Enoch and Elijah & Heaviness of Heart
Dear Phil,
I recently read that Elijah and Enoch were both taken into the third heaven and remain alive today, possibly to return to earth as God’s “two witnesses” and finally be slain and resurrected (Rev 11:1–14). How can they be at the throne of God in flesh and blood when 1 Corinthians 15:50 says, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”?
Dan Russell
I recently read that Elijah and Enoch were both taken into the third heaven and remain alive today, possibly to return to earth as God’s “two witnesses” and finally be slain and resurrected (Rev 11:1–14). How can they be at the throne of God in flesh and blood when 1 Corinthians 15:50 says, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”?
Dan Russell
Dear Dan,
I know of no reason to believe that Elijah and Enoch continue to exist in heaven without a glorified body. 1 Corinthians 15:50 is an excellent text to rebut the idea that these two patriarchs are still living in perishable bodies. As the following context indicates, it is not necessary to die in order to have a glorified body. In 1 Corinthians 15:52, the phrase “and we shall be changed” refers to believers who are alive on the earth when the trumpet sounds. As Paul notes in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “We who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Saints who are alive when Jesus returns to this earth will receive glorified bodies as they are caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
Since Paul says we will receive imperishable bodies, the two witnesses who are slain in the book of Revelation must not be persons who have received glorified bodies.
Blessings,
Phil
I know of no reason to believe that Elijah and Enoch continue to exist in heaven without a glorified body. 1 Corinthians 15:50 is an excellent text to rebut the idea that these two patriarchs are still living in perishable bodies. As the following context indicates, it is not necessary to die in order to have a glorified body. In 1 Corinthians 15:52, the phrase “and we shall be changed” refers to believers who are alive on the earth when the trumpet sounds. As Paul notes in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “We who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Saints who are alive when Jesus returns to this earth will receive glorified bodies as they are caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
Since Paul says we will receive imperishable bodies, the two witnesses who are slain in the book of Revelation must not be persons who have received glorified bodies.
Blessings,
Phil
Dear Phil,
I have been plagued for several years with a heaviness on my heart that robs my peace and joy. It will leave for a time, and I have wonderful peace. Then it returns. It weighs me down until I cannot enjoy my relationship with God or other Christians. I have been saved and sanctified for 43 years. Can you help me? Please send an answer.
Joey Bennett
I have been plagued for several years with a heaviness on my heart that robs my peace and joy. It will leave for a time, and I have wonderful peace. Then it returns. It weighs me down until I cannot enjoy my relationship with God or other Christians. I have been saved and sanctified for 43 years. Can you help me? Please send an answer.
Joey Bennett
Dear Joey,
I experienced a similar heaviness when I was in China with my parents, who were serving the Lord as educational missionaries. A sense of oppression would descend upon me for no apparent reason. However, we had been forewarned regarding this phenomenon. In the training we received before going to China, our instructors told us to expect the devil to seek to discourage us in this way.
Since there was no physical basis for the sense of oppression, we understood it to be spiritual warfare. So we addressed it with the weapons of spiritual warfare: praise, prayer, Christian fellowship, and Bible reading. God delights to manifest his presence when his people praise him (Ps 22:3; Ps 42, 43). Jesus has told us that he is always with us (Heb 13:5). Paul tells us that a key component of our resisting the devil is knowing the truth (Eph 6:14). We keep our loins girt about with truth by believing the truth, asserting the truth, and rejoicing in the truth, regardless of how we feel.
The truth is that God is sovereign (Ps 97:1; 99:1; Dan 4:35; Eph 1:11). That means nothing comes into my life without his permission. The truth is that God is wise (Dan 2:20; Jer 10:7; Prov 2:6; Rom 16:27). That means he never makes a mistake in what he permits in my life. The truth is that God is good (Ps 34:8; 145:9; Jer 33:1; Nahum 1:7). That means that God has my best interest at heart in everything he allows into my life (Rom 8:28–29). The truth is that God is faithful (Deut 7:9; 1 Cor 10:13; 1 Peter 4:19). That means he will always keep his promises. He has promised that, regardless of how I feel, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8).
By the time I finished praising, praying, fellowshipping, and focusing my mind upon who God is, the sense of oppression lifted. When it returned, I took it as an opportunity from the Lord to refocus my mind and heart about his magnificence. I encourage you to do the same.
Blessings,
Phil
I experienced a similar heaviness when I was in China with my parents, who were serving the Lord as educational missionaries. A sense of oppression would descend upon me for no apparent reason. However, we had been forewarned regarding this phenomenon. In the training we received before going to China, our instructors told us to expect the devil to seek to discourage us in this way.
Since there was no physical basis for the sense of oppression, we understood it to be spiritual warfare. So we addressed it with the weapons of spiritual warfare: praise, prayer, Christian fellowship, and Bible reading. God delights to manifest his presence when his people praise him (Ps 22:3; Ps 42, 43). Jesus has told us that he is always with us (Heb 13:5). Paul tells us that a key component of our resisting the devil is knowing the truth (Eph 6:14). We keep our loins girt about with truth by believing the truth, asserting the truth, and rejoicing in the truth, regardless of how we feel.
The truth is that God is sovereign (Ps 97:1; 99:1; Dan 4:35; Eph 1:11). That means nothing comes into my life without his permission. The truth is that God is wise (Dan 2:20; Jer 10:7; Prov 2:6; Rom 16:27). That means he never makes a mistake in what he permits in my life. The truth is that God is good (Ps 34:8; 145:9; Jer 33:1; Nahum 1:7). That means that God has my best interest at heart in everything he allows into my life (Rom 8:28–29). The truth is that God is faithful (Deut 7:9; 1 Cor 10:13; 1 Peter 4:19). That means he will always keep his promises. He has promised that, regardless of how I feel, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8).
By the time I finished praising, praying, fellowshipping, and focusing my mind upon who God is, the sense of oppression lifted. When it returned, I took it as an opportunity from the Lord to refocus my mind and heart about his magnificence. I encourage you to do the same.
Blessings,
Phil