What really happened to Elijah after God took him in the chariot of fire and the whirlwind? It states that he was taken to heaven, but Jesus said that no man hath ascended to heaven. Is there a better esoteric or metaphysical interpretation here that we can rely on?

With the Bible, always!

A strict literal interpretation creates significant confusion. For example, if Elijah was carried to Heaven, how did he write a letter to King Jehoram after his ascension? Do men write physical letters in heaven? As one skeptic has noted, “Where dead men don’t speak, apparently they can still write.”

One can see this for themselves with a careful comparison of a few scriptures. We know from 2 Kings that Elijah was taken up in the chariot and whirlwind during the reign of Jehoram’s predecessor Jehoshaphat. But in the parallel account from Chronicles 21:12, a letter arrives from Elijah to Jehoram stating:

“You have not followed in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat…”

Unless God has a P.O. box in heaven somewhere, Elijah was apparently still kick’n it on the earth keeping a close watch on Jehoram’s wicked ways. Check the internet and you’ll see a firestorm of debate on the subject, and everyone has an opinion. The problem is none the opinions make any sense, and neither does the fact that God would take him up in a chariot of fire, with fiery horses, all wrapped up in one big tornado! C’mon literalists, the imagery wreaks of the mystical, metaphysical knowledge that only ancient scripture writers could convey.

All of the debate could be eliminated with the simple knowledge that the Bible, while being an accurate roadmap for the soul, was not meant to be a historically accurate account. No figure named Elijah was literally carried by a chariot with horses, or a whirlwind, into heaven, and there was probably never any letter either.

So what does Elijah’s ascension in the chariot of fire and the whirlwind mean?

To understand better, we’re going to have to also include the character of Elisha in our interpretation. Elijah and Elisha are inexorably linked and metaphorically represent the evolving nature of the spiritual ego.

Let’s look at the account in 2 Kings and then we’ll dissect it, rationally, and according to how all ancient mystics thought about the human soul.

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said; Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee…”

“And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he had also smitten the waters, the parted hither and thither, and he went over.” (2 Kings 2:9-14).

Now let’s pay attention to the symbols.

Elijah

The prophet Elijah holds a very prominent place not only in the Old Testament, but New Testament as well. Not only does he show on the transfiguration on the mount with Moses and Jesus, but Malachi, the last book before the New Testament (placed that way on purpose), states in chapter four verse five that: “Elijah will come before the great and terrible day of the Lord.” Jesus identified John the Baptist as possessing the spirit and power of Elijah, which was a type of forerunner to Christ. This refers to a state of higher consciousness before Christ consciousness.

Esoteric interpretation states that Elijah symbolizes the higher emotion nature, which dawns the coming of the Christ within. He symbolizes the stage before Christ consciousness, and within that symbol contains the “messenger of the Lord,” or he that awakens one to a higher spiritual order, paving the way for the fullness of Christ (hence why Jesus identifies him with the John the Baptist, also preparing the way). He comes before the great and terrible day of the Lord because the Lord’s Day is terrible in that in means the death of the lower personality, which is hard on the ego, just as Christ extinguished the lower ego on the day of his crucifixion. It is a great day as well because at that moment the divine life indwells the lower nature. So we can easily see a symbolic progression in the development of consciousness from Moses, to Elijah, to Christ, which is why all three were present during the transfiguration, which is our transfiguration. Moses, symbolic of the Moral law begins to purify man’s moral nature. Elijah then symbolizes the higher emotions birthed in the mind of man, and finally, Christ.

The importance of esoteric teachings over mainstream religion is that Christianity often emphasizes sin and disobedience over the more important issues of the state of the mind and emotion. These aspects of our life are so important to guard over, and safeguard against demonic possession, which have nothing to do with conscious evil beings possessing our bodies. As I replied to someone earlier today in another comment:

“Demons are not conscious beings which have power over you, whether you are a Christian or not. They are reinforced, negative, egoic mindsets consisting of patterns of energy (mind and emotion) which grow stronger the more you habituate them (that’s the real power over you). Eventually they tear down the etheric energy structure of the body, and this can manifest as physical illness, mental and emotional issues, etc., and can make people do some pretty strange stuff if left undone over time.”

But getting back to Elijah here, the symbol of Elijah helps us to justify a deeper spiritual significance to how the mind works, instead of getting into mote theological discussions of what sin and disobedience specifically mean. Rather, we are to learn that states of consciousness are far more important than what doctrine we believe or what specific religious rules we follow.

