The Book of Enoch & the BibleExemplo

Taken Away Into Heaven

Paul, walking down the road to find Christians to imprison or kill, is met by a miraculous vision. Christ appears to him as a radiant light, radically changing his life but also blinding him. Paul later tells of a vision where he sees heaven. He couldn’t say if he went physically or in the spirit, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. Either way, Paul went.

Paul, whose ministry was about the purposes of Jesus and correcting apostasy, saw the Lord and was carried away into heaven.

In 2 Kings chapter 2, we see the prophet Elijah taken to heaven while alive. A chariot of fire pulled by flaming horses appears, separating Elijah from his servant, and a whirlwind carries the prophet up to heaven.

Elijah’s ministry was focused on fighting apostasy and the prophets of false gods. Eventually he meets hundreds of these men at an altar. Fire comes down from heaven and Elijah then destroys the satanic priests. While it might seem strange, this purging of evil was in line with the ministry of Jesus. 1 John 3:8 tells us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil.

An angel also comes to meet Elijah in the wilderness, refreshing him. Then the Lord appears to Elijah. On Mount Horeb in 1 Kings 19, Elijah wraps his cloak around his head to keep from seeing the Lord as he passes by. We’re seeing a mirror to Paul, who was blinded.

How do we know Elijah’s calling aligned with Jesus? Scripture says that Elijah would return to prepare the coming of the Messiah. Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:12 that this was fulfilled by John the Baptist, who carried the spirit of Elijah.

The Bible offers no answer for why Elijah was taken to heaven instead of dying of old age. However, we can see a pattern involving Jesus when comparing the experiences of Paul and Elijah. Both had the Lord appear to them, and both were focused on his purpose and correcting apostasy. There’s one other man in scripture besides Jesus who went to heaven alive.

Looking to the Book of Enoch, we see that Enoch had visions of paradise. Like Paul, he was carried away bodily into heaven (by a whirlwind like Elijah). Enoch returned declaring the message of the Son of Man, the coming Savior that would rescue humanity from evil. (Enoch Ch 48 MSV)

When Enoch sees the Chosen One (Jesus), he says, “My face was overwhelmed, and I could no longer look.” (En 39:14 MSV)

Like Elijah, much of Enoch’s ministry focused on apostasy and opposing false gods (fallen angels). Also, like Elijah, Enoch did not die of old age, instead disappearing from this world. In Enoch chapter 81, an angel tells Enoch he has one year to complete his ministry before being taken to heaven. (Elijah also knew ahead of time when he would leave.)

While it’s difficult to know why Enoch disappeared, we can see a clear pattern consistent with scripture. Next we’ll discuss the ministry of Jesus.