Detective: This is your written record on the “disappearance” of Elijah?

Elisha:  Yes, that is it.

Detective: Let’s review it and then I’ll ask you a few questions.

READ: 2 Kings 2: 1-18

Detective: Elisha, doesn’t your story sound a bit far fetched – “a chariot of fire” and “taken to heaven in a whirlwind.”  Come on, man, give me a break!

Elisha: Well, yes, I admit it does sound far fetched.  But, Elijah was God’s man.  Interesting things happened in his life - God things.  Besides, there are other examples like this in the Bible.

Detective: Such as?

Elisha:  Enoch for instance. Let's check out Genesis 5:21-24.

Detective:  That’s a little vague isn’t it.  Is that the best you can do?

Elisha:  What about Jesus?  Look in Acts 1:3-11.

Detective:  There’s a huge difference here, Elisha.  There was a group of people that saw that one with Jesus.  Don’t you think it was a “coincidence” that you and Elijah were alone, on the other side of the Jordan, when Elijah was "taken to heaven."

Elisha:  We were following God’s will.

Detective:  Sure you were.

Detective: Did you have any reason to want to see Elijah disappear?

Elisha:  No, I loved Elijah.  I didn’t want to loss him!

Detective:  What about 1 Kings 19:15-21?  You're such a smarty pants, do you think you’re the only one that knows the Bible, Elisha? Huh?  I think this passage proves you had a motive!

READ: 1 Kings 19:15-21

Detective: Oh, to be "The Prophet!"  The power! The fame!  You longed for it didn’t you?

Elisha:  Power and fame as a prophet of God?  You have got to be kidding!

Detective:  Also, isn’t it kind of strange that King Ahaziah had just died.  That Elijah had killed 100, no, 102 of the Kings men with “fire from heaven?”  What did he use anyway - a Ray Gun? Or lasers maybe?  You were ready to be “The Prophet” and the new king surely wanted to get rid of Elijah – how perfect!

READ: 2Kings 1 (Yes, all of it)

Detective:  Did you conspire with Joram to get rid of this menace to society?  Sounds like a win/win scenario to me - Ahaziah is vendicated, Joram is free of Elijah and you get to be the Prophet.

Elisha: Elijah was following God’s word in dealing with Ahaziah.  God was working in this all of this – not Elijah.  Elijah was simply God’s man.

Detective:  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before.  Okay, let’s dig into the actual disappearance of Elijah.  So, you and Elijah were in Gilgal and Elijah asked you to stay in Gilgal but you insisted on going to Bethel with him.

Elisha: That’s right.  Elijah was my mentor, my teacher, my beloved leader.  I didn't want to leave him.

Detective:  Could it be you were waiting for the right moment to act?

Elisha:  We were waiting for God’s moment for sure!

Detective:  So, when you got to Bethel there was a group waiting there that already knew about your plans to have Elijah “disappear.”  Interesting.  More conspirators?

Elisha:  Those waiting for us were God’s prophets and God had spoken to them.  And, just to be clear, it was not my plan for Elijah to disappear.

Detective:  Let’s talk to one of these so called “prophets” from Bethel. Okay?   (looking over his shoulder at a detective at the back of the room) Send him in.

Detective:  State your name, please.

Prophet:  Bob from Bethel.

Detective:  Bob, state your occupation.

Bob:  I’m a student in the University of Prophesy in Bethel.

Detective:  Do you know, Elisha?

Bob:  Certainly, Elisha is - or rather, Elisha was a close follower of Elijah.  Elisha was selected by God to follow Elijah as God’s prophet.

Detective:  Selected by God, yeah, whatever.  Bob, did you know about Elisha’s plan to have Elijah disappear?

Bob: It was not Elisha’s plan.

Detective:  Well whose plan was it?

Bob: God’s, of course.

Detective:  God’s huh?  How did you know this was God’s plan?

Bob:  God spoke to us – several of us in fact – showing us what would happen to Elijah.  We were excited and sad all at the same time.

Detective:  So, God showed you this plan for Elijah to disappear?  Why would God do that?  Is God, your Yahweh, a murderer?  Kind of convenient to blame this on “God” don’t you think?

Bob:  God loved Elijah.  Elijah had faithfully served God for many years during very hard times.  God was honoring Elijah by taking Elijah to heaven without suffering death.  God was also showing the rest of us his mercy and his active presence in our lives.

Detective:  I’d like to talk with this God character.  (Looking at the detective at the back of the room again) Can we get him in here?

Other Detective:  I don’t think so, Sir.

Bob:  Excuse me, Detective, but God’s already here.

Detective:  Yeah sure he is - do you take any medication? 

Detective:  Well, thanks, Bob, you can go - and take God with you he might need a coffee.  But, don’t you leave town.  We may want to talk with you again.

Detective (to Elisha): So, you go to Bethel and then to Jericho and then to Jordan.  Elijah begs you each time not to go with him but you insist on going.

Elisha:  I didn’t want to leave Elijah.  I didn’t want the Lord God to take him away.  Kind of selfish on my part I admit.

Detective:  I think it all came to a head for you when the “all powerful”, “all famous” Elijah, in front of 50 people,  struck the Jordan River and it parted.  Wow, that’s a show!  You just couldn’t stand it anymore.  You knew that now was the time to act.

Elisha: God was leading us across the Jordan.  Elijah just provided us a path.  That's all.

Detective:  Kind of convenient that no one else came, don’t you think?

Elisha:  This was our last time together.  No one else was called by God to follow.

Detective:  Then, on the other side, let’s check the conversation between you and Elijah again as stated in
2 Kings 2:9-12. 

Detective: That’s all lovely but I think it went like this.  
                        Elijah says, “Why have you brought me here, Elisha?”  
                        You say, “Give me a double portion of your fame and power and I’ll let you live.”  
                        Elijah refuses. “You’re not ready, Elisha.”
                        You say, “Wrong answer!”
Suddenly, amazingly, a “chariot of fire” just happens to in the neighborhood and passing by at that very moment.  Or, could it have been that suddenly there is a rock up side of Elijah’s head?

Elisha:  It didn't happen like that at all, Detective. I know it is hard to believe.  Faith is hard to accept. 

Detective:  I live by the evidence.  Let’s check the evidence collected at the time.  Here's Item 1 (I put a robe in a zip lock bag) What’s this?

Elisha:  That's Elijah’s cloak.

Detective:  I don’t see any singe marks.  I’d expect to see burns or something  considering there was a “chariot of fire.”

Elisha: God was honoring and caring for Elijah.  Not grilling him, Detective.

Detective:  Okay, here's Item 2 (again a zip lock bag but with several strands of shiney gold thread inside).  What’s this?

Elisha:  Looks like horse’s tail hair to me.

Detective:  That could come from any horse. 

Elisha:  Kind of shiny isn’t it - to come from "any horse."  Seems to me like it came could have come from a horse in God’s stable.

Detective:  Well, yeah - I mine, who cares.   And lastly, Item 3 (another zip lock bag with two chunks of charcoal) - what’s this?

Elisha: Looks like horse poop to me.

Detective: Come on.  Do God’s horses poop?

Elisha: I'm just looking at the evidence, Detective.

Detective: But, It’s like charcoal!

Elisha:  What would you expect from a "horse of fire?"

Detective:  Good point.

Detective:  I guess you can go for now, Elisha.  But, we’re sending this stuff to forensics.  This case ain’t closed yet.

Elisha:  No, it’s not.  God’s working on you, Detective.

Detective:  Is that a threat?

Elisha: I’m praying for you, Detective.  You’ll find the answer to your case.  Keep up the search!

Detective:  Get outta here!