Part 5: Proof Texts (ii) 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^nd Kings 2:11)

Though there was no explicit mention of Enoch going to Heaven, the same cannot be said of Elijah. Here he is clearly described as going there. But I believe there are grounds for not assuming he went into the presence of God. The following occurrences of ‘heaven’ in the Old Testament are worth considering.

Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. (Genesis 27:28)

When Isaac pronounced this blessing upon Jacob was he really asking for dew that came from the presence of God or from the sky? A similar question can be asked of the next verse.

Then Israel shall dwell in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, in a land of grain and new wine; his heavens shall also drop dew. (Deuteronomy 33:28)

The heaven from which dew comes is presumably the same heaven from which we ‘receive’ our weather, making it the home of whirlwinds also. As such, it is not difficult to contemplate that the Bible is really telling us that Elijah went up by a whirlwind into the sky. 

The record of Jesus’ ascension in the Acts of the Apostles further supports this.

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

Did the apostles watch Jesus ascend all the way ‘into’ Heaven, the abode of God? Is that possible? Jesus ‘passed through the heavens’ (Hebrews 4:14) so such a feat of eyesight would be impressive.

The Greek word for ‘sky’ or ‘heaven’ - οὐρανὸν (ouranon)  - is used four times in Acts 1:10-11. It would therefore seem more straightforward to translate the word as ‘sky’ in this context (as the NASB and NIV have it). The apostles were evidently staring in the direction of the sky.

The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘heaven’ in the verse that describes Elijah’s ascension (2^nd Kings 2:11) is שמים (SHAMAYIM). As with its Greek counterpart, it can also translate as ‘sky’. Elijah was travelling in the same direction as Jesus would go – towards the sky. Elisha would have been staring in the same direction as the disciples would stare.

The Bible explicitly states where Jesus was going – ‘through the heavens’ and into ‘the presence of God’ (Hebrews 9:24). It does not do the same for Elijah. It does not say that he went into the presence of God. Furthermore, where would his physical body have gone if Heaven were the domain of immaterial souls? The generally accepted view is that a saint goes to Heaven in immaterial form (soul/spirit) so the Elijah conundrum at least suggests that modification of this view is necessary.

We are not told that Elijah remained where he went. We do not come to the conclusion that an airplane transports people to the sky (or ‘heaven’) never to return. But have we come to this conclusion about Elijah simply because the word ‘heaven’ is used – a word that also means ‘sky’? 

My understanding is that Elijah had to be removed from the sight of all who knew him (effectively everyone in Israel, considering his notoriety) so that Elisha could take up his mantle. 

And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” (2^nd Kings 2:9-10)

Elijah was miraculously taken out of the way for Elisha’s sake! The transportation was confirmation to God’s new chosen prophet that a double portion of Elijah’s spirit would be his. To borrow an expression from elsewhere in Scripture, Elijah must decrease while Elisha must increase. Does our potential misinterpretation of Elijah’s destination distract us from a more important character? 

I believe so. And I further believe that this kind of error is repeated in a much more dangerous manner within orthodox Christian teaching when the belief of our souls going to Heaven distracts us from what ought to be the believer’s focus: future resurrection.