Have you ever thought much about going to heaven? The prophet of Elijah had completed the work the Lord had for him on this earth and the Lord was going to take him directly to heaven. He would not have to die first.
When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!” So they went down together to Bethel.
Can you imagine how excited Elijah must have been to know that very soon he was going to be with the Lord? Only Enoch in the Old Testament had been taken to heaven without dying first. Elijah would now be the second person to be taken directly to heaven.
You may be wondering; how do I get to heaven? What do a I need to do? How many good works must I accumulate to pay for my passage? Your ticket to heaven is your your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Faith means to trust in God’s promises. What is example of one of those promises? Jesus tells us in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
There was a cost for you to go to heaven, and Jesus paid that price when He died for your sins on the cross. He now extends the gift of salvation to us as a free gift. If you have never placed your faith in Jesus as your Savior, the Lord is calling you to do so. Take that step today, for you may not have tomorrow.
Paul writes in 2 Cor. 6:2, “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you. Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”
To hear Elijah’s story click here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/journey-with-elijah-and-elisha/the-passing-of-the-mantel
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (2 Ki 2:1-2, John 3:16, 2 For. 6:2). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.