1. Jesus of Nazareth was asserting here THAT HE WAS NO ORDINARY MAN. He was the Lord from Heaven (1 Cor 15:47 -- The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second Man is the Lord from Heaven.)
AND...
John 3:
[13] And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven...
Scripture notifies us;
That which God created (BY forming from Dust, ON Earth, OF the Dust of the ground, was a FORM, God called a man.
Gen 7
[7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
Our FORM, is our BODY.
2. Not only was He the Son of Man who had come down from Heaven,
Disagree with your wording.
"The Son of MAN, did not come down from Heaven. "The Spirit of God, (The SEED of God ), came down from Heaven"
The "FORM" (BODY) that was Revealed, at Jesus' birth....WAS A BODY, "prepared" of God....Was a FORM, (of a FAITHFUL Servant ) Jesus took upon Himself.
Heb 10
[5] Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
What did that body LOOK LIKE?
Phil 2:8 ...The fashion, "as a man"...
Phil 2:7 ..."Likeness" of men...
What reputation did that body have?
Phil 2:7 ...A "servant".
What did that body DO?
Phil 2:8 ... Became "obedient unto death".
What was UNDER the BODY, (form) he "took upon Himself" ?
Phil 2:6 ... the "form of God".
Phil 2
[6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
[7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
[8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
but even while on earth, He was still in Heaven (in Spirit)!
Agree, God is everywhere.
3. Therefore He is speaking about His UNIQUE resurrection and ascension into Heaven.
I believe Jesus was the WORD of God in the FLESH likeness as a man, that men COULD see, as God promised. A teacher BY example for earthly men to witness and speak of what they had seen, that others might believe.
4. No man on earth had ever come directly from Heaven, died, been buried, been resurrected, and then ascended directly to Heaven. That is the significance of verse 13.
Earthly Men, are formed bodies.
Their Life is their blood.
Their Life is tainted/corrupt/sinfull, from their natural birth.
Their body is brought into a Living state, when they Receive the Breath of Life, from God, and thereafter a man IS both a FORM and a Living soul.
5. Thus verse 13 does not exclude Enoch and Elijah. It simply tells us that Christ's descent from and ascent to Heaven are totally unique.
Verse 13 did not "INCLUDE" Enoch and Elijah.
This is totally irrelevant.
The relevance was establishing, Elijah and Enoch were men out of the Earth, NOT FORMS/ Bodily men who came down from heaven, then returned to Heaven.
Elijah did indeed come from Heaven at the Transfiguration of Christ and then went back to Heaven.
Scripture clearly notifies us:
Bodies of men do not originate IN Heaven.
ALL bodies of men are Sentenced to DIE, God requires it.
All Bodies of men "shall be raised", some to glory, some to damnation...Following a TRUMP signal.
ALL saved souls, depart their physically DEAD body, and GO TO Heaven.
Bodies of DEAD men WERE raised (on Earth) and their living soul returned to them.
But he never died and was then resurrected (as was Christ). He was taken up body, soul, and spirit.
There is NO evidence Enoch or Elijah, BODILY when UP to Heaven. <--- THAT is historical theory, philosophies, mindful conclusions. It does not say that IN Scripture.
Scripture DOES SAY;
The Lord "GIVES" Life and the Lord "TAKES AWAY LIFE".
1 Sam 2:6
[
6] The LORD killeth, and maketh alive:
Job 1:21
[
21] And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;
^ Forms/Bodies come forth out of the womb.
^ Gods Breath begins the individuals Life, of his own given soul.
The Life God gives IS His BREATH, in a soul.
The Body is not the soul.
God Gives the Body Life.
God Takes Away the Body's Life.
The Faithful soul departs the dead body and goes to Heaven.
Both the Bodily form...AND...the soul are CALLED by the mans Identity, ie the mans NAME, and are a Reference to THAT man.
IN Context;
Enoch was an earthly man.
Enoch's father was Jared.
Enoch son was Methuselah.
Enoch "walked" with God.
Enoch lived 365 years.
Enoch was "TAKEN" by God.
Gen 5:
[
19] And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
[
20] And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
[
21] And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
[
22] And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
[
23] And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
[
24] And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for
God took him.
Walking "WITH" God is what a "FAITHFUL" servant does.
Taken by God, is the BODILY Form becoming "DEAD".
What God "TAKES to Heaven" is the "LIVING SOUL" that departs a physically DEAD BODY.
Nowhere does Scripture say, the BODY of Enoch rose UP to Heaven.
^ THAT is an earthly mans, GUESSING.
Guessing does not constitute a FACT.
In Context; About Elijah.
Elijah is identified by his clan; the Tishbite's.
Elijah is revealed as a faithful man of God, and stood against false gods, even when up against kings who believed in false gods.
2 Kings 2:1
[
1] And
it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
^ That is "written" knowledge Revealed after the fact it became "known" the LORD, "TOOK" Elijah, and "HOW" (in a whirlwind), Elijah was LAST SEEN by other men.
The Key word is NOT, that Elijah was Last SEEN in a "whirlwind". Any man can be "last seen" in a "whirlwind", something we might call a "tornado"; Wind "whirling" in a circular motion.
The Key word IS, the LORD "TOOK" Elijah.
Again, IN CONTEXT, (without philosophies and mindful ideas of men)...
The Lord God, TAKES the LIFE of mans BODY, that it becomes DEAD, and Returns to the Earth from whence it came.
The Lord God, TAKES the LIFE of a "FAITHFUL" Living soul, "TO" Heaven, that it REMAIN with the Lord God.
While you believe and teach that ELIJAH and ENOCH Bodily were TAKEN to HEAVEN.
I disagree. Scripture does not say so. Scripture teaches...Saved souls and Quickened spirits GO UP TO Heaven and BODY'S return to the earth.
About the TWO WITNESSES, at Jesus' ascension...They were UNNAMED witnesses.
It is speculation of WHO they are.
I would without doubt say the two WITNESSES, were Saved souls, that were IN their RISEN from the Earth Bodies, dressed in White....
My speculation is; Their bodies returned TO the Earth...and their living SOULS returned to Heaven, As WITNESSES, IN Heaven (to other Living Souls), THAT THEY SAW, Jesus RISE UP to Heaven...(since Living SOULS IN HEAVEN, would have ALSO for the first time, BEEN SEEING JESUS for the First time, as He arrived in Heaven)...
IOW, the TWO witnesses, were verifying...JESUS is JESUS the Lord.
Throughout Scripture it is taught...
God TAKES the LIFE of the earthly BODY, and it returns to the Earth.
God Saves the Soul and quickened spirit OF men, and those things DEPART dead bodies, and GO...to Paradise, Heaven, where the Tree of Life is.
It is also noted God Can and Has Raised DEAD BODIES, and "PUT" their Living soul, back IN it's BODY, (on Earth).
But nowhere is it taught, BODIES of earthly men have RISEN up to Heaven.
Do I believe every word of Scripture? Absolutely. And that is why I am giving you this clarification.
Thanks, but your "clarification" hinges on "philosophies and theories of men".
Glory to God,
Thanks
