Issue 979 – Up into the Clouds – February 10, 2023
We flew back home to Abbotsford from Toronto Pearson Airport yesterday afternoon. There was a moderate delay in leaving due to some mixups with the passenger manifesto, but the trip was otherwise uneventful.
The flight crew was friendly and pleasant. That is something we expect but often don’t receive. Over the years of flying domestically and internationally with various airlines, we have had some wonderful flight attendants and some really miserable ones.
The first flight I took as a child was in an RCAF – CC-106 Yukon, similar to the one in the image from Lahr, Germany, probably taken in the mid-1960s. I have flown in very posh aircraft where the crew waited on you hand and foot, and in a couple of tiny Cessna aircraft, I was only in long enough to jump out of from 3000 feet.
The Bible is silent on the subject of air travel. It simply didn’t exist in the era the Scriptures were written. The Greeks had their myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, causing his beeswax wings to melt and him to plunge into the sea and drown, but it wasn’t a general topic.
Even in the early 1900’s flying in an aircraft was silly speculation. The Germans had some success with gliders in the 1890s, but it wasn’t until 1903 that the Wright brothers made the Kitty Hawk, the first successful powered aircraft flight.
Even though the Bible doesn’t record aircraft, it does feature some fascinating airborne apparitions.
One of them is the departure of the Prophet Elijah from this life. The text has whirlwinds and fiery chariots pulled by flying fiery horses. It is a familiar Bible story to most Christians.
Before you read the passage, ask yourself, “How did Elijah ascend to heaven?”
Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. 2 Kings 2:1-12
We typically think that Elijah went in the chariot drawn by fiery horses, yet the text doesn’t tell us that. The text tells us that He went up in a whirlwind.
It’s possible he rode the chariot, and while riding, he was drawn by the whirlwind, but that isn’t explicitly said.
When we read the Word, it is essential to take our time to read what the text says, not what we have been told it says or what we expect to find.
May your reading of the Word always be blessed with fresh eyes.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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