Strange Verses of Hope

The Bible contains many non-straight-forward passages. I would like for us to look at four of these and see what we can glean from them. All passages in this post are from the New International Version of the Bible.

So what are these verses?

1.      Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away (Gn 5:24).

2.      I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you (Gn 6:17, 18).

3.      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 (2Ki 2:11).

4.      But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Ju 9)

While these seem diverse, there is, I think, a common denominator to them. What do they have in common?

Hope.

These actions of God provided hope to Old Testament saints because if their hope was in their coming Messiah then Sheol would not be their final destiny. Also, these actions of God also provide hope to New Testament saints because, as believers, our ultimate destiny will be with Christ in glorified bodies.

Let’s investigate and see how this is the case.

Part of what I will say here has been provided in another post: What was Special about Enoch, Moses, and Elijah? Yet, the point being made there is somewhat different.

In that post, I stated that perhaps these individuals (Enoch, Elijah, and Moses) were given as archetypes of who will become part of Christ’s future Promised Kingdom. Let’s review some of the previous points made and add some additional information.

We’ll look at each of these individually. The first to look at in this post is Enoch.

The book of Jude tells us Enoch was a prophet in an evil society and prophesied about how God would one day come and judge them for their wickedness (Ju 14, 15). Yet, he remained pure to God despite this evil corruption around him and God rewarded him by taking him (Gn 5:22).

While Scripture does not explicitly say he was taken to heaven rather than to Sheol, the Hebrew words used in these verses seem to imply that God himself received Enoch – therefore, he likely did not go to Sheol but was taken to heaven. As a corollary, say you went to the school where your child attended and decided to retrieve him or her as a surprise. Would it make sense for you to then take him or her to a place he or she would have no contact with you? That would be counterproductive to why you took them out of school in the first place, wouldn’t it?

Others say this act would contradict scripture which states only Christ ascended to heaven (Jn 3:13). To ascend implies volitional will and ability. Enoch did not ascend on his own but was taken by God himself. So, this incident does not violate other scriptures.

It would then seem that Enoch could be an archetype representing how saints who survive the Tribulation will be received by Christ into his Promised Kingdom without having to die.

Enoch was received by God during a period when Satan tried to establish his rule on earth by remaking mankind in his image (Gn 6:1-9). Also, while not scripture, the apocryphal book, Book of Enoch, adds additional details to this aspect of what these Genesis scriptures allude toward. This act of Satan and his angels parallels the future time when he will again attempt the same during the Tribulation Period and try to set up his own earthly kingdom.

I have previously posted that the first Fall feast, Rosh Hashanah or Feast of Trumpets, represents God remembering his covenant with Israel: Fall Jewish Holidays - Part 1: Rosh Hashanah. Its prophetic fulfillment will occur sometime after the Receiving of Christ’s Bride, the Church (also called the Rapture, meaning “caught up”; 1Th 4:16, 17) at which time the restraining power of the Holy Spirit (Gn 6:3) is removed (2Th 2:7). That means Satan and his demons will have more authority to do as they please, but it doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit will not still draw people to Christ (Rv 7:14).

God’s action with Enoch helped those in Old Testament times reason that Sheol, the place everyone went when they died, would not have to be their final resting place. It gives us hope today that God has a plan for us which will lead to the ultimate victory of us being with him forever. Now, that’s a great hope, isn’t it. Are you preparing for it? It will be here sooner than you think.

Next time, we’ll continue with the other examples. Stay turned.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens