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LOOKING FOR JESUS TO SAVE MY SOUL – PART 6

Looking For Jesus To Save My Soul

Part Six – Re-Baptised & On Fire For Jesus Christ – Yahshua Ha Mashiach, What About You?

Bonnie Nelson

Hello Everyone:

This last week in the FS Monday Night Forum we were talking about being water baptized.  Some of you may not yet have been baptized and others may have been dunked several times. Matter of fact, I know of a couple of fellas who have been baptized several times. It seems each time they joined a different denomination, they had to be baptized in the way “they did it.” So, how many different ways are there to be baptized? Is one better than another? How does that work? My hope is to reveal the biblical answers and provide you with the information you need to decide in what name you want or should be baptized into.

 

Along with the questions of, are we to be sprinkled or immersed, come other questions such as, in what name should we be baptized. “Is it in the Name of Jesus Christ or in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit?” By the end of this article, I pray you will understand the deeper spiritual meanings regarding being baptized and in what name it should be done for Christians.

 

I understand people have different ideas and beliefs about how to be baptized, but what I am going to share is from the Scriptures, which touched my heart and opened my ears and eyes to the choice I needed to make. My opinion or belief has to line up with what is written. However, in no way can I tell you the decision I made for me, is the one you have to make.  We all have free will, but I do pray the Scriptures I am standing on will help you in your decision.

 

I was originally baptized sometime in the late 90’s and I am not sure if it was in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Name of Jesus Christ, or what, but recently there was something inside me, telling me it was amiss and I needed to be baptized again. I kept hearing “the dead in Christ shall rise first.”

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The key words for me were, “In Christ.” The conversation in my head was something like this. So, am I in Christ? Shouldn’t I know that? How can I be in Christ, if I was not baptizedinto him like the Apostles?” If I am not in Christ, are my sins forgiven? Plus, how does that work regarding I Thessalonians 4:16 and the resurrection? Do you have conversations like this or is it just me?

 

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 

About the same time Cathy told me Pastor Ray was getting ready to baptize a few people. Coincidence? Not! I had mentioned to her I wanted to get re-baptized and after I explained to her my thoughts, she decided to be re-baptized too, even though she had already been sprinkled, baptized in the river and the Methodist Church.

 

I visited with Pastor Ray and he said, “The way I do it is, “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus Christ.

 

I told him, I think I already did that, but this time, I want to know that I know, I’m going into Jesus Christ, and you can add His Name in Hebrew too, Yahshua Ha Mashiach.  He just smiled at me with those eyes that twinkle and said, no problem.

 

 

When I was first baptized, I didn’t understand the depth of the symbolism and what it means.  But now, oh now, I want to go into Jesus with all my heart and soul. He is the way, the light, the truth, the life and the “gate.”

Please understand, I did not make my decision based on only what I felt in my heart, heard in my head or was told to believe. I made my decision upon digging into what is written in the Word of God and what it says about; what must I do to be saved and in what name. I want to know that I know, I am in Jesus and He is in me and it’s a done deal! I want to make sure I am forgiven and heaven bound.

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Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (I John 3:5)

 

Scriptures connect the baptism with Jesus’s name and He wanted us to not only be baptized in His name, but to baptize others in His Name too!

 

For me being baptized is not just a prophetic act on the outside, but a spiritual work on the inside, which is a part of the beginning of my new-birth experience. I am in a process of being transformed.

 

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5)

 

In Romans 6 Paul tells us that in baptism we are identified with Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We die with Christ in baptism, and we become dead to the ruling-power of sin in our lives.

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Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

 

This question only makes sense if we understand the name we are baptized intoindicates the person we follow as our teacher and master. Baptism is an identification with someone.

 

Did you get that? I am a follower of Jesus Christ and He is My Teacher and Master, so I was baptized into Him and this time I knew exactly who the Him was, His name is Jesus Christ, Yahshua Ha Mashiach. I am now sure, I’m in the right place.  Hallelujah! (Praise Yah)

 

Paul goes on to tell us more of what happens when we are baptized into Jesus.

 

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall bealso in the likeness of his resurrection:

 

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

 

For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:3-7

 

When we are baptized into Jesus Christ it means we are identified as one of His disciples and we get the benefits of what He died to give us at Calvary, the victory over sin and death.

 

Being baptized in Jesus’ name results in a spiritual work, not because Jesus’ name is some kind of a magical formula, it’s about us putting our faith in Him, being identified with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. It signifies and allows Him to officially become the owner of our temples of flesh. We were bought with a price.

 

“Ye are not your own: for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”  1 Cor 6:19-20

 

 

At a baptism done in the Name of Jesus, we become unified (one) with Him and in God’s eyes, experience death and resurrection with Christ (Romans 6:4-7).

 

Paul is telling us what Christ did for us at Calvary becomes effective in our lives by being identified with Jesus Christ through baptism.

 

Death did not have mastery over Jesus, so neither will it conquer us. We too will raise from the dead (6:5-7).

 

Having died with Christ, sin no longer controls us, but rather righteousness (6:6-7. 10-11, 14, 17-20). If after we have died to sin, we yield to the ruling-power of sin, it is because we choose to do so (6:16).

 

And Paul said it again in Colossians, “And (you) having been united with him (Jesus) in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).

 

 

Naming the Name of Jesus over a baptismal recipient is like using a power of attorney. We are acting in another’s stead. In this case, we are acting in, and identifying with the work of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

 

If we take the Bible as our authority, we will want to obey its teachings in every matter, including how we are to be baptized, because baptism is salvific. (Mark 16:16; I Peter 3:21) It is wise to be sure we are doing it in the Biblical fashion, in which Jesus taught the disciples.

 

 

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16

 

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: (I Peter 3:21)

 

Knowing that the Bible teaches baptism in Jesus’ name, and seeing why it does so (theologically), I would not want to take any chance by shrugging my shoulders and saying, “It doesn’t matter.”

 

Well, it mattered to the Apostle Paul so much, he returned to Ephesus and re-baptized some of the disciples who had been baptized unto John’s baptism. If it doesn’t matter what name we are baptized into, what do we do with these Scriptures? Acts 19:1-6

 

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

 

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

 

And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

 

 

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Are there any Paul’s out there today? Does anyone care if people are/have been baptized incorrectly?

It is important to know what the bible teaches on this subject and then to obey that message. It matters!

 

It’s About The Name & The Man

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Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: Philippians 2:9

 

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

 

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; Mark 16:17

 

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Luke 10:17

 

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, Ephesians 3:15

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It appears through these Scriptures, there is a name above all names, in which all authority has been given. It is the name of the whole family in heaven and earth, even devils are subject to this name, heavenly tongues are given in this name, and Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

 

That seems pretty clear to me, no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved! So, why is there all this confusion and division on this issue of being baptized in the Name?

 

At Pentecost in Acts 2:36-41 Peter reveals how people should be saved through baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and 3,000 souls were added to the church.

 

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

 

 

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

 

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

 

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

 

 

Verse 38 seems pretty clear about using the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins and “to receive the Spirit of God.” 

 

So, what is the problem, what happened to make everyone get so messed up regarding what name to baptize people into?  Evidently it was Matthew 28:18-20. Verse 19 seems to be the root of the problem.

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18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 

So Jesus comes and says all power has been given to Him in heaven and earth and then He “commands” us to go and teach and baptize and then, there is something new; do all this in His name? No, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

 

Note: Jesus says baptizing them, “in the name.” The word here for name is “singular,” it is not a plural word for “names.” We all know the “name” would be Jesus Christ.  But, why didn’t He just say baptism was to be done in My Name? Did He really say baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Ghost?

 

In trying to explain this issues, some say Jesus often demonstrated that His Name Jesus was the plural name of the Father, the name of the Son and the name of the Holy Spirit, meaning He encapsulates or contains all the various ways in which God manifests Himself to Humanity (as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)

 

Thus, saying when we encounter Jesus Christ, we encounter all of God.  Jesus often spoke of His relationship with the Father as “I am in the Father, and the Father in me”(John 10:38; 14:10-11; 17:21).

 

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And the deity of the Son is none other than that of Yahweh Himself , who came down in the form of a servant and in the likeness of men. Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible representation of the invisible God, the Firstborn and Lord of all creation.

 

This is why we find Scriptures saying, “He that believes on me, believes not on me, but on him that sent me.And he that sees me sees him that sent me” (John 12:44-45), or “He that receives me receives him that sent me” (John 13:20).

 

Can we believe in Jesus, but not believe in the Father? And, how is it possible to have seen God when one has, in reality, only seen Jesus’ physical body?

 

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1:18

 

Can a person accept Jesus without accepting the Father?

 

According to Jesus the answer is no, because of what is written.

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“I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also”(John 14:6-7).

 

“He that hates me hates my Father also” (John 15:23).

 

So, who can deny, not only is Jesus the way to the Father, but the Father can only be known through the Son.

 

It would seem to us that the Father could be known apart from the Son, but according to Jesus it is not possible. One of the best examples is in II John 9 where John said,

 

 

“Whoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God. He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.”(See also I John 2:23-24). If you accept Christ’s person you will have the Father and the Son.

 

All of these Scriptures relay one common truth: knowing the Father is bound up in knowing the Son.

 

When we have Jesus Christ, we have the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The point here is not to demonstrate that Jesus’ name is the name of the “Father” and “Holy Spirit,” although we know that Jesus’ deity was that of the Father. What it does demonstrate is that all of the ways in which we encounter God are encapsulated (wrapped up) and found in the person of Jesus Christ.

 

 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

 

This is why the name of Jesus is the name of Matthew 28, rather than God the Father, or Holy Spirit. In essence what Jesus was saying is, “Baptize them into my person, in my authority, for I, in myself, encapsulate the various ways in which you have come to know God’s self-manifestation.”

 

That all sounds pretty good, but I am pretty sure it will not be the deal breaker for what name people choose to be baptized into or have spoken over them. However, theological all of that might be, there is ample proof (Historical Facts) that the Roman Catholic Churchchanged the text and added: into the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

 

And, with this information exposed, there IS NO longer any conflict in the Scriptures regarding in what Name we are to be baptized into. The Name is Jesus Christ, Yahshua Ha Mashiach

 

Do you really want to know what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19? Are you ready to be re-baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, Yahshua Ha Mashiach? Read on.

 

According to the Demonstratio Evangelica” by Eusebius:

 

Eusebius was the Church historian and Bishop of Caesarea. On page 152 Eusebius quotes the early book of Matthew that he had in his library in Caesarea. According to this eyewitness of an unaltered Book of Matthew that could have been the original book or the first copy of the original of Matthew. Eusebius informs us of Jesus’ actual words to his disciples in the original test of Matthew 28:19:

 

“With one word and voice He said to His disciples: “Go, and make disciples of all nations in My Name, teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you. “

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The Catholic Encyclopedia, II page 263

 

“The baptismal formula was changed from the name of Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by the Catholic Church in the second century.

 

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The Jerusalem Bible, a scholarly Catholic work states: “It may be that this formula, (Triune Matthew 28:19 so far as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the (Man-made) liturgical usage established later in the primitive (Catholic) community. It will be remembered that Acts speaks of baptizing “in the name of Jesus,”…”

 

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The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. 1923, New Testament Studies Number 5: The Lord’s Command To Baptize An Historical Critical Investigation. By Bernard Henry Cuneo page 27.

 

“The passages in Acts and the Letters of St. Paul. These passages seem to point to the earliest form as baptism in the name of the Lord.” Also we find. “Is it possible to reconcile these facts with the belief that Christ commanded his disciples to baptize in the trine form?

 

Had Christ given such a command, it is urged, the Apostolic Church would have followed him, and we should have some trace of this obedience in the New Testament. No such trace can be found. The only explanation of this silence, according to the anti-traditional view, is this the short Christological (Jesus Name) formula was (the) original, and the longer trine formula was later development.

 

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Catholic Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI): He makes this confession as to the origin of the chief Trinity text of Matthew 28:19.

 

“The basic form of our (Matthew 28:19 Trinitarian) profession of faith took shape during the course of the second and third centuries in connection with the ceremony of baptism. So far as its place of origin is concerned, the test (Matthew 28:19) came from the city of Rome.” The Trinity baptism and text of Matthew 28:19 therefore did not originate from the original Church that started in Jerusalem around AD 33. It was rather as the evidence proves a later invention of Roman Catholicism completely fabricated. Very few know about these historical facts.”

 

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“The NT church knew only baptism in the name of Jesus, which still occurs even in the second and third centuries” (Scaff-Herzog Religious Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 435).

 

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“Baptism was changed from the name of Jesus to Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost in the 2ndd century” (Britannica Encyclopedia 11th Edition, Volume 3, page 365).

 

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“The early church baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus until the 2nd century (Canney Encyclopedia of Religion, page 53).

“Christian baptism was administered using the words, “in the name of Jesus.” Also that “baptism was always in the name of Jesus, until the time of Justin Martyr” (Hastings Encyclopedia of Religion, Volume 2, page 377 and 378).

 

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“It must be acknowledged that three-fold name of Matthew 28:19 does not appear to have been used by the primitive church, but rather in the name of Jesus, or Jesus Christ our Lord” (Hasting Dictionary of Bible, page 88).

 

The formula used was “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” there is no evidence for the use of the triune name.

 

The Trinitarian formula and triune immersion were not used at the church’s beginning, nor did they always go together.

 

We gather from Acts 19:4 that John had merely baptized in the name of the coming Messiah, without identifying Him with Jesus of Nazareth. The Apostolic age supplied the knowledge that Jesus was the Messiah, and the normal mode used during baptism was into Christ, identifying Him (Christ) as Jesus. The terminology used was “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” or in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Moreover, there is no mention in the New Testament of anyone being baptized into the name of the Trinity. The early disciples baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

 

The former expression used in Acts 2:38 and 10:48 was “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The latter is used in Acts 8:16. From these passages and from Paul’s words in I Corinthians 1:13 (was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?) it is natural to conclude the baptism was administered in earliest times “in the name of Jesus Christ” or that of the Lord Jesus Christ.”This view is confirmed by the fact that the earliest form of the baptism creed appears to have been singular – not triple, as was the one, which developed during the next few centuries.

 

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Regarding Evil Scribes

 

How can you say, “We understand his laws,” when your teachers have twisted them up to mean a thing I never said? Jeremiah 8:8 The Living Bible

 

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Additional Scripture Proof Text 

 

Proof Text – Noun

 

A Scrptural passage adduced as proof for a theological doctrine, belief or principle.

 

There are some Scriptures, which can be used as proof texts for Jesus’ Name Baptisms, which when interpreted according to the theological significance of a name, are found to express something quite different and yet, bring proof for Jesus name baptism.

 

One such verse is Colossians 3:17. Here Paul told us, whatever we do, we are to do so, “In the Name of the Lord Jesus.”

 

 

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

 

Would it not be reasonable to assume, since baptism is a deed, something we do, as an important part of our salvation that this Scripture proves, without a doubt, baptism should be administered in Jesus’ name.

 

Paul did not have in mind for us to say, “in Jesus’ name” in everything that we do or say. The meaning here is that we are to live our lives as to Jesus Christ Himself, acknowledging Him. What we do and say should be in accordance with His character, purpose, and will.

 

Another passage commonly cited as a proof that we are to baptize in Jesus’ name isActs 4:12:

 

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among me by which we must be saved.”

 

The spoken name of “Jesus” in itself is not the only thing, which makes salvation effective. It is also our faith in the Messiah that He did what Scriptures said He did and more important, He will do what He promised to do for us.

 

In Acts 4:8-12 Peter shows there is no other person in whom men can find salvation other than through the name and power of Jesus Christ.

 

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Honorable leaders and elders of our nation, if you mean the good deed done to the cripple, and how he was healed, 10 let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that it was done in the name and power of Jesus from Nazareth, the Messiah, the man you crucified—but God raised back to life again. It is by his authority that this man stands here healed! 11 For Jesus the Messiah is (the one referred to in the Scriptures when they speak of ) a ‘stone discarded by the builders which became the capstone of the arch.’[b] 12 There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them.”

 

This is witnessed in I Corinthians 1:12-15. Here Paul recounted that various believers were claiming to be followers of Paul, Apollos, Peter, or Jesus. Paul was angered by the fact that the church would claim to be followers of men rather than of Christ and asked them if they were baptized into the name of Paul, or if Paul had been crucified for them.

 

He knew, when one is baptized in Jesus’ name they take the name and person of Jesus Christ upon them in baptism, showing that He is their Lord and that they belong to Him. Paul made it clear that one is baptized in Jesus’ name to show: They are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

 

And that’s exactly what I did. I made sure I was baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, Yahshua Ha Mashiach, May 28th 2017 and now, I am officially, legally, formally and spiritually, a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I am one happy disciple of Jesus/Yahshua.

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Hello Everyone:

This last week in the FS Monday Night Forum we were talking about being water baptized.  Some of you may not yet have been baptized and others may have been dunked several times. Matter of fact, I know of a couple of fellas who have been baptized several times. It seems each time they joined a different denomination, they had to be baptized in the way “they did it.” So, how many different ways are there to be baptized? Is one better than another? How does that work? My hope is to reveal the biblical answers and provide you with the information you need to decide in what name you want or should be baptized into.

Along with the questions of, are we to be sprinkled or immersed, come other questions such as, in what name should we be baptized. “Is it in the Name of Jesus Christ or in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit?” By the end of this article, I pray you will understand the deeper spiritual meanings regarding being baptized and in what name it should be done for Christians.

I understand people have different ideas and beliefs about how to be baptized, but what I am going to share is from the Scriptures, which touched my heart and opened my ears and eyes to the choice I needed to make. My opinion or belief has to line up with what is written. However, in no way can I tell you the decision I made for me, is the one you have to make.  We all have free will, but I do pray the Scriptures I am standing on will help you in your decision.

I was originally baptized sometime in the late 90’s and I am not sure if it was in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Name of Jesus Christ, or what, but recently there was something inside me, telling me it was amiss and I needed to be baptized again. I kept hearing “the dead in Christ shall rise first.”

The key words for me were, “In Christ.” The conversation in my head was something like this. So, am I in Christ? Shouldn’t I know that? How can I be in Christ, if I was not baptizedinto him like the Apostles?” If I am not in Christ, are my sins forgiven? Plus, how does that work regarding I Thessalonians 4:16 and the resurrection? Do you have conversations like this or is it just me?

 

 

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

About the same time Cathy told me Pastor Ray was getting ready to baptize a few people. Coincidence? Not! I had mentioned to her I wanted to get re-baptized and after I explained to her my thoughts, she decided to be re-baptized too, even though she had already been sprinkled, baptized in the river and the Methodist Church.

I visited with Pastor Ray and he said, “The way I do it is, “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Jesus Christ.

I told him, I think I already did that, but this time, I want to know that I know, I’m going into Jesus Christ, and you can add His Name in Hebrew too, Yahshua Ha Mashiach.  He just smiled at me with those eyes that twinkle and said, no problem.

When I was first baptized, I didn’t understand the depth of the symbolism and what it means.  But now, oh now, I want to go into Jesus with all my heart and soul. He is the way, the light, the truth, the life and the “gate.”

Please understand, I did not make my decision based on only what I felt in my heart, heard in my head or was told to believe. I made my decision upon digging into what is written in the Word of God and what it says about; what must I do to be saved and in what name. I want to know that I know, I am in Jesus and He is in me and it’s a done deal! I want to make sure I am forgiven and heaven bound.

 

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (I John 3:5)

Scriptures connect the baptism with Jesus’s name and He wanted us to not only be baptized in His name, but to baptize others in His Name too!

For me being baptized is not just a prophetic act on the outside, but a spiritual work on the inside, which is a part of the beginning of my new-birth experience. I am in a process of being transformed.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5)

In Romans 6 Paul tells us that in baptism we are identified with Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We die with Christ in baptism, and we become dead to the ruling-power of sin in our lives.

 

 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

This question only makes sense if we understand the name we are baptized intoindicates the person we follow as our teacher and master. Baptism is an identification with someone.

Did you get that? I am a follower of Jesus Christ and He is My Teacher and Master, so I was baptized into Him and this time I knew exactly who the Him was, His name is Jesus Christ, Yahshua Ha Mashiach. I am now sure, I’m in the right place.  Hallelujah! (Praise Yah)

 

Paul goes on to tell us more of what happens when we are baptized into Jesus.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall bealso in the likeness of his resurrection:

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:3-7

When we are baptized into Jesus Christ it means we are identified as one of His disciples and we get the benefits of what He died to give us at Calvary, the victory over sin and death.

Being baptized in Jesus’ name results in a spiritual work, not because Jesus’ name is some kind of a magical formula, it’s about us putting our faith in Him, being identified with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. It signifies and allows Him to officially become the owner of our temples of flesh. We were bought with a price.

“Ye are not your own: for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”  1 Cor 6:19-20

 

 

At a baptism done in the Name of Jesus, we become unified (one) with Him and in God’s eyes, experience death and resurrection with Christ (Romans 6:4-7).

Paul is telling us what Christ did for us at Calvary becomes effective in our lives by being identified with Jesus Christ through baptism.

Death did not have mastery over Jesus, so neither will it conquer us. We too will raise from the dead (6:5-7).

Having died with Christ, sin no longer controls us, but rather righteousness (6:6-7. 10-11, 14, 17-20). If after we have died to sin, we yield to the ruling-power of sin, it is because we choose to do so (6:16).

And Paul said it again in Colossians, “And (you) having been united with him (Jesus) in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).

 

 

 

 

 

Naming the Name of Jesus over a baptismal recipient is like using a power of attorney. We are acting in another’s stead. In this case, we are acting in, and identifying with the work of Jesus Christ at Calvary.

If we take the Bible as our authority, we will want to obey its teachings in every matter, including how we are to be baptized, because baptism is salvific. (Mark 16:16; I Peter 3:21) It is wise to be sure we are doing it in the Biblical fashion, in which Jesus taught the disciples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16

 

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: (I Peter 3:21)

Knowing that the Bible teaches baptism in Jesus’ name, and seeing why it does so (theologically), I would not want to take any chance by shrugging my shoulders and saying, “It doesn’t matter.”

