The Prophet Elijah was one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. He came from a village in the wider region of Gilead called Tishbe. He belonged to the tribe of Levi and lived approximately nine hundred years before the birth of Christ.
From a young age, he withdrew into the desert, choosing a life of strict fasting and prayer. During the reign of King Ahab, who worshiped the idol Baal, the prophet was called to serve the Lord. By divine grace, he was sent to the king and foretold that a great famine would come if the people did not return to the true God.
So it happened. The land suffered from hunger, while the Prophet Elijah lived in the desert and survived on food brought to him by ravens. When he returned to Israel, he performed many miracles that confirmed the truth of God. Witnessing his deeds, a great part of the people believed and returned to the worship of the Lord.
According to tradition, the Prophet Elijah did not fall asleep in death but was taken up alive into heaven in a chariot of fire. The Prophet Elisha was a witness to his ascension.
At the Transfiguration of the Lord, Elijah appeared together with the Prophet Moses, conversing with Christ on Mount Tabor.
On the other hand, the Apostle Paul is said to have claimed that the prophet was never taken into heaven. God permitted it to appear as a vision that the saint vanished on the horizon, while in reality he remained on earth in flesh and bones, living among mortals for thousands of years. Thus, according to this view, the prophet appeared at the Transfiguration of the Lord with his physical body, as a representative of the living.
According to the tradition of the Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ on earth.
