There are just four men on record in the Bible
who never die. Two were taken alive to heaven; two will be cast
alive into hell. Two were outstanding men for God; two will be
outstanding men for Satan. God’s men were the first to be taken to
heaven; Satan’s men will be the first to be cast into hell. The
first two in heaven were joined by another man, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who while He was taken up (see Acts 1: 9, 11) like them,
also ascended (see
Acts 2: 34; Eph. 4: 8, 9, 10); the
second two in hell will be joined by the Devil. In each of the
pairs, one is a Gentile, the other a Jew. Who were they?
The first man was Enoch of whom we are told
“And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty–five years.
And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Gen.
5: 23, 24). The second man was Elijah of whom we read “And it came
to pass as they went on, and talked, that behold, a chariot of fire
and horses of fire; and they parted them both asunder; and Elijah
went up by a whirlwind into the heavens” (2 Kings 2: 11). Enoch was
a Gentile, Elijah a Jew.
The third man is the Beast of Rev. 13: 1 of
whom we read “and I saw a beast rising out of the sea”—a Gentile,
for the sea is in Scripture is representative of the nations (see
Is. 60: 5; Ez. 26: 3). The fourth man is “another beast rising out
of the earth” (Rev. 13: 11)—a Jew, for the earth in Scripture is
representative of Israel, for just as the earth rose out of the sea
(see Gen. 1: 9, 10) so Israel was chosen “out of all the peoples
that are upon the face of the earth” (Deut. 14: 2). This man is the
antichrist, “the false prophet” of Rev. 16: 13.
We read “And the devil who deceived them was
cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] both the beast
and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for
the ages of ages” (Rev. 20: 10). Multitudes will one day, like the
beast and the false prophet, have their eternal abode with the Devil
in the lake of fire (see Rev. 20: 11–15); multitudes also, like
Enoch and Elijah, will one day join the Lord in heaven (see 1
Thess. 4: 13–18).
Four remarkable men but who will
your eternal
companions be? What will be
your eternal
destination? With Christ in heaven or with the Devil in hell?