Well, it mattered to the Apostle Paul so much, he returned to Ephesus and re-baptized some of the disciples who had been baptized unto John’s baptism. If it doesn’t matter what name we are baptized into, what do we do with these Scriptures? Acts 19:1-6

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

 

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

 

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

 

Are there any Paul’s out there today? Does anyone care if people are/have been baptized incorrectly?

It is important to know what the bible teaches on this subject and then to obey that message. It matters!

It’s About The Name & The Man

 

 

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: Philippians 2:9

 

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; Mark 16:17

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Luke 10:17

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, Ephesians 3:15

 

 

It appears through these Scriptures, there is a name above all names, in which all authority has been given. It is the name of the whole family in heaven and earth, even devils are subject to this name, heavenly tongues are given in this name, and Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

That seems pretty clear to me, no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved! So, why is there all this confusion and division on this issue of being baptized in the Name?

At Pentecost in Acts 2:36-41 Peter reveals how people should be saved through baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and 3,000 souls were added to the church.

 

 

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

 

 

 

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

 

Verse 38 seems pretty clear about using the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins and “to receive the Spirit of God.” 

So, what is the problem, what happened to make everyone get so messed up regarding what name to baptize people into?  Evidently it was Matthew 28:18-20. Verse 19 seems to be the root of the problem.

 

 

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 

 

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

So Jesus comes and says all power has been given to Him in heaven and earth and then He “commands” us to go and teach and baptize and then, there is something new; do all this in His name? No, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Note: Jesus says baptizing them, “in the name.” The word here for name is “singular,” it is not a plural word for “names.” We all know the “name” would be Jesus Christ.  But, why didn’t He just say baptism was to be done in My Name? Did He really say baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Ghost?

In trying to explain this issues, some say Jesus often demonstrated that His Name Jesus was the plural name of the Father, the name of the Son and the name of the Holy Spirit, meaning He encapsulates or contains all the various ways in which God manifests Himself to Humanity (as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.)

Thus, saying when we encounter Jesus Christ, we encounter all of God.  Jesus often spoke of His relationship with the Father as “I am in the Father, and the Father in me”(John 10:38; 14:10-11; 17:21).

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the deity of the Son is none other than that of Yahweh Himself , who came down in the form of a servant and in the likeness of men. Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible representation of the invisible God, the Firstborn and Lord of all creation.

This is why we find Scriptures saying, “He that believes on me, believes not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that sees me sees him that sent me” (John 12:44-45), or “He that receives me receives him that sent me” (John 13:20).

Can we believe in Jesus, but not believe in the Father? And, how is it possible to have seen God when one has, in reality, only seen Jesus’ physical body?

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1:18

Can a person accept Jesus without accepting the Father?

According to Jesus the answer is no, because of what is written.

 

 

 

“I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also” (John 14:6-7).

“He that hates me hates my Father also” (John 15:23).

So, who can deny, not only is Jesus the way to the Father, but the Father can only be known through the Son.

It would seem to us that the Father could be known apart from the Son, but according to Jesus it is not possible. One of the best examples is in II John 9 where John said,

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Whoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God. He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.”(See also I John 2:23-24). If you accept Christ’s person you will have the Father and the Son.

All of these Scriptures relay one common truth: knowing the Father is bound up in knowing the Son.

When we have Jesus Christ, we have the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The point here is not to demonstrate that Jesus’ name is the name of the “Father” and “Holy Spirit,” although we know that Jesus’ deity was that of the Father. What it does demonstrate is that all of the ways in which we encounter God are encapsulated (wrapped up) and found in the person of Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

This is why the name of Jesus is the name of Matthew 28, rather than God the Father, or Holy Spirit. In essence what Jesus was saying is, “Baptize them into my person, in my authority, for I, in myself, encapsulate the various ways in which you have come to know God’s self-manifestation.”

That all sounds pretty good, but I am pretty sure it will not be the deal breaker for what name people choose to be baptized into or have spoken over them. However, theological all of that might be, there is ample proof (Historical Facts) that the Roman Catholic Church changed the text and added: into the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

 

 

 

 

And, with this information exposed, there IS NO longer any conflict in the Scriptures regarding in what Name we are to be baptized into. The Name is Jesus Christ, Yahshua Ha Mashiach

Do you really want to know what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19? Are you ready to be re-baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, Yahshua Ha Mashiach? Read on.

According to the Demonstratio Evangelica” by Eusebius:

Eusebius was the Church historian and Bishop of Caesarea. On page 152 Eusebius quotes the early book of Matthew that he had in his library in Caesarea. According to this eyewitness of an unaltered Book of Matthew that could have been the original book or the first copy of the original of Matthew. Eusebius informs us of Jesus’ actual words to his disciples in the original test of Matthew 28:19:

“With one word and voice He said to His disciples: “Go, and make disciples of all nations in My Name, teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you. ”

 

 

 

 

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The Catholic Encyclopedia, II page 263

“The baptismal formula was changed from the name of Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by the Catholic Church in the second century.

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The Jerusalem Bible, a scholarly Catholic work states: “It may be that this formula, (Triune Matthew 28:19 so far as the fullness of its expression is concerned, is a reflection of the (Man-made) liturgical usage established later in the primitive (Catholic) community. It will be remembered that Acts speaks of baptizing “in the name of Jesus,”…”

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The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. 1923, New Testament Studies Number 5: The Lord’s Command To Baptize An Historical Critical Investigation. By Bernard Henry Cuneo page 27.

 

“The passages in Acts and the Letters of St. Paul. These passages seem to point to the earliest form as baptism in the name of the Lord.” Also we find. “Is it possible to reconcile these facts with the belief that Christ commanded his disciples to baptize in the trine form?

Had Christ given such a command, it is urged, the Apostolic Church would have followed him, and we should have some trace of this obedience in the New Testament. No such trace can be found. The only explanation of this silence, according to the anti-traditional view, is this the short Christological (Jesus Name) formula was (the) original, and the longer trine formula was later development.

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Catholic Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI): He makes this confession as to the origin of the chief Trinity text of Matthew 28:19.

“The basic form of our (Matthew 28:19 Trinitarian) profession of faith took shape during the course of the second and third centuries in connection with the ceremony of baptism. So far as its place of origin is concerned, the test (Matthew 28:19) came from the city of Rome.” The Trinity baptism and text of Matthew 28:19 therefore did not originate from the original Church that started in Jerusalem around AD 33. It was rather as the evidence proves a later invention of Roman Catholicism completely fabricated. Very few know about these historical facts.”

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“The NT church knew only baptism in the name of Jesus, which still occurs even in the second and third centuries” (Scaff-Herzog Religious Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 435).

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“Baptism was changed from the name of Jesus to Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost in the 2ndd century” (Britannica Encyclopedia 11th Edition, Volume 3, page 365).

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“The early church baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus until the 2nd century (Canney Encyclopedia of Religion, page 53).

“Christian baptism was administered using the words, “in the name of Jesus.” Also that “baptism was always in the name of Jesus, until the time of Justin Martyr” (Hastings Encyclopedia of Religion, Volume 2, page 377 and 378).

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“It must be acknowledged that three-fold name of Matthew 28:19 does not appear to have been used by the primitive church, but rather in the name of Jesus, or Jesus Christ our Lord” (Hasting Dictionary of Bible, page 88).

The formula used was “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” there is no evidence for the use of the triune name.

The Trinitarian formula and triune immersion were not used at the church’s beginning, nor did they always go together.

We gather from Acts 19:4 that John had merely baptized in the name of the coming Messiah, without identifying Him with Jesus of Nazareth. The Apostolic age supplied the knowledge that Jesus was the Messiah, and the normal mode used during baptism was into Christ, identifying Him (Christ) as Jesus. The terminology used was “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” or in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Moreover, there is no mention in the New Testament of anyone being baptized into the name of the Trinity. The early disciples baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

 

The former expression used in Acts 2:38 and 10:48 was “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The latter is used in Acts 8:16. From these passages and from Paul’s words in I Corinthians 1:13 (was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?) it is natural to conclude the baptism was administered in earliest times “in the name of Jesus Christ” or that of the Lord Jesus Christ.”This view is confirmed by the fact that the earliest form of the baptism creed appears to have been singular – not triple, as was the one, which developed during the next few centuries.

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Regarding Evil Scribes

How can you say, “We understand his laws,” when your teachers have twisted them up to mean a thing I never said? Jeremiah 8:8 The Living Bible

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Additional Scripture Proof Text 

Proof Text – Noun

A Scrptural passage adduced as proof for a theological doctrine, belief or principle.

There are some Scriptures, which can be used as proof texts for Jesus’ Name Baptisms, which when interpreted according to the theological significance of a name, are found to express something quite different and yet, bring proof for Jesus name baptism.

One such verse is Colossians 3:17. Here Paul told us, whatever we do, we are to do so, “In the Name of the Lord Jesus.”

 

 

 

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Would it not be reasonable to assume, since baptism is a deed, something we do, as an important part of our salvation that this Scripture proves, without a doubt, baptism should be administered in Jesus’ name.

Paul did not have in mind for us to say, “in Jesus’ name” in everything that we do or say. The meaning here is that we are to live our lives as to Jesus Christ Himself, acknowledging Him. What we do and say should be in accordance with His character, purpose, and will.

Another passage commonly cited as a proof that we are to baptize in Jesus’ name isActs 4:12:

 

 

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among me by which we must be saved.”

The spoken name of “Jesus” in itself is not the only thing, which makes salvation effective. It is also our faith in the Messiah that He did what Scriptures said He did and more important, He will do what He promised to do for us.

In Acts 4:8-12 Peter shows there is no other person in whom men can find salvation other than through the name and power of Jesus Christ.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Honorable leaders and elders of our nation, if you mean the good deed done to the cripple, and how he was healed, 10 let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that it was done in the name and power of Jesus from Nazareth, the Messiah, the man you crucified—but God raised back to life again. It is by his authority that this man stands here healed! 11 For Jesus the Messiah is (the one referred to in the Scriptures when they speak of ) a ‘stone discarded by the builders which became the capstone of the arch.’[b] 12 There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them.”

 

 

 

This is witnessed in I Corinthians 1:12-15. Here Paul recounted that various believers were claiming to be followers of Paul, Apollos, Peter, or Jesus. Paul was angered by the fact that the church would claim to be followers of men rather than of Christ and asked them if they were baptized into the name of Paul, or if Paul had been crucified for them.

He knew, when one is baptized in Jesus’ name they take the name and person of Jesus Christ upon them in baptism, showing that He is their Lord and that they belong to Him. Paul made it clear that one is baptized in Jesus’ name to show: They are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And that’s exactly what I did. I made sure I was baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, Yahshua Ha Mashiach, May 28th 2017 and now, I am officially, legally, formally and spiritually, a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I am one happy disciple of Jesus/Yahshua.

