Transcript

A Russian couple was walking down the street in St. Petersburg, when the husband felt a drop hit his nose. “I think it’s raining,” he said to his wife.

“No, that felt more like snow to me,” she replied. “No, I’m sure it was just rain, he said. Just when they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing, they saw a communist party official walking toward them.

“Let’s not fight about it,” the man said. “Let’s ask Comrade Rudolph whether it’s officially raining or snowing.”

As the official approached, the husband asked him, “Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?” “It’s raining, of course,” he answered and walked on.

But the wife still insisted to her husband: “I know that felt like snow!” To which the husband replied to his wife: “Rudolph the Red KNOWS rain, dear!”

Speaking of knowing, and calling this message, “Do you know what I know?” we’ll see in 2 Kings 2 how Elijah, Elisha and the sons of the prophets in Bethel and Jericho all KNEW ahead of time about Elijah’s translation in the whirlwind. And in this account we’ll see another chariot of fire that appeared when Elijah was taken away.

2 Kings 2:1-6: “And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

The chapter is introduced as if it was already a known fact and common knowledge that “the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind.” Elijah and Elisha knew it ahead of time. And the sons of the prophets also knew it.

Though we are not told when, apparently, the Holy Spirit had given a prophecy revealing this, which all these prophets then knew.

On the last day of Elijah’s life on the earth, he and Elisha did some walking and traveling. We see in this passage that from Gilgal, they went to Bethel. From Bethel, they went down to Jericho. And from Jericho, they went to the east side of the Jordan River.

This was Elijah’s farewell tour. When Elijah was preparing to travel from Gilgal to Bethel, he told his faithful friend and attendant, Elisha, “Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel.”

Each time Elijah set out to go to a new location in this passage, he instructed Elisha to stay behind and let him go on alone.

When he left Gilgal to go to Bethel, Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here.” And Elisha replied, “No, I’m going with you.” When he left Bethel to go to Jericho, Elijah said, “Stay here.” Elisha responded, “No, I’m coming too.”

When he left Jericho to go across the Jordan, Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here.” And Elijah said, “No, I won’t leave you.”

And each time, Elisha replied with a sacred, double oath, “As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth” that he would not leave him.

There are likely a couple of reasons why Elijah wished for Elisha to stay behind.

First, he was apparently trying to spare him the pain of seeing his master and friend depart. Second, it was a test of Elisha’s devotion, loyalty, and tenacity, which were qualities he would need as he ministered to Israel in her pervasive idolatry.

Elisha had been following, assisting, and learning from Elijah for nearly 10 years, and this was the final test. And Elisha passed this test with flying colors. Elijah could not shake or rid himself of Elisha. Elisha was relentless.

Knowing that Elijah would soon depart in an unusual way, Elisha wanted to stay as close as possible to his mentor, and he was determined to stay by him until the end. He would not part from Elijah until God parted them.

And Elisha, throughout his prophetic ministry, was like this, he was tenacious and he remained devoted and faithful to the Lord to the end.

We learn of the importance of Bethel and Jericho in terms of what they shared in common as we read in the text. At each of these locations, Elijah and Elisha were met by a gathering of prophets, called “the sons of the prophets.”

These sons of the prophets were students and disciples of the prophets. Older men taught the younger men, who in turn taught the people of Israel the law and God’s Word.

In both Bethel and Jericho, there were schools, or seminaries, where men could be trained for the ministry to undertake the sacred calling of a prophet in Israel.

Elijah’s journey on his last day was divinely directed. And the reason the Lord “sent” Elijah to both Bethel and Jericho was for Elijah to make one last circuit by these schools and prophets-in-training.

By the Spirit, it had been revealed to these sons of the prophets that “the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind,” and they knew that this was the day of Elijah’s departure and their final opportunity to see him.

Elijah was the most prominent prophet of the day, and these younger prophets surely looked to him for leadership and inspiration. And the Lord had him visit these schools to minister encouragement to these prophets by them seeing the man of God one last time.

At both Bethel and Jericho, the sons of the prophets made a point of making known to Elisha that this was the day of Elijah’s taking away. Interestingly, they did not say this or anything to Elijah, probably out of their respect or even fear of him.

They asked Elisha, “Do you know what I know?” or as verses 3 and 5 states, “Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day?” And Elisha said, “Yea I know it.”

The phrase about taking your “master from thy head,” means removing him from his position of superiority over Elisha as his teacher and master.

And once Elijah was taken in the whirlwind, Elisha would replace him as the head, the chief and foremost prophet in Israel.

God was orchestrating the final events of Elijah’s life here in such a way as to designate and accredit Elisha as Elijah’s replacement before these other prophets in Israel.

And both times when Elisha is asked this question by the prophets in Bethel and then in Jericho, Elisha informed them that he knows this is the day his master will be taken from him, and then he instructed them to keep quiet. I like how the Scripture puts Elisha’s reply, “Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.”

