2 Kings Overview Part 1 - The Message of Elisha’s Discipleship Training School

This is the time where the darkness in our family leaves. This is the time where the difficult, inevitable and repeating darkness in our individual lives such as quarrels is solved right now. We have just gone through what mental problems are about, which is a result of darkness that is accumulated through time. We must realize that if we accumulate the blessings received here at Discipleship Training, how much more we will be win over not only our own problems but everything and everyone. There are more and more news every day that cause people to gossip and cause people’s hearts to itch, to talk and dwell on them with interest. However, God’s eyes are ever on the saints who desire to set apart themselves. Therefore, we must really be watchful on the state of our hearts before we come to this meeting, for we are to receive an era of blessings right here.

I am going to slowly bring the testimonies from our church to Penang. Sometimes our lives grow at an accelerated rate. But there are also times where we will slow down into alternating blessings and discouragements. We must realize that God permitted this to bring out evidences. A church is formed when a group of saints has struggles and conflicts. This is what is spoken in Ephesians 4 about what the church is, where saints with all sorts of differences come together. If we go through such a process slowly but with continuity, we will become servants who love God. Do we wish to be one? When we become like this, Satan can no longer come and disturb us.

We always say it takes 3 years for the process. God fixes this time of 3 years as it follows the number of years Jesus took to raise his disciples. However, if God wants you to be trained in 10 years, we just come all the more closer in every moment in training. When we are willing to become what God wants us to be, we will be greatly used by God.

Passage reading: 2 Kings 17:22-33, 23:27

When Israel were destroyed and they become Samaritans, 10 tribes disappeared. Judah also went into captivity.

We must see the whole of the history of Israel to understand God’s work.

* 1 Kings

1) Success -> David -> Abraham -> Jesus Christ

Principle of success <1:1-10:29>

(1) Blessedly favoured, loved (assurance)

(2) Ideology -> (3) Temple

(4) Centering to Offering Sacrifices -> (5) Expansion

This is fulfilled in Solomon’s life. Therefore, we just continue to look up to God like this. One day, success will come to us.

2) Failure

Reason for failure <11:1-11:43>

(1) Gentile wives/concubines -> (2) Gentile gods (demons)

(3) False prophets (message) drove away the message from true prophets. We are attacked in the day today because we have heard the word of God wrongly or that we cannot hear the word of God

(4) Enemies arise

Solomon married the princesses from the countries he tried to make peace with (married for political reasons), but in the end, these countries attacked him.

3) Division => Northern Israel vs Southern Judah

Division (Israel/Judah) <12:1-16:28>

Northern Israel was a carbon copy no matter how much they tried to be alike. This is religion, following the ways of Jeroboam. They have no life, i.e. they did not have the assurance of salvation. Those who are not born again will hear the pastor’s words as words of motivation only. Regardless of his condition, God comes to a saint. When one is “born again”, there will then be true transformation (Basic message 1 of 36 lessons). They also talked about Jehovah just like a lot of Christians talked about Jesus, but they lived a life of religion. 19 kings came from Northern Israel and all were evil. Roman Catholics have this likeness. Therefore, true believers went into monastery and wrote manuscripts. The mainstream of the Roman Catholics worked together with the kings and authorities. This caused the Crusaders to form and a lot of people were killed.

Southern Judah had 20 kings. Out of these, 8 were good and 12 were evil. They inherited David. With the Reformation, Martin Luther arose and formed the Lutheran. John Knox (Scotland - remember the movie “Braveheart” who wanted to separate from England?) and John Calvin formed the Presbyterians. However, slowly, they stuck on to dry theology and criticized any clapping of hands and saying “Amen” without theology. This happened in South Korea. God used Pentecostals (such as Pastor Zhao Rongji) and began the “clapping of hands” and “proclamation aloud”. Miracles followed. Then Presbyterians in Korea began to change because of this. In the past, our old church were afraid of us going astray, and therefore invited speakers to do exposition into the Westminster’s confession but I found them closer to my heart rather than to the teachings in our old church. When I came back from Penang, I read the books for the study of Master of Divinity. They are indeed deep for they are written in a philosophical way, but they are from the pure gospel. I gave thanks for that and thought that the charismatic churches must go back into these. However, if I study this, I will have no time to shepherd the church.

4) King Ahab <-> Prophet Elijah <16:29-22:53>

Ahab represented the religious leader that had lost the grace of God. We are the “Elijah” of this age. This is the evidence, because like Elijah, we can hear God. The era where God used prophets instead of kings was an era of problem. Saul offered sacrifices but was rejected. David offered sacrifices but God gave him blessings. God is an unfair God. In David and in normal saints, there are 3 roles: king, priest, and prophet. David did well and the prophets did not need to come out. Nathan only appeared when he had to rebuke David of his sins. The history of 1 Kings and 2 Kings must be read with the “Great and minor Prophets”. Then we will realize the background and why they were destroyed as such. Out from prophets, priests and kings came out. The priest does the revelation of God’s word, and the king knows the heart of God. Therefore prophets must appear in the age of darkness. Christians who are named this way have the perspective, the life and the heartbeat of Christ. In Penang, when I spoke of what Christians should be like and the leaders and pastors of the church who heard me “cannot swallow down their saliva”. Jesus Christ talked about the true state of the heart of men and about how they loved the world. Another group of people heard the message and agreed that they have such problems and hunger for the answer in the message. Why cannot we talk about the true state of our heart that are adulterous, greedy and boasting? But God loves us and have answers for us all.

* 2 Kings

5) Era and prophets <1:1-8:15>

Elijah -> Elisha (school of prophets)

The greatest work of Elisha is discipleship training, as he often was seen with the company of prophets.

6) Destruction of North Israel <8:16-17:41>

(1) Ahab

God continued to use prophets but they would not listen. Therefore, they were destroyed. 70 sons of Ahab were thrown at the gate of Israel. Jezreel died, leaving only bones.

(2) Jehu

His four generations were destroyed.

(3) Whole Israel

They were destroyed because they were carbon copies.

7) Captivity of South Judah <18:1-25:30>

The bible said that Judah was captivated. However, they are still not restored, even today. After David, Hezekiah was the best king. He convicted God’s heart and killed off all the armies of Assyria. Another good king was Josiah. The bible says that there were no kings before and after him who worked as much as possible to turn people away from false gods and return to God. However, do we notice here that Hezekiah and Josiah’s sons (successor of kings) were evil? They failed in passing down the promise (discipleship training). Why must God use prophets? Firstly, they are to warn Israel. The prophets also even did miracles to prove so. Judah was blessed, but they continue to pass down the promise. Therefore, the young people after our generation are so important. Without a promise that is even more “only” (as in “only” bible, “only” Jesus, “only” Holy Spirit, “only” prayer”, only “evangelism”, and therefore “only” born again, “only” promise, etc) than the local pastor and Rev Leechull, our children may have heard “The Life Church and Missions”, but it will disappear. Some symbolic people in our church can read the theology. However, our people in the church must know the main gist of the message in the Bible and the overviews.

Israel started out incorrectly and religiously, and all 19 kings will be religious. God showed clearly also for the 20 kings of Judah. There is no exception.

Thread of thoughts

<Genesis 1:22, 28> Adam, Eve (bless them) <3:15>, <3:21>

=> Two tribes came out after <Gen 3:21>. Cain and Abel <Heb 11>. Though Abel died, his sacrifice is real.

=> Noah vs World

When Noah came out from the ark, Abraham came out.

=> Abraham vs Babel Tower (Humanism - the music/culture to make human meaningful). God’s meaning is that if they think that just by building a Tower of Babel is so great, there will be nothing that God does which they will be amazed. Therefore, God must scatter them.

<Individual, family, region, world>

The people called by God are not like one who are called. If we add or take away what God says is “children of God”, that is already corrupted. This is <Gal 3:29>.

=> Moses (12 tribes), Exodus (Born again), Red Sea (victory = die), Tabernacle (prayer), cross wilderness (walk with God), conquest

=> Joshua

If he just did not forget Genesis and Moses, he easily won over the enemies.

=> Judges (drive out)

Because Judah, Simeon, Manasseh, Ephraim did not drive out the enemies, therefore they failed. This is mental problem, whereby when things just gets better, they fail. Those of us who alternate like this (resolute and fail) again and again have no worth to talk bad about Judges, who took 40-50 years-. They must first realize that they have mental problems. Samson had mental problem, such that he loved a Gentile woman repeatedly but not woman from Israel.-Therefore, his eyes had to be gouged out at the end.

=> Samuel (Nazarite) => David, Solomon => Northern Israel (19 evil kings) and South Judah (8 evil/ 12 good).

Northern Israel: Jeroboam -> Ahab (Dogs - most unclean in the bible - ate Jeroboam and Ahab, meaning that they are not as worthy as dogs) -> Jehu (though he seemed to be a turning point, but he also followed Jeroboam. Therefore discipleship training is so important!) -> Whole Israel

=> South Judah: David -> Joash (Jehoiada) -> Hezekiah -> Josiah -> (captivity - BC 586)

The emphasis of the bible for having this thread of thought

1) Abraham (Born again) => Isaac (promise) -> Jacob (sanctification) -> Joseph (fruits)

2) Moses/12tribes => Exodus, Red Sea -> desert, old generation, new generation (sanctified) => conquered Canaan

3) Israel: David (gospel) -> Israel, Judah (sanctification) -> Jesus Christ/12 apostles

4) Church: Jesus Christ/12 apostles -> 2000 (sanctification) -> last lap

Look above. The bible continues to emphasize 3 points the same everywhere. Therefore, grab hold of this when preparing messages.

* Prophet

* Elijah -> Elisha

1) Miracles = sign => normal, all things

The miracles of Elijah were really great. If we have such power, it will be very convenient. However, such miracles would happen only in a very corrupted era. Elijah and Ahab were so different but God chose to work through Elijah. Elisha was like Elijah and was not less powerful, but also taught God’s word. Elijah did not raise disciples, but Elisha did. Elisha was like Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ prophesized taught disciples and performed miracles. Elisha was like the Son of man, and he performed a lot of miracles, but he could not turn Israel away from their evil deeds. Therefore, Jesus Christ performed no more miracles when Pharisees requested for it. We must not test the Lord by asking for miracles. The Lord continued to ask us, “Have not any evidence that I did in your life, in your family, etc?” Miracles are just a sign and it became like this now. Sometimes, our problems are solved, but this is a sign that He is alive and is with us. We must restore normality and all things of God’s work. Sometimes, God never solves our problems, but He wants us to search and seek out how He is with us. We must search and test and approve this. The work of God does not come from revival meetings, evangelical meetings or healing ministries. The work of God comes from Emmanuel. When we restore Emmanuel, healing, revivals and evangelism comes. Therefore, we must really be joyful in and out of season. There must not be a time when we must be discouraged. Let no worm come into our spirit and heart again. Elisha was so calm but Elijah was anxious and jumping about. Elisha showed us the greatest miracle with his peace.

Did Moses separate the Red Sea? No! He knew God wanted to separate the Red Sea, therefore he prayed so. Peter asked the beggar to arise and walk because God had told him that the timetable had come. God must become our background and we just talk what God wants us to talk. This is Emmanuel. If we do not realize but want to continue to seek God like this, we will result in mysticism, legalism and humanism.

2) Message of Prophets

This is not about how to perform miracles, but on the bible overview from Genesis till then. In Thessalonians, Paul taught 3 Sabbaths. In Corinth, he taught for 1 year 6 months. In Ephesus, he taught for 2 years 3 months. Some churches taught how to prophesize and sing in tongues. This is a corrupted and evil generation. Therefore, we must know the procedure of message, the important joints in the procedure, confirm this in our own lifestyle, go through the process of 3 years, to restore the nature of Jesus Christ in us. In order to bless our workplace, we do not just do our best. We must be different. When others are promoted or have a salary rise, we show ourselves to be different in our reaction.

3) Attraction of Disciples

The attraction of disciples in the discipleship training are and must have:

Life -> Message + Life/Living example

More than the important servings that we give to our brothers and sisters, we must hear the Lord ourselves. Hear that God needs us and it is not just fulfilling responsibilities. We must be really handsome and beautiful to attract people.

Taken from 2 Kings Part 1 Overview in Discipleship Training on July 5th 2007.