Elijah and Christ

Well, death is one of the grim and painful realities of life. Probably all of us have lost loved ones. All of us have probably contemplated with some sense of fear the reality that we will die. Some have tried to come up with a happier way to talk about this, using phrases like the circle of life. But the fact is, deep down, the reality of death doesn't sit well with any of us. You know, whether we fear our own death, whether we're grieving the loss of loved ones, All of us have this deep-seated sense and feeling that this is just not the way it is supposed to be. And in fact, that is one feeling that the Bible says is actually right. You see, according to the Bible, death is not natural. It's not the way things are supposed to be. Death is actually the unnatural consequence of sin. The Bible says that death entered the world through sin and that the wages of sin is death. And friends, we can look around and death is like a blaring siren saying, fallen, fallen, fallen. Reminding us every time someone dies that we are sinners who are guilty before a holy God. And yet sometimes it's like that siren has been blaring for so long and so loud. It's like we have stopped even noticing it. Paul in Romans 5, he describes death as reigning. Reigning universally on this unassailable throne. And that is the grim reality we look out on in this world. And yet we turn today in 2 Kings 2 to the story of a man who never died. A man who somehow is taken from this earth into heaven itself in a chariot of fire. And it is fitting that Elijah's life, or his earthly time, would end with this kind of miraculous translation to heaven, because the very character of his life and ministry was pervasively miraculous. And I just want to take a few minutes to go back to the beginning of the story of Elijah in scripture. If you go back to 1 Kings chapter 17 and chapter 18, this is when Elijah kind of bursts onto the scene. And it's during a time when Israel is deeply backslidden under a wicked king named Ahab, who has walked in all the sins of Jeroboam, which is about the worst thing you could say of somebody, except for the fact that he also married Jezebel. the queen of the Sidonians who is one of the most evil figures in all of scripture. And she especially is determined to lead Israel to worship her god, Baal, who is the Canaanite god of weather. And it's at this point that we hear of Elijah. This man that we know nothing about his genealogy, nothing about if he had a family, I mean, almost nothing about him at all, other than the fact that he's from Tishbe, which is this little place in the middle of nowhere, and the fact that he was characteristically dressed in a robe of camel's hair and a leather belt. So, I mean, he is this gruff sort of country bumpkin, and he just comes strolling into the palace of the king. And he comes in and is certainly making a great scene, and he declares, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except at my word. This is a judgment on Ahab and his storm god, Baal. And this is a devastating thing. I mean, can you imagine if it stopped raining for months, none less years? Well, we don't know what Ahab thought of this, but Elijah makes this declaration and then he goes out into the wilderness and he's gone. And in fact, we know that he went and he lived by this brook where God commanded ravens to bring him bread and meat every morning and evening. But then it's not raining and the brook dries up and Elijah gets up and he goes to this place called Zarephath, which is in the very heart of Baal territory. And he finds this woman and the famine is so bad, this woman is literally going out to gather sticks to go home and cook her last meal for her and her son and then they're gonna eat it and then they're gonna starve and die. And Elijah comes to this woman and he has the audacity to say to her, Yeah, go go cook that bread, but bring me some of it first. And he says, because thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, your little jar of flour and your little jug of oil will not run out until God sends rain on the earth. I mean, it's very much like what Jesus tells us when he says, you know, he who would seek to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will save it. I mean, this woman has to literally give away her last meal, and yet amazingly she listens and she believes the word of Elijah, so she goes back and she pours out a little bit of flour and a little bit of oil, and she makes a cake, she brings it to him, then she goes back and she, I mean, it feels empty, she pours out a little more, and she and her son eat, and then the next day it still feels empty and she pours out a little more, And then the next day, Elijah moves in and he lives with them for the next three years. And every single day, God is miraculously perpetuating the supply of oil and flour. And then, at one point, the woman's son He gets sick and he dies. And the woman is so upset, she blames Elijah for this, but Elijah takes the boy and he prays for him, and then God raises the son back to life. And then after three years, the word of the Lord comes to Elijah again and tells him, go present yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the earth. And so Elijah gets up and he goes back and he meets Obadiah and he finds out that meanwhile, Jezebel and Ahab had been murdering all the prophets of the Lord and that they've been seeking for Elijah everywhere, but they can't find him. He's in actually ironically in Jezebel's hometown and they don't find him. And then he goes and he presents himself to Ahab and he tells Ahab to gather all Israel and to gather