Who Entered Heaven While Still Alive?

"Entering Heaven alive" is a phrase used by various religions around the world and based on religious faith. It is known by many religions as "ascension" or "translation". Since death is the general end to an individual's life on Earth and the beginning of an afterlife, entering Heaven without dying first is considered exceptional and usually a sign of the Creator's special recognition of the individual's righteousness and piety.

In the Tanakh (Jewish Bible), the Old Testament (of the Christian Bible), and the Quran (Muslim Bible) there are two men who can qualify for such an incident: Enoch and Elijah. 

Enoch

"And Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer, for God had taken him." (Tanakh-Bereishit 5:24)

"Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." (Bible-Genesis 5:24)

 "And mention in the Scripture Enoch. He was a man of truth, a prophet. And We raised him to a high position." (Quran-Maryam 19:56-57)

In the Abrahamic religions, their sacred books does not give much information about this prophet who was there, then he was gone without any explanation. Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam, the father of Methuselah and the great-grandfather of Noah. Enoch is introduced in the 5th Chapter of Genesis in the Christian Bible and only allotted 4 verses about his life. The same story is related in the Jewish Tanakh in Bereishit and in the Muslim Quran in Maryam. However, the Books of Enoch, (extracanonical biblical texts) details further information about Enoch. 

The literature of Enoch is an ancient Hebrew apocalyptic religious text, ascribed by tradition to Enoch, the prophet. The Books of Enoch contains unique material on the origins of demons and giants, why some angels fell from Heaven, an explanation of why the Genesis flood was morally necessary, and prophetic exposition of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah. This ancient book also chronicles Enoch's journey while on Earth and the reverence he received from the people of planet Earth. He was considered the greatest prophet of the Pre-Flood world. 

The Books of Enoch (1 & II) were unearthed in 1773 by the Scottish explorer, James Bruce; the majority of scholars and theologians believe they are authentic, while a small minority of educators believe the ancient books are just works of myth. 

In classical Rabbinical literature, there are diverse views of Enoch. One common aspect regarding Enoch is found in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, which thought of Enoch as a pious man, taken to Heaven, and receiving the title of Safra rabba (Great scribe). After Christendom was completely disassociated from Judaism, this view became the prevailing rabbinical idea of Enoch's character and exaltation.

In Islam, Enoch is identified with the prophet, Idris. The Quran contains two references to Idris; in Surah Maryam (Mary) vs. 56–57 and Surah al-Anbiya (The Prophets) v. 85. Idris is closely linked in Muslim tradition with the origin of writing and other technical arts of civilization, including the study of astronomical phenomena, both of which Enoch is credited with in the Testament of Abraham. Nonetheless, although some Muslims view Enoch and Idris as the same person while others do not, many Muslims still honor Enoch as one of the earliest prophets, regardless of which view they hold.

Elijah

"And it was that they were going, walking and talking, and behold a fiery chariot and fiery horses, and they separated them both. And Elijah ascended to heaven in a whirlwind." (Tanakh- II Melachim 2:11)

"As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind." (Bible- 2 Kings 2:11)

"Ilyas (Elijah) was one of the messengers. He said to his people, “Do you not fear? Do you call on Baal, and forsake the Best of creators? God is your Lord, and the Lord of your ancestors.” But they called him a liar, and thus they will be brought forward. Except for God’s sincere servants. And We left with him for later generations. Peace be upon the House of Ilyas. Thus We reward the virtuous, He was one of Our believing servants." ~ (Quran-as-Saffat 37:123-132)

The difference between Enoch and Elijah's ascension into Heaven is that the sacred scriptures relates a more thorough account of Elijah and the events leading up to his translation. According to the holy books, Elijah was a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab in the 9th century B.C. The Prophet Elijah is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known as "the sons of the prophets".

Elijah was credited with defending the Hebrew God over that of the Canaanite God (known as Baal). He was also instrumental in performing miracles through the Creator, such as resurrection, bringing fire from the sky and being ascended into Heaven while still alive. 

The Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD", making him a harbinger of the Messiah. References to Elijah appear in Ecclesiasticus, the New Testament, the Mishnah and Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon and Bahá'í writings.

