| “And it came to pass, as they [Elijah and Elisha] 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” (2 Kings 2:11-12). |
| The Lord had decided to take Elijah up to heaven without his having to die. He was one of two men in the Bible to whom this happened. Do you know who the other one was? |
| When the time came, Elijah and Elisha were walking together, and they had visited several places. They started out from Gilgal, then went to Bethel, then Jericho, then the Jordan River. They crossed the river, and then the Lord took Elijah up to heaven. But how did he go? |
| I have heard Christians say that he went up in the chariot of fire that is mentioned. As you know, a chariot is a coach or carriage pulled by horses. But the Bible does not say that Elijah went up by the chariot; it says that he went up by a whirlwind into heaven. It is important to see the difference, and to see what the chariot means. |
| When Elisha saw the chariot, he did not say, “The chariot of Elijah;” no, he said, “The chariot of Israel.” The chariot of fire was for the whole nation of Israel, and it speaks of the Lord’s protection for us in this world. It speaks of the Lord’s power on behalf of His people here, and that protection is still with us today, although we may not see it. Elijah had experienced that protection during his lifetime, but it was available for all who would follow the Lord. |
| The chariot of fire did not go back to heaven; it remains here for the help of God’s people. We see this later on in the history of Elisha, who replaced Elijah as the Lord’s prophet in Israel. If we go on to 2 Kings 6, we find that Elisha and his servant were in a city surrounded by the army of the Syrians. The servant was very upset, until Elisha prayed and asked the Lord to open his eyes. Then he saw a whole army with many chariots and horses of fire, round about Elisha. These were angels, and had been sent by the Lord to protect Elisha and his servant. |
| As I have mentioned, we can count on the Lord’s protection today, although we might not see actual chariots of fire. But many times they are there for us, even though we cannot see them. |
| Can you find another place in the Bible where someone says exactly the same words as Elisha said — “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof?” It is in this same book of 2nd Kings. (Don’t look now, but I will give you the answer tomorrow.) |
