Let us now then return to 2 Kings chapter 2. We want to look at verse 11 for our text, 2 Kings 2 verse 11, which reads, 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. The title for our meditation tonight is, Taken to Heaven. Taken to Heaven. Elijah was taken to heaven in a very extraordinary manner. that we cannot expect will be our experience. We can never limit God, of course. We cannot and we will not fetter God, but we can say this is not likely to happen to any one of us at all. But the reality is that one day we shall leave the scene of time. That's a certainty, unless, of course, the Lord Jesus shall return while we're still alive. But we want to look at what happened here, bearing in mind that we do believe that as we go through the Old Testament scriptures, To properly exegete the Scripture, we need to be able to see something of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament as we do in the New Testament. Because he does say to his opponents, Search the Scriptures, for they testify of me." And when he was speaking to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he opened up the Old Testament, the law, the Psalms, and the prophets, and he began to expound where Christ was to be found in the Old Testament. And therefore it is with this intention in mind that we want to look at what we find here in 2 Kings, and principally the opening verses up until verse 11, the verse of our text, because Elijah's final days remind us something of the life of Christ. Elijah visited several places, and he had his minister with him, Elisha. We looked at this when we went through 1 and 2 Kings, but Elisha was called into the prophetic ministry by Elijah. But before he took over, as it were, he had an apprenticeship where he ministered to Elijah. And now the day was coming when they were going to part. And Elisha did not want this to happen. He wanted to be with the man of God for as long as possible. And that's why when Elijah went from one place to another, he would tell Elisha, stay here, I'm going elsewhere. But Elisha didn't want to leave the presence of his master until they were separated by God himself. Elisha was showing his love, his dedication, and his devotion both to the prophet and to the prophetic office that he was about to embark upon. But as we look at these places that we find highlighted for us here in these opening verses of 2 Kings 2, they do remind us of various things, various aspects of the life of the Savior. And this is what I want to draw to your attention this evening, because Elijah went from Gilgal, through Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan, to his translation into heaven. Well, what can we find then about Christ in these verses? Well, in verse one we're told about Gilgal, and it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Gilgal, it means circle, and this was a place of note when the people of Israel came out of Egypt. They were in the wilderness for 40 years. When Moses passed on and when Joshua took over, they were brought into the promised land. And Gilgal was their first station. It was the first place where they settled, where they had their camp. And the Lord spoke to Joshua about the people who had come out of Egypt, the second generation, those who had been born in the wilderness. The males had not been circumcised, and before they were to go on into the promised land and before they were going to fight and take possession of that land, God would have something done to them. These men who had been born in the wilderness were to be circumcised because none of them had been circumcised. So a day was appointed and They were all circumcised, and God was going to take away the reproach of Egypt from them. They were going to be his covenant people, and they were going to have the covenant sign. And if they were going to go forth and to fight in the name of the Lord their God, they would have to side with him. They would have to have that covenant sign. And that's why Joshua then, obeying God, he had them all circumcised. It says in Joshua 5, verse 9, And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of this place is called Gilgal until this day. So the males were circumcised. They were identified as Jehovah's people. They had the covenant sign. Again, friends, this would remind us about the Lord Jesus Christ himself. As an infant on the eighth day, he was circumcised. This was his public presentation, if you like, to the world. We find it in Luke chapter 2 and verse 21. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Now there was in one sense no need for the Lord Jesus Christ to be circumcised because the covenant sign and the seal was to remind the people that they had to know brokenness of heart for their sin. And circumcision was to remind them that they were to know and experience their hearts being broken because of sin. But the Lord Jesus Christ, of course, was no sinner. Yet, he was willing to be associated and identified with sinful mankind. That's why he was circumcised, to fulfill all righteousness. Indeed, as he says later on, when he was baptized, We know that circumcision was the Old Testament seal of the covenant, and baptism is the New Testament equivalent. And the time came when Jesus was going to begin his public ministry. What does he do? He goes to John the Baptist. There John is baptizing thousands