The Third Part
by Rod Jackson
All verses are quoted from the NASB anything in [square brackets] is added by me for clarity.
When the wicked King Ahaziah, king of Israel was sick; he sent some men to get Elijah the Tishbite. Elijah was a prophet of God -
"Then the king [Ahaziah] sent to him [Elijah] a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, `O man of God, the king says, "Come down." 'Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, `If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty' Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. So he [King Ahaziah] again sent to him [Elijah] another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, `O man of God, thus says the king, "Come down quickly." ' Elijah replied to them, `If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.' Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. So he [King Ahaziah] again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, `O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. Behold fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight.' The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, `Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.' So he arose and went down with him to the king." 2 Kings 1:9-15
Here we see that King Ahaziah sends 150 men and 3 captain to bring Elijah into his presence. But 100 soldiers and 2 captians of them were killed by "the fire of God" (v12).
102/153 = 2/3. So this means that the third part was saved. This incident is an acted parable. That is, the story has a symbolic meaning. In Zechariah 13 we see that it tells us what this means
" `It will come about in all the land,' Declares the LORD, `That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, "They are My people," And they will say, "The LORD is my God." ' " Zechariah 13:8-9
The third part is the Christians. So the non-Christians will be destroyed by the fire of God, but the third part, the Christians will be saved.