Friends, for today's bible study we will learn that when God promises anything, it will definitely happen. Numbers 23:19 tells us God is not a man that He should lie; neither the Son of man that He should repent; hath He said and shall He not do it; or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good. Be encouraged friends everywhere and believe the promises of God and the Word that Jesus as God will perform. Right now say and believe daily 2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Pictured above we see that the prophet Elisha received the promise of a double portion of Elijah's spirit because he saw Elijah taken away from him on a chariot of fire to heaven.
The bible speaks about the picture above at 2 Kings 2:9 and says And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. Elisha saw Elijah going to heaven in a chariot of fire and received God's promise of a double portion of Elijah's spirit.
OK, since Elisha received a double portion of Elijah's spirit, Elisha doubled Elijah's miracles. Elijah did 8 miracles and Elisha did 16 miracles. God fulfilled his promise to Elisha of a double portion blessing of Elijah's spirit. Listed below are the 8 miracles of Elijah: First, 1 Kings 17:1 No rain for three and a half years; Second, 1 Kings 17:14 The widow's meal and oil failed not; Third, 1 Kings 17:22 The widow's son is raised from the dead; Fourth, 1 Kings 18:38 Fire falls on Mt. Carmel and the prophets of Baal are slain; Fifth, 1 Kings 18:41 Rain is released; Sixth, 2 Kings 1:10 Fifty of Elijah's enemies are consumed by fire; Seventh, Another fifty of Elijah's enemies are consumed by fire; Eighth, 2 Kings 2:8 The Jordan river is opened.
Now notice that God fulfilled His promise to Elisha and gave Elisha a double portion as Elisha doubled Elijah's miracles and did the 16 miracles listed below. First, 2 Kings 2:14 The Jordan river is opened; Second, 2 Kings 2:20 The waters are healed; Third, 2 Kings 2:24 Forty two children are mauled by two she bears; Fourth, 2 Kings 3:17 Victory occurs as water appears in trenches; Fifth, 2 Kings 4:5 The widow's oil flowed to pay off debts; Sixth, 2 Kings 4:16 A son is born for the woman of Shunem; Seventh, 2 Kings 4:35 The woman of Shunem's son is raised from the dead; Eighth, 2 Kings 4:41 The poisoned pot is purified; Ninth, 2 Kings 4:43 Elisha multiplies food like Jesus feeding 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread; Tenth, 2 Kings 5:14 Naaman is healed of leprosy; Eleventh, 2 Kings 5:27 The servant Gehazi becomes leprous; Twelfth, 2 Kings 6:6 The axe head swims; Thirteenth, 2 Kings 6:17 Gehazi's eyes are opened to see the protection of 20000 chariots and thousands of angels; Fourteenth, 2 Kings 6:18 God blinds the Syrian enemies; Fifteenth, 2 Kings 6:20 God removes the blindness from the Syrian enemies; Sixteenth, 2 Kings 13:21 A dead man is raised to life by touching Elisha's dead bones in a grave.
Friends, as you look at the picture above notice that God fulfilled His double portion promise to Elisha after Elisha died when a dead soldier was raised to life by just touching Elisha's bones in a grave. The promise was in them bones. Elisha only did 15 miracles during his lifetime. It seemed like Elisha would not perform 16 miracles and double Elijah's 8 miracles. But according to 2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen unto the glory of God by us. And hallelujah God fulfilled his double portion promise to Elisha by performing the sixteenth miracle after Elisha had died.
2 Kings 13:20 says And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha; and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. Friends reading this everywhere, remember with Jesus as God it's never too late for God to fulfill His promises of peace and strength to us all forevermore.
Take time to study the above picture as you read how my good friend Pastor Sonny Mull described how Elisha's bones raised a dead soldier to life. After Elisha died and was buried, years later the Moabites came in to invade the land of Israel. Notice in the above picture as a funeral procession was carrying a dead soldier, when they saw a Moabite band approaching, instead of digging a hole and burying the dead soldier, the people just pitched the dead soldier into Elisha's grave. When that dead soldier's body hit those bones of Elisha, the soldier stood up, revived, came out of Elisha's grave, and was alive. Elisha did this sixteenth miracle and fulfilled the double portion blessing after he was gone. All that was left of Elisha was his bones. The promise was in them bones.
Friends reading this, remember it's never too late for God to perform His blessed promises to you. Hebrews 10:36 says For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:3 also says For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Right now, friend reading this anywhere, get saved by confessing Jesus as God and believing in your heart that Jesus died for you on the cross and rose again and receive the guaranteed promise of eternal life. Rejoice now for receiving the promise of eternal life as you say Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began.
OK, let's talk some more about the dead soldier raised to life by touching Elisha's bones. When Jesus raised Jairus' daughter, the bible tells what she did. When Jesus raised the widow of Nain's son, the bible shows what he did. When Jesus raised Lazarus, it shows what he did. But what did the man raised by touching Elisha's bones do? Brother Bob believes that he climbed out of Elisha's grave, beat the funeral procession back to town, signed up for the draft, joined the army, and fought against the Moabites.
I pray in Jesus name, my friends everywhere in the many nations, like this soldier, if you've been revived, resurrected, and delivered from death by our Lord Jesus, get busy for Jesus and win souls to Jesus to destroy the works of the devil. Tell people everywhere to confess Jesus as God and believe in their hearts that Jesus died on the cross for them and rose again. 1 John 3:8 says For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
OK, as you look at the above picture of the jailor getting saved after he hears the preaching of Paul and Silas, remember that like the jailor, the bible promises that our families will be saved as they remember how we lived for Jesus on this earth. We see a promise of God to save a saint's house by the above picture at Acts 16:30 where the jailor asks Paul and Silas Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Friend reading this anywhere, your whole family might not be saved while you're living on this earth. But if we'll all live for Jesus, like Elisha whose dead bones in a graveyard raised a soldier to life with Jesus, every time any family member or anyone passes our graves, every time they think about our names, every time they see our face in their minds, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will convict their hearts and save them before it's too late. Friends we all need to be like the prophet Elisha and live for the Lord Jesus on this earth daily trying to win souls, so that even after we die and leave this earth, the influence of our lives for Jesus might be felt across the land.
Since the name of this bible study is the promise is in them bones, notice that in the picture above that God fulfilled His promise and not one of Jesus' bones was broken. God promised that not one of Jesus' bones would be broken at Psalm 34:20 that says He keepeth all His bones; Not one of them is broken. The bible speaks about the above picture at John 19:31 and says The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the sabbath day (for that sabbath day was an high day) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with Him. But, when they came to Jesus and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs. John 19:36 goes on to say For these things were done, that the scripture would be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken.
Take time to remember the promise is in them bones. God promised that not one of Jesus' bones would be broken and God fulfilled this promise. The legs of the two thieves on crosses by Jesus were broken but the legs of Jesus were not broken. The nails at the cross found their way between the bones in Jesus' hands and feet without breaking one bone. The roman soldiers beat Jesus on His head and didn't break one bone. The roman soldiers smote Jesus in the face and didn't break one bone. How is it that after all Jesus went through, not one of His bones was broken? It's because God keeps all His promises, and He promised that not one of Jesus' bones would be broken and that's exactly the way it worked out.
As always it has been a blessing to write this bible study today. Stay tuned for The Promise Is In Them Bones Two and feel free to email Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 604-7133. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.
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