upon thousands of people, and here the Messiah comes. And he wants to be baptized, but John says, I need to be baptized by thee. And Jesus says, suffer it now to fulfill all righteousness. Again, Jesus is willing to be identified with sinners because ultimately that's why he came. That's why he left the realms of glory. That's why he undertook everything that he did in order that he might be associated with sinners in order ultimately that he would save sinners and that he might show his love. towards sinful mankind. He was willing, we might say almost, to undergo anything in order to accomplish his mission, whereby he might save his people. This is something that many people just did not grasp in the time of Christ. The scribes and the Pharisees couldn't comprehend this. This man eateth with publicans and sinners. This man receiveth sinners. What does Jesus say? Those that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Well, that's exactly what happened when the Lord Jesus Christ was circumcised, and when he was later on, when he was baptized, he was saying, we might say in modern words, he was all out for sinners. Yes, all out ultimately to do good to sinners, all out ultimately to attract sinners. And friends, if we are not a sinner, we say it reverently and we say it respectfully, the Lord Jesus Christ is of no use to you. Now, of course, we're all sinners, but what I'm addressing is those who have no need of the Savior, they're self-righteous. Well, the Lord Jesus Christ has come to seek and to save that which was lost. What a comfort that is to us. Here we are, perishing poor sinners without hope in this world, yet the Son of God has come and undertaken everything required. What must we do? We must call upon Him, upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the friend of sinners. Yes, the sinner. has a friend, the sinner has a divine friend, a sinner has a savior who can save to the absolute uttermost. And as we are never going to tire saying, what is the uttermost? Can you define it? The Bible doesn't define it, but Jesus can save to the uttermost. Well, Kilgall reminds us about that great day of circumcision. And it truly was a great day when the Son of God was circumcised. But friends, he had to lay down his life. There his blood was shed. Yes, that's true. And even at Gethsemane, he sweated great drops of blood. But that was not sufficient. He had to give up his life, and he did that. Why? Because of his great love towards sinners. Well then, from Gilgal, he goes to Bethel. What do we find in verses 2 and 3? Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarihir, I pray thee, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel. Bethel means the house of God. The house of God. And the Old Testament is littered with examples of how the people of God in former days were associated with Bethel. Abraham, Jacob's ladder, for instance, his dream was at Bethel. When he left his home and when he returned home, he stayed at Bethel. It used to be called Luz. Here, Deborah, Rebekah's wife, died. And much later on in the history of the kings, Jeroboam, that wicked king Jeroboam, set up a golden calf, causing the people in the northern kingdom of Samaria to commit idolatry. And he's always known as Jeroboam, that one who caused Israel to sin. Well, the house of God, Bethel, this reminds us again that just after his circumcision, what do we find? What do we find concerning the infant, the Lord Jesus Christ? Immediately after his circumcision, he was taken to God's house in Jerusalem to the temple. What do we find in Luke chapter 2 again, verse 21? And when the days of our purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, to the house of God. And this is something that you will find as you go through the gospel records. You will find that the Lord Jesus in his childhood and in his public ministry. He was never far from the synagogue. He was never far from the temple. The house of God was something special to the Son of God. We remember that time at 12 years old. He went with his family and many others of the community that he lived in to go to the temple. And he went there and went through the service. And his parents then returned to their home, and they thought that the Lord Jesus Christ was with them. It was only a day later that they realized that He wasn't with them. They thought he was, but he wasn't. They began to retrace their steps. Where did they go? They went back to the house of God. They went back to the temple. And what did they find? They found the Son of God, the Lord Jesus there, asking questions of the doctors, giving answers. And they were amazed at his knowledge, at his wisdom, and of his understanding. And he says to his mother and parents, and he said unto them, how is it that ye sought me? Whist ye not that I must be about my father's business? He had to be in the house of God, whether it was the temple or whether it was the synagogue. you would find the Lord Jesus Christ diligent about the public means of grace. All throughout the public ministry, he was found in the temple or in the synagogue. When he began his public ministry, he cleansed it. We find this in the Gospels. He found people selling sheep and sacrifices money changers. It had become a place of commerce. And the Lord Jesus Christ, whose zeal for thine house hath eaten me up, was overcome