20140606 Friday, June 6 2014
2 Kings 02: Where Did That Chariot Of Fire Take Elijah?

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"Behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven"

The prophet Elijah had thought that his work was done after he defeated hundreds of Jezebel's Satanic prophets of Baal (see 1 Kings 18: Elijah's Defeat Of The Prophets Of Baal and 1 Kings 19: Elijah's Journey To Mount Sinai). The LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God) however sent him back from Mount Sinai with a number of other tasks (see 2 Kings 1: Canaan Baalism) that included the choosing of the one who would assist, and then succeed Elijah - Elisha. Then, the day came when Elijah could retire.

"2:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2:2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel.

And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day?

And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace." (2 Kings 2:1-3 KJV)

The last recorded miracle of Elijah was his parting of the Jordan River, adjacent to Jericho, very near the place where the Israelites had crossed the divided-waters Jordan in the time of Joshua (see Joshua 2: Rahab Of Jericho, Joshua 3: The Crossing Of The Jordan and Joshua 4: Beachhead In The Promised Land).

Elijah was not headed out of Israel into foreign lands - he was returning to his home town in the Israelite territories east of the Jordan River that had existed since the time of Moses, where Moses himself was buried (see Numbers 32: The Israel Of East Jordan and Deuteronomy 34: The Passage Of Moses). Elijah didn't have to walk all the way home - a "chariot of fire" was provided to him to complete the journey. As the Scriptures record, it wasn't the last that anyone heard from Elijah however - people still received letters from him (see the Fact Finder question below).

"2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho.

And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. 2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day?

And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 2:8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.

And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces." (2 Kings 2:4-12 KJV)

Those who witnessed Elijah's flight wanted to search for him in the direction that he flew away because they knew that he was on Earth ("upon some mountain, or into some valley"), but he was not found because the purpose of the "chariot of fire" was to enable that very result (again, see the Fact Finder question below).

"2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 2:16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley.

And he said, Ye shall not send.

2:17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 2:18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?" (2 Kings 2:13-18 KJV)

Elisha then began his own miraculous ministry as the Holy Spirit enabled him, just as it had enabled Elijah.

"2:19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.

2:20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.

2:21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. 2:22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake." (2 Kings 2:19-22 KJV)

Just as Elijah had done, Elisha was enabled by the LORD to defend himself with whatever means necessary. The "little children" as the King James Version renders it, actually were recorded in the original Hebrew as youths - a huge gang of them who swarmed and attacked the prophet while blaspheming the LORD (see Elisha's Miracles).

"2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 2:25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria." (2 Kings 2:19-25 KJV)

Fact Finder: Elijah ascended into heaven on a "chariot of fire" during the reign of Jehoshaphat (i.e. Jehoshaphat was still king after Elisha had succeeded Elijah - 2 Kings 3:11). How then could King Jehoram, who succeeded Jehoshaphat as king, have received a letter from Elijah after Elijah was taken away into "heaven"? Where did Elijah really go?
See Where Did Elijah Go?