Maccarone

From Kristos Vocabulary Booster

maccarone

"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" (Heb.11:5 KJV).

The translators of the King James Bible translated the two Greek words
'metathesis' and 'metatithemi', which means 'change of place' and 'put
in another place' into the English word 'translated.' This is
probably because the theology of their day taught that when righteous
people died they were taken to heaven. However, by no stretch of the
imagination can the two Greek words 'metathesis' and 'metatithemi',
which are used in Hebrews 11:5, convey the concept of Enoch being
transported to heaven. 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.

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."

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says that all die and all shall be resurrected,
but Messiah must be first in the order. Enoch could not possibly have
preceded him, especially if he were still flesh and blood as it says in
verses 49-52.

Even a casual reading of Hebrews chapter eleven reveals that none of
the men and women mentioned, including Enoch, had yet received the
promises given to the patriarchs and other righteous individuals
(Heb.11:13, 39-40).

Enoch was "translated" (metatithemi) so as not to see death (Heb 11:5).
You are simply assuming God took him to heaven with him. There are
alternatives to this. Why didn't Paul simply say Enoch was "taken"
(harpazo) here?

Let us examine the phrase in Genesis 5:24, where it says, "And Enoch
walked with God: and HE WAS NOT; for God took him" and compare the same
Hebrew phrase in:

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 the phrases are the same Hebrew as Genesis 5:24. As in
the Psalms, the phrase means the person "passed away" or would
eventually die. Let s look at the same phrase 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 his
brothers of Joseph. What d they mean by "is not"?

Genesis 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." Here,
the brothers recount their previous discussion about Joseph with
Pharaoh. When they first said, "and ONE IS NOT," they meant Joseph "is
dead."

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:" 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). If
Enoch were in heaven, wouldn't he have received that promise?

Psalms 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" [see also John 11:26]. This
phrase must mean "the second death," since all the Apostles kept Jesus
sayings and yet died the first death.

Based on Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment:" and 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 was not taken to the heaven of God's residence. He died, as the
writer of Hebrews (perhaps Paul), after naming Enoch and other ancient
faithful witnesses of God, makes clear in saying: "In faith all these
died, although they did not get the fulfillment of the promises, but
they saw them afar off and welcomed them and publicly declared that
they were strangers and temporary residents in the land." (Heb.
11:13) These men knew that their reward was far in the future. The
prophets of old knew that their Messianic prophecies did not apply to
themselves, but had fulfillment later on. Hence, the apostle Peter says
to those who are footstep followers of Jesus Christ the heavenly
Forerunner: "Concerning this very salvation [promised to Christ's
joint heirs and being a heavenly hope] a diligent inquiry and a careful
search were made by the prophets [including Enoch and Elijah] who
prophesied about the undeserved kindness meant for you. They kept on
investigating what particular season or what sort of season the spirit
in them was indicating concerning Christ when it was bearing witness
beforehand about the sufferings for Christ and about the glories to
follow these. It was revealed to them that, not to themselves, but to
you, they were ministering the things that have now been announced to
you through those who have declared the good news to you."-1 Pet.
1:10-12.

Peter, speaking to the assembled Jews on the day of Pentecost, shortly
after Jesus' resurrection, said of the faithful King David, "a man
agreeable to [God's] heart": "Actually David did not ascend to the
heavens, but he himself says, 'Yahweh said to my Lord: "Sit at my
right hand, until I place your enemies as a stool for your
feet.""' (Acts 13:22; 2:34, 35) Likewise, Elijah and Enoch, along
with others, are in the grave, awaiting the Lord Jesus Christ's
action in putting his enemies under his feet by destroying them. (Acts
2:29) The glorious enthroned Christ will then resurrect these faithful
men from the dead, making them "princes in all the earth." (Ps.
45:16; Rev. 20:11-13) These trustworthy men will work well with the
heavenly King to administer righteousness and justice in the earth.

>What this verse clearly demonstrates is Jesus' majesty, power, and
>ability. It does not indicate that no one has ever been taken into
>heaven.

That's exactly what it says. Besides Jesus did not descend to earth
under his own power but was sent by God.

according to how the Greek word "anabaino" is used throughout
scripture. THERE IS NO clear distinction between "ascending" under
one's own power or not. At both Rev. 8:4;11:7; 14:11 the smoke
"ascended".

we do not see a clear usage of "anabaino" as you
say. Therefore you point concerning John 3:13 is inconclusive at best.
When you add other scriptures (Heb. 9:8; Acts 2:34) to the topic the
correct understanding becomes clear.

The Bible says that "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2
Kings 2:11), "Enoch was translated that he should not see death"
(Hebrews 11:5), and "God took him" (Genesis 5:24), and Moses appeared
in the transfiguration with Jesus (Matthew 17:3). Do these scriptures
prove that the three were in heaven (the throne of God) before Jesus
was sent to Earth in the flesh?

John 3:13, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that
came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven."

These words were spoken by Jesus himself at a time when only Christ
had seen God (John 1:18). And how did He know that no man had ascended
up to heaven...the throne of God? Because he came from there!
Therefore, what heaven did Elijah go to? What about Enoch and Moses?


Elijah

Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind "into heaven" (2 Kings 2:1) by
"a chariot of fire, and horses of fire" (verse 11). Yet, over nine
hundred years after this event, Jesus Himself said "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). Is this a bible contradiction?
Did Elijah really ascend to heaven where God's throne is, even though
Jesus said he didn't? If Elijah did not go to heaven, then where did he
go?

Three Heavens

The Scripture mentions three heavens (2 Corinthians 12:2), not just
one!

The first heaven is earth's atmosphere where birds fly (Genesis
1:20, Jeremiah 4:25; 34:20, Lamentations 4:19, Zephaniah 1:3). One of
the Hebrew words for 'heaven' is shamayim. This same word is translated
as 'sky' in the Scripture, as can be seen by comparing Genesis 7:3,
"fowls also of the air," with Genesis 7:23, "fowl of the heaven." The
word 'sky' and 'heaven' are used interchangeably from the same Hebrew
word (Psalm 8:8). So the first heaven is synonymous with 'heights' or
'elevations.'

Here are other examples to illustrate the first heaven. Exodus
19:20 says the Lord was on top of Mount Sinai when he called Moses up
there, and God describes Mount Sinai as 'heaven' (Exodus 20:22,
Deuteronomy 4:36). Here, everything above the ground is called
'heaven'.

Another example of the first heaven is in Amos 9:1-3, where God
states that at the time of this judgment, nobody will be able to flee
away (verse 1), even "though they climb up to heaven" (verse 2). This
"heaven" is defined in the next verse, verse 3, as climbing to the top
of Mount Carmel.

Another example is where the Scripture speaks of the "dew of
heaven" (Genesis 27:28,39, Deuteronomy 33:28, Daniel 4:15-33; 5:21).
The first heaven, from which dew comes, means the atmosphere, where the
clouds and the wind roam. Therefore, everything above the ground is
called 'heaven."

Another Hebrew word for the first heaven is 'shachaq.' This same
word for heaven (Psalm 89:6,37) is also translated as 'sky' or 'skies'
(Deuteronomy 33:26; Job 37:18; Psalm 18:11), and as 'clouds' (Job 35:5;
36:28; Psalm 36:5; 68:34, Pro. 3:20; 8:28).

The second heaven is outer space where the planets and stars exist
(Genesis 1:14-17; 15:5; 22:17; 26:4, Deuteronomy 1:10; 17:3; Psalm 8:3,
Jeremiah 8:2; Matthew 24:29). Usually the term "host of heaven" or
"firmament of the heaven" is used to describe this second heaven.

The third heaven is literally called "the third heaven" in 2
Corinthians 12:2. This third heaven is what Christ calls his "Father's
house" (John 14:2), and both Christ and the Apostle Paul calls it
"paradise" (Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Revelation 2:7). This is
where God and the heavenly sanctuary exist (1 Peter 3:22). This third
heaven is also known as the "heaven of heavens" (Deuteronomy 10:14; 1
Kings 8:27, 2 Chronicles 2:6; 6:18, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalms 148:4), "The
heavenly Jerusalem" (Galatians 4: 26; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 3:12),
the "kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 25:1, James 2:5), the "eternal
kingdom" (2 Peter 1:11), the "eternal inheritance" (1 Peter. 1:4,
Hebrews 9:15), and the "better country" (Hebrews 11:14,16). The fact
that there are 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.

Since Elijah could not have gone to the heaven of God's throne,
then to which heaven did he go? He was not taken to God's heavenly
throne (as some imagine). He was actually taken into this earth's
atmosphere, the first heaven. There could be no whirlwind in any other
place but in the atmosphere surrounding this earth.

Why Taken Up?

What was the reason for this unusual act of God? Why did he take
Elijah up into the atmosphere? Was it to make him immortal? No! The
Scripture says no word about that! In Hebrews 11:13,39, we read about
the prophets who lived by faith and died without receiving the
promises. So Elijah was not to be made Immortal, for that would give
him pre-eminence above Jesus. But what does the Scripture reveal as the
reason for this removal? 2 Kings 2:3 and 5 has 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). 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.

Where did Elijah go?

This has been the perplexing problem to so many. He did not ascend
to the throne of God, because Jesus said so! Also, notice in 2 Kings 3
and 5 that the sons of the prophets knew Elijah would be taken away by
God in advance. They believed that Elijah was going to be taken to
another location, which is why they were fearful that the Spirit of God
might have dropped him "upon some mountain, or into some valley" (2
Kings 2:16). Elisha knew that God would preserve Elijah from falling,
but at their insistence he permitted men to go in search for him, to no
avail. And God did not say that Elijah was to die at that time. If he
were, Elisha could have assumed his new office without the removal of
Elijah, for we know that Elisha died in office after fulfilling his
duty (2 Kings 13:14).

The 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 past events, and of the diseases as future, Two years
after the king became diseased the king died, having reigned only eight
short years (2 Chronicles 21:18-20).

