Did elijah go to heaven

  • Thread starter Thread starter jerusalemishome
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
This is confusing as I believed the gates of Heaven were closed until Our Lord’s death and resurrection. 🤷

+JMJ+
 
I haven’t seen the verse in Hebrew (not that I can read Hebrew, although I wish I could) but I’ve been told it is better translated as the “sky”. There are three words that commonly translate into “heaven” in English:

Raqiyae - The first heaven. The sky, or the heavens as we say it.

Eg: Genesis 1:8

Shameh - The second heaven. The universe.

Eg: Genesis 1:14

Shamayim - The third Heaven. The dwelling place of God.

Eg: 2nd Corinthians 12: 2
 
The king of Samaria died, Elija didn’t. When said king sent out spies in order to pray to their idol about his illness, G-d reacted accordingly and asked Elijah if there wasn’t a G-d in Israel so that those spies had to go and idolworship? At that point it was already clear that the king wouldn’t recover from his illness. Elijah didn’t die but went straight to heaven. This is why he can visit us from time to time.
 
jmj777 said:
This is confusing as I believed the gates of Heaven were closed until Our Lord’s death and resurrection. 🤷

+JMJ+
Click to expand...
if memory serves me right the one murderer that got crucified with him died before him and was said to go to heaven.
 
I believe this is what transpired. Elijah having a very unique relationship with God; it was just for the Lord to not let this particular prophet meet death in the usual manner. Unlike the Blessed Mother, he was not assumed into Heaven though. Not everything is revealed in the Bible, in regards to what the Lord did with his mortal remains after being taken away; but his spirit went to the “waiting place of the Just” with Moses and the other patriarchs. Remember, Jesus talked to those two specifically during His Transfiguration. Clearly, they were not in purgatory, but in a state of great blessing, but still waiting for Christ to open the Way to the Father, the Beatific Vision of the Most Holy Trinity. The Incarnation of the Eternal Word in and out of spacetime will always be a bit of a mystery, at least until we see God Face to face. I imagine it was in fact “Paradise”, or the second Heaven where the Angels resided before the fall and before God revealed Himself in the Beatific Vision or highest Heaven; possibly even limbo. Different saints have called this waiting place by different names. I believe I have spoken the Truth, if anything I said is false, may the Lord forgive me, and the Light of His Truth be revealed if it is His Holy Will. Peace.
 
504Katrin said:
if memory serves me right the one murderer that got crucified with him died before him and was said to go to heaven.
Click to expand...
Not quite, he was a thief and died after Christ.

John 19:32-33 “The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.” This was to fulfil scripture in that none of His bones would be broken, which (as you may know) also relates to the Passover lamb.
 
jerusalemishome said:
2Kings 2 1-18
Click to expand...
Not sure if you are Catholic. According to the CC teachings Elijah and Enoch were most likely Assumed into Heaven body and soul. They did not die.

"According to Scripture, Enoch and Elijah may have been assumed into heaven before the time of Christ. This is less clear in Enoch’s case, since Genesis 5:24 says only that God “took” him, but doesn’t say where. Sirach 44:16 and 49:14 make it clear that he was taken up from the earth, and Hebrews 11:5 adds “so that he should not see death.”

In Elijah’s case, 2 Kings 2:11 states that “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” First Maccabees 2:58 adds, "Elijah because of great zeal for the Law was taken up into heaven. " Taken at face value, these would seem to indicate that both Enoch and Elijah were assumed into heaven. But the Church teaches that heaven was not yet opened to the saints because Christ had not yet come. How can this be explained?

One possible explanation is to say that they didn’t really go to heaven but to the abode of the dead where the souls of the righteous were waiting for the Messiah to open heaven. A difficulty is that the abode of the dead, or she’ol, is pictured in the Old Testament as being down (e.g., Nm 16:33 speaks of Korah and his followers going “down alive into she’ol”), yet Enoch and Elijah are depicted as being taken up.

Another possibility would be to say they were taken up but to a different kind of heaven than the one Christ opened. Or it is possible to say simply that they received entrance to heaven as a grace which came from the redemption Christ wrought – only they received it early, as did Mary when she was immaculately conceived. Like Mary, Enoch and Elijah may have been foretastes of the good things to come. In such a case, they would be exceptions to the rule. But God can do what he wants." - (catholic.com)
 
Thank you for the response. Well, I guess we can agree to disagree. Although, I do agree she’ol covers all things from the Pit of Hell to the upper levels of ebb-eternity, we might be talking semantics. Many a private revalation talk about a Paradise or second heaven below the Beatific Vision ie. Full Communion with God the Father and the Holy Trinity. Yes, God can do what He wants so… But my understanding is that Jesus visited all the places for various reasons and before His Resurection He opened the gates of Heaven for the Just, Moses et al. The gates being up not down ie. the “last stop on the trip through the netherworld” as it were. We both talked about that so, no argument there. Also my understanding of so called ebb-eternity is it is just that, on the edge of, meaning that sheol is somehow connected to spacetime. We talk about people spending years in purgatory etc… Did God grant Elijah a free pass on the merits of the Lord’s Passion Death and Resurrection? Maybe… but for other reasons I think he was simply taken to the “Paradise” with the other righteous souls. But if it turns out I’m wrong, than many apologies. I do appreciate the feedback. — The fact of the matter is this is almost a trivial subject. What I really have issues with right now is the new Liturgy… very serious issues, but I don’t know if that is something you are interested in dialoguing about… Peace.
 
