My, my, my! So many thoughts came into my mind as I viewed these images.
1) I thought of Zechariah’s first vision, Zech. 1:7-11 The horses in this scene are spiritual horses, like our bodies will be spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:4242 (AU)So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 (AV)It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, (AW)“The first man Adam became a living being.” (AX)The last Adam became (AY)a life-giving spirit.
2. The horses in Zechariah’s vision may represent angels, they may be angels, or they may be spiritual talking horses. The last is like the talking horses in CS Lewis’ Narnia series.
3. More spiritual horses appear in Revelation 19:11 (V)Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, (W)a white horse. And He who sat on him was called (X)Faithful and True, and (Y)in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 (Z)His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. (AA)He [e]had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 (AB)He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called (AC)The Word of God. 14 (AD)And the armies in heaven, (AE)clothed in [f]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
So we have Christ and His army of saints riding on horses at Jesus’ battle with the beast and false prophet.
Again, these are spiritual horses, flying in the heaven coming to the earth, exactly like the horses that came for Elijah.
4. Speaking of ascending to heaven, I thought of Jesus’ ascension too, in Acts 1:9 (Q)Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, (R)He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them (S)in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, (T)will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Reading Elijah’s ascension, I was struck how the horses and chariot came down to earth, separated Elijah and Elisha, and took him up to the physical heaven, the atmosphere, and out of sight. Do you see how this is like Jesus’ ascension?
5. The last thought I have is that Elijah’s ascension is NOT a vision Elisha had, but reality as he observed it, just as the apostles watched Jesus ascend through the atmosphere into a cloud.
That’s it for now. I’ll look through the pictures again and see if anything else occurs to me.
I noticed one more little detail: scripture says the chariot of fire separated Elijah and Elisha, but that Elisha ascended in a whirlwind. It doesn’t say Elijah was in the chariot, but most of the artists assumed that. That’s probably a reasonable assumption.
A whirlwind is a feature of the atmosphere during an intense thunderstorm. God also used it in Job 38-40. Imagine Elisha’s intense dedication as he follows Elijah directly into an intense thunderstorm! Imagine the scene of a dark thunderstorm, possibly with rain and hail, and then the blazing chariot contrasting with the darkness.
This is rather like Jesus’ return in brilliance during the very dark days of the end.
In some respects, but in large measure Jesus' departure mirrors his arrival. As He was born in the very humblest of circumstances, so also His ascension was utterly without the pomp and circumstance absolutely befitting the risen King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Even Elijah rated a fiery chariot, but the Servant of Servants merely rose meekly into a cloud.
I understand, though, that His Second Coming will be quite a gala production....