Prince Adindu Onukwue
If most Christians are asked how the prophet Elijah went to heaven, I am sure like me they will readily state that it was in a chariot of fire. I normally when at home observe a worship and prayer session frequently with the Holy communion with my family every night before we go to bed. Each different night, a different person will teach on the Scripture. One night it had fallen on my daughter who just came out of the University, a fit I achieved far before she was born. She asked this question about how Elijah went to heaven, of course I stated with unquestionable authority that it was in a chariot of fire. She shook her head and stated that I was wrong. I could not believe my ears. How dare she say that I a fully ordained pastor was wrong. Imagine the cheek. When did she start reading the Bible to have the audacity and impudence to tell me what I knew even before I met her mother. Of course a Bible was available and I dived at it. Flap, flap and bang, my head hit a wall!, In fact it is the first statement in that chapter two of Second Kings “And it came to pass when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind – – –. If I was white I would have turned red. I was so embarassed. However I take consolation on the fact that I am not alone in this ignorance. Too many pastors I have asked and just like me, bang!. Chariot of Fire.
I learnt three basic things that day.
First the stereotype is not necessarily the truth or correct. Over the years, right from my childhood, the story of Elijah and the chariot of fire has been so drummed into me that of course it became the truth to me that I did not have any recourse to question it, how much more investigate or refute it. Songs have been sang about it, I remember pictures where the man is on his chariot of fire going up and has let off a piece of cloth which is fluttereing in the wind while another man is on the ground with his hands stretched out in supposed supplication.
I have learnt therefore that the Bible is not a literature to be read with distraction and thrown aside thereafter while we take up another novel.
It is written, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shall meditate on it day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein, for then thou shall make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.
I have run into the word selah in the Bible and with its constant occurence especially in the book of Psalms I decided to find out what it actually is. While some say it could be an annoucement to a musical interlude in the book of Psalms others think that it means pause and ponder or stop and listen or beter read and meditate on these words. Given a choice and considering it is in some other chapters in the Holy book, I have decided to take the third choice. For I have found out that while reading the word of God we need to listen to him and meditate on these words. The Master said, the Words I speak unto thee, they are spirit and they are life.
The second thing I learnt is not to listen to the emotional or rather to the sentimental. Immediately Elijah announced to his ward Elisha that he is to depart, there appeared the sons of the prophets all over the places he has to go “Do you know that your master will be taken away from you”? These are the pity party crowd. The road of our faith is littered with these distractions. They have more information about the goings on in your life than you. Their sentiments are usually misplaced for behind it is a greater concern for themselves. Thy want to be noticed by you who is about to walk into a level where the light will shine on you and the oil will touch you. Like the man of God, tell them to shut up and like our Lord Jesus, tell them to get behind you.
The third lesson here is the presence of the sensational. When you read the above scripture to chapter eleven when the transcension actually took place, one can not really explain the presence of that chariot and horses of fire. The Bible tells us that as they still went on and talked there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire and parted them – – – and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
The next chapter started with the words “And Elisha saw it – – –. For this is the only condition his master gave to him when he asked him in verse nine of that chapter what he will that he does for him before he is taken away from him. Elisha had demanded for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah had told him that he had demanded a hard thing nevertheless if thou see me when I am taken from thee it shall be so unto thee – – –. So his attention was total. He did not allow the sentimental nor the sensational to distract him. For the chariot of fire was nothing but a sensational distraction that if he had focused on it he would have missed Elijah going up to heaven in a whirlwind.
A lot of Christians are fixated on the sensational. A lot are interested in the razzmatazz of their pastors and General Overseers. Some on the size and noise over their church. Some feel that because they belong to certain highly publicized congregation they have arrived. They are forgetting that the church is just a place on earth, that heaven is the destination not the church. It is written in the book of Hebrews “Looking up to JESUS the author and finsher of our faith.”
He had said to us – Do not be worried neither let your hearts be troubled for I go to prepare a place, so that where I am you shall be also, for in my father’s house there are many mansions. If it were not so I would not have told you – – –.
