In case you were not aware, the Bible mentions that there are 3 heavens. (1) The heaven where the birds fly, the firmament, (2) the heaven where the stars and galaxy are, (3) the heaven where God reigns. Most think when heaven is mentioned, it is immediately referring to the heaven where God reigns, but that is not always so and I will show you in this study. To know more about where this is mentioned in scripture.

The Bible states that those who died in the faith before the sacrifice of Jesus went to Abraham’s bosom.

 John 14: 2-4 (KJV)

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

What Jesus is saying that you can come to heaven through Him now but before His death in the underworld there were two sections.

Section 1: Abraham’s Bosom (Those that died in faith went)

Section 2: Area of Torment

This is explained in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19

The Bible states that those who died in the faith before the sacrifice of Jesus went to Abraham’s bosom. However, after the sacrifice of Jesus, the dead in Christ are in heaven where He is.

Matthew 27: 51-53 is describing the events that happened shortly after Jesus died on the cross.

Matthew 27: 51-53 (KJV)

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Remember: Jesus descended into the earth before finally ascending into heaven.

Pre-Sacrifice: Those that died in faith went to Abraham’s Bosom

Post-Sacrifice: Believers are in heaven with Jesus.

We also see this in the Book of Revelation that those that died in Christ are in heaven at the alter.

Genesis 5:24 (KJV)

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

Took is the Hebrew word la·kach which means to take or carry along. It is the same word used in Genesis 2:15

Genesis 2:15 (KJV)

And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

We see that God took Enoch and placed him somewhere. Was it in heaven?

If Enoch went to heaven after being taken, wouldn’t this be a problem with
Hebrews 9:27

Hebrews 9:27 (KJV)

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Enoch cannot be in heaven with a body made of flesh. Enoch would have had to die and God give him his glorified body in order to be in heaven.

1Corinthians 15:50 (KJV)

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

We know that there are no contradictions with the word of God. God did not make an exception for Enoch and Elijah, NO WHERE does the Bible state this. He was taken to Abraham’s Bosom with the rest of the Old Testament saints.

The reason for some of the disparities are due to issues with the translation & transliteration of the original text. 

Another reason In my opinion, many of our understanding is not as it was meant is because many of the early church fathers if they could not explain something from the Bible they would add their own interpretations, this is called eisegesis.

These interpretations have been passed down as the belief of what the Bible is stating but when you look closely, you will see there are holes.

(Eisegesis – involves 1: imagination: what idea do I want to present? 2: exploration: what Scripture passage seems to fit with my idea? and 3: application: what does my idea mean? Notice that, in eisegesis, there is no examination of the words of the text or their relationship to each other, no cross-referencing with related passages, and no real desire to understand the actual meaning. Scripture serves only as a prop to the interpreter’s idea).

When we are reading and interpreting scripture we must do it from the standpoint of exegesis.

ExeGesis – if we are to be those unashamed workmen “who correctly handle the word of truth,” then we must take the time to truly understand the text.
Exegesis is the only way

More about Eisegesis & ExeGesis

You will have to dig but all the answers we are looking for are in the Bible if you look hard enough. When scripture does not fit into the narrative of the agenda, this is when eisegesis is used and therefore much of our beliefs have been built on a faulty foundation from Theologians instead of searching the Bible.

As I mentioned in John 3:13 Jesus Himself is telling us that No One has gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – The son of man.

Jesus is stating a LAW that no one has gone into heaven. This means Enoch nor Elijah went into heaven.

Post-Resurrection ALL BELIEVERS go to heaven where He is at.

In Hebrews 11, we see many who died in the faith who did not receive God’s promises yet

Hebrews 11 mentions, Enoch, Abraham, Jacob etc… but  verse 13 specifically says these ALL died in faith. That includes Enoch and Elijah.

Verse 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.

Verse 5 says: 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.

I already explained that Jesus tells us that no one has gone into heaven except the son of man that comes from heaven.

The Promise: Obtain A Better Resurrection

If Enoch is in the list of those waiting to obtain a better resurrection, then he must have died. You have to die in order to be resurrected, except for the few who will be alive at Christ’s return and be resurrected without seeing death.

