Welcome. It's a joy to see you, and it's
at this time now I invite you to come with me to 2nd Kings
Chapter 2 as we resume the exhilarating study of the Book
of Second Kings. And I will let you know in
advance that we will not complete this chapter in its
entirety tonight. There is way too much to unpack.
It would be great injustice to try to cover everything lightly,
and so I want you to be reminded that the end of Second Kings
Chapter 1 concluded with a note of the tragic death of King
Ahaziah, the notorious son of Ahab.
Chapter 1 concluded with the tragic death of a wicked king.
And as we come now to the opening of Chapter 2, in great
contrast, we have the record of the honorable and the miraculous
departure of the prophet Elijah. And unlike Ahaziah's briefly
documented demise, the Holy Spirit gives us Elijah's
transition into the heavenly realm in lavish detail.
Rich detail. And evidently there are
important truths associated with this man's earthly exit that
demands our careful analysis. And that is why we will take up
this Bible study to do just that and to focus on the 1st 12
verses of chapter 2. And to begin, let us read the
first 6 verses. Now when the Lord was about to
take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elijah
were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elijah,
Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.
But Elijah said, as the Lord lives, and as yourself live, I
will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel, and
the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to
Elijah and said to him, Do you know that today the Lord will
take away your master from over you?
And he said, yes, I know it, keep quiet.
Elijah said to him, Elijah, please stay here, for the Lord
has sent me to Jericho. But he said, as the Lord lives
and as yourself live, I will not leave you.
So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets were at
Jericho, junior to Elijah, and said to him, Do you know that
today the Lord will take away your master from over you?
And he answered, Yes, I know it, keep quiet.
Then Elijah said to him, Please stay here, for the Lord has sent
me to the Jordan. But he said, as the Lord lives,
and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.
So the two of them went on. Pray with me, Lord, what a great
mistake it would be to approach Your word and not seek your
help. We pause as disciples, as your
students, and we, we petition and we plead that You would be
with us as we scale and as we climb this particular mountain
of truth. Indeed, it is a mountain.
There are so many things to explore and to experience, so
many heights to climb and so many sites to see.
So we pray that you'd give us the strength and our minds and
our hearts to be patient, to be expectant, and to trust that you
have something to say to your church.
Even with these verses, we believe you wholeheartedly.
We know that you've spoken to US time and time again, and we are
excited to be able to sit in your presence and to listen to
your voice. Speak now, for your servants are
indeed listening. In the name of your great Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Look at verse one with me once
more. Now, when the Lord was about to
take Elijah up to heaven, it's important to recognize that the
Lord not only determines how we get to heaven, namely through
his Son the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord also designates
when we go to heaven, not just how, but when.
So the timing of each of our graduations into glory is a
prerogative that belongs to God alone.
And we see that clearly even with Elijah in his life, when
God's sovereignty in this matter was at work, when this prophet,
this wonderful prophet was at the lowest point of his life in
ministry, requested with desperation that he would meet
an early death. Remember that in first Kings 19.
And that wish was overruled by God.
And there are many reasons for that.
And the reason that you and I have seen with our own eyes
throughout our study is that God delayed.
God silently rejected that request because Elijah still had
much to accomplish for the glory of God.
And it is a consistent through the truth throughout Scripture
that the Lord preserves us. In essence, He makes each of His
servants immortal until our witness here on earth is fully
completed. And you see evidences of this
throughout the Bible, as I mentioned, and one of the
clearest. And I remember seeing this for
the first time, reading it just as my time of devotion was
taking place. And it jumped out of the pages
and it clenched itself to me. And I'll never forget how this
truth of God bringing us home when we in our testimonies have
met. His desire is so evident in
Revelation 11. Look at this in verse seven in
Revelation 11, when the two witnesses who will be raised up
by God to declare and give the people of that generation an
opportunity to repent before God's final judgments were to
come. Notice what is told to us in
Revelation 11, verse 7. And when they have finished
their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit
will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.
The truth here is so obvious. It's one of the clearest
passages. Now here's my question to you.
Does anybody know how long these prophetic ministries endured
before they were brought into the presence of God?
