Sometimes
we look at sections of scripture, or hear stories preached, but we don’t get
the full picture. Typically, by no fault
of the one preaching, there are different points to be made rather than the
deep look into the context. Our story of
Elijah being taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire has some interesting points. And when we compare Elijah’s journey to
Enoch’s journey, we find that they have many similarities. Both men were great witnesses on the
earth. Both men spent their last days testifying
of a soon to come Redeemer, and instructed those around them. During both Enoch and Elijah’s last days on
earth, the people around them knew they would be taken up to heaven. Neither one of them left their physical body
behind. People looked for both of these
men after being taken up but they could not be found.
When
we look at these two events, we can see a bigger picture of each Elijah and
Enoch. Let’s start with Elijah.
2
Kings 2:1-18 WHEN THE Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a
whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were going from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to
Elisha, Tarry here, I pray you, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel. But Elisha
replied, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So
they went down to Bethel.
The
first place to notice is Gilgal, the place where Joshua encamped with the
Israelites after crossing the Jordan before the battle at Jericho. Gilgal was eight miles from Bethel, and one
mile from Jericho. Elijah was sent by the Lord to Bethel and Elisha walked with
him. They were on a mission as we shall
see a bit later.
2
Kings 2:3 The prophets' sons who were at Bethel came to Elisha and said, Do you
know that the Lord will take your master away from you today? He said, Yes, I
know it; hold your peace.
All
the prophets at Bethel knew Elijah was going to be taken up in a whirlwind and
chariot of fire. Elisha also knew. How is it that God told everyone who was
important to Elijah that he was going to be taken to heaven in a whirlwind?
They then walked to Jericho.
2
Kings 2:4 Elijah said to him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray you, for the Lord has
sent me to Jericho. But he said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I
will not leave you. So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who
were at Jericho came to Elisha and said, Do you know that the Lord will take
your master away from you today? And he answered, Yes, I know it; hold your
peace.
All
the prophets in Jericho knew Elijah was going to be taken to heaven by God as
well. Elijah then crosses the Jordan.
2
Kings 2:6 Elijah said to him, Tarry here, I pray you, for the Lord has sent me
to the Jordan. But he said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will
not leave you. And the two of them went on.
Elisha
is determined to stick with Elijah, and the prophets at Jericho walk with them
to watch Elijah and Elisha leave.
2
Kings 2:7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood [to watch]
afar off; and the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his mantle
and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they divided this way and that, so
that the two of them went over on dry ground. 9 And when they had gone over,
Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.
And Elisha said, I pray you, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. 10
He said, You have asked a hard thing. However, if you see me when I am taken
from you, it shall be so for you — but if not, it shall not be so.
Elisha’s
boldness to ask for double portion is a good example for us to ask God for
things. Here, the next two verses tell
of Elijah going up in a chariot of fire and a whirlwind. There are no clues from the text that will
give us further insight regarding Elijah being taken alive, but we should look
at the words anyway.
2
Kings 2:11 As they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and
horses of fire parted the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven.
Fire OT:784 'esh —a
fire a) a fire, flames b) a supernatural fire (accompanying
theophany) c) a fire (for cooking,
roasting, parching) d) an
altar-fire e) God's anger
(figurative)(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver
& Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship,
Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)
Whirlwind OT:5591 ca`ar or
(fem.) ce`arah —a tempest, a storm, a whirlwind; a tempest(from The Online
Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon,
Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the
Institute for Creation Research.)
Heaven OT:8064 shamayim
(shaw-mah'-yim); dual of an unused singular shameh (shaw-meh'); from an unused
root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the
visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the
celestial bodies revolve): KJV - air,
astrologer, heaven (-s).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
While
this word for whirlwind is not the same as in Ezekiel, it still may be that the
same whirlwind, or wheel, or Ophan that comes and goes and transports the glory
of God, the very same ones that Saul made bronze statues to hold the lavers,
are one in the same. Regular storms do not separate two people walking
together, and take one to heaven, leaving the other behind unscathed. The Ophanim are the ones who come like a
whirlwind with the Cherubim as we have previously studied. http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/04/ophanim-ezekiels-wheels-enochs.html
2
Kings 2:12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, My father, my father! The chariot of
Israel and its horsemen! And he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own
clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Chariot OT:7393 rekeb —a
team, a chariot, chariotry, a millstone, riders
a) chariotry, chariots b) a
chariot (single) c) upper millstone (as
riding on a lower millstone) d) riders,
troop (of riders), horsemen, a pair of horsemen, men riding, donkey-riders, camel-riders (from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon
and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible
Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)
Horsemen OT:6571 parash —1) a
horse, a steed, a warhorse 2) a
horseman (from The Online Bible Thayer's
Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993,
Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for
Creation Research.)
