For Scripture reading this evening, we're going to turn to three different passages. And we begin with the last chapter in the Old Testament. The last chapter in the Old Testament, Malachi 4. Good for us to remember that this is the last revelation of God for over 400 years. until Elijah appears. More on that in a bit. For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble. And the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall, and ye shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers. lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." And now we turn to Matthew chapter 17. Notice in that last chapter the reference not only to Elijah but Moses, Matthew 17, we'll read the first 13 verses. And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John, his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee and one for Moses and one for Elijah. And while he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud which said, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them and said, arise and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them saying, tell the vision to no man until the son of man be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed, that is, what they wanted. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them, Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. And now finally we turn to our text, which is 2 Kings 2, the first 18 verses. And the whole of this is our text. 2 Kings 2, the first 18 verses. And it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha and said unto him, knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today? And he said, yea, I know it, hold your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha and said unto him, knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today? And he answered, yea, I know it. Hold your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Terry, I pray thee here, for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they too went on. And 50 men of the sons of the prophets went and stood to view afar off, and they too stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither. so that they too went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if thou see me, when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee. But if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder, 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 saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither, and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets, which were to view at Jericho, saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him. and bowed themselves to the ground before him. And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men. Let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master. Lest, peradventure, the Spirit of the Lord have taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley, and he said, Ye shall not send. And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, send. They sent there 450 men, and they sought three days, but found him not. And when they came again to him, for he tarried at Jericho, he said unto them, did I not say unto you, go not. We read that far in God's holy word. Beloved in our Lord Jesus Christ, just like the sons of the prophet and the great prophet Elisha, we take leave this evening of the prophet Elijah. With our text, he finishes his earthly sojourn in life. He lays down the mantle of his office and is taken to heaven in a blaze of glory. And indeed, this was one of the most striking events in all of Scripture. Even our children are familiar with it. For Elijah is in the first place only one of four humans that we know of that are taken to heaven in their bodies. Enoch, Moses, and Jesus in His human nature are the others. Then there is the whole matter of Elisha receiving a double portion of the spirit of Elisha. Finally, there is the striking feature of the glorious departure itself, wherein the Lord himself comes down in a chariot, being pulled by four horses, all in a blazing fire, and scoops up Elijah and takes him to heaven in a whirlwind. This is a fitting departure for the prophet Elijah. In the first place, because his entire ministry concerned fire. There was the fire at Mount Carmel. The fire at Mount Sinai. There was the fire that consumed 102 soldiers. Besides that, the prophet himself is characterized by a burning zeal for the name of Jehovah God against all opposition. And now, fittingly, he is taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. Besides that, his entire life and ministry concerned the reality of heaven. His whole ministry began by Him stopping up the heavens from giving rain for three and a half years. He calls the fire down from heaven upon the sacrifice on Mount Carmel, and calls fire down from heaven upon the 102 soldiers. Then he prays for rain from heaven. His entire life revolves around the reality of heaven, and now he is transported to heaven. Not only that, but during his entire life in ministry, many, many people wanted Elijah dead. The false prophets of Baal wanted him dead. Ahab wanted him dead. Wicked Jezebel wanted him dead. In fact, even Elijah himself once wanted, under the juniper tree, to be dead. But Jehovah has a different plan. His God has a different plan in mind and takes him to heaven without him dying. Not only that, this is a fitting end for Elijah because his entire life in ministry concerned the testimony. It was a witness to the reality that Jehovah is God, God of the universe, Lord over all creation, and God of salvation over against the imposter Baal. And the Lord here shows now not only