And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “ As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel. Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!” Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” But he said, “ As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they came to Jericho. Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?” So he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!” Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” But he said, “ As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So the two of them went on.

II Kings 2:1-6 NKJV

If you knew that your time on earth was drawing towards a close, how would you spend your final days? The Lord Jesus Christ spent His final days on earth instructing, teaching, exhorting, encouraging, and comforting the church. He revealed His resurrected body to hundreds of people including many times to His disciples. He promised the Holy Spirit (John 14 and 16; Acts 1:5-8) of comfort and reminded them that He had all power in heaven and in earth.

As I have visited with elderly saints close to death, they have been a great comfort and encouragement to me in the faith. As they drew closer to glory, I went to minister to them and left having been ministered to by them. This is an experience shared by many.

Elijah, an Old Testament type of Christ,* foreshadowed the manner in which Christ Himself entered heaven by ascending from earth to heaven in the flesh when he had finished the work he was called to do. But before this miracle took place in the sight of many witnesses, Elijah was called to one more task: to visit the sons of the prophets (vs. 3 and 5).

We should observe that: 1) The Lord had prepared Elijah and Israel for this time of Elijah’s exit from earth; 2) The Lord was answering the cry of His servant back in the wilderness (I Kings 18:4); 3) The Lord had revealed the upcoming event to Elisha and the sons of the prophets; and 4) The Lord had called, anointed, and prepared Elisha to take up the work from Elijah.

The time had come for Elijah’s work to be completed. The final task of the Lord was for Elijah to make a triangular route from Gilgal to Bethel, to Jericho, and finally across the Jordan River where he would be taken up in a whirlwind.

On his way he visited the sons of the prophets in Bethel and Jericho. Here were cities of sin** where the truth of God’s Word was still being spread by faithful prophets. Elijah was a friend to these prophets. He had been like a father to them and to Israel, warning it of its sin, calling it to repent, and soon he would be no longer with them.

As the Lord comforted His disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit before His ascension, so the visit of Elijah comforted the prophets and encouraged them in their work before he ascended into Heaven. It also had the providential effect of revealing to them Elisha’s closeness to Elijah and the pending transfer of the mantle.

Those we love much will leave us for a time, and one day we will leave others we love much. May we not forget to comfort those we love so as to strengthen them in their faith. The Lord Jesus Christ never leaves us or forsakes us, but is with us always, even to the end of the age. He has given us the gift of the Spirit to continue to comfort us until we see Him face to face.

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*Jesus Christ ascended up into heaven of His own power, for He is fully God and fully man, in two distinct natures, and one person, forever. Neither Elijah nor any other prophet could perform miracles or ascend up into heaven of his own power, for they were not God but were mere men. For this reason and others, Elijah and other Old Testament figures are called “types” or “figures” of Christ, as they are not Christ but point people to Jesus Christ and the work that He would do.

**Jeroboam had constructed a golden calf for worship in Bethel (I Kings 12: 28-29) and Jericho was rebuilt against the word of the Lord.

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