When the Lord told His disciples that He was going away, John 16:6 tells us that sorrow filled their hearts. And the prospect of his mentor and friend leaving him that day, and being told what he already knew, filled Elisha’s heart with sorrow and sadness.

Thus, Elisha’s response of “Hold ye your peace,” means, “I already know. Be quiet. Don’t add to my sorrow by reminding me.”

2 Kings 2:7-10: “And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

After Elisha again refused to leave Elijah, together they walked five miles east and came to the Jordan River. Knowing that Elijah’s departure was imminent, the curious sons of the prophets followed at a distance and “stood to view afar off” from around Jericho to observe what would happen.

One commentator stated this about this area of Jericho, “Jericho was the place where God’s people had driven a formidable wedge into the opposition. Jericho was to the Hebrews what D-day was to the Americans in World War II. It was Normandy for God’s people. Jericho was a city of magnificent and vivid memories.”

Jericho and the Jordan River were significant locations in Israel’s history. And it was here that the significant and memorable event of Elijah’s translation took place.

Elijah and Elisha came to and stood at the bank of the Jordan River. Over 500 years earlier, the Lord had opened and divided the Red Sea to let His people OUT of Egypt and they crossed over on dry ground.

Then 40 years after that, the Lord divided the Jordan River to let His people INTO their inheritance in the Promised Land.

As the Israelites followed the Ark of the Covenant, when the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the overflowing water of the river:

“…the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho” (Josh 3:16). And then all the Israelites then crossed over on dry ground.

Standing at this location where God’s people entered the Promised Land, Elijah duplicated the miracle from the days of Moses and Joshua.

Verse 8 reads, “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.”

Elijah wrapped, or rolled up his mantle, his outer robe. And he hit the water with it. As soon as his mantle hit that water it divided, and just as when the Israelites crossed it in the days of Joshua, they crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.

A prophet’s cloak symbolized his authority under God. And by that mantle parting the water, it revealed God’s authority and power that was vested in Elijah.

For both Elisha and the sons of the prophets observing from a distance, they were reminded that God and His almighty power were still very much active in Israel.

And this act showed that Israel’s God was as able as ever to lead His people out of bondage and into promised blessing.

According to 1 Kings 17:1, Elijah was from Gilead, a location east of the Jordan. He had come from east of the Jordan, during the reign of Ahab to begin his prophetic ministry. Now at the close of his ministry, he crossed back over Jordan to depart this world.

After they crossed the Jordan, as his time grew short, Elijah selflessly turned to his friend and asked what he could do for him before he was taken away. Elijah asked this question because he knew that Elisha would be his prophetic successor in Israel.

Elisha’s response to Elijah was “I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” When Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, he was revealing the priorities of his life. His priorities were not on wealth, position, or worldly power, but on serving the Lord God of Israel.

Elisha’s request was not a request for twice as much of the Holy Spirit, or for a ministry twice as great as that of Elijah.

Rather, in asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha was thinking of the paternal blessing of a departing father. Elisha was asking to be acknowledged and treated as a firstborn among the sons of the prophets.

Under the Mosaic Law, the oldest son was to receive a double portion of his father’s estate (Deut. 21:17). Elisha was not the physical son of Elijah, but he was his spiritual son.

So in asking for a double portion of his spirit to be upon him, Elisha was asking Elijah, his spiritual father, to give what belonged to him spiritually.

Elisha asked for this because those were hard times in the nation of Israel, and Elisha knew that in order for him to serve the Lord in the difficult days ahead, he needed the same courage, resolve, faithfulness, and boldness that Elijah his master had.

Elisha wanted to be an heir of the same mighty spirit and disposition that enabled Elijah to make such a deep impact on Israel. Alexander Whyte aptly described Elijah as: “a Mount Sinai of a man, with a heart like a thunderstorm.”

And Elisha’s request was a humble one, knowing that he needed Elijah’s spirit and the Lord’s help to carry out his ministry.

His request was out of his desire to be a worthy successor of Elijah. If anything, Elisha thought of Elijah as twice the man he was, and so in his mind, he needed a double portion of his spirit to carry out his prophetic work after Elijah was gone.

Elijah responded to him by saying, “Thou hast asked a hard thing.” It was not in Elijah’s power to grant the request.

Elijah could not bestow his spirit, and for that reason, it was a difficult thing. This was a gift only God could give and Elijah did not know if God would grant the request or not.

Since Elijah could not grant or refuse his request, he told Elisha to look for a sign from God by which he would know whether God would grant his request.

And the sign of acceptance from God would be if he saw Elijah’s translation. However, if Elisha didn’t see him being taken then God would not grant the request.

2 Kings 2:11-14: “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.

“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.

“He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 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.”

Elijah was not preaching, teaching, or prophesying. The scene was just two friends walking and talking on the east side of the Jordan.

And suddenly in one of the most dramatic scenes in the Bible, the spiritual realm opened, and a fiery chariot with fiery horses appeared. This chariot and horses immediately separated Elijah from Elisha.

