Patron Saint

This page discusses what a “Patron Saint” is, and who the Patron Saint for The Army of the Lord is.

Defined

Patron Saint: a saint regarded as the special guardian of a person, group, trade, country, etc.

Saint

One separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ. This word is also used of the holy dead. (Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

Guardian

It’s an essential part of God’s plan that people prove their worth while on earth and qualify to serve somewhere in His kingdom, whether on earth, in heaven, or during The Millennium. Even before a person is born, God has plans for each person, not just kings and prophets. Then, after a lifetime of developing their vocation and their character, a person does not die only to go sit on their hands in heaven. They continue to serve from beyond the grave. The following scriptures support this understanding.

Moses Returns

Moses and Elijah returned to minister to Jesus:

1 AND after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. (Matthew 17:1-3)

Resurrected Saints Appear

52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (Matthew 27:52-53)

Fellow Servant Serves

10  And I fell at his feet to worship him.  And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)

Cloud of Witnesses

The Preface to the following verse is Hebrews 11 which recounts the faithful who died during Old Testament times. It says, they are “all around us”:

1  WHEREFORE seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)

Therefore, we also, who have all of these witnesses who surround us like clouds, let us throw off from us all the weights of the sin which is always ready for us, and let us run with patience this race that is set for us. (Aramaic Plain English)

Sons of God

Children of God continue to minister to people on earth (along with angels) and periodically go before God with objectives for how they want to help the living:

1 AGAIN there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. (Job 2:1)

Holy Ones

17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. (Daniel 4:17)

Spirits of Just Men

22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:22-23)

Communion of Saints

One of the oldest statements of faith is known as The Apostles’ Creed which comprises twelve statements, one of which says this:

I believe in the communion of saints.

The earliest mention of it was by Nicetas of Remesiana:

Nicetas of Remesiana,  (flourished 5th century), bishop, theologian, and composer of liturgical verse, whose missionary activity and writings effected the Christianization of, and cultivated a Latin culture among, the barbarians in the lower Danube valley.

Moreover, these documents contain, apparently for the first time in early Christian literature, the term ‘communion of saints,’ in reference to the belief in a mystical bond uniting both the living and the dead in a confirmed hope and love. (britannica.com/biography/Nicetas-of-Remesiana)

Identified

A Patron Saint is someone who guards over the vocation they had in life. To learn who the Patron Saint for The Army of the Lord is, a comparison of the prophecies of what the army will do, with prophets in the Bible should reveal who he or she is.

Army Duties

This is the main prophecy for the Army of the Lord:

Behold, I am preparing a holy army. They will do mighty exploits for Me and destroy your high places. They are an army of holy men and women, boys and girls. They have been anointed to preach the true gospel, to lay hands on the sick and to call the sinner to repentance. (Mary K. Baxter, A Divine Revelation of Hell, p. 144)

The Army shall do mighty exploits, destroy high places (perhaps contemporary & spiritual), preach the true gospel, heal the sick, and call sinners to repentance.

Bible Character

No other prophet more closely identifies with that description than the prophet Elisha (Grk: Eliseus, means God is salvation). The greatness of Elisha, however, cannot be appreciated or understood without giving credit to his mentor of seven years – Elijah. Elijah had an impressive ministry in his own right that culminated when he passed his mantle to Elisha (in double strength) and ascended in a chariot of fire

A study on the life of Elisha will confirm the accuracy of the above claim.

Seven Points 

These are the Seven Points of The Army of the Lord as described by Jesus above, and how they pertain to Elisha

1. Mighty Exploits

It has been confirmed that no prophet did more “exploits” for God (aside from Our Lord), then Elisha.

2. God

This is an obvious characteristic, but it needs to be stated – the ability to hear God’s voice:

21 He went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, Thus says the LORD, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.’ (2 Kings 2:20)

3. Destroy High Places

Domenico Fetti, The Triumph of Elijah over the Prophets of Baal, c. 1622 Domenico Fetti, The Triumph of Elijah over the Prophets of Baal, c. 1622It’s hard to imagine a physical stronghold of evil without a spirit-world counterpart, there are, however, spiritual strongholds that have no physical counterpart (portals for example). This characteristic may apply to the spirit world alone, or both worlds. We see this play out with Elijah and Elisha. Elijah destroyed the false prophets of Baal, but then he ran and hid in a cave. The spirit-world evil remained, and they focused all their attention on him after he triumphed against their earthly false prophets. The only way he could survive was to withdraw from their strongholds and go far away to Mt. Sinai.