These two prophets, these two witnesses?
Any idea how long the duration of their ministries?
If you know it, you can actually say it.
Three years, very close. Look back at verse 3 and what do
we see here? And I will grant authority to my
two witnesses, and they will prophecy for 12160 days clothed
in sackcloth. So yes, very close to three
years, a little bit over. This was how long these two
messengers were to serve God in a particular fashion before they
were summoned. Now you read that and you might
think that's not a very long time.
You read that and you might think, I'm sure there was much
more that they could do, just like Elijah and the timing of
his departure and his ascendancy into heaven.
But God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not
our ways. There are some servants who will
serve God throughout decades, and there are some faithful
servants who may seem to have left us too soon.
God not only sovereignly ascribes listen each of our
Christian assignments, he also determines the duration of them.
And in God's mind, though apostasy and idolatry was
rampant, still rampant in Israel, it was time for Elijah
to be promoted, promoted in a way where he would enter into
glory and leave this world behind.
Now, as we move on from this point, it's helpful to know that
Elijah's movements in this chapter, at least in the first
part of this chapter, all occurred in one day.
You heard me say it. When the sons of the prophets
approached Elijah in two specific locations, they said,
hey, do you not know that today the Lord will take away your
master from you? All of those movements from one
city to the next occurred on the same day.
And why is that important to confirm?
Because you and I are granted the opportunity to behold
Elijah's heart posture towards the Lord on his final day on
earth. And what do we see from this man
of God? In his disposition, in his
faith, in his relationship with God, one of submission and
joyful obedience. Look back with me here at verse
2. And Elijah said to Elijah,
please stay here, for the Lord has sent me.
For the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.
Look here at verse 4. What does he say?
Elijah said to him, Elijah, please stay here, for the Lord
has sent me to Jericho. And in verse 6, then Elijah said
to him, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the
Jordan. What do we find here with
Elijah? We find a man ready to leave
this world, the way he lived in this world, walking in step with
the will and the purpose of God, walking near him, walking for
him. What a legacy.
It's one thing for people to walk with the Lord for a period
of time. I've met many of them.
But it's a whole different thing for people like Elijah, who,
James tells us, may I remind you, had a nature like ours and
walked with the Lord until the last day of his life.
And if there is anyone who proved that it was possible to
imitate this man's faithfulness, it was his successor.
The man who accompanied him accompanied him on his final lap
and his pilgrimage. Elijah verse one tells us that
Elijah and Elijah were walking together.
They were on their way from Gilgal.
But did you notice that every pit stop at every location that
they stopped, Elijah beckoned and told Elijah to stay back.
And each time Elijah answers in the same way.
He says as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not
leave you. So we step back and we ask, is
Elijah being stubbornly persistent in disobedience?
No, that is not the case because Elijah is not giving him a
command from the Lord. So Elijah here is not disobeying
anything. So then what's taking place?
Why is Elijah instructing Elijah just please stay here as I move
on? What's the reason for that?
And I believe that there are two verses to consider that will
help clarify this interaction and they are found in the book
of First Kings. So go with me to 1st Kings 19
and look here at verse 16. This is a lot before Elijah even
met Elijah. This is when Elijah was
instructed by the Lord with his next task after he was rescued
from despondency and depression. First Kings 19 verse 16 and Jehu
the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel,
and Elijah the son of Shafat of Abel Mihola you shall anoint to
be prophet in your place. So from the beginning we
understand that both Elijah and Elijah were aware that at some
point Elijah was to succeed and replace Elijah in the leading
prophetic role in the nation of Israel.
That was knowledge, shared knowledge among both of them.
So keep that in mind that Elijah understood that he was selected,
invited, anointed to one day take Elijah's place as a
prophet. Now look at First Kings 1920 and
let us consider the last recorded words of Elijah before
2nd Kings chapter 2. What was the last thing that we
saw Elijah saying in the Bible before his interaction with
Elijah in chapter 2? Look at verse 20.
And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, let me
kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.
And he said to him, go back again, for what have I done to
you? I will follow you.
