In the gospel of John 3-13’No one has gone up to heaven except the One who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.’ So it would seem that Elijah did not go into heaven?? I need your help with this as it is hard to even try to explain to my 12 year old. Thank you and God bless
Elijah, along with Enoch and all the other OT saints went to the place of the righteous dead, about which Jesus told the parable of Lazarus (Luke 16:19). This is where the holy souls awaited the coming of the savior. It was also referred to as Abraham’s Bosom. The dead who did not live righteously also were held in the place of the dead until they could hear the message of salvation. It was here that Jesus descended after He was raised to preach the Gospel.
8 Therefore it is said,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) Eph. 4
18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. I Pet 3
The gates of heaven were closed when Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden. Jesus death paid the price with His life to open the gates. When He ascended, he took these holy souls with Him into heaven.
