Enoch and Elijah

Did they enter into Heaven?

There are many people, even some Theologians, who believe emphatically that Elijah was taken to God’s throne in Heaven.  It is believed that the biblical examples of Enoch and Elijah show that we will also be in Heaven with God after we die.  Well, What about Elijah?  Or Enoch? Weren’t they taken to heaven?  Well, let us find out about these two men of God and of their “translation”.  Let us begin with Elijah and also let us rely on the scriptures to give us the “big picture” of what really happened with him.  We need to gather a little information before we go to II Kings to “witness” the “translation” of this servant of God.

(Read Carefully) 1Kings18:7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? 8 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 10 As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. 11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth. 13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. 15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?  

These passages let us realize that Elijah was “translated” many times before! Look carefully at verse 10″…there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there;“. Whenever the enemies of God came to look for Elijah , after reported “Elijah sightings” they could never find him!  It is apparent that Elijah had a habit of “disappearing” and that it was known amongst the people of God that the Lord did this thing (v.12).

II Kings 2:12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.

This passage has been misunderstood by many theologians. They claim it to be a prophecy of Elijah being taken to heaven.  This could not be further from the truth.  If this were a prophecy, and it was from God, then Elijah would have been taken away BEFORE Obadiah had brought King Ahab to meet him as the  “…as soon as I am gone from thee” clearly states.   

I Kings 18:16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?   We see here that Ahab DID indeed see Elijah at this time which shows that this was not a prophecy – for it came not true. 

Obadiah’s understanding was that Elijah always was “whisked away” whenever his life might be in jeopardy.  Whenever the King’s men came to apprehend Elijah God picked him up and took him away from the imminent danger, so he should not see his own death.  Elijah would appear in some other city to witness for the Lord until the time that he “wore out his welcome” again.  The knowledge of this phenomenon was widespread among the children of God.

Notice the leading text that is read just prior to Elijah being “taken”. II Kings 2:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.  

These people KNEW what was going to happen because it had happened before.  This time was to be a bit different. Elijah’s active and dangerous ministry was coming to a close.  Many people still sought to take his life.  They also knew that Elisha would “have his master” taken from him and that he would no longer be just Elijah’s servant but the prophet of the Lord. They had contemplated this “passing of the torch” if I may use that term.

And again in II Kings 2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. 5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

Now, retaining and understanding all we have read we continue in II Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.  Elijah knew that his “retirement” was nigh.  He knew that he would be leaving Elisha to the office of the servitude of God as His prophet of warning and witness (see II Kings 2:15).

II Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.  We see that Elijah went up to a place called heaven and out of sight of Elisha. Was this the third heaven, the place of God’s throne?

God tells us through scripture in 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.   Elijah was taken up into the air, the atmosphere of this very planet earth, this is the first heaven (see Are you Going To Heaven?) . He was not taken to God’s throne or the third Heaven (refer to II Co 12:1). Where did this “chariot of fire”, this whirlwind take him to?  We will investigate further as we continue.


II Kings 2:16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not? 

Notice that the onlooking people went off to look for Elijah. Why would they go on a three day journey through the countryside to find a man who has not even on earth?  These people KNEW that Elijah was “transported” from one earthly location unto another.  They were not sure where he ended up but they knew he was returned to this earth.

This is made clear in the scripture because about seven years later (7 yrs by comparing II Kings 3:1, I Kings 22:42, and II Kings 8:16) we find Elijah still on earth having written to the King of Judah, Jehoram .  II Chronicles 21:12 And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,– The word rendered writing is “miktab” [Strong’s # 4385] meaning a letter, a thing written, a document, a writing. So we see that the scripture shows that Elijah continued to live on earth.

Josephus, Antiquities Of The Jews 9:2:2 "Now at this time it was that Elijah disappeared from among men, and no one knows of his death to this very day; but he left behind him his disciple Elisha, as we have formerly declared. And indeed, as to Elijah, and as to Enoch, who was before the Deluge, it is written in the sacred books that they disappeared; but so nobody knew that they died.”

Do you remember that no one saw Moses die either? Yet he did die even though the Lord took him and they saw him no more.  Deuteronomy 32:49-52 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel. Deuteronomy 34:1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,      Deuteronomy 34:5-6 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

Elijah was picked up bodily and placed down in a different location. The prophet Ezekiel experienced the same phenomenon in his day (Ezekiel 3:12-14) and even, the man of God, Philip was identically transported bodily through the air, from a spot between Jerusalem and Gaza, unto the city of Azotus a few miles away (Acts 8:26-28 and Acts8:39,40). Now maybe we should believe 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.

Let us examine briefly the “translation” of Enoch in light of what we have learned.

To begin with let us clear up what is meant by the term “walked with God” as found in Genesis 5:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 

This “walking with God” refers to the living of one’s life in a manner that is pleasing to God (refer to Hebrews 11:5),  to OBEY God’s commands, to exercise the fruit of the spirit of God within you. Leviticus 26:3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then …..12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.  Speaking of  Christ John said in I John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.  This is summed up in a concise manner in Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Now we look at Enoch’s disappearance in Genesis 5:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Notice that it does not say God took Enoch to Heaven.  As the Scripture says: “He was not [found by men]; for God took him [transported him elsewhere].”  This complements all the scriptural proofs concerning Elijah’s transportation as well.

Further evidence can be viewed in Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated [Strong’s #3346– metatithemi– to transport, carry over, translate] that he should not see death ; and was not found , because God had translated him : for before his translation[Strong’s #3331- metathesis-transport, transferral, change]he had this testimony , that he pleased God.  The same Greek word for “translated” here is rendered in Acts 7:16 as “carried over”, and refers to the transporting of Jacob’s dead body to Sychem ( Shechem ).

“…Enoch was translated that he should not see death..” You need to understand that Enoch walked the way God instructed him to. This means that Enoch, as Elijah would later also do, confronted the people with God’s truth. He warned them of what would befall them if they did not turn from their evil ways ( which they did not always see as being evil, mind you.) and turn to the true God, creator of heaven and earth. We find collaborating evidence of this in the book of Jude.

Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 

What happens when prophets of God preach against wickedness and of the coming of Christ to exact judgment upon the unrepentant?  Martyrdom! That is correct, martyrdom, the people invariably attempted to destroy God’s prophets as they were not willing to hear sound doctrine or acknowledge their sin.  The truth of the matter is that God took Enoch away to live out his last days elsewhere or maybe even to die immediately elsewhere, but not at the hands of the wicked who sought to kill him for his preaching against them. This was also for stirring the hope of the people who might repent to think that God would also protect them in their hour of need.

We know that Enoch, a mere man, did eventually die. Hebrews 11:13, in referring to Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Sarah, says that Heb 11:13 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”  These men and women of God all died and must await their reward at the resurrection when Christ returns.

In conclusion, we have found that the Word of God is true and that no man has went up into (third) heaven to be with God except Jesus Christ who came down fron Heaven.

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Does God Require Strict Obedience, Or Does He Judge Us By Our Intentions?

Does God Require Strict Obedience, Or Does He Judge Us By Our Intentions?
Some of us have been spreading the word about the thoroughly pagan origins of Christmas, and the good reasons why Christians shouldn’t celebrate it. I understand many Christians have not yet heard these reasons . . . but some have and it is them that I am addressing.

There is an argument that is repeatedly put forth. It goes something like this: I’m celebrating Christmas for the glory of God . . . I’m celebrating Jesus’ birth (even though it wasn’t Dec. 25th) . . . I’m not doing anything wrong . . . God knows my heart . . . He understands.

Let me share six verses of Scripture, because there is a lesson here–for those who have ‘eyes to see’ and ‘ears to hear’.

‘ . . . but Cain was a tiller of the ground.And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.’ (Genesis 4:2-8)

There is a whole sermon here, but let me make just a few points. This was before the time of Moses, before the Law was established. Abel and Cain lived before the law, as Abraham did, under (the) grace (of God). It was already established that God would send a Savior. It also seems evident that God had established the practice of animal sacrifices for those who followed Him.

Cain was a farmer. I am a gardener. I can understand how Cain loved what he did, and was proud of what he produced. When he gave God an offering from what he had grown, he probably gave Him his best. He may have even done it with a heart full of genuine love for God. But He didn’t obey God–God required a blood sacrifice.

Despite his good intentions, Cain disobeyed. He did what he thought best, rather than what God wanted. He probably believed that the ends justified the means. . . that when God saw what a wonderful offering he had prepared for Him, He would be quite impressed.

Notice Cain’s reaction, when God did not accept his offering: he became irate. He did not repent. He did not return again with the proper offering. He became irate, and he sulked. Resentment took root in his heart. Resentment towards God, and resentment towards Abel, who WAS obedient and obtained God’s favor. Even when God tried to correct his attitude, he persisted in his rebellion–yes, rebellion.

As God warned him, sin was lying at the door. For all appearances, it was only a short while later that what was brewing in Cain’s unrepentant heart led him to kill his brother. If someone would have stopped him, while he was on his way to make his offering to God, and would have prophesied to him that his plan wasn’t going to work out so well . . . and that he would end up killing his brother because of it . . . would he have shook his head at them in disbelief? He was riding high that day, full of pride and expectation that God would be persuaded to see things his way.

But God stepped on his toes. When he had given his sacrifice, He knew it was not what God wanted. Yet, I believe he was so proud of himself that he believed that God would like what he gave Him even better than what He asked for. When God didn’t accept it, his pride would not allow him to repent. Instead, he became angry.


