Unless Jesus comes back to rapture His Beloved Bride, we’re all leaving planet earth through the portal of death. Everyone is going to die!
The Bible declares the reality of death in the post-Eden world. “Adam’s life lasted 930 years; then he died” (Genesis 5:5). Adam’s son, Seth “died” (Genesis 5:8). Seth’s son, Enosh, also “died” (Genesis 5:11). Kenan “died” (Genesis 5:14). Mahalalel “died” (Genesis 5:17) and his son, Jared, “died” (Genesis 5:20). The first six generations in the Biblical record… everyone “died.”
… and with every rule there is an exception, in this case two. Elijah didn’t die, but God took the old prophet to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11), and Enoch, Noah’s great grandfather, walked home to heaven. He didn’t die. God “took him” (Genesis 5:24).
Everything that we know about Enoch can be found in a few short verses. His entire biography reads… “Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah. And after he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters. So Enoch’s life lasted 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him” (Genesis 5:21-24).
In the New Testament, Enoch’s name is listed with the patriarchs in the “Hall of Faith.” “By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:5–6). Enoch had a deep faith, he drew near to God, he walked with God, and God saved him from the experience of death.
In the only other Biblical reference to Enoch, we learn that the faithful man was a prophet, a proclaimer of God’s word, a preacher. “Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: ‘Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him’ ” (Jude 14–15).
Enoch lived in a time not unlike our own. “Human wickedness was widespread on the earth and… every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5).
While his neighbors were living in rebellion against God, “Enoch walked with God!” (Genesis 5:22). He trusted his God (Hebrews 11:5), and he wasn’t shy about sharing the promise of God’s just judgment (Jude 14-15).
What made Enoch different from his neighbors? It’s possible that God told Enoch that He was about to judge the earth’s wickedness by sending a devastating flood. In fact, if you do a little math, it’s possible to conclude that the flood came in the very year that Enoch’s son, Methuselah, died. “Hey Enoch” God graciously whispered, “in the year that your boy dies, I’m going to destroy the earth!” That would be a game-changer, wouldn’t it! In contrast to his contemporaries, like a light in darkness, Enoch stood out in the crowd. Faithfully, obediently, Enoch walked with God!
So, here’s some news that should change our lives… “The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).
It’s not a secret. Jesus is coming… and if he comes today, some of us are goin’ home to Heaven! Not due to our merit, but only by His grace, like Elijah and Enoch, we’re not going to die! Are you ready?