that he is Lord of the whole universe, that he is the God who rides through the earth in a chariot of fire, but that Elijah is his friend. And he takes Elijah, his friend, in a reward of grace to heaven to share life with him. This is a fitting text also for confession of faith. For God is pleased to work confession of faith by giving the gift of faith and by maintaining faith through the Word. The very same Word that comes through the very same office found in the Old Testament prophet Elijah. God brings that Word. God works powerfully by that Word. God, through that word, is our guide even unto death. And even consider this, that according to the word of God, it may very well be possible that many here tonight could be transported directly to heaven, as Elijah was, when our Lord returns in a blaze of fire. Consider with me Elijah the Tishbite, his glorious departure. We consider in the first place the faithful preparation for that glorious departure. The glorious departure of Elijah into heaven was an event that had been planned from all eternity by the mind and will of Jehovah God. And now, at the appointed time, determined by God, He causes it to be executed. And that's evident when we read that all these events come to pass when it came to pass. when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven. That is, in due time, at the exact moment in time, as time has passed, now Elijah must go to heaven. This explains also why then this could be revealed to other individuals. A number of people are all aware of this. Elijah himself, verse 9, asked what I shall do for thee before I be taken away. Or verse 10, if thou see me when I am taken away from thee. Elijah knows what's about to happen. The sons of the prophets in Bethel and Jericho know what's going to happen. Verses 3 and 5, knowest thou that the Lord will take thy master from thy head today. They even knew the precise day this was going to happen. And Elisha shows in verses 3 and 5 that he knows too. Yea, I know. Hold your peace. And the fact that the Lord reveals this only to prophets indicates that this event is especially significant for them. It's expressed by the sons of the prophets. Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today? That is, what's about to happen is of great significance to us, especially as prophets. The Lord is taking the chief master and prophet away." Now this explains the behavior of Elijah. What explains the behavior of Elijah is that he is preparing for this departure from the earth. And what's striking about this event, beside fiery chariots and horsemen and other such things, is the way that he prepares. Or at least what we're told about the preparation. What's striking is we're not told that he spent his time in prayer and meditation. No doubt he did pray. He did meditate. as a man of God, as a righteous man who lives in close communion with God, surely that was part of his preparation. But that's not the information we're given. Generally, we must see that Elijah prepared for his translation by obeying God. And that's why we read that the Lord sent him to each place that he visited. The Lord directed Elijah to go here and to go there, and in obedience to God, he went. That too is fitting for this man, for it characterizes his entire life and ministry again. His ministry no sooner begins by him telling Ahab, there shall be no dew or rain, and the Lord sends him from there to, later on, Cherith. And then when the rook dries up, the Lord sends him to Zarephath. And now the Lord is sending him to Bethel, and then to Jericho, and then to the Jordan. And this explains also the seeming lack of emotion on the part of Elijah, which is striking because the New Testament in James 5 reminds us that Elijah was a man of like passions as we are. Certainly, our preparation would be somewhat emotional. But there's apparently nothing here. Because that's in fact, he wasn't filled with anxiety and fear. Many in the church are filled with anxiety and fear. That's why they're praying. That's why they're in meditation. especially as life approaches the end. And often it's related to the fact that they haven't been obeying the Lord, going where he sends them, but the opposite of where he sends them. But that's not Elijah. In fact, we should see that the unusual manner of his departure is a very reward of God for that obedience, a reward of grace to be sure, but a reward. And what a good way to prepare for death, to live serving the Lord. And how different is not Elijah here than when we saw him where he had gone where the Lord did not send him? when apart from the command of God, he had left the nation of Israel, had left the nation of Judah, and had wandered off by himself into the wilderness, and we find him under a juniper, depressed and wanting to die. What a different man he is here now, by the grace of God, obedient, expecting death without fear. Specifically, Elijah is serving in his office. And not only that, but he's serving in his office for the furtherance or extension of that office. That's what we must understand when we read that the Lord sent him to Bethel and Jericho. That wasn't haphazard, but he was being sent to visit the sons of the prophets. And he was doing that as official business as the prophet of God. The Sons of the Prophets refers to schools, schools where young prophets were educated by another prophet, akin to our seminary. There they were taught the Word of God. There they sang together, they prayed, and they heard the Word of God. And also they engaged in legitimate work to support themselves. They were not monks, as the Roman Catholic Church alleges, but this was in fact a real institution of God. God speaks elsewhere about the fact that He raises up your sons for prophets and young men for Nazarites. That is, they live there as young men, married and unmarried. They live there with their families and with their children. The reason they're visited by Elijah is that he was not only their head, as is pointed out in the text, but the father of these prophets. We first read of the sons of the prophets way back in the days of Samuel, but strikingly, we do not hear of them again until now. So that it's relatively safe to assume that, especially in Israel, the ten tribes which had departed not long after the days of Samuel, separated from Jerusalem, that due to their apostasy, this institution had fallen into disrepair. It had fallen into disuse, but the Lord had used Elijah to restore the sons of the prophet. had done so especially in Jericho and in Bethel, one in the two tribes and another in the ten And the fact that they're called the sons of the prophets implies that he is their father. Elijah is not simply a teacher of them, but considered their spiritual father. That's not far-fetched either. That's sort of how we even consider those who teach our sons and daughters in the Christian schools. We see them as extension of the father and mother in the home. And we can be certain then that Elijah was not merely passing through, but was sent there on official business. He was sent there to encourage them. He was sent there to give them final instruction. He was sent there to remind them of their calling and of their duty as well as to say a final farewell as their father. But the point is, Elijah prepares for death busy. And busy in his office, not retired from his office, not having left his office, but he is busy working as a prophet until the very moment God takes him. How much different is this than the view of the world or even that which we find in the church? prepare for death by working for a while so that we can earn enough money to retire, and then lay down our work, lay down our office, lay down our calling, and then wait some more." That's not Elijah. Now, this also explains one other thing that Elijah is busy doing in his preparation and related in the same way, and that's what he's doing with his successor, Elisha. What he is doing is testing him, and testing him two different ways. First, each time that Elijah is about to depart from a school of the prophets, and again, at the Jordan River, just prior to his translation, Elijah tells Elisha to remain behind, remain behind. Now, we should not view that as an absolute command from God. It's evident when, in the first place, it adds, I pray thee, indicating this is coming from Elijah himself. But also, Elijah knows that, Elisha knowing about this, that he too has been given commandment from God. And that commandment from God is that he remain with his father, that he remain with Elijah until the end. And so what Elijah is doing is deliberately putting obstacles in the way of Elisha. He's testing Elisha to see if he will receive the Word of God or simply respect Elisha as his earthly father. The point is that if he is a true spiritual son of Elijah, he must be a man who is obedient to the Word of God and no man. Not only that, he must be dependent upon Jehovah God and not even such in one as Elijah. And so he's being put to the test. He passes the test each time Elisha is adamant and even swears an oath as the Lord of God liveth, the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth. As long as you are alive, I will not separate from you. He knew that to be the Lord's will. Nearby he shows he depends upon the Lord to sustain him and to keep him, and the will of God is the master of Elisha. Then on the other side of the Jordan, he tests him again by asking, what I shall do for thee before I be taken away? An open-ended question that Elisha could have answered in any way, could have asked for anything. What he asks for, of course, is a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. How much different is that than so many prophets in the church today? What they ask for is charisma, a winsome personality. They ask for many followers, a popular ministry, a church full of parishioners. They ask for a good salary. They ask for people to like them. Elijah asked for one thing. What he's asking for is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And especially the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, not simply as a saved child of God, but the indwelling of the Spirit to equip him and strengthen him for his office. Next, we consider the bodily ascension. At the heart of the glorious departure of Elijah is that he is translated into heaven in his earthly body. It is a bodily ascension of Elijah into heaven. This begins with a miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, a feature that is often forgotten when looking at this event. To show you the significance of the event, We must ask ourselves, why didn't he cross the normal way? Why didn't he cross using the ferry like David did? Why didn't he simply wade across the Jordan River, which could be done at certain times of the year? In other words, this is not an accident. This is not incidental. So when you look at it closer, you realize, well, this is not the first time Certainly that a large body of water has been parted. We immediately think of the first crossing of Israel at the Red Sea, at Exodus, when Moses stretched his hand and his rod over the water and they parted. We think of how that's a picture of baptism and how the children of Israel all passed through and then