the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah and to meet him on Mount Carmel. And they get there and Elijah stands before the people and he charges them. He says, how long will you falter between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, then follow him. But if Baal is God, then follow him, right? Make up your mind which God you are going to serve and serve him. And the people just stare back at him in stunned silence. And so then Elijah throws down a challenge, and he says, okay, there's 450 prophets of Baal, how about they make an altar to their God, and I will make an altar to Yahweh. And we'll both put wood on it, and we'll both put an oxen on it, and then we'll both pray, and the God who answers by fire, he is God. And so the prophets of Baal think, oh, this is great, our God will answer us, and they pray all day. They cut themselves. They do everything to try to manipulate their God into responding. And it says, nothing happened. No one answered. No one paid attention. Baal is silent. And then Elijah goes and he prays and he says, Oh, Yahweh, answer me and show these people that I have done all these things at your word. And with that, God sends down fire from heaven and it consumes the altar and the wood and the oxen and all the people of Israel fall on their faces and they say, Yahweh, he is God. Yahweh, he is God. And then Elijah gets up and he goes to the top of Mount Carmel and he prays. And when he prays, this cloud comes out of the sea and for the first time in three and a half years, The sky grows black, and there is this great rain. Now, I go through that just to sort of remind you a little bit about the nature of Elijah's ministry. And as I said, it is just pervaded with the miraculous. And we come today to his miraculous translation to heaven. Well, the whole ministry is full of the miraculous. And I bring that up because You know, when I was a youth, I didn't become a Christian until I was 18, but I grew up going to church. And of course, these are favorite Sunday school stories in the Bible, and I would always hear these miraculous stories from the Bible. And I basically had the impression that the Bible is just full of miracles from beginning to end. And as I heard this, you know, I'm reasoning, well, okay, so, you know, God shows himself by doing lots of miracles, well, then it seems like I should expect God to do lots of miracles now. And so if God wants me to believe in him, well, then he should do some miracles and then I'll believe. And then behind that attitude, of course, I sort of had this suspicion that maybe people back then, they're just less scientific, they're more gullible. And so if I'm really gonna believe God's word, then I need to see some miracles. Well, there's multiple problems with that, but here's one. It's just not true that the Bible is full of miracles from beginning to end. Now imagine with me for a minute, we've made a timeline of all of biblical history, and then we read through the Bible, and every place where you saw a miracle, you figured out about what time it was, you put a little dash on the line. Well, you would not see just a bunch of dashes sort of filling this line all through history. In fact, you would see large periods of time where there's no recorded miracle. And then you would see dashes sort of scattered around in different places. But then you would see three particular periods in redemptive history where there would be lots of dashes. And the first of those would be in around the year 1500 BC. during the Exodus, the time of Moses, and then a little bit into the time of Joshua. Then the second place you would see, you know, would be over in about the year 30 to 60 AD, during the ministry of Jesus and his apostles. And then the third period where you would see this just super abundance of dashes would be right here. The life, it would be in about the mid 800s BC, the life of Elijah and Elisha. And in fact, these concentrations would get even more pronounced if you look specifically for miracles that were mediated through the hands of men. So what I mean by that is, you know, Abraham and Sarah, they miraculously conceive in their old age, but it's not mediated through some man of God in the way that when Moses raises his staff and the sea parts before him, God is mediating that miracle through Moses. And so my point in this is that it's wrong to look at these stories in the life of Elijah and think that this is the Bible sort of setting expectations for what normal life is supposed to be like. The Bible presents miracles as something that are, you know, sudden and surprising and extraordinary. And in fact, it raises the question, you know, is there anything that these periods where there are these, you know, abundance of miracles, is there anything that they have in common? And in fact, I would suggest to you that yes, there is. What we see is that miracles always seem to go hand in hand with the giving of the Word of God. So, you know, there are no wonder workers in scripture. There are prophets, men who claim to speak for God with God's own authority. And often those prophets are backed up through miracles and God is there affirming and confirming his word through them. And in fact, when you think about it, these three periods where we see the most miraculous activity, not only does it correspond to prophets who are speaking into their generation, but there's a rough correspondence between those and the periods that are most significant in terms of us having this written word of God, the Bible. Think about it, the very foundation of the Bible is The Torah, the law, the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, right? And