Let Me Have A Double Portion

We find here a miraculous part of history. It is the story of Elijah being taken up into glory on one of God’s fiery chariots and the transference of power and authority from one generation to the next generation. And here God is unmistakably teaching a lesson not only to Elisha but to us today. The lesson that God is teaching us is that He wants to do greater things with this generation then what was done with the previous generation.

The Bible says He calls the old because they know the way; he calls the young because they are strong. Elijah represents the older generation while Elisha represents the younger generation. Elisha has done greater works than Elijah, not better, but more in abundance. Elijah is accredited with 16 miracles and Elisha is accredited with 32 which is considered too be a double portion or a greater works. Jesus said greater works shall you do for I go unto my father.

However, in order for the next generation to do greater things that means that this generation must seek God’s face, and experience God for themselves. They must be endued and equipped with power from on high for themselves. Because what momma and daddy experienced through God was good enough for them, but we need our own experience with God.

?We find here in our text the time had come for Elijah to go off the scene, and a shift in the prophetic era was about to happen. This shift was going to take what Elijah had done and move it to another dimension.

However, there was a process that had to be done first.

?In our text today Elijah was about to leave this old world behind and go on into glory. And God had told Elijah to go to a certain place, and from that place he would be rapture away. Elijah and Elisha begin a process that will bring supernatural results. So, Elijah and Elisha left Gilgal.

Now Gilgal is the place where the children of Israel came after they crossed the Jordan River. It was at Gilgal where Joshua had them to erect 12 standing stones as a witness of what God has done. Gilgal means standing stone or witness. Gilgal represents the church because the church is a witness to the world of what God has done. Although Gilgal represents the church; nevertheless, in order for the shift that was to happen they had to leave Gilgal, the church. They had to leave their comfort zone, their traditions, their familiar surroundings; they had to leave what they were used to because it was part of the process that was going to bring about a change.

And if we’re ever going to be successful, this means that we’re going to have to leave our comfort zone. Once they left Gilgal, or the religious system, they came to Bethel. Normally the name Bethel means “House of God” but here it represents the world because Bethel had a great spiritual heritage but something happened to the city. And Saints it’s not about what you used to have in the Lord, but instead, it’s about what you have right now.

Now Jeroboam the 1st king of the northern kingdom of Israel, set up a golden calf in the city of Bethel causing the people to be worship idolatry. As a result of these action an entire generation had become lost to skepticism, mockery, scoffing they became contemptuous, disdainful, scornful, and disrespectful and making fun of Elijah and Elisha as they walked through the streets of Bethel. And may I tell you that people will laugh at you when you are trying to live right.

Elijah the older, wiser, spiritually matured prophet looked at this back slidden generation, no doubt with a tear in his eye and wanted to fight sin and change their evil ways, but his strength wasn’t as it use to be.

This new generation was more hardened, godless, rebellious, and evil then he had ever dealt with before. Elijah knew Elisha was younger, he knew Elisha talked the talk of this generation so he says to Elisha why don’t you stay here in Bethel.

But Elisha knew that he had to go through the process. He wasn’t worried about making a name for himself, he wasn’t worried about a title, but he wanted to be endued with power, so he said to Elijah “As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee”. He understood that there was still something he needed to learn from Elijah The man of God, and in order to learn it he had to go through the process. But the problem with most people is that they don’t want to go through the process. (They want everything right now everything instant)