That was the last promise that Elijah gave to his master
Elijah. So we have these things in mind,
right? Elijah was anointed to be the
man to take Elijah's place. When that invitation was made,
Elijah responded receptively and promised Elijah, I will follow
you, I will follow you. And now we come and we realize
that Elijah is asking Elijah not to follow him.
Stay here. No, I'm coming.
In essence, what Elijah is doing is granting Elijah, in a subtle
way, the opportunity to turn away the call to be a prophet.
He's giving Elijah a chance to decline the invitation of
receiving his mantle and taking his role as God's messenger for
the nation. And each time Elijah essentially
says, I said I would follow you and I will follow you and I will
not abandon what the Lord called me to pursue.
And significantly, Elijah's response, did you notice, was
the same in Gilgal, the same in Bethel, the same in Jericho,
Word for word, showing us what? That regardless of the setting,
the timing, the persistent pressure, Elijah's devotion to
God and God's call was unwavering.
It was steadfast. And I hope the same can be said
of you. Commitment in our age is
becoming more and more of a rarity.
Yeah. Dedication to ministries seldom
last. Dissolving covenants in marriage
is becoming a greater trend. And even many who have once said
with great passion and conviction to the Lord, I will
follow you. Do so while in Gilgal, maybe up
to Bethel, but it doesn't go beyond a certain point.
When Elijah said I will follow you, he meant it.
Words today don't mean much, but they still mean something to
God. A lot to God.
So much so that we are warned not to make mindless and
careless and spontaneous vows. I will follow you.
And it didn't change no matter where he was at.
That didn't change. No matter who was around him.
That didn't change regardless of the temptation to reconsider.
May it be so of us. I pray that your devotion to the
Lord Jesus, your devotion to the ministry that He's called you
to, would be steadfast until you meet the Savior.
This was Elijah, what a man he was.
And interestingly, something else persistently takes place in
the very same locations where Elijah shined in his commitment
to the cause of his God, specifically 2 locations.
You heard it when I read it, but let's revisit it.
Look here specifically at verse 3.
And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to
Elijah and said to him, do you know that today the Lord will
take away your master from over you?
And the same thing happens in verse 5.
It's echoed the sons of the prophets who are at Jericho
junior to Elijah and said to him, do you know that today the
Lord will take away your master from over you?
Let's clarify who the sons of the prophets were because they
make a a very dominant presence in Second Kings.
It's worth asking and answering this and it's very easy to
uncover because essentially the sons of the prophets were a
Guild. They were a community of
prophets who were trained and taught by leading prophets such
as Samuel, Elijah and Elijah. And from time to time we even
see these sons of the prophets being used by God to actually
herald and declare the word of the Lord.
And we recognize that together in US thirty in first Kings
chapter 20. Now membership in the school was
not dependent upon physical lineage.
The term son in no way denotes that there was a requirement for
a biological association. It's simply explains that these
people were a class of gifted individuals and they came
together to learn the Word of God.
They came together to be discipled so that they can be
who God called them to be, namely messengers of the Word of
the Lord. You know what's so interesting
about the sons of the prophets? When the prophet Amos speaks
about the origination of his prophetic ministry, he clarifies
that he didn't go to seminary. He clarifies that he did not get
his credentials among the sons of the prophets.
He explains that God recruited him, though he did not have
formal training. You want the reference to that?
I'll give it to you anyway. And Amos 714 Notice what Amos
says. Then Amos answered and said to
Amaziah, I was no prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a
herdsman and a dresser of Sycamore figs.
God doesn't just use people who went to Bible college.
Can I remind you of that? Nothing wrong with Bible
college. Nothing wrong with getting
theological education, But God is not limited to recruiting
people who are among the sons of the prophets.
Now these sons of the prophets arguably make their first
appearance in First Samuel chapter 10, and we see them as a
group in verse 5 during Samuel's ministry.
But they continue as an Academy throughout the monarchy.
And 2nd King suggests that these seminaries had branches in
different locations, right? We we saw them there in Bethel.
