Strange as it may seem, nowhere in all the Bible does "translate" mean to make immortal! The original Greek word for "translate" is metatithemi. The same Greek word is rendered "carried over" in Acts God took Enoch and buried him! In Deuteronomy we read also how God took Moses from the people after which he died and was buried by God. 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!
Notice another proof that "translate" does not mean to make immortal. It is found in Col. We are not immortal bodies, but mortal flesh and blood. What promise? The "hope of eternal life , which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began Titus 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. That is yet future!
Since Enoch has not yet inherited eternal life he must be dead! This is exactly what Paul writes in Heb. Notice it! Hebrews 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? 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?
Rather, it says that Enoch " should not see death. Remember, there is more than one death mentioned in the Bible. There is a first death, and there is a second death Rev. Which death did Paul mean? The first death is appointed unto men Heb.
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.
Did Jesus ever speak of a death that might be escaped? He certainly did! 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 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 "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. Examining this verse fact by fact, we notice that Enoch had faith and was translated.
NOW what translation mentioned in the Bible is on condition of faith? Why, the one we read about in Colossians The Father "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. In verse 10 Paul shows that to abide in this kingdom we must " walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. 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.
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. 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, The " hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began" Titus So Enoch therefore is one of "these all" 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 Hebrews That is yet future!
Since Enoch has not yet inherited eternal life he must be dead! This is exactly what Paul writes in Heb. Paul says Enoch died!
Notice it! Paul tells us: Abel, Enoch , Noah, and the patriarchs and their wives. Hebrews 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. 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. Remember, there is more than one death mentioned in the Bible. There is a firstdeath, and there is a second death Revelation Which death did Paul mean? The first death is appointed unto men Hebrews 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. Did Jesus ever speak of a death that might be escaped? He certainly did! In John Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death"—shall never see—that is, suffer—the second death!
And again in John , "Whosoever 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 saying of Jesus and believe Him.
This death is notthe 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 Revelation And Enoch will be in the firstresurrection 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 Thus Enoch met the conditionsso that he should not see death. The second death shall never touch Enoch, because of his faith and obedience.
Now we can understand Hebrews : "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. Examining this verse fact by fact, we notice the Enoch had faithand was translated. Thistranslation—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 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 removalortransference 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. 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!
We have already read that "all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years" Genesis Now look at the entire fifth chapter of Genesis. The shortest lifespan described, aside from Enoch's, is the seven hundred and seventy-seven years lifetime of Lamech. The longest is Methuselah's nine hundred and sixty-nine. But Enoch lived only three hundred and sixty-five.
Clearly Enoch died a premature death! He did not complete his normal life cycle. He was cut off, as it were, in the midst of his days. Lamech, a descendant of Cain not the same person listed in genealogy of Genesis 5 , boasted to his two wives: "I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold" Genesis The "man" was Cain.
Hence Lamech's reference to the fact that God would take vengeance on anyone who dared to murder Cain. But who was the "young man"? Enoch at age three hundred and sixty-five would certainly be considered a young man by his generation.
Enoch walked with God. Furthermore, he prophesied of the coming of Christ to execute judgment and to convict the ungodly Jude He was in effect a "preacher of righteousness" compare II Peter But God's message has never been popular. As a servant of God, Enoch undoubtedly convicted and enraged many by his message. His life was in danger. Finally that ungodly generation tolerated Enoch's preaching no longer. By comparing Lamech's saying with the age of Enoch at his death, we may deduce from Scripture that Lamech by himself or with a mob stilled Enoch's voice by murder.
Don't think this strange or unusual. Hebrew tradition reveals that Noah, the great grandson of Enoch, had to flee for his life in order to carry out the Work of God.
God allowed Enoch to be martyred. But He would not permit his body to be desecrated or publicly displayed. God physically removed his body, very likely in the sight of his murderers—before they could defile it. Otherwise how would anyone have known that God had taken him?
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 from God that his faith had been accepted—God often gives signs Isaiah The question may arise, why did God allow His righteous servant Enoch to die? The Bible contains—in you have eyes to see—a chronicle or obituary of the death of the prophets and apostles of God throughout history.
Many of the greatest men of the Bible were martyred. God is concerned with one's physical welfare. But He is more concerned with one's spiritual state and one's eternal life. Enoch had to be willing to die for the truth he preached. Like every true saint, Enoch is awaiting the hope of the resurrection and the return of Christ, the Messiah Jude 14 , If heaven be the reward of the saved, where the righteous go immediately at death, we should certainly expect David, of all people, to be in heaven.
God called David, king of Israel, "a man after mine own heart" Acts Further, in Acts we are told that David "found favor with God. Peter then added: "For David is not ascended into the heavens" Acts Plainly, David is dead and buried, in his grave, and not in heaven! God's Word says so! In Hebrews , David is included among those who died in faith. Now turn to verse 39 of this same chapter: "And these all [and that includes David], having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they [including David and all the worthies of old] without us should not be made perfect.
David's resurrection is spoken of in Jeremiah "But they [Israel] shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up. Ezekiel adds, ". And my servant David shall be their prince for ever " Ezekiel This is the time—still to occur—when David will receive eternal inheritance in God's Kingdom.
Furthermore, David could not possibly be in heaven. Jesus said, over years after David had died, " No man hath ascended up to heaven. Jesus had been in heaven. When the book of Hebrews says Enoch was "translated" or "taken" the same thing which occurred to Elijah , it is not stating that the Eternal somehow took him 'early' because of his righteousness to receive his eternal award ahead of countless people who also deserve eternal life.
He traveled within what we today call the sky to another location on planet earth. The Lord, in His wisdom, decided to transport Enoch and Elijah away from where they were originally located so that someone or something would not be able to physically kill or murder them at that particular time. Elijah the prophet and righteous Enoch did not go to heaven, but continued to live the same kind of fleshly existence we do after they moved until they died. This is in agreement with other scriptures that state all men must die a physical death Hebrews Ask a Question!
Question: Were Enoch and Elijah taken to heaven to receive their reward? How can we walk with God? Can we contact the dead?
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