ELIJAH THE PROPHET.

Elijah (E-Li' Jah =Yahweh is my God) is the most famous Gileadite, known as a fiercely Yahwish prophet in the tradition of Moses and a well-prepared supernatural teacher that, through God, had the power to make subtle changes in higher realms, which in turn produced physical results. God performed many supernatural miracles through him, including raising the dead, bringing fire from the sky, and taking the prophet up to heaven by a whirlwind.
The Elijah cycle is a collection of narratives which circulated and were well preserved within the supernatural prophetic community of which Elijah was a part, before being incorporated into the Deuterono-mystic history.
The final Book of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament, the Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord."The Book looks back at Moses and looks forward to the return of the prophet Elijah. This Book originated in the first half of the 6th century BCE, when again dissension plagued the complacent even contemptuous priesthood; and marriage to foreigners was not uncommon.
Elijah came from Tishbeh in the land of Gilead, the dome like mountanious region East of the Jordan River that extended N and S of the torrent Valley of Jabbok, and where Yahwism had most likely preserved its separation from other cults. Looking at the fact that the Gilead clan gave its name to the entire region, one can assume that the Gileadites were the strongest family in terms of spiritual and physical power, within the Tribe of Manasseh.
During the period of the Judges, Gilead was not only the strongest Israelite group in Trans-Jordan but was, at times, the strongest Israelite contingent in all Canaan. The Gileadites were strong enough to defeat the power of the Ammonites. Due to the region's changing in spiritual power the exact boundaries of powerful Gilead are difficult to determine in the unseen world. Gilead proper spiritual power was centered in the mountanious Trans-Jordan hills and loosely associated with the mystical power of the Jabbok River. The mountanious territory was often a place of salvation or safety for the Faithful. It was to Gilead that Jacob fled from Laban, from where the Ishmaelites came and saved Joseph from the hands of his brothers, where some people hid from the power of the Philistines in the days of Saul, and where David won his victory over Absalom.
According to the Books of Kings, Elijah was a defendant of the worship of Yahweh over that of the Canaanite idol Baal. He was sent by God to announce chastisement upon Israel because of their gross low spiritual state. Elijah was appalled by the development of conflicting beliefs among the people because of the influence of King Ahab's wife Jezebel, a princess of Tyre, and a devotee of the Phoenician Baal.
The spiritual region from which Elijah came, was bounded in the North by Bashan; in the South by the tableland North of the torrent Valley of Arnon; and in the East by the territory of Ammon. However, at times "the land of Gilead," in a spiritual sense, is applied generally to the entire Israelite territory East of the Jordan, including the tableland North of the Arnon and Bashan. Yet this same area is, in other spiritual occasion, called simply "Gilead," where the spiritual city of refuge Ramoth was located.
From at least 213 meters (700 ft) below sea level at the Jordan Valley, Gilead rises to an elevation of over 1,006 meters (3,300 ft), giving us a picture of how the spiritual realms are interwoven.  Blessed with abundant rainfall in winter and heavy dews in summer, as well as many springs, this fertile region anciently supported great forests in the physical realm, and was well known for its healing balsam. Its rolling plateaus were ideal for raising livestock, cultivating cereals, and vineyards.
With these background Elias is portrayed as an individual of remarkable strength and energy.
He started his long career as prophet in Israel during the reign of King Ahab and continue during the reign of Ahab's son Ahaziah. The last time he is mentioned as serving as a prophet, this time for Judah, is toward the end of the 8 year reign of King Jehoram of Judah.
Through Elijah God provided a pillar of strength for true worship in a time when Israel's spiritual and moral condition had fallen to an alarmingly low state. To make his wife, Jezebel feel at home, King Ahab erected a "Temple of Baal" in Samaria. The Canaanite fertility cult, ever a threat to Yahweh worship, now had a fanatical evangelist in Jezebel who imported a large number of Baal prophets from Phoenicia, supported them out of state funds, and begun an enthusiastic campaign to make the Phoenician Baal the only deity in Israel. Although Ahab "served Baal a little," his tolerant position allowed his wife freedom of religion, but such collaborative, and permissive character were incompatible with God's claim for exclusive allegiance, and led to the prophetic guilds' trenchant criticism of the court's "limping with two different opinions." This was the prelude to a general persecution in which altars of Yahweh were torn down, prophets were killed, and loyal adherents were driven underground.
It was against this background of struggle between Yahweh and Baalism that Elijah appeared suddenly in Ahab's court to announce, in the Name of God, that there would be a paralyzing drought. Thus Elijah threw out a potent challenge to Baal in the arena of his expertise, "Fertility." The crucial question behind all of this is, "Who has the power of life?" Although the worshippers of Baal believed their god was the possessor of that power, but the description of the situation proves that the very power attributed to Baal is controlled by Israel's God. As drought and famine devastated the country so that even the king was forced to scour the land for water and grass to keep the animals alive.
Elijah received a Divine Order to confront Ahab again. After an angry exchange, the King agreed to a trial of strength between Elijah and Jezebel's prophets of Baal. The description of the contest is one of the most dramatic biblical accounts. Meeting on Mount Carmel, Elijah accused the people of syncretistic behavior, trying to keep on foot on Israel's traditional path and the other in the worship of Baal. The clear object of the contest was to determine who was really Lord and controller of rain and fertility. Elijah was outnumbered 450 to 1, and "Rain" was Baal's specialty. Both parties agreed  to call on their deity, to perform their rites, with the understanding that "the god who answers by fire is indeed God." As Elijah satirically taunts their efforts, the Baal prophets rant, rave, and slash themselves, but there was no response.
Then Elijah takes center stage, repairing an abandoned Yahweh altar and so reclaiming a cult site for Yahweh which had been under Phoenician control and used to stage Baal's ritual dances.
The prophet prepares his sacrifice and then commands the people to drench the altar with water, a priceless sacrifice during a drought. Elijah calls out to Yahweh, who responds by sending fire, the traditional symbol of God's active historical presence, to consume the offering. Convinced by the spectacle, the people exclaimed, "Yahweh indeed is God," and the Baal prophets were condemned to death. The real climax of the narrative is the end of the drought. The descent of rain was proof that God, not Baal, controlled the productivity of the land and merited the people's total allegiance, but not for long.
Elijah was depicted as an elusive wanderer, appearing and disappearing at a moment's notice, so at the end it was told that he vanished, carried heavenward by fiery horses and a chariot. The watching Elisha was left empowered. He was given the legacy of firstborn son, a "double portion" of Elijah's spirit as well as the prophet's mantle which Elisha also uses to part the Jordan and so re-entered the historical sphere where the waiting prophets recognized him as their new leader.