The Man Who Never Died

Eons ago there was a man who walked on this earth just like everyone else. He was an ordinary human with no special powers or abilities. However, there was something extraordinary that happened to him though. He never died! Now this doesn't mean that he is still living on this earth today. Perhaps a better description of what happened to him would be this: he was 'translated'. What?!

Let me tell you more about this man. He lived in days of old, in ancient times, the times of the Biblical patriarchs. His name was Enoch. He was just a handful of generations after Adam. He was the great-grandfather of Noah. Remember, in those days, men lived to incredible ages (see my blog, "The Thousand Year Old Man"). For example, Adam lived 930 years! Methuselah, the oldest recorded age for a human, lived 969 years! Noah lived 950 years! When you think about it, Adam, the first man, was supposed to live forever until sin brought death, so I guess compared to living forever, 1000 years or so is a short span. Ha. 

Even though Enoch lived in the era of long life (that is until God shortened the human life span, perhaps because of wickedness), Enoch himself only lived about half the years that others of his time did. He lived 365 years. But his relatively short life span wasn't because of his wickedness - just the opposite. Enoch was faithful and true to God for his entire life span. He walked faithfully in close relationship with God. That was special. So special, that God decided to take him into heaven relatively early, without him physically dying! Wow. 

"Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him." (Genesis 5:23-24 NLT)

The book of Hebrews, in chapter 11, presents to us the hall of fame of faithful men. Enoch is listed there, in the New Testament, as an example of a man of strong faith. It also gives us a little more detail on what happened to him. 

It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him." For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5 NLT)

In the book of Hebrews, the King James Version uses the word "translated" instead of the term "taken up". I like that because it gives the picture of God sort of transferring him seamlessly from the physical realm into the spiritual realm without physical death. 

"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 KJV) 

So how does this story affect us? It does because it strengthens our faith, our hope, our belief. You see, Enoch gives us insight into our own lives. Here are a couple of truths that we can hold on to.

First, God is pleased when we walk with Him daily - when we live in a close relationship with Him every single day of our lives - when we trust in Him completely and have total faith in Him. This faith gives us eternal reward.

Secondly, we can have the hope of eternal life - the hope of resurrection. There is life beyond this physical world. If we are in Christ here on earth, then just as Christ resurrected from the dead, we too will resurrect. We can be confident in the reality of a spiritual realm.

One more thing. Perhaps God gave us the story of Enoch to give us a real-life illustration of what we will experience if we are living on that final day when Jesus returns. On that day, those who have died in Christ, will be resurrected. But those who are in Christ and still alive will have a similar fate that Enoch experienced. They will be 'translated' from the physical realm directly into the spiritual realm with our Lord. And this will happen in the twinkling of an eye.

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

So, who knows, maybe you will be alive when Jesus returns, and you won't need to experience death! After all, it sure seems like end times are approaching soon. If that happens, and you are in Christ, you will just be 'translated' just like Enoch was. But don't worry, if you die before Jesus comes, as long as you were in Christ, walking with Him daily, and trusting in Him in faith, then that's all that really counts. You will be resurrected into eternal life, from the physical realm into the spiritual realm. Then you can ask Enoch anything you want to.