Let's look to scripture and see how Elijah handled that in 1 Kings chapter 18.....
Ahab became king and pissed off God more than any of the kings who came before him (1 Kings 16:33) by marrying Jezebel and officially establishing worship of Baal in the kingdom. God responds with three years of drought befalling the land (1 Kings chapter 17).
Chapter 18 of 1 Kings begins with the prophet Elijah presenting himself before Ahab, and challenging the prophets of Baal to a spiritual duel. Ahab sends out word across all of Israel to gather at Mount Carmel to see a battle between the prophets of Baal (and Asherah – who are forgotten from the story after vs 19) and Elijah representing YHWH. It’s 450 prophets against 1.
Elijah challenges the assembled masses asking, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” (vs 21) But the people remained silent. So Elijah’s proposed a simple test: Each team would make a stone altar with a pile of wood, just like normal. Each team would also be given a sacrificial bull, which will ceremonially butchered, and placed on the altar, also, just like normal. The twist would be that neither team would light their altar on fire. Instead, Elijah said,“…you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God” (vs 24). And all the people said, “Bet!”
Elijah let team Baal go first. They took the bull that was given to them, prepared it, and called out to their god from around 6 am until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no answer. After six hours of parading around the altar, Elijah participated in a long tradition of prophetic discourse: he became a bit of a dick.
"Your god being unable to hear you because he's off taking a shit in the bushes" (1 Kings 18:27)
After Elijah’s holy shit talking, the prophets of Baal cried even louder. And “they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them.” (vs 28). But as midday began to turn into evening, and their bloody cries went unanswered, and Elijah continued to slice away at their morale, they gave up.
Then it was Elijah’s turn. He rebuilt the altar of the Lord that had been torn down under Ahab and Jezebel’s reign, using twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. He made a huge trench, a moat, around the altar, and after placing the wood and his butchered bull on it, he had the people fill four jars with water, and had them poured on the burnt offering and on the wood. He had this repeated three time, twelve in total. So much water that the moat he had dug was filled with water also. Elijah prayed to his God and
“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench.” When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.” (vs 38-39)
After the battle of divine wills was over, Elijah said to the people, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there. (vs 40)
Burning man is an idol.
Let's look to scripture and see how Elijah handled that in 1 Kings chapter 18.....
Ahab became king and pissed off God more than any of the kings who came before him (1 Kings 16:33) by marrying Jezebel and officially establishing worship of Baal in the kingdom. God responds with three years of drought befalling the land (1 Kings chapter 17).
Chapter 18 of 1 Kings begins with the prophet Elijah presenting himself before Ahab, and challenging the prophets of Baal to a spiritual duel. Ahab sends out word across all of Israel to gather at Mount Carmel to see a battle between the prophets of Baal (and Asherah – who are forgotten from the story after vs 19) and Elijah representing YHWH. It’s 450 prophets against 1.
Elijah challenges the assembled masses asking, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” (vs 21) But the people remained silent. So Elijah’s proposed a simple test: Each team would make a stone altar with a pile of wood, just like normal. Each team would also be given a sacrificial bull, which will ceremonially butchered, and placed on the altar, also, just like normal. The twist would be that neither team would light their altar on fire. Instead, Elijah said,“…you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God” (vs 24). And all the people said, “Bet!”
Elijah let team Baal go first. They took the bull that was given to them, prepared it, and called out to their god from around 6 am until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no answer. After six hours of parading around the altar, Elijah participated in a long tradition of prophetic discourse: he became a bit of a dick.
"Your god being unable to hear you because he's off taking a shit in the bushes" (1 Kings 18:27)
After Elijah’s holy shit talking, the prophets of Baal cried even louder. And “they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them.” (vs 28). But as midday began to turn into evening, and their bloody cries went unanswered, and Elijah continued to slice away at their morale, they gave up.
Then it was Elijah’s turn. He rebuilt the altar of the Lord that had been torn down under Ahab and Jezebel’s reign, using twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. He made a huge trench, a moat, around the altar, and after placing the wood and his butchered bull on it, he had the people fill four jars with water, and had them poured on the burnt offering and on the wood. He had this repeated three time, twelve in total. So much water that the moat he had dug was filled with water also. Elijah prayed to his God and
“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench.” When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.” (vs 38-39)
After the battle of divine wills was over, Elijah said to the people, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there. (vs 40)
Team Baal: 0 / Team YHWH: 1
There is no biblical basis for the teaching of the 400 years of silence.