Elijah then agreed, but only if Elisha would see him be taken to heaven. They were walking along when 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. Elisha cried, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" Elisha showed Elijah as a symbol of the true strength of Israel. Elisha picked up Elijah's cloak and used it to divide the water in the river of Jordan: so this cloak symbolized that Elisha had now taken Elijah's place.