Moses doesn't just show up out of nowhere and start saying God said all these things. I mean, Moses is the man that God raises up and does all sorts of miracles through him to authenticate him as God's own spokesman. Then we come to the New Testament, and we have the testimony of Jesus and his apostles. You know, the second half of the Bible that brings all things to their conclusion in Christ. Listen to what the author of Hebrews says about the New Testament. He asks us, he says, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, that is Jesus, And it was attested to us by those who heard, that is the apostles, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. So you see what he's saying? He's saying not only did God give us this word, but God sent the miracles to confirm that word so that you can be sure that this is the word of God. And now let's think for a minute about the time of Elijah and Elisha. Now this is a little trickier because neither of them wrote down revelation that we are aware of. But they come onto the scene right at this low point in Israel's history. The kingdom is divided. They're turning, they're plunging into idolatry and ruin. I mean, it seems like all of the promises of God in the old covenant, I mean, they've earned nothing but the curses. And yet when you think about it, Elijah and Elisha really serve as the forerunners to what is a new age, the dawning of this wave of new prophets. that are the writing prophets. Prophets like Amos, and Hosea, and Joel, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and all the way to Malachi. And these prophets come on the scene at this low point and they're saying, Israel, you've broken the covenant, you're going to go into exile, but is still going to bring about the blessings of his covenant. He is still gonna be faithful to his promises because God is going to send a Messiah and that Messiah is going to bring about God's kingdom. And so after the Torah and the New Testament, I mean, this testimony, the writing prophets, it's really the third most significant period of new revelation in redemptive history. And as we saw last week, not only does Elijah come as sort of the forerunner to it, but then Malachi says, no, and Elijah's the one who's gonna come at the end. Because John the Baptist really is the one who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah. And so Elijah's like the first, and he's the last. And in some sense, he begins to sort of stand as the prototypical prophet for them all. And so it seems fitting that right here at the dawning of this new prophetic age, God raises up Elijah and then Elisha to do stunning miracles which confirm his word. Which show all Israel, I am Yahweh, your God, and I am the God who speaks. I am the God who answers by fire so that people fall on their faces and say, the Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God. And he's the God who has that widow that Elijah went to stay with. She sees him raise her son from the dead and she says, now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of Yahweh in your mouth is truth. And so friends, what I want us to see is that all of this has led up to point one, which is, it's really a very simple point. It's the idea that miracles confirm God's word. God does not give miracles just to stand on their own. He doesn't give miracles just to impress people. He doesn't give miracles to try to prove to people that he really exists. And he doesn't give miracles primarily to try to make this world a better place. He gives miracles to show that he is the one true God and his word is truth. And friends, I think that is so important for us for addressing two opposite tendencies. First, there are some of us who may tend to be gullible. We're very excited about the miraculous, but the Bible warns us about false apostles. who do lying signs and wonders. And the danger is that we sort of have this attitude that as if it's sort of a breach of faith to apply any kind of critical thinking or any kind of scrutiny to supposed miracles. And the sad thing is there are so many people out there today who do things like supposedly lengthen legs and then they, on that platform, they preach a false gospel. And if we are gullible and we follow that, we can be led away from God's Word. And if we see that the whole purpose of miracles is to point us to God's Word, we'll be guarded from that. God can and does do amazing things, and we should praise Him for that. But everything God does is to point us back to Scripture and His revealed truth in His Word. Miracles confirm His Word. Now, on the other side, of the gullible, there are those of us who are skeptical. And you have just seen one too many examples of these supposed miracles that really are fraudulent. And you begin to suspect that just all miracle accounts are the result of superstitious, gullible people. And you have the attitude I had before I was a Christian, right? God, I'll believe when you show me a miracle. Friend, what you need to see is that the kind of miracles we read about in scripture are not half-inch leg lengthenings. You know, one of my favorite examples is in Acts chapter three, when Peter and John are walking, and here's a man, lame from birth, has never walked a day in his life, well known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and they come to him, and in the name of Jesus, give him the ability to walk. And everybody sees this, and what's amazing is that even the adversaries, even the people who are arguing against them, even they can't deny that the miracle happened. The Sanhedrin get together and they say this, what are we gonna do with these men? For that a notable sign was performed through them is evident to everyone in Jerusalem and we cannot deny it. Even their adversaries acknowledge the miracle happened. And friends, the miracles in the Bible, including Elijah being taken to heaven, these are not given so that we say, okay, God, I'll believe in you when I see the same thing. No, these miracles were given to confirm this word, so that we are without excuse, so that we can be sure this is the word of God and his word is true. The Bible doesn't say faith comes through miracles. The Bible says faith comes through hearing and hearing through the word of God. So if you are here this morning and you are a skeptic and you want to be sure and say, how can I know that God is the true and living God? Read and study his word. That is how God has revealed himself to us. So miracles confirm God's word. Now, point number two, God is just as active in the non-miraculous. This is the next thing, as we continue through Elijah's life, this is the next thing we see. God is just as active in the non-miraculous. And some of us, as sort of, you know, 21st century, scientific, modernist-minded people, the way we think about miracles is a miracle is when God steps in and breaks or overrides the laws of nature. And that's actually just not a very biblical way to think about it. Because it gives the impression that God just sort of created the world and he created some laws and now God sits back and everything is just sort of running on its own. And the Bible says no. God is the very God who not only created all things, but actively sustains all things. And the only reason things fall to the ground is because God is an orderly God that has made things in such a way that he upholds things in such a way that there are predictable rules that govern how things works because God is orderly and God is upholding all things and sustaining them. And so it's not true that God is somehow more active when, you know, Elijah ascends into heaven. God is every bit as active when something falls to the ground. This is the sovereign God that is working in every detail of ordinary life. And this is a lesson that Elijah himself has to learn. In fact, picking up in chapter 19 of First Kings, right after Elijah, we've seen all these miracles. We've seen this high point in his life of the victory on Mount Carmel. Well, he runs ahead of Ahab and he's thinking maybe now the kingdom is gonna be turned back and Ahab's heart will change and the fortunes of Israel will be restored. And then he gets a letter from Jezebel swearing that she will kill him. And at this point, this prophet, who has boldly stood before kings and defied a nation of adversaries, is full of fear and he turns and he runs. And he runs all the way to the south of the country and he runs all the way out into the wilderness and he lays down under a broom tree And he is so depressed that he prays that he might die. And he says, oh God, I'm a failure. Take my life from me. And whatever is going on, it seems that God has not met his expectations. I mean, he's probably thinking, God, you just did this great miracle in setting on fire from heaven. What are you gonna do next to turn people's hearts? And God doesn't do it. And Elijah finds himself overcome with depression and sorrow. And then after he's fed by an angel, he gets up and he travels 40 days and 40 nights and he goes to Mount Horeb, which is another name for Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. And he goes up into the mountain and he finds this little cleft in the rock. And it sounds like it's the cleft. It's the very same one that Moses was in when God put him there and God's glory passed by. And you see what Elijah's doing is he's looking for God. He's saying, God, where are you? God, have you noticed that your people have thrown down your altars, that they've turned their backs on you, that I'm the only one left and they're trying to kill me? And then God speaks to him. And God says this, he says, Elijah, what are you doing here? Elijah, the question is not where am I? The question is where are you? Why are you down here in the south when you're supposed to be up there fighting the war, the spiritual battle? Where are you, Elijah? And he calls Elijah to come out and stand before him. And so Elijah gets up and he goes out and he's about to walk to the mouth of the cave. All of a sudden, he hears this great rushing wind. And you think, okay, here's God coming, you know, and the power and the might of a wind, and the wind is so strong, the rocks are breaking, but then it says, but God was not in the wind. And then there's this mighty earthquake, and you think, okay, this is God coming from heaven, shaking the earth, but then it says, God was not in the earthquake. And then there's a fire, and you think, okay, this is the God of the burning bush, the God of fire, and he's coming through, and it says, but God was not in the fire. And then Elijah, he steps forward and then he hears a still, small voice. It's a whisper. And you see, God is communicating to Elijah, not through the outwardly spectacular, not through the dramatically miraculous, but in a low whisper. And he says, what are you doing here, Elijah? And Elijah repeats all of his complaints. And then God says this. He says, go and anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, and anoint Jehu to be king over Israel, and anoint Elisha to be a prophet in your place. He's saying, look, Elijah, you're saying, where am I? I am the God who is sovereignly, who is providentially working to raise up kings and to bring them low. I am the God who