What can we learn about disciple-making authority from the ascension of Elijah and Jesus? 

“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more.

Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” Ephesians 4:9 “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.” Psalm 68:18 

Is the Bible Cyclical and Repeating?

I was meditating on the ascension of Elijah into heaven as it relates to shadows, types, and the cyclic nature of the scriptures. In the cyclic nature of scriptures everything leads to Maranatha, the return of the Lord and the hope for the messianic age and Tikkun Olam (restoration of all things). History repeats itself with mini events that are foreshadows of the coming Great Event. Some may overemphasize the significance of the mini events; it would also be just as wrong to give these mini events no significance at all. The coming age sometimes touches our current age and gives us a taste of what is to come; making our Maranatha cry all the greater.  

How Does Jesus’ Ascension Foreshadow His Return? 

One of those events that foreshadow the Great Coming of the Lord is the ascension of Jesus.  It is an event that not only mirrors and speaks to the significance of His return, but also is an event where eternity has given us access now into what is to come. The book of Ephesians is one of the greatest outlines to the significance of the ascension of Yeshua and what happened at that Great Event.

It is interesting that Paul relates the ascension to Psalm 68, which is a clear passage about the return of the Lord. He thus makes Psalm 68 and the ascension a “near and far” issue.  Having Psalm 68 partially fulfilled at His ascension as a deposit for the greater fulfillment of His return. The ascension truly was a deposit of the coming age.

What Can We Learn from Comparing the Ascension of Elijah and Jesus?

What stood out to me today is the correlation between the ascension of Elijah and the ascension of Jesus as it relates to “giving gifts to men.”  At his ascension Jesus stripped the principalities of their governmental gifts and gave them to the church (much like a king does in battle to those he conquers and gives them as gifts to his kingdom).

These gifts are the fivefold ministry of today, which includes the apostolic role (gift or function, not office). Most of the disciple-making movements are operating in the apostolic function given by Jesus to His church after it had been stripped from the principalities at the ascension of Jesus.  
The same thing happened between Elijah and Elisha. As Elijah ascended into heaven, his mantle fell from the sky for Elisha to take. In like manner, our mantle is received as a gift from Jesus falling from the sky (stripped from the powers and principalities) and given to the church.  

Have Disciple-Makers Received Authority to Make Disciples?

How does this relate to us as disciple-making practitioners: 

• 1.) Every time we operate in the apostolic role of disciple making in pioneer areas, we have a mantle and authority to do this supernaturally given to us by Jesus Himself at His ascension.  We are wearing a mantle not based on our own natural abilities but fallen from heaven at His ascension. Be encouraged, it is not by your works, it is supernaturally an ascension gift!  Walk in that power and authority. 
• 2.) It is a gift displaying the power of the age to come leading to a Maranatha cry. If we correlate the ascension gifts to Psalm 68’s Maranatha expectation and great hope!  Let us lead the world to hunger for a King that will one day return to rule from Zion! As He ascended, He will descend in like manner. As apostolic disciple makers we are to display the wonder of that coming return and cause hunger for it in the nations! 
• 3.) Remember that as we operate in these gifts, we are seated with Him in heavenly places with gifts that were stripped from the principalities and powers. We operate under the authority of a coming kingdom and coming King and are no longer subject to the spiritual authorities of this age!  We need to come into pioneer areas realizing that the authority gifts of the ruling principalities of those areas have been stripped from them and given to us! We have authority to take ground through disciple making and thus create a coup of spiritual authority that is given to the head, Jesus. His reward at His return, a people submitted to His rule and reign who chose it over the powers and principalities through disciple making.  
• 4.) There are many people of peace that operate with authority under the powers and principalities. We too can operate out of the authority of the ascended Yeshua, taking captivity captive, and giving gifts to men. Meaning that we can find these people of peace giving authority to the powers and principalities, take them captive through disciple making, and give them as gifts to their own people. Essentially turning them from indigenous apostles of the principalities to indigenous apostles of Jesus.  

This is in essence what we do when we find persons of peace.  There are several people I recognize with leadership and apostolic capabilities that are playing for the enemies team. I am praying that the ascended Jesus takes them “captive” and gives them as gifts to the church!  A spiritual coup!   

Identify Persons of Peace 

Who are those unbelieving supernatural leaders playing for the enemies’ team that need to discover Christ and pioneer a movement in their households and regions? 

Author,  

– Disciple-Maker Serving in the Middle East 

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