Did Elijah, Enoch and the thief on the cross really go to heaven where God is?
Yes, I believe all three men went to heaven and are in the very presence of God. Let’s take a look at the accounts of their going to heaven.
ENOCH: In Genesis 5:24 we read, “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him.” Hebrews 11:5 says, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” The key word in Hebrews 11:5 is “translated.” It means “to transfer to another place.” In Genesis 5:24 we are told that “God took him” and the obvious conclusion is that God took him to heaven to be with Himself; He “transferred him from earth to heaven.” Why did God do this? We saw that “Enoch walked with God” and that “he pleased God,” so it’s reasonable to assume that God wanted to deliver him from the wickedness of ungodly men and from the coming judgment. We learn in Jude 14-15 that Enoch prophesied of coming judgment. It had a partial fulfillment in the flood in Noah’s day and God saw fit to remove Enoch from the earth before the flood destroyed the world of ungodly sinners.
ELIJAH: In 2 Kings 2:1 we read, “And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.” And then in verse 11 it says, “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” We saw in the case of Enoch that “God took him,” and here too we see “when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven.” Both men walked with God and pleased Him, and God saw fit to translate them to heaven after their work on earth was finished. We aren’t told exactly HOW God translated Enoch, but with Elijah we read that “there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire…and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” What a sight that must have been! What a glorious exit from this sinful world into the bliss of heaven where he would enjoy the presence of a holy God forever and ever! Both men being “caught up” to heaven without seeing death illustrates the blessed Hope that we believers have, for we are taught in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 that after the Lord resurrects the dead in Christ, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
The SAVED THIEF: In Luke 23:43 the Lord Jesus promised the thief who turned to Him in repentance and faith, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The word “paradise” definitely refers to “heaven.” How do we know this? Because the apostle Paul used that same word to describe his being caught up to heaven. We read of this in 2 Corinthians 12:2 where Paul said he was “caught up to the third heaven” and then in verse 4 he says “he was caught up into paradise.” So, the moment the saved thief breathed his last breath and his body died, his spirit was released and he joined the Lord Jesus in heaven, the paradise of God! Unlike Enoch and Elijah, he did experience death, but we are taught in Philippians 2:23 that when believers die they “depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” At the time of the Lord’s coming the bodies of all believers who had died will be resurrected and reunited with their spirits and souls. These bodies will be fitted for heaven, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15, which we love to call the great “Resurrection Chapter.” I would encourage you to read and meditate on that portion. You will be blessed by it, I assure you! (157.5) (DO)