when those waters crashed back together, they destroyed the ungodly wicked. And Israel was saved principally there in the Red Sea. And then if you look at Scripture, you will see that there are three more partings of water, and all three are in the Jordan River. The next. occurs when Joshua takes the children of Israel after 40 years of wandering because of their unbelief into the promised land itself, into heaven, the picture of heaven. It's parted when the priests step into that water with the ark of the covenant. And then the next two occur here. First, Elijah parts the water to leave the earthly promised land. And he leaves that earthly promised land to enter, in reality, the heavenly promised land. And then the very first thing that Elisha does when he takes up the mantle is, again, parts those waters. And now he parts those waters. to go from outside the promised land where Elijah was to back enter into that land to carry out his work in the kingdom of God. And significantly, this occurs at almost the exact same place as the very first crossing of the children of Israel being led by Joshua. Joshua, I will remind you, is the Old Testament name Jesus, and almost the exact same place that Moses himself is taken to heaven. You remember what happened on that side of the Jordan, the opposite side of Jericho. You remember, right? You see, the Scriptures are making a connection here, again, between Elijah and Moses. We've seen that before. When we find Elijah up on Mount Sinai in a cave, it's in the same cave where the Lord personally appeared to Moses. Then He appears personally to Elijah. And now they're both taken up into heaven in almost the exact same spot. And the next time we see both of those bodies, we'll be on the Mount we call the Mount of Transfiguration. with Jesus himself, not now the type, but Jesus himself. And notice how all of it has to do with the promised land, both the earthly picture and then the heavenly reality. And what's remarkable is you can hardly tell them apart. Elijah literally leaves this earth and enters into heaven. So now we look more closely at that translation itself, which is most glorious. There's a couple of elements about that translation that stand out. The whirlwind. And then that chariot being pulled with horses or horsemen, all of fire. Obviously, this is a picture. Obviously, this represents the glorious majesty and power of God as the sovereign of heaven and earth. Whirlwinds always represent that. Twice, God answers Job, out of the whirlwind. The prophet Ezekiel is going to see a vision, many visions in fact, of the Lord riding in a glorious chariot on the whirlwind with clouds and fire. The Scriptures also point to judgment. Jeremiah 30, 23, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury upon the head of the wicked. And then combine that now with the chariots of fire and the angels, their horsemen. Notice how they're connected. Psalm 68, verse 17. The chariots of God are 20,000. And even thousands of angels. Notice there the angels are connected with His chariots. Psalm 104, verses 1 and following. God makes the clouds His chariot. He walks on the wings of the wind and makes His angels a flaming fire. Notice how they're all connected. clouds, angels, fire, chariots. And it too brings in the element of judgment, Isaiah 66 verse 15. The Lord will come with fire and his chariots like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire. What's the significance of all this? Well, first of all, God is revealing himself as the sovereign King and Lord of the universe. And that over against the imposter Baal. Oh, Baal was worshipped as the big God of heaven, the God who ruled the clouds and therefore the rain and the winds. And that was the issue all along. That's why the minister of Elijah begins by stopping up the heavens to show Baal impotent. And this is why the contest, the contest on Carmel involves sending fire down from heaven at the prayer of Elijah to consume the sacrifice. This is why in the Psalms God is frequently referred to, the sun in the heavens, a picture of God riding his glory chariot, all through the creation. But in the second place, it brings in the element of God's judgment. Notice how you can hardly separate the glory of God evident in the flaming, blazing fire and the powerful, powerful tornado, for that's what a whirlwind is, a giant tornado. Power, majesty, glory, light. But everyone knows fire. Fire is an agent of God's judgment. That's what's brought out in these prophecies. that the God who rides forth throughout the earth doesn't simply sustain and uphold it, but He beholds men. He tries men. Now, He withholds judgment. He restrains His hand. Balls of fire don't fall from the heaven regularly. Oh, there's small signs. There are times when we ought to see Him. We ought to see the fire, even though it be a tornado. We ought to see his judgment, though it be a hurricane. We ought to see the flaming fire of his vengeance when the hailstones fall. But nevertheless, that's who God is, and that's how he reveals himself, and that is how he is returning again. That's the picture. And therefore, we have here a picture not only of Jehovah God, but Jehovah God in Jesus Christ. We have a foretaste here of how Jesus Himself shall return. Read the description, beloved. Read your Scriptures. How does He come? The way He came first? Tiny little baby sitting in a manger. Does he come how he left, dead on a cross? Or even how he left, ascending into the clouds of heaven? No, he comes, he comes with his millions of angels and all his saints in a blaze of fire, chariots and horsemen. But here's what else is being