QUESTION: Some will say, how do you know Enoch was not resurrected alive?

ANSWER: Because the dead in Christ will rise first

1Thes 4: 16-17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The final verses in Hebrews 11: 39-40 prove that Enoch was still waiting with everyone else for the promise

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (The promise of a Better Resurrection through Christ) 

God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

All the Old Testament saints did not receive the promise of a better resurrection because Christ had not come and died yet. 

As I mentioned earlier, if Enoch was resurrected and given a new body, this would contradict scripture

1 Corinthians 15: 50-58

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

Enoch and Elijah could not have gone into heaven because they were PERISHABLE (mortal).

Some construe “the first resurrection” as believers’ bodily resurrection at the Messiah’s second coming (1 Thess 4:13-17, 1 Cor 15:20-23).

Although John does not mention a “second resurrection,” some believe that a subsequent bodily resurrection of unbelievers is implied in the statement, “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended” (Rev 20:5).

In this pre-millennial view of the future, therefore, there are two bodily resurrections separated by a thousand years. Believers will receive their resurrected bodies at Jesus’ glorious return from heaven, and in that resurrected state they will share Jesus’ rule over an earth much improved from the present but not purged of sin. Then centuries later, non-believers. souls will be restored to an embodied existence to face final judgement.

Revelation 20:5

 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.

This is the first resurrection.

Revelation 20: 6

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.

on such the second death (2nd resurrection)  hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Revelation 20: 11-14

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

To simplify this. Those that are not part of the first resurrection are damned.  When Jesus comes with those that he took from Abraham’s bosom, those that have died after Christ death and those of us living, will be caught up to be with Jesus. This is the first resurrection. We will reign as kings and priest over an improved earth but one not yet purged of sin. Those not part of the first resurrection will be those that we rule over as kings and priest for the thousand years. 

Abraham’s Bosom was emptied when Jesus rose from the dead but those that are in the area of torment are still there.

It is these souls and anyone NOT part of the first resurrection that will be part of the second death (eternal death).

It is at this time anyone part of the first resurrection will live forever with Jesus on a redeemed earth. 

Moses never stated that Enoch did not die. This is how it has been interpreted. Neither did Moses state that Enoch went to heaven. He merely states that “He was not… for God took him”

Hebrews merely states that Enoch had a change of place (Greek: metathesis) so that he would not see death, and that he was not found because he was put somewhere else (Greek: metathesis)

Did Enoch escape physical death, or is he awaiting the resurrection? Based on Hebrews 11, it looks like he is waiting on the promises as I explained earlier

Any interpretation that Enoch did not die would negate the fact that it is appointed once for a man to die and then the judgment. It would negate the fact that you must be part of the first resurrection if righteous and a part of the second resurrection if you are damned

Where did Enoch go when he died – Abraham’s Bosom

Just as Moses died, and no one knows where his body was buried by God. the thought would have to be that Enoch was taken and buried as well.

Jesus said in John 8:51

John 8:51

Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

But also remember, it is appointed once for a man to die and then the judgment.

Not seeing death in John 8:51 is referring to the second death

According to Jesus, no one has ascended into heaven but the son of man who descended from heaven (John 3:13)

It appears obvious that the death that God did not want Enoch to see is the death of humanity by the great flood. Although based on the writings of the New Testament, believers in Christ go to heaven now and before the death of Christ they went to Abraham’s Bosom as I mentioned.

We first see Elijah in 1 Kings 17, when he pronounces a drought on the house of Israel. (Elijah was a prophet to the house of Israel during the time of the wicked King Ahab).

2 Kings chapter 2, we see the famous verses dealing with Elijah being taken into heaven.

2 Kings 2:1-3

And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 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. 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.

They all knew Elijah was going somewhere, but where did he go?

In Genesis 1 God defines there are 3 heavens and because of the verse “taken into heaven”, the presumption was made this meant the third heaven and that is clearly not so. When you read Genesis 2:1 it says thus the Heavens (plural) and the earth (singular) were finished. In Genesis God explains that breakdown of the 3 heavens.

It was no surprise to Elisha and the sons of the prophets that Elijah was going to be taken by God.

