And so it went on till they reached Jericho, and here again the sons of
the prophets came to Elisha with their question: "Do you know that the
Lord will take your master from your head to-day?"
And again Elisha sorrowfully answered: "Yes, I know it; hold ye your
peace."
Then Elijah said to him: "Stay here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath
sent me to Jordan."
But Elisha gave the same answer to him as he had given before, that he
would not on any account leave him. So they went on together.
The sons of the prophets evidently knew that something very wonderful
was going to happen, and as they saw the two men going towards Jordan,
fifty of them gathered together and stood to view from afar.
So they came to the river Jordan, and Elijah wrapped his mantle
together and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and
thither, and they two passed over on dry ground.
Then Elijah said to Elisha: "Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am
taken away from thee."
And Elisha said: "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be
upon me!"
Elijah answered him that was a great thing he had asked, but if Elisha
saw him when he was taken away, then he would know that his request was
granted.
And as they were talking, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses
of fire, and they were parted from each other; and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into Heaven.
And Elisha saw it, and he cried: "My father, my father, the chariot of
Israel and the horsemen thereof."
And he took Elijah's mantle that fell from him, and smote the waters of
Jordan again, and they were divided before him, and he passed over.
Then the sons of the prophets begged to be allowed to go to search for
Elijah, or to find his body, but Elisha was unwilling, and begged them
not to go, for he knew it would be useless.
But fifty of them went out and searched for three whole days, but did
not find him.
[Illustration: Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.]
How could they, when he was gone up to heaven in a chariot of fire?
And now in the New Testament, nine hundred years after that chariot of
fire, which took Elijah to Heaven, we read of him again on the top of a
mountain talking to Jesus while He was on earth!
It was not long before our Lord's death on Calvary that He took His
three disciples, Peter, James, and John, up to a high mountain and was
transfigured before them.
You will perhaps ask: "What does transfigured mean?" It means—changed,
altered—made exceedingly bright and beautiful.
The Lord Jesus had been on earth for thirty-three years. He had gone
about when He was young like an ordinary boy, and afterwards like an
ordinary man; except that He did no sin, and was perfectly holy and
loving; and was full of mercy and kindness to every one He met.
But now the time had come for Him to suffer on the Cross, to bear the
punishment of our sins. And our Heavenly Father wished to give those
three disciples a glimpse of the glory which Jesus had left when He
came to earth, and to which He was going back, when He had done all the
work which His Father had given Him to do.
So when they reached the top of the mountain with Jesus, suddenly they
found that His face was changed into a face of glory, and His clothes
became white and glistening. And soon they saw that Jesus was talking
with two men—Moses and Elijah—who had come down from the glory of
Heaven to talk with Him about His death which would soon happen at
Jerusalem.
Can we not imagine the joy of Moses and Elijah, and the adoring worship
of their hearts, as they talked with their beloved Lord? No wonder that
Peter said in one of his Letters afterwards in speaking of this scene:
"We . . . were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God
the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice from the
excellent glory: 'This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.'
And this Voice which came from Heaven we heard, when we were with Him
in the holy mount."
Then a bright cloud overshadowed them, and when it had passed away,
Moses and Elijah were no longer there, but Jesus only!
And Jesus came and touched them, and told them not to be afraid.
And then as they went down from the mountain, He explained to them that
He would very shortly have to die; but that they were not to tell of
the Vision they had seen, till after He was risen from the dead.
Jesus said Himself to two of His friends after His resurrection: "Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them all
through the Bible the things which were written there about Himself.
[Illustration]