors of Ahab’s house:

2 Kings 9:11: “So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.”

Jehu also assembled all the worshipers of Baal, slaughtered them, and destroyed Baal’s temple and idols:

2 Kings 10:25: “And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.
26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.
27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.”

However, Jehu did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam. He did not destroy the golden calves:

2 Kings 10:29: “Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan. . .
31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.”

Despite this, since Jehu carried out God’s wrath against Ahab, God said that his children would sit on the throne to the fourth generation:

2 Kings 10:30: “And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”

When Jehu died, he was buried in Samaria:

2 Kings 10:35: “And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.”

His son Jehoahaz then reigned in his stead.

Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

What is the first message that Jesus preached? “Repent”.

Some people today say that there is no need for repentance, and that all you have to do is believe in Jesus and you’re good. They claim that you don’t have to be sorry for your sins, or make Jesus your Lord, or confess to God that He is holy and we are not. These people want to avoid Hell, but they don’t want to actually change anything about their life. They’re not looking for forgiveness and mercy; in fact, they don’t even think that they need it! They are perfectly happy with their sins and don’t have the slightest desire to stop sinning.

But what do we find Jesus preaching? “Repent”. This is a constant theme throughout His ministry – He called on men to repent. Repentance is vital to salvation; no one can be saved apart from it. If you do not abandon your sins and repent then you will experience the wrath of God for all of eternity.

The entire Stryker series is now available for the Kindle! You can find all 5 books right here:

Stryker #1, On The Edge of Eternity, $0.99.

Stryker #2, In The City of Tomorrow, $0.99

Stryker #3, The War of the Artilect, $0.99

Stryker #4, Beyond the Farthest Star, $0.99

Stryker #5, At the End of Eternity, $0.99

Updated: The book Paranormal Studies 313 has also been made available in Kindle format, for $0.99.

Here is today’s lesson, which I have uploaded to this blog as a PDF:

There Is No Age of Accountability

Matthew 4:2: “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

I have never really understood this exchange. It’s clear that both parties knew what was going on, but I am at a loss. Jesus was hungry and Satan told Him to turn the stones into bread. How is that a sin? What command would Jesus have violated?

Some might say “Well, that would involve Jesus using His powers for Himself, which would have been wrong”, but the Bible never condemns people for working in their own self-interest. In fact, God encourages us to work and then enjoy the fruit of our labors. There is nothing wrong with that. Others have said “Well, if Jesus did this He would be feeding Himself in a showy, spectacular way to impress people”, but Jesus was in the wilderness – there wasn’t anyone else around. Besides, when this trial was over angels came and ministered to Jesus. That sounds pretty showy and spectacular to me! You also can’t say “Jesus should have gone to the bakery to buy bread”, because when this was over Jesus didn’t do that – angels came instead. No matter how you look at it, Jesus didn’t resolve His hunger the way that normal people do – there is nothing normal about “angels brought me groceries”. Why it’s wrong to turn stones into bread, but it’s fine to have angels deliver you food, is beyond me.

Jesus’ response is just as bizarre. He told the devil “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”. That is certainly true, but what does that have to do with the situation at hand? Jesus doesn’t say “No, it would be wrong to do that because of X.” Instead He basically says “People need more than just bread in order to live; they need God’s words too.” I just don’t see how that applies to this situation. I have no doubt that it really does apply, but I just don’t see it. I have seen pastors try to explain this temptation but I have never found their explanations to be very satisfying.

One thing we can see, though – and we see it in all three encounters – is that when Jesus was tempted He used the Bible to refute the temptation. He basically said “No, I will not do that, because God said this.” The reason Jesus did this is not because the Bible is some sort of magical charm that wards off evil spirits, but because the Bible contains truth, and its truth is what is needed to expose Satan’s lies.

Matthew 4:5: “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

This is pretty straightforward, and Jesus nailed it. Notice how Satan tried to use Scripture to make his argument, and how Jesus showed that Satan was just twisting God’s words in order to tell a lie.

Matthew 4:8: “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t argue with the devil and tell him that the kingdoms weren’t his to give, or that God was the one that set up rulers and tore them down. No, Jesus went straight to the real issue – God alone is worthy of worship. What the devil was offering, and whether the devil was even legally able to offer it, was not important. What was important was who to worship. As Jesus said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus did not get distracted or bogged down in side-issues.

