ENOCH IS TAKEN BY GOD, BUT NOT TO HEAVEN
(http://vimeo.com/48226501)
Contemporary Christian doctrine uses the verse, Genesis 5:24, “And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him”, as proof of heaven. They interpret this verse as God taking Enoch up into heaven to be with Him. First of all, so far as the scriptures are concerned, there is no passage in the Bible which specifically teaches us that God has taken anyone into heaven to be with Him, except for His Son Jesus Christ.
The Bible does mention a resurrection. The apostle Paul wrote, "...the dead will be raised incorporable, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52). The righteous will be taken by Jesus into heaven. Paul also wrote,"...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" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This will happen some time in the future.
Unless you interpret Biblical passages out of the context and the
spirit of what the original text was trying to say, there is no scriptural proof of anybody going to heaven after they die.. In fact,
Jesus tells us very explicitly that “No one has ascended to heaven but
He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”
(John 3:13). It is amazing how clear this passage is. How could Jesus
make this simple statement if the verse, Genesis 5:24, is interpreted to
mean that Enoch went to heaven to be with God? That would not make
sense.
People say that the Bible is confusing. Yes it is to those who refuse to except and understand the truth and try to interpret the Bible using secular beliefs. This is one of the passages Christians simply refuse to see as a clear and simple message from God. All scriptures are messages from God. Each message contains information that mankind is supposed to use to understand the total picture.
If you were to interpret Genesis 5:24 as Enoch going to heaven then you have to admit that the Bible does contradict itself and therefore it is not reliable.
The Bible simply does not contradict itself. Man, ever since the inception of the Roman Christian Church, has been contradicting what the word of God has to say. He has been interpreting the Bible out of the context of the rest of the Bible. If what Jesus said in John 3:13 is true, then the only conclusion you can come to is that interpreting Genesis 5:24 to mean that Enoch was taken up into heaven to be with God is the wrong interpretation.
In John chapter 3 Jesus told Nicodemus that unless a person changes his way of thinking he would not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus then states that “...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). Jesus said that no one has ascended to heaven, not even “the Son of man”. Jesus was “in heaven” BEFORE HE WAS BORN, but as of when he was speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus had not yet ascended. More important is the fact that no one else had, or has since, ascended either.
Genesis 5:24 and John 3 have nothing at all to do with anybody going to or being in heaven. Enoch did not go to heaven and Christians do not go to heaven when they die. These passages are a lesson in our relationship with God. The "kingdom of heaven" being spoken about in John chapter three is a kingdom that will be located here on earth sometime in our future.
People say that the Bible is confusing. Yes it is to those who refuse to except and understand the truth and try to interpret the Bible using secular beliefs. This is one of the passages Christians simply refuse to see as a clear and simple message from God. All scriptures are messages from God. Each message contains information that mankind is supposed to use to understand the total picture.
If you were to interpret Genesis 5:24 as Enoch going to heaven then you have to admit that the Bible does contradict itself and therefore it is not reliable.
The Bible simply does not contradict itself. Man, ever since the inception of the Roman Christian Church, has been contradicting what the word of God has to say. He has been interpreting the Bible out of the context of the rest of the Bible. If what Jesus said in John 3:13 is true, then the only conclusion you can come to is that interpreting Genesis 5:24 to mean that Enoch was taken up into heaven to be with God is the wrong interpretation.
In John chapter 3 Jesus told Nicodemus that unless a person changes his way of thinking he would not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus then states that “...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). Jesus said that no one has ascended to heaven, not even “the Son of man”. Jesus was “in heaven” BEFORE HE WAS BORN, but as of when he was speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus had not yet ascended. More important is the fact that no one else had, or has since, ascended either.
Genesis 5:24 and John 3 have nothing at all to do with anybody going to or being in heaven. Enoch did not go to heaven and Christians do not go to heaven when they die. These passages are a lesson in our relationship with God. The "kingdom of heaven" being spoken about in John chapter three is a kingdom that will be located here on earth sometime in our future.