2 Kings 2:4-5

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.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.

Here we see that the sons of the prophets knew that Elijah was to be taken. All of them followed Elijah because they knew that he was going to be taken that day.

Was Elijah taken to heaven?

2 Kings: 2 9-11

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. 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. 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.

The question we MUST ASK.

Was Elijah taken into heaven where God dwells?

Or was he taken into what we call the sky (The 1st heaven)? We will see that Elijah was taken into the sky, and not the third heaven where God dwells.

We see that Elijah was not taken into the 3rd heaven where God dwells but was still working his ministry somewhere else on earth.

SHOCKING isn’t it? Let’s prove this point!

2 Chronicles 21: 12-15

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, But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself: Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.

This is an important scripture to help prove my point. Elijah is writing this letter to King Jehoram (Jehosaphat was his father) 

Let’s look at the timing 

Elijah was a prophet during the reign of King Ahab and his son between 874 BC and 854 BC

Ahaziah reigned for 1 year between 853-852 BC.

Elijah wrote this letter to King Jehoram of Judah, who began his reign in 848 BC. This date is very important because Elijah departed Israel by a chariot of fire during Ahaziah’s reign and the beginning of Jehoram’s reign of 852 BC. This means that if Elijah wrote this letter at the beginning of Jehoram’s reign, he could not have written it any earlier than four years after he had left Israel in a chariot of fire.

The four-year gap between King Ahaziah’s reign and King Jehoram’s reign proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Elijah was still alive long after his departure from his role as prophet to Israel.

This proves that Elijah did not go into heaven where God lives. When he was taken into heaven according to the KJV, it was to the first heaven where the birds live, what we call the sky.

Some will say that when Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ on the mount, that this proves that they were in heaven and came down from heaven to be with the Lord. Is this accurate?

NO! When you take a deep look at Matthew 17 you will see that it is not.

Matthew 17:1-6 

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 

And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 

Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid

This was a Vision of the Resurrection. How do we know that this was a vision of the Resurrection?

1) We know for certain Moses died, and the resurrection has not occurred yet. Therefore, Moses and Elijah could not have come down from heaven in their glorified forms. This was a vision of the future.

2) Christ himself tells us that this was a vision, and not the real thing in Matthew 17:9

Matthew 17:9 

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

Jesus stated that they should keep this a secret until the Messiah was truly risen from the dead. The apostles got to see the glory of the son before his physical resurrection. A vision is NOT the material thing, it is a graphical representation of the real thing.

Peter, James and John knew Moses and Elijah were dead, which is why they asked the following question in Matthew 17:10-13 

Matthew 17:10-13

And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

If we rephrase this question, it would sound like this: If Elijah is dead, then why is it prophesied that he would return?

The Prophesied Return of Elijah

Malachi 4:5-6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

There is another Elijah prophesied to return during the great tribulation, which here is called “The Great and Dreadful Day”.

John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah for Christ’s 1st coming. There will be another that will come in the spirit and power of Elijah for Christ 2nd coming.

Luke 1:17

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Just as John the Baptist came and prophesied the first coming of the Lord in the power and spirit of Elijah, so will those who represent Elijah come proclaiming the second coming of the Lord. This Elijah though will be one of two witnesses of Revelation 11. These two witnesses will not be the two that most think. They will be in the office of Elijah.

You will need to see the study on the Two Witnesses to get a deeper understanding.

It is evident from the scriptures that Moses, Elijah, Enoch, the Prophets and the righteous dead of all ages are awaiting the resurrection from the dead like everyone else.

Simple logic should tell us that if the righteous dead had received their glorified bodies and are in heaven already, what point is there of the resurrection? We know that flesh and blood can not inherit the Kingdom of God.

1 Cor 15:50

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Enoch and Elijah are both awaiting the resurrection like everyone else who died in the faith.

JESUS is the First Fruit! Therefore Moses, Enoch, Elijah, NO ONE can die and ascend into heaven where God sits before Christ!

Them along with believers that died after Christ will come with Jesus and meet those that are alive and did not die and be given transfigured glorified bodies, this is the first resurrection and then they will all go into heaven where John saw the great multitude.