when he saw what was going on in the house of God. He said, my house shall be a house of prayer for all nations, and you have made it a den of iniquity. for thieves and robbers, and he overthrew the tables and chased out the animals. The Lord Jesus Christ exercising righteous anger that was what was going on in his father's house. And he did that at the beginning of his ministry, and he did it towards the end. It would seem as if they did not take any notice of him, but nevertheless, it was zeal for the house of God that motivated the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a lesson for us all here, friends. Are we professing Christians? Are we ones who say that Jesus Christ has suffered and died in our room and in our place? Are we walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ? Are we followers? That's one way to describe a Christian. He's a follower of the Lord Jesus. Well, the Lord Jesus showed his diligence. He was at the public means of grace. He revered the house of God. He loved to hear the word of God read and proclaimed. He loved to gather for prayer. He loved to praise his great God. And these are things that should mark out the Christian. We shouldn't have to be press ganged to come to the house of God. We need to examine ourselves. What is it that motivates us? I joyed when to the house of God go up, they said to me, is this our experience? Maybe it's not. Maybe we should be honest. Maybe we should be open. Maybe we should cry to the Lord. Oh, change me. Change me that I would delight to be in the house of God. Because the Lord Jesus Christ did. And you can be sure that some of the things he heard in public worship would not be accurate, would not be appropriate. How many confrontations did he have with the synagogue rulers? He didn't find everything met with his approval, but because The means of grace were there. He was there. He was found. The house of God. Now, of course, this is not a temple. The temple's gone. The temple's been abolished. The ceremonial worship, sacrifices and all that, it's gone. And this building is a building that is set apart for the public worship of God, but it's not a holy building in that sense. But it's good to come together under the means of grace, following the Lord Jesus' example. Well, from Bethel, where does he go to? He goes to Jericho. What does it mean? What's the name Jericho mean? Well, it has a couple of meanings. City of the moon or fragrant place. Take your choice. City of the moon or fragrant place. But we will notice it was a city that had a curse on it. It had a curse on it. After Joshua and the people destroyed it, we all know the story about it, how they marched around the walls, 13 occasions. And on the 13th occasion, the walls came down and the people ran in and they overtook the city and destroyed it. And we're told at the end of that activity in Joshua 6, verse 26, And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD that rises up and buildeth the city Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn. and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it." Well, that curse was fulfilled. Later on in 2 Kings, you will read of Ahab the king, and during his time, he was a wicked, wicked king. We're told that Hael, the Bethelite, rebuilt Jericho. And as a result, he lost his firstborn and his lastborn. And the way that it is written for us in the Hebrew, we would be inclined to believe that it means his whole family. He lost his whole family. The curse was literally fulfilled. But Elisha and Elijah were there. And this was to remind us, or to inform us, that the curse would ultimately be taken away. And it was on that day Elisha cleansed the waters. And we know that our Lord Jesus Christ himself, as he was ministering during his public ministry, he went to Jericho also. And friends, this reminds us that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is a gospel of God's grace. Yes, mankind is cursed in many ways. We know that. We've looked at it in Genesis. But nevertheless, friends, through what Christ has done, that curse has been removed to some extent. We have access to God. We have reconciliation. We have peace with God. all because of what Jesus Christ has done. The final place we notice, fourthly, is Jordan. Jordan may be described as the type of death. You cross over the River Jordan into eternal life. That's how some would describe it. And what do we find here? We find the two prophets, they're coming to the Jordan, the Jordan's before them, Elisha parts the Jordan, they walk over. Does that not remind us again that here the Lord Jesus Christ, he has defeated death, just as Elijah was able to part the water, so the Lord Jesus Christ in his work, has defeated death. What a message the Christian church has to proclaim. What is our greatest enemy? What is it that befalls mankind because of sin? It is death. Not just physical death, and not just spiritual death, but eternal death. The second death, to be eternally separated from the gracious presence of God forever and forever. Well, We find as Elisha smote the waters, so Christ himself has smitten death. He has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Is this not a wonderful hope, therefore, that is before mankind? Jesus says to us in the book of Revelation, In the first chapter, when John saw that glorious vision of the risen