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Hello Firestorm:

Today, I find myself smack dab in the middle of the mystery of dreams.  I do not claim to be an expert in this field, but since the Holy Spirit seems to have led me here, I know it is going to be an exciting learning experience.  He never fails to bring wonderful and exciting revelation when He is in charge.  I pray that as we dig in together to learn more about dreams that this will be a life changing experience for all of us.

The minute God opened my eyes to see and know that dreams are a communication line from Him to me, I wanted them and now I am experiencing more dreams than I have ever had in my life. It is like a door opened. I am attributing the increase to the fact that I repented of not understanding dreams were important messages from Him. I want the dreams He has for me and I apologized to Him for not paying attention and seeking my dreams.

What opened my eyes?  A Scripture…..

 

Job 33:14-18
(NASB)Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it.
In a dream,  a vision of the night,
when sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,
Then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction,
That he may turn man aside from his conduct,
and keep man from pride;
He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from passing over into Sheol.
***

How incredible is that?  Here is God coming to us in dreams and visions to give us instruction and to keep me from doing things that endanger my soul.  WOW!  Thank You Father.

There are people who say to me they don’t dream….but have you asked the one who gives dreams, to give them to you?

How do I know He will answer?  Because of a Scripture:

 

Isaiah 65:1
(NASB)  I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.
I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.
I said, “Here I am!”
To a nation that did not call on my name.

Notice the Lord is saying I was ready to respond, but no one was asking for “My” help.  He seems to be shouting “Here I AM” to a nation (peoples) that did not call on my name. Oh God, don’t let that nation be ours.

I prayed and asked the Lord for my dreams. Why don’t you ask Him for yours?

Some people say they do not understand their dreams and in the Bible there are several instances where those people didn’t either, but they went out to find someone  who understood the dream language of God and what He was saying. They didn’t just shelf the dream or throw it away if they could not figure it out in a few minutes.

We are an impatient culture wanting answers now. We are the generation who sets the  microwave on l minute and never lets the cycle finish. We are all in a big hurry to do everything.

God doesn’t rush or pay attention to our rapid rat race and the Bible also tells us that often God purposely chooses to speak in riddles and sayings, instead of sending us an e-mail or snail mail letter with the message written out all nice and pretty, so we know exactly what He is saying and won’t “miss it.”

But Scripture says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to seek out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2

The Bible also says, “Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you, ask and ye shall receive.  There are no Scriptures according to the Concordance or Google that say, “You don’t have to look for anything, it will just come to you on a silver platter.”

Plus, in Matthew 13:44 we find the parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. Here is the story of man who found the treasure hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

God is wanting us to desire something He has for us enough to seek it out.  He is wanting us to desire communion with Him so much we are willing to invest ourselves so much we are willing to spend our time, and go after it, selling everything we have to get it and make it ours, just like this story of the pearl of great price.

There is also another message here, it is where God is wanting us to spend some time seeking Him and taking the time to learn His language. He does not want to speak to you through an interpreter for the rest of your life.  No doubt there will be times where you will need help from others, but that should not be where we settle.  Just like in a prophetic word, God gives “you” dreams because He wants to talk “directly” to YOU.  Then, as when you hear a prophetic word, when you have received the revelation of your dream, you go to another for confirmation.

Dreams and Prophetic Words are a way of communication that God uses to speak to us. Don’t just settle for one or the other……Go for all of what God has for you.

God’s language was and is still full of symbols.  He used used His language in dreams to speak with His people from the beginning and He doesn’t change, so He has not changed, and will not change the way He speaks to us. Dreams are a legitimate communication source God has created to share with us divine information and knowledge and if week seek Him, the Holy Spirit will begin to bring the revelation to you of His Dream Language.

Stay faithful to study in the Word on a daily basis and that will enable us to stay fresh in the Word as well as, “be fine tuned to the Spirit of God.” It is important for us to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

How can I prove to you that it is important for your spiritual life, as well as your family, friends and maybe even our Nation, for you to seek your dreams and their message?   I am betting on Scripture to bring the confirmation forth in your spirit.

1.  God declared He WOULD speak through dreams & visions in the Old Testament

And He said, “Hear now my words: if there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream”
(Numbers 12:6)

2.  God declared that He DID speak through dreams and visions in the O.T.

“I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets” (Hosea 12:10)

(similitude: 1. The quality or condition of being similar; resemblance.)

3.  God declares that He Will communicate through dreams and visions in N.T.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days,” saith God, “I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17)

4.  God declares that He WILL COUNSEL us at night through our dreams

“I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind (inner man) instruccts me in the night (Ps. 16:7)

5.  Rather than our drams being fatalistic, dreams are calling us to change SO WE WILL NOT PERISH.

“For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then He openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction, That He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword” (Job 33:14-18, emphasis mine).

6.  God does very significant things WITHIN dreams. He established the Abrahamic Covenant in a dream.

“And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him…And God said to Abram…In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying…” (Gen. 15:12,k 13, 18, emphasis mine).

7.  God grants supernatural gifts THROUGH dreams.

“In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, “Ask what I shall give thee..”

“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?”

“…Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee…” And Solomon awoke; and, behold it was a dream
(I Kings 3:5,9,12,15).

God wants us to seek Him, not just for answers to our questions and/or problems, but for Him and His Presence.  He loves us and wants to spend time with us.  Spending time with the Lord in Praise and Worship is a special time for Him and for us.

I sense that if we spend more time with God, just to be with God and for God, all of my communication lines from Him will be greater and my understanding increased in His Ways and Thoughts for me and those He wants to help through me.

Open the eyes of our heart Lord to know and love You more, open our ears to hear Your Living Logos Word, the Messages You have for us in our Dreams and to understand Your Language of Love.   In the Name of Yahshua….I bless You Lord with all that I am.  Hallelujah!

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Looking For Jesus
To Save My Soul
Part Two
Adam & Eve In The Garden

 The Death of the Soul

 

I am holding to Genesis 2:7 as my foundation scripture to build on my understanding of the soul and the resurrection. 

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (person, creature, being). KJV

body + breath = the soul

Yahweh told Adam and Eve if they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would die.

 

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17

If Adam was formed from the dust of the earth and the breath of God and made a living soul, what is going to die?  Everything he is:  A soul.

Body + Breath = Soul/Life – Living Being  (Genesis 2:7)

 

What did God say would happen? In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Gen 3:19

The body without the breath will die
The breath without the body will die
It is the combination of the breath and the body together
Which make a living soul.
Yahweh told them they would die and though it did not happen immediately, die they both did and all of us in their lineage will die as well, for we have the same curse of death over us.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12

 

Remember, The Last Enemy To Be Destroyed Is “Death”

I Cor 15:26

 

 
But, Be encouraged there is One, who will destroy death,

and He is for us.

 

Through the sin of one man, Satan released death and disease, but lo, there is one who shall put death under His Feet, Jesus/Yahshua the Messiah. He is The Firstfruits of the Resurrection). I Cor 15
It is written
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Romans 5:19

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. I Cor 15:21

 

 

Satan introduced the lie – “Surely you will not die” and guess what? Mankind has swallowed the lie, hook line and sinker, believing there is a part of him which is immortal and will live forever, not realizing in effect, he is putting himself on a level equal with God, which is NOT Scriptural, for it is written, there is only ONE, who has immortality:

1 Timothy 6:14 … our Lord Jesus Christ 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

We were not born innately immortal. The definition of innate is inborn, inherent, natural and instinctive. In philosophy innate means: originating in the mind.

 

Remember Gen 2:7 – Our foundation is:

body + breath = soul

 

The soul who sins shall die. The soul can’t be immortal, because it has sin. Do you really think you and I don’t have sin?

According to the Bible:

 

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.

I John 1:8

 

Adam and Eve’s sin gets passed down to ALL of us through our bloodline. It doesn’t matter how holy we are or how much stuff we do for God, we ALL have sinned. We were born into the “Family of Adam” where flesh begat flesh and their sin is passed down to ALL of us and physically, even the Scientists prove it, because they say, the moment we are born, our bodies begin to die. 
The flesh lineage is cursed, because of our ancestors sin of disobedience to God’s Word.
Before the sin of disobedience of Adam and Eve, there was no death and their body did not get sick or diseased. There were no physical laws whereby man’s body died of natural causes, but now, Yahweh numbered our flesh years.

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. Genesis 6:3


Are you beginning to ponder the ideology of mankind being created with an immortal soul, might not be Biblical?
Yahweh said they would die and then, He kicked them out of the Garden of Eden. Why did He do that? The Bible reveals the truth.
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. Genesis 3:2-23

God knew, if they ate of the Tree of Life, they would be stuck in their sinful state forever. He would not be able to get them (us) back into His family in Heaven.  For it is written flesh and blood cannot enter Heaven.

 

 

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. I Cor 15:50

Remember:
The Family of Adam – mortal flesh
The Restored Family of God, Born of the Spirit thru Jesus and the Resurrection.
No matter how much we think we were born immortal naturally in our in our mind, scripture does not back up this opinion and this belief undermines the very purpose of the resurrection, through Jesus Christ.

He is coming down to get us and many believe they are going up without Him…Selah.  So, We are going up and He is coming down. Interesting. What do we do with John 3:13?

 

 

And what about I Thessalonians 4:16 ?

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. NLT
With a shout of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of God’s trumpet, the Lord himself will come down from heaven, and the dead who belong to the Messiah will rise first.  ISV
Because our Lord shall descend from Heaven with a command and with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet blast of God, and the dead who are in The Messiah shall rise first; Aramaic
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6. 
We go into Jesus, when? At the Resurrection.
Do we have the faith and hope in Yahshua and what is written to believe He is the door, the way, the narrow gate – to eternal life
Look what is written in Revelation 2:7

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

 


Did you catch it?  The Tree of Life is in Heaven now, but notice, heaven is referred to as “The Paradise of God.”
This is the Tree of Life mentioned in the Garden of Eden, the one Adam and Eve chose not to eat, in favor of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Where does the Bible say it is now?
In the midst of the “paradise of God.”
Do we have access to it? Yes, through Jesus, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life….

In other words, When Jesus COMES BACK, He will bring his reward (promise) and it is for us to be raised up in Him and changed from corruptible to incorruptible and then eat of the tree of life (eternal life).

 

 

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
When Jesus resurrects us, through Him, we are brought up and out of Death and then the Scripture begins to come alive.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

The victory is through Jesus Christ in what He has done and what He is going to do for those who look, seek and receive Him and then, trust in what is written about His resurrection power being able to raise us from the grave. Can you believe in what is written?

 

Then you can rejoice, because in I Corinthians 15:57 it is written:
But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
 

Are you getting this? Do you see it?

Jesus is bringing His Reward and at the Resurrection we are going to be changed and go into Paradise (Heaven). What will that be like?

 

 

Revelation pictures heaven, both as a beautiful city as well as a wonderful garden (Revelation 22:1-5).