We saw them there in Jericho. And it could be that as Elijah
is making his way to his awesome transportation into heaven, he
is visiting these students. To what degree did he interact
with them? We're not told, but what we know
is that these sons of the prophets were made aware of the
fact that their master is going to leave.
He's going to depart. And for whatever reason, they
sought to inform Elijah about it.
And every time that they approach Elijah, like his
response to Elijah, his response was the same, yes, I know it.
And then he tells them to be quiet.
Keep quiet. Now you might think that's a
little rude. Why would he tell him to keep
quiet? Well, it makes you wonder.
Was he annoyed? Was he annoyed that these
prophets were sharing something as though they alone knew it?
There are a lot of people who get excited discovering
something and want to herald it and broadcast it.
So was he frustrated with them? Or was it because he was not
wanting this new news to spread out to the public spear for the
sake of protecting his friend and his master, Elijah?
I don't think Elijah was frustrated, nor do I believe
that he was overprotective. Reread how these sons of the
prophets informed Elijah Elijah about Elijah's exit.
Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from
over you? So even this band of prophets
understood that Elijah and Elijah shared a special
relationship. And Elijah having this affection
and this relationship with Elijah, I'm sure, was pained in
knowing that his tutor and his teacher was now going to leave
him. And I think it pained them to
the degree that when the sons of the prophets wanted to discuss
it, he didn't want to talk about it.
Just keep quiet. And if you don't believe that
about Elijah and how he felt about Elijah, look at what
happens the moment this whirlwind comes with Chariots of
fire in Second Kings 212. And Elijah saw it, and he cried,
My father, my father, the Chariots of Israel and its
horsemen. And he saw him no more than he
took hold of his own clothes and tore them into pieces.
So Elijah was more than just an assistant to this man.
He loved him, he enjoyed him, he delighted in his company, and
when he knew that it was the day for him to leave, he didn't even
want to talk about it. Keep quiet.
Seeing the humanity in some of these mighty servants of God is
quite refreshing. It's comforting, isn't it?
Because sometimes we dehumanize them in a way we almost make
them seem to be like they're a different breed of humans.
But pain, heartbreak, sadness are real for them, and they tell
us that they're not illegal emotions for us, especially with
the thought of no longer enjoying the presence of people
that we loved on this side of eternity.
Such emotions, sentiments are normal, even for profits.
But Elijah's sorrow is also instructive because his distress
did not ultimately derail him from him serving the Lord.
You know, there's some people who even Christians, precious
believers that after a loss are so devastated that it
debilitates them. It crushes them to the to the
point where they're no longer the same.
They can't think the same. They can't socialize the same.
They can't serve anymore. They can't worship the way they
were able to worship. And Elijah reminds us that that
is not how he should be. Because by the end of this
chapter, we're going to see a man who is going to continue to
walk and serve and honor his God, even though one of the
greatest men in his life would be taken from him.
And so it's OK to know grief, but for that grief to drown you
and to paralyze you is not God's will for you.
So Elijah knew very well what it was like to have his heart
broken, but he did not allow it to break his walk and his
faithfulness to the God who wanted to walk with Elijah.
Let's continue to read and Fast forward here.
We read the first 6 verses. Let's now come to verse 7. 50
men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some
distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.
Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the
water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the
other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
Does this miracle mirror anything in the Bible that we've
seen before? If you know the answer, you can
say it. So some people said Exodus and
Moses, yes, with the Red Sea. But there's even something more
relatable. The crossing of the same stream
through the leadership of who? Joshua.
We studied that when we studied the book of Joshua.
I don't know when it was a few years back.
So interestingly, what you have here is Elijah's supernatural
exit from the very same river that knew a supernatural
entrance from the people of Israel in the time of Joshua.
And we remember how that occurred, do we not?
That the Ark of the Covenant rested on the shoulder of some
priest, and the moment that their priestly feet touched the
brink of that water, it created a dry path for the people to
cross on. And now you have Elijah who
would cross that same river and enter into a different promised
land. Joshua came into the physical
promised land with that generation of Israelites.