Matthew 4:11: “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

And that was that. I don’t know if there were any temptations other than these three; these are what were recorded, and they offer a great look at the way Jesus dealt with temptation. He faced it head-on, got to the truth of the matter, and then stood on the truth.

This also shows Satan’s active war against Jesus. When Jesus was born the devil tried to use Herod to kill him, but failed. When Jesus was baptized the devil tempted him to sin, but failed. The devil tried to keep Jesus from going to the cross, but failed. Jesus overcame the devil, fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophecies, and did exactly what He came to do.

It’s also interesting that angels ministered to Jesus. I’m assuming that means that they fed Him, just as they once fed Elijah when he was running from Jezebel. Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations even though He was weak, hungry, and tired, and after He got through this trial the Lord took care of His needs. I think there’s a lesson in there for us. We often want God to fix things now, even though God may want us to work through the situation instead. Rest will come – after our work is done.

How He Became King: After his brother Ahaziah died
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 12 years
Ruled Over: Israel
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Elisha
Death: Assassinated by Jehu
Burial: His dead body was cast into Naboth’s field

After Ahaziah died, his brother Jehoram ruled over Israel for 12 years and did evil. He did not worship Baal like his parents had, but he still clung to the two golden calves of Jeroboam:

2 Kings 3:1: “Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.
3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.”

When Jehoram became king, Moab rebelled and stopped providing their tribute of sheep, rams, and wool. Jehoram persuaded Jehoshaphat (the king of Judah) to help him attack Moab:

2 Kings 3:4: “And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.
7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.”

The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom gathered together and went out against Moab. However, during their journey they ran out of water. When Jehoram said that they were all going to die, Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet who could help them. When one of Jehoram’s servants mentioned Elisha, the kings went to visit him and ask for his help:

2 Kings 3:9: “So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.
10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.”

Elisha was not pleased to see them, and told them that if they had not brought Jehoshaphat along he would have refused to talk to them at all. Elisha then asked for a minstrel to come, and when the minstrel played Elisha said that they should dig some ditches:

2 Kings 3:14: “And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
16 And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.”

Elisha’s word came to pass. In the morning the ditches filled with water. The Moabites saw the water and thought that it was blood. They mistakenly believed that the three kings had attacked each other and were dead. When the Moabites rushed to loot Israel, the kings rose up and defeated them:

2 Kings 3:22: “And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.”

As Elisha had ordered, they completely destroyed the land of the Moabites:

2 Kings 3:25: “And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.”

This was not the last time that Jehoram encountered Elisha. During his reign, Naaman (the captain of the Syrian army) sought a cure for his leprosy. When one of his servants said that a prophet in Israel could cure him, the Syrian king sent Naaman to Jehoram and asked him to cure Naaman’s leprosy:

2 Kings 5:5: “And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.”

Jehoram was not at all pleased with this request. However, Elisha told the king to send Naaman over to visit him:

2 Kings 5:7: “And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

When Naaman came to Elisha, he was told to wash in the Jordan seven times. At first Naaman was angry, but when his servants talked to him Naaman did as Elisha had asked – and he was cured of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:9-27).

After this the king of Syria tried to assassinate Jehoram. However, Elisha told the king about their plans, and Jehoram was able to escape them:

2 Kings 6:8: “Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.”

When the king of Syria found out that Elisha was ruining his plans, he sent a great army against the city where Elisha was staying. However, the Lord sent an army of chariots of fire to protect Elisha. After Elisha prayed that God would smite the army with blindness, he led them to Jehoram. Jehoram wanted to kill them all, but Elisha commanded him to feed them and let them go:

2 Kings 6:18: “And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.”

Some time after this, Benhadad besieged Samaria. The famine was so great that people began eating their own children. Jehoram became exceedingly angry and threatened to kill Elisha:

2 Kings 6:30: “And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.”

However, the king did not carry out his threat. The prophet told the people that the next day the famine would be over and the siege would be broken. Elisha’s word came to pass: the Lord made the Syrians hear the noise of a great army, and they panicked and fled. A group of lepers discovered that the Syrians were gone and they told the city porter. The Israelites then looted the Syrian camp and the famine came to an end (2 Kings 7).

