ENOCH AND ELIJAH TRANSLATED THAT IS; CARRIED AWAY TO ANOTHER LOCATION

The following is a short study that my friend Patrick will enjoy. Many believe Enoch and Elijah were translated to heaven. If, as I believe, the scriptures teach that upon death we sleep in the grave awaiting resurrection from the dead, there must be an explanation for what happened with Enoch and Elijah. Patrick was the first person to point out to me that Enoch was not translated to heaven. Upon further study of Enoch and Elijah I have come to the same conclusion.

ENOCH

Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

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.

Hebrews 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.

Hebrews 11.5 says that Enoch was translated or transferred that he should not see death. The Greek word is metatithemi #3346 in Strong’s and means: to change (from one place or position to another); to take away, carried away. It is the same word used in Act 7.16 when talking about Jacob’s bones being carried from Egypt to Sychem to be buried. The tense is conditional future, so that “he should not die.”

Later in Hebrews 11.13 Enoch is included with the other saints of Hebrews 11 as having died without yet receiving the promise of eternal life. Enoch is included in the list of those "who died" without receiving the promise of eternal life. Therefore we must conclude he died.

ELIJAH

2 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 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.

Elijah was transported to a different location on earth. The 50 sons of the prophets who were nearby (verse 7) knew Elijah was taken somewhere else on earth because they asked Elisha for permission to look for him (vv15-18).

This is evident later in 2 Chronicles 21.12 when Jehoram, who chronologically followed Elijah being taken up into the whirlwind, receives a letter of judgment from Elijah. This proves conclusively that Elijah was taken up and deposited in another location.

The word heaven 8064 in Strong’s in the 2 Kings passage is shaw-mah-yim in Hebrew which means: the sky, atmosphere in which the clouds move.


These two individuals were translated to another location traveling through the atmosphere before being deposited back on earth.