And the prophet of fire, who called fire down upon the sacrifice on Mount Carmel, and who called fire down on the messengers of King Ahaziah, saw these fiery images within the spiritual realm.

The chariot of fire was a literal chariot of fire and the horses of fire were literal horses of fire within God’s powerful heavenly army in the spiritual realm.

Speaking of God’s angelic host, Psalm 104:4 reads, “Who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a FLAMING FIRE.”

The chariot and horses are military images. They were symbols of battle, and further, they were symbols of God’s supreme power in battle. Horses and chariots were the mightiest means and weapons of warfare in that day. But FIERY horses and chariots demonstrate that God’s power is far greater than any earthly, military might.

Elijah had been a warrior for God. By revealing this chariot with horses at his translation was to show that a warrior was departing this world.

The text does not tell us that Elijah got into the chariot of fire and rode off into heaven. It tells us that the fiery chariot and horses appeared, and this flaming host separated Elijah from Elisha.

Then “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” By a whirling, mighty, rushing wind, the prophet of God was swept off the earth up into heaven and he vanished alive.

The reference to “heaven” is speaking of the heaven of the upper atmosphere, where the birds fly. The whirlwind caught him up into the sky and he disappeared into paradise in the center of the earth. Because at that time, believers were gathered to paradise.

Our Lord made it very clear that at that time of His earthly ministry that “no man hath ascended up to heaven” (John 3:13), or the third heaven of God’s domain.

But now that the price for sin has been paid, believers today in the Body of Christ have access to God’s third heaven and that is where our souls go when we depart from this world in death. Heaven is where our home is. It is where our citizenship is.

The Lord’s presence is connected with a whirlwind in Scripture. When the Lord spoke to Job, in Job 38:1, we read: “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said.”

The whirlwind reminds us of the Lord’s presence at Elijah’s departure, and it also reminds us of the kind of life Elijah had led. His ministry had been a whirlwind of activity.

He had been driven, determined, obedient and so jealous of God’s glory that he boldly went into the palace of ungodly kings with messages of judgment and bravely faced down the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.

He blew through Israel like a tornado. And he left the earth as he had lived on the earth: in a whirlwind.

And Elisha did see the event. He saw the fiery chariot and horses, and he saw Elijah go up by the whirlwind into the sky above and disappear. And I imagine he probably also felt the strong rushing wind blowing hard against him.

By Elisha seeing Elijah’s departure, God assured Elisha that he would receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. In response to seeing Elijah’s translation, “he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”

In this chapter, we read how the prophets-in-training were called “the SONS of the prophets.” And their teachers and mentors were their spiritual FATHERS. Elijah had been Elisha’s spiritual father and mentor, thus he called him, “My father, my father.”

This title expressed Elisha’s respect for, admiration of, and dependence on Elijah.

Elisha called Elijah “my father,” and he called him “the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.” This title shows the high esteem in which he held Elijah and he paid him a great tribute by it.

It describes what Elijah had been to the nation: a powerful instrument, a great spiritual warrior, a one-man army whom God had used to wage war against idolatry in Israel.

God recognized the truth of this same title by having a fiery chariot and fiery horses from His heavenly host appear at his departure.

Years later when Elisha died, showing that he did minister in the same spirit of Elijah, the same tribute was given to him by King Joash:

2 Kings 13:14 reads, “Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”

Seeing Elijah vanish, and realizing the great loss both he and the nation had sustained, in an act of sorrow, Elisha ripped his own garment in two. Elijah would be greatly missed.

Elisha tore his own robe in his grief and now he needed a new one. And there just so happened to be another robe available and lying on the ground.

In verse 13 we learn that the mantle of Elijah had fallen from him and was left behind when he went up in the whirlwind. The mantle was symbolic of the prophetic office and its authority as God’s spokesman.

The mantle of Elijah did not fall and float from heaven right into Elisha’s hands; he had to go over and decide to pick it up. In taking up that mantle, Elisha was making it clear that he was accepting the responsibilities of being the prophet of God in Israel.

Elisha picked up that mantle from the ground “and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan.”

Standing at the bank of the Jordan River, with Elijah’s mantle in hand,” he asked, “Where the Lord God of Elijah?” In other words, had He left the earth with His prophet? If not, let Him now display His power.

And Elisha was calling out to the Lord to demonstrate His power through him as He had done through Elijah.

And when Elisha hit that water with the mantle, immediately the waters parted. The Lord had not left with Elijah. Where is the Lord God of Elijah? He was right there with Elisha.

He was very present on this earth, as He always is, and He would work mightily through Elisha as He had done through Elijah.

And Elisha’s question and using the mantle to part the waters of the Jordan declared that his faith was not in the departed prophet but in the ever-present, living God.

Missing death puts Elijah in a very rare category in Scripture. Only 2 people in recorded history have exited earth without dying. Enoch was the first, and Elijah was the second.

But we who are alive on earth at the time of Christ’s return at the Rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ, have this hope as well. Every day is a possible day that the Lord could return and catch us up to heaven without dying.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 reads, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”