"Crowing Rooster Or Chariot Of Fire?"

     Then having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed at a distance.
     Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.
     And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at Him and said, "This man was also with Him."
     But he denied Him saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."
     And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"
     Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."
     But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!" And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
     And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."
     And Peter went out and wept bitterly.     Luke 22:54-62

Earlier while with Jesus, Peter had claimed, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." Luke 22:33 Jesus had told him that he would deny knowing Him three times before the rooster crowed. When the whole thing played out and Jesus turned and met Peter's eyes when the rooster crowed, each denial hit Peter full on as he remembered. All three denial's fresh off his lips. It says that he left and wept bitterly.

In 2 Kings 2:1-11 we see a different outcome.  Three times, in three different locations Elijah tells Elisha, "Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to..." Three times, three locations, Elisha responds, "As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" And when the prophets in Bethel and Jericho tell Elisha, 'Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?" He responded, "Yes, I know; keep silent!"  Three times, Elijah had tried to get Elisha to leave him. Three times Elisha refused to stay and determined to stay close. All three times he stayed close and  traveled on to the next destination all the time knowing that he was going to loose Elijah. Because of his determination to not leave Elijah's side he was asked by Elijah, "What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?"  Elisha's response was simple, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." He was then told that, "if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you..."

Both these examples involved a man's choice and very different outcomes. One ended with a man broken, ashamed, and weeping bitterly. The other ended with a man getting to see a Elijah being taken in a chariot of fire in a whirlwind up to heaven and receiving a double portion of anointing. The difference can be found in Luke 22:54 ... 'And Peter followed at a distance.' When Peter was in Jesus's presence he made bold claims, when he followed at a distance, he denied Him, all three times! Elisha refused to leave Elijah's presence no matter how many times he was encouraged to! He was determined to stay close. It is a valuable lesson we as His people need to take heed to.  In His presence we get to be a part of amazing things like, seeing chariots of fire! We too get to make a choice - to listen for the crow of the rooster or to see the chariot of fire!