Based on Hebrews 9:27 and Yeshua’s statement in John 3:13, “no man has ascended to heaven”, how are we to understand the account of Enoch?
Genesis 5:21-24 – Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with Elohim three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with Elohim; and he was not, for Elohim took him.
These verses do not tell us much except that Enoch’s days, alive on Earth, ended at 365 years old. The question is, did he die, was he taken to heaven alive, or was he transported to another location on Earth as Eliyah was?
Consider Psalm 37:35,36 and Psalm 39:12,13;
“I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.”
“Hear my prayer, O Yahweh, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.”
The Hebrew for the underlined phrases is the same Hebrew as Genesis 5:24; “And Enoch walked with Elohim: and he was not; for Elohim took him.” As in the Psalms, the phrase means the person “passed away” or would eventually die. Consider also Genesis 42:13 and Genesis 44:20;
“And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.”
This was spoken of Joseph by his brothers. What did they mean by “is not”?
“And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.”
Here the brothers recount their previous discussion about Joseph with Pharoah. When they first said, “and one is not,” they meant Joseph “is dead.” Finally, consider Matthew 2:18;
“In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.”
Where are Rachel’s children? Dead.
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.
Does the phrase “should not see death” mean Enoch never died? Let’s read the first three words of Hebrews 11:4,5,7,8,11 and 13; “By faith …”, “These all died” . Everyone mentioned in the previous verses died including Enoch. But not only that, verse 13 goes on to say that they did not receive the promises. One of the promises was a heavenly country (vs. 16). If Enoch were in heaven, wouldn’t he have received that promise? The fact is, Enoch is not in heaven but is dead in the grave awaiting his resurrection along with every other saint.
Psalm 89:47,48 – Remember how short my time is: why have you made all men in vain? What man is he that lives and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
Why would the Psalmist ask such a question concerning physical death if he believed Enoch did not see a physical death? The fact is, the Psalmist believed Enoch was in the grave and therefore asked the question.
So what does the phrase “should not see death” mean? In Luke 2:25-29 we see that phrase to mean that Simeon would not die a physical death or what is known as “the first death.”
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen YHWH’s Messiah. Without any further Bible study we would be led to believe Enoch never died and is still alive in heaven. But let’s look at John 8:51.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
Here the phrase “shall never see death” must mean “the second death” since all the Apostles, including Paul, kept Yeshua’s sayings and yet died the first death. Now we must decide whether the phrase “should not see death”, as it applies to Enoch, means the first or second death. Based on Hebrews 9:27 and 11:13 we must conclude that he died the first death prematurely so that he should not see the second death.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
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.
To believe Enoch did not die is to deny the plain word of many other scriptures as well. For example, Romans 5:12,14 says all men die because all have sinned. Are we to believe that Enoch did not sin or that the curse for sinning did not apply to him? Are we to believe that a man who was not yet cleansed of sin by the blood of Messiah could enter heaven and dwell in YHWH’s presence?
If Enoch did not die and was not taken to heaven, then where was he translated to and what does “translation” mean? According to Strong’s, Thayer’s and Bullinger’s Greek Lexicons, “translate” means “to put or place in another place, to transport, to transfer.” The same Greek word was used in Acts 7:16 where Jacob’s body was “translated” or “carried over” to Sychem to be buried. YHWH took Enoch and buried him somewhere so as not to be found just as he did with the body of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:6. Moses’ body was never found and neither was Enoch’s because YHWH hid them for reasons known only to Him.
I Corinthians 15:20-23 – But now is Messiah risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Messiah the firstfruits; afterward they that are Messiah’s at his coming.
All die and all shall be resurrected, but Messiah must be first in the order. Enoch could not possibly precede him, especially if he were still flesh and blood as it says in verses 49-52.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
To be able to dwell in heaven we must be changed from a flesh and blood natural body to a spiritual heavenly body. That change does not take place until the last trumpet.
In conclusion, let’s read John 3:13 again.
And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
That includes Enoch, Eliyah, and Lazarus.