has the plan for the prophets who will follow you. I am the God who is working all things according to the counsel of my will. Because I am the God who is sovereign in every bit as much at work in the ordinary and regular as in the miraculous. And then he says in Elijah, oh, by the way, you're not the only one left. I have reserved 7,000 knees who have not bowed to Baal and lips who have not kissed him. That is the message Elijah needed to hear. And so friends, yes, God sends miracles to confirm his word. But also, God is just as active in the non-miraculous. And when we're in that place saying, God, where are you? We need to remember this. If you want to see God, well, turn to his word. And view your circumstances through the lens of scripture, because God is at work. And God is working all around, and he is always working. And Elijah does, he obeys. He does what God, he gets up and he goes and he calls Elisha. And Elisha begins to follow him. And then as we'll see when we get to our text, Elijah goes around and he begins to preach and teach God's word. He raises up others to go out and preach and teach God's word and he is faithful. And so friend, when you're in that place of depression, what you need to do, trust and obey. Well this brings us, thirdly, and finally to final point, miracles often serve as foretaste of God's coming kingdom. Miracles often serve as foretaste of God's coming kingdom. So, in other words, one of the ways that miracles confirm God's word is by being foretaste of the very thing God's word is promising. God's word declares to us that one day God will establish his kingdom on earth. One day the curse of the fall will be removed and there will be no more universal reign of death, but there will be life and joy and peace and righteousness. And oftentimes miracles are like that future reality of kingdom life breaking in to the present. In fact, we see this in the life of Jesus, right? He goes around preaching the kingdom. And as he does it, he's healing the sick. He's giving sight to the blind. He's giving the ability to walk to the lame. And he goes to people who are in bondage to the devil, and he casts out demons. And then he says this, if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. You see the miracles themselves are like rays of light breaking into our dark world according to the hope held out in God's word. And I think that's at least part of what we see going on here when we get to 2 Kings chapter two, the very end of the life of Elijah. In 2 Kings chapter one, we read about the death of King Ahaziah. So Ahaziah is the son of Ahab, he falls through his lattice and he's wounded and he's wondering, am I really going to recover? So he turns and he sends men to go inquire of his God, Beelzebub. And then Elijah is sent by the word of the Lord to declare, is it because there's no God in Israel that you are inquiring of Beelzebub, the God of Ekron? Therefore, you shall not recover, but you shall surely die. And Ahaziah gets angry and he tries to arrest Elijah and all these things happen. But in the end, 1 Kings 1.17 says this, so he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Baal is impotent to deliver from death. And so is every other idol that we might turn to. Every other thing we might look to to say, can this deliver me from death? They all fail. All of us, as we saw at the beginning, we have acknowledged that we are under this universal sentence of death. And yet, against that backdrop, we turn to chapter two, and it is about Elijah being delivered from death itself. The promise of God's word breaking in. Now let's look at this account more closely. So in chapter two, verse one, we read this. Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind. And this is the author's way, not only of telling us what's gonna happen, but he's telling us that God had actually told Elijah what was going to happen. And so from this point on, the next several verses, it's telling us what Elijah does on what he knows to be his last day on earth. And so we read that he travels. He travels from first Gilgal, then to Bethel, then to Jericho, and finally outside of Israel across the Jordan. This is a southeastern journey of around 20 miles. It's a long way to go in a day. And he ultimately exits the promised land right about where Joshua first led Israel into it. And at both Bethel and Jericho, Elijah and Elisha are met by these sons of the prophets. And they're probably something like Elijah's seminary students. It seems that he has been investing his life training other men to preach and teach the word of God. And now, the Lord leads him on his very last day on earth to go and visit these men. And by the way, I think this is just a great example and challenge to us. I mean, are we investing our life in this way? Are we investing our life in such a way that if we had one day to live, it would be just continuing in what we've already been investing in? Now the other thing that stands out in this account is that three times, at Gilgal, then at Bethel, and then at Jericho, Elijah asks Elisha to stay behind. And every time, Elisha refuses. In fact, the sons of the prophets say to Elisha, both places, they say, do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you? And Elisha responds, yes, I know it, keep quiet. So evidently Elijah has already communicated to both Elisha and these sons of the prophets that today will be his last. And I think the best way to understand Elijah telling Elisha to stay behind is that he's testing him. Will Elisha remain loyal and committed to the end? It's been a long, tiring journey. Elisha has already been following Elijah for