Elisha

Elisha is linked with Elijah. He is Elijah’s successor, and receives a “double portion” of the spirit of Elijah. Elijah stated the double portion that he asked for was a hard thing to receive, but nonetheless, because he persevered, steadfastly, following in Elijah’s spiritual footsteps (evident from the verses before), he got what he wished for. The double portion is symbolic of our unwavering path to know and act out, as Elisha did, the path of the higher emotions, which means that rather than having a double mind, or being unstable in our ways, we steadfastly adhere to Jesus’ instruction to let our yes be simply yes and no to be simply no. And to protect ourselves from emotionally damaging situations, Jesus instructed us to be of one mind between the polar opposites of the desire nature of the lower ego and spiritual ego. This takes out any emotional conflict in our lives, as long we hold to a spiritual path of growth, which is indicative of our actions and how we express ourselves. Elisha then is a symbol for the continued spirit of Elijah, and he received a double portion, or the steadfast mind to do so (symbolically meant for us, of course).

Elijah’s Mantle (Cloak)

Mantles or cloaks symbolize the state of truth or error in the mind as they cover the body. The scholar Swedenborg once stated:

“Robes, mantles, and cloaks signify truths in common, because they are a common covering to the body…By Elijah and Elisha the Lord was presented as to the Word, and therefore their mantle signified the divine truth of the Word in general.

I might also add that the higher emotions of love and truth are part of this mantle.

Jordan River

The Jordan River symbolizes the river of life of God, that higher spiritual current which flows from above and indwells us. And the fact that Elisha smote the waters (truth), departing them, further symbolizes that he had the wisdom of the spirit to discern spiritual truth.

Horses and Chariot of Fire

When speaking of the chariot, Gaskell states:

“The ‘body’ or the ‘chariot’ is the causal-body [the seat of the soul on the upper plane]. The charioteer is the spiritual ego. The senses are the mental activities aroused by the desires, and mentally guided (the reins). The little evolved ego is full of illusions, and fails to control his activities, which drag him hither and thither. But the fully evolved ego has wisdom and knowledge, and his activities are completely controlled. The ego filled with illusion and ignorance fails to reach perfection, and is reincarnated life after life, in the lower nature. The wise ego, who is perfected is liberated, and returns no more to birth upon the lower planes.”

While Gaskell is speaking of the wisdom from the Upanishads here, it is the same in the Bible. All ancient religious texts speak the same truths about the Mind, Body, and Emotion.

Elijah is taken up by the horses and chariot of fire symbolizing the development of the spiritual ego. Notice how in the traditional Christian interpretation Elijah has been taken to heaven alive without returning to earth. But I believe it is possible that the Biblical author is alluding to the process of one’s karma being balanced so that reincarnation is no longer necessary. This is a bit tricky to say definitely, because Elijah is still a forerunner of the Christ, which is a further development of the higher emotions and the complete indwelling of the higher nature, and Malachi states Elijah must come first. I’ll leave that up to you to decide, and I am still not quite sure. What is certain is that the chariot is a symbol for the causal body, just as are boats in scripture. Think Noah’s ark and the boat Jesus and the disciples are on when Christ calms the storm.

The Whirlwind

Nahum 1:3 states that the ways of the Lord are in the whirlwind. The whirlwind can be said to sweep away the old, and bring in the new. In most instances in the Bible it is seen as a destructive force, but here God takes him up to heaven in the whirlwind, meaning, Elijah received the transmuting higher energy vibrations of the higher emotions into the lower nature.

Heaven

There are three kinds of heavens in scripture. Sometimes known as the Kingdom of God as well, the three different heavens represent different levels of consciousness. We know the Greeks, who influenced the Hellenistic writers of scripture, saw these three levels as states of mind. The highest level of heaven, of which Jesus spoke, is obviously a state of consciousness, for he states, look neither here nor there for the kingdom of God, for it is within you. If it is within you, it is a state of being. Jesus tells us over and over in many parables this truth. If it were a physical place that departed souls go to, he would have described it in detail. But we have vague descriptions, such as a house (his father’s) with many mansions. These “many mansions” also represent different levels of conscious being.

Because Elijah represents the higher emotional nature, the imagery in this story with Elijah being carried up to heaven is about the raising of consciousness in man wherein he receives the higher emotions of truth and love.

What are we to take away from these verses in 2 Kings?

We must ask ourselves, is the metaphor and symbolism here indicative of a historical event, or a state of consciousness? Just as in the concept of heaven, where Jesus repeatedly tells us through parable after parable that heaven is a state of being, and never defines it as a place, many Christians want to focus on the events of a figure long gone, instead of the inner self, where Christ clearly infers we must look. Why should we question the master?

When the mind and emotions are purified, you can bet the imagery will be hot, either in bright white light or chariots and horses of fire. Throw in a little whirlwind and we have a blazing inferno! Yes, sometimes the image is a little more subtle, like a peaceful transfiguration. But when you match the imagery in 2 Kings with the personality of Elijah, it all makes sense 🙂

Blessings