2 Kings 2:11
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 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.
As Elijah and Elisha still went on and talked together, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and parted them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. He was borne by angels in glory and triumph into the presence of God's glory to the throne on high, and did not die or come under the dominion of death but was taken alive to heaven. His translation is a type of the saints who will be taken to heaven without seeing death, representing those alive on earth at Christ's second coming who will be changed from mortal to immortal. This explains why he could later appear with Moses at Christ's transfiguration, where Elijah represented the living saints to be changed to immortality while Moses represented those raised from the dead. Together with Enoch, he shows what the whole race might become through faith in Jesus Christ, resisting Satan, remaining untainted amid moral pollution, and perfecting righteous character.
Parting and Ascent
As they still went on and talked together, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and parted the two men asunder, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha saw his departure, meeting the condition Elijah had given for receiving the requested double portion of his spirit, and the mantle fallen from Elijah became the sign of that succession. His first act with the mantle confirmed that Elijah's spirit rested on him, and the fifty sons of the prophets had come to witness Elijah's honor and exaltation. His translation is a type of the saints who will be taken to heaven without seeing death, and his final journey included those visits to the schools of the prophets.
He was borne by God's angels in glory and triumph, with celestial chariots accompanying him into the presence of God's glory to the throne on high. He did not die or descend to the tomb but was taken alive when his work was finished, rather than left to perish in loneliness and discouragement in the wilderness. That translation followed a life of walking with God, reproving sin as God's prophet in a painful ministry, and fleeing for his life from those who sought to kill him, even hunted by his own people. Although his failure of faith cut short the work he had begun so that another prophet was appointed in his stead, God honored his faithful service and did not leave him to die in discouragement and solitude.
Just before being taken he visited the schools of the prophets, repeating important lessons and giving the students divine instruction. He stressed that simplicity should shape every part of education, so they could receive heaven's mold and influence and go out to work in the Lord's ways. After completing that work of visiting Israel's schools he ascended to the heavenly courts in a chariot of fire.
He had not yet been translated when, during the reign of Jehoram of Judah, he sent that king a written warning about his apostasy and its coming consequences. After the ascension Elisha went to the school of the prophets near Jericho.
Unlike Elisha, whose life ended after a lingering illness, Elijah was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot and did not die in that way. God honored him with translation by a whirlwind, and his departure left Elisha facing the work that followed.
Succession by Elisha
As they walked and talked together, fiery chariot and horses appeared and separated them, and Elijah was carried away alive to heaven by a whirlwind. Elisha witnessed that departure, and his seeing it met the condition Elijah had set for granting his request for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. The mantle falling from Elijah became the sign of that succession to the prophet's work, and Elisha's receiving it confirmed the request had been granted.
Elisha stayed with Elijah through that final journey to its end, continuing with him after having faithfully served him in humble duties. His departure marked the moment Elisha took his place. His first act with the fallen mantle confirmed that Elijah's spirit rested upon him.
What Elisha received was a double portion of the spirit that had rested on Elijah, joining Elijah's power with gentleness, mercy, and Christlike compassion. In that ordering, Elisha's gentle kindness was to exceed Elijah's severity.
Elijah had been chosen by God as a preacher of righteousness and guided by the Holy Spirit, and under God's direction he accomplished his work. He educated Elisha to carry that work on, giving him opportunity to learn from his ministry. That example is the pattern for experienced ministers to train younger workers to teach the truth and carry out gospel ministry.
The change from Elijah to Elisha illustrates that God provides the person suited to the needs of each time.
Translation Without Dying
Elijah did not die, did not descend to the tomb, and did not come under the dominion of death, but was taken alive to heaven without experiencing death. He was taken by God's angels into the presence of His glory after his work was finished, taken up in a whirlwind rather than left to perish. Although his failure of faith cut short the work he had begun and another prophet was appointed in his stead, God honored his faithful service and did not leave him to die in discouragement and solitude. He was not left to die in loneliness in the wilderness, but was carried in glory with celestial chariots to the throne on high.
When he became discouraged in the wilderness and asked to die, the request was not granted because he still had important work to do before his translation. Only when his work was finished was he taken up in glory. He overcame Satan's temptations, stood untainted amid surrounding moral pollution, and perfected a righteous character in moral power and noble uprightness, and so was accounted worthy for translation. Satan was greatly disturbed by him because he could not bring him under death's dominion.
Together with Enoch, Elijah shows what the whole race might become through faith in Jesus Christ, with Christ working with human effort and helping man to overcome Satan's power if they chose it. Through that help and cooperation they may resist Satan's temptations, remain untainted by surrounding moral corruption, and develop righteous character. Yet his miraculous translation in a chariot of fire and whirlwind did not make him greater or more honored than John the Baptist, who died alone in prison. Fellowship with Christ in suffering is itself a weighty trust and a high honor, and suffering for Christ is itself such a trust.
Foreshadowing and Transfiguration
Elijah's being taken up by a whirlwind after the chariot and horses of fire parted him from Elisha is a type of the saints who will be taken to heaven without seeing death. Elisha witnessed the departure, and the fifty sons of the prophets had come to see Elijah's honor and exaltation.
His translation represents those who will be alive on earth at Christ's second coming, who will be changed from mortal to immortal and taken to heaven without dying. At the transfiguration he represented those who will be changed to immortality and taken to heaven without experiencing death at that coming. Together with Enoch he represents the commandment-keeping people of God who will be alive when Christ comes again, who will be glorified in the sight of those who hated them because they kept God's commandments, and who will be translated to heaven without seeing death as Enoch and Elijah were.
Because he did not see death but was conducted alive to heaven in a chariot of fire, he could later appear with Moses at Christ's transfiguration. There they met with Jesus as two heavenly messengers to speak with Him about His coming suffering and the completion of His mission at Jerusalem, and to bear to Him God's glory and light from the Father. On that mount Elijah represented those who will be alive at Christ's second coming and will be changed to immortality, while Moses represented those raised from the dead.
He was one of two men favored by God above all others who ever lived on earth, chosen together with Moses to come in heavenly glory to Christ on the mount to comfort Him and talk with Him especially about His coming sufferings at Jerusalem. He was fit for this ministry because as a man he had lived on earth and experienced human sorrow and suffering and could sympathize with Jesus in His earthly trial. As a prophet to Israel he had represented Christ, and his work had been in a degree similar to that of the Saviour.
Preparation and Application
God moved Elijah from place to place as He prepared him for translation, keeping him from settling into ease so that he would gain spiritual power. These changes of place disrupted his established habits and kept him from settling into familiar methods and customs, and they formed in him moral greatness and spiritual soundness. His influence through those movings was intended to help many people gain a wider, fuller, and more helpful spiritual experience.
Just before he was taken to heaven he visited the schools of the prophets and repeated important lessons to the students, giving them divine instruction. In that final instruction he taught that simplicity should shape every part of education, so that they could receive heaven's mold and influence and go out to work in the Lord's ways and serve in them. His giving Elisha opportunity to learn from his ministry and educating him to carry on the work is the pattern for experienced ministers to train younger workers to learn how to teach the truth and carry out gospel ministry.
The ascension was a solemn event, when Elijah was taken up leaving his mantle with Elisha, and the youths of Bethel who had heard of it made it an object of ridicule and the subject of their jeers by telling Elisha to go up as Elijah had. That cry of "Go up" treated God's servant with contempt and thereby insulted God. The young people who so mocked were mocking God and were punished, for their parents had taught them to mock, and mocking the saints' going up is likewise no small matter but brings God's plagues.