Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah

The Holy Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest of the prophets and the first dedicated to virginity in the Old Testament. He was born in Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the Incarnation of the Word of God.

Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus gives the following account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah: "When Elijah was born, his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God around him. They swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames." The name Elijah (the Lord's strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From the years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and prayer. Called to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the Israelite king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and piety.

During this time the Israelite nation had fallen away from the faith of their Fathers, they abandoned the One God and worshipped pagan idols, the worship of which was introduced by the impious king Jereboam. Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab, was devoted to idol worship. She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the pagan god Baal, which led many Israelites away from the worship of the true God. Beholding the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to denounce King Ahab for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to the God of Israel. The king would not listen to him. The Prophet Elijah then declared to him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor dew upon the ground, and the drought would cease only by his prayer. Indeed, the word of Elijah was a torch (Eccles. 48: 1). The heavens were closed for three and a half years, and there was drought and famine throughout all the land.

During this time of tribulation, the Lord sent him to a cave beyond the Jordan. There he was miraculously fed by ravens. When the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent the Prophet Elijah to Sarephta to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered together with her children, awaiting death by starvation. At the request of the prophet, she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour and the remainder of the oil. Through the prayer of the Prophet Elijah, flour and oil were not depleted in the home of the widow for the duration of the famine. By the power of his prayer the prophet also performed another miracle: he raised the dead son of the widow.

After the end of three years of drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to appear before King Ahab, and promised to send rain upon the earth. The Prophet Elijah told the king to order all of Israel to gather upon Mount Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When the nation had gathered, the Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial altars be built: one for the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet Elijah who served the True God.

The Prophet Elijah told them to call on their gods to consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would call on his. Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be acknowledged as the true God. The prophets of Baal called out to their idol from morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the number of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood, gave orders to dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the sacrifice and the wood be soaked with water. When the ditch had filled with water, the prophet turned to God in prayer. Through the prayer of the prophet fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and even the water. The people fell down to the ground, crying out: "Truly, the Lord is God!" Then the Prophet Elijah had all the pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for rain. Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking the parched earth.

King Ahab acknowledged his error and repented of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. The Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving over his failure to eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die. An angel of the Lord came before him, strengthened him with food and commanded him to go upon a long journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for forty days and nights and, having arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in a cave.

The Lord told him that the next day Elijah would stand in His presence.There was a strong wind that crushed the rocks of the mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not in them. The Lord was in "a gentle breeze" (3 Kings 19: 12). He revealed to the prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful servants who had not worshipped Baal.

Later, the Lord commanded Elijah to anoint Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for the Glory of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery chariot. The Prophet Elisha received Elijah's mantle, and a double portion of his prophetic spirit.

According to the Tradition of Holy Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread Second Coming of Christ. He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all to repentance, and will be slain by the Antichrist. This will be a sign of the end of the world.

The life of the holy Prophet Elijah is recorded in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time of the Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30).

Orthodox Christians of all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for centuries. The first church in Ukraine, built at Kyiv under Prince Igor, was named for the Prophet Elijah. After her Baptism Saint Olga (July 11) built a temple of the holy Prophet Elijah in her native region, at the village of Vibuta.

In iconography the Prophet Elijah is depicted ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, surrounded with flames, and harnessed to four winged horses. We pray to him for deliverance from drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.

Пророк Ілія Фесвитянин

Святий пророк Ілія був одним із найвидатніших пророків і першим дівственником Старого Завіту. Він народився у Фесвії Галаадській, у коліні Левіїному, за дев'ятсот років до Різдва Христового. Коли Ілія народився, його батько Совак бачив, як прекрасні мужі розмовляли з немовлям, сповивали його вогнем і годували полум'ям вогненним.

З юних років Ілія оселився в пустелі і жив у суворому подвигу посту й молитви. Він був покликаний на пророче служіння в часи правління царя Ахава-ідолопоклонника, який поклонявся Ваалу (сонцю) і змушував народ єврейський робити те саме. Господь послав Ілію до Ахава і наказав передрікти йому, що коли він і його народ не навернуться до істинного Бога, то його царство спіткає голод.

Ахав не послухався пророка, і в країні настала посуха й великий голод. Під час голоду Ілія прожив рік у пустелі, де йому приносили їжу ворони, і понад два роки в однієї вдови в місті Сарепті.

Через три з половиною роки Ілія повернувся до Ізраїльського царства і сказав цареві та всьому народу, що всі лиха ізраїльтян відбуваються, бо вони забули істинного Бога і стали поклонятися ідолу Ваалу. Щоб довести помилку ізраїльтян, Ілія запропонував зробити два жертовники: один Ваалу, а інший — Господу, і сказав: «Принесімо жертви, і якщо вогонь із неба зійде на жертовник Ваала, отже, він істинний Бог, а якщо ні, то ідол» (див. Третю книгу Царств, 18:21-24).

Спочатку зробили жертовник Ваалу, накидали дров, закололи бика, і жерці Ваала стали молитися своєму ідолу: «Ваале, Ваале, пошли нам з неба вогонь». Але відповіді ніякої не було, і вогонь з неба на Ваалів жертовник не зійшов. Увечері Ілія зробив свій жертовник, поклав дрова, полив їх заздалегідь водою і став молитися Богові. Аж раптом з неба спав вогонь і спалив не лише дрова та жертву, а й воду та каміння жертовника. Коли народ побачив це чудо, то прославив істинного Бога і знову в Нього увірував.

За свою полум'яну ревність про Славу Божу пророка Ілію було взято на небо живим у вогняній колісниці. Свідком цього дивовижного сходження був учень святого пророк Єлисей.

Згодом під час Преображення Господнього Ілія з'явився разом з пророком Мойсеєм і постав перед Ісусом Христом, розмовляючи з Ним на горі Фавор. За переданням Святої Церкви, пророк Ілія буде предтечею Страшного Другого Пришестя Христа на землю і під час проповіді прийме тілесну смерть.

Святому пророку Ілії моляться про оберігання християн останніх часів від спокуси антихриста, про заступництво в гоніннях, у часи голоду і повальних хвороб, у бідності та інших життєвих труднощах.

Thank You!

Thank you to Nick Tarcha Jr. and Steven Ferrante for installing our new Centennial light pole flags. It was a big job, and your help is greatly appreciated. The flags look great!

We extend our sincere appreciation to Lisa Ferrante, Pam Scannell, Natalie Corwin, Jody Dimitriou, Hristos Dimitriou, Pepi Dimitriou, Meghan Lepkowski, Isabelle Lepkowski and Melinda Holicky for volunteering at the Johnson City Rotary-sponsored Carousel Day at CFJ Park. Our volunteers did a wonderful job representing our parish at this popular community event. We assisted with carousel horse photo opportunities in a highly visible location right in front of the carousel, and were able to bring our banners to promote our Centennial year.

Thank you also to Mary Ann Klish for assisting the Johnson City Rotary with weeding and gardening at CFJ Park prior to the event.

It is truly positive to give back to the community that we have been a part of for 100 years!

We Need Your Support!

This is a significant investment in our community, and we are humbly asking for your help in offsetting the cost of the Air Conditioning. Every contribution — large or small — makes a meaningful difference and brings us closer to our goal.

If you feel led to give, please make your check payable to St. John the Baptist UOC and write "HVAC" in the memo line so your donation is applied directly to this project. Online giving options are also available.

Thank you for your continued generosity and commitment to our parish family. Together, we can make this a reality!