The flame passes on

2 Kings 2:9-11, 15 NIV
[9] 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. [10] “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.” [11] 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.
[15] The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.



There is a song from the 80s that speaks of the flame passing on. Some may not be fully sure what that means. Let me explain. The flame passing on is the mantle passing on, the mantle that God placed upon the heads of his Saints. The mantle of God’s presence of God’s love and of God’s strength. When a saint dies we want their mantle the pass on. Saint does not mean some Heavenly being an Earthly form, saint s those of us who are blessed enough by God to be one of his workers. We all have a mantle that we pass on in a way. But the mantle that God passes is a handcrafted metal of his authority that he is left with us.
Elisha knew what the mantle Eljiah carried was worth. He knew that the Spirit of God resting on the Elijah was the greatest inheritance you could receive. Now. If Elisha had not been worthy in God’s eyes He would not have permitted Elisha to gain the double portion, but Elisha shared a similar love for God as Elijah.
Elijah and Elisha both faced difficult times. Times brought on them because of their mantle. The mantle of God gives you strength and protection, but those in sin will hate seeing you in it and will come after you because of it. Thankfully, in this age we won’t be hunted to death by crazed queens or Pharoahs, but we might have people call us names on the internet. Elijah laughed in the faces of the servants of the devil and taunted them as he watched God bring them to their knees. Do we have that kind of faith? Do we know in our hearts that God will save us from darkness?

We stand in the face of anyone and anything if God stands with us. Do you ask Him to be your strength and mantle? If not, you are fighting a battle alone that you cannot win by yourself. Seek Him. Find Him. Never let go of Him. He is all you need.