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

 


And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

 

 

5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever

 

What a beautiful picture, Death loses its sting for those who overcome (1 Corinthians 15:20-26; 54-58), because we have access to the tree through Jesus and the power of the Resurrection.
We should also remember, being raised with Yahshua spiritually is necessary to be raised into eternal life. When we are resurrected IN Him we are “born again” a spirit, into the God Family.
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Looking For Jesus
To Save My Soul

  Part 3 – Your Comments

 

Thank you for sending me your comments concerning the first two posts on the immortality of the soul.  It is incredible to me most of you who responded were given a similar teaching and the same Scripture as I was to backup the belief of our souls being immortal. We all seem to be standing on 2 Corinthians 5:8:

“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

Looking at this Scripture and believing mankind is born with an immortal soul separate from the body, the assumption is, when we die only the body dies and the soul part is set free to immediately be present with the Lord in Heaven.  Is that what you believe? It is what I believed, until about 8 weeks ago.

However, holding tight to our “foundation” Scripture in Genesis 2:7, the first usage of the word soul and the Biblical definition of what a soul is, our new Scripture does not line up with this assumption.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The Scripture plainly says God made man’s body from the dust and breathed His breath into the body and then, man BECAME a living soul.  The whole was called the soul. When the soul would loose the breath, it would die.  When the soul would loose the body, it would die, for it is the combination of the two, which make a living soul. They are not separate, together they are complete and become – a living soul.

However, even if I turn away from our foundation Scripture (Gen 2:7) and how the Bible defines a soul, I still have a major problem to deal with in 2 Cor 5:8..

For you see, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,” is NOT what is written in the verse.  It is what we have been told it says and/or what we interpreted it to say, but it does not say, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”  See if your Bible version is listed below and check out what is written.

New International Version
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

New Living Translation
Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

English Standard Version
Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Berean Study Bible
We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Berean Literal Bible
Now we are confident and are pleased rather to be absent out of the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

New American Standard Bible 
we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

King James Bible
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord.

International Standard Version
We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord.

NET Bible
Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

New Heart English Bible
We are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because of this we trust and we long to depart from the body and to be with Our Lord.

GOD’S WORD® Translation
We are confident and prefer to live away from this body and to live with the Lord.

New American Standard 1977 
we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Jubilee Bible 2000
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

King James 2000 Bible
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

American King James Version
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

American Standard Version
we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But we are confident, and have a good will to be absent rather from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Darby Bible Translation
we are confident, I say, and pleased rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

English Revised Version
we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

Webster’s Bible Translation
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Weymouth New Testament
So we have a cheerful confidence, and we anticipate with greater delight being banished from the body and going home to the Lord.

World English Bible
We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

Young’s Literal Translation
we have courage, and are well pleased rather to be away from the home of the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

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Did your version say what you thought it did? Mine did not, I was wrong in what I thought it said. I assumed what it said, but really I hadn’t read it, I evidently just skimmed over the Scripture because, when I finally “saw” what was written, I was amazed and it certainly changed my understanding of what Paul was trying to tell me.

In looking for another Scripture to help me get a better understanding of 2 Cor 5:8, I found Paul’s words helpful in I Cor 15:51-54.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,


52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Paul appears to be telling us something better than our current lives, namely being in the “Presence of God”, awaits us after death, when we depart from our bodies. The language he uses seems to imply that life after death exists apart from our bodies and will continue on in spiritual form. But, to fully understand this passage, it is good to ponder what the Bible says about the human body and about Paul.

When I study it is really important for me to be careful because, if I try to use one verse, or a handful of verses written by Paul to prove a point of doctrine, especially when the language used is ambiguous (doubtful/unclear/uncertain of meaning/expression), I can get myself into following my opinion or interpretation instead of what is written and miss what Yahweh is trying to use to ground me in His Truth.

And, there is even a warning from the apostle Peter in 2 Peter 3:15-16 about this same thing.

“As also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”

So, it is important for all of us to be studious and critical about the text and to examine it and see what it truly says.

After really looking at the Scripture in 2 Cor 5:8, most of us can see, the text really does not say, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. One does not equal the other. Keep that in mind.

Here is the entire passage in question, so that we can understand the full context:

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.

For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.

Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.

For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord”2 Cor 5:1-8

Paul compares our existing mortal bodies with an “earthly tent,” and says we should not worry if it is destroyed, because we have a “building from God” that awaits us.

The context here does not support the claim that we will be in God’s presence without a body; rather, Paul simply says we will not have THIS body. We will get a new, changed, glorified body.

He likens our bodies to clothing that we must wear.

In verse 4, Paul specifically says he does not want to be unclothed (without a body), but rather further clothed (different body).

That’s quite a different picture than a disembodied spirit that lives on after death!

When we compare this language to 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, also written by Paul, it becomes even clearer. The passage reads:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:

“‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ”

Here again, as in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses clothing imagery to describe our bodies. We currently wear a mortal body, but in God’s presence, at the resurrection, we “must put on” an immortal one. No one will stand in heaven in the presence of God without having their body changed from being corruptible to incorruptible and our body does not get change just because we die or accept Christ, we are still flesh and blood and have sinful natures.

The Biblical definition of corruptible is: 6130 Corruption:  A state of spiritual decay and moral dishonesty, arising from the effects of sin, which expresses itself in disobedience towards God. Corruption of nature as a result of the fall. Sinful humanity is corrupt.

When Jesus (The first of the born again) raises us from the dead, He changes and resurrects us and we are Born Again through Him back into the God Family. Think on these Scriptures:

Jesus said to him, 
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. 
No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

I Thes 4:16

“I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Gate; if anyone will enter by me, he shall liveand shall go in and out and shall find the pasture.” John 10:9

“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. John 10:1

Just as in Adam were were all were born of flesh, In and through Christ we will be resurrected, born again as spirit. Our birth in the spirit will be just as real as our birth from the womb. It is not a mystical birth thing in our mind, it is a real birth event through Jesus Christ.

Paul is making a true statement when he says he prefers to be absent from the body and … present with the Lord. When we stand in God’s presence, we will not be in the same body we have now. And the Bible tells us when this transformation will happen – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. Although we all will die, we will sleep in death, and the next conscious thought we will have after death is when Jesus sounds the trumpet of God, when we are raised from the dead, when we put on immortality forever.

When we study all of Paul’s writings as a whole representation of his theological position, we see that his position on life after death supports the notion that deceased people go to sleep at death and await their bodily resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ.

I don’t want to miss the resurrection of Jesus. What about you?

Rev 1:1-3 This book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ; the whole Bible is so; for all revelation comes through Christ, and all relates to him.

Next:  Your Comments – What About Elijah and Enoch?

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Looking For Jesus
To Save My Soul

Part 4 – Is Elijah in Heaven?The Conflict of Scriptures

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 separated them both; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 2 Kings 2:11
VS
“And 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
The Scripture in 2nd Kings says Elijah is in heaven, but over in the book of John 3 written in red, it says no one is in heaven but Jesus.
It’s pretty clear here what Jesus said. So, should I believe Him?  What do you believe?  Jesus continues to speak to us in verses 14-16.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
I don’t know of any Christian who doesn’t believe in verse 16, which says Yahweh sent His Son to die for us. Matter of a fact, most us have this scripture memorized and are standing firmly on it, but what about verse 13?   How can verse 16 be true and verse 13 be false?
What do we do when something like this happens?
Well, for me, I’m going to believe what Jesus said first and look for other Scriptures to confirm it and expose the truth about Elijah and just who is in heaven. I am going to trust Jesus will reveal the truth, because I am asking and seeking Him.
I’m going to put on the mind of Christ and take another look at the Elijah Scriptures in context and ponder… 2 Kings 2:1-5:
And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.  2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel.  And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
Doesn’t it seem a bit strange to you Elisha and the prophets at Bethel and Jericho all knew God was going to take Elijah away from them, but no clue of where or when He was going to take him? And another thing, no one seems really upset about this, except maybe Elisha and we know he was intense and staying on Elijah’s heels, because he wants to make sure he gets Elijah’s mantle and a double portion of his spirit (9), but other than that, this doesn’t seem to be something scary or even extraordinary to everyone else. It’s just odd to me that everybody knows Elijah is going to be taken away.
The next scripture reveals the chariot and horses of fire separate Elijah and Elisha.
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 separated them both; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 2 Kings 2:11
The first thing for me is to believe what Jesus said, which was no man ascended to heaven but Him. So, I don’t believe Elijah is present with God in heaven or anyone else for that matter, except Jesus.
However, Scriptures do not lie. So, it is up to me to study and solve the mystery of where Elijah really is and what is meant by him being taken up to heaven.
Defining Heaven & Where It Is
In seeking the definition of heaven, there are three (3) mentioned in the Bible.
The fact there is more than one ‘heaven’ can be shown by Psalm 115:16, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S.” There are obviously two different ‘heavens’ being addressed in this one verse, but there are three given in the Scriptures. So get ready, here we go.
The word translated as ‘heaven’ in 2 Kings 2, our verse with Elijah, comes from the Hebrew shamayim (Strong’s Concordance Number  #H8064). Shamayim, plural of the original language word shameh and means the sky above us or the arch we see clouds moving in around the earth. It is decidedly NOT in reference to the ‘heaven’ we commonly think of when we refer to where the throne of God exists.
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The Heaven of God’s Throne – The 3rd Heaven
The Third Heaven is where Jesus is today. Jesus being the High Priest of God, The only One who has the right, to be in that heaven, with the Father.  2 Cor 12:2
This is where God and the heavenly sanctuary exist.   Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.  I Peter 3:22
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.  2 Cor 12:2.
Hebrews 8:1-5 explains the original earthly tabernacle under the Old Covenant with its most holy place, or compartment – the type of the throne of God in heaven. Only the high priest – type of Christ as High Priest now, was allowed to enter.
This is the place Christ calls His “Father’s House.”
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2
It is also called by Christ and the Apostle Paul “paradise.”
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 2 Cor 12:2-4
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.     Rev 2:7
This third heaven is also known as the “heaven of heavens
Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. Deut 10:14
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Psalms 148:4
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 The Universe – The 2nd Heaven
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, Genesis 1:14-17
The word “heaven” also means the expanse of this great universe, where we find the sun, moon, stars, comets and planets and the Psalmist admiring the work of thy fingers, the moon, and the stars which thou has ordained. Psalm 8:3; Gen 15:5.
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemiesGen 22:17
And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; Deut 17:3
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Matthew 24:29
The Second Heaven is usually described by the term, “host of heaven,” or “the firmament of the heaven.”
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The Atmosphere/Sky – The 1st Heaven
Besides the heaven of the stars, we also find the air that surrounds this world, is also called heaven. Birds fly in the midst of heaven, certainly not God’s throne in heaven – for we read in Gen 1:20 of “fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”
In blessing Jacob, Isaac said: “God give thee of the dew of heaven” and Moses joyed that the heavens shall drop down dew.” (Gen 1:8, Gen 27:28, Deut. 33:28)
Here heaven can mean only the atmosphere where the clouds and the wind roam. Every one of us is right now breathing the air of the 1st heaven!
One of the Hebrew words for “heaven” is “shamayim.” This is the same word translated as “sky” in the Scripture, as can be seen by comparing Gen 7:23, “fowl of the heaven.”
The word sky and heaven are used interchangeably from the same Hebrew word (The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. Psalm 8:8). So the first heaven is synonymous with “heights” or “elevations.”
Check this out. In Exodus 19:20, this is where the Lord came down upon the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses up to Him (Ex. 19:20) and God describes Mount Sinai as “heaven:”
And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven Exodus 20:22,
And then God says:  Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire Deuteronomy 4:36.

