Apparently, Elijah was living elsewhere. Elijah had previously given his mantle as a prophet of Judah to Elisha, so Elisha was operating as a prophet for many years while Elijah still lived. Elijah's absence in Judah explained his need to compose a letter to communicate with King Jehoram rather appearing before him. We can only guess, but writers of scripture commonly move events around in time for stylistic or theological purposes.
Email Facebook Twitter. In the case of Enoch, we read this: Heb. For Elijah, we read 2Kings As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. In 2Chron 21 we read this: 2Chr. They returned after three days without finding Elijah 2Ki. A fiery war chariot and fiery horses, and they proceeded to make a separation between them both; and Elijah went ascending in the windstorm to the heavens.
The term sometimes applies to the spiritual dwelling place of God and his angelic sons. To which of these heavens did the prophet Elijah ascend? Elijah was still on earth years later, for he wrote a letter to King Jehoram of Judah. John The way to heavenly life was first opened up to imperfect humans after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.
Enoch was the first person described in the Scriptures as walking with God. Then he was no more, for God took him. Kenneth Heck Both Enoch and Elijah lived in times of overwhelming iniquity. Their unusual exit from the earth foreshadows the coming time of the Rapture when conditions on the earth will be similar.
They are the Old Testament intimation of the future rapture of Christians. That Elijah is still alive is indicated by Mal 4: If he were dead his body would not be preserved for his physical return. If he did not see death, then he did not die, and his body has also not been abandoned to death to return to the dust. Neither Elijah or Enoch ascended into heaven. They left the earth only by direct divine intervention, not by their own power. Only Christ has ascended into heaven without the aid of anyone else.
Exactly which heaven Elijah and Enoch were brought to hasn't been revealed in the Bible. If the separation of the soul from the body satisfies Heb , then it is quite possible that the souls of both Enoch and Elijah were separated from their bodies only after they entered heaven. Robert J. How many Israelites held prominent government positions in non-Israelite countries?
Victor L. How did the Israelites sustain themselves for 40 years? LaMar C. Who were the people living in the Promised Land?
Kent Brown. Why did the Lord permit Israel to war against people in the land of promise? Keith H. Only the high priest—type of Christ as High Priest now—was allowed to enter! The second heaven represents the expanse of this great universe—the space where we find the sun, moon, stars, comets and planets. How often do we find the Psalmist admiring the "heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, and the stars, which thou hast ordained" Psalm ; Genesis Beside the heaven of the stars, we find that the atmosphere, the air that surrounds this world, is also called heaven.
Birds fly "in the midst of heaven"—certainly not God's throne in heaven—for we read in Genesis of "fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. This first heaven, from which dew comes, means the atmosphere, where the clouds and the wind roam. Everyone of us is right now breathing the air of heaven! Since Elijah could not have gone to the heaven of God's throne, then to which heaven did he go? And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" II Kings , The answer ought already to be quite obvious!
Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven"—not to the heaven of God's throne, but into this earth's atmosphere, the first heaven. There could be no whirlwind in any other place but in the atmosphere surrounding this earth—in the first heaven, in which the birds fly. You certainly have seen the great lifting power of a whirlwind, haven't you?
What was the reason for this unusual act of God? Why did He take Elijah up into the atmosphere? Was it to make him immortal? The Scripture says no wordabout that! The ancient prophets—including Elijah—did not receive any promise of immortality prior to or apart from us.
Notice it in Hebrews and "These all , having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise"! And we shall not receive it until Christ returns Hebrews So Elijah was not to be made immortal—for that would give him pre-eminence above Jesus. But what does the Bible reveal as the reason for his removal?
II Kings and 5 has the answer. Notice now what the sons of the prophets said to Elisha: "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today? God had sent Elijah as His prophet to wicked king Ahab and to his son Ahaziah. He could not allow Elijah to be among the people with Elisha directing the work now.
That would have been the same as disqualifying him! Since God never takes an office from a man when that man has been performing his duty will, the only thing God could do would be to remove Elijah so that another would fulfill the office.
