Why Did God Take Elijah and Enoch to Heaven Without Dying?

Why Did God take Elijah up to heaven? Also, why did God take Enoch to heaven before they died a natural death?

Not Tasted Death

Did you ever wonder why God took Elijah up to heaven and why God took Enoch to heaven before they died a natural death? Scripture tells us that only two people never tasted death and that was Elijah and Enoch. It says in Genesis 5:24 that “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” In 2 Kings 2:11 we can read how this happened as Elijah’s earth-to-heaven translation occurred. The Scriptures say that “As they [Elijah and Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” Of course, these were exceptions and have not ever occurred again in human history and we can’t expect this sort of thing to happen again.

Enoch Walked With God

Enoch was the seventh generational descendant of Adam which came through Seth. Enoch was the father of Methuselah and also the great-grandfather of Noah. Genesis 5:24 tells us the most important thing about Enoch and that he was a godly man who walked “faithfully with God” or “in close fellowship with God.” Enoch’s name is very interesting as it may have originated from a Semitic word which means “to dedicate” or “initiate.” When Enoch was 365 years old, “he disappeared, because God took him” to heaven (Gen 5:24). Many scholars believe that Psalm 49:15 and 73:24 refer to this man.

And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get you up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 1 Kings 18:41

Elijah and the Chariot to Heaven

Elijah lived several centuries after Enoch was taken during the reigns of kings Ahab and Ahaziah when Israel existed as a divided kingdom. We know from the Bible that Elijah had several amazing miracles during his lifetime. In one case, he called for a drought and then called for rain (1 Kings 17:1, 17-24; 18:16-46). Elijah may have been the greatest of God’s prophets because he was involved in so many miraculous events. Interestingly, Elijah’s name means “My God is Yahweh.” Elijah spent his time showing that God is far superior to the false god Baal. Elijah was mentoring a young prophet called Elisha but when there were going along, walking and talking, Elisha was left behind after a chariot of fire pulled by flaming horses took Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind (possibly, a tornado?).

Enoch’s Wicked Generation

We may never know the reason why God took Enoch and Elijah because Scriptures does not tells us precisely so we can only try to speculate as to the reason. We know that Enoch and Elijah had a common trait between them and that is they were abundantly faithful in serving the Lord, but more importantly, in also obeying the Lord. This may be why and God rewarded them for their faithful ministries for Him. Perhaps God didn’t want to see them taste or experience death because they were so godly. Is this why God sparred them? Perhaps. The time in which Enoch lived was perhaps the greatest time of evil the world has ever known. This was just prior to the Great Flood where every living soul (besides Noah and his family) was to perish.

Righteous Enoch

During this time period in world history, nearly every human being had rejected God and the entire earth was totally corrupt and full of violence (Gen 6:5-12). In contrast to this evil, wicked world, Enoch stood out like a light beacon for his righteous character, but he also refused to be silent about the sinfulness around him. Just imagine how he must have been hated and despised. Did God know that they were eventually going to kill Enoch? The Book of Jude tells us that Enoch prophesied against his wicked generation: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 1:14-15).

No Death

In the Book of Hebrews we read that Enoch was taken to heaven without dying because his great faith pleased God, so that might be why both Enoch and Elijah were taken by God without dying. The author of Hebrews writes that “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—‘he disappeared, because God took him.’ For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God” (Heb 11:5). Serving God with all their hearts and living in strict obedience to God, which is living out their great faith in God, may be the reason. Other scholars believe that Enoch and Elijah were taken to heaven to prepare for a major role in the end times. We have read in Malachi that he prophesied that God would send Elijah back before “that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes” (Malachi 4:5), however we know that this refers to John the Baptist, but others thought wrongly that Jesus might be Elijah himself who had returned (Matt 16:14; Mark 6:15). We do know that Elijah appeared in glorious splendor with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration to discuss with Jesus His soon departure (Matt 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36).

The Two Witnesses

Still others believe that the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3–12 could be Enoch and Elijah. Although neither is mentioned by name, we know from Scripture that both have the “power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want” (verse 6). Even though this is possible, the two witnesses’ names are not mentioned in the Bible. Regardless, God had His specific reasons for taking these two godly men to heaven without tasting death. Clearly, no one knows the Lord’s plans and His ways are past finding out (Isaiah 55:9), but we can certainly trust that “his way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). God does not tell us everything and if it’s not in the Bible, we can assume God doesn’t want us to know. We don’t live by explanations but by faith. It may be His way of saying, “It’s none of your business!” If God had wanted us to know, He would have found a way to let us know (through the Bible), so we just don’t really know why God “took them.” That’s our final answer. We just don’t know, but that’s okay.

Conclusion

I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: Elijah in the Bible: Story and Lesson

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Elijah, Enoch, evil, noah, Two Witnesses