In Judaism, Elijah is referenced in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud. The Tanakh portrays him as powerful prophet and a true messenger of God. In rabbinical literature, Elijah means, "let him be remembered for good," or "he who is remembered for good". The Prophet Elijah has been glorified in Jewish legend more than any other Biblical personage.

In Christianity, the prophet's story can be found in 1 Kings 17, 2 Kings 2 and he is mentioned in the New Testament Gospels. Christian doctrine says that Elijah appeared with Moses during the Transfiguration of Jesus.  In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus asks his disciples who the people say that he is (8:27). The apostles' answer includes Elijah among others. But Jesus' ministry had little in common with that of the Prophet Elijah; in particular, he preached the forgiveness of one's enemies, while Elijah killed his. Moreover, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus specifically identifies John the Baptist as the spiritual successor to Elijah: "and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come." (11:14)

In Islam, Ilyas (Elijah) appears in the Quran as a prophet and messenger of God, where his biblical narrative of preaching against the worshipers of Baal is recounted in a synoptic form. The Quran account bears many striking similarities to the story told in Books of Mellachim/Kings of the Hebrew and Christian bibles. Elijah has been the subject of legends and folktales in Muslim culture, usually involving his meeting with Khidr, and in one legend, with Muhammad himself.

Due to his importance and reverence to Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, Elijah has been venerated as the patron saint of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1752.

Conclusion

The Holy Books' account of Enoch's ascension and Elijah’s removal from the earth tells mankind nothing about what happened to them after they were removed from Earth. The common view is that they did not see death on Earth, which is basically faithful supplication.

"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God." ~ Hebrews 11:5

Again, it is only known that both prophets was removed from the earth. The writer says Elijah was taken “to Heaven” but the Hebrew word for heaven is "shamayim", which can take one of three distinct meanings: the sky, outer space or God’s throne room. Most Jewish scholars agree the writer described Elijah’s departure from his perspective on the ground, so the writer could only say that Elijah was taken into the shamayim (i.e., the sky). Like Enoch, nothing more can be assumed about Elijah’s final destination. However, the Jews believe before the Messiah comes, the righteous redeemer will make his appearance; Elijah will appear on the mountains of the Holy Land and will herald the good tidings of the coming of Messiah.

In both supernatural cases, the holy books does not specifically say if these two special men entered into the presence of God in bodily form. On the other hand, Christian scripture says definitively that no man entered into Heaven before Jesus Christ (John 3:13). Based on other scripture, it is implied their souls were transferred to Abraham’s Bosom (see Luke 16) to await the arrival of the Messiah just like all the Old Testament saints. God granted these men remarkable departures from the earth, but He couldn't grant them entry into Heaven before Christ’s sacrifice was completed. Like the Jews, the Christians believe Elijah will return to the earth before the coming of Jesus.

The commentator Ibn Kathir narrated in the "During the Night Journey", the Prophet (Enoch) passed by him in the fourth heaven, implying that Enoch reached Heaven. In a hadith, Ibn Abbas asked Ka’b ibn al-Ashraf what was meant by the part of the verse which says, ”And We raised him to a high station.” Ka’b explained: Allah revealed to Idris (Enoch): ‘I would raise for you every day the same amount of the deeds of all Adam’s children’.  An angel visited and Idris said to him: ‘Allah has revealed to me such and such, so could you please speak to the angel of death, so I could increase my deeds.’ The angel carried him on his wings and went up into the heavens. When they reached the fourth heaven, they met the Angel of Death who was descending down towards earth. The angel spoke to him about what Idris had spoken to him before. The angel of death said: ‘But where is Idris?’ He replied, ‘He is upon my back.’ The angel of death said: ‘How astonishing! I was sent and told to seize his soul in the fourth heaven. I kept thinking how I could seize it in the fourth heaven when he was on the earth?’ Then he took his soul out of his body, and that is what is meant by the verse: ‘And We raised him to a high station.’ This implies that the soul of Enoch remained in Heaven. Whether Enoch or Elijah is to return again is not touched upon in the Quran.

Related articles:

Did Enoch and Elijah Escape Death and Go to Heaven?
Why did God take Enoch and Elijah to Heaven without them dying?
If the dead don’t immediately go to heaven, how did Moses and Elijah appear at the transfiguration?