The first thing God did to help protect Elijah when he returned was to give him an assistant (Elisha, 2Ki.3:11). Elijah would groom his young protégé to one day be able to defeat them all. This must have been God’s wish, for He gave Elisha a “double portion” of the strength Elijah had received. Part of that strength included commanding The Army of the Lord. That’s right, Elisha already has experience commanding an Army of the Lord.

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.  (2 Kings 6:17)

6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. (2 Kings 7:6-7)

4. Holiness

Elisha lived a holy life; he did not fall into sin.

5. Preach True Gospel

It’s important to note that Jesus said His army will preach the “true” gospel, which implies that a false gospel(s) has gone forth already. There is a Type for the Gospel that was given to Elisha when he purified the waters of Jericho. Elisha could have healed the waters in any of several ways, but it was God who instructed him to use salt, and how to do it:

20 He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
21 He went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, Thus says the LORD, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.’ (2 Kings 2:20)

a. New Jar

17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. (Matthew 9:17)

b. Salt

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. (Matthew 5:13)

c. Water

Unpolluted water represents Our Lord Jesus and His Good News:

13 LORD, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water. (Jeremiah 17:13)

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37)

c1 The Creator

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; (Colossians 1:16-17,19)

c2 Full of Grace & Truth

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

c3 Fullness of the Godhead

19 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:19)

d. Forever

Once the cure takes hold, and a person is transformed, it will be permanent. The framework The Army of the Lord will be working in is this – it will lead to the convincing of people either to transform and be saved, or to deny and be destroyed:

 22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him [His Army] shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet [His Army] shall be destroyed. (Acts 3:22–23)

e. Mauled

The account of 2 Kings 2:23-24 wherein children were mauled by bears for mocking Elisha for having a bald head has been both mistranslated and misinterpreted:

23 And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. (2 Kings 2:23–24)

23 Then he went up from there unto Bethel, and as he was going up by the way, the young men {or servants} of the city came forth and mocked him, saying, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 And he turned back and looked on them and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two bears came forth out of the forest and tore apart forty-two young men of them. (2 Kings 2:23-24 Jubilee Bible 2000)

The word for “children” is used of persons of thirty or forty years of age; (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)

The offenders were not children, but were called so (‘ne’arim’) because they lacked (‘meno’arin’) all religion (Soṭah 46b) (Jewish Encyclopedia)

The reason for their disgraceful behavior was their great selfishness. For until Elisha cured the water in the vicinity they had a profitable business. They used to bring water from afar and get high prices for it from the local inhabitants. But since Elisha cured the water, they lost this business, and therefore hated the prophet. Seeing that these people had no fear of G-d, and no respect for the prophet, nor any consideration for their fellowmen, Elisha cursed them, and their punishment came swiftly. (Nissan Mindel, The Prophet Elisha – Elijah’s Succesor, Kehot Publication Society)

A better translation would show that they were young men, or obnoxious men as old as thirty, who were servants of the city in the sense that they were in the business of selling them fresh water. After Elisha healed the waters, their revenue dried up.  Therefore Elisha and God were justified in killing them for they were probably the ones who polluted the waters in the first place, and in their greed were making money off the people. This is a Type that represents how:

a. People have polluted the Gospel of Our Lord.

b. People are making money off of the polluted Gospel.

This has everything to do with the need for The Army of the Lord to “preach the true gospel.”

Summary

We see that healing the waters of Jericho was saved for Elisha and is a unique Type for our time.

6. Heal

Elisha healed the sick (Naaman of leprosy, the Shunamite woman of her bareness), raised the dead (the Shunamite woman’s son), healed poisonous gourds turning them into a healthy pottage, multiplied 20 loaves of bread to fed a multitude of 2000, and brought water to feed an army and their horses.

7. Call Sinners to Repentance

Elisha called sinners to repentance:

Seeing the wicked Jehoram who was following in his father’s steps and continuing to spread the Baal-worship in his kingdom, Elisha rebuked him fearlessly. Elisha told him to his face that were it not for the king of Judah, he would not have even looked at him. (Mindel)

Summary

Thus we see that Elisha was prepared and appointed to be the Patron Saint for The Army of the Lord.

 

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