Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (6 page)

God blessed Elisha with forty camels loaded with the finest products of Damascus. A camel’s long, thin legs have powerful muscles which allow the animal to carry heavy loads over long distances. A camel can carry as much as 990 pounds, but a normal and more comfortable cargo weight is 330 pounds. The weight they were carrying is not exactly known, but it’s obvious there were a lot of valuable items taken to Elisha because of the large caravan of camels sent, and the fact that the Scripture tells us the camels were burdened, or fully loaded. The
term describing the present that was given as the
finest products
can also be translated as
the rarest and most exquisite of the land
.

Too bad Gehazi was not around when the camels showed up. He would have gotten a whole lot more than two suits and a few hundred dollars that he sold out for. The covenant we have with God through the shed blood of Jesus includes financial provision. We should not make this the primary focus of our lives because it is just one facet of the many blessings of God. But we should not ignore it or apologize for it either.

That leaves us with the question of what happened to the original mantle of Elijah? Elijah passed his mantle to Elisha but we do not find it openly revealed in Scripture who it was that received the mantle of Elisha.

One thing I have discovered in my walk with the Lord is that nothing from Heaven comes cheap. The gifts of God are priceless and if there is not a qualified candidate to receive them, then the gifts will be kept in holding until the right person is available.

What happened to Elijah’s mantle? Fortunately, we have a reliable and well-preserved Jewish tradition that sheds light onto this mystery. Jewish tradition teaches that after Elisha died, there was not a suitable individual to receive Elijah’s mantle.
Upon the death of Elisha, the mantle was taken and placed in the holy place of the tabernacle just to the right of the altar of incense
. There it was kept until the prophet Jeremiah removed it from Jerusalem and took it into hiding to protect it from the invading Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar.

From the time of Jeremiah we skip hundreds of years forward to the time of Zacharias and Elizabeth. The first chapter of Luke’s Gospel tells us that both Zacharias and Elizabeth were old, and that they had no child because Elizabeth was barren. It’s amazing to notice how the majority of the great women of the Bible were barren. Elizabeth, Sarah, Rachel, Leah, Elkanah, Hannah, and the mother of Samson were all unable to conceive seed. Yet, God did a miracle in each of their lives and they all became pregnant and gave birth.

Zacharias was of the priestly order of Abijah and was chosen by lot during his week of service to burn incense when he went into the temple. As he was in the temple carrying out his duties, a supernatural encounter took place.

Notice the position of where the angel appeared to Zacharias. It was at the right of the altar of incense where Elijah’s mantle was believed to have been stored. Many Jewish scholars believe that as John the Baptist grew into a young man and headed into the desert to prepare for his ministry of being a forerunner for the Lord, that his father took the original mantle of Elijah from the temple and gave it to John. One
thing is for sure, John the Baptist walked in the spirit and power of Elijah. The Lord will find, call, and develop those whom He desires to mantle with heavenly authority.

Concerning John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit foretold through the prophet Malachi saying:

Jesus also spoke of John during his earthly ministry:

Mantles are very interesting because they allow you to connect in the Spirit with perhaps someone you have never met or seen in person. John the Baptist could not have met Elijah because Elijah lived hundreds of years earlier. Yet John received the mantle of Elijah. It is important to understand that there is no distance in the spirit realm. The presence of the Holy Spirit upon one’s life demonstrated through the
symbolic representation of a mantle allows a person to identify with the one who originally wore the mantle. The identification can sometimes be so strong that it will even influence the way a person may dress. For instance, have you ever wondered why John the Baptist wore the same kind of clothing that Elijah did? The following two verses speak about this.

Did you notice how Elijah and John both had the same style of clothing? That is because it is the same Holy Spirit that was upon each of them. The same Spirit that anointed Elijah as a mighty prophet also anointed John the Baptist to be a prophet and a forerunner of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although the personality that God gave you is unique, it is possible for a mantle to influence certain areas of your life in a similar way that it influenced the previous person.

Both Elijah and John wore rough clothing. I don’t know how they did it without wearing a tee shirt underneath. The
itching and rubbing of coarse camel hair would drive me crazy. I couldn’t preach in camel clothes because I’d be too busy scratching my back and chest! I guess after a while a person would get used to it, but I’d hate to go through the transition process. But that is what their calling required, and to them it was most likely enjoyable and invigorating.

The similarities that can occur between two individuals when a mantle is passed on can be quite amazing. In my own life when I received the first mantle that the Lord had for me, which was worn by a former prophet, I was very surprised to find out some unique and similar traits we both shared. Through research I found an old book that had been written about this man’s life. As I read through the pages I was surprised to see similarities that we both had, even though we lived many years apart.

I have found regarding mantles that the anointing you wish to receive from the Lord cannot always be seen upon one particular person. That is why there can be multiple mantles placed upon your life. I think the story of Joseph with his long coat of many colors is a shadowing of this truth.

Those many colors that Joseph wore represent various types of the anointing that are available for you to receive from the Lord. I have received mantles from individuals whose particular anointing pertained to a deeper spiritual walk with the Lord. But I also feel a connection with those ministers
who have gone before us that demonstrated other areas of excellence in their lives, such as living in divine health and having a strong apostolic authority in the realm of finances. There should be a balance in our lives where we excel in our spiritual development while at the same time demonstrating good common sense in life.

I’ve always admired the life of Charles Harrison Mason who was the founder of the Church of God in Christ, which is the largest African-American Pentecostal denomination in the world. When I was a young man in my early twenties, the Holy Spirit led me to attend a local Church of God in Christ while I was living in Lubbock, Texas. That particular church had a membership of around 200 people and I was the only member who was not an African-American. However, the church family greatly loved me and I especially enjoyed singing in the choir on Sunday mornings. If you’ve ever wondered where I learned to shout and holler the way I do when I preach, then there’s your answer. It was in that church. At that time we didn’t think it was a very good service unless the preacher got to shoutin’ and hollerin’ and we all would be so physically expended after the service that we needed six days to recover!

I was there for a little over two years and it was in that church where the Lord began to raise me up in the ministry. I was appointed the Men’s Assistant Sunday School Teacher for the Sunday morning sessions. The only problem was that the main teacher would hardly ever show up to teach! He would maybe teach once a month, but the other times he would simply never show up, which by default made me the teacher. It
was difficult teaching men who were often two or three times my age, but it forced me to get into the Word and study so I would be prepared and not be caught off guard. My pastor at that time would often share stories with me about Charles Harrison Mason who was truly an apostle to the body of Christ. One of the main things I like so much about Brother Mason is that he lived to be 95 years of age. That’s rare for someone to do who carries an international ministry. Most ministers who have a large ministry such as his often wear out and leave life early, many just barely crossing over the age of seventy. Just think of the difference an extra ten or twenty years could make in regard to storing up eternal rewards for the other side of glory. You know for sure I’m claiming a portion of that mantle. Glory to God! I desire long life that I might be able to do more for the Lord.

It’s important to also have a mantle for finances, especially in the last days that we are living in. Some people try to act super-spiritual and pretend like finances are not important, but one of the most important things you can do as a Christian to promote a good testimony is to pay your bills on time. Multiple mantles are available for you to walk in just as Joseph had that beautiful long tunic that had all of those wonderful colors. There is a mantle for finances that God has for you! This is an area that you have to be careful in. I would encourage you not to follow someone’s ministry who uses guilt manipulation to obtain money, is an outright beggar, or is known to be irresponsible in financial matters. Rather, I would encourage you
to seek a genuine financial anointing from the Lord and emulate those who excel in finances and who also demonstrate high integrity and strong character. Joseph was just such a person. Even today, the Lord is preparing certain saints to walk in end-time financial stewardship that they may have an abundance to support the Lord’s Kingdom plans in the earth. There will be many “Josephs” that the Lord will entrust with wealth. It requires special preparation, but as you are faithful with what He has given you, eventually a financial mantle can fall upon your shoulders.

I have found that qualifying for a financial mantle can be one of the toughest mantles to receive. When I say “qualify” I don’t mean in the sense of earning it through your own good works. On the cross, Jesus became poor that we, through His poverty, might be rich; so the divine exchange has already taken place. However, this is an inheritance we must obtain by faith, and you’ll find that the devil will put up a pretty good fight in trying to keep you back when it comes to finances. That’s because the enemy of our souls has a lot of leverage when it comes to money because he is the god of this world.

Satan is the god of this age and the prince of the power of the air. Satan doesn’t mind one bit if a drug dealer drives a new luxury car, but he sure doesn’t want a Christian to drive one. He tries to blind the minds of the unsaved and even Christians to think that it is holy to be poor. Satan takes great delight in
sending forth his demons to support beer companies, cigarette makers, drug cartels, and other forms of vice and supports them through his demonic agents of darkness to generate tons of money. But the Bible says that the financial blessing of the Lord does not bring sorrow or trouble (see Proverbs 10:22). When the blessing comes from the Lord, then you can sleep at night in total peace because you haven’t earned money in a way that gives you a guilty conscience.