years, and both of them already know that Elisha is supposed to be Elijah's successor. You know, how easy it would seem for Elisha at this moment to think, you know, he's telling me I should just put my feet up and, you know, it's been nice following you, but I basically made it to the end. But Elisha won't do it. He swears, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. And he is doggedly committed to remaining with Elijah until the very end. And by the way, Jesus himself seems to reference this discipling relationship between Elijah and Elisha. And Jesus is basically saying, if you're gonna follow me, you need to be like Elisha was to Elijah, except even more. And so this is a challenge for us. This is a picture of us. May we follow Jesus all the way to the end. Now, after they leave Jericho, it says, they come to the edge of the Jordan River. And Elijah rolls up his mantle, and he strikes the water, and then the river parts, and they cross over on dry ground. And then when they get to the other side, Elijah asks Elisha, well, is there anything I can give you? And Elisha says, a double portion of your spirit. And it seems to be a reference to Elijah's spiritual authority and power to perform miracles. I mean, there's no evidence up to this point that Elisha has ever worked a miracle. And Elijah says to him, you have asked a hard thing. I think he's saying, look, that's not mine to grant. But if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be so. You will have basically passed this test and God will bestow this on you. And so they're going along and they're talking. And then suddenly a fiery whirlwind appears. and it separates them and then Elijah is picked up by this chariot of fire. And as Elijah is ascending, Elisha cries out, my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen. And these are cries of agony as Elisha witnesses the departure of his spiritual father and also of the spiritual strength of Israel. But Elijah's mantle falls off, and Elisha picks it up, and he goes to the river, he rolls it up, and he strikes the water, and he says, where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah? And then the water parts. And at this, there's these 50 sons of the prophets who've been watching this whole thing from up on the hill, and they see it, and they're like, the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And then they come down to Elisha and say, Elisha, send us, you know, we can, we'll go look for him, because they're still thinking, well, maybe God just took him up and God put him down on some other mountain. And Elisha's like, no, no, no, he's in heaven. You're not going to find him. Don't go. And yet they insist. And so finally he says, go. So 50 sons of the prophets go and search for three days. And they do not find him. And I think that part of the story is just there to underscore the fact Elijah went to heaven. And so, the first, just very clear and simple point of this whole passage is that God is able to deliver from death itself. I mean, even a weak, and a prophet who at times was sinful, even the prophet who ironically prayed, oh God, kill me. is the prophet that God reaches down and says, no, you not only might not answer that prayer, you're never gonna die, I am going to take you to heaven. Friends, we serve the God who, it's like this miracle breaking in to be a foretaste of the life that God has for his people and to demonstrate his authority and power over death itself. And yet there's another layer of this. Because not only is this a foretaste, but this is really a foreshadowing. And when you look at this event, it is portrayed, first of all, as Elijah's exodus. And the first thing it does is it actually points us back, and it reaches back to the exodus with Moses. Because you'll notice that there's this double river crossing. And if you're a Jew, I mean, you see that, you cannot help but think of the most significant event in your history, which was the crossing of the Red Sea. And not only did Moses lead Israel through the Red Sea with this miraculous river crossing, but then Joshua, at very nearly the same spot, then led Israel through the Jordan River. And it parted again. And so this double river crossing recalls the Exodus. And then secondly, the Exodus, Moses and the people were led out of slavery in Egypt by this pillar of cloud, by day and fire by night. And now we have Elijah being brought, delivered off of the face of the earth itself by this flaming whirlwind. Another pillar of cloud and fire. But, so it points back and yet it also points forward. And in fact, both the Exodus under Moses and Elijah's Exodus really inherently tell us that they're not the end. Because you remember that Moses, even after the Exodus, where does Moses die? just outside the promised land. Where is it that God sends Elijah before taking him to heaven? Well, it's just outside the promised land. You see, neither of these exoduses could bring about the true rest that God's word promised. And then when you look at the prophets themselves, right, the very prophets whom Elijah sort of anticipates, and you look at the promises that they're giving, they describe this coming new exodus that they are looking forward to. For example, I'll just read one passage in Isaiah chapter 43. Listen to the way Isaiah talks about the future salvation God is going to give. He says, thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior, right? You're just, this is thinking of the Exodus. They lie down. They cannot rise. They are extinguished, quenched like a wick, drowned in the sea. But then it says this, Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it?" You