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Bible Study on the Prophet Elisha
The Rapture of Elijah
- Swing Low Sweet
Chariot!
By I Gordon
Introduction
We looked last time at the
call of Elisha and his desire to follow closely and minister to his master,
Elijah. His desire to never leave Elijah took Elisha through four prominent
locations in the
What
is your desire?
2 Kings 2:9 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,”
So the passage starts with a question...
and a big question at that! Elijah knows that his time is nearly up so he asks
his disciple Elisha what he would like to receive before Elijah leaves him. Big
question. How would you respond?[1]
Something material? Something physical? Or something spiritual? We see the type
of character that Elisha had in that he asks for ‘a double portion of your spirit’.
It was spiritual blessings that mattered to Elisha! But don’t get his request
wrong… he wasn’t asking to do twice as many miracles or be twice as important
as Elijah. He was asking to be Elijah’s heir. Under the law of Moses, the
firstborn son was entitled to a double portion of the fathers inheritance (see
Deut 21:17). Now Elijah didn’t have a son. Nor was he materially wealthy. But
he was spiritually wealthy and that is what Elisha considered important. Elisha
wasn’t after riches or possessions or fame. He wanted to be considered as
Elijah’s son and inherit from him spiritually. He wanted to receive the same
Holy Spirit that empowered Elijah to carry on his work amongst the nation of
The
hard thing…
Elisha replied. “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.”
Now, why do you think it was that Elisha had asked a difficult thing? Was it difficult to receive a double portion? It doesn’t seem overly difficult to actually receive it for he only had to see Elijah as he was taken up. So what is it that is hard or difficult? I believe the difficulty comes not in receiving such things, but in the responsibility that comes with bearing such gifts. Elisha was asking to be Elijah’s heir spiritually. And I can imagine Elijah surveying his life, with all the difficulties and trials that were his because of his role as God’s prophet… and so he tells Elisha ‘you have asked for a difficult thing.’ ‘Don’t think for one moment that possessing God’s Spirit in this measure will be easy. It won’t my son. You have asked for a difficult walk.’[3]
Jesus said the same thing using a different
phrase – ‘From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from
the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.’ (Luke 12:48)
Swing
Low Sweet Chariot[4]
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. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My
father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of
Here one minute… gone the next! As Elisha
looked on a chariot of fire took his master Elijah up into heaven. And in doing
so, Elijah[5] became
only the second man to ever enter heaven without seeing death. Can you name the
first?[6] We have
in this little story a picture of something that will take place one day on a
far greater scale… the rapture of the bride of Christ. For as quick as Elijah
was here one minute and taken the next, even so the chariots of God will one
take all those that truly believe in His name up into the place that has been
prepared for them. In the twinkling of the eye, Paul tells us, we shall be
changed. (1 Cor 15:52). It has been the hope of many over two thousand years…
But do not lose heart for we see the day drawing even closer. For ‘the revelation awaits an appointed time; it
speaks of the end Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and
will not delay.’ (Hab 2:3)
One small other point before we move on. As
Elijah went up into the sky, Elisha cried out “My Father, my Father! The chariots and horsemen of
A
picture of Jesus’ ascension…
Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on
the bank of the
We see also in this ascension of Elijah, a nice little picture of Jesus’ ascension and our need of seeing this fact. Let’s just state the facts again…
1. Elisha had asked for a double portion of his spirit.
2. Elijah said that this could only happen if Elisha saw him ascend into Heaven.
3. Elisha sees this, tears his own clothes, and puts on the cloak or mantle of Elijah that fallen from Elijah.
4. Elisha then performs his first miracle through the power of God.
In like manner, Jesus said that it was good that He had to go back to the Father, for He would send the helper – the Spirit of truth (see John 16:5-14) to be with all that believe in His name. And just as Elisha tore his own clothes and took upon himself the clothing of Elijah, so we take upon ourselves the garment of righteousness. Just as it is written:
‘I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord
my God! For he has dressed me with the
clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a
bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.’(Isaiah 61:10)
But to do so means that we
tear our own clothing first just as Elisha did! It means that we look not to
our own righteousness or good works, as though that would win us favour with
God, but in faith accept see the Lord Himself as our righteousness, as our
standing before the Father. The robe of righteousness that is given by the
risen Lord is a free and precious gift! It will not wear out and will cover you
completely until the day that you see Him face to face and are transformed into
His image! Don’t ever forget it! (see Rom 4:4, 5:17, 10:1-11, 1 Cor 1:30, 1 Cor
14:1 John 3:2)
Conclusion - Our ongoing need… See the risen Lord!
The final point from this
study is our ongoing need to see the Lord Jesus as alive, risen, and ascended!
As I mentioned above, Elisha had to see Elijah ascend into Heaven before he
could be given a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Once that had happened, he
stood before the Jordan river and was tested straight away as to whether he
would act on his belief that the same spirit that empowered Elijah would now
work through him. As he stood on that river bank he spoke out ‘“Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?”... When he
struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.”
Elisha knew that any strength or ability that he would have to follow in Elijah’s footsteps had to come from God… not himself. So he says straight away ‘where is the God of Elijah?’ He was looking in the right direction! Some Christians live as best they can, trying to imitate the life that Jesus lived while He was on earth. They read the commands of Jesus in the Bible and give it their all to fulfil them. It is truly a noble desire and commitment… but one with failure stamped all over it. We all need to remember that Jesus is not dead and He certainly isn’t sitting back hoping that we will one day have enough strength to mimic how He lived. We need to remember that the only way He was able to live the life He lived while on earth was through the strength of His Father doing the work in and through Him! Even Jesus didn’t step out in His own ability and strength.
So Elisha,
looking to the Lord, stands and cries ‘Where is the God of Elijah?’ And what do
you know? Elisha finds that the God of Elijah is still alive and well for the
waters of the
May we, like
Elisha, trust and look to Him.