Elijah and the Priests of Baal

Ahab, King of Israel, misled by his queen, Jezebel, perverted the religion in God's typical Kingdom. The ordained worship in the Temple was neglected and image worship established. The faithful Prophet Elijah reproved King Ahab, and was compelled by the wicked Queen Jezebel to flee into the wilderness, where ravens fed him for three and one-half years.--1 Kings 17:5,6.

Finally, by God's direction, Elijah reappeared and challenged the priests of Baal to a public test as to which god could answer prayer, Jehovah or Baal. Whichever god would accept the offering by fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, should be acknowledged as the true God. The Israelites saw the fairness of the proposition, and Baal's priests could not avoid the issue. Elijah gave them the preference. All day long they agonized, cut themselves with stones and cried to Baal to accept the offering and vindicate his cause. Elijah mocked them, saying, Cry a little louder! Baal may be sleeping! or perhaps he has gone on a journey!

When the evening came, Elijah gave his test. First of all he had water carried and poured over all the altar and the sacrifice, that there should be no mistake; lest any one might think of any concealed fire. Then Elijah prayed to God to vindicate His cause. Fire descended from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, licking up even the water in the trench. When the people saw this they gave a great shout and declared, "Jehovah, He is God!"--1 Kings 18:30-39.

Bible students claim that Elijah represented the True Church, Queen Jezebel a false religious system, Ahab the governments of Earth. The time of Jezebel's persecution, when Elijah hid in the wilderness and there was no rain for 1260 days, represented 1260 years of spiritual drouth (538 A.D. to 1798 A.D.), when the antitypical Jezebel's power to persecute to death ceased.--Revelation 12:6,14;13:5.

Elisha, Elijah's successor, restored the Shunammite's son.