1Thessalonians 4:15-17
For this we say to you by the word of Yahweh, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Sovereign will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Sovereign Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of Yahweh. And the dead in Messiah will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Sovereign in the air. And thus we shall always be with Yahweh.

The dead in Messiah will rise first, at the return of Yahshua?  Aren’t they in heaven now?  We’re talking about believers here, what’s going on?  Contrary to popular christian belief, the scriptures don’t teach that believers go to heaven when they die!  Death is pictured in scripture as “sleep” waiting to be awakened by our savior to either His salvation or to the eternal punishment of the second death.

Psalm 6:5
For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks?

Psalm 13:3
Consider and hear me, O Yahweh my Elohim; Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Psalm 88:10-12
Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You?  Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?  Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psalm 115:17
The dead do not praise Yahweh, nor any who go down into silence.

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.  Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.


What about the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament aren’t they in heaven now?

Hebrews 11:32-40
And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:  who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.  Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.  Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented--  of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.  And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise , Yahweh having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.


What about Enoch and Elijah, don’t the scriptures say they went to Heaven?

2 Kings 2:11
Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

This verse seems to indicate that Elijah went to Heaven, where Yahweh dwells, but in this case the word “heaven” refers to the atmosphere of the earth.  Notice that many years later Elijah writes a letter to Jehoram, king of Judah.

2 Chronicles 21:12
And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says Yahweh, Elohim of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah …

Hebrews 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because Yahweh had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased Yahweh.

Genesis 5:23-24
So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.  And Enoch walked with Elohim; and he was not, for Elohim took him.

Notice that "all the days of Enoch" amounted to 365 years--not just part of his days, with the rest spent somewhere else. The expression "all the days of" is used about a dozen times in Genesis 5 and it always means the person lived that long "and he died." In Hebrews 11 Enoch is included in a list of faithful examples who "ALL DIED in faith, NOT having received the promises" of eternal life in Yahweh's Kingdom

What, then, about his "translation"? The Greek word rendered "translated" is metatithemi.  According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, it means "to change, remove". This reference goes on to say that the word can mean to transfer to another place. So Yahweh must have "removed" or "transferred" Enoch to another place. 

When? After his "walk" with Elohim ended (Gen. 5:24)--when he died. The word metatithemi is rendered "carried back" in Acts 7:16, in reference to transporting Jacob's dead body from Egypt back to Canaan--they "translated" him!

So why does the beginning of Hebrews 11:5 say that "Enoch was translated so that he did not see death"? This must not be talking about the literal, physical removal of a dead body. It must refer to a different "translation." We find this different translation described in Colossians 1:13. 

As Believers, Yahweh "has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into [some other versions say "toward" or "for"] the kingdom of the Son of His love." This is a figurative translation from a path of spiritual darkness to a path headed toward Yahweh's Kingdom! Enoch experienced this same spiritual translation when he began his 300-year "walk" with Yahweh at age 65, after his son Methuselah was born (Gen. 5:21-22).

Still, why does it say "he did not see death"? This is a mistranslation. The King James Version is correct in saying that "Enoch was translated that he should not see death." The conditional tense of the verb refers to a future event! There is more than one death mentioned in the Bible. The first death is appointed to all people (Heb. 9:27). There is also a second death in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:6).  In John 8:51, Yahshua said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he shall never see death." Obviously He was talking about the second death, since all of his disciples eventually died. Enoch will not see this future death either.

Summary: Enoch was spiritually translated at his conversion  to Yahweh's way and walked with Yahweh for 300 years--making him worthy to  escape the future second death, which will destroy the incorrigibly wicked.  And, when he physically died at age 365, Yahweh literally translated or removed  his body so that no one could find it. Enoch did NOT go to heaven.


What about the thief who repented as he was dying alongside Yahshua at the stake?  Didn’t he go to Heaven on that day?

Luke 23:42-43
Then he said to Yahshua, "Master, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.  And Yahshua said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

The greek translation of this verse does not contain any punctuation.  The punctuation was later added to match preconceived notions about “going to heaven”. All Yahshua is saying is that on this day He was promising the repentant thief a place in the Kingdom.  Yahshua Himself did not ascend to heaven on that day but had to wait for 3 days until He was resurrected (see John 20:17).  A better translation of this passage would be:

Then he said to Yahshua, "Master, remember me when You come into Your kingdom”  And Yahshua said to him, "I assuredly say on this day that you will be with Me in Paradise."


Don’t we have immortal souls that can’t die?  Not according to scripture.

Ezekiel 18:4
"Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.

Ezekiel 18:20
"The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Matthew 10:28
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.


DEATH is the penalty for sin.  Death means absence of life.  Yahshua died that we might have LIFE.  Life and Death are always pictured as opposites in scripture.  The wicked will die/perish, "be destroyed"; the righteous/repentant will be given LIFE.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death , but the gift of Yahweh is eternal life in Messiah Yahshua our Master.

2 Peter 3:9
Yahweh is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

John 3:14-16
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life .  "For Yahweh so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life .

2 Thessalonians 2:8
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom Yahweh will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Deuteronomy 30:19
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death , blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Life and Death are the two choices of mankind.     Yahweh wants you to choose LIFE.