This other prayer took place after the showdown at Mount Carmel, when Elijah had to run for his life because Ahab’s wife had vowed to hunt Elijah down until he was dead. Privacy Policy According to 2 Kings 2:11 “Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind”. Some believe they are evidence proving those who die righteously will go to heaven.So, what does the Bible really say happened to these two men? The Bible says, “He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. In 2 Kings 2, Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan River on dry land, and Elisha, knowing that Elijah would not be with him much longer, asked to be blessed with a double portion of Elijah… 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 story is found in 1 Kings 17:1 - 2 Kings 2:11. We can only guess, but writers of scripture commonly move events around in time for stylistic or theological purposes. Elijah was a prophet of God in the ninth century B.C. We can only know they did not see death on earth. So what is the explanation for this? In fact, his name means "My God is Yah(weh).". I have heard many people say that Elijah was taken into heaven by a chariot of fire, but that is not what the Bible … Elijah the Prophet (known in Hebrew as Eliyahu Hanavi) is perhaps the most beloved prophet in the Bible.His lifetime is chronicled in Kings I and King II—including the miracles he performed, the inspiration he caused, and his dramatic ascent to heaven.. The verb “to take” is used in the Bible only two times to refer to a person being removed from earth to the heavenly realm. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD-he is God! The writer says Elijah was taken “to Heaven” but the Hebrew word for heaven is shamayim, which can take one of three distinct meanings: the sky, outer space or God’s throne room. The New King James Version states that “Enoch was taken away.”The phrases “translated” or “taken away” come from the Greek word metatithemi, which means “to Copyright Restrictions Jezebel was furious at the loss of her prophets, however, and swore to kill him. Elijah had incredible faith in God. After a stunning victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah fell into depression. In 2 Kings 2 the Lord removed Elijah without experiencing death. What happened to elijah in the bible ile ilişkili işleri arayın ya da 19 milyondan fazla iş içeriğiyle dünyanın en büyük serbest çalışma pazarında işe alım yapın. The Bible's accounts of Enoch's translation and Elijah’s removal from the earth tell us nothing about what happened to them after they were removed from the Earth. We know the writer described Elijah’s departure from his perspective on the ground, so the writer could only say that Elijah was taken into the shamayim (i.e., the sky). We must use the explicit teaching of scripture to guide any implied understanding. With immorality spreading, does it feel like many people are against the truth of the Bible? Jesus said no one except Him had gone to heaven. Notice the sequence of events recorded for us in the Bible. God ordered Elijah to anoint his successor, Elisha, whom he found plowing with 12 yoke of oxen. Elijah Later in the Bible. (NIV), 2 Kings 2:11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. How was Jesus healing the leper a Messianic miracle. The people fell on their faces, shouting, "The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God." Twice each day the Lord had bread and meat delivered to Elijah by unusual means – ravens. ", All the People Raised From the Dead in the Bible, Biography of Elijah, Old Testament Prophet, Biblical Baby Boy Names: From Aaron to Zechariah. Elijah Taken Up to Heaven. In light of our stand point regarding the believer’s need for resurrection, one of our readers asks, “Why was Elijah taken straight up to heaven, and also Enoch?” Let’s begin by looking at two relevant verses of Scripture: “…and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (1 Kings 2:11) On the other hand, scripture says definitively that no man entered into Heaven before Christ. The Bible attributes the following actions to Elijah: In Kings 1, Elijah suddenly appears during the reign of Ahab to announce a drought that God will send in punishment for worshipping the cult of Baal. It happened that when Elisha was an old man there can to him King Joash, who had been made king when he was only seven years old. God sent chariots and horses of fire and took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, while Elisha stood watching. (NIV), Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. The Bible's accounts of Enoch's translation and Elijah’s removal from the earth tell us nothing about what happened to them after they were removed from the Earth. Like Enoch, Elijah did not die. While 2Kings 2-3 may imply Elijah was removed before Jehoshaphat’s reign, 2Chron 21 explicitly tells us that Elijah was still alive even after Jehoshaphat had died and his successor, Jehoram, as ruling. God also performed many miracles through Elijah, including resurrection, bringing fire down from the sky, and entering Heaven alive"by fire". Elijah then rebuilt the altar of the Lord, sacrificing a bull there. Elisha killed the animals for a sacrifice and followed his master. What Does the Bible Say About Depression? Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you are turning their hearts back again." 