Bible Question: i ask for serious answers as to the state of Elijah and Enoch in connection to Hebrews 9:27 and not some technical obvious observation please thankyou. |
Bible Answer: Hi sog... I hope this is not some "technical obvious observation", though I must confess, I have no idea what you might mean by that. I do hope this helps you. Heb 9:27 is what is known as a general rule, because there are found in scripture some obvious exceptions. Elijah and Enoch, being two of them, also Lazarus of, John 11:14 and Tabitha of, Acts 9:40 are two more. There are others as well, Acts 20:9-10 and Mark 5:35-42, are two more exceptions to this rule. John Gill has this to say on Hebrews 9:27 that may be helpful to you. Shalom John Ver. 27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die,.... Not a moral, or what is commonly called a spiritual death, nor an eternal one, but a corporeal one; which does not arise from the constitution of nature, but from the sin of man, and God's decree on account of it; by which it is fixed that men shall die, and how long they shall live, and when they shall die; so that they cannot die sooner nor later; all things antecedent to death, which lead on to it, and issue in it, are appointed by God, and so is death itself, with all its circumstances; men's days can neither be lengthened nor shortened, either by Christ himself, or others: and this statute and appointment of God concerns men, not angels, and reaches to all men, wicked and righteous; and though there have been some exceptions, as Enoch and Elijah; and all will not sleep, or die, some will be found alive at Christ's appearing; yet such will undergo a change which is equivalent to death, as Enoch and Elijah have done: and generally speaking men die but once; it is not usual for men to die, and live again, and then die again; there have been some extraordinary instances of this kind, but they are rare; it is the statute law of heaven in common for men to die and that but once; --John Gill |