"Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven"
I always used to think this meant Elijah died and went to heaven, but Jehovah's Witnesses showed me the bible. The bible shows that years later, Elijah was still alive!
Here Jehoshaphat is still alive when Elijah went up in the windstorm:
(2 Kings 2:11; 3:11 KJV) Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ...But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by, him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha
Here Elijah writes to Jehoshaphat's son (Jehoshaphat was dead). So Elijah was alive after Jehoshaphat died, meaning Elijah must not have died and gone to heaven in that windstorm
(2 Chron 21:1,12) Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried...And there came a writing to [Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram] from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father
Explain
2007-05-08 17:00:19 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That passage describes Elijah being miraculously transported through the skies. Note that Elisha did not mourn Elijah at all, and (as mentioned in the question) Elijah was still alive years later.
Something similar may have happened to Ezekiel.
(Ezekiel 3:12-14) And a spirit proceeded to bear me along and I began to hear behind me the sound of a great rushing...and the sound of the wheels close beside them, and the sound of a great rushing. And the spirit bore me along and proceeded to take me
(Ezekiel 8:3) Then he thrust out the representation of a hand and took me by a tuft of hair of my head, and a spirit carried me between the earth and the heavens and brought me to Jerusalem
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20050215/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19951101/article_01.htm
2007-05-15 08:10:13 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Having Elijah expire during his fiery-chariot departure appears to contradict Bible chronology that evidently has him writing a true warning to King Jehoram of Judah at 2Ch 21:12-15 a number of years after this event. He departed from Elisha in Israel, then he is seen again a number of years later writing a letter to the king of Judah. So, perhaps the fiery chariot transported him to another prophetic assignment. In any case, 2 Chronicles presents him as still being alive on earth after his fiery departure. (It’s possible it was a different Elijah, but it seems that Ezra, the chronicler, would have mentioned this. Also, his letter was not a forgery, for it proved to be true.)
2016-05-18 22:16:05 · answer #2 · answered by janene 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Elijah could not have been taken to heaven.
Unless you want to call Jesus (who was there) a liar.
Jesus tells us:
John 3:13 Moreover, no man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man.
2007-05-14 12:28:47 · answer #3 · answered by TeeM 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
God had some more work for Elijah.
2007-05-08 17:06:50 · answer #4 · answered by great gig in the sky 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
What a wonderful example of the future for humanity; We will learn to prepare for our next destination,instead of getting there by accident only. Its the not knowing that is messing us up;......... that will change ..........that's a fact Elijah was told why and where he was going (life and death) and how he was going to get there And we will know ! We will become more aware as time goes on. And when the Earth and Sun run their coarse.........life will go on! ASTONISHING.
2007-05-08 19:01:07 · answer #5 · answered by Rick K 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Elijah did not pass through death. God "took" him as He did Enoch.
2007-05-08 17:12:16 · answer #6 · answered by Fish <>< 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Elijah did not die, he was taken up to heaven. He will probably (of course only God knows for sure) be one of the two witnesses in end times as told in Revelations. The other witness might be Enoch, who also never died. God tells us we are appointed to die only once here on earth. The two witnesses will die in end times but then be brought back to life.
The two Books - Kings and Chronicles, are paralell (same time frame, different authors and events) to one another. Read the whole thing ...there was Elijah and Elisha, his personal servant.
If you read 2 Kings 1 - Jehoram is already King. So when the events in Chronicles talk about Jehoram as King and the events, it matches Book of Kings.
16 He told the king, "This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" 17 So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken.
Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram [a] succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. 18 As for all the other events of Ahaziah's reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
2 Kings 2
Elijah Taken Up to Heaven
1 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 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 will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?"
"Yes, I know," Elisha replied, "but do not speak of it."
4 Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho."
And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho.
5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?"
"Yes, I know," he replied, "but do not speak of it."
6 Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan."
And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two of them walked on.
7 Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not."
11 As 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. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
ELISHA, not Elijah, who went to Heaven
2 Kings 3:11
11 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD through him?"
An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.
2007-05-08 17:39:54 · answer #7 · answered by Gardener for God(dmd) 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Try reading this:
http://www.studylight.org/com/mhc-com/view.cgi?book=2ki&chapter=002
2007-05-08 17:12:36 · answer #8 · answered by lynjen31 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
A better question is why you are considering it in the first place. All this isn't going to make you more honest with yourself, is it?
2007-05-08 17:06:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 6⤋