revealed. Of course, Jesus returns to judge the earth, to crush the rebellious, to expose the idolatry, to bring upon man the wrath that he deserves. But the child of God looks eagerly. He looks forward. He lives his life in preparation for that day. Why? Why? Because he knows the Lord of that chariot is his friend. You have to see Elijah, the Lord, coming down in a whirlwind and fire of judgment, and he's not afraid. That's not what happened at Sinai, is it? When the Lord came down upon Sinai, the people feared, they all feared. Moses represented God and stood between them. But the idea is that Elijah knows the Lord is his friend because all of his fiery wrath and judgment for his sin and the sins of the 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal but believe in God is covered by this great Messiah, this Christ. That's what we must see. And so therefore also what's being revealed here is the Lord's stamp of approval upon Elijah. Apart from the flaming wrath of God consuming Jesus Christ on the cross, there's no approval of His work. God could condemn Him everlastingly to hell for His departure, for His desertion of office, for His desire to die there under the juniper tree. Surely Elijah, like Elisha and the sons of the prophets, was a sinner. But God can approve of His work. What is sinful and what is wicked, what is a failure about His work is taken away. And that's what's so amazing that God then here in this place employs the agents, the angels, the fiery angels, the chariots, the horsemen that He reserves for the judgment of the wicked to hell. That which makes the wicked quake in their boots and fear the day of the Lord, he uses those same agents now to scoop up his child and take him to heaven. There's another picture in all this too, that there's a translation that happens. Elijah's flesh and blood, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. Elijah sinned not only in his body, but also in his soul, and they must be cleansed. And that too is pictured. There is a picture here. The idea is that he is cleansed as the Lord takes him to heaven. He's translated is the word we use. He goes. From the man trudging along on this earth covered in a camel hair coat and eating locusts. A man who's living by ravens bringing him bread and the trickle of a brook. A man who's found habiting with a poor widow. who's being hounded by Ahab and Jezebel, that same man now who had to eat and drink and got tired and depressed is translated into perfect glory in that same body. Glorious like unto heaven itself. It's transformed. He was transformed, body and soul, because don't forget his soul was of the earth earthy too. His soul thought of heaven in earthly terms. His soul was tied to this earth. In his soul he sinned. And he's translated, he's cleansed. The sanctification God had begun in him is completed on his way up to heaven. What a glorious, glorious departure. There's good instruction here for us. Number one, that we should live on this earth as Elijah did, that is, very closely connected to the reality of heaven. His entire ministry was conducted out of and through an understanding of the reality of heaven. It's real. It ought to be real with us. Amazing, too, is we ought to remember this about our body as we live in this life. We do not treat our body as the world treats its bodies. Oh, it's a body that must die, and the body, no matter how glorious it is in an earthly sense, must still be translated, but nevertheless, it is our body. In this flesh shall I see God, in this body. It is this body that shall be raised in the day of the Lord when he returns. And you see, this points then to a greater ascension and descension of our Lord Jesus Christ. Kind of amazing here. Our Lord departs in a whole less glorious blaze of glory. Kind of interesting, actually. The Lord flashed this on the Mount of Transfiguration in the form of Elijah and Moses to encourage him, these two men that represent the whole Word of God, the Law and the Prophets. But the Lord, He just descends into heaven, into glory, in the same old earthly body that had the holes in the hands and in the feet. Compare it to Elijah, and it's quite amazing the difference. But the fact of the matter is that what happened to Christ and what Christ went through is the basis for the ascension of Elijah. Christ arises as the firstborn from the dead. He ascends to rule over the entire universe. He ascends to gather his church. And he's the one who ascends in order to come back. with a far greater glory than Elijah ascended with his flaming fires and his angels to judge the quick and the dead. Lastly, we consider the mantle that's picked up. The passage here speaks about succession. Though Elijah is in heaven, his work will go on through Elisha and the sons of the prophets. And that's symbolized by the mantle of Elijah that falls from the sky. It's the only part of him that remains. Not his camel hair coat or the leather girdle, but only the mantle remains behind. And Elisha picks it up and uses it to part the Jordan and cross. And it's in that light that we must really understand the whole matter of a double portion of Elijah's spirit. That does not refer to having twice the power of the prophet Elijah, doing twice the miracles, being twice as important. That's what many think. Actually, look at the miracles. They say, count them up. Elisha did many more miracles. Look at the space in the Bible. There's a whole lot more space devoted to Elisha. All things which are true. But the fact is, as Elisha himself recognizes, he was only the servant of Elijah. John the Baptist doesn't come in the spirit and power of