Four Roadposts On The Road To Revival

2 Kings 2:1-7  And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.  And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.  And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.  And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.  And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.  And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.  And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

·        ELI-JAH:  “my God is Jehovah”  /  ELI-SHA:  “my God is salvation”  /  the “double portion” prophet

·        What set these prophets apart was the MANTLE they wore.  Most men wore some kind of loose fitting outer garment, but prophets wore a certain mantle that identified them.  (2 Kings 1:7-8).

·        Mantles were so important as protection from the cold at night that it was forbidden to take one as collateral beyond sunset of the same day.  You couldn’t keep someone else’s!  (Exodus 22:26-27)

·        The mantle is not a type of the anointing of the Holy Ghost, which dwells inside; He is typified by oil which is poured into a vessel.  The mantle is an outer covering which protects the anointing within.  This mantle is our godly character and lifestyle, and it shows externally.  (Romans 13:14)

·        Elisha was called to the prophetic ministry when Elijah threw his mantle over him as he was plowing (1 Kings 19:19-21).  However, for Elisha to actually inherit the mantle, he had to set his heart to follow Elijah at four separate locations.  In spiritual application, there are four places we must go (conditions we must face) before the true mantle of God will cover us.

1)       GILGAL

·          From a root which means “the beginning point of commitment”

·          First mentioned in Joshua 5:1-9, where Joshua could not lead the people into the Promised Land until the young men were sealed with circumcision, the sign of commitment to God

·          We cannot live off someone else’s commitment; we must take on the sign of separation!

·          Elisha was willing to leave behind his plow, oxen and family to follow the call of God.

·          We must leave behind our own ambitions and desires to see true revival and ministry.

2)       BETHEL

·          In the Hebrew, it means “the house of God”

·          This is where Jacob had his vision of the angelic ladder, encountering the supernatural.

·          Every anointed ministry and church is rooted in prayer (and resulting angelic activity).

·          Principles concerning revival are the same as principles concerning rain:  The amount of rain that descends depends upon the amount of condensation that has ascended.  (Job 36:26-27)

·          The amount of Holy Ghost “rain” depends entirely on the amount of prayer which ascends!

·          No prayer; no power.  Little prayer; little power.  More prayer; more power.  Much prayer; much power.  Are you experiencing a drought?  Check your prayer life!

3)       JERICHO

·          In the Hebrew, it means “a place of fragrance”

·          Jericho is the battleground of spiritual understanding, the place where fragrant anointing is poured on a life.  There is no copy for true anointing!  It only comes through brokeness!

·          In John 12:3, Mary takes a pound of ointment of spikenard and anoints Jesus’ feet.  Spikenard was very costly because it took 500,000 crushed nards, the spike of a fragrant East Indian plant to make just one pound.  It cost approximately one year’s wages.

·          The reason fragrance filled the room was because something precious had been crushed!

·          Dying to ourselves is necessary because dead men can’t be offended or tempted.

4)       JORDAN

·          Translated from the Hebrew “Yarden” which means “descender”

·          Jordan is where the mantle descends from Heaven on a life and the fire falls upon a church.

·          The mantle falls when we no longer look to humanity for help, but to God (Elijah gone).

·          We must go to Jordan through Gilgal (commitment), Bethel (prayer) and Jericho (brokenness).

·          Elisha became the double portion prophet (16 miracles) after his death!  (2 Kings 13:20-21)

·          God is faithful!  His purpose in our lives will be accomplished.  Dreams from God never die!