Second Kings 2:11 states that Elijah “went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” Yet, John 3:13 and Acts 2:34 indicate no one has ascended into heaven. Can you explain this seeming contradiction?

The answer lies in understanding the different ways in which the Bible uses the word heaven. The dwelling place of God is called “heaven” (Matthew 5:16,34,45; 6:1,9; 7:11,21; Revelation 4). This was the “heaven” Jesus had in mind when He said, “No one has ascended to heaven…” (John 3:13). Generally, however, the word simply refers to the sky, whether within or outside the earth’s atmosphere. The birds fly in “heaven” (Genesis 1:20), and the sun, moon, and stars are in “heaven” (Genesis 1:14–17).

Elijah was taken into the sky, but not into the place of God’s dwelling. No doubt, the whirlwind was the means God used in transporting Elijah from one geographical location to another—just as an airplane takes us from one place to another. There is no reason to believe that Elijah stayed in the sky once the whirlwind took him up. The letter from Elijah to King Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:12–15) appears to have been written after the whirlwind incident (though this is inconclusive). If so, then Elijah was obviously on the earth at that time.