Some believe that the Bible teaches that Elijah has gone to heaven.  This is not true.  Elijah is not in heaven but in the grave.

Elijah was a prophet of God who lived in Israel in the time of the kings of Israel.  In his role as a prophet of God he was succeeded by Elisha.

The passage of Scripture that describes the event when the LORD took Elijah from Elisha is the passage that is often misunderstood.

2 Ki 2:1  And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2 Ki 2:9  And so it was, when they had crossed over [the Jordan river], that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
2 Ki 2:10  So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”
2 Ki 2:11  Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Some people read this carelessly and think that Elijah has gone to heaven and is alive today.  That isn’t what the verse means. 

Let’s take a closer look.  Could Elijah possibly be in heaven?  No, absolutely not, because Christ said no man has gone up to heaven – except the Son of man.

John 3:13  “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

But we just read in 2 Kings that Elijah went to heaven and now we read in John 3:13 that no one has ascended to heaven except Christ.  What’s going on?

The Bible speaks of 3 types of heaven.

1) One is the expanse where the birds fly – which we call the atmosphere or air.

The creation account in the book of Genesis describes God creating the birds to fly in the heavens.

2) Another is where the stars are – which we call space – or outer space.

The creation account in the book of Genesis also describes God creating the sun, moon and stars in the heavens.  A different heaven from the one in which the birds fly.

3) The last one is God’s throne – which the Bible describes as being the third heaven.

2 Cor 12:2  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago; whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows; such a one was caught up to the third heaven.

2 Cor 12:4  how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

So the Bible describes three heavens: the atmosphere, space and God’s throne.  So which heaven did Elijah go to? 

It can’t be the heaven of God’s throne – because as we read earlier:

John 3:13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

Obviously, Elijah didn’t go to the heaven of outer space.

Therefore, Elijah must have gone to the first heaven – the atmosphere surrounding this earth in which the birds fly.  Then to which heaven did he go?

One proof should be enough – but there is another proof that Elijah did not leave this physical world and go up to the heaven of God’s throne.

At the end of 2 Kings chapter 1 we read about Joram becoming king of Israel.

2 Ki 1:17  So Ahaziah [the king of Israel] died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Joram became king in his place.

Then at the beginning of the next chapter we read about Elijah going up by a whirlwind to heaven.

2 Ki 2:1  And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

In 2 Ki 8:16 we read that in the fifth year of Joram, Jehoram becomes king of Judah.

2 Ki 8:16  Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah.

Now Jehoram was wicked because he killed all his brothers.  We read of that in 2 Chr 21:4.

2 Chr 21:4  Now when Jehoram was established over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also others of the princes of Israel.

Then a letter of warning comes to Jehoram from Elijah showing that he’s back on earth alive and well.

2 Chr 21:12  And a letter came to him [Jehoram] from Elijah the prophet,

The letter says that because of Jehoram’s wickedness he was going to suffer a very unpleasant death.

The order of events is:

• Joram becomes king of Israel
• Elijah is taken into heaven by a whirlwind
• In the fifth year of the reign on Joram, Jehoram becomes king of Judah
• Jehoram kills all his brothers
• Elijah writes a letter of warning to Jehoram

About five years after being taken into heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah writes a letter of warning to Jehoram.  Elijah didn’t die, but was taken up into the air by a whirlwind and placed down on the land somewhere and lived on the earth – not in heaven –and then he eventually died and went to his grave like every man. 

The Bible is clear that Elijah is not in heaven, but in the grave.