Al Paraíso |
Dios puede llevarnos al Paraíso. El tiene esa capacidad, pero tenemos que tener fe. ¿Como esto puede ser? El apóstol Pablo afirma que el conoce un hombre que fue al
Paraíso.
2 Corintios 12
2 Conozco a un hombre en Cristo, que hace catorce años (si en el cuerpo, no lo sé; si fuera del cuerpo, no lo sé; Dios lo sabe) fue arrebatado hasta el tercer
cielo.
3 Y conozco al tal hombre (si en el cuerpo, o fuera del cuerpo, no lo sé; Dios lo sabe),
4 que fue arrebatado al paraíso, donde oyó palabras inefables que no le es dado al hombre expresar.
5 De tal hombre me gloriaré; pero de mí mismo en nada me gloriaré, sino en mis debilidades.
¿Cómo tú puedes ir? Necesitas tener fe. Eso es necesario. Dios dice que debemos tener fe.
Hebreos 11:5
Por la fe Enoc fue traspuesto para no ver muerte, y no fue hallado, porque lo traspuso Dios; y antes que fuese traspuesto, tuvo testimonio de haber agradado a
Dios.
¡PREGUNTA! ¿Cómo evitó Enoc la muerte?
Apocalipsis 2:7
El que tiene oído, oiga lo que el Espíritu dice a las iglesias. Al que venciere, le daré a comer del árbol de la vida, el cual está en medio del paraíso de Dios.
Enoc pudo comer el fruto del árbol de
la vida que esta en el Paraíso de Dios y vivir para siempre como una persona de carne y hueso. Dios dice que si Adán
hubiera comido del Arbol de la Vida él también
viviría para siempre.
Génesis 3
22 Y dijo Jehová Dios: He aquí el hombre es como uno de nosotros, sabiendo el bien y el mal; ahora, pues, que no alargue su mano, y tome también del árbol de la vida, y coma, y viva para siempre.
23 Y lo sacó Jehová del huerto del Edén, para que labrase la tierra de que fue tomado.
24 Echó, pues, fuera al hombre, y puso al oriente del huerto de Edén querubines, y una espada encendida que se revolvía por todos lados, para guardar el camino del árbol de la
vida.
Adán no había podido sobrepasar el pecar. Esto es necesario si queremos vivir en el paraíso de Dios.
En cambio, Enoc sí agradó a Dios y Dios creó una nueva comunidad en el otro lugar - el paraíso - usando a Enoc como un nuevo Adán.
Génesis 5:24
Caminó, pues, Enoc con Dios, y desapareció, porque le llevó Dios.
Dios dice que no es bueno que el hombre esté solo; así que probablemente El se llevo a la mujer de Enoc al paraíso, o creó otra mujer para Enoc. De esa manera Dios tenía otras personas en caso de que El decidiera destruir la tierra.
Nota lo que viene
despues que Dios se lleva a Enoc.
Génesis 6:6
Y se arrepintió Jehová de haber hecho hombre en la tierra, y le dolió en su
corazón.
Fijate que Dios se arrepintió de crear al hombre sobre la tierra, pero no en el paraíso.
Génesis 6:7-8
Y dijo Jehová: Raeré de sobre la faz de la tierra a los hombres que he creado, desde el hombre hasta la bestia, y hasta el reptil y las aves del cielo; pues me arrepiento de haberlos hecho. Pero Noé halló gracia ante los ojos de
Jehová.
Otra persona que Dios se llevó al Paraíso es Elías, el qual fue llevado en un carro de fuego. El fue al tercer cielo o paraíso donde está el árbol de la vida.
2 Reyes 2:11-12
Y mientras ellos iban caminando y hablando, de pronto apareció un carro de fuego, con caballos también de fuego, que los separó, y Elías subió al cielo en un torbellino. Al ver esto, Eliseo gritó: ¡Padre mío, padre mío, que has sido para Israel como un poderoso ejército! Después de esto no volvió a ver a Elías. Entonces Eliseo tomó su ropa y la rasgó en dos.
Humanos de carne y hueso no pueden existir en el cielo de los cielos donde Dios está. Sólo los seres espirituales pueden existir en esta dimensión.
God can take us to Paradise. He has that ability, but we must have faith. How can this be?
The Apostle Paul states that he knows a man who went to Paradise.
2 Corinthians 12:2-5
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.
And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—
was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.
How can you go? You need to have faith. That is necessary. God says we must have faith.
Hebrews 11:5
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.
QUESTION! How did Enoch avoid death?
Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Enoch was able to eat the fruit of the tree of life which is in God's Paradise and live forever as a flesh and blood person. God says that if Adam ate from the Tree of Life he would live forever.
Genesis 3:22-24
Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever "-- Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Adam had not been able to overcome sin. This is necessary if we want to live in the paradise of God.
In contrast, Enoch did please God and I believe that God started a new community in another place -- Paradise -- using him as a new Adam.
Genesis 5:24
And Enoch walked with God, and he was no more seen: for God took him
away