<< Back |
Chosen no: R-5771 a, from: 1915 Year. |
Change lang
| |
Elijah's Fiery Chariot
--OCTOBER
10.--2 KINGS 2:1-12.--
ELIJAH,
ELISHA AND SCHOOLS OF PROPHETS--ELIJAH'S CHARIOT
AND ASCENT TYPICAL--ELIJAH AND ALL THE PROPHETS
STILL SLEEP--THEY CANNOT RECEIVE THEIR REWARD
UNTIL AFTER THE CHURCH HAS BEEN GLORIFIED IN THE
FIRST RESURRECTION--THE TRANSFIGURATION SCENE
--THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ELIJAH'S JOURNEY AND FOUR STOPS
--THE TYPICAL LESSON INTERESTING, PROFITABLE.
"In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy
right hand
there are pleasures forevermore."--Psalm 16:11.
SINCE Bible students have recognized that
Elijah's life was a prophecy--that he typed, or represented, the entire Church
in his earthly experiences--his history has become the more interesting and the
more intelligible. He was a faithful servant of God; but his greatest prophecy,
that of his life, was not understood, even though the Lord declared,
subsequently, "I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the
great and terrible Day of the Lord." (Malachi 4:5.)
This antitypical Elijah, beginning with Jesus in the flesh, has been coming and
giving his message to the world for now more than eighteen centuries. We
believe that the taking away of Elijah in the chariot of fire, narrated in
today's lesson, is about to be fulfilled as respects the Church of Christ
in the flesh. Soon they shall be no more in the flesh; for the Lord will take
them, will glorify them with Himself. As the Apostle explains, they will meet
the Lord in the air, in the realm of spiritual control of the earth--in Kingdom
power and great glory. --1 Thessalonians 4:17.
Elisha had the opportunity of becoming Elijah's
successor, and appears to have been guided by a proper spirit of zeal in his
desire to accompany Elijah and to serve him. When Elijah was taken in the fiery
chariot, his mantle bequeathed to Elisha represented that the latter had become
Elijah's successor, to receive a special blessing of the Elijah spirit. While
we are certain that Elijah typed the Church of God in the flesh, we may not be
quite so positive that Elisha was also a type and represented [R5772 : page 285] a secondary class of God's
people, referred to in the Bible sometimes as the "foolish virgin"
class, sometimes as the servants of the Bride class who will follow her,
sometimes as a Great Company whose number no man knows, who will come through
great tribulation and attain a place before the Throne, failing to attain with
the Elijah class a place in the Throne as joint-heirs of Christ.-- Matthew 25:1-13; Psalm
45:14,15; Revelation 7:9-17.
The sons of the prophets may also be types. If
so, they would seem to represent a third class, acquainted with Elijah and
Elisha, yet not particularly associated with them. The fact that the sons of
the prophets discussed with Elisha the going of Elijah does not necessarily
signify that they believed the matter. They knew that Elijah expected to go,
but their own doubts on the subject are intimated by the fact that they subsequently
made a search of the land to see if Elijah had not really fallen somewhere,
dropped by the whirlwind. Their search and final conviction represent that for
some time certain classes of Christian people may doubt that the Church has
really gone to glory, but that afterwards they are thoroughly convinced.
Possibly the three days of search may be symbolic, representing three years.
ELIJAH NOT
IN HEAVEN
Much of the Bible study of the past has been
superficial. Certain teaching and creeds of the past being accepted as true,
the Bible has been studied with a view to confirming the traditions of the past
rather than to challenging their accuracy. Careful study now brings to light
the fact that throughout the entire Old Testament not a word is said about
anybody going to Heaven--except in this case of Elijah and in the statement
that "Enoch walked with God, and was not for God took
him"--somewhere. The Bible indicates distinctly that no offer of Heavenly
life was possible until after Jesus had died as man's Redeemer. Thus the
Scriptures assure us that life and immortality were brought to light through
Jesus' Message--nothing clear or definite was known on these subjects
previously.--2 Timothy 1:10.
Jesus Himself was the first to pass from earthly
condition to Heavenly condition by His resurrection change --"put to death
in flesh, He was made alive in spirit." (1 Peter
3:18.) The Church has the promise of a similar glorious change,
awaiting all the faithful who walk in the Master's footsteps. Their change is
to come at Jesus' Second Advent. They as the wise virgins, as the Elijah class,
will pass beyond the veil from earthly conditions to Heavenly conditions. The
change will be necessary to their entrance into the Kingdom, for "Flesh
and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom
of God." (1 Corinthians 15:50.) A little later, tribulations
will develop the Great Company class, represented by Elisha. Later still, the
blessing of the Lord will come upon all the human family through Messiah's
Kingdom. [R5772 : page 286]
While the Old Testament says nothing about any
invitation for anybody to go to Heaven, the New Testament does assure the
Church of a "High Calling," a "Heavenly Calling." (Philippians 3:14; Hebrews
3:1.) St. Paul points out that a
different blessing has been provided by the Lord for the Gospel Church
than for others. Even the Ancient Worthies, including Abraham, the Prophet
David, Elijah, Elisha, Moses, etc., cannot be of the Church class, even as they
could not follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Their loyalty to God and to
righteousness is to be abundantly rewarded, but theirs is to be an earthly
blessing in the Paradise to be established by
Messiah's Kingdom throughout the entire earth.
St.
Paul, after enumerating the worthy
characters of the past, declares, "All these died in faith, not having
received the things promised them, God having provided some better thing for
us, that they apart from us should not be made perfect." (Heb.
11:38-40.) In other words, the Church must receive her Heavenly
inheritance first; for she, as St. James declares, is the First-fruits unto God
of His creatures.--James 1:18.
Jesus very positively declares that Elijah did
not go to Heaven when he said, "No man hath ascended unto Heaven." (John 3:13.) St. Peter corroborates this, declaring
that the Prophet David had not gone to Heaven, but was still in his sepulchre
at Jerusalem.
St. Peter thus implied that none of the Prophets had gone to Heaven. (Acts 2:34.) Our great interest, therefore, in
Elijah's experiences, lies in the fact that his literal ascent into the skies
was a part of his general typical career as a prefigure of the Church in the
flesh.*
*For a detailed explanation of the
Bible proofs that Elijah was a type of the Church, address "Bible
Students' Monthly, Brooklyn,
N.Y."
ON MOUNT OF
TRANSFIGURATION
Jesus gave to three of His Apostles, Peter,
James and John, a special vision of His coming glory. What they saw was not
actuality, but a vision, as Jesus subsequently declared. (Matthew
17:9.) The persons in glory were no more actual than the glories and
voices and persons seen by John the Revelator. St. Peter, one of the three,
declares that what they saw was a representation of Christ's coming glory.
Nevertheless, he declares that the word of prophecy was still more sure than
the vision. (2 Peter 1:16-21.) In the vision
Jesus was the central figure, Moses representing the Law Dispensation, which
ended with Christ, and Elijah representing the Gospel Dispensation, which began
with Christ.
GILGAL, BETHEL, JERICHO,
JORDAN
Elisha knew of Elijah's expectation of
translation; and, with that in view, they had traveled to Gilgal. But the Lord
did not take Elijah there, but sent him on to Bethel. Elijah's suggestion that Elisha
should tarry at Gilgal implied that Elisha was discouraged and had lost faith
in the journey. But no! he went on. The same thing occurred at Bethel,
and they went on to Jericho.
The same thing occurred at Jericho, and they
went on to Jordan.
Crossing the Jordan
they still went on, but thereafter with no definite place in view. However,
from the time they came to Jordan
a multitude of the sons of the prophets, deeply interested, watched them.
Let us apply these matters antitypically to the
Church. Gilgal would seem to represent the beginning of the Harvest
time--October, 1874. That date, prominently marked in the Bible (Daniel
12:12) was looked forward to by many Bible students with deep interest
as the possible time when the Church would be completed--although nothing in
the Bible so declares. The inference was clearly deducible, but there was no
positive statement as to the Church's change being accomplished then. Some
measure of disappointment was felt when expectations were not realized.
Nevertheless, the Elijah class started to the next point, accompanied by so
many others as were worthy of being accounted of the antitypical Elisha class.
The experiences at Bethel were very similar. The Spring of 1878
corresponded to Bethel.
It was clearly seen to be the time parallel to the Lord's assuming His kingly
office in the end of the Jewish Age and saying to the Jewish nation, "Your
house is left unto you desolate." (Luke 13:34,35.)
It was not unreasonable to think of that Scripturally-marked date as the time
for the Church's glorification, although the Lord did not directly promise
this. Nevertheless, a blessing came to all those who received their
disappointment in a proper spirit.
On they went to the next date, which
corresponded to Jericho;
namely, 1881. Considerable interest attached to that date on the part of many
Bible students because it was the parallel date to the time when the door was
thrown open to the Gentiles, and Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, was
received into the family of God. We assumed that this might mean a change of
dispensation here, and that the glorification of the Church was typed. We were
mistaken in that supposition, but received great blessing and went on.
The next point of time Scripturally marked was
October, 1914--the close of the Times of the Gentiles, corresponding to Jordan. Many
Bible students are thoroughly convinced that the 2520 years from Zedekiah's day
to October, 1914, ended there--that that date marked the end of God's lease of
world power to the Gentile nations. They are convinced that the present war is
the result, and that its ultimate conclusion will be the complete overthrow of
all the kingdoms of the world and the full establishment of Messiah's Kingdom
in the control of earth.
The Lord did not say that the Church would be
glorified before the conclusion of the Gentile Times; yet such a thought was
not an unreasonable one, in view of many Scriptures. Not disconcerted, Bible
students are going on, even as Elijah and Elisha went on after crossing the Jordan. They
are not, however, headed for any particular date, even as Elijah was not
directed to go to any other place. Simply they went on, waiting for the Lord to
fulfil His promise of taking Elijah in His own time and in His own way.
CHARIOT OF
FIRE AND WHIRLWIND
It was while the two went on, with no knowledge
of how far they would go, that Elijah said to Elisha, "What would you like
as a reward for your faithfulness in journeying with me?" Elisha responded
that he would most prefer a large measure of the Spirit of the Lord, which so
notably was manifest in Elijah. The reply was that he could get this great
blessing only under special conditions; namely, that he would continue faithful
in cooperation until the last--until Elijah would be taken. This would be a
hard matter; for, if Elisha's attention were permitted to wander, he would not
get so rich a blessing.
As they two went on, behold, a chariot of fire
parted them asunder! In symbolic language, this seems to signify that the
Elijah class will be involved in very fiery trouble, persecutions, and will
thus be separated from their fellows. The next symbol of a whirlwind taking
Elijah to Heaven also implies further trouble. Prophecies are generally
understood after their fulfilment--and only vaguely before. It was thus at our
Lord's First Advent in respect to the prophecies then being fulfilled.
We may not hope to clearly understand in advance
the [R5773 : page 287] full import of the
fiery chariot nor of the whirlwind. To some the thought of being taken away
from the present life suddenly, violently, in fiery troubles, etc., would be a
terrible prospect; not so will it be with the members of the Elijah class.
Waiting for their change, and living in daily readiness of heart, therefore,
they go on without trepidation. On the contrary, in whatever way they shall be
taken, it will be the culmination of their hopes for which they so long have waited
and prayed--their deliverance.
W.T. R-5771a : page 285 - 1915r