I would like to introduce very useful article for
deepening your understanding of the topic in the Bible. It’s a quite lengthy one
though.
"WHERE
are ENOCH and ELIJAH?"
Enoch was translated that he should not see death.
Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Yet the Bible reveals they are not
in heaven today! WHERE ARE THEY? Here's the astounding truth.
Where
Is Enoch?
ENOCH was "translated." Where did he go?
Was he immediately taken to heaven? NO! Because Jesus Himself said: "No
man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son
of man" (John 3:13). Here are Jesus’ own words that no man, except
Himself, had ascended into heaven!
And how did
He know? Why, He came from there! Then where is Enoch? Let’s see what the Bible
says.
Enoch
Walked with God
At the age of 65 Enoch had a son named Methuselah. "And
Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and he
begat sons and daughters" (Genesis 5:22).
Here was a man that PLEASED God, a man that WALKED
WITH GOD.
Enoch had to have faith, for in Hebrews 11:6 the
Apostle said, "But without faith it is impossible to PLEASE Him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him." So Enoch walked with God. He obeyed God, and followed
Him in His paths BY FAITH.
No one can walk with God unless he is in agreement
with the will of God and doing it. Amos the prophet said: "Can two walk together,
except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3.) So in his generation Enoch was
the only recorded person who followed the ways of God—even though it possibly
took him sixty-five years to learn to walk with God!
But how long did Enoch walk with God? The Scripture
says that he "walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred
years." So Enoch followed God’s ways for three hundred years. Notice that
Moses did not record that Enoch is still walking with God. The Scripture says
that Enoch WALKED with God for three hundred years and not one year more!
Because "all the days of Enoch were three
hundred sixty-five years" (Gen. 5:23). Not just part of his days,
but all his days! If Enoch did not die—if he was changed to immortality—and
thus continued to walk with God, then his days would have been more than three
hundred and sixty-five years. But the Bible plainly says that ALL his days were
just that many, and no more!
But what about his translation? Does that mean he
didn’t die? That’s what most people carelessly assume without proof.
What
Really Happened at Enoch’s Translation!
Remember, Moses didn’t write that Enoch did not die.
Rather Moses wrote that "Enoch walked with God: and he was not;
for God took him” (Gen. 5:24). Paul records the same event by saying
that he "was not found, because God had translated him" (Heb.
11:5).
Thus the Scripture records that Enoch was not found
because God took him, or "translated" him. THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY
THAT ENOCH WENT TO HEAVEN when he was translated. Instead it says he was not
found. Certainly Enoch was "translated," but what does the word
"translate" mean? Strange as it may seem, nowhere in all the Bible
does "translate" mean to make immortal!
The original Greek word for "was translated"
is ‘metetethe’(
μετετέθη).
According to Strong’s Concordance it signifies: ‘transfer’, ‘transport’, ‘exchange’,
‘change sides’.
The same Greek word is rendered "carried over"
in Acts 7:16. Here we read that after Jacob DIED his body was "carried
over"—transported, TRANSLATED—to Sychem WHERE HE WAS BURIED! That’s what
your Bible says! Jacob was transported or TRANSLATED to the place of burial!
Notice another proof that "translate" does
not mean to make immortal. It is found in Col. 1:13: the Father "hath
delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath TRANSLATED us into the
kingdom of His dear Son." Here the Bible says that Christians are
already translated—but Christians still die! We are not immortal bodies, but
mortal flesh and blood. Although we were once part of the darkness of this
world, now we are TRANSLATED, removed from darkness into the light of the
kingdom of God.
Didn’t
Receive the Promise
Enoch is included by Paul (in Hebrews 11) among the
fathers who obtained a good report through faith; but "ALL these, having
obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise"
(Heb. 11:39). What promise? The "hope of eternal life, which God, that
cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2).
So Enoch therefore is one of "ALL THESE"
who have not yet obtained the promise of eternal life and inheritance. Enoch
and all the worthies of old will receive the promise of eternal life at the
return of Christ, the same time Christians obtain it (Heb. 11:40). That is yet
future!
Since Enoch has not yet inherited eternal life he
must be dead! This is exactly what Paul writes in Heb. 11:13! Paul says Enoch
DIED! Notice it! "These ALL died in faith, not having received what was promised”
Who were these "ALL"?