2
Kings 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and went
back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 And he took the mantle that fell
from Elijah and struck the waters and said, Where is the Lord, the God of
Elijah? And when he had struck the waters, they parted this way and that, and
Elisha went over. 15 When the sons of the prophets who were [watching] at
Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came
to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
The
prophets were still watching; they may not have been able to see everything
well, but they saw Elijah and Elisha walk away.
They saw Elijah go up, and then they saw Elisha with Elijah’s mantle
cross the Jordan on dry ground. The
prophets thought maybe the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, took Elijah to
another region. They wanted to check the
mountains. This tells us they may have seen the whirlwind moving over the
mountains as it left.
2
Kings 2:16 And they said to him, Behold now, there are among your servants
fifty strong men; let them go, we pray you, and seek your master. It may be
that the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or
into some valley. And he said, You shall not send. 17 But when they urged him
till he was embarrassed, he said, Send. So they sent fifty men, who sought for
three days but did not find him. 18 When they returned to Elisha, who had
waited at Jericho, he said to them, Did I not tell you, Do not go? AMP
The
Bible tells us of Enoch going to heaven as well. Enoch walked in habitual
fellowship with God. He was translated
to give repentance to the nations. That
sounds like he will be preaching repentance when he comes during the tribulation.
Gen
5:22-24 Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God after the birth of
Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of
Enoch were 365 years. 24 And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God;
and he was not, for God took him [home with Him]. [Heb 11:5.] AMP
Ecclus
44:16-17 Henoch [Enoch] pleased God, and was translated into paradise, that he
may give repentance to the nations.17 Noe was found perfect, just, and in the
time of wrath he was made a reconciliation.Douay-Rheims
Ecclus
49:16 No man was born upon earth like Henoch [Enoch]: for he also was taken up
from the earth.Douay-Rheims
Heb
11:5 Because of faith Enoch was caught up and transferred to heaven, so that he
did not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found, because God had
translated him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he received testimony
[still on record] that he had pleased and been satisfactory to God. [Gen
5:21-24.] AMP
Jude
14-15 It was of these people, moreover, that Enoch in the seventh [generation]
from Adam prophesied when he said, Behold, the Lord comes with His myriads of
holy ones (ten thousands of His saints) 15 To execute judgment upon all and to
convict all the impious (unholy ones) of all their ungodly deeds which they
have committed [in such an] ungodly [way], and of all the severe (abusive,
jarring) things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. AMP
Enoch
did not glimpse death. He also wrote of
the future last generation. Enoch had a similar experience to Elijah, but
Enoch’s experience was before the flood. Weather conditions before the flood
were different compared to after the flood.
Jasher 3:23 And in some
time after, when the kings and princes and the sons of men were speaking to
Enoch, and Enoch was teaching them the ways of God, behold an angel of the Lord
then called unto Enoch from heaven, and wished to bring him up to heaven to
make him reign there over the sons of God, as he had reigned over the sons of
men upon earth. 24 When at that time Enoch heard this he went and assembled all
the inhabitants of the earth, and taught them wisdom and knowledge and gave
them divine instructions, and he said to them, I have been required to ascend
into heaven, I therefore do not know the day of my going.
The Angel of the Lord
told Enoch ahead of time that he would like to take him up to heaven. Remember, Enoch had already been to heaven.
He petitioned God for the fallen angels, saw the different levels of heaven,
and wrote and told everyone on earth about what he saw. Therefore this is not a
“new” experience for Enoch. This is
actually a repeat experience and therefore he was not concerned. This time Enoch was told he would be leaving
and Enoch told everyone else. Enoch was from the only believing line of people
on earth, and his family line was going to change with the coming flood. For all those who died before the flood, if
they believed in the coming Messiah they would have been among the redeemed. We
previously looked at Enoch’s prophecies of the future Messiah. http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/04/enoch-foretells-jesus-coming-how.html
For those who didn’t
believe, they would die in the flood with no chance for redemption when the
dead in Christ rise. As we also
previously studied, Jesus took the believing line from Adam out of Sheol, and
into Paradise. http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-mysteries-of-hell.html http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/03/hades-gehenna-abyss-paradise.html
Enoch
was the one to witness to the world and we see next that he organized the kings
and rulers of the world so that he could teach them. That so many people came
to learn from Enoch is impressive. People wanted to know about God, and Enoch
had the first hand experience to instruct them in their conduct on earth.
Jasher 3:25 And now
therefore I will teach you wisdom and knowledge and will give you instruction
before I leave you, how to act upon earth whereby you may live; and he did so.
26 And he taught them wisdom and knowledge, and gave them instruction, and he
reproved them, and he placed before them statutes and judgments to do upon
earth, and he made peace amongst them, and he taught them everlasting life, and
dwelt with them some time teaching them all these things.
He taught them everlasting
life, eternal life. He taught them about
the Messiah. This is the way people were
saved before Christ came to earth; they had to believe in the Redeemer. Remember how Job testified of Him? Job
19:25-26 For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives, and at last He [the
Last One] will stand upon the earth. [Isa 44:6; 48:12.] 26 And after my skin,
even this body, has been destroyed, then from my flesh or without it I shall
see God, AMP. While he was speaking to the men of earth a
horse came from heaven.
Jasher 3:27 And at that
time the sons of men were with Enoch, and Enoch was speaking to them, and they
lifted up their eyes and the likeness of a great horse descended from heaven,
and the horse paced in the air; 28 And they told Enoch what they had seen, and
Enoch said to them, On my account does this horse descend upon earth; the time
is come when I must go from you and I shall no more be seen by you.29 And the
horse descended at that time and stood before Enoch, and all the sons of men
that were with Enoch saw him. 30And Enoch then again ordered a voice to be
proclaimed, saying, Where is the man who delighteth to know the ways of the
Lord his God, let him come this day to Enoch before he is taken from us. 31 And
all the sons of men assembled and came to Enoch that day; and all the kings of
the earth with their princes and counsellors remained with him that day; and
Enoch then taught the sons of men wisdom and knowledge, and gave them divine
instruction; and he bade them serve the Lord and walk in his ways all the days
of their lives, and he continued to make peace amongst them.
As Elijah went from
Gilgal to Bethel, and back to Jericho before crossing the Jordan, Enoch had to
wrap up a few things as well. The
prophets in Bethel and Jericho knew Elijah was being taken up that day, we
don’t know how they knew, but maybe Elijah told them before hand, just as Enoch
told everyone beforehand. When Enoch wanted to leave, a lot of men followed;
similarly, Elisha followed Elijah, and the fifty prophets went and watched from
a distance.
Jasher 3:32 And it was
after this that he rose up and rode upon the horse; and he went forth and all
the sons of men went after him, about eight hundred thousand men; and they went
with him one day's journey. 33 And the second day he said to them, Return home
to your tents, why will you go? perhaps you may die; and some of them went from
him, and those that remained went with him six day's journey; and Enoch said to
them every day, Return to your tents, lest you may die; but they were not
willing to return, and they went with him. 34 And on the sixth day some of the
men remained and clung to him, and they said to him, We will go with thee to
the place where thou goest; as the Lord liveth, death only shall separate us.
35 And they urged so much to go with him, that he ceased speaking to them; and
they went after him and would not return; 36 And when the kings returned they
caused a census to be taken, in order to know the number of remaining men that
went with Enoch; and it was upon the seventh day that Enoch ascended into
heaven in a whirlwind, with horses and chariots of fire.
The same way Elijah went
up in a whirlwind and chariots of fire, Enoch had gone up. Possibly the same
Ophanim came and transported Enoch away.
In the book of Enoch, Enoch mentions the Ophanim by name in several
places.