This proves that 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).

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. Another similar
incident happened to Ezekiel, in which the spirit took him away
(Ezekiel 3:12). 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). Afterwards, the spirit took him up to Chaldea (Ezekiel
11:24).

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).


Enoch

Some people believe that Enoch did not die but was taken directly
to heaven where God is. But, Enoch eventually died, as all humans die.
How can we know? The apostle Paul mentioned the circumstances
associated with Enoch in Hebrews 11:5, along with other men of faith,
and then stated: "These all died in faith, not having received the
promises" (Hebrews 11:13). Yes, Enoch died, and he did not receive the
promise of heaven (verse 16) at the time the book of Hebrews was
written.

Based on Hebrews 11:5,13 and Jesus statement in John.3:13, "no man
hath ascended up to heaven", how are we to understand the account of
Enoch? Genesis 5:21-24 says that Enoch's days, alive on Earth, ended at
365 years old. The question is, did he die, was he taken to heaven
alive, or was he transported to another location on Earth?

Let us examine the bold phrase in Genesis 5:24, where it says, "And
Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him" and compare
the same Hebrew phrase in:

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 the phrases in bold are the same Hebrew as Genesis
5:24. As in the Psalms, the phrase means the person "passed away" or
would eventually die. Let s look at the same phrase 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 his brothers of Joseph. What d they mean by "is not"?

Genesis 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."
Here, the brothers recount their previous discussion about Joseph with
Pharaoh. When they first said, "and one is not," they meant Joseph "is
dead."

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:" 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). If
Enoch were in heaven, wouldn't he have received that promise?

Psalms 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" [see also John 11:26].
This phrase must mean "the second death," since all the Apostles kept
Jesus sayings and yet died the first death.

Based on Hebrews 9:27, "And as it is appointed unto men once to
die, but after this the judgment:" and 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!

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."

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says that all die and all shall be
resurrected, but Messiah must be first in the order. Enoch could not
possibly have preceded him, especially if he were still flesh and blood
as it says in verses 49-52.


The Transfiguration

The only remaining texts that puzzle people are those relative to
the appearances of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration
with Jesus (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-10, Luke 9:28-36). After the
Transfiguration, Jesus said, while leaving the mountain, "Tell the
vision to no man" (Matthew 17:9). Jesus calls the transfiguration a
vision! A vision is not a material reality, but a supernatural picture
observed by the eyes. The same Greek word for "vision" was used of
Peter's vision of the unclean beasts being made clean (Acts 10:3,17,19;
11:5). They were not real but a supernatural picture. In the case of
the transfiguration it was a prophetic vision which would take place in
the future. Peter, James and John saw the Son of Man glorified in the
Kingdom through a prophetic vision. Here are other examples:

Acts 16:9, "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There
stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into
Macedonia, and help us." This also is something that was to happen in
the future.

Acts 18:9-10, "Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a
vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with
thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people
in this city." Jesus is telling Paul that, in the near future, no man
shall hurt him.

Visions should not be interpreted as literal. For example, look at
Genesis 37:5-10. When Joseph dreamed that his "sheaf arose, and stood
upright," and his brother s sheaves bowed down to Joseph s sheaf (verse
7), Or when Joseph dreamed that "the sun and the moon and the eleven
stars" bowed down to Joseph (verse 9), is this literal? No. This was a
prophetic vision of something that was to occur in the future; when
Joseph s mother, father, and brothers would bow down to him as King.

Both Moses and Elijah were still in their graves, but in vision
both they and Jesus were seen in glory of the resurrection, and event
to which Moses and Elijah have not yet attained at that time (Hebrews
11:39). The vision was granted the disciples after Jesus had spoken of
the glory of immortality in the coming Kingdom.


Moses

There cannot be any doubt that Moses died and was buried
(Deuteronomy 34:5-6). Therefore, for him to have been in heaven while
Jesus was still in the flesh, Moses had to be resurrected from the
dead, receive eternal life, and "put on immortality" (1 Corinthians
15:53). But the Bible is clear that Jesus had to be the first one to be
resurrected to eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15:20, "But now is Christ
risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."

The Apostle Paul said Jesus had to be "the firstborn from the dead"
and "have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18). If anyone preceded Jesus,
then he wasn't the firstborn from the dead. Since some people believe
Enoch and Elijah did not die, but that Moses did die, then that would
mean Moses had the preeminence over Jesus. Therefore, since Jesus had
to be the first to be resurrected unto eternal life and the first to
ascend into heaven and stand before God, Moses could not possibly have
been in heaven while Jesus was on earth

Hebrews 11:23-28 talks about Moses living by faith. Now read verses
39-40, which say that Moses did not receive the promise of a
resurrection unto eternal life and perfection. This should settle any
disputes to the contrary. What about Michael and Satan disputing about
Moses' body? Jude 9 does not say Michael won the dispute and then took
Moses to heaven. Since there is no mention of heaven here, nor in the
entire book of Jude, we should not assume he was taken there.

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