“Elisha (the great prophet of Israel) died. And his body was buried…One day some people of Israel were burying a man’s body. Suddenly they saw a group of robbers. So they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. The body touched ELISHA’S BONES. When it did, the man CAME BACK TO LIFE AGAIN. He stood up on his feet.” (2 Kings 13:20-21) In this passage, Israelites throw a dead person’s body into Elisha’s tomb, and that person is restored to life. Alone, that seems like a confusing passage. Knowing what is going on around these verses is important to recognize what is actually happening here.
The prophet Elijah had been carried away, and Elisha was the prophet of Israel from 892 to 832 BC. His time overlapped with Obadiah and Joel. Toward the end of his life, Jehoash was the king of Israel, and the Bible records, “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them” (2 Kings 13:11). Elisha’s bones were not special. They had no special powers, and no relic from a prophet, apostle, or saint has any supernatural ability to perform miracles. ONLY GOD HAS THE POWER TO TRULY BRING PEOPLE BACK FROM THE DEAD, so God must have been the one to do this act. The reason was to remind the nation of Israel of the prophecy of Elisha, which had not come to pass, and to remind them of His power and His promise.
This resurrection should be understood along the lines of similar temporary resurrections. This man DIED AGAIN. Lazarus DIED AGAIN. The widow of Zarapeth’s son DIED AGAIN. All of these resurrections, including the one recorded in this passage from 2 Kings, were signs that TESTIFIED TO GOD’S POWER, FORETOLD THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, and the EVENTUAL RESURRECTION OF THE SAINTS (that’s all of us who are born again) into GLORIFIED BODIES at the end of days. “It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky, and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall SUDDENLY HAVE NEW BODIES ALSO.” (1 Corinthians 15:52) “Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP (harpazō: to snatch away) TOGETHER with them in the clouds to MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR. And thus, we shall ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham