If the Anointing on Elisha’s Bones Was Strong Enough to Raise a Dead Man, Why Wasn’t It Strong Enough to Heal Him of His Own Fatal Illness?

The anointing for ministry is given for the benefit of others, not for your own benefit.  Even in the New Testament, special Holy Spirit manifestations are given for the benefit of OTHERS, not for your own benefit.  Thus, the anointing that Elisha carried to do miracles for OTHERS would not be expected to heal him.  That is why he could die and yet the anointing that was on him for ministry to others still raised someone else from the dead.

This answers two other related questions:

“If Elisha’s Anointing Raised a Man from the Dead, Why Wouldn’t It Have Raised HIM from the Dead Too?”

The anointing on Elisha was for ministry to other people, not for ministry to himself.

“Why Did Some Healing Ministers Die When the Very Conditions That They Healed in Other People’s Bodies Were in Their Own Bodies?”

In general, the same answer as above applies.  The gifts were for others.  The anointing probably manifested quite a bit for unbelievers and weak believers for signs and wonders.  However, the minister himself would have more expected of him that would be expected of weak believers and unbelievers.  If he himself were in one of his own healing lines, he well could have gone away without receiving anything.  Healing ministers don’t get a free pass when it comes to sickness – we all have to act on the Word just as everyone else does.

In one particular outlying case a long time ago, a minister who was world-famous for having arthritis healed got into pride.  He routinely had services where people heard bones snapping as they were getting healed of arthritis.  Unfortunately, he got so full of himself that God could not use him anymore, and he died after spending years bound up in a wheelchair – with arthritis!