Bible Question:
Hi Makarios, I note with appreciation your helpful and lengthy answear.However,in order to get to the gist of it I have to delete the frills, why and how. You said: [1]"Both Enoch and Elijah experienced being taken up into heaven alive by God". [2]"Therefore, no other man but Jesus could truthfully attribute to Himself the words that Jesus spoke of Himself in John3:13" [3]"Therefore, is there a contradiction between John3:13 and with what happened to Enoch and Elijah? No, there is not" My comments are: [1] You have admittedly said that both Enoch and Elijah were taken up to heaven alive by God. [2]In John 3:13 there are two parts: a."No one has ever gone into heaven"[no human being] b."Except the one who came down from heaven- the son of man" In the first part,viz.[a]above, Jesus was making a statement of truth. whilst in the secong part,viz,[b]Jesus was referring to Himself as you have said so. It would appear that your conclusion,viz[3]above is not being supported by the above analysis. However, I would invite you to comment further. with love in Christ. FytRobert |
Bible Answer: Greetings FytRobert, There are no frills here. :-) I readily admit that Enoch and Elijah were taken up into heaven. But I do not believe that you can take apart John 3:13 in the way that you have, and still retain the meaning of the verse. For instance, if we examine John 3:13 within the context of the passage, it makes perfect sense.. Nicodemus said, "How can these things be?" Jesus had just told him that no one can see the Kingdom of heaven unless he is born again. Jesus replied, "We speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (Therefore, if Nicodemus did not understand or thought it strange of what he was told about things on earth, then how would he ever be able to understand the things of God?) And then Jesus says, "No one has ascended into heaven except him who descended from heaven, the Son of Man." Therefore, in John 3:13, is Jesus saying that no one can understand the things of God unless they came from heaven? Not hardly, because "whoever believes in him may have eternal life." (v. 14) But what Jesus is saying in John 3:13 is that no one who was currently living on earth at the time of Jesus had ever gone into heaven; and no one who was living to hear His message had the same vantage point as He had, simply because He had been there! He had seen and been with His Father in heaven, He had already been there, since "He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony." (John 3:31b-32) In this way, through the vantage point of Christ, we can properly examine the full meaning of what Jesus meant by John 3:13. Blessings to you, Makarios |