So, everything above the ground is called “heaven.” And head’s up at Amos 9:1-3:

I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.

Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down: 3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:
The word “shachaq” is also translated as “sky” or “skies.”
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.Deut 33:26
The word is also translated as “clouds.”
Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.Job 35:5
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What Heaven Did Elijah Go To?
Since Elijah could not have gone to the heaven of God’s throne (3rd ), then to which heaven did he go?  The Scripture reads, “and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:1, 11).
The answer ought already be quite obvious, as he “went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
There could be no whirlwind in any other place, but in the atmosphere of (the 1st heaven) surrounding this earth – in the heavens in which the birds fly.
A whirlwind is something normally found in our atmosphere. You don’t hear, well I don’t hear of whirlwinds being seen in space or written about in heaven. I am not saying it could not happen, but it just seems to make sense a whirlwind is more suited to the realm of our ground and sky area.
I am sure most of us have all seen the great lifting power of a whirlwind rip roofs off buildings and oak trees up by their roots, either in person or on TV. It would not be any great feat for the Omni-Potent Yahweh, to take Elijah up by such means.
When Christ and the apostle Peter state that not ONE human being is now in heaven, they are referencing the location of God’s throne, which is the center of the entire universe. When the book of Hebrews says Elijah was “translated” or “taken” (the same thing which occurred to Enoch), it is not stating that the Eternal somehow took him ‘early’ because of his righteousness to receive his eternal award AHEAD of countless other people who also deserve eternal life, for even David is still both dead and buried in his sepulchre. (Acts 2:29)
For Your Consideration and Prayerful Thought
What was the reason for this unusual act of God in taking Elijah up into the atmosphere? Some say to make him immortal? No! The Scripture says nothing about that!  In Hebrews 11:13,32,39, we read about the prophets who lived by faith and died without receiving the promises and Elijah was not to be made Immortal, as wouldn’t that give him pre-eminence above Jesus? After all Elijah was taken up over 900 years before Jesus ever told us no man had ascended or descended to heaven, not even Him.
But what does the Scripture reveal as the reason for this removal? 2 Kings 2:3 and 5 might hold the answer.
Notice what the sons of the prophets said to Elisha: “Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day?” (Kings 2:3). Elijah was the leader of the sons of the prophets in that day. God had sent Elijah as His prophet to wicked king Ahab and to his son Ahaziah. Now God wanted Elisha to direct His work, as Ahaziah the king had died and a new king was ruling. So what did God do?
He could not allow Elijah to be among the people with Elisha directing the work now. That would have been the same as disqualifying him. God never takes an office from a man when that man has been performing his duty well. The only thing God could do would have been to remove Elijah, so that another would fulfill the office. This God did do. When he was taken up, Elijah’s mantle dropped from him and Elisha picked it up (2 Kings 2:12-15).
Remember what Elijah said when Elisha asked for his mantle and a double portion of his “spirit?” What did Elijah say?
And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
And what did the mantle mean? In Clarke’s Commentary we note that it was “worn by prophets and priests as the simple insignia, of their office” (Vol.2, p.484)
The purpose of God in removing Elijah was to replace him with another man who would occupy Elijah’s office in Israel for another fifty years. This work had to start under a new king, for Ahaziah had just died, and Elijah was already aging.
So, as not to disqualify Elijah in the sight of the people, God took him away allowing the mantle, which signified the office of Elijah to drop into the hands of Elisha.
Thus, God preserves the name and office of His prophet.
What About the Phrases Translated or Taken Away?
The phrases “translated” or “taken away” come from the Greek word metatihemi,which means to transfer to another place” (Vine’s expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1997, Translate/Translation).
Elijah traveled WITHIN what we today call the sky to another location on planet earth, which God decided not to name, in order that he should not die at that time. Just like the Lord in His wisdom, decided to transport Enoch and Elijah away from where they were originally located so that someone (or something) would not be able to physically kill or murder them at that particular time.
Elijah was already known to have been transported by the Spirit during his adult life many times. (See text below) This was not a new experience to him or those who knew him.
They did NOT go to heaven, but continued to live the SAME kind of fleshly existence we do after they moved until they died.
In Hebrews Chapter 11, we read of all those who were faithful and are still waiting for the promise.  Verse 13 These ALL died in faith, not having received the promies, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. In Hebrews 11:38 Clarke makes the commentary of those waiting for the promise of eternal life.
Of whom the world was not worthy – Yet they were obliged to wander by day in deserts and mountains, driven from the society of men, and often obliged to hide by night in dens and caves of the earth, to conceal themselves from the brutal rage of men. Perhaps he refers here principally to the case of Elijah, and the hundred prophets hidden in caves by Obadiah, and fed with bread and water. 1 Kings 18:4.
This chapter is in agreement with other scriptures that state ALL men must die a physical death. Read through this chapter and make note of those mentioned who have “died.” Hebrews 11.
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Reincarnation – Really?
There are some folks who believe that Elijah was later reincarnated
As John the Baptist
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. Matthew 11:13-14
But, John denied this in John 1:19-21.
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
It is wise to remember our faith believes in the Resurrection Power of Christ, not in reincarnation.Jesus Christ shall resurrect the saints, not reincarnate them.
So, if Elijah is not in heaven and he did not come back as John the Baptist, is there no other information in the Scriptures where all the Scriptures come together as Truth and make Sense?
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Teleportation and Transporting
One is wise who looks at the Scriptures which reveal how the spirit of the Lord used teleportation and transported people from one place to another. In Ezekiel 3:12-14 it is written:
12 Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.
13 I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
14 So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.
And in Ezekiel 1:11
Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord‘s house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
When I read Acts 8:39-40 Philip was teleported away after he baptized the Enoch.
“the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more.”
More than that, I found other Scriptures, which seem to reveal Elijah “could teleport and did so often.”  This is just too cool.  Look at I Kings 18:12, where Obadiah reveals:
“the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not.”
Evidently, it was well known throughout Elijah’s adult life that no one knew for sure when he might go missing: he seemed to be sporadically “carried by the spirit” to various locations throughout the East, which sometimes made him impossible to find (I Kings 18:7-12).
In the following episode Obadiah (not the prophet of that name) was out on an errand for the king, and came upon Elijah, whore recognized him immediately.
And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? vs 7
When Elijah tells him to inform the king of his presence, Obadiah becomes fearful that he might tell the king that Elijah “is here”; but that before the king got the message the spirit would again “carry him away” (as had happened before) and the king would kill him for misinforming him.
And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? (vs 8-9)
Obadiah protests to Elijah that many times the king had sent to other kingdoms for him, and when they said “He is not here,” in a mild rage the king would demand an oath from them.
10 As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. 11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth.
No wonder, then, that Obadiah feared for his life should Elijah suddenly be “carried away” (vs. 12) to some undisclosed location.
And no wonder the sons of the prophets were not upset knowing Elijah was getting ready to be taken, in fact a group of them stood only a short distance away viewing the entire episode. (2:7).
And now I understand why only a few verses after the Chariot of Fire incident, the sons of the prophets send fifty volunteers to go search for him, “lest peradventure the spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley” (II Kings 2:16), because this was not the first time this happened. Elisha knew God would preserve Elijah from falling, but at their insistence, he permitted the men to go in search for him, to no avail.
It seemed to be a recurring issue that Elijah was transported from one place to another through the supernatural power of the spirit. So it was understandable they were concerned and wanted to go look for him, but Elisha knew, because he had Elijah’s mantle.
Once again, as in most of the other occasions, they could not find Elijah; but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he had left the earth permanently to be in a spiritual heaven with God.
There are many well known Bible scholars who believe Elijah just went for a trip across the sky and set down in another place, including the Jewish great Maimonides, some of his contemporary scholars, and the Christian Bible scholar Eadie.
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It appears through the Scriptures, wherever Elijah was, he was not finished with his mission here on earth, for the Bible records subsequent activities long after this most famous incident.
The Chariot of Fire incident occurred in the 2nd year of Jehoram, King of Judah (2 Kings 1:17-18).
This new king of Israel was another son of Ahab, Jehoram, or Joram as he is sometimes called. The beginning of his reign marked the year of his removal of Elijah (2 Kings 1:18 and 3:1).
During this king’s reign, Elisha was the recognized prophet of God (2 Kings 3:11). In the fifth year of Joram king of Israel, the son of the king of Judah began to reign along with his father in Judah (2 Kings 8:16). His name also was Jehoram. The first thing he did to establish his kingdom rule was to put his relatives to the sword, lest they should claim the throne from him (2 Chronicles 21:4). For nearly six years he followed the ways of the nations about him and did evil in the sight of God.
Almost ten years had now expired since Elijah was taken from the people. After this wicked rule by the Jewish king, God chose Elijah to write a letter and have it sent to the king! The contents of the letter are found in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15. From the wording of this letter, it is clear that Elijah wrote it after these events had occurred, for he speaks of them as pastevents, and of the diseases as future,
The letter2 Chron 21:12-15
12 And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,  13 But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself:
14 Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods:  15 And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.
Neglecting to mend his ways, King Jehoram falls ill and dies shortly afterward. As a result he reigned for only 8 years (vs. 16-20).
16 Moreover the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians:  17 And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18 And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease. 19 And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
20 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
Two years after the king became diseased the king died, having reigned only eight short years (2 Chronicles 21:18-20). This proves the letter was written about ten years after Elijah had been taken to another location by the whirlwind. God used Elijah to convey the message because he was the prophet of God in the days of the present king’s father, and the son was not going in the ways of his obedient father, Jehosophat. This letter proves that he was alive someplace else. The Bible does not reveal how much longer Elijah lived after writing the letter, but it does say that it is appointed for all men to die once (Romans 5:12,14, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Hebrews 9:27).
So, roughly 6 years after Elijah’s so-called “translation” the king of Judah did indeed receive the dire letter from the prophet. Did some cohort of Elijah delay the letter for that period of time before sending it? I don’t think so. Such a possibility exists, of course; but such an action would make no sense, and there is not a word anywhere in Holy Writ, which even hints at such a thing.
A similar incident to Elijah’s took place in Acts 8:39, 40. Phillip was caught up into the first heaven, as Elijah was, and was transported to another location approximately 30 miles away.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Another similar incident happened to Ezekiel, in which the spirit took him away (Ezekiel 3:12).
Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.
The spirit lifted him up “between the earth and the heaven” and brought him “to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate” (Ezekiel 8:3).
And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
Afterwards, the spirit took him up to Chaldea (Ezekiel 11:24).
24 Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
Elijah may not have been found because he was transported further away than the fifty men searched (2 Kings 2:17). And, as far as being taken into heaven where God’s throne is, we can know that neither Elijah nor Enoch nor Moses were taken into God’s heavenly abode, because Jesus said, while he was on this earth, that “no man hath ascendeth to heaven” (John 3:13), and “No man hath seen God at any time” (John 1:18).  AMEN – SO BE IT!
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For The Record and Clarity
“Now Jehoram . . . reigned twelve years”, one cannot simply take it at face value. There was more than one king at that time named Jehoram—a king over Israel and a king over Judah—and sometimes it can be a little obscure, which king is being referred to. Failing to distinguish between these two can lead to error.
Many have conflated the two Jehoram’s (not realizing there were two), confusing the lengths of their reigns, and have come up with a 10-year lapse between the so-called “translation” of Elijah and the latter’s “warning letter” to Jehoram, the “wicked” king of Judah.
Even though Elijah was associated with the sons of the prophets centered at Mount Carmel in northern Israel, King Jehoram of Israel, who indeed reigned twelve years (2Kings 3:1), he was in no way involved in any of the incidents under discussion.
One of a large number of Dead Sea Scrolls (among which is the story of Elijah) both kings are mentioned in a single verse (2 Kings 1:17): first, Jehoram, king of Israel who ruled from Samaria; then king Jehoram, who ruled the southern kingdom of Judah from its capital city Jerusalem—otherwise the verse makes little sense.
However, surrounding allusions clarify any confusion. But, failure to take notice of these can cause calculations to go awry.
Since the so-called “translation” of Elijah is described as occurring in the 2nd year of the reign of Jehoram—and, according to 2 Kings 3:1 Jehoram (king of Israel, not of Judah) reigned a total of 12 years—some have simply subtracted 2 years from the 12-year reign and (erroneously) come up with a 10-year lapse between the two events.
If the two Jehoram’s, mentioned in 2 Kings 1:17 are conflated into one person, one might be led into such a conclusion.
The record in question reads as follows: So he [Ahaziah, king of Israel] died according to the word of the Lord, which Elijah had spoken.
And Jehoram [the king of Israel] reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah because he [Ahaziah] had no son. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah, which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. (2 Kings 1:17-18, KJV)
That Ahaziah is the unspoken antecedent in verse 17 above is confirmed by the verses relevant to the quote (viz., vss 2 & 18).
Verse 2 reads as follows: “And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber . . . and was sick” which is continued at the beginning of verse 17, thus: “So he died.”
The intervening verses are concerned only with Elijah and his dealings with the Philistine men from Ekron.
Verse 17 makes it clear that the second “Jehoram” mentioned in the verse is the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah; so being of the Judean dynasty, he would naturally inherit the throne of Judah.
It is also stated that Jehoram, king of Israel, began his reign (i.e., following Ahaziah’s untimely death) in the 2nd year of the Judean king.
These two verses (17-18) conclude chapter 1, and Elijah’s “translation” episode begins with the very next verse (verse 1 of chapter 2). This indicates that Elijah’s famous flight took place at that time.
So, it was in the 2nd year of Jehoram, king of Judah—not the king of Israel—that Elijah was translated; and that king reigned for only 8 years (2 Kings 8:17; 2 Chron. 21:18-20), allegedly because of the sins listed in Elijah’s letter (2 Chron. 21:12-15).
Subtract 2 years from the 8-year reign of the accused (i.e., Jehoram, king of Judah), and the result is a total of 6 years between the two events in question.
Jewish Heritage Online Magazine, “Elijah’s mysterious appearances and disappearances,” JHOM, Havdala, 2012. New Bible Dictionary (2nd edition), J.D. Douglas (organizing editor), Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England, 1982. New Standard Encyclopedia, (vol. iv) Standard Education Society Inc., Chicago, 1958 edition. Strong’s Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, (ce-arah, entry 5591), MacDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia. The Interlinear Bible (Hebrew – English), J.P. Green, Sr. (editor), Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983. The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament (Greek – English), Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, 1970. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Pfeiffer & Harrison (editors), Moody Press, Chicago, 1990. KJV,
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Looking For Jesus
To Save My Soul