It worries me when I see this kind of a response, from people who say they are Christians. Many of them, when they are presented with the truth about Christmas, act just as Cain did. They seem to have a similar way of thinking. They believe that they can decide HOW they will obey God, and God will accept what they do because He will see that their heart is good. (That is a WHOLE other topic . . . ) They may be right, but I REALLY BELIEVE they are sadly mistaken.


Hear what Samuel told Saul, after he didn’t quite do as God had commanded him:

‘And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to OBEY is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’ (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

Wow, pretty harsh huh?

God often uses another (Christian) to give a warning. When someone gives us a warning, we should prayerfully consider it!

‘Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; . . . if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity . . . ‘ (Ezekiel 3:17,19)

For those who refuse to CONSIDER changing their ways about the celebration of Christmas . . . Christmas is no longer the issue. Such an attitude reveals a far greater issue . . . and this is what God sees when He looks into that heart: rebellion and stubbornness. Translated: witchcraft, iniquity and idolatry.  ( 1 Sam. 15:23)
(Are you still sure you want God to judge you by your heart, on this issue?)

Am I saying that no one should celebrate Christmas? I am saying that everyone should learn the roots of Christmas and then submit themselves to God to do HIS will–that means, surrender it to Him in prayer, having a willingness to do whatever He directs you to do.  Most of the ‘Christians’ who say it’s ok to celebrate it, won’t even do that.

By Susan Weeks

Absent from the body

Doesn’t Paul say that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord?

Text in question: 2 Corinthians 5:8

“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

Proof texts: 1 Corinthians 15:51–54

The apostle Paul appears to tell us here that something better than our current lives, namely being in the presence of God, awaits us after death, when we depart from our bodies. The language he uses seems to imply that life after death exists apart from our bodies and will continue on in spiritual form. To understand this passage, we must learn what the Bible says about the human body and also about Paul.

Bible students must be careful when using one or a handful of verses written by Paul to prove a point of doctrine, especially when the language used is ambiguous. The apostle Peter warns us in 2 Peter 3:15, 16,

“As also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”

If we aren’t careful, we might end up twisting Paul’s writings to our own destruction.

Instead, we must be critical about the text and examine it to see what it truly says. We see that the text in 2 Corinthians 5:8 does not say that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. One does not equal the other. Here is the entire passage in question so that we can understand the full context:

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:1–8).

Paul likens our existing mortal bodies with an “earthly tent,” and says we should not worry if it is destroyed because we have a “building from God” that awaits us. The context does not support the claim that we will be in God’s presence without a body; rather, Paul simply says we will not have THIS body. He likens our bodies to clothing that we must wear. In verse 4, Paul specifically says he does not want to be unclothed (without a body), but rather further clothed (different body). That’s quite a different picture than a disembodied spirit that lives on after death!

When we compare this language to 1 Corinthians 15:51–54, also written by Paul, it becomes even clearer. The passage reads:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ”

Here, as in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses clothing imagery to describe our bodies. We currently wear a mortal body, but in God’s presence at the resurrection we “must put on” an immortal one.

So Paul makes a true statement when he says he prefers to be absent from the body and … present with the Lord. When we stand in God’s presence, we will not be in the same body we have now. And the Bible tells us that this transformation will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. Although we all will die, we will sleep in death, and the next conscious thought we will have after death is when Jesus sounds the trumpet of God, when we are raised from the dead, when we put on immortality forever.

When we consider all of Paul’s writings as a whole representation of his theological position, we see that his position on life after death supports the notion that deceased people go to sleep at death and await their bodily resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ.

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Where are Enoch and Elijah?

"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 answer, from the Bible. 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! Then Enoch is not still walking with God! Why?    Because "all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years" (Gen. 5:23). All the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 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!    This expression "all his days" is used in the same fifth chapter of Genesis about a dozen times and always it means that the person lived for that length of time ONLY "and he died." So Enoch lived NO MORE than three hundred and sixty-five years because "all his days were three hundred and sixty-five years." As he lived only for this length of time THEN HE MUST HAVE DIED!    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 "translate" is metatithemi. 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!    That is why Moses said that God TOOK Enoch. God removed—translated—him so that he was not found. God took Enoch and buried him!    In Deuteronomy 34:6 we read also how God took Moses from the people after which he died and was buried by God. "But no man knoweth his sepulcher unto this day." God removed Moses—God translated him—and he was not found either!    So Enoch was not made immortal after all! He was taken away and was not found. ALL his days were three hundred and sixty-five! That’s as long as Enoch lived.    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.    But Paul was not writing about that death. The phrase "should not see" is in the conditional tense of the verb, having reference to a future event. It is not in the past tense, that he "did not see" death—but that he "should not see death." So this death that Enoch escaped by being translated is one that he can escape in the future ON CERTAIN CONDITIONS!    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!    Enoch had faith. He believed God and walked with God, obeying Him. In keeping the sayings of God, Enoch kept the sayings of Jesus too; because Jesus did not speak of Himself, but spoke what the Father commanded Him (John 14:10).    Thus Enoch met the conditions so that he should not see death. The second death shall never touch Enoch, because of his faith and obedience. Two Translations    Now we can understand Hebrews 11:5: "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."    This verse plainly mentions two translations.    Examining this verse fact by fact, we notice that Enoch had faith and was translated. This translation—removal, transference—was on condition of FAITH. NOW what translation mentioned in the Bible is on condition of faith? Why, the one we read about in Colossians 1:13. The Father "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son."    This is a FIGURATIVE translation—a FIGURATIVE removal or transference from the spiritual darkness of this world to the light of the family or kingdom of God and Christ. In verse 10 Paul shows that to abide in this kingdom we must "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing." This is exactly what Enoch did. He walked with God, and pleased God.    Then Enoch, the same as Christians, was delivered from the power of sin and darkness in which he had been living for sixty-five years. He was removed (translated) from the ways of the world and lived three hundred years according to God’s ways so that he might inherit eternal life at Christ’s return, and should not suffer the second death.    By faith Enoch was separated—removed or translated—from the world, the same as Christians who are not to be a part of the world, although living in the world.    Not only was Enoch FIGURATIVELY taken from the society of his day, but he was also LITERALLY removed—translated—so that he was not found.    God took him physically away from the people, just as He later took Moses. And God buried each so well that neither has ever been found since! Enoch had completed this present normal life. "All his days were three hundred sixty-five years." This was the second translation—a literal removal at death.    God gave Enoch this sign of physical removal as a type for all those who should later follow Enoch’s example of faith. He was taken physically from the people just as Christians are to be spiritually removed from the ways of the world. The physical translation or carrying away of Enoch was also a sign to him from God that his faith had been accepted.    Like every true saint, Enoch is awaiting the hope of the resurrection and the return of Christ (Jude 14, 15). 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).    Beside the heaven of the stars, we find that the atmosphere, the air that surrounds this world, is also called heaven. Birds fly "in the midst of heaven"— certainly not God’s throne in heaven—for we read in Genesis 1:20 of "fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." In blessing Jacob, Isaac said; "God give thee of the dew of heaven:’ and Moses joyed that the "heavens shall drop down dew" (see Gen. 27:28 and Deut. 33:28).    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).    So Elijah was not to be made immortal—for that would give him pre-eminence above Jesus. But what does the Bible reveal as the reason for his removal? II Kings 2:3 and 5 has the answer.    Notice now what the sons of the prophets said to Elisha: "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today?" Or as the Smith and Goodspeed translation has it, "Do you know that today the Lord is about to take away your master from being your leader?" Christ is the head of the Church today as Elijah was the head or leader of the sons or disciples of the prophets in that day. God had sent Elijah as His prophet to wicked king Ahab and to his son Ahaziah. Now God wanted Elisha to direct His work, as Ahaziah the king had died (II Kings 1-18) and a new king was ruling.    So what did God do?    He could not allow Elijah to be among the people with Elisha directing the work now. That would have been the same as disqualifying him! God never takes an office from a man when that man has been performing his duty well, the only thing God could do would have been to remove Elijah so that another would fulfill the office.    This God did do. When he was taken up, Elijah’s mantle dropped from him and Elisha picked it up. See II Kings 2:12-15.    And what did the "mantle" mean?    In Clarke’s Commentary we note that it was "worn by prophets and priests as the simple insignia of their office." (Vol. 2, page 484.)    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.    God used Elijah to convey the message because he was the prophet of God in days of the present king’s father—and the son was not going in the ways of his obedient father, Jehosophat.    The letter he had others deliver was recognized as his—proving that he was known to be alive someplace. Just how much longer he lived, the Bible does not reveal. But in that "it is appointed unto men once to die"—Elijah must have died somewhat later. See Hebrews 9:27. All human beings born of Adam, and that includes Elijah, must die—for we read: "In Adam ALL DIE" (I Corinthians 15:22). Elijah was a man "subject to like passions as we are" (James 5:17)...subject to human nature and death! The prophet, being mortal flesh as we are, could not have lived much beyond his seventy years.    To suppose that God gave him the power of an endless life of nearly three thousand years already is to read into the Bible what is not there! He was mortal, subject to death, and after being lifted into the atmospheric heavens, spent the remaining years of his separate life at some little-known location on the earth, living as every human being, before he naturally died. Was Elijah on the Mount?    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 he 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!