Many Christians believe that Enoch went to heaven. Many people even tell you that Enoch didn’t die and he simply became a spirit being. However, is this understanding correct? Could it be that millions of Christians today are wrong in believing that Enoch is in heaven right now? It’s time to know the truth!

Why do Christians believe Enoch is in heaven?

A lot of Christians today believe and teach that Enoch went to heaven. They primarily base this teaching on Genesis 5:24, which says:

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

At the first reading of this verse, you might as well be convinced by their belief. People believe that the term, “God took him” refers to the fact that He went up to heaven. However, concluding that Enoch is in heaven right now based on Genesis 5:24 isn’t just faulty, but actually betraying the truth taught in the Bible.

So, join us now as we examine what the Bible really says. Let’s establish the irrefutable facts and learn the truth not from human teachers, but rather straight from the Word of God. To do this, let me share with you 7 reasons Enoch is not in heaven.

🚨📢Do you want to learn more about the faith of Enoch? If yes, read my blog, “5 Powerful Lessons from the Life of Enoch.”🚨📢

Reason no. 1: No one has ascended into heaven

The Bible is clear that no one has ascended into heaven. Jesus Christ (Yahshua) Himself said it in John 3:13:

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 

Christ said that there’s no person who went up to heaven even Enoch himself. He can testify of this truth because He is the only one who has ascended to heaven. He was there and He can definitely tell us whether there are people in heaven or not!

In addition to this, King David, who would surely be in heaven if righteous people go to heaven after they die, isn’t in heaven right now!

We read in Acts 2:29, 34:

²⁹ “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day… For David did not ascend into the heavens.”

While David is acknowledged as a friend of God, it is surprising to find that despite this close relationship, the Scriptures indicate that he did not ascend to heaven.

You see, the Bible is clear. No one has ascended to heaven, from the time of Adam to our modern time.

If no one has ascended to heaven, then where is Enoch? What happened to him? Let’s discuss further.

Reason no. 2: Enoch died like everyone else

Let’s go back to Genesis 5:24:

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

A lot of people read “and he was not” and erroneously believed that Enoch didn’t die and he immediately went up to heaven.

Is this true, that Enoch did not die?

Let’s go to the Apostolic writing, the New Testament, to shed more light on this subject. We read in Hebrews 11:5:

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 

Hebrews 11 is also called the Faith Chapter where you’ll read about the heroes of faith. One of these heroes is Enoch as we read in verse 5.

Now, notice Hebrews 11:13:

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Now that’s very clear! “These all died in faith” refers to the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 and that includes ENOCH as we read in verse 5.

So, what does this show us? It shows that ENOCH DIED like the other faithful servants of God. There’s no debating about that!

Reason no. 3: Genesis 5:24 does not specify where Enoch was taken

The problem with so many Christians is that they read Genesis 5:24 and immediately assume that God took Enoch to heaven. However, a careful reading will show that this is not the case.

Let’s read it again:

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him (Genesis 5:24).

The text only says God took him. Read it again, there’s no mention of heaven in this verse!

Even if you read Hebrews 11:5, you’ll also not find heaven in the verse:

5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Now, here’s what’s interesting — if you look into the Greek word of “taken” in Hebrews 11:5, you’ll find an alternative meaning. The Greek word here is metatithēmi, which means to transfer.

So, this tells us that God simply transferred Enoch from one place to another and as we already have established, that place is definitely NOT heaven. Therefore, God removed Enoch from one place on earth and then placed him in another place on earth — not heaven.

Reason no. 4: Hebrews 11:5 is mistranslated.

So, how do we explain Hebrews 11:5 where it says that Enoch didn’t die? Let’s read this verse one more time:

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

The Bible tells us that God’s word can’t be broken (John 10:35) and the Bible can’t contradict itself. Again, this can’t be referring to Enoch not dying because we also read in Hebrews 9:27:

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”

A better translation of Hebrews 11:5 is made by the New American Standard Bible. We read its rendition of Hebrews 5:11:

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

This tells us that Enoch was taken by God so that he would not see death. Now, the Bible isn’t clear how God took Enoch so that he would not see death. However, there are different ways to understand this in such a way that it doesn’t contradict the Bible. We will discuss them deeper in the following points.

Reason no. 5: God could have hidden Enoch

God might have taken Enoch to a different place to save him from getting hurt or killed, especially during a time when people were angry and didn’t like what he was saying about God’s judgment. Remember, Enoch preached against the sins of the people. We read in Jude 1:14-15:

¹⁴ Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Therefore, God took Enoch so that wicked people would not kill him just like how God protected Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) and Philip (Acts 8:39) by placing them in a new place on earth.

Reason no. 6: Enoch might have died prematurely

Let’s notice that Enoch passed away at a relatively young age compared to others of his time—he was 365 years old. In contrast, people before and after him often lived into their 800s and 900s. Some speculate that God might have taken him early to spare him from living through many more years in a difficult world. This is supported in Isaiah 57:1-2. We read:

¹ The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
Merciful men are taken away,
While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from evil.

² He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness.

God has the power to take away Enoch’s life in the most painless manner. God can then resurrect Enoch in the first resurrection, where he will receive a spiritual body, which will never die any more.

So when it says “so that he would not see death,” it means he didn’t have to go through the process of gradually dying; instead, his life ended abruptly.

Some believe that Enoch may have faced persecution and was martyred for preaching his message. In this scenario, when it says Enoch was taken and not found, it could mean that God removed his body and buried it, similar to what happened with Moses.

We read in Deuteronomy 34:5-6:

⁵ So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. ⁶ And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day.

Reason no. 7: Genesis 5:24 could refer to the second death

In the Bible, we read that there is more than one type of death. The first death is what people commonly experience. However, the second death is the death wicked people will experience in the lake of fire.

Notice what Jesus Christ said in John 8:51:

⁵¹ Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

The death Christ was saying here is not the physical death or the first death since we know that there are numerous faithful people who have seen physical death.

So, there must be a different type of death that we can read in the Bible. Notice what the book of Revelation mentioned about the second death:

¹¹ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’

Revelation 2:11

⁶ Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Revelation 20:6

¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 20:14

Thus, we might also believe that when the Bible said that Enoch didn’t see death, it could be that he did not see the second death, which is the death of the wicked in the lake of fire. Instead, Enoch will be born again into the Kingdom of God as a spirit being who will rule together with Yahshua and His saints!

Enoch didn’t go to heaven

There you have it — the 7 reasons why Enoch didn’t go to heaven. I hope this has given you a better perspective on what the Bible truly says. You are blessed to know this truth, which millions of Christians don’t understand. I hope this truth will lead you to more truths. So, if you wish to learn more, please request your free copy of “Beyond the Grave: Discover the Shocking Truth About Death, Heaven, and Hell.”

---