Now Elijah is crossing that same river to go into a heavenly
promised land. What's so beautiful about this
parallel is that we can relate it to ourselves that the power
of God that served Joshua and his generation to go into the
promised land many, many years ago, and the power of God that
was able to remove that barrier so that Elijah can go and be
taken into a heavenly promised land.
There is a power that we have inherited in Christ that would
lead us safely into the same resting place that Elijah would
go to. And as you and I, whenever our
time is to stand at that border between this world and the next,
we are assured that the gospel's power on our behalf will lead us
through securely, unscathed, unharmed.
And what a joyful revelation that is.
On a practical note, when God made that dry ground possible
for Joshua and Israel, He performed it for a nation,
millions of people, and now we come to 2nd Kings 2 and he
performs the same miracle for how many people?
Not 2,000,002. So let me say this, that the
fact that God was able and willing to do this for two
reveals something about His heart for the individual
believer. It reveals something about His
love and His care, not just for His church as a bulk, but for
each of the Saints, each of his children he cares for.
And so, yes, he moved mightily for a nation and he was willing
to move mightily for a servant. That's the heart of God, and
it's the same heart for you and I.
So, so God doesn't just care about Maranatha Bible Church.
He cares about every single member, regardless of the role,
regardless of their gifting, regardless of anything.
He cares for each of us individually.
So they cross and there was an audience of 50 that witnessed
it. Now notice what happens here in
verse 9. When they had crossed, Elijah
said to Elijah, ask what I shall do for you before I am taken
from you. And Elijah said, please let
there be a double portion of your spirit on me.
Elijah just keeps on giving and he provides us even more
wonderful inspiration and example of how a consecrated
life looks like. There are two things I believe
at least two things to take from Elijah's question and invitation
to Elijah. The first one is quite simple.
We learn here that we are to serve people until we meet the
Savior. Don't you find this remarkable,
that up to the very moment that Elijah would be taken, he turns
to Elijah and he asks what he can do for him.
Listen, the most rewarding way to depart from this world is to
bless people who are left in it. That is the best way to live,
and we should strive to live in that way, and we should strive
to leave this world that way, to serve people for the glory of
God. So up to the very last day of
his life, he turns to Elijah. She says, what can I do for you?
There's a second truth. The first one is again, we are
called to serve people until we meet the Savior.
And the second is this, when it comes time to meet your Savior,
you can't take anything with you.
Notice that Elijah didn't inquire of anything.
Do you know why? Because there's going to be no
room on that chariot of fire for luggage.
There's nothing that he can take.
The only thing that he's able to take is his history with God,
his walk with God, his service to God, and being conscious of
that every single day, not just on your final day.
God help us people thinking that they can just turn on
consecration the moment they realize that they only have a
little bit of time left. What a miserable way to live
your existence, to frame yourself and your thinking in
this way. That perspective will promise
you the right priorities and the right affections to be placed
where they need to be and that you would not waste your life.
What can I do for you? This is it.
I'm at the end of the road. There's another thing worth
highlighting from this verse. Read very carefully again.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elijah, Ask what I shall
do for you before I am taken from you.
I'll never forget the time that I had a conversation with an
individual was my first time meeting him.
Somebody set up the meeting, and I didn't know where this
conversation would go, but it very quickly went into a debate
over dinner. This individual was a very
devoted Catholic, according to his admission, and we came to
the conversation of the intercession of the Saints, or
how it is possible for us to inquire of those who have passed
on into heaven to intercede on our behalf.
And as this individual was making his case, a certain
scripture came to mind, the words of the apostle Paul.
And once he finished, I read him what Paul said, and I asked him
something. And I want you to see where I
went with this man in Philippians 1 chapter 23, as
Paul was wrestling between departing and being with Christ
or remaining with the Philippian believers among other believers,
and he confessed in Philippians 123A staggering thing.
I am hard pressed between the two, the two desires, wanting to
be with Christ or remaining on earth, he says.
I am hard pressed between the two.
My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far
better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your
account. Convinced of this, I know that I
will remain and continue with you all for your progress and
joy in the faith. Here's the essence of Paul's
struggle. Potentially facing death because
he's writing this from prison. The only thing that's holding
him back from embracing it is serving the people of God.
