John 3:13 -- And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
2 Kings 2:11 -- Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
This apparent contradiction eminates from a false idea about what happened at the time of the death of Elijah. Also, quite often theologians and others are bringing also Henoch and Moses into the discussion when speaking about this topic because they too supposedly have gone up into heaven. Here, the points and keys to a proper understanding and a solution to this difficulty are given, then each reader can check with the statements made in scripture what this is all about.
First of all, one should note that the term "heaven" is used in the Bible with more than just one meaning. For one, "heaven" describes the place where God dwells and is present, on the other hand it also describes the place under the firmament, i.e. the space and realm above the ground of the earth, the realm of the air or atmosphere. In the verses mentioned above, there are distinct usages of the term "heaven" to be observed. In John 3:13, "heaven" describes the place of the presence of God, to whom Jesus Christ has ascended and at whose right hand he now after his ascension is seated. In 2 Kings however, "heaven" only describes the realm of the air, the area above the ground. Elijah was lifted up by a whirlwind ( a strong storm or wind) into the air and was not seen after that by Elisha.
That Elijah could not have ascended into the heaven (i.e. had not come into the presence of God) is really very clear because otherwise the whole clear doctrine and teaching of the Bible would make no sense. Elijah was a sinful man like we and all other men after Adam are, therefore he needed just as any other man a saviour and redeemer. If it would have been possible for Elijah to come into God's presence without having died, then Jesus Christ would not have needed to give his life. Elijah lived a few centuries before Christ (this same truth applies also to Henoch and Moses), why then would Jesus Christ have to give his life when it was possible for man to get into God's presence without the atoning sacrifice of Christ? If one wants to argue that only certain special people were granted this privilege, one actually accuses God of being unjust and a respector of persons.
A careful study of the record about the prophet Elijah and the circumstances of his death shows that he did die at that time and that he was hurled up in this whirlwind into the air and he was no longer seen by Elisha. The sons of the prophets also knew that Elijah had died, and they never voice the opinion that Elijah was alive and now in the presence of God or "in heaven". Some people point to the records in the gospels about the transfiguration of Christ where Elijah appeared together with Moses on that mountain, and they want to prove with this record that Elijah is not dead but alive in heaven. However, this is a grave error because until now only Jesus Christ has been raised by God from the dead unto eternal life. Jesus himself said that what the disciples had seen on the mountain was "a vision". They did not see this scene with their natural eyes as a present reality, Elijah and Moses were not actually present there in person, but the whole matter of this scene was a vision, a revelation which God gave them.
Jesus Christus was taken up into heaven 40 days after his resurrection from the dead and is now seated there at the right hand of God. After having shown himseld for 40 days as the living one, he ascended into heaven and he shall return from there in like manner at the appointed time. What a great hope we as Christians have!