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.
Hebrews 11:5

Where is Enoch
Part 5

Hundreds of years after Enoch supposedly “went to heaven” to be with God, Scriptures continue to challenge Scriptures, regarding this belief. Is he in heaven or not? If so what do we do with Scriptures like these:

No man hath seen God at any time.
I John 4:12a
&
And 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

Since Jesus was with His Father from “before” the beginning of the world, it would seem logical his statement in John 3:13 is true, as He would surely know who was in heaven with them.

So, what is truth? Does one Scripture have precedence over another in a situation like this or, should they all confirm each other, as in laying a foundation, with precept upon precept? What do you think?

When I don’t understand something in the Bible, I try to read the Scripture first for what it literally says and then look for other Scriptures for a proof text. A proof text is defined as: a passage of the Bible to which appeal is made in support of an argument or position in theology. You use Scripture to prove another Scripture.

Personally, I want to see all the pieces of the Scriptures fit together, so I can understand the messages in them and just as when a prophet brings forth a living (rhema) word, it will never go against the written (logos) word (Bible), no Scripture will go against another Scripture.   2 Timothy Chapter 3 tells us why:

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Jesus said no one had ascended or descended into heaven, but Him and shouldn’t He know since He was in Heaven, before Enoch was born.

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
John 17:5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:1-2
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

And He came down from the Father to the earth

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
John 17:4

Many people use Genesis 5:24 to support their view Enoch is in heaven.

Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him

However, DOES THIS VERSE SAY Enoch went to heaven? NO!  So, what makes us think he did?

The verse says, he was NOT (NOT FOUND), for God TOOK HIM.

The verse does not say WHERE God took him! To say God took Enoch to heaven is only a presumption or human conjecture, which has no basis in Biblical FACT and it goes against other Scriptures.

Concerning this event Paul said this:

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.  Hebrews 11:5

Many have assumed the word “TRANSLATED” must mean “made immortal”, which is wrong.  The Greek word for “translate” is METATITHEMI, which according to Vine’s Dictionary of NT Words, this word means “to transfer to another place.”

This same Greek word is rendered “REMOVED” in Galatians 1:6:

I marvel that ye are so soon removed
from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

And in Acts 7:15-16

15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre
that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

Translated here is rendered “CARRIED OVER” where we read that after Jacob DIED his body was “carried over” removed, TRANSLATED to Sychem.

God took Enoch, He removed him – He translated him, so that HE WAS NOT FOUND. Nobody knew where he was!

The Greek text of Hebrews 11:5 is also illuminating in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, where it means:
to place, or transfer in a passive, horizontal posture.”
Forms of this word also occur in Acts 7:16 (“carried back”), Galatians 1 :6 (“turning away”), Heb.7:12 (“changed”), and Jude 4 (“turn”). It is used throughout the LXX (symbol for the Septuagint) with a similar range of meanings. However, it is also used in the fourth chapter of the apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon. Chapter four, verse ten reads:
    “He pleased God, and was beloved of Him; so that living among sinners he was TRANSLATED.” [14]
If we look into the context of this verse, it reveals it is not referring to Enoch in particular, but rather to the righteous in general in contrast to the wicked.
Here is Wisdom (The Wisdom of Solomon) 4:10 in context:
    “But though the righteous he prevented with death, yet shall he [the righteous] be in rest.” (v.7)
    “He [the righteous] pleased God, and was beloved of Him; so that living among sinners he [the righteous] was TRANSLATED.” (v.10)
    “Yea, speedily he [the righteous] was TAKEN AWAY, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul.” (v.11)
    “He [the righteous], being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time.”(v.13)
“For his soul pleased the Lord; therefore hasted [God] to TAKE HIM AWAY from among the wicked.” (v.14)
    “This the people saw, and understood it not, neither laid they up this in their minds, that [God’s] grace and mercy is with His saints, and that He has respect unto Hischosen.” (v.15)
    “Thus the righteous THAT IS DEAD shall condemn the ungodly WHICH ARE LIVING…” (v.16)
    “For they shall see the END of the wise, and shall not understand what God in His counsel hath decreed of him [the righteous], and to what end the Lord hath set him in safety.” (v.17)
All of the above verses are from The Wisdom of Solomon, chapter four, verses seven through seventeen. This passage teaches that when the wicked live to be very old and the righteous die young it is because, God is merciful to the righteous!
God takes the righteous away from among the wicked to spare them from their contaminating influence.
The Greek word METATITHEMI, as used in the Greek text of Hebrews 11:5 and in the Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-17, simply means to be taken out of life, before one’s years are fulfilled or before one’s time.
This is in order to spare the righteous from the further corrupting influence of the wicked, thereby insuring that the righteous do not lose their reward!
It is wise to point out the parallels between the situation of “the righteous” in these verses and that of Enoch, as related in Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5, as there are many.
The author of the Wisdom of Solomon probably had Enoch in mind when he penned this passage, and could have used Enoch as an example of what happens and why– whenever any righteous person is prematurely removed from the land of the living.
Finally, it is apparent, neither the Aramaic text of Hebrews 11:5, nor the Greek texts of Hebrews 11:5 and The Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-17, teach that anyone was “translated” alive up to heaven.

    As for the statement that Enoch “did not (see) death”(Heb.11:5, NKJV), this should be compared and contrasted with the statements of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:6-8;

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
And in 2 Peter 1:13-15   
12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.
13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.
These men had advance warning of their impending death, but Enoch was removed suddenly and without warning.

In regard to Enoch’s REMOVAL, here is the commentary of one of Judaism’s greatest teachers: Rabbi Solomon, son of Isaac, of Troyes—commonly known as Rashi. Here is his interpretation of Genesis 5:24:

    “AND ENOCH WALKED.  He was a righteous man, yet [it was] lightminded (for him) to return to evil. Therefore the Holy One, Blessed be He, hastened and removed him and let him die before his time. That is why Scripture varies [the expression] about his death and writes, ‘And he was not’ in the world to complete his years.  FOR HE TOOK HIM. Before his time…” (The Pentateuch And Rashi’s Commentary, Vol.1: Genesis).

Even though the comments of The Wisdom of Solomon and Rashi are very illuminating, because they establish that the language used of Enoch in Genesis and in Hebrews CANlegitimately refer to a premature death–NEVERTHELESS, the testimony of God’s Word must be our final court of appeal in this matter.

To further complicate matters, the teachings that Enoch and Elijah escaped death and are alive in heaven is an ancient one. And to those who believe it, the very antiquity of the teaching seemingly lends it a kind of authority. But antiquity does not equal authority. What is true is true, because it is true and not merely because it is old!

The serpent’s lie: “thou shalt not surely die”(Gen.3:4) is very, very old–but it is NOT the truth. [1]

The belief in which Adam and Eve walked with God has been around a long time as well, but is it true? No, there is no scripture which says Adam and Eve Walked with God. It is something assumed, but not a biblical truth. Are you grabbing your bible now? (Gen 3:8)

Likewise, the belief about Enoch and Elijah being taken alive into heaven does not appear anywhere in the Old Testament. It first makes its appearance in Jewish thought and literature during what is called the intertestamental period, which means this belief doesn’t appear until AFTER the Jews return from the seventy year long Babylonian Captivity, which led to the Jews being exposed to King Cyrus.

History reveals sometime after the Jews were taken into captivity, the Babylonian Empire was overthrown by the Medes and Persians. The state religion of the new empire was Zoroastrianism. In fact, King Cyrus, the one who Isaiah named in prophecy, several centuries before he was born (lsa. 45:1.4) and who allowed a remnant of the Jews to return to the land…was a Zoroastrian! [2]
Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
Isaiah 45:1

Zoroastrianism comes from Zoroaster (“seed of the star” or “star-seed”), which is what the Greeks called the Iranian prophet Zarathustra. The Zoroastrians had a number of doctrines, which more or less paralleled those of the Jews. They believed in a coming deliverer called Saoshyant (“savior”)

 

[3] who would be born of a virgin. [4] They believed in both angels and demons. And they believed in the resurrection of the dead.
However, in stark CONTRAST to the teachings of the Hebrew patriarchs and prophets, they believed at death the spirit of the righteous would ascend to Garo Demana (the heaven of light and the abode of Ahura Mazda), whereas the spirit of the wicked would descend to Drujo Demana (the house of the lie and the abode of Angra Mainyu) where it would dwell forever in “a murky glow and woeful wailings.” [5]
According to Scripture, before the Jewish remnant was allowed to return to the land of Israel, many Zoroastrians converted to Judaism (Esther 8:17).
“And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.”
As is often the case in such conversions the new convert brings some concepts from the old religion into the new one. This is especially so, when there already exist many parallels between the two religions, as was the case with Zoroastrianism and Judaism. Evidence of the infiltration of Zoroastrian ideas Post-Captivity Judaism can be found in

intertestamental literature, in the Dead Sea Scrolls in Rabbinic traditions.

The word “paradise”(Aramaic=pardaisa and Greek=paradeisos) is derived from the Persian word PARDIS.  “Pardis was the name of a famous palace and garden built by one of the Median kings about seven centuries before Christ.” [10] The Greek transliteration of this word is used throughout the Septuagint (LXX) [11] to translate the Hebrew words for “garden” (GAN/GANNA).
The Aramaic pardaisa was in common use in Palestine in the first century and survives in Rabbinical writings and in the Peshitta and other Aramaic (Syriac) Christian literature.
Since there is no evidence in Scripture that the Jews, prior to the Babylonian Captivity, believed in an intermediate state between death and resurrection, [12] and since Jewish belief in an intermediate state first appears in Judaism AFTER the Jews’ return to the land (along with a number of other concepts of Persian origin)—it is reasonable to believe that late Jewish traditions of an intermediate state are also of Persian (that is, Zoroastrian) origin!  Still later, when Palestine would come under Greek rule, Hellenistic ideas would further reinforce this deviation from Biblical teaching.
I want to go back to Hebrews chapter eleven to gain more light on the fate of Enoch for us.  Hebrews 11 lists the famous men and women of the Old Testament era and testifies of their faith:
By faith Abel…By faith Enoch…By faith Noah…By faith Abraham…”
After listing all of these faithful ones, INCLUDING ENOCH, Paul concludes in verse 13:
“These ALL died in faith, not having received the promises…
And again:

“And these ALL [again: INCLUDING ENOCH], having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise; God having provided some better thing for us, that they [INCLUDING ENOCH] without us should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40, NKJV)


In the Amplified Bible Genesis 5:21-24, we read Enoch’s days, alive on Earth, ended at 365 years old. The question is of course, was he taken to heaven alive, or was he transported to another location on earth?

21 When Enoch was 65 years old, Methuselah was born.
22 Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God after the birth of Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
23 So all the days of Enoch were 365 years.

24 And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God; and he was not, for God took him [home with Him].

Compare the same Hebrew phrase from Genesis 5:24 where it says, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; God took him” with the following Scriptures.

Psalms 37:36, “Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.”
Psalms 39:13, “O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.”
The Hebrew for these two phrases above are the same Hebrew as Genesis 5:24. As in the Psalms, “the phrase means the person “passed away” or would eventually die.”
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Here is the same phrase (one is not) in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 42:13, “And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.”

This was spoken by the brothers of Joseph. What did they mean by “is not”?

Next, the brothers recount their previous discussion about Joseph with Pharaoh. When they first said, “and one is not,” they meant Joseph “is dead. Look at Gen 44:20:

“And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.”
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Matthew 2:18, “In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Where were Rachel’s children? Dead.
Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him:”
So, does the phrase that says Enoch “should not see death” mean Enoch never died?
Hebrews 11:13, “These all died [including Enoch] in faith.”
But not only that, verse 13 goes on to say that they did not receive the promises. One of the promises was a heavenly country (verse 16).
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Heb 11:16
Enoch is one of “ALL THESE” who have not yet obtained the promise of eternal life and inheritance. Enoch and all the worthies of old will receive the promise of eternal life at the return of Christ, the same time Christians obtain it (Heb. 11:40). That is yet future!

   Since Enoch has not yet inherited eternal life he must be dead! This is exactly what Paul writes in Heb. 11:13! Paul says Enoch DIED! Notice it! “These ALL died in faith, not having received what was promised:’ Who were these all? “ALL” means ALL of them.

A question concerning physical death in Psalm 89:48.
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.”
Why would this Psalmist ask such a question concerning physical death, if he believed Enoch did not see a physical death? The fact is, the Psalmist believed Enoch was in the grave and therefore asked this question.
So, what does the phrase “should not see death” mean?
Notice it is not in the present tense, that he “did not see” death, but that he “should not see death.”
John 8:51, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death”

John 11:26, “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

These Scriptures talking about death/dying must mean “the second death,” since all the Apostles kept Jesus’ sayings and yet died the first death.
Remember Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
And Again:

Hebrews 11:13, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises,” we must conclude that Enoch died the first death. To believe Enoch did not die is to deny the plain word of many other scriptures as well.

For example, Romans 5:12, “…so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” and Romans 5:14, “…death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned.”
Are we to believe that Enoch did not sin?
Are we to believe that a man who was not yet cleansed of sin by the blood of Jesus Could enter heaven and dwell in God’s presence?
Enoch’s translation
But what about his translation in Hebrews 11:5? Does that mean he didn’t die? That’s what most people carelessly assume without proof. The Bible does not say that Enoch went to heaven when he was translated. Instead, it says he “was not found.”
According to Strong’s, Thayer’s and Bullinger’s Greek Lexicons, “translate” means “to put or place in another place, to transport, to transfer.”

Nowhere in the Scripture does ‘translate’ mean to make immortal!

The same Greek word is rendered “carried over” in Acts 7:16 where Jacob’s body was ‘translated’ or ‘transported’ to Sychem, where he was buried!
The Scriptures say Jacob was translated to the place of burial!
God took Enoch and buried him somewhere so as not to be found, just as he did with the body of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:6. No man knows where Moses’ or Enoch’s grave is. God hid them for reasons known only to Him.
Notice another proof that ‘translate’ does not mean to make immortal. Paul wrote that the Father “hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13).
The apostle Paul says that he was already translated, even though he was still physically alive! Although he was once part of the darkness of this world, he was translated, removed from darkness, into the light of the kingdom of God while he was physically alive!
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At the age of 65, Enoch had a son named Methuselah.

But how long did Enoch walk with God?

Genesis 5:22, “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.”

So, Enoch followed God’s ways for three hundred years.

Notice that the Scripture does not record that Enoch is still walking with God.

It says that Enoch WALKED with God for three hundred years, and not one year more. Why?

Because “all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years”(Genesis 5:23).

Paul says, in Colossians 1:10, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord.”

Enoch walked with God and pleased God. This is what Genesis 5:22, 24 means when it says, “Enoch walked with God.”

Note:

All the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. Not just part of his days, but all his days! If Enoch did not die — if he was changed to immortality — and thus continued to walk with God, then his days would have been more than three hundred sixty-five. But the Bible plainly says that ALL his days were just that many, and no more!

This expression “all his days” is used in the same fifth chapter of Genesis about a dozen times and always it means that the person lived for that length of time ONLY, ” and he died.” So Enoch lived NO MORE than three hundred and sixty-five years because “all his days were three hundred sixty-five years.” As he lived only for this length of time THEN HE MUST HAVE DIED and like every true saint,

Enoch is awaiting the hope of the resurrection and the return of Christ.  Jude 14, 15
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
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The Preeminence of Christ

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says that all die and all shall be resurrected, but Messiah must be first in the order.

 

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
Enoch could not possibly have preceded him, especially if he were still flesh and blood as it says in verses 49-52.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
JESUS HAS PRE-EMINENCE!!
Of all that have ever been FLESH & BLOOD – born of women – Jesus Christ ONLY has gained IMMORTAL LIFE!  So says our Bible.
He alone of all humans was RESURRECTED to receive the promise of ETERNAL LIFE.  He alone is the only one to be changed from MATTER into SPIRIT – from human to DIVINE!
Read it in your own Bible and remember those plain verses.

“But now is Christ risen from the DEAD and become the FIRSTFRUITS of them that slept…For as in Adam ALL die (that includes, Enoch, Moses and Elijah), even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive (see Jn 5:25-29

25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Godand they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

BUT every man in his own order:  CHRIST THE FIRSTFRUITS…” (1 Cor. 15:20-23).

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

It was not Moses that was first from the dead, nor was it Elijah or Enoch that first received eternal life – IT WAS CHRIST JESUS!

“And He (speaking of Jesus) is the head of the body, the church:
Who is THE BEGINNING, the FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD;
That in ALL things HE might have the Preeminence 

(Col. 1:18).
Jesus was “the firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1:15).

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Yes, the FIRST Human to be BORN into life eternal.

If Jesus was the First Human to be born into life eternal, Enoch could not be in heaven.

Christ was the FIRST to be PERFECTED as an immortal being and so, “…being MADE PERFECT, He became the AUTHOR (the one who wrote the book on it – who led the way) of ETERNAL SALVATION unto all them that OBEY Him” (Heb. 5:9).

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Do you see it?  It was NOT Elijah, Moses or Enoch that led theway to eternal life.  It was not Noah, nor David, nor Abel, Sarah or Abraham.  It was not ANY other human person but JESUS that wrote the book on how to attain IMMORTALITY.
He ALONE is the author.  He is the CAPTAIN, the leader into eternal Salvation (Heb.2:10).
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Why?  “…that ALL THINGS He might have the PREEMINENCE” (Col. 1:18).
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Read that wonderful passage of scriptures in COLOSSIANS 1:15-19.
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Jesus is the FIRST from the dead (it wasn’t Moses or any other man).  Jesus is FIRST in CREATING, first in the CHURCH, and first of any human in eternal SALVATION.
All children of God in by-gone ages who “died in faith” (including Enoch, Moses and Elijah) are awaiting the TRUMPET SOUND – when they, together with us who shall remain and be alive at Christ’s coming, will be raised and CHANGED from MORTAL to IMMORTAL
1 Cor.15:50-54
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1 Thes. 4:13-17
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
May we all keep our eyes open and looking for Jesus Christ (Yahshua Hamashiach) and until that day arrives, let us hold tight to the Word of God in His Holy Scriptures.

Author Becca Card

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