The Protestant Reformation

The Reformation

HISTORY

The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era. In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice. They argued for a religious and political redistribution of power into the hands of Bible- and pamphlet-reading pastors and princes. The disruption triggered wars, persecutions and the so-called Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church’s delayed but forceful response to the Protestants.

Dating the Reformation

Historians usually date the start of the Protestant Reformation to the 1517 publication of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses.” Its ending can be placed anywhere from the 1555 Peace of Augsburg, which allowed for the coexistence of Catholicism and Lutheranism in Germany, to the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years’ War. The key ideas of the Reformation—a call to purify the church and a belief that the Bible, not tradition, should be the sole source of spiritual authority—were not themselves novel. However, Luther and the other reformers became the first to skillfully use the power of the printing press to give their ideas a wide audience.

Did you know? No reformer was more adept than Martin Luther at using the power of the press to spread his ideas. Between 1518 and 1525, Luther published more works than the next 17 most prolific reformers combined.

The Reformation: Germany and Lutheranism

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was an Augustinian monk and university lecturer in Wittenberg when he composed his “95 Theses,” which protested the pope’s sale of reprieves from penance, or indulgences. Although he had hoped to spur renewal from within the church, in 1521 he was summoned before the Diet of Worms and excommunicated. Sheltered by Friedrich, elector of Saxony, Luther translated the Bible into German and continued his output of vernacular pamphlets.

When German peasants, inspired in part by Luther’s empowering “priesthood of all believers,” revolted in 1524, Luther sided with Germany’s princes. By the Reformation’s end, Lutheranism had become the state religion throughout much of Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltics.

The Reformation: Switzerland and Calvinism

The Swiss Reformation began in 1519 with the sermons of Ulrich Zwingli, whose teachings largely paralleled Luther’s. In 1541 John Calvin, a French Protestant who had spent the previous decade in exile writing his “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” was invited to settle in Geneva and put his Reformed doctrine—which stressed God’s power and humanity’s predestined fate—into practice. The result was a theocratic regime of enforced, austere morality.

Calvin’s Geneva became a hotbed for Protestant exiles, and his doctrines quickly spread to Scotland, France, Transylvania and the Low Countries, where Dutch Calvinism became a religious and economic force for the next 400 years.

The Reformation: England and the “Middle Way”

In England, the Reformation began with Henry VIII’s quest for a male heir. When Pope Clement VII refused to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could remarry, the English king declared in 1534 that he alone should be the final authority in matters relating to the English church. Henry dissolved England’s monasteries to confiscate their wealth and worked to place the Bible in the hands of the people. Beginning in 1536, every parish was required to have a copy.

After Henry’s death, England tilted toward Calvinist-infused Protestantism during Edward VI’s six-year reign and then endured five years of reactionary Catholicism under Mary I. In 1559 Elizabeth I took the throne and, during her 44-year reign, cast the Church of England as a “middle way” between Calvinism and Catholicism, with vernacular worship and a revised Book of Common Prayer.

The Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church was slow to respond systematically to the theological and publicity innovations of Luther and the other reformers. The Council of Trent, which met off and on from 1545 through 1563, articulated the Church’s answer to the problems that triggered the Reformation and to the reformers themselves.

The Catholic Church of the Counter-Reformation era grew more spiritual, more literate and more educated. New religious orders, notably the Jesuits, combined rigorous spirituality with a globally minded intellectualism, while mystics such as Teresa of Avila injected new passion into the older orders. Inquisitions, both in Spain and in Rome, were reorganized to fight the threat of Protestant heresy.

The Reformation’s Legacy

Along with the religious consequences of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation came deep and lasting political changes. Northern Europe’s new religious and political freedoms came at a great cost, with decades of rebellions, wars and bloody persecutions. The Thirty Years’ War alone may have cost Germany 40 percent of its population.

But the Reformation’s positive repercussions can be seen in the intellectual and cultural flourishing it inspired on all sides of the schism—in the strengthened universities of Europe, the Lutheran church music of J.S. Bach, the baroque altarpieces of Pieter Paul Rubens and even the capitalism of Dutch Calvinist merchants.

This article was obtained through History.com.