Transfigured Hope: Elijah and the Promise of Heaven
Although many travelers to the Holy Land focus their visits on biblical sites located in Israel, there are many noteworthy sacred locations in today’s nation of Jordan, on the east side of the Jordan River. Two of these sites are the site called Tell Mar Elias, by tradition the place where the prophet Elijah was born, and Elijah’s Hill, near the Jordan River location of Jesus’ Baptism, where it is said that Elijah ascended to heaven in the whirlwind. Both sites were the location of notable Christian churches centuries ago. Elijah has long been remembered and honored by Christian people as a precursor to Jesus and an important historical figure of faith. Yet Elijah was a human being—just like us. His presence on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and Moses reminds us of what is to come for us humans by God’s grace for the sake of our glorious and glorified Lord Jesus Christ.