Elijah

An Old Testament prophet famous for his fiery words and for courageously opposing Queen Jezebel. Elijah lived during the reigns of King Ahab, his son Ahaziah, and his grandson Jehoram. Elijah would appear without warning with a message from God to Israel’s rulers—and then he would disappear again. Kings listened to his words because they recognized that he was a prophet of God. Elijah’s story begins in 1 Kings 17, where he told King Ahab there would be no rain. The Lord cared for Elijah during the drought and later sent him to stay with a widow in Zarephath. Meanwhile, King Ahab and his wicked wife, Queen Jezebel, kept on worshipping Baal and encouraging the people to do so. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to determine who was God—the God of Israel or Baal. God won. Elijah then prayed for rain to end the three-year drought, and God sent rain.

Elijah’s triumph caused Queen Jezebel to mark him for death. A depressed Elijah ran for his life to Mount Horeb. Later Elijah returned to Israel and anointed Elisha to be a prophet after him. When King Ahab and Queen Jezebel murdered a man named Naboth so they could steal his vineyard, Elijah told Ahab and his family that God would punish them.

Elijah never died. Instead, God took him to heaven in a whirlwind with fiery horses and a chariot. Many centuries later, the prophet Malachi said God would send another Elijah. Jesus said that John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi’s prediction. Elijah and Moses met with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.