The progress of the joy and the faith of these Philippians was
the motivating factor for him to stay back.
And with that in mind, I told this individual, if Paul could
minister on behalf of the Saints while in heaven, why would he
write indicating that if he were to depart from this world and be
with Christ, that that would mean the cessation of his
service to the people of God? Does that make sense?
If it's possible for Saints to serve God's people in another
realm, then why did Paul feel this tension?
He was quiet, as you can imagine.
And I bring that up because Elijah is communicating a
similar point. Look back at verse nine of
Second Kings chapter 2. When he had they had crossed,
Elijah said to Elijah, ask what I shall do for you before I am
taken from you, implying what you can't inquire of me after
I'm taken from you. This is your chance and Elijah
being sought after was only possible and beneficial as long
as he was on earth. I encourage you to use a verse
like this to help those who believe something that the Bible
does not teach. So how will Elijah now take
advantage of this opportunity? Elijah rather look at verse 10
and he said, you've asked a hard thing because Elijah just asked,
can you give me a double portion of your spirit?
And he says you've asked a hard thing.
Yet if you see me as I'm being taken from you, it shall be so
for you. But if you do not see me, it
shall not be so. So what was Elijah's desire?
It reveals a lot about him. He could have asked for anything
like Solomon could have asked for anything.
And what he did ultimately long for something that you and I
should ultimately long for spiritual blessings.
And in this particular case, he says, would you grant me a
double portion of your spirit? Now, many, many, many, many
people misinterpret, misunderstand Elijah's request
as though he is asking for a grander, mightier, more renowned
ministry than Elijah had, as though he's inquiring for a
double measure of the Holy Spirit.
And I don't believe that's the case.
And the reason is because Elijah is framing his request based on
an Old Testament law and principle.
And that law and principle is found in Deuteronomy 21, verse
17. And it is in that verse where we
understand that the first born of every household was to
receive what from his father a double portion of his
inheritance. So if there's a force born among
other siblings, the first born would receive double after his
father would pass, he would receive more of his estate and
his possessions. And we can get into that another
time. But Elijah, and understanding
that rule, sees himself as the first born among all the sons of
the prophets. Remember what he called Elijah
when he departed from men in verse 12.
What, what did he say? My, what?
My father, my father. So Elijah felt as though he was
the first born among the sons of the prophets, and he realized
that he was to be the successor of this leading role.
And so when he asked for this double portion, what he is
really inquiring of is the appropriate measure and grace to
be able to serve God in the way that he was called to serve Him.
Give me what I need to be able to fulfill this role faithfully,
to be spiritually empowered the way you were spiritually
empowered so that I can follow in your steps.
And Elijah's response in verse 10 as I read it to you reminds
us something very important. Listen, if you were serious
about serving God in any capacity, realize what he says.
You have asked the hard thing. Methods, practical wisdom,
doctrine can be transferred from person to person.
But what cannot be given from one man to another is power from
on high that cannot be granted. You can't pay enough tuition to
get it at any seminary, any place.
It cannot be permitted by any person.
And only the Lord has the ability to fill us, endow us,
and endow us with His Spirit. And the way you posture yourself
to receive God's hand, God's blessing upon your efforts, is
modeled by Elijah. One, acknowledge your absolute
weakness. For him to ask this reveals that
he knows himself, and he realizes that he is hopeless
unless God walks with him as he did with Elijah.
So admit your weakness, and beyond that, ask.
Ask the one who is gracious and willing to pour out His Spirit
upon you and to help you. There are many people that are
content with receiving something from other men and God uses
other men. I'm not minimizing that.
But there comes a point and you better learn it from the
earliest point of your service to the Lord, that God has to put
His hand on your life and He has to empower you and you must
continue to seek Him for continuous feelings of the Holy
Spirit. It makes all the difference, and
I'm afraid that there is this idea that such a pursuit is
mystical and shameful. Believe what you want.
I see something in my Bible that there is a great difference with
a Holy Spirit empowered ministry and a ministry that relies on
even good things, but without God's ultimate help.
Give me a double portion of your Spirit.
