For many Bible readers there is quite a remarkable fascination manifested about these two Bible characters, especially concerning what happened to them. Enoch was “translated, that he should not see death.” Elijah was taken away into heaven in a whirlwind (no, not a chariot of fire; the narrative is too often misread). What was the ultimate destiny of these worthies?
Many, arguing solely from the fact that Elijah was present at the transfiguration of Jesus, have assumed that these prophets have been existing in heaven ever since their sensational departure from the scene of their activities. But this transfiguration argument raises as many difficulties as it sets out to solve, for Moses also was present on that occasion, and he certainly was not translated as Enoch and Elijah were. Deuteronomy 34:56 is explicit that “Moses died in the land of Moab. . . and the Lord buried him in a valley in the land of Moab . . .” In any case, if these two ancient prophets were taken bodily to heaven, is one to assume that they have existed there in bodily form from that day to this? Certainly not.
The correct explanation is much more prosaic than anything mentioned so far. It is demonstrable that Elijah was still on the earth some years after his “ascension” in the whirlwind. The facts are not easily extracted from the historical records, but they are there. Elijah’s departure is described in II Kings 1. In II Kings 3:11 there is a reference to Elisha having already taken over the prophetic office of his predecessor, and this is in the reign of Jehoshaphat. In II Chronicles 21:12 Jehoram, the king who succeeded Jehoshaphat, received a letter from Elijah, the prophet.
What are we to conclude from these facts? Either Elijah was in heaven and the letter came fluttering down out of the sky (an unlikely procedure for even such an individualistic prophet as Elijah), or else Elijah was still alive on the earth years after his translation. This latter supposition is apparently correct. The chariots of fire were the cherubim of glory, and just as these appeared at the beginning of Ezekiel’s prophecies (see Ezek. ch. 1), so they also appeared to signify the formal conclusion of Elijah’s work as a prophet. When he was taken up by a whirlwind into heaven, this was simply a removal into retirement, for it has already been shown that it was not the end of his earthly life.
What of Enoch? Genesis says “he was not, for God took him.” Hebrews 11:5 says “he was translated that he should not see death.” It is easy to jump to hasty conclusions from these brief phrases. However, Hebrews goes on to say (verse 13) : “These all died in faith . . .” So far the chapter has referred only to Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. Would the writer say “these all died” if one of the five was a quite remarkable exception ? For many generations it has been an unchanging tradition among the Jews that Enoch’s translation was a removal from persecution that he should not meet a violent death. This seems reasonable, although the Bible does not say so explicitly.
There is no need to speculate about the meaning of the strange phrases used concerning Enoch and Elijah. The Bible is insistent that “the wages of sin is death,” and “as in Adam all die . . .” Enoch and Elijah were certainly sinners as all other men are. And just as certainly they were “in Adam.” Therefore they died. If, in later days, the law of Adamic condemnation was to bring even the sinless Son of God to the grave, is it conceivable that the Almighty would make exceptions in the case of lesser men than he?
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One