Dream
Well-Known Member
Hey Greymare,
I was just looking through this thread, and I looked up those passages. Both Enoch and Elijah were unusual, because the Bible mentions that they were taken by God, instead of dying. Moses' death is very unusual, too.
Elijah
Elijah was a very famous and influential prophet who lived midway through the Kings period of Jewish history. His prayers were very powerful so he could make big miracles happen. Unfortunately, he became depressed because he wasn't well-liked. He wanted to die, but his duties weren't completed and so God told him to appoint a successor, Elisha. Their names are similar. Its a great story, and in 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah is taken directly into heaven without dying. We are told later, by the prophet Malachi, that Elijah is supposed to return someday. This can be taken 2 different ways, because 2 Kings 2:15 introduces the possibility of another person bearing Elijah's spirit. Its becomes a very important factoid to know when you read about Jesus and John the Baptist in the gospels. John is a type of Elijah.
There's a short, mysterious snippet about someone named 'Enoch' in Genesis. It appears in the list of ancestors of Noah. Then, there is a little bit more information we get much later from the writer of Hebrews, which is a Christian work. The thing about it is that there are traditional stories about Enoch and also other information about Enoch that we don't have. He was someone that Jewish people knew about. Some poorly preserved and altered copies of a book called Enoch have been found, but that's beyond the purpose of the thread and I don't know much about it.
I was just looking through this thread, and I looked up those passages. Both Enoch and Elijah were unusual, because the Bible mentions that they were taken by God, instead of dying. Moses' death is very unusual, too.
Elijah
Elijah was a very famous and influential prophet who lived midway through the Kings period of Jewish history. His prayers were very powerful so he could make big miracles happen. Unfortunately, he became depressed because he wasn't well-liked. He wanted to die, but his duties weren't completed and so God told him to appoint a successor, Elisha. Their names are similar. Its a great story, and in 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah is taken directly into heaven without dying. We are told later, by the prophet Malachi, that Elijah is supposed to return someday. This can be taken 2 different ways, because 2 Kings 2:15 introduces the possibility of another person bearing Elijah's spirit. Its becomes a very important factoid to know when you read about Jesus and John the Baptist in the gospels. John is a type of Elijah.
Enoch2 Kings 2:11 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.
2 Kings 2:12-15 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
There's a short, mysterious snippet about someone named 'Enoch' in Genesis. It appears in the list of ancestors of Noah. Then, there is a little bit more information we get much later from the writer of Hebrews, which is a Christian work. The thing about it is that there are traditional stories about Enoch and also other information about Enoch that we don't have. He was someone that Jewish people knew about. Some poorly preserved and altered copies of a book called Enoch have been found, but that's beyond the purpose of the thread and I don't know much about it.
Genesis 5:23-24 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took
him.
Hebrews 11:5 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.