When the Mantel Passes
There is a day when the mantle of every man or woman of God will pass to the next successor.
Deuteronomy 34:5-9
5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim, nor was his natural vigor diminished.
8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.
9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Joshua had something happen to him that day: the power of the spirit that was upon Moses came upon Joshua; the Mantel passed to Joshua.
Let me stop right here and educate you here. The Spirit of God was so strong upon Moses that a portion of the Spirit that was upon him came upon 70 of the elders. I said elders those who are filled with the Spirit.
If you carry the title of elder, please carry the anointing. The anointing was so strong on Moses that 70 elders prophesied from morning to night that they were slain in the Spirit. They got up and fell out again, stammering tongues.
Moses deserved the loyalty of his elders and all of Israel; they should have honored him, and they should have paid their tithes to the man of God.
But instead, they murmured against Moses and threatened to stone him on several occasions.
People who claim to be godly claim to honor the man of God while cheating God of their tithe. We want the blessing but can’t give it to God.
They cheat God of the tithe and then wonder why the blessing doesn’t come. They treat God like a slot machine; they stick a dollar in it and see what they can win.
Moses was a spiritual system in which the blessings came, and when the Mantel passed, the cloud they followed for 40 years went away, the manna they had been given never fell again, and the water they drank from the rock never flowed again. Moses, Aaron, and Miriam are dead. The mantel had passed.
Moses was a pioneer for sure; he carried 2 million people through the desert with nothing but God’s promise.
Moses and the people were in the desert, but what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot. Moses was the answer to prayer; God had sent a deliverer!
According to the Quartermaster General of the Army, it is calculated that Moses would have needed 1500 tons of food each day to feed the Israelites. To bring that much food each day, two freight trains, each a mile long, would be required.
Besides that, you must remember that they were out in the desert, so they would have to have firewood to use in cooking the food. This would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long, just for one day.
And just think: they were forty years in transit. And, oh yes! They would have to have water. If they only had enough to drink, cook, and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day—and a freight train with tank cars, 3 miles long—just to bring water! And then another thing!
They had to get across the Red Sea in one night. Now, if they went on a narrow path, double-filed, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to get through. (Besides all of the people, there were large droves of livestock.)
So, there had to be a space in the Red Sea three miles wide so that they could walk 5,000 miles to get there in one night. But then there is another problem. Each time, they camped at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds the size of the state of Rhode Island was required—a total area of 750 square miles.
Think of it: this space is just for nightly camping! Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not! You see, Moses believed in God, and God took care of these things for him. Now, do you still think God has any problem taking care of all your needs?
When the mantel passed to Joshua, so did the responsibilities.
Weak and undisciplined prophets need not apply here; God wants prophets who are discipled in prayer, prophets who know the power of sacrifice.
Elijah
2 Kings 2:1- Nkjv
Elijah ascends to heaven.
And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.”
But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel.
3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho.”
But he said, “As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they came to Jericho.
5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
So he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”
Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jordan.”
But he said, “As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So the two of them went on.
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you before I am taken away from you?”
Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”
11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.
13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also struck the water, it was divided this way and that, and Elisha crossed over.
Do you desire a spiritual gift? Do you have a desire to be an apostle, a prophet, a pastor, an evangelist, or a teacher?
Do you desire God to use you in the gifts of the Spirit, walk worthy, walk honorably, and walk in the unity of the man of God over your life?
When that man calls a prayer meeting, you should be there.
Impartation may only come once in your life. Learn to be faithful to God by being faithful to the man of God.
Are you Esther? Named after Ishtar, the star god, would she take on the identity of the world, and would her beauty be used to draw men to worship her as an Ishtar goddess? Ishtar, the goddess of the sky, is the goddess of rain, storms, and lightning, the goddess of war, the goddess of sexual love, uses her power to seduce men and women to die for her.
Or are you Esther, the queen? The Jew who held to her faith, refusing the call of men and hearing the call of God. According to the Hebrew Bible, Queen Esther was born with the name Hadassah (“Myrtle”). Her name was changed to Esther to hide her identity upon becoming queen of Persia.
The three-letter root of Esther in Hebrew is s-t-r, “hide, conceal.” The passive infinitive is to be hidden.” If she followed God, her identity was to be hidden. What would be her fate? How would our Bible record her? Esther picked up the mantel, and Esther became the savior of Israel.
An orphan, her father dying before her birth, her mother at her birth, Esther was reared in the house of Mordecai, her cousin.
Her original name was “Hadassah” (myrtle), that of “Esther” being given her by the star-worshipers, reflecting her sweet character and the comeliness of her person. When the edict of the king was decreed, his eunuchs scoured the country in search of a new wife for the king.
Esther, acting on her own judgment or upon the order of Mordecai, hid herself, “hidden in the palace,” so as not to be seen by men, and remained in seclusion for four years, until even God’s voice urged her to repair to the king’s palace, where her absence had been noticed.
Her appearance among the candidates for the queen’s vacant place causes a commotion, all feeling that with her charms, none can compete; her rivals even make haste to adorn her. She spurns the usual resources for enhancing her beauty, so that the keeper of the harem becomes alarmed lest he be accused of neglect.
He therefore showers attention upon her and places at her disposal riches never given to others. But she will not be tempted to use the king’s goods, nor will she eat of the king’s food, being a faithful Jewess; together with her maids (seven, according to the number of days in the week), she continues her modest mode of living.
When her turn comes to be ushered into the royal presence, Median and Persian women flank her on both sides, but her beauty is such that the decision in her favor is at once assured. The king has been in the habit of comparing the charms of the applicants with a picture of Vashti suspended over his couch, and up to the time when Esther approaches him, none has eclipsed the beauty of his beheaded spouse. But at the sight of Esther, he at once removes the picture.
Right here, I want to stop. Will you have the eyes of men and women of God, or will you have the eyes of God?
There is a mantle that’s in this house; is it your mantle?
You can have the eyes of men, but will you pick up the mantle of God and have his eye upon your life?
Esther said if I perish, I perish. Esther was an answer to prayer, and for such a time as this, she was born. To save many souls.