Life After Death: Elijah

The traditional understanding of life after death in Christianity is that when a Christian passes away, they are immediately taken to heaven. And, that when a wicked man passes away, they are taken to "hell" where they will either be destroyed completely or burn forever (depending on whether one subscribes to annihilationism or eternal conscious torment). However, this is a belief which scripture doesn't seem to support. Scripturally speaking, when anyone dies, even the righteous, they are taken to "the grave" where they will sleep until the resurrection of the dead (we do not believe that anyone is in heaven).

We are not shy to admit that there are indeed many difficult texts to understand in relation to this subject, thus in this series we seek to provide our understanding of them in relation to our belief in "soul sleep".

One of the most infamous people in the Bible that many believe never died, and went to heaven, is Elijah. The commonly held understanding is that when Elijah was taken to "heaven" in a whirlwind, he was taken to the spiritual realm where Hashem dwells- preserving him from death. This would seemingly contradict the notion that no human is in heaven, and that all are waiting for the resurrection. However, we believe there is a better way to understand this passage. The commonly cited text is 2 Kings 2:11, which says:

"... Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven."

So, did Elijah literally go up to heaven, the same heaven we identify as Hashem's dwelling? We believe no, as Yeshua himself makes it very clear in John's gospel that "no one has ascended into heaven" (John 3:13). So, was the Master mistaken? Was he unfamiliar with the story of Elijah? A closer look at the scriptures offer us a clearer understanding of what actually transpired with Elijah.

We will overview the story of Elijah's life so we may get a sense of the events leading up to his "ascension into heaven". After Elijah was commissioned to be a prophet of God, he was then allowed to mentor Elisha, making Elisha his disciple. As time went on, the two became very close, but it became clear that Elisha was ready to be his own prophet and no longer needed a teacher. Which was something very difficult for him to accept. In 2 Kings 2:1-6, Elijah tells Elisha to stay in one place because Hashem has ordered him to go alone to Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan. However, each time Elijah asks him to stay, Elisha responds by saying, "As surely as the Lord lives, I will not leave you". So, Elisha then accompanied his master on all of these journeys. The sons of the prophets then told Elisha that the Lord will take away his master, to which Elisha, saddened, says, "Yes, I know, say nothing about it" (2 Kings 2:3,5). Finally, on the 4th journey, after they cross over the Jordan, Elijah sees that his disciple is very sad over the fact that he will soon be gone, and that they will be separated forever. So, he asks him, "Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you." Elisha, accepting that his master will indeed be taken as it is the Lord’s will, can only look up, and ask, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me" (2 Kings 2:9). As they continued walking, a chariot of fire with fiery horses appeared, separating them, with Elijah then being taken up by a whirlwind to heaven. Disheartened by this, Elisha can only sit back and watch his master be taken from him. After this, men approach Elisha asking to go and search for Elijah, thinking that the spirit of the Lord had perhaps taken him to a mountain or a high valley. Elisha, upsettingly says, "You shall not send anyone" (2 Kings 2:16).

So, what really happened to Elijah here? There are two important terms we need to examine before drawing any conclusions. First, the word translated as “whirlwind” in Hebrew is sa’ar, and it means: storm, stormy, tempest, or whirlwind. This indicates that the power of God aroused the storm, as also seen in Isaiah 40:24, Psalms 55:8, Jeremiah 23:19, and Job 40:6. The reason for this enormous tempest was to cause a separation between the two men, since Elisha was so determined to remain with his master. The second term we need to examine is the word translated as heaven here, or in hebrew: shamayim. In this context, it is likely just referring to the sky (as it does in Genesis 1:8,26; 6:7; 7:19). The Bible tells us that there are in fact multiple heavens (e.g., 2 Chronicles 2:6; 1 Kings 8:27;Nehemiah 9:6). And Paul, in his second epistle to the Corinthians, refers to a man who was “caught up in the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2). The Babylonian Talmud mentions there are a total of seven heavens-with each heaven having unique characteristics and functions:

