The story of Elijah's ascension and the testimony of John the Baptist who came by the spirit of Elijah

 The story of Elijah's ascension and the testimony of John the Baptist who came by the spirit of Elijah

 

2 Kings 2:11-15『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 rented 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 see at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah didth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.』

『As the two walked along, they talked.』 In Hebrew, this part is Waihi(haya) Hemmach(hem) Holekim(halak) Halok(halak) Wardabber(davar) Wehinne(hinne). Haya is the presence of Jehovah. Hem is the masculine plural, they, Elijah and Elisha. Halak basically means to walk, but it also means to act, enter, and practice. "Halak Halak" is expressed as "as they walked along." The English translation is "went on as continued on," but in terms of the Hebrew meaning, it more closely matches the meaning of entering into the presence of God. Davar means to arrange, speak, and command. Translated again, it is "as they entered into the presence of God and had a spiritual conversation."

“A chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven.” If we translate this again, it becomes, “A chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven.” Shamayim means heaven. That is, the kingdom of God in the heart.

This image shows a type of the resurrected Jesus Christ and his disciples. The chariot and horses of fire symbolize the Holy Spirit. Since the disciples did not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they are still in their flesh. “Elijah’s outer garment fell from his body.” The outer garment represents the fleshly body that must die, and Elijah’s transformed body symbolizes the spiritual body. Elisha, Elijah’s disciple, also tore his garment in two. This is a scene where those who were united with Jesus who died on the cross are united with the resurrected Christ. Then Elijah struck the water with his outer garment, and Elisha struck the water with his torn garment (water baptism), and the water was divided (baptism of the Holy Spirit), and Elisha was able to cross the river.

People say that Elijah suddenly transformed and ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire. However, through this story, God is trying to foreshadow the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The story of Elijah’s ascension is very likely a symbolic expression. Through symbolic expression, it expresses Christ as transformed in body (spiritual body) and ascended to heaven like Elijah. It shows that we become those who testify of Christ, like John the Baptist, who came to the world in the spirit of Elijah. The spirit of Elijah is the spirit that testifies of Jesus Christ. Therefore, all saints become those who have received the spirit of Elijah, like John the Baptist.

Water baptism symbolizes being dead, and crossing the river symbolizes being born again. Jesus was also baptized in water by John in the Jordan River and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit from heaven.

John the Baptist was the one who came in the spirit of Elijah. Luke 1:17 says, "And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Elijah was the one prophesied by the prophet Malachi. Malachi 3:1 says, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."

John the Baptist came before Jesus and said that the kingdom of heaven was near, so repent. He was the one who prepared the gospel of Jesus. He was beheaded before Jesus. His death foreshadowed Jesus’ death on the cross. Likewise, Elijah foreshadowed Christ’s resurrection, and Elisha foreshadowed the disciples who believed in the resurrection by being united with Christ.

John the Baptist was a true prophet who came to the world in the spirit of Elijah to testify to the coming of Jesus Christ and his ministry. However, false prophets are those who deny the ministry of Jesus and distort his words. While there are people like John the Baptist in the church community, there are false prophets like the beast described in Revelation 12-13. False prophets infiltrated the church community even in the early church, but today, most church communities are consumed by them.

Today, the church is divided into those who preach the true Jesus and those who preach the false Jesus. The true Jesus is Jesus who died on the cross in the flesh and was resurrected as a spiritual body, and Jesus who came to give the saints the kingdom of God, but the false Jesus is Jesus who was resurrected in the flesh and Jesus who appeared to bless the world. Therefore, they are not interested in the kingdom of God. They think the kingdom of God is a spiritual world where they go after the death of the body. While they are alive in this world, they consider the blessings they receive in this world more important. It is based on humanistic faith in ups and downs, legalism, and gnosticism that follows mystery.

John the Baptist testifies. He confesses, "God, who sent me to baptize with water (for the problem of sin), said to me, 'Here is one on whom the Spirit comes and remains, this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (for the resurrection).' And I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and remaining on Jesus." Therefore, he testifies that Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist testifies about Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (the death of the cross), the one on whom the Spirit remains, and the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (the first fruits of the resurrection)." Finally, John the Baptist confessed that he was the Son of God.

Jesus came to the world, lived three years of public life, died on the cross, and rose from the spiritual dead and was resurrected. The disciples became witnesses who had to testify to Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection. The two witnesses are the disciples (saints) and the Holy Spirit. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of Jesus’ ministry and resurrection is borne. Before Jesus came, John the Baptist was the witness, and when Jesus left the world, the disciples took on that role. However, the church community is full of deceived false witnesses. The gospel is damaged, and God’s will is distorted by them.

The saints who have become disciples of Jesus must realize that their role is to bear witness to the path Jesus has walked. They must realize that they are not the ones who should receive attention, but that they exist on this earth to give attention to Christ. What they must do to give themselves to Christ is to cry out for repentance. Repent because the kingdom of heaven (Jesus Christ) is near. And they must believe that they are united with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and are resurrected with Christ. There will be many difficulties, but this is the role of the witnessed disciples. The witnessed disciples become those who come with the spirit of Elijah.