see what Isaiah is saying is God is going to bring about a new thing, a new exodus that will be so great, you're not even going to remember the former one. God says, I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches. For I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise. And Isaiah goes on and he talks about this servant of the Lord who is gonna come, who's gonna bring about this great exodus. And this is where, you know, you pick up the Malachi, right, talking about how there's gonna be this coming, Elijah's gonna come back as the last of the prophets, and he's gonna come to prepare the way for the Lord, or as Isaiah says in chapter 40, you know, this coming person, he's gonna say, make the highway for the Lord, for the new exodus, he's coming. And then you turn to the New Testament. And we're gonna look specifically at Luke chapter nine, pick up in verse 28. and the story of the transfiguration. And look at this. Jesus is there, and he takes Peter, James, and John up on this mountain to pray, and while he's up on the mountain, suddenly while he's praying, his face is transfigured, his clothes begin to shine. It's like his heavenly glory is shining through. And then Peter, James, and John, they see two men talking with Jesus. And it's Moses, And together, Moses and Elijah, here's the two men standing for these two earlier exoduses, these two men that seem to stand for the law and the prophets, these two men that stand for this whole prophetic witness of the Old Testament. And there they are talking with Jesus. And Luke tells us what they were talking about. And he says, they were speaking with Jesus of Jesus' coming departure. And that word departure is the word in Greek, exodus, which Jesus was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. And then Peter sees this and he's like, wow, this is great. Let's build some tents for everybody. And then it says, but he didn't know what he was talking about. And then this cloud comes and overshadows. And Peter and James and John, they hear a voice from heaven saying, this is my son, my chosen one. Listen to Him and they look up and it's only Jesus. Moses and Elijah and all of the Old Testament has faded away because it was all there to point forward to this one who comes to proclaim the greater and fullness of the message of salvation The one who has come to accomplish the greater exodus for God's people. And so what you see when you look at the life of Christ is that just like Elijah miraculously passed through the Jordan and then was taken up to heaven and then passed his mantle onto Elisha. Well, in the same way Jesus comes and he says, I have a baptism to be baptized with. And he's referring to his death. because he came to pass through the river of death, and then to come out on the other side in his resurrection, and then to ascend to the very right hand of God as his disciples looked on, and then from that position to pour out his spirit on those who would follow him. And just like Elijah's miraculous translation to heaven sort of sets the stage for the prophecy that Elijah one day is gonna come back, Jesus is the one who will truly come back. But Jesus' exodus is altogether greater because it's not just about him being delivered from death. It's about him dying to deliver us. And unlike Moses and Elijah who couldn't finally bring God's people rest in the promised land, Jesus will return to actually transform this whole world into the promised land, a new heavens and a new earth where we will find eternal rest. And so brothers, this is what I hope you see as we have looked today at this story of Elijah's miraculous translation to heaven, is to see that all of this is meant to point us to Jesus. God had all of these historical details all planned out thousands of years ago. And this is not just a random miracle that we come to and say, okay, God, I'll believe when I see a miracle like that. It's a miracle that was given to confirm God's written word. And it's a miracle that is meant to point forward to the very one who is the word of God made flesh. And even more specifically, it's a miracle that points forward to the fact that in that coming one, and in him alone, There is deliverance from the universal reign of death. As the hymn writer says, Hail, the heaven-born prince of peace. Hail, the son of righteousness. Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die. born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king. Oh friends, Jesus was born that we no more may die. Because he was born to die and to bear our sins on the cross. And what that means is that if we believe in him, Though we may die, yet shall we live. And if you're here this morning and you're not a Christian, apart from Jesus, you will die. And you will die because you are guilty before a holy God. But if you will turn to Christ in repentance and faith, He will forgive you. And He will give you the gift of eternal life. and you will be part of that new and greater Exodus when Christ returns to make this world into the promised land. Let's pray. Oh God, how we praise you for giving us your word, for confirming that word through many miracles and mighty signs and wonders. and how intricately your word all fits together to point us to your son, Jesus Christ. And above all, how we praise you for the hope we have, that though we are dying men and women in a world where death reigns, yet you have sent the Prince of life to give us new life through faith in him. Oh God, what joy we have in Christ as we remember his coming and his birth, as well as his death and his resurrection. And we pray all these things in Jesus' name, amen.