“There are seven firmaments, and they are as follows: Vilon, Rakia, Sheḥakim, Zevul, Ma’on, Makhon, and Aravot...Vilon, curtain, is the firmament that does not contain anything, but enters at morning and departs in the evening, and renews the act of Creation daily..Rakia, firmament, is the one in which the sun, moon, stars, and zodiac signs are fixed..Sheḥakim, heights, is the one in which mills stand and grind manna for the righteous..Zevul, abode, is the location of the heavenly Jerusalem and the heavenly Temple, and there the heavenly altar is built, and the angel Michael, the great minister, stands and sacrifices an offering upon..Ma’on, habitation, is where there are groups of ministering angels who recite song at night and are silent during the day out of respect for Israel, in order not to compete with their songs..Makhon, dwelling place, is where there are storehouses of snow and storehouses of hail, and the upper chamber of harmful dews, and the upper chamber of drops, and the room of tempests and storms, and the cave of mist. And the doors of all these are made of fire..Aravot, skies, is the firmament that contains righteousness; justice; righteousness, i.e., charity; the treasuries of life; the treasuries of peace; the treasuries of blessing; the souls of the righteous; the spirits and souls that are to be created; and the dew that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will use to revive the dead” (Babylonian Talmud Chagigah 12b)

This sheds light on Yeshua's statement that “no one has ascended into heaven". He was likely referring to the spiritual realm. Meaning, that Elijah only went into the sky on earth (the physical realm). This can be illustrated by an airplane taking off and disappearing from view-not by vanishing, but by becoming invisible due to distance and our limited eyesight. This is why the men assumed that Elijah had been taken to a mountain or a high valley, not the spiritual heavenly realm, but rather the heavens in the physical realm-the sky.

Further evidence suggesting that Elijah did not actually go to the spiritual heavenly realm is the letter he wrote after his ascension. Although this letter is not recorded in the book of Kings, it is recorded in the book of Chronicles. The letter recorded in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 was written by Elijah to the king of Judah, and chronologically speaking, was written after his ascension. Below is a timeline to reconstruct the events that transpired after Elijah’s ascension into heaven.

2 Kings 2:11	Elijah Taken
2 Kings 8:16-24, 2 Chronicles 21:5-10	Jehoram begins reign as King of Judah
2 Chronicles 21:12-15	Jehoram receives a letter from Elijah
2 Kings 8:25-29, 2 Chronicles 22:1-6	Ahaziah begins reign as King of Judah

As the order of events display: Elijah was taken up, Jehoram became King of Judah, then Elijah's letter was received in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 and addressed to the reigning king Jehoram (who was not yet king when Elijah was taken). Furthermore, the Bible goes on to explain that Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, did not begin his reign as king until the death of his father (2 Chronicles 21:1; 2 Kings 8:16-17). This heavily suggests that Elijah was still present in some form in the earthly realm, and was not brought up to the spiritual realm where Hashem dwells. Granted, some rabbinic commentators, such as Rashi, suggest that this letter was prophetic and written before Elijah's ascent - but delivered later.

“And a letter came to him from Elijah After he had ascended to heaven, this prophetic letter came to him [i.e., to Joram]” (Rashi on 2 Chronicles 21:12)

However, others argue that Elijah’s ability to send this letter after his ascent shows that he remained active in earthly affairs, albeit in a transformed or hidden state. This aligns with the idea that Elijah's whirlwind ascent was a relocation or transformation rather than a full departure to the spiritual heavens.

Transfiguration of Elijah

One of the most important commentators on the prophetic books, Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi), provides a nuanced interpretation of Elijah’s ascension. Commenting on 2 Kings 2:12, Radak says:

"And Elijah went up in a whirlwind: as we explained previously, the meaning of ‘the heavens’ here is with reference to the aerial sky, like in the phrase 'which fly in the heavens.' Concerning the soul, 'the heavens' here refers to the upper heavens with the angels, as in 'praise the Lord from the heavens.' Elijah was transformed into a spiritual being, and his body was consumed by the upper fire, with each element returning to its source. Elisha saw him being lifted from the earth, and when he was in the air, he saw a likeness of a chariot of fire and horses of fire, which separated them. That is, Elisha saw that Elijah was departing from him once he was raised up. His clothes were entirely consumed by the fire, except for his mantle, which fell from him so that Elisha could take it to strike the waters.” (Radak on 2 Kings 2:12)