During Jehoram’s reign, God’s judgment came upon the house of Ahab. God had promised to utterly destroy that house and He fulfilled His word. God commanded Jehu to kill the entire royal family:

2 Kings 9:7: “And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:
9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:”

Jehu obeyed the Lord. He went on a rampage and slaughtered them all – including Jehoram:

2 Kings 9:22: “And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.
24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.”

After killing Jehoram, Jehu commanded that his body be cast into Naboth’s field, as punishment for what his father Ahab had done:

2 Kings 9:25: “Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him;
26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord.”

After Jehoram was killed, Jehu ruled over Israel.

Matthew 4:1: “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”

This is interesting. Jesus was baptized (which is an interesting fact all in itself) and God audibly identified Him as His Son. There was an amazing visual depiction of the Trinity, and then right after that Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted. We have a tremendous spiritual high that is followed by a difficult trial.

Some people have wondered if it was even possible for Jesus to sin. I don’t think He could have, because James 1:13 says that God cannot be tempted by evil. Jesus did have a human side, but even His human side did not have a sin nature, and evil simply does not tempt God. As the Bible says, He was tempted just as we were, but He never sinned. It is not in God’s nature to sin. However, it is in our nature to sin, and we sin all the time.

Here is today’s lesson, which I have uploaded to this blog as a PDF:

God Decides Who Gets Saved

Matthew 3:16: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Here we have a clear picture of the Trinity – we have the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. All three are together. They are separate, and yet one God; three Persons, but one Being. Christians do not worship three separate Gods; instead they worship one God who is composed of three Persons.

Some people say “Since I can’t understand that concept, I refuse to believe it.” However, that is a truly foolish thing to say. Do you refuse to accept quantum physics because you can’t understand that either? What about rocket science? There millions of things out there that you don’t understand – do you reject all of those too?

The nature of God may be difficult to understand, but it is actually very intuitive. There is the God who is inside those who believe – that would be the Holy Spirit. There is the God who died on the cross – that would be Jesus. There is also the God who is everywhere – that would be the Father. It makes perfect sense that God is all of these things. Three Persons, but one Being.

How He Became King: After his father Ahab died in battle
When He Began Reigning: Uncertain
Reign Length: 2 years
Ruled Over: Israel
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Elijah
Death: Died of his illness after asking Baal if he would recover
Burial: Unknown

After Ahab died, his son Ahaziah ruled over Israel for two years. He did evil and served Baal:

I Kings 22:51: “Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
52 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:
53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.”

During his reign, Moab rebelled against Israel (2 Kings 1:1).

One day Ahaziah fell through a lattice and was injured. The king then sent messengers to ask Baalzebub if he would recover:

2 Kings 1:2: “And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.”

When the king did this, the angel of the Lord came to Elijah and told him to tell the king that since he had asked Baal and not God, he would die:

2 Kings 1:3: “But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?
4 Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.”

This answer did not sit well with Ahaziah. The king sent two groups of 50 men, each led by a captain, to have Elijah arrested. When these groups confronted Elijah, the prophet called down fire from Heaven and consumed them:

2 Kings 1:9: “Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, 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.
11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”

King Ahaziah then sent a third group of 50 against Elijah. However, this time the captain approached Elijah with fear and trembling. When he pleaded for his life, the angel told Elijah it was safe to accompany him:

2 Kings 1:13: “And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.
15 And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.”

Elijah then told the king that he was going to die. That is exactly what happened:

2 Kings 1:16: “And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
17 So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.”

After the king died, his brother Jehoram reigned in his stead.

Matthew 3:7: “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

John knew the Pharisees well, and he was not impressed by them. The Pharisees were self-righteous; they apparently believed that just being Jewish was enough to earn them the right to enter Heaven. They wanted to be outwardly righteous, but they had no concern about inner righteousness. So John rebuked them and told them to earnestly seek repentance, not self-righteousness.

Things have not changed very much since that time. People today still believe that they are good enough to enter Heaven on the basis of their own good works. They aren’t interested in Jesus and don’t believe that they need Him. In fact, they don’t hesitate to judge God and criticize Him for the various things He’s done! They seem to honestly believe that they are more righteous and more wise than God Himself.

John had a response to that line of thinking:

Matthew 3:10: “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

The consequences are real and eternal. Today people don’t believe in a God that is dangerous, and they don’t fear Him – but that will change when the Tribulation begins and the world gets a front-row seat to the awesome wrath of God. God is not to be trifled with.