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Did Elijah Go to Heaven?
A biblical event many cite to support belief that the righteous go to heaven when
they die involves the prophet Elijah. Elijah was a prophet of God in the ninth century
B.C. The Bible states that "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven"
(2Kings 2:11). But does this contradict the testimony of Jesus, who was to state
some 900 years after Elijah's time that "no one has ascended to heaven but He
who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man"?; (John 3:13).
How can we explain this seeming biblical discrepancy? A closer look shows that the
two passages can be reconciled easily enough.
Careful study shows three "heavens" actually discussed in the Bible. One
is God's dwelling place-the place of His throne-and the heaven where the resurrected
Jesus is today. Speaking of Christ, who is our High Priest, the Bible says: "We
have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty
in the heavens" (Hebrews 8:1). Heaven is specifically called God's dwelling
place (Deuteronomy 26:15).
Another heaven discussed in the Bible is what we call outer space. It is the domain
of the moon, planets, comets, asteroids, sun and stars. David spoke of this when
he reflected on the awesomeness of God's creative handiwork, which he described as
"Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have
ordained" (Psalm 8:3). Many scriptures mention "the stars of heaven"
(Genesis 26:4; Deuteronomy 1:10; 28:62; Isaiah 13:10).
Yet another heaven is the envelope of air that surrounds our planet, consisting of
oxygen and other gases. This heaven-earth's atmosphere-is mentioned in such passages
as Genesis 7:11-12, which describes the great flood of Noah's day: "... The
windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty
nights." The Bible also speaks of "the birds of heaven," those that
fly overhead (Job 35:11; Jeremiah 16:4).
To determine which heaven is meant in a Bible passage, we must carefully consider
the context. It was into the lower reaches of this third kind of heaven-the earth's
atmosphere-that Elijah was taken. Let us notice the proof.
God had earlier told Elijah that he was to anoint a man named Elisha as prophet and,
in so doing, designate Elisha as his successor (1Kings 19:16). Later, as Elijah
and Elisha walked together, Elijah said to Elisha, "What may I do for you, before
I am taken away from you?" (2Kings 2:9). This led to a discussion of God's
gifts to Elisha that would allow him to fill Elijah's role.
"Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot
of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went
up by a whirlwind into heaven" (verse 11). Elijah was now gone. The former followers
and students of Elijah now knew to look to Elisha as their new leader. "Now
when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, 'The spirit
of Elijah rests on Elisha'" (2Kings 2:15).
Many Bible scholars and other readers assume that Elijah at that point was made immortal
and taken to the heaven where God resides. This was not the case. The sons of the
prophets knew otherwise. They knew the whirlwind had simply removed Elijah to another
location on earth. They exclaimed to Elisha: "Look now, there are fifty strong
men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps
the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some
valley" (2Kings 2:16).
The disciples were concerned for Elijah's safety, so they sent out a party of 50
men to search for him. The 50 searched for three days but did not find him (2Kings 2:17).
Another passage proves conclusively Elijah did not go to heaven. The Bible records
that Elijah wrote a letter to Jehoram, the king of Judah, several years after he
was removed in the whirlwind.
Notice the sequence of events recorded for us in the Bible. Elijah's last recorded
and dated act occurred during the reign of the Israelite king Ahaziah when Elijah
told the king he would die for his sins (2Kings 1:3,17). Ahaziah's reign lasted
only about a year ca. 850 B.C.
Elijah's removal and replacement by Elisha is then recorded in the next chapter,
2Kings 2. The story continues with incidents from Elisha's life, including an encounter
with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (2Kings 3:11-14). Several years later Jehoram, son
of Jehoshaphat, succeeded his father as king of Judah ca. 845 B.C. (2Kings 8:16).
Jehoram proved to be a wicked king, leading the nation of Judah in rebellion against
God's commandments. A few years into Jehoram's reign, and several years after Elijah's
removal, Elijah wrote a letter to Jehoram warning him of dire consequences because
of his sins. This letter is recorded in 2Chronicles 21:12-15.
This letter proves the prophet was still alive and on earth some years after he was
removed by the whirlwind and replaced by Elisha. God had chosen Elisha to succeed
Elijah as His prophet, so He bodily removed Elijah to another place, where he continued
to live for at least several more years-as his letter to Jehoram demonstrates.
The Bible tells us nothing more about Elijah after he wrote the letter. But he eventually
died, since Hebrews 9:27 tells us "it is appointed for men to die once."
Elijah, like the other prophets and righteous men of the Old Testament, died in faith,
not having received the eternal life God had promised (Hebrews 11:39, NIV).
As these passages show, a careful reading of the Scriptures shows that Elijah's miraculous
removal in a fiery chariot involved transporting him to another location in the area,
not to eternal life in heaven.
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