As in, Elijah's body did not enter heaven in its physical form. Instead, the fiery chariot that took Elijah symbolizes a spiritual transformation. Radak explains that Elijah’s physical and spiritual forms were separated—his physical body was consumed by fire, while his soul ascended. This would enable Elijah to continue interacting with the physical world, reappearing as needed to guide the Jewish people. This view supports the idea that Elijah did not permanently leave the earthly realm but was transfigured into a state that allows him to transition between worlds. Which is also in alignment with Malbim's commentary on 2 Kings 2:12, who also supported the idea that Elijah could switch between the physical and spiritual realm:

"And behold, a chariot of fire: This is a metaphor for having separated from corporeality, with only the two light elements, fire and spirit, remaining. In opposition to the fire, he perceived a chariot of fire, and regarding the spirit, he saw that he ascended in a whirlwind. His two light elements lifted his body to the heavens. As long as the body is composed of the four elements, the soul is connected to the body, and it cannot discard its garment except through death. However, after the fire consumed the two heavy elements, earth and water—just as the fire from heaven consumed the earth and water on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:38)—it also separated the two elements, meaning the two that are conjoined, which are the soul and body. At that point, a separation occurred between them, until his body became like a garment that he could choose to wear or remove at will.” (Malbim on 2 Kings 2:12)

The Talmud includes many stories that reinforce the idea that Elijah continues to appear in the physical world long after his whirlwind ascent. For instance, in Sanhedrin 98a, Elijah is described as regularly visiting rabbis, advising and assisting them in moments of need.

“Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi found Elijah the prophet, who was standing at the entrance of the burial cave of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said to him: Will I be privileged to come to the World-to-Come? Elijah said to him: If this Master, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will wish it so” Talmud Sanhedrin 98a

Similarly, in Bava Metzia 85b, Elijah appears to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi and other sages, taking on the form of a human being.

“I once saw one of the Sages whom Elijah the prophet would visit, and his eyes looked beautiful and healthy in the morning, but appeared to be charred by fire in the evening…Elijah was often found in the academy of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi” Talmud Bava Metzia 85b

These stories further strengthen the argument that Elijah’s whirlwind ascent did not remove him from the physical world, but instead placed him in an intermediary state, where he can re-enter the world as necessary. This parallels the concept in Christian theology, where Jesus appears to Paul post-resurrection in a transformed glorified state.

“As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’” Acts 9:3-4 NASB

Furthermore, the Midrash on Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 47 also describes Elijah as a figure who never truly died, and was granted life in this world, and the Olam HaBa (world to come).

“Rabbi Eliezer said: He called the name of Phineas by the name of Elijah—Elijah of blessed memory, (who was) of those who repented in Gilead, for he brought about the repentance of Israel in the land of Gilead. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave him the life of this world and the life of the world to come” Perkei DeRabbi Eliezer 47

Jewish tradition also assigns Elijah an active role in significant rituals, further supporting the idea that he remains connected to the physical world. For instance, Elijah is invited to every brit milah (circumcision ceremony), where a special seat, the "Chair of Elijah," is set aside for him. This is not merely symbolic; according to Jewish belief, Elijah’s spirit is present at each circumcision. Additionally, Elijah is expected to return before the arrival of the Messiah to herald redemption, as prophesied in Malachi 3:23-24. These roles suggest that Elijah was not simply taken to heaven and detached from the world but remains actively involved in Jewish life, making his presence known in spiritually significant moments.

On the Chabad website for Brit Milah and Passover, Elijah’s ability to interact with the physical world while in a higher spiritual state is accepted as fact. And, Chabad teaches that Elijah exists in a liminal space between the spiritual and physical realms, stepping back into the earthly plane as needed to fulfill specific tasks.

“The tradition is to designate a chair for Elijah, the “Angel of the Covenant,” at every circumcision. Many synagogues have a designated ornamental chair for this purpose” Chabad on The Bris Ceremony

“The tradition is that, at this time, we expect the Prophet Elijah to arrive, and the person who opens the door is supposed to welcome him with the Hebrew words “baruch haba.” This is a dramatic moment in the Seder as we pour Elijah’s cup of wine and say the prayer, “Pour out Your wrath against the nations that do not acknowledge You, etc.” At this point, the air is virtually sizzling with tension.” Chabad on Opening the Door for Elijah

From this perspective, Elijah’s "ascension" is not seen as a full departure from earth, but rather a transformation, enabling him to bridge heaven and earth and act as a guide for the Jewish people. No man has ascended into heaven, except the Son of Man who descended from heaven.