Elisha, but Elijah. Elisha isn't the one who is taken to heaven in his body and appears before the Lord of glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. To understand the phrase, you have to understand what a double portion is, and that it's connected to a father. If you look at what a double portion is, you have to go back in time, in history, and remember that a father, when he distributed his inheritance, his stuff, his possession, gave a double portion to the oldest. Now that's a double portion over what all the others got. The idea is clear. that it is Elisha who is selected now, as it were, the new father, the successor of the father who has gone to heaven. And as such, he gets twice as much as the other prophets in order to carry on the work, because he is responsible for them, because he has to keep them and preserve them and take care of them as the firstborn would always do. So the idea is that Elisha now is the new spiritual father of these men. And that's brought out too in the passage. God honors that request. God honors that by allowing him alone to see that translation of Elijah, and then finally to pick up that fallen mantle that falls on him. symbolized the fact that God was especially equipping him now by the Spirit for that office to which he was first anointed when Elijah put that mantle on his shoulders. And he answered the call and even served Elijah. But now, as the new chief head of the sons of the prophets, he is equipped by the Spirit. And the sons of the prophet immediately recognized that in the miracle he performs. A miracle to open the Jordan, even as they saw it was Elijah's last miracle. They made the connection. That's evident when they immediately bow down and ask, where's the God of Elijah? The point is, there He is. Rhetorical question, there He is. The answer is upon Elisha, who is now the father of the sons of the prophets. And that's why they then also ask if they can look for Elijah. They recognize He has the authority to allow them to go look for Elijah. And why He responds later on, I told you so. Father and His sons. Elisha, of course, showed himself well qualified for their work even through the testing that Elijah does. In fact, there is something about Elisha. You don't see him down and depressed as Elijah was. His ministry is indeed a bit different. But nevertheless, the idea is that the ministry of Elijah continues in that mantle upon the work of Elisha in the nation of Israel among the 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to veil. And that ought to be of great encouragement for us and strength for us. We'll make confession of faith this evening for us, adults, members of the church, and even children, as a church. The encouragement is the Lord Jesus Christ has ascended bodily into heaven in a way Elijah never could. As the Scriptures say, the firstborn among all His brethren. As the head of His house. Our Father. And when He does, He does not forsake us. When He ascends, He receives the entire portion of the Holy Spirit. The entire portion, which then he pours out upon the church, how? Through the prophetic office. When the departed mantle falls, it's picked up by the apostles. That's what happened when Christ ascended and His mantle fell, and it fell upon the apostles. And from there it went to ministers and ministers and more throughout the church, throughout the ages, so the Spirit continues His work to the church of this day. And He cares for the church through that very office, through the ministry of Elijah and Elisha, the ministry truly of our Lord Jesus Christ. He does that through the preaching of the gospel in the church and confirms it by the use of the sacraments. That's our faith. That's what we confess. This is the Heidelberg Catechism. This is the Belgic Confession. It's all here. But then also individually. Kind of amazing when you actually think about it. We're nearing the end. The end has to be close. I don't know how close. You don't either. But the Scriptures make very clear that when the Lord returns, there will be some of us alive. His people will be alive, just like Elijah, ministering, standing up against the prophets of Baal, working among the 7,000 who haven't bowed the knee to Baal. And when the Lord returns, they won't be dead. Oh yes, the dead in the grave shall rise first. When the Lord returns with all of his chariots and flaming angels, the dead shall rise first. the bodies fitted for heaven, a heavenly life. But then those that are alive shall be translated in a moment changed to meet the Lord in the air and then not to remain in heaven, but immediately come down with him to partake in his judgments, to stand before him as he judges the living and the dead, the elect and the reprobate, then she'll live not simply a heavenly life in the soul, or even a heavenly life in the body, as Elijah enjoys. Bodies really don't belong there. Bodies belong in a new earth, in a new creation. And that's what Christ works. That what makes him greater than Elijah. And it is in Christ we trust. Amen, let us pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, O Lord, we thank Thee for these Old Testament types of our Lord Jesus Christ, and what we can learn from them, what we can learn of Thy glory and Thy majesty and Thy care for us. The God who is able to translate us in a moment to heavenly glory, or though our body should remain in the grave until the day of His return. We shall in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, come forth and share in His fiery glory as our friend. For this, O Lord, we give thanks. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.