God used the prophet Elijah powerfully to oppose the wickedness of Ahab and Jezebel, performing extraordinary miracles through him. In one instance, God gave Elijah several miraculous displays of His power on a mountain, where He simply passed by, and a mighty windstorm dismantled part of the mountain and broke the rocks. Then an earthquake struck, amplifying Elijah's feeling of the mountain coming apart around and beneath him. Following this, fire came from God Himself, reminiscent of the fire from heaven that had consumed the sacrifice on Mount Carmel. Another time, when men came to arrest Elijah, he called fire from heaven, and two groups of fifty-one men were burned up. A third group of fifty-one would have been consumed if God had not intervened to stop him. Despite these mighty acts, God revealed to Elijah through a still, small voice that He favored a different approach, one not centered on excessive displays of power or showy miracles when a voice would suffice.

Elijah the Tishbite, one of Israel's greatest prophets, is renowned for the extraordinary miracles that marked his ministry. His fame stems from standing against the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, calling for a nationwide drought, and delivering a crushing defeat to the worship of Baal. In the dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel, Elijah challenged the Israelites to choose between following God or Baal, presenting himself as the sole prophet of the Lord against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, despite knowing others had been hidden from Jezebel's purge. After his triumph at Carmel and the end of the drought at his request, Elijah fled in fear for his life upon hearing Jezebel's threat to kill him. His courage faltered, and after just one day of fleeing, he asked God to take his life, revealing a focus on self rather than trust in God's victories. Though God did not respond directly to this request, He sent an angel to strengthen Elijah for a forty-day journey. Taking refuge in a cave, Elijah reiterated to God that he alone was left, consumed by concern for his own life, believing that if he perished, God's work would end with him.

Elijah, the prophet known as the Tishbite, was a man of great accomplishment, used mightily by God in numerous miraculous works. He predicted a drought that would only end at his command, lasting three and a half years, as recorded in I Kings 17 through the end of I Kings 18. During this time, he provided food for a family to sustain them through the drought, a continuing miracle that likely lasted two years. He raised a boy from the dead, showcasing God's power through him. With a strike of his cloak, he divided the River Jordan and walked across on dry land. In a remarkable display, he defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, calling down fire from heaven. He also ran nearly twenty miles from Mount Carmel to Jezreel, outpacing King Ahab's chariot, driven by God's Spirit to perform such extraordinary feats. Despite these great works, Elijah experienced moments of despair, feeling his efforts bore no fruit, yet God continued to guide and sustain him through these trials.

Elijah's Miracles Elijah the Tishbite, a prophet to Israel in the ninth century BC, was a vessel through whom God accomplished mighty works. At his word, a three-and-a-half-year drought afflicted the land, with neither rain nor dew falling on Israel due to their idolatry. During this time, God hid him from Ahab's agents, and ravens fed him morning and evening. Later, while staying with a widow and her son, he miraculously provided them with flour and oil for over two years. When the widow's son died, God used Elijah to resurrect him. His most astounding feat occurred on Mount Carmel, where he called down fire from heaven to consume a water-drenched sacrifice, proving God's power over Baal. Following the execution of Baal's prophets, Elijah prayed seven times for the drought to end, and God answered with rain. In another miracle, he outran Ahab's chariot to Jezreel, covering nineteen miles. Despite these great works, Elijah fled to Beersheba when Jezebel threatened his life, grappling with despair and doubt over his apparent lack of success.

God performed miracles for Elijah, displaying mighty demonstrations of His raw power on the mountain where Elijah had taken refuge. However, He was not truly in those dramatic events, showing that His approach differed from Elijah's penchant for the spectacular. God gave Elijah leeway in doing what needed to be done and backed His servant, but He was not in all that took place on Mount Carmel. God's sending fire to consume the sacrifice appeared to support Elijah's actions, yet the after-effects on Elijah's mind—depression, hopelessness, fear, and self-centeredness—indicated something was amiss. God allowed His prophet to act in his own way and remained silent until Elijah reaped the unsatisfying fruit of his approach. Ironically, Elisha, whom Elijah anointed as his successor, asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit, and more of his miracles are recorded than those of Elijah, demonstrating that God is in no way limited in His power or gifting.

Looking at the event where Jesus read from the Book of Isaiah to the congregation at Nazareth and then comparing important parallels with that congregation and today's church, we see it demonstrate lessons we should learn, such as not taking our own righteousness for granted by going into a rage when shown its shortcoming. Why do people get mad so easily? In Luke 4, all they in the synagogue flew into a rage when Jesus read the weekly portion of the Haftara to His local congregation. The way the Synagogue conducted the service was to read the Torah portion first, which was speculated to be Leviticus 25 on Jubilee, and a Haftara portion in which Jesus read Isaiah 61. Here we are shown the important insight that He cut into two the prophesied elements of His return, the redemption and healing that He brings to His people is the part he brings now, the vengeance will happen on a future date. While they initially were brought joy by His good news, the "defensive screen" appeared when He said they lacked faith and did not deserve the miracles because of that lack. Learning of their shortcomings, they soon devolved into attempted murder which shows us that even those who study God's word daily can fall into rage when their own righteousness is called into question.

Elijah experienced one astonishing miracle after another. God sent ravens to feed him. A widow and her son were miraculously provided for during drought and famine, and Elijah raised the widow's son from the dead. Elijah called down fire from heaven while confronting antagonistic idol worshippers, after which a spiritual revolution occurred throughout the nation. Despite these events, Elijah allowed himself to spiral into despair to the point of desiring his death when Jezebel threatened his life. He presumed the outcome of his ministry, focused on the problem rather than God's power, shifted attention to himself in self-pity, and became physically exhausted. These factors led him to flee into the wilderness, sit under a broom tree, and pray that he might die. God's remedy addressed Elijah's condition through rest and refreshment, a new faithful focus that reminded him he was not alone, readjusted expectations that God often works through a still small voice rather than dramatic displays, and obedient action that directed him to anoint new leaders and return to his responsibilities. This account illustrates how even servants who witnessed extraordinary miracles can succumb to discouragement when trials arise, yet the same divine resources that sustained Elijah remain available to overcome depression by restoring proper perspective and renewed obedience.

The text presents Elijah's miracles as direct precedents for the authority granted to the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11:6. The power to shut heaven so that no rain falls during their prophecy is identified with the three-and-a-half-year drought Elijah announced to Ahab in I Kings 17:1. That drought arose because Israel, led by Ahab and Jezebel, had turned to Baal worship and forsaken the commandments of the Lord. Elijah's name itself testified that the covenant God is the true Ruler and Creator. After hiding by the brook Cherith and later dwelling with the widow of Sidon, Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. He first repaired the broken altar of the Lord, built it of twelve stones representing the tribes of Israel, drenched the sacrifice and wood with water three times, and then prayed that God would reveal Himself as the true God and turn the people's hearts back to Him. Fire fell from heaven, consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water in the trench. The people responded by falling on their faces and declaring, "The LORD, He is God!" Elijah then executed the prophets of Baal at the brook Kishon. The text notes that the absence of effective rain served as a covenant curse for idolatry and Sabbath breaking, as later reiterated in Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28, Amos 4, Haggai 1, and Zechariah 10. These events illustrate that the Two Witnesses will likewise exercise divine authority to expose idolatry, demonstrate the powerlessness of false gods, and supply the church with spiritual nourishment amid end-time drought while warning the world of impending judgment.

Martin Collins asserts that miracles and signs from God, while certainly generating awe and fear, seldom lead to righteousness, but more likely to continued rebellion. Jesus points out that only an adulterous generation seeks after miracles and signs. No greater period of miracles took place in history than at the time of the Exodus, including the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. Yet, the stiff-necked Israelites rebelled against God on ten separate occasions. The longest period of growth and stability in Israel occurred under David's and Solomon's reigns, a period attended by no miracles. Elijah and Elisha performed godly miracles during a massive apostasy. John the Baptist, proclaimed by Jesus as the greatest of men, performed no miracles whatsoever. The miracles and signs Jesus performed were received with awe, but also with much ridicule and scoffing from the religious leaders. Axiomatically, the spiritually weak need miracles; the more spiritually mature one becomes, the fewer signs and wonders he needs to sustain faith. God blessed the Corinthian congregation with spiritual gifts (of discerning prophecy, speaking in tongues, healing, etc.), but the vanity which these gifts produced led to party-spirit and jealousy. In the future, the False Prophet and Beast will lead many astray by miracles and signs, deceiving most of the world. As God's called-out ones, walking humbly with God should displace any desperate need for signs and wonders.