It is the question that protestants hate to think about because then they have to stop and think about how they talk about Mary.
 
He went somewhere, did he go to heaven? Which would seem to be a non physical realm? He ascended into the sky but perhaps not into heaven.
 
In Mark 12:26, part of Jesus’ response to the Sadducees regarding an afterlife is; “But as for the dead rising again, have you never read in the book of Moses how God spoke to him at the burning bush, and said, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?[3] 27 Yet it is of living men, not of dead men, that he is the God; you are wrong, then, altogether.” Elijah would have met the same wonderful fate as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to be alive in the presence of God almighty, hence, Heaven.
 
Wow! Then Jesus wasted His time Redeeming humanity, since there was no need for it according to your statements. You are in Heresy. And dangerously close to believing the NewAge version of the Christ, which you may already. You have ears but you do not here!
Jesus was replying to the saduccees who believed death was oblivion. Therefore He remindided them that yes, indeed God Yahweh is the God of the living not the dead. This does NOT mean that the Immortal soul stained with sin could enjoy the company of God in the fullness of the Beatific Vision. I refer you to your basic catechism. In fact all the teachings of the saints. Not to mention several major councils, since reading the Word, somehow you have failed to understand the essence of the Paschal Sacrifice and WHY it was necessary. The second heaven (even Limbo for that matter), is certainly not DEATH, but it is also not full communion with God which can only come from The Redemption at Calvery. If you are truly ignorant than I forgive you for your rude accusation… if you are a “TROLL”, then I leave you to God to judge you and warn you for your own sake that malice is a grievous sin. To those of good will, Peace.
 
To clarify… I like what StrwberryJam said in regards to the Blessed Mother. Somehow Catholics have balance official dogma with is what is still open for speculation, and in accord with what many Saints have believed and taught. Many Protestants believe the 1st resurrection is something it probably isn’t. This is my speculation: the first resurrection is a spiritual one with a spiritual body. The 1000 years is an average reign of the blessed since the Resurrection, until Jesus returns “to judge the living and the dead.” Then the final or second resurrection will happen at His return. The catechism actually infers this by rejecting millionialism. All that aside. this is exhausting since again, part of me… there are much bigger things to be dealing with at this point in history. But Truth is always important to me. So unless God tells you Himself or the Church changes her history and teaching, let us just agree to disagree. Peace to those of good will.
 
Eli2013 said:
Wow! Then Jesus wasted His time Redeeming humanity, since there was no need for it according to your statements. You are in Heresy. And dangerously close to believing the NewAge version of the Christ, which you may already. You have ears but you do not here!
Jesus was replying to the saduccees who believed death was oblivion. Therefore He remindided them that yes, indeed God Yahweh is the God of the living not the dead. This does NOT mean that the Immortal soul stained with sin could enjoy the company of God in the fullness of the Beatific Vision. I refer you to your basic catechism. In fact all the teachings of the saints. Not to mention several major councils, since reading the Word, somehow you have failed to understand the essence of the Paschal Sacrifice and WHY it was necessary. The second heaven (even Limbo for that matter), is certainly not DEATH, but it is also not full communion with God which can only come from The Redemption at Calvery. If you are truly ignorant than I forgive you for your rude accusation… if you are a “TROLL”, then I leave you to God to judge you and warn you for your own sake that malice is a grievous sin. To those of good will, Peace.
Click to expand...
I don’t know what a Troll is other than a funny looking Norwegian mythological creature. But this I know. for the Lord said in John 8:56: “As for your father Abraham, his heart was proud to see the day of my coming; he saw, and rejoiced to see it.”
 
In final response to the naysayers, I don’t KNOW but neither do you. I do know what ever did happen was by the grace and victory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yes, Abraham saw Him and rejoiced, now he sees Him face to face and is rejoicing forever. Likewise, Saint John among others saw Jesus return in Glory and judge the living and the dead (a special vision and grace granted unto him) and he also rejoiced… I m not sure if I am responding because the Holy Spirit of Truth compels me to. or if it is just my wretched ego. But as always, Peace. And praise God for so many good apologists/evangelists on this sight. Via con Dios.

ps. a “troll” is a term for a person who goes about sewing discord for the sake of discord. To that end I remind all and myself of what Jesus said about being held accountable for every single word we say… Peace.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top