Elijah Going To Heaven

[MissScripture]

I always thought that Jesus, upon his death, opened the gates of Heaven, and the people who died before Jesus were in a place kind of like purgatory or something where they just kind of hung out until Jesus died. However, in the Bible it says that Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a chariot of Fire. How does that work since Jesus hadn't died yet?

[StColette]

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1286657860' post='2178793']
I always thought that Jesus, upon his death, opened the gates of Heaven, and the people who died before Jesus were in a place kind of like purgatory or something where they just kind of hung out until Jesus died. However, in the Bible it says that Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a chariot of Fire. How does that work since Jesus hadn't died yet?
[/quote]


If I'm reading the Hebrew correctly, which it has been a while, it says that Elijah was taken up into the heavens "clouds/sky", not Heaven strictly speaking.

This article might help http://www.cicdc.org/articles/saunder_elijah.htm