Jasher 3:37 And on the
eighth day all the kings that had been with Enoch sent to bring back the number
of men that were with Enoch, in that place from which he ascended into heaven.
38 And all those kings went to the place and they found the earth there filled
with snow, and upon the snow were large stones of snow, and one said to the
other, Come, let us break through the snow and see, perhaps the men that
remained with Enoch are dead, and are now under the stones of snow, and they
searched but could not find him, for he had ascended into heaven.
The men that clung to
Enoch were gone, maybe under the snow, but Enoch had ascended up into
heaven. Maybe the men went with him, as
they never found the missing men. Enoch traveled six days by horse to get away
from as many men as possible. On the
seventh day he went up, and one day later, the eighth day, the kings sent other
men to go get the men that were with Enoch. Is it possible that the kings saw
them all afar off, on a mountain?
What was happening on
the land that Enoch and the men left? Large stones of snow or large snow balls
are different than hail. Hail is dirt and ice, large stones of snow sounds more
like graupel, or large snow pellets.
Being that they are in the northern hemisphere, it is possible that this
six day journey heading north was in the winter. Or did they head up into the
mountains with a cooler climate due to altitude? Remember this was before the flood; there
hadn’t been any rain before the flood.
The ground was watered by dew that came up from the ground. Is it possible that large snowballs
accumulated from the ground up, not the atmosphere down? There is however another possibility, the
chariots of fire and the whirlwind could have sucked up water that was on the
earth and it then fell back down to earth, it fell as large snow balls. We don’t know for sure, but similar
conditions may have also happened with Elijah, and that may have been why the
prophets thought the Spirit of the Lord dropped Elijah somewhere else. They may have seen a whirlwind or tornado
move across the mountains. It is rare, but there are some tornados and water
spouts that occur over mountains. This
could be why the kings of the earth sent people to find the men that went with Enoch;
they saw where they had been.
From the fragments of
Noah we have the account of Enoch’s translation.
LXX. The Final
Translation of Enoch. CHAPTER LXX.1. And it came to pass after this
that his name during his lifetime was raised aloft to that Son of Man and to
the Lord of Spirits from amongst those who dwell on the earth. 2. And he was
raised aloft on the chariots of the spirit and his name vanished among them. 3.
And from that day I was no longer numbered amongst them: and he set me between
the two winds, between the North and the West, where the angels took the cords
to measure for me the place for the elect and righteous. 4. And there I saw the
first fathers and the righteous who from the beginning dwell in that place.
Enoch was raised up on
the chariots of the spirit to the Son of Man.
We have a bit of a clue
as to what Elijah was doing before he left when he went to visit the prophets
in Bethel and Jericho. 2Chronicles tells
us of a letter to Jehoram that was from Elijah, but after Elijah was taken up
to heaven. It would seem that Elijah had
a letter scribed and had given some of the prophets direction as to when to
deliver it to Jehoram. It seems as if the Lord had something important and
prophetic for Elijah to do before leaving.
2 Chron 21:7-20 But the
Lord would not destroy the house of David, because He had made a covenant with
David and promised to give a light to him and to his sons forever. 8 In
Jehoram's days, the Edomites revolted from the rule of Judah and set up for
themselves a king. 9 Then Jehoram passed over [the Jordan] with his captains
and all his chariots, and rose up by night and smote the Edomites who had
surrounded him and his chariot captains. 10 So Edom revolted from the rule of
Judah to this day. Then Libnah also revolted from Jehoram's rule, because he
had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers. 11 Moreover, he made idolatrous
high places in the hill country of Judah and debauched spiritually the
inhabitants of Jerusalem and led Judah astray [compelling the people's
cooperation]. 12 And there came a letter to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet,
saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father [forefather]: Because
you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father nor in the ways of
Asa king of Judah, 13 But have walked in the ways of Israel's kings, and made
Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem play the harlot like the [spiritual]
harlotry of Ahab's house, and also have slain your brothers of your father's
house, who were better than you, 14 Behold, the Lord will smite your people,
and your children, your wives, and all your possessions with a great plague. 15
And you yourself shall have a severe illness because of an intestinal disease,
until your bowels fall out because of the sickness, day after day. 16 And the
Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabs
who were near the Ethiopians. 17 They came against Judah, invaded it, and
carried away all the possessions found in and around the king's house, together
with his sons and his wives; so there was not a son left to him except
Jehoahaz, the youngest. 18 And after all this, the Lord smote [Jehoram] with an
incurable intestinal disease. 19 In process of time, after two years, his
bowels fell out because of his disease. So he died in severe distress. And his
people made no funeral fire to honor him, like the fires for his fathers. 20
Thirty-two years old was Jehoram when he began to reign, and he reigned in
Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being wanted. Yet they buried him
in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. AMP
Since Jehoram behaved
like the northern kings by forsaking the Lord, there was a message sent to him
from the Lord Yahweh via Elijah. Elijah’s fame would have been known in the
southern kingdom as to the miracles done in the north where Elijah mostly
stayed. And how profound would it be for
the southern King to receive a prophetic message from Elijah regarding his
end. Think about Ahab and Jezebel’s end.
