What happened to Enoch and

Elijah?

and he [Enoch] was not, for God took him. Gen 5:24

Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 1Kings 2:11

Strange Mysteries

Many anomalies surround the fate of Enoch and Elijah. Did they go to heaven?Did they never die?Will they return as reincarnated witnesses?

Do these ideas contradict other basic Biblical truths?

Gen 5:21-24 (NKJV)3 verses

Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

More about Enoch in Hebrews

Heb 11:5 (NKJV) By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Greek word for “taken” is equivalent as translation for the Hebrew word used in Genesis.

Does “did not see death” mean never ever, or just at that time?

2 Kings 2:11Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into the heavens.

Heaven= Hebrew shamayim (pl)

Elijah went to heaven, but which heaven?

shamayim

Always plural, 3 ordinal heavens in the bible:

1st heaven= sky where birds fly and clouds waft.

2nd heaven= outer space where the sun and moon are hung.

3rd heaven= Heaven the celestial, non-temporal abode of God.

1st heaven of birds

(KJV) And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

See also Gen 1:26, Jer 4:25, many others.

Gen 7:23

Deut 4:11 1st heaven of atmosphere

(KJV) And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

1Ki 18:45 1st heaven of clouds (KJV) And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. See also Job 35:5, Ps 36:5, and many others

Isa 55:10 1st heaven of weather

(NKJV) For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater.

Conclusion:1st heaven is what we would call

sky

2nd heaven of outer space

Deu 4:19 (KJV) And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, [even] all the host of heaven , shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

Jos 10:13 (NKJV) So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

Gen 22:17(KJV) [to Jacob] I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven. See also Gen 26:4, Ex 32:13, Deut 1:10, Deut 10:22, 1Chron 27:23, etc.

2nd heaven of outer space

.

Conclusion:2nd heaven is what we would call

outer space

3rd heaven abode of God

Ps 80:14 (NKJV) Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see,And visit this vine.

See also Deut 26:15, Ps 85:11, Isa 63:15.Note heaven is always “up”, as the sky is up over your head.

3rd heaven abode of God

Ps 123:1 (GNB)

LORD, I look up to you,    up to heaven, where you rule.

Look up when you pray! God is not down at your feet! Make eye contact with heaven!

Dan 2:28 (KJV) But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.

Does God live in the sky, atmosphere, clouds, or deep space? Captain Kirk cannot fly there in the Enterprise.

3rd heaven abode of God

All 3 heavens belong to God as Creator

Deu 10:14 (KJV) Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

Same word used 3 different ways in Hebrew.There are ordinal heavens: 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

Paul had vision/trip to 3rd heaven

2Cor 12:2-3 (NKJV) I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.

Confirmation of system of the ordinal heavens.Verse 4 equates by parallel 3rd heaven with Paradise.

Recap so far

-Three heavens exist (sky, space and Paradise)-Enoch was “taken away”, but it does not say to where.-Elijah up went up into “heaven”, but the text doesn’t clarify which heaven.-Paul (post Resurrection /Pentecost) definitely had an Heavenly Paradise trip to the abode of God.

Conversation with Nicodemus

John 3:13 (NKJV) “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

Did Jesus comes from sky or space? No, of course not. Christ is referring to 3rd Heaven-the Celestial Abode of God.

Jesus is making claim to Divinity.Note that this is before his death and resurrection.

Why were there no humans in heaven #3 before Christ?

God can’t stand with sin

Hab 1:13 (NKJV) You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,And cannot look on wickedness.

God is “holy” What does that mean?

Lev 11:44 I am the YHWH your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.

Holy=kodosh [דֹוׁש Sָק ]Holy means separate, cut off, set apart.God is separate, or cut off, from everything that is sinful and evil.

Pre- Resurrection of Jesus, Humans are

Separated and Hidden

Isa 59:2 (NKJV) But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you.

See also Ps 59, 1 John 1:6-7 and many others

Wait a minute… Didn’t Satan stand before God in heaven?

Job 1:6-7 (NKJV) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

Difference between “standing with” and “standing before.” Satan not under wing of God’s protection. Not leaning on bosom in safety. Opposite side of table.

Back to Hebrews 11This chapter is famous hall of fame for the FAITH of the fathers:

4 By faith Abel… 5 By faith Enoch…7 By faith Noah… 8 By faith Abraham…

20 By faith Isaac… 21 By faith Jacob… 22 By faith Joseph… 23 By faith Moses…31 By faith the prostitute Rahab… 32And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets…

All Died

Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Does this include Enoch+ Elijah?

Hebrews11:5(KJV) By faith Enoch… 11:13 These all died in faith [Grk: pantes]

John 3:13 (KJV) And no man hath ascended up to heaven.

John 6:46 (KJV) Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.48 I am that bread of life.י Xַח Zם ֶל Zַח Zֶל

An Obvious Proclamation

Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

“and thus death spread to all men”

Death is a direct result of human sin. Death is part of the curse levied against Adam: “to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19). Without redemption from God, all people will ultimately and finally die in hell. The Bible calls it the second death. Graciously and mercifully God has provided redemption. We can escape death through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Veil Separating us from God

All humans are separated from God due to sin. Before the ministry of Jesus, NOBODY had been to heaven. There was a veil between the Holy of Holies, where God dwelt and the rest of the Temple where human priests ministered.

Ex 26:31-35 gives rules concerning the veil.Lev 16 Day of Atonement rules.

Ark(God’s presence) behind the veil

Veil between God and Man

Mat 27:51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom

Veil Torn DownJesus Christ tore down the veil of the Temple. Through His righteousness and faithfulness, we his adopted brothers and sisters, may enter directly into the almighty presence of the Creator.

Believers presented to God blameless

Col 1:21-22 (NKJV) yet now He has reconciled 22

in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.

We are presented to God. Humans in heaven#3.Good news for me and you, but Enoch and Elijah(and David and the thief on the Cross) lived/died before the watershed of Jesus’ resurrection.

Watershed divide

Continental divide in Rocky Mnts separates waters between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Watershed divide

Jesus’ Resurrection in AD30 separates saints between the prison of the grave and heaven#3.

OT NT

GraveHeaven#3

resurrection

Easter 2000yrs ago

Firstborn from dead

Colossians 1:18(NKJV) "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."Revelation 1:5(NKJV) "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. "1 Cor 15:20 (NKJV) "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

Christ the ARCHĒGOS

Heb 2:10 "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain [archēgos] of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Literally means to bring forth from the beginning. Pioneer, predecessor, original leader by example. Jesus is the First cause of eternal life, the inventor of afterlife, He is the trail blazer to the Father + heaven#3.

Heb 12:2 (NKJV) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith

Acts 3:15 (NKJV) and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses

Theologically critical. Jesus is Prime, Unique, First to conquer death. He wrote the book.Jesus is the archegos of Life.

Christ the ARCHĒGOS

John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son.

What does begotten mean?The Greek word is monogenes – μονογενής

It means “unique” or “only.” Jesus was one of a kind. There was no other like Son, nor would there ever be.

Christ the monogenes

Deep theology,

now apply it…

So……What happened to Enoch

and Elijah?

and he was not, for God took him. Gen 5:24

Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 1Kings 2:11

Although Unknown, the best answer

is that they were temporally transported in the sky (as Phillip in Acts 8) to another place.

Enoch escaped death that day. He lived out his days in God’s witness protection program elsewhere.

That Elijah was taken in a whirlwind bears evidence, as wind only exists in the atmosphere.Elijah retired, went to pasture, and Elisha was promoted into that office.

Although Unknown, the best answer

Enoch and Elijah grew old and died natural human deaths.

It is theologically IMPOSSIBLE for them to have escaped death, because Jesus had not yet made possible a redemption for sin.

And the wages of sin have always been death.

The Easter connection Game changer…Today’s lesson: they didn’t not die

But even after physical death…

When the body of an OT saint expired, when they died, their soul and spirit did NOT go to heaven#3, because Jesus’ words in John 3:13 and 6:46 specifically exclude that option.

They went to the grave. They were unconscious in death waiting for the Resurrection of Christ, at which point they were recalled to be with Christ.

For full details…

See Enoch+Elijah study lesson at

Also See my book :Dead Soul Syndrome Published by Wipf and Stock

http://www.deadsoulsyndrome.com/

Reject any answer…

That reduces the Uniqueness of Jesus Christ.That claims a resurrected body, soul, or spirit before the atoning work of Jesus.That gives God’s gift of Life to humanity without Christ.

What about the 2 witnesses?

Malachi 3:1; 4:5 Behold, I send My messenger,And he will prepare the way before Me.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.  

Some people say that Enoch and Elijah will be the 2 witnesses of Rev 11. At that time, they will have an opportunity to die.

Occultation?

Occultation means hidden. We get the word: occult- the hidden arts. We also speak of occultation in astronomy-it means an eclipse of the moon or sun.

This theory is that Enoch +Elijah have been hidden in living body form in heaven for thousands of years. And will return in the last days to fulfill Heb 9:27 “appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment.”

There is no Biblical precedent for this. Jesus is NOT currently occulted. Scripture says that Christ is currently powerfully present in our lives by His Spirit.

John the Baptist was Elijah

In Mat 11:14 and Mat 17:12-13 Jesus said that John fulfilled the role of Elijah.Yet in John 1:21 yet when the Jews questioned John directly, John denied that he was in fact Elijah reincarnated.

Luke 1:17 says it well: John came in the “spirit and power of Elijah.”

John came in the shoes of Elijah, bearing the testimony of Elijah. But he was not Elijah reincarnated.

What about the 2 witnesses?The 2 witnesses of Rev 11, (if they are even individual people and not symbolic-of which I am not convinced either way):

Will likewise be unique individuals born in that time,However they will carry a very old message.

Like John the Baptist, they will come “in the spirit and power of Elijah.”

But they will not actually be Elijah.

What about thief on the cross?

Luke 23:43 (KJV) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

NT Greek mss do not contain punctuation marks. The comma (above before “today”) was added in the Middle Ages based on interpreted understanding of the passage.

Where to put the comma?

Luke 23:43 (KJV) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

-KJV and most English translations traditionally interpret the comma before “today.” Meaning that thief and Jesus would both be in Paradise that same afternoon.

Luke 23:43 (Proposed punctuation) And Jesus said to him: Verily I say unto thee today, you shall be with me in paradise.

-A better translation would insert the comma after “today.”

Verily I say today,“This day that I'm dying on the cross, this day with the crown of thorns upon My head, this day with blood running down My face, this day when I'm saving humanity, this day that it looks like I'm a criminal.”1

I’m talking to you today! You will most assuredly, eventually be with Me in Paradise.

1 Excerpt from my book, Dead Soul Syndrome, page 59.

Paradise=3rd heavenThe word Paradise is used 3 times in NT:

2Cor 12:2-4 Paul has a revelation. “Caught up to the third heaven… caught up to paradise.”

-Thus Paradise is synonymous with 3rd heaven.

Rev 2:7 The tree of life is in Paradise. -This is metaphor. There is no magical tree in heaven. Jesus is the tree of life and Jesus is in heaven.

Lk 23:43 Good thief on the cross will be in Paradise at some point.-Thus the thief will enter 3rd heaven, abode of the Father at some point. (Contra soul sleep for Christians)

But for the thief, not today

John 20:17 Jesus said [to Mary Magdalene in the garden on Easter morning], "Do not cling on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. ”

If Jesus had not been to heaven yet, how could the thief?

Redemption of mankind is not complete without the RESURRECTION.Paul says in 1Cor 15 that without resurrection it is all a waste of time, and our faith is a sham.1Pet 1:3 “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”

New Birth is not possible without the Resurrection of Jesus FIRST.

What about thief on the cross?The comma before “today” is a medieval translation error in our Bibles.The good thief did not go the heaven before Jesus.No body beats Jesus to the punch. Christ is the 1st to be presented to the Father without blemish.

But He is not the last! Many more are presented to the Father without blemish in His wake (see Eph 5:27). The Father is in 3rd heaven, thus NT Christians enter heaven in soul +spirit before the body resurrection.

The thief must have waited at least 3 days, until after the Resurrection on that first Easter morning.

Go ahead with an ink pen and correct your printed Bible in Luke 23:43.

What about Abraham's bosom?

A place of rest, bliss, peace and content for the righteous dead waiting for Jesus atonement?

A common theory:If nobody goes to 3rd heaven before Christ, maybe they went to Abraham’s bosom to await the resurrection of Jesus.

What about Abraham's bosom?

What was the original curse on Adam for sin?

Peace and content in a pleasant prison awaiting redemption?

Or turning to dust?

(See Gen 3:19 for the answer)

What about Abraham's bosom?Ecc 3:20 all go to ONE place (not 2 compartments)Ps 31:17 sheol is a place of silence (not communicating with Abraham)Job 17:13 place of darkness (how could Dives even see across to Abraham?)Ps 6:5 no memory (yet Dives remembers his brothers)Ecc 9:10 no work (yet Dives requests Lazarus to carry water)Ecc 9:5; Ps 146:4  no thought (yet Dives and Abraham are both thinking)Job 3:17 no turmoil (yet Dives writhes in turmoil)Ps 88:8 no acquaintances (yet Lazarus has Abraham)Ps 115:17 no one praises God from Sheol (yet when Jesus allegedly showed up they received him)

What about Abraham's bosom?The parable of Luke 16 Lazarus and Dives (Dives is Latin for “richman” and has over the years sort of become his name) is a PARABLE.

Insurmountable difficulties are generated trying to make it a literal historic event.

Most importantly, notice this passage is spoken directly to the Pharisees and crowds (Luke 16:14). Yet Scripture says that He only spoke to them in parable; do not give treasure to pigs; He deliberately spoke clandestinely to the Pharisees so as to confound them.

Why would the ONLY reference to a compartment of sheol as an abode of the conscious dead be presented to the Pharisees?

It wouldn’t. This is a parable. It is about money (Lk 16:14) not afterlife.

See my book, chapter 4 for complete details on this passage.