And Elijah said that's a hard thing.
Yet if you see what's about to take place, know that that is
the sign that God has accepted your desire.
What happens verse 11 and as they still went on and talked
pause. Don't you wish we knew what they
talked about? And as they still went on and
talked, behold, Chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the
two of them. And Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into heaven. And Elijah saw it, and he cried.
My father, my father, the Chariots of Israel and its
horsemen. And he saw him no more than he
took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
Notice that little phrase in verse 12?
And Elijah sighed. So God opened his eyes, more
than just granting him the honor to behold such a majestic,
miraculous thing, but to indicate to him, I heard you.
This is fascinating. But you know what's more
fascinating? Not just the fact that God heard
his prayer in that moment, but that only Elijah saw it.
Not even the 50. Remember the 50 that were at the
border. They weren't invited to come
across the the Jordan to see it. God ordained that there would be
an audience of one. And I'm wondering, why not more?
Why not make this known to the nation?
Why not show the people how you exalt your servant, and more
importantly, exalt your own name?
And what does the Lord do instead?
He privatizes it. He brings Elijah and Elijah to a
remote location literally across the border.
And he only opens the eyes of one soul to behold it.
You know what I thought when I read this earlier today?
I thought to myself, God concealing this must, must
testify to us that there are some things that He's doing,
miracles and movements of His spirit that we are unaware of.
There are things that are happening in this world that God
is doing that the world does not know of, at least the majority
of the world. And more than that, Is this the
only time that God translated somebody into heaven?
Apart from the portal of death? Who's the other individual?
You remember what we're told there in Genesis chapter 5
concerning Enoch. It's very simple, it's very
plain. There's nothing spectacular
about it. He says in Genesis 524 that
Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.
No Chariots of fire, no whirlwind, no gust of this, no
manifestations. Just one day he's there, and
this is what I get from him. One day he's there and poop, the
next day he's not, Next moment he's not, the next blink he's
not. Why didn't he give Enoch this
incredible kind of exit? So many questions, and sometimes
we get answers in the Bible, the answers that God sees fit to
give us. And often times the best answer
to things like this is what the psalmist said in Psalm 115,
verse 3. Our God is in the heavens.
He does all that He pleases. So why did he conceal this and
not make it a public spectacle? Why didn't he do it on Mount
Carmel and invited the whole nation?
Because He does what He pleases. Why did he do this for Elijah
and not do it for other great prophets, including Enoch?
Because He does what He pleases. We have to rest in that and we
have to rejoice in that. The Lord does what pleases Him
ultimately, and that is for His glory and that is for our good.
And we read here at the end of verse 12 and he saw him know
more. This is really the end of
Elijah's ministry. Or is it This is why you can't
skip parts of the Bible. Something strange happens after
Elijah was taken from this world.
Can I show you go to Second Chronicles with me as we are
ready to put this chapter of our study to rest, namely through
and about Elijah. Second Chronicles 21 This
chapter deals with Yehoram or Jehoram when he reigned in
Judah. And something fascinating
happens in verse 12 of Second Chronicles 21.
Look at this. And a letter came to him from
who? Who wrote this letter and sent
it to? Jeharam, Elijah The.
Prophet, you know what's interesting?
About this Jeharam reigned after Elijah was taken.
Saying thus says the Lord. The God of David your father,
because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your
father, or in the ways of ASA king of Judah, but have walked
in the way of the kings of Israel, and have enticed Judah
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the House of
Ahab LED Israel into whoredom. And also you have killed your
brothers of your father's house, who are better than you.
Behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people,
your children, your wives, and all your possessions.
And you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease
of your bowels until your bowels come out because of the disease
day by day. How did Elijah?
Send a letter and so. You have people who speculate.
So you have some people who believe that Elijah was able to
send a letter from heaven. I highly doubt that.
You have others who believe. That when Elijah was taken up by
a whirlwind into heaven, it wasn't into the 3rd heaven
because that. Word can be used for.
