¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Four Chariots

6 Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. ² The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, ³ the third by white horses, and the fourth by powerful dappled-gray horses. ⁴ “And what are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was talking with me.

⁵ The angel replied, “These are the four spirits^[a] of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. ⁶ The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west,^[b] and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south.”

⁷ The powerful horses were eager to set out to patrol the earth. And the Lord said, “Go and patrol the earth!” So they left at once on their patrol.

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.

¹⁴ Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.

⁵³ Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands^[a] of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?

¹⁸ to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’