Paul tells us: Abel, ENOCH, Noah, and the patriarchs
and their wives. Hebrews 11:1-12 lists those who had faith and Enoch is
included among them. Then in verse 13 Paul proved that they had not inherited
the promises by saying: "These ALL [including Enoch] died in
faith?”
But what about Paul’s saying that Enoch "should
not see death"?
Which
Death Did Enoch Escape?
Enoch lived only three hundred sixty-five years.
Then what could Paul possibly have meant by saying: "By faith Enoch was
translated that he should not see death; and was not found because God had
translated him?" This verse nowhere says that Enoch did not die.
Rather, it says that Enoch "should not see death." But what does it
mean?
Remember, there is more than one death mentioned in
the Bible. There is a first death, and there is a second death (Rev.
20:6). Which death did Paul mean?
The first death is appointed unto men (Heb. 9:27).
That death cannot be humanly evaded. It is inevitable. That death Enoch died,
as we have already proved.
Did Jesus ever speak of a death that might be
escaped? He certainly did! In John 8:51 Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto
you, If a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death"—shall
never see— that is, suffer—the second death! And again in John 11:26, "Whoso
liveth and believeth in me shall never die"—or "shall not die
forever."
This death is one that can be escaped on condition
that men keep the sayings of Jesus and believe Him. This death is not the first
death, because Christians who keep Jesus’ sayings die this first death. Then
the death which Enoch should escape must be the second death which will NEVER
TOUCH THOSE WHO ARE IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION (Rev. 20:6). And Enoch will be in
the first resurrection because he met the conditions!
Did
Elijah Go To Heaven?
You have been told that Elijah went to heaven. Yet
over 900 years after Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind, Jesus Himself said. "NO
MAN ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of
man!" (John 3:13.)
Is this a Bible contradiction? Did Elijah really
ascend to the heaven where God’s throne is—even though Jesus said he didn’t? If
Elijah is not in heaven today, then where did Elijah go?
Which
Heaven?
There are three heavens mentioned in the Bible, not
just one! And if, as Jesus said, no man, which included Elijah, had ever
ascended to the heaven where He came from, then the heaven into which Elijah
was taken was a different heaven!
Which one was it?
The
third heaven is the heaven of God’s throne, where
Jesus is today. Jesus, being the High Priest of God, is the only one who has
the right to be in that heaven with the Father.
Notice why! Hebrews 8:1-5 explains that the original
earthly tabernacle under the Old Covenant, with its most holy place, or
compartment, was the type of the throne of God in heaven. Only the high
priest—type of Christ as High Priest now—was allowed to enter!
The
second heaven represents the expanse of this great
universe—the space where we find the sun, moon, stars, comets and planets. How
often do we find the Psalmist admiring the "heavens, the work of Thy
fingers, the moon, and the stars, which Thou has ordained" (Psalm 8:3;
Genesis 1:15-17).
This
first heaven, from which dew comes, means the
atmosphere, where the clouds and the wind roam. Everyone of us is right now
breathing the air of heaven!
Since Elijah could not have gone to the heaven of
God’s throne, then to which heaven did he go?—for the Scripture reads: "and
Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (II Kings 2:1, 11).
The answer ought already be quite obvious! Elijah
"went up by a whirlwind into heaven"—not to the heaven of God’s
throne, but into this earth’s atmosphere, the first heaven.
There could be no whirlwind in any other place but
in the atmosphere surrounding this earth—in the first heaven, in which the
birds fly. You certainly have seen the great lifting power of a whirlwind,
haven’t you?
Why
Taken Up?
What was the reason for this unusual act of God? Why
did He take Elijah up into the atmosphere? Was it to make him immortal? No! The
Scripture says no word about that! The ancient prophets—including Elijah—did
not receive any promise of immortality prior to or apart from us. Notice it in
Hebrews 11:13 and 39: "These all, having obtained a good
report through faith, received not the promise!" And we shall not
receive it until Christ returns (Heb. 11:40).
The purpose of God in removing Elijah was to replace
him with another man who would occupy Elijah’s office in Israel for another
fifty years. This work had to start under a new king, for Ahaziah had just
died. And Elijah was already aging. So as not to disqualify Elijah in the sight
of the people, God took him away from the sons of the prophets and the people,
allowing the mantle which signified the office of Elijah to drop into the hands
of Elisha. Thus God preserved the name and office of His prophet.