The three spheres of heaven. There's a first, second, 3rd
heaven. And so in their minds, for
Elijah, in order to make sense of this, to be able to write a
letter, he was taken up into the heavenlies, into the sky, but he
was teleported somewhere else on the earth, and they justified
this. By saying that.
Elijah had a tendency of appearing and disappearing,
right? And so this is.
Really, Elijah's? Retirement more than anything
else. And so he was positioned in some
secret location. And to add to this argument,
when you read later on in Second Kings chapter 2, when Elijah
returns and crosses the Jordan, the 50 band of men who were
there inquired and asked Elijah to do what?
Can we go find Elijah? Do you remember that?
If you don't, you have to come in a couple weeks to read it
with me. They ask her, he must be
somewhere, Let's go find him. And Elijah was like, you're
going to waste your time. And they said, no, no, no,
please. And so he's like, all right,
fine, go. And they go, and they travel for
a few days. And they didn't end up finding
him. And so the argument goes, well,
even these prophets understood that Elijah was not to be taken
into heaven, heaven, but some other place.
Or else why else would they ask? That's as persuasive that
sounds. That doesn't seem to fit the
context at all. The best explanation for how
Elijah was able to write this letter to Jeharam is that he did
so beforehand. Jeharam didn't reign too long.
After Elijah was removed from this world, and it's not.
Uncommon for. Prophets to predict and foretell
of things far beyond their lifetime, is it No.
So Elijah simply had this. Prepared and at the right time,
it was granted to Jeharam as a warning.
Now with that being said. In terms of principle, it
provides us wonderful truth that Elijah's ministry in some way
continued even after his departure and reminds.
Us of what Hebrews tells. Us about Abel that though he
died, he what he speaks. And there are ministries today.
That you and I are benefiting from.
But the very ministers are not alive today, are they?
But the preservation of their sermons and their writings are
still touching millions of people, thousands of people,
ministers who are serving God today.
But how that relates? To you and I.
Is that it is, I believe, possible to live in such a way
that even after we leave this world, we can still, with the
memory of our life, bless others?
With your legacy, touch your. Children and your grandchildren
with Elijah. 'S in the.
Church who are advanced in years and advanced in their experience
of God's faithfulness, blessing Elijah's who are up and coming
and so as we. Close this chapter of Elijah.
'S life let us let us reflect on.
His faithfulness. Elijah's faithfulness and now
turn to the same God of Elijah and Elijah and ask for his help
to serve God until our last day. Let's pray and seek him
together. I just want to give you the time
to. Reflect.
Lord. Your word is amazing.
We're. Moved by your truth, and we give
you glory for it. Your word says that all
Scripture has. Been breathed out by God so that
the. Man of God may be.
Complete, ready for every good work.
That is no less true with the story.
Of Elijah and Elijah. Help us be faithful to.
You help us keep our word. Help us.
Serve people until we. Meet you help us remember that
we're. Not taking anything.
From this life with us. Except that which is sowed into
the things of the Kingdom. Lord, if anybody is suffering.
Pain after loss any kind of loss may you by your.
Grace energize us to. Serve you.
Worship you honor. You with our lives, we thank you
Lord, that the same God. Who worked on behalf of the
nation of Israel when they went into the Promised Land.
The same God who is willing to help.
And assist and bring 2 servants safely through the Jordan.
Lord, you are the same God, walking with us, guiding us,
protecting us. So, Lord, at this time.
We worship you from our hearts. We love you and we adore you.
We crown you with our praises. Help us know you more.
We we, like Elijah, want the things of the Spirit more than
anything else. Your presence, your power, the
opportunities to reveal your glory.
So even now, tonight we. Sincerely ask.
Clothe us with your power. Fill us with your spirit.
Use us in a way where people, when they hear us, when they see
us, when they interact with us, would not be able to shake off
that there's something different because it's you working through
us. We don't want anyone to see us,
Lord. We want them to see you through
us. This is our desperate plea and
we believe you're going to answer it as we seek you for it.
So we say thank you tonight, in Jesus name we pray, Amen and
Amen, Amen. This is kind of like a school
is. It not I would think so, but
once when we stand. And worship the.
Living God, who is the head of this church and the church at
large.