3.3b. Elijah is Taken to Heaven in a Whirlwind!

This lesson is part 2 of Elijah. This is part 3 in a through the Bible for preschoolers' series.

(Teacher’s note: 2:1 and 2:11 state Elijah went to heaven in a whirlwind, not the chariot.)

Part 1

Last week we learned that God sent ravens to Elijah with food, and he drank the water from the brook called Cherith. Elijah was a prophet. They were men that spoke for God.

Sometime later, Elijah was traveling and one night Elijah stopped by a cave and slept in it for the night. God told him to go and stand out on the mountain.

The Lord passed by, and a strong wind ripped into the mountain. It broke the rocks into pieces! After the wind, was an earthquake. After the earthquake was a fire. After the fire was a small voice. When Elijah heard the voice, he put his face into his mantle (coat) and went to the entrance of the cave.

Part 2

God talked to Elijah and told Elijah to anoint Elisha as the next prophet. Elijah left the cave and saw Elisha plowing with 12 oxen in the fields. Elijah threw his mantle (coat) onto Elisha.

Elisha said goodbye to his parents and left to travel with Elijah. After traveling to different cities, they came to the Jordan River.

Elijah rolled up his mantle (coat) that prophets wore, and he hit the Jordan River. The water divided and they walked over on dry ground!

Elijah and Elisha were talking and suddenly a chariot with horses of fire came between them and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind! Elijah dropped his mantle for Elisha to keep.

Lesson found in 1 Kings 19 & 2 Kings 2.

This was used for my second-grade class but is easy enough for preschoolers. I precut the sections out and as we discussed each power, they glued them on. Click here to download.

This printable turned out totally different from what I had in mind! That happens sometimes and I just go with it. So, you can see more from the directions below on how I used it. The whirlwind is gray only, but the rest has the color and black & white included.

After printing, attach Velcro to the rectangle at the top of the whirlwind, and the other piece to the back of Elijah. When the whirlwind picks up Elijah, students can stick him on the whirlwind. Elisha is a standup figure. Cut around the solid outside line and fold on the dotted line. Elisha can stand up and watch Elijah be taken away. The flaming chariot can be held between the whirlwind and Elisha. (2 Kings 2:1 & 2:11) Click here to download.