When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here; the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you,” Elisha replied. And so the two went on together. As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. When Elisha saw it happen he cried out, “My father! my father! Israel’s chariots and drivers!” But when he could no longer see him, Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in two. Then he picked up Elijah’s mantle that had fallen from him, and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan. (2 Kgs 2:1,11-13)
In the South, making an entrance or an exit is a work of art. But Elijah’s departure in a flaming chariot—well that’s really hard to beat. To see your mentor flying up to heaven in a fiery chariot must have left an impression on Elisha. Perhaps that explains the almost mirrored work of the two prophets. The ministry of Elijah is reflected in the similar works of Elisha.