How
Taken Up?
Having crossed Jordan near Jericho, Elijah was taken
up by a whirlwind in what appeared to be a chariot and horses of fire. The
violent motion of the wind pulled the mantle off the prophet as he was seen to
ascend into the sky. You probably remember reading the promise of Elijah that
Elisha would have a double portion of the Spirit of God if he would be allowed
by God to see Elijah taken up (II Kings 2:9). All this meant that Elisha was to
be the leader, the new head of the sons of the prophets.
Having ascended into the air, Elijah was borne away
out of the sight of the new leader—beyond the horizon. But—
Where
Did Elijah Go?
This has been the perplexing problem to so many! He
did not ascend to the throne of God. Jesus said so! Yet he couldn’t remain in
the air forever.
And God did not say that Elijah was to die at that
time. If he were, Elisha could have assumed his new office without the removal
of Elijah, for we know that Elisha died in office after fulfilling his duty (II
Kings 13:14).
The sons of the prophets who knew that their master
was to be removed also that Elijah was not to die then. That is why they were
fearful that the Spirit of God might have allowed him to drop "upon
some mountain, or into some valley" (II Kings 2:16). Elisha knew
that God would preserve Elijah from falling, but at their insistence he
permitted men to go in search for him—to no avail. Elijah was gone! And where
to? Certainly the whirlwind used by God could not take him beyond the earth’s
atmosphere. Neither does the Bible account leave Elijah in the air!
The
Answer Unfolds
Let us notice the next few years and see what
further events the Scripture records. The new king of Israel was another son of
Ahab, Jehoram, or Joram as he is sometimes called. The beginning of his reign
marked the year of the removal of Elijah (II Kings 1:18 and 3:1). During this
king’s reign Elisha was the recognized prophet of God (II Kings 3:11). In the
fifth year of Joram king of Israel, the son of the king of Judah began to reign
along with his father in Judah (II Kings 8:16). His name also was Jehoram. The
first thing he did to establish his kingdom rule was to put his relatives to
the sword lest they should claim the throne from him (11 Chronicles 2 1:4). For
nearly six years he followed the ways of the nations about him and did evil in
God’s sight.
Almost ten years had now expired since Elijah was
taken from the people. But what do you think was about to happen?
A
Letter Comes from Elijah!
Yes, after this wicked rule by the Jewish king, God
chose Elijah to write a letter and have it sent to the king!
The contents of the letter are found in II
Chronicles 21:12-15. In part it reads:
"Because
thou hast not walked in the ways of. . . thy father . - . but hast walked in
the way of the kings of Israel.. . and also hast slain thy brethren of thy
father’s house, which were better than thyself. . . thou shalt have great
sickness by disease."
From the wording of the letter, it is clear that
Elijah wrote it after these events had occurred, for he speaks of them as past
events, and of the disease as future. Two years after the king became diseased
the king died—having reigned only eight short years (II Chronicles 21:18-20).
This proves that the letter was written about ten
years after Elijah had been taken to another location by the whirlwind.
Moses
and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration
The only remaining texts that puzzle people are
those relative to the appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of
Transfiguration with Jesus. The record of the event is found in Matthew 17:1-9;
Mark 9:2-10; Luke 9:28-36.
Leaving the mountain, Jesus told his disciples: "Tell
the vision to no man” (Mat. 17:9). A vision is not a material reality
but a supernatural picture observed by the eyes.
Moses died, and was buried (Deut. 34:5-6). Both Moses
and Elijah were still dead in their graves, but in vision both they and Jesus
were seen in the glory of the resurrection—an event to which Moses and Elijah have
not yet attained (Heb. 11:39). The vision was granted the disciples after Jesus
had spoken of the glory of immortality in the coming kingdom.
How plain the Bible is! Elijah is dead in the dust
of the earth awaiting the resurrection of the just. Elijah, some years after
being removed in the whirlwind, went to the grave, but will rise again to live
forevermore!
Retrieved from http://www.cgom.org/Publications/Booklets/Enoch_Elijah.htm
and modified to be short for posting 07/30/12