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 (2 Kings 1:3, 17). So why did the writer choose to record Elijah’s departure so early in 2Kings? Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 2Chr. But Christians include Malachi 21 as their last book in the Old Testament, so the last reference for Christians is at Malachi 4:5-6. But when the prophet was told of the queen’s persistent rejection to the new call for reformation, it was more than he could stand. Strengthened, Elijah went 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb, where God appeared to him in a whisper. Nothing more can be assumed about Elijah’s final destination. He was seen speaking with Moses and Jesus at the Transfiguration. But the Bible is clear: Elijah was taken to heaven. Elijah and Enoch. According to again, noted Bible authorities, this letter of Elijah’s was “sent” to King Jehoram, some EIGHT years after Elijah took his “whirlwind” ride. Elijah appeared before King Ahab to announce God's curse: "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." Although the prophet Elijah is referenced 69 times in the KJV Bible, only two places discuss Enoch by name, Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5. As a result we know that whatever happened to Elijah that day did not include him ascending into heaven. Also, Elijah writes a letter to King Jehoram in 2 Chronicles 21, but this king lived years after God took Elijah. The Lord was patient with him, however, letting him rest and regain his strength for future service. According to tradition, Elijah frequently comes down to earth to help Jews in distress or reveal secrets of the Torah to our great scholars. However, the Bible teaches us that Elijah and Enoch never died but went to heaven. Elijah prayed, and rain fell on Israel. Based on other scripture, we must assume their souls were transferred to Abraham’s Bosom (see Luke 16) to await the arrival of Messiah just like all Old Testament saints. Carmel, Elijah was exalted by the hand of God (1 Kings 18). Miraculously, during the time Elijah stayed at the home of the widow, she never ran out of flour or oil to make bread. Again, we only know that Elijah was removed from the earth. Elijah, a biblical prophet is one of the most interesting characters in the Bible. How did he write this letter? Clearly, Christ’s death and resurrection were the only way to reconcile men to the Father, which precludes any possibility that Enoch or Elijah could be resurrected before Christ’s death and resurrection. When the widow’s son died, Elijah raised him from the dead. Elijah stood up boldly for God in a time when idolatry had swept his land. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” As we’ve said, the timing of Elijah’s departure is an assumption, since scripture never specifies the exact date of Elijah’s removal. Strengthened, Elijah went 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb, where God appeared to him in a whisper. The Bible states that "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11 2 Kings 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. God granted these men remarkable departures from the earth, but He couldn't grant them entry into Heaven before Christ’s sacrifice. Later, Elijah meets prophets of Baal to determine which tribal god is supreme; as the story goes, Elijah "wins" when Jehovah answers his prayers. They are as different as night and day. Answer: Malachi 4:5-6 offers an intriguing prophecy: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 21:14 behold, the Lord is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great calamity; In the wilderness, did Jesus have supernatural power to resist temptation? Instead, the prophet slept, and an angel brought him food. Scripture Readings for the First Week of Advent, Scripture Readings for the Fourth Week of Lent, Book of Daniel From the King James Version of the Bible, Elisha: Profile & Biography of Elisha, Old Testament Prophet and Biblical Figure, Israel Tour Pictures: Photo Journal of the Holy Land, M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University, B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University. Designed and developed by VBVMI in partnership with Giles-Parscale. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions, ©2021. Since Elijah is absent in1Kings 3, scholars conclude that the events of 2Kings 1-3 are presented chronologically. Eight years later, in 860 B.C., Elijah sends a … For Elijah, we read. (1 Kings 18:39, NIV) Elijah ordered the people to slay the 850 false prophets. Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab who ruled the kingdom of Israel. Christ said that no man could reach the Father except through Him: Had it been possible for the Father to permit sinful men (like Enoch or Elijah) to enter His presence in bodily form before Christ’s death and resurrection, then the Father would have had no need for Christ to die on the cross! So Elijah ran as far as he could until he he was thoroughly exhausted. If Elijah sent a letter to Jehoshaphat’s successor, Jehoram, then it appears Elijah was alive even after Jehoshaphat’s reign, which contradicts the conclusion that Elijah was removed before Jehoshaphat’s rule. Therefore, we conclude that Elijah was still alive during Jehoram’s reign. 