This God did. When he was taken up, Elijah's mantle dropped from him and Elisha picked it up. See II Kings In Clarke's Commentary we note that it was "worn by prophetsand priest s as the simple insignia of their office" vol. The purpose of God in removing Elijah was to replace him with another man who would occupy Elijah's office in Israel for another generation.
This work had to start under a new king, for Ahaziah had just died. And Elijah was already aging. So as not to disqualify Elijah in the sight of the people, God took him away from the sons of the prophets and the people, allowing the mantle which signified the office of Elijah to drop into the hands of Elisha. Thus God preserved the name and office of His prophet. Having crossed Jordan near Jericho, Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind in what appeared to be a chariot and horses of fire.
The violet motion of the wind pulled the mantle off the prophet as he was seen to ascend into the sky. You probably remember reading the promise of Elijah that Elisha would have a double portion of the Spirit of God if he would be allowed by God to see Elijah taken up II Kings All this meant that Elisha was to be the leader, the new head of the sons of the prophets.
Having ascended into the air, Elijah was borne away out of the sight of the new leader—beyond the horizon. He did not ascend to the throne of God.
Jesus said so! Yet he couldn't remain in the air forever. And God did not say that Elijah was to die at that time. If he were, Elisha could have assumed his new office without the removal of Elijah, for we know that Elisha died in office after fulfilling his duty II Kings The sons of the prophets who knew that their master was to be removed also knew that Elijah was not to die then.
That is why they were fearful that the Spirit of God might have allowed him to drop "upon some mountain, or into some valley" II Kings Elisha knew that God would preserve Elijah from falling, but at their insistence he permitted men to go in search of him—to no avail.
And where to? Certainly the whirlwind used by God could not take him beyond the earth's atmosphere. Neither does the Bible account leave Elijah in the air! The new king's name was Jehoram, or Joram, as this name is sometimes spelled. He was another son of Ahab. The first year of Jehoram's sole reign, which was the sixth year of his joint reign—first with his father Ahab, then his brother Ahaziah—was BC.
Meanwhile, in Judah, the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as co-regent along with his father II Kings This king, who began to reign in the fifth year of the joint reign of Jehoram, king of Israel, was also named Jehoram or Joram.
This Jehoram was associated with his father Jehoshaphat on the throne for nearly six years. Jehoshaphat died in the year BC. This was full four years since Elijah had disappeared remember, he had disappeared almost immediately after Jehoram of Israel began his sole reign in When Jehoshaphat was dead, his son Jehoram, now sole king of Judah, slew his brothers and some of the princes to further secure the throne II Chronicles After that brief war, Jehoram of Judah set about to build high places and introduce pagan customs II Chronicles.
He followed the ways of the nations about him and did evil in God's sight. A full four years had now expired since Elijah was taken from the people. But what do you think was about to happen? Yes, after this wicked rule by the Jewish king, God chose Elijah to write a letter and have it sent to the king!
The contents of the letter are found in II Chronicles In part it reads: "Because thou hast not walked in the ways of. From the wording of the letter, it is clear that Elijah wrote it after these events had occurred, for he speaks of them as past events, and of the disease as future.
Two years after the king became diseased, the king died BC —having reigned only eight short years II Chronicles This proves that the letter was written in the fifth year after Elijah had been taken to another location by the whirlwind.
God used Elijah to convey the message because he was the prophet of God in the days of the present king's father—and the son was not going in the ways of his obedient father, Jehosaphat. The letter he had others deliver was recognized as his—proving that he was known to be alive someplace. Just how much longer he lived, the Bible does not reveal. But in that "it is appointed unto men once to die"—Elijah must have died somewhat later. See Hebrews Elijah was a man"subject to like passions as we are" James —subject to human nature and death!
Elijah the prophet, being mortal flesh as we are, died. He is certainly one of the "prophets" Hebrews who died in faith not yet having received the promise verses 13 and
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