It must have been a disgusting end for Jehoram; it sounds like a severe case of
dysentery. And as he would have had to have servants cleaning his pants and his
pots, it probably would have infected others as well.
Josephus tells us a bit more.
Josephus Book 9 Chapter 2:2. Accordingly the king in a very little
time died, as Elijah had foretold; but Jehoram his brother succeeded him in the
kingdom, for he died without children: but for this Jehoram, he was like his
father Ahab in wickedness, and reigned twelve years, indulging himself in all
sorts of wickedness and impiety towards God, for, leaving off his worship, he
worshipped foreign gods; but in other respects he was an active man. Now at
this time it was that Elijah disappeared from among men, and no one knows of
his death to this very day; but he left behind him his disciple Elisha, as we
have formerly declared. And indeed, as to Elijah, and as to Enoch, who was
before the deluge, it is written in the sacred books that they disappeared, but
so that nobody knew that they died.
As we also have previously
studied the two witnesses who come back for the first three and one half years
of the tribulation, we have a conclusion to Elijah’s story. We know he will come back before the Day of
the Lord, the day Jesus comes back with His armies to earth. We know the two witnesses come to earth to
witness after the dead in Christ rise, and those who are alive are caught up
with them. Once the witnesses are
killed, Jesus is crowned as King and the kingdoms of the world become the
kingdoms of our Lord and Christ’s. Malachi tells us Elijah comes back. The reason Elijah and Enoch must be the two
witnesses, as we have studied, is that these are the only two men in biblical
history that still have their bodies. http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/03/benchmarks-for-end-two-witnesses.html
No one else who has died has a body, the
bodies of the dead have corrupted, which is why the corrupted have to put on
incorruption, and the mortal has to put on immortality. Hence the need for the gathering together, so
that Jesus’ armies can come back and have supernatural bodies as Joel tells us
about.
Mal 4:5-6 Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord
comes. [Matt 11:14; 17:10-13.] 6 And he shall turn and reconcile the hearts of
the [estranged] fathers to the [ungodly] children, and the hearts of the
[rebellious] children to [the piety of] their fathers [a reconciliation
produced by repentance of the ungodly], lest I come and smite the land with a
curse and a ban of utter destruction. [Luke 1:17.] AMP
Elijah
and Enoch were the two greatest witnesses of the Creator of the Universe to the
people of earth. These two men had
similar experiences leaving earth, going up, not down into the grave. They are the two people that have bodies that
will be killed by Apollyon/Abaddon, aka Gog the locust king. After being dead
for three days and their bodies left in the streets, (probably after witnessing
in the grave as Jesus did for three days and three nights) they will rise to
the amazement of the entire earth.
If
these men went up in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire with fiery horses, is it
possible that they will come back to earth the same way? We may not know as the
saints will be in heaven, but it is something to think about. What we do know is that it was not a surprise
or a sudden event, both men knew ahead of time they were leaving as well as the
others who knew them. We also know that
the whirlwind was visible to others. From
their lives on earth, they both were important witnesses to the redeeming of
people, by instruction and miracles. It is no wonder God chose them to live
with Him until they are to come back and witness in the last days.
