6. Elijah: A Type of Christ.

1. Ascended to Heaven.

Both Jesus Christ and Elijah ascended to Heaven in front of a crowd. 2 Kings 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.” Jesus ascended to Heaven. Luke 24:51: “Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.”

2. Both Fasted for 40 days in the Wilderness.

1 Kings 19:4-8: “But he himself went a day’s journey into the Wilderness and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Then he looked, and thereby his head was a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. So, he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, touched him, and said, “Arise and eat because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose, ate and drank; and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.” Jesus also fasted forty days in the Wilderness. Luke 4:1-2: “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the Wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days, He ate nothing, and afterwards, when they had ended, He was hungry.

3. Angels Ministered To Them.

An angel ministered to Elijah before his 40-day journey. (1 Kings 19:5-7). Angels ministered to Jesus Christ after Satan tried to tempt him (Mark 1:13, Matthew 4:11).

4. Confronted Leaders

Elijah confronted the king of Israel, Ahab (1 Kings 18:18). Jesus Christ confronted Pharisees, the high priests of Jerusalem (John 8:44, Matthew 23:33).

5. People Fell on their Knees Before Both Men

When Elijah destroyed several soldiers, a third captain of the fifty fell on his knees before him and repented. 2 Kings 1:13: “Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: “Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.”” When Jesus Christ performed a miracle, Simon Peter fell on his knees and repented. Luke 5:8, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

6. People Seek to Kill Both Men

Jezebel and the Israelites sought to kill Elijah. 1 Kings 19:2: “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”  1 Kings 19:14: “And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.” The Pharisees and other Israelites sought to kill Jesus. Mark 3:6, “Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.” John 8:59, “Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through their midst, and so passed by.” Luke 4:29, “and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.”

7. Prophets

Elijah lamented to God that they had killed all His prophets, and he (prophet) alone was left. (1 Kg 19:14). 1 kings 18:36 affirms this: “And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant and that I have done all these things at Your word.”

Jesus is the Prophet.

• Matthew 21:1: “So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
• John 4:19: “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”
• Matthew 21:45-46, “Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes because they took Him for a prophet.”
• John 6:14, “Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.””
• John 7:40, “Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.”
• John 9:17, “They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.””
• Luke 24:19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
• Luke 4:24, “Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.””

 Moses said in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” (See also Deut 18:18, Acts 3:22, Acts 7:37).

8. Raising the Dead

Elijah rose a little boy from the dead. 1 Kings 17:20-25, “Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” And he stretched himself out on the child three times, cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.”Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” Jesus raised the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17), Jairus’ daughter (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56), and Lazarus (John 11:1-44). 

9. Followers

Both men had followers (Matthew 10:2-4, 2 Kings 2:9-15).

10. Walked “on” Water

Elijah used his coat to strike the water in two so that he and Elisha could walk. 2 Kings 2:8. “Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, and it was divided this way and that so that the two of them crossed over on the dry ground.” Jesus walked on water along with Peter (Matthew 14:25-29).

11. Appeared After Going to Heaven

Elijah appeared along with Moses on a mountain, talking to Jesus during His transfiguration. The three accounts of this event are found in Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36. Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus after ascending to Heaven. (Acts 9:5).

12. Wrote Letters

Concerning the life of Jehoram, Elijah wrote a letter to him. 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 says, “And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat, your father, or the ways of Asa king of Judah,  but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father’s household, who were better than yourself, behold, the Lord will strike your people with a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions; and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.” Jesus Christ wrote a letter to the seven churches about following the ways of the Lord. Revelation 1:1-3, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things that must shortly occur. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things written in it; for the time is near.”