Christ, fear not, I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell and of death. Fear not, Christian, fear not. Your greatest enemy has been destroyed. Christ has taken the sting of death out of it. It's no longer what it used to be. He has transformed it. He has broken its power, its grip. Knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more. Death hath no more dominion over him. We read that. Do we ponder it? Do we think about it? Do we meditate upon it, knowing we know this? We know because Christ has risen. Christ has risen from the grave, been raised from the dead, dieth no more. He cannot experience death again. He has conquered it. Death has no more dominion over him. Death has still some dominion over us. Yes, that's true, but not what it once had. The sting has been removed. Well, there are the Jordan. As the river parted, they walked over. And then what happens? We find that the whirlwind comes, the chariots of fire come, and the two prophets are separated. One is taken wonderfully, gloriously into heaven, out of sight of all, and Elisha's left. And he asked beforehand that he might receive a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. And because he had seen Elijah being taken into heaven, his request was granted. And Elijah's mantle fell upon him. And Elisha in many ways may well be described as someone who had more success than even the great prophet Elijah himself. His ministry was different. He was more like, as we've noticed before, a prophet of grace in comparison to Elijah. But as we think of Elijah being taken up into heaven, It does again remind us of the ascension of Christ Jesus the Lord. There he was at Galilee, he was given his disciples, his parting commission to them to go into all the world. And then he was taken from them in the clouds and they saw him no more. They may well have thought, well, things are going to change. It's not going to be the same. We won't have the same influence, and things will not be what they once were. And we're going to miss the Savior. He's not going to be physically present with us. but he had promised that he would send his Holy Spirit. This was the gift that the Father was going to give him for his work, for his obedience, and for all that he undertook. And then we know on 10 days after the ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the infant church. Just as Elijah's mantle fell upon Elisha, So the Holy Spirit fell upon the infant church, the comforter, the one who would interpret the Scriptures, the one who would help them to evangelize, to speak, and to go forth preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. And this is where we find ourselves today. Christ is not physically with us. He's not physically with the Christian church. No. His physical body is in heaven, but he's with us by his Spirit. Elisha took up the mantle. He goes to the River Jordan again. What's going to happen? Where is the God of Elijah? Well, the God of Elijah was there because the waters spread for him as well, and those who watched recognized that Elijah was gone, yes, but Elijah's God was not gone, and the spirit of Elijah rested upon Elisha. This is where we are today, friends. Christ has gone into heaven. He is exercising his ministry in heaven through his Holy Spirit, through the Holy Spirit working in the people of God. We are to realize this. We are to understand it. And we are to be triumphant in it. And we are to go forth with power, with this assurance that the words of the Lord Jesus Christ will be fulfilled and are being fulfilled. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. He's with us by His Spirit. He has been taken into heaven. He now sits at God's right hand. We rejoice to say that he's on the throne. We know the world is in chaos, and it has been since the fall. Sometimes more than others, it might seem. But Christ is on that throne. He's in heaven. The Holy Spirit is working. Maybe even working tonight here. Maybe confirming a disciple here. Maybe convicting another here. Who knows? The wind blows where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth. So it is with everyone born of the Holy Spirit. We cannot confine him. We cannot contain him. He is sovereign. He does as he pleases. And he takes the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and opens the heart that they believe. Like Lydia, whose heart was opened, that she attended to the things of the Apostle Paul. Do you want to know if you're a Christian? Have you got that assurance? Do you attend to the things that we find in the word of God? That's your assurance. You'll never have assurance unless you have obedience. Never. You can't divorce them. Taken to heaven. Taken out of the scene of time. Into eternity. Never to be seen again until the Mount of Transfiguration, when he appeared with Christ and Moses. Moses representing the law, Elijah the prophets, waiting for that day, friends, when they shall return with Christ, that great and awesome day. Well, are you ready? Elijah was taken into eternity. We'll all be taken into eternity. But to have a successful eternity, we need to have the Savior, the one who has gone before us, to prepare a place for us, for his people. Come unto him then, look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is none else. Amen, and may God bless his word to us. Let us pray together.