Is there any possibility of being translated into heaven just like Enoch and Elijah did?

June 03rd 2023 | 55318 views 

“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Genesis 5:24

The Apostle Paul confirms this thought in Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him.”

Notice, neither of these scriptures mentions Enoch went to heaven to be with God. In fact, he could not have received a heavenly reward at that time, since Jesus had not yet come to earth to pay the price of redemption that would enable the faithful ones to enter heaven.

What, then, happened to Enoch? God took him away as a man of 365 years (Genesis 5:23) so that he would not see death in the normal way. He was taken in a supernatural way, as is evidenced by the word “translated.” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, “translate” means “to put or place in another place, to transport, to transfer.” The same Greek word is rendered “carried over” in Acts 7:16 where Jacob’s body was ‘translated’ or ‘transported’ to Shechem where he was buried.

Likewise, God 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. No man knows where either Moses’ or Enoch’s grave is. God hid them for reasons known only to Him. It is our belief that both of these ancient worthy men will come forth from their graves at the time God has appointed for them.

“Suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared…and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” (2 Kings 2:10) Yet, over 900 years after this event, Jesus himself said, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven.” John 3:13

Are these two Bible statements contradictory? If Elijah did not go to heaven, then where did he go?

The scriptures use the word “heaven” to describe three places, not just one. The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere where birds fly (Genesis 1:20, Jeremiah 4:25; 34:20, Lamentations 4:19, Zephaniah 1:3).

This Hebrew word shamayim is translated as “sky” in the scripture comparing Genesis 7:3, “fowls also of the air,” with Genesis 7:23, “fowl of the heaven.” The word “sky” and “heaven” are used interchangeably from the same Hebrew word (Psalm 8:8). So the first heaven is synonymous with “heights” or “elevations.”

The second heaven is outer space where the planets and stars exist (Genesis 1:14- 17; 15:5; 22:17; 26:4, Deuteronomy 1:10; 17:3; Psalm 8:3, Jeremiah 8:2; Matthew 24:29).

The third heaven is literally called “the third heaven” in 2 Corinthians 12:2. This third heaven is what Jesus calls his “Father’s house” (John 14:2) and both Jesus and the Apostle Paul call “paradise” (Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Revelation 2:7). This third heaven is where God and the heavenly sanctuary exist (1 Peter 3:22).

Since Elijah could not have gone to God’s heavenly throne, which “heaven” did he go to—the first or second? We believe that he was taken into the earth’s atmosphere, the first heaven, because there could be no whirlwind in any other place but in the atmosphere surrounding the earth.

Did Elijah die when God took him up into the atmosphere? We know that almost ten years after Elijah was taken from his people, the wicked king of Judah, Jehoram, received a letter from Elijah (2 Chronicles 21:12-15). From the wording of the letter, it is clear that it was written after the events of the last decade had occurred. Elijah speaks of the events as past events and of the diseases as future. Two years after receiving the letter, the king became diseased and died.

How could Elijah send a letter if he was already gone?

Explanation #1: 
The whirlwind transported him to another location, like being moved by a tornado, and didn’t die. It signaled the end of his public ministry, and he wrote the letter to the king. Similar to what happened to Philip in Acts 8:39.

Explanation #2: 
Being a prophet of God, Elijah foretold these events of Jehoram’s specific sins and had the letter sent years after his own death. God could have directed him what to write in the letter, before those events actually happened. 

Explanation #3:
Another possible explanation scholars consider is, whoever wrote Chronicles used Elijah’s name to emphasize authority. Elijah’s name functions symbolically as the prophetic voice confronting Jehoram’s sins. Even though Elijah was gone, his prophetic authority still speaks against idolatry and injustice. Just as Moses represents the Law, Elijah represents the Prophets, and together they symbolize God’s unbroken word confronting human rebellion.

Explanation #4: 
Elijah wrote the letter while King Jehoram of Judah reigned, before the whirlwind. The biblical timeline is complex, as the narrative of 2 Kings chapters 1,2 and 3 does not give us the precise sequence. At one point, both Israel in the north and Judah in the south had kings named Jehoram/Joram ruling at the same time (2 Kings 8:16). The whirlwind happened during Jehoram of Israel’s reign. But Elijah was still alive when Jehoram of Judah came to power. 

Elijah could have written the letter to Judah’s king before the whirlwind because he was alive during the overlap of both kings. The letter could then have been delivered later (perhaps by Elisha or another prophet), explaining why it appears in the narrative of 2 Chronicles after Elijah’s departure. The Bible doesn’t say exactly when Jehoram of Judah received Elijah’s letter. 

We focus on three kings of the northern kingdom of Israel—namely Ahab, Ahaziah and Jehoram—and the narrative in 2 Kings chapters 1, 2 and 3.

Before 2 Kings, Ahab died and Ahaziah replaced him. Ahaziah then reigned for parts of two years. Ahaziah's reign then ended at the close of 2 Kings 1. Because his reign ended there, then his successor Jehoram necessarily began then, even though the narrative does not yet mention Jehoram.

So, Jehoram was king of Israel by the end of chapter 1. In chapter 2, Jehoram would have been king during the time when Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind. 

In what year of Jehoram’s reign would this have occurred? The narrative does not specify, but it could have been at any time during the time Jehoram of Israel was ruler. 

Later, in 2 Chronicles 21:12, "There came a writing... from Elijah the prophet," this letter came to the other Jehoram, the king of Judah. Jehoram of Israel came to the throne first. Jehoram of Judah came to the throne during year five of Jehoram of Israel’s 12-year reign. 

Evidently, Elijah had not yet been taken up in the whirlwind by that time. He was taken up sometime in the reign of Jehoram of Israel (because it was after the passing of his predecessor Ahaziah), but no text specifies when exactly during Jehoram of Judah’s reign Elijah was taken up. 

It may have been after Jehoram of Israel’s fifth year, when Jehoram of Judah reigned as well. In summary, Elijah could have written and sent the letter to the king of Judah before the whirlwind, or it could have been delivered later. This would explain why it appears in Chronicles after Elijah’s departure without requiring him to reappear. 

Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1413: “What Really Happened to Enoch, Moses and Elijah?”
Scripturally establishing the truth about their end-of-life experiences
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

Click here to read another question about the third heaven.

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