Get Out of the Valley

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“Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” – 1 Kings 18:21

  As my eyes looked over the fullness and rich landscape, my mind was captured in a battle between the greatness of history and the promise of the future.  It’s mind numbing when you realize that your feet have walked the paths, the trails and the steps that men of such great stature have also walked.  There is a pseudo connection between the past and the present that creates an image in your mind of what it must have been like in those days, despite the fact that millions if not billions have also place their foot in that same spot.

  I recall as a young boy coming through the tunnel, and then stepping onto the turf at the University of Michigan football stadium “The Big House”.  Walking to the center of the field and seeing my foot on the yellow (maze) paint of the big block “M” is something that immediately brought forth a flood of memories while at the same time painted a dream of one day actually playing on that field.  It filled me with the desire to dream big, to set high goals and visualize the stadium filled with 105,000 screaming fans.  The day dream ended all to quickly as the coaches at the football camp barked out their instructions for us to begin the daily football drills.

  But something was different when I stood on Mt. Carmel and looked down over the Jezreel Valley and the Valley of Megiddo.  The history was not something I had watched on Saturday afternoon’s with my dad and my brother, but something I had only read about and without pictures.  Elijah called down fire from heaven on this mountain, as he put his faith and trust in the Lord Almighty to battle those who worshiped Baal.  Was it possible that I stood in the exact spot, who knows, but the reality of His presence fell upon me as I read from 1 Kings 18 that day.  The realization that our God is so big, omnipotent and glorious; the emotions welled up inside of me as I journeyed in this place.  

  Many believe the Megiddo valley (Valley of Jezreel) is the location of this final battle between the King of Kings and the armies of the Beast.  In Revelations 14 we read of a river of blood flowing “..as deep as the bits of horses for 180 miles” through the Israel in that day.   Looking out over the valley once again, my mind saw the picture painted by John in the book of Revelations 19.  I picture the Lord of Lords coming down with an army from heaven and destroying evil once and for all on the earth.  Standing on the top of Mt. Carmel, one can see clearly Mt. Tabor, Mt. Gilboa and the Kishon river that passes through the valley, near Jezreel.  Today the Israeli Air Force landing strip is here, but one day I picture millions of bodies covering the land, while birds eat of their flesh (Rev. 19:17-18), and the river is filled with blood.

  God’s wrath will pour out upon the evil of this world in this very valley (I believe).  It saddens me that people can see the history of this place, read the factual accounts from thousands of years ago, and still choose not to believe that the future picture is just as real.  You don’t need to visit Mt. Carmel or the Jezreel Valley to understand that the end is coming and there will be a final battle of good vs. evil.  God will once again reign down from heaven and destroy that which chooses to refuse Him.  He demonstrated it through Elijah on this very mountain in 1 Kings 18 and 2 Kings 1; we need not look too far to realize He will do it again.    

             

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