21:13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you have also killed your brothers, your own family, who were better than you. There was another prophet, a companion of Elijah, whose name was Elisha, a brave and courageous man who did not fail to deliver God's message. When the brook dried up, God sent Elijah to live with a widow in Zarephath. In 2Kings 3, Jehoshaphat called for a prophet, but only Elisha was present and ministering at this time. The Bible says clearly “no man” preceded Christ, which rules out any exceptions. They built an altar and asked Baal to send fire for the sacrifice but nothing happened. He had a servant douse the sacrifice and wood with four jars of water, three times until all was thoroughly soaked. Elijah's absence in Judah explained his need to compose a letter to communicate with King Jehoram rather appearing before him. Here are seven Bible verses about Elijah the Prophet. In one Elijah is bold and courageous, victoriously facing all kinds of odds with the chapter concluding, “the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.”Elijah experienced God’s supernatural strength to do the extraordinary. 1 Kings 17-19 The Message (MSG). In chapter 3, Jehoshaphat calls for a prophet, but he is told that only Elisha was present, the prophet that succeeded Elijah. “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.” – 2 Kings 2:11. 2 Kings 11: is correct. Some have argued that he was only translated to some other place on earth. In chapter 3, Jehoshaphat calls for a prophet, but he is told that only Elisha was present, the prophet that succeeded Elijah. Apparently, Elijah was living elsewhere. In this case, the writer chose to record Elijah’s departure earlier than it happened perhaps to emphasize Elisha’s role as the primary prophet during Elijah's declining years. God ordered Elijah to anoint his successor, Elisha, whom he found plowing with 12 yoke of oxen. He put the burnt offering on it, along with wood. First Kings 17:1 “Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God Furthermore, it is theologically impossible for a man to precede Christ into Heaven. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I … Based on 2Chron 21, we know this assumption must be wrong. He loyally carried out the Lord's instructions and struck boldly in the face of enormous opposition. One Man Against the World - 1 Kings 18:1-40 Have you ever felt as if everyone is against us, as Christians? After many hours, Elijah built an altar to God, soaked it in water and asked God to send fire. He was an instrument for miracles against Israel's idolaters. In th… Confident of the power of God, Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the false god Asherah to a showdown on Mount Carmel. Bible scholars have assumed Elijah was removed during the reign of Ahaziah or perhaps that of his successor, Jehoshaphat because the writer of 2Kings recorded his account of Elijah’s departure in chapter 2, between the account of the Ahaziah’s death in 2Kings 1 and the reign of Jehoshaphat in 2Kings 3. If so, how was this possible before Jesus' death and resurrection? Elisha performed his service for God over… If this is true, it raises a problem in 2Chronicles 21. Other references include 2 Chronicles 21:12-15; Malachi 4:5,6; Matthew 11:14, 16:14, 17:3-13, 27:47-49; Luke 1:17, 4:25,26; John 1:19-25; Romans 11:2-4; James 5:17,18. Elijah confronted Ahab for his idolatry and challenged Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel. Question: "Why must Elijah return before the end times (Malachi 4:5-6)?" He is the author of "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges. Kaydolmak ve işlere teklif vermek ücretsizdir. Though the Bible never explicitly tells the outcome of Elijah’s flaming exodus, it does state that “NO ONE HAS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man” (Joh 3:13 ESV). The text in 2Kings 3 doesn’t say Elijah was dead but only that he wasn’t present. Answer: Enoch and Elijah, and their apparent disappearance, mystifies many readers of God's word. 2 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. In the case of Enoch, we read this: Hebrews 11 says only that Enoch didn’t experience death. Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. God can use you in amazing ways as well if you surrender yourself to his will. Scripture specifically states this was not possible, and therefore it did not happen (John 3:13). What happened to Elijah? But in chapter 19, we find Elijah fearful, running scared, exhausted, depressed, and wanting to die. Based on Hebrews 11:5 (King James Version), which says, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death,” some believe that Enoch never died and was taken to heaven. Verse By Verse Ministry International. Therefore, we must conclude that while the Lord permitted these men to avoid death, nevertheless He could not bring them into His presence in bodily form. Elijah stretched himself on the boy's body three times, and God restored the child's life. Elijah felt the same in his day. The Bible records that Elijah wrote a letter to Jehoram, the king of Judah, several years after he was removed in the whirlwind. He appears on the Biblical Timeline with world history during the 8th century BC. Also, Elijah writes a letter to King Jehoram in 2 Chronicles 21, but this king lived years after God took Elijah. He is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known a… During the victory on Mt. When the brook dried up, the Lord sent Elijah to the home of a poor widow. 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