"TEST OF MOUNT CARMEL: TRUE AND FALSE PROPHET!"

I Kings 18: 20-21

One of the largest and most dramatic crisis in the history of Israel, the ministry was in the days of Elijah. This occurred around the year 852 BC during the reign of Ahab about 10 tribes of Israel to the north of the territory that had been divided recently. Because of this division, exploded an absurd and horrible civil war between the tribes of the north and south. The result of this conflict left a toll of more than 500 people dead. II Chron. 13: 16-17. A cruel and unnecessary bloodshed between brothers who were not agreeing with the way taxes are levied by Rehoboam, the son and heir direct succession to the throne of Solomon. II Chron. 10: 3-16.

This division of the physical and spiritual children of Israel contributed to the emergence of some young data practices witchcraft and demonic. They begin to exert more influence over the decisions of the king's advisers that the renowned elders of the Jewish tradition. It is well at this point that Satan creates a basis of false prophets that Israel would stumble many times away from the ways of the Lord. They were called the sons of Belial, a strange mix of people who lived among the children of Israel. Deut. 13: 13, II Chron. 10: 13-14; 11: 14-15; 13:7.

Something very interesting about Belial is that it does not appear in the Bible as an authority or a worshiped god of paganism. Deut. 13: 1-13. It was a kind of spiritual influence that caused division leading the people to fight against each other. People who acted as channels of this influence ultimately ended up being destroyed and killed as well. Judges. 20: 11-20, I Kings 21: 13, I Sam. 25: 25. It was within this tremendous ball Satanic activities that the people of Israel began to distance himself from the fear of the Lord after the death of King Solomon and the division of the kingdom.

When we got to the days of King Ahab, Jezebel had begun hunting season to the prophets of the Lord. She practically had destroyed almost all. That fantastic job started by Samuel and Elijah creating and presiding over the children of the prophets was on the brink of ruin. I Kings 18:4, 19: 10. They no longer had that anointing extraordinary that impacted the nation for many years. I Sam. 19: 18-24. God strengthens and enlivens Elias revealing that he was not alone, had reserved seven thousand that there would bend knees to Baal. I Kings 19: 18.

Excellent and very encouraging that answer from the Lord. But where were these people? Nobody can see them moving or helping the prophet in the following chapters. It is very likely that they were neutralized and hidden beneath all the pollution caused by the activities of those satanic days.

There is no other place in the Old Testament where Israel has witnessed such a spiritual crisis. They had the oracles of God and their oral tradition that was passed on to each generation. The deeds and the wonderful works of God were part of the mentality of the people. God has determined a statute forever to their great works be remembered forever in their lives. Ex. 12: 24-27, Deut. 8: 2-18.

They were facing the biggest challenge of all: Does the Lord is truly our true God and His Word? What should we worship Baal as their prophets are telling us? The greatest proof of the uncertainty of the people was that they did a great silence and did not answer the question of Elijah. I Kings 18: 21. This is still the great battle of all time:

1) WHO is the true God? 2) WHERE and through whom He will manifest? 3) How is that He will reveal? These good questions, no?

The proposal of the man of God and that was readily accepted by everyone was: "The God who answers by fire this is True!" Version. 24. We need prophets of God who have the courage and boldness to expose the weaknesses of the enemy. But this is only possible if it is living in the presence of God and have a true Word as was the case of Elijah. I Kings 17: 1. The world will never see the difference if there is a people who learn bind the strong man, debunking his lies to plunder his kingdom. Malachi 3: 17-18, Luke. 11: 20-22.

When the Lord Jesus came proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, He began to throw out all sorts of demons and unclean spirits. He did that throughout the time of His ministry and culminated exposing them on His cross. Col. 2: 15. A big part in freeing the lives of people she will discover that they were serving the wrong god. The prophets of Baal were nothing, your god was a mistake and that proved to all the children of Israel that day.

After all the fuss that the prophets of Baal did, they almost destroyed the altar where the sacrifice was needed and the fire down. When he took his turn, the first thing Elijah did was repair the altar of the Lord. Vers. 30. The altar where the Lord wants to manifest Himself is our life uprightly before Him. Many people are crying out to the Lord for answers, but your spiritual life is in chaos. Pray to God asking for important things have the same effect of the prayer of false prophets if our lives are not clean and obedient to His Word. Tg. 4: 1-3; Jo. 15: 3-8. If the altar is correct and in accordance with the will of God, then may exaggerate in his prayer because nothing will be impossible. Eph. 3: 20; Jo. 16: 23-24.

The tremendous manifestation of God in that tremendous day with Elijah and the prophets of Baal was the result of a simple prayer of the prophet. We could summarize it in the following way it was done in I Kings 18: 36-37: O Lord God,

a) Manifest today that You are God in Israel.

b) It shows them that I am Your servant.

c) Proof of them was according to Your Word I did these things. Amen!

The result of this prayer we already know. The Lord responded with fire from heaven consumed the offering of the altar and dried the water spilled on it. A full and complete response that made all the people down with their faces to the ground saying: "The Lord alone is God! The Lord alone is God. " The true God manifested Himself. The true prophet was honored. The true Word was fulfilled before all.

God revealed to Moses the formula of how to distinguish the true from the false prophet. The recipe was very objective, straightforward and simple: "The WORD IS TRUE THAT COMPLY!", And its fulfillment is always directly connected to the righteousness and holiness of the altar.

There is no mystery in this process. God is watching by His Word so that she is fulfilled. The Lord never allowed any of Samuel's words fall to the earth. Those tremendous days at Shiloh, he was undoubtedly raising a true prophet to the Israelites. Deut. 18: 18-22, Jer. 1: 12, Isa. 55: 11; Sam I. 3: 19-21.