WILBURTON, OK — An intensive Bible study reportedly ended with the dramatic revelation that Elijah and Elisha are two different people.
Congregants at New Wine Church were shocked to learn the two prophets were, in fact, two people when, during a Wednesday evening study of 1 Kings, a church member read aloud from 1 Kings 19.
1 Kings 19:19
19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him.
The Bible study group was silent for several moments before one attendee, Jeff Ailsworth, finally said, "Everything I used to believe is a lie."
Several students later admitted that they just assumed Elijah had his name changed to Elisha at some point, like when Abram became Abraham. Others reportedly believed Elisha was just a version of Elijah written by someone with a speech impediment.
"I know the Bible is full of hard truths, but I never expected this," said Harvey Canker, the church deacon leading the study. "I am having a serious crisis of faith."
According to sources, several female participants in the study were also caught off guard by this news, but remained silent on the matter until they were back home with their husbands.
At publishing time, church members were also surprised to learn that God never actually changed Saul's name to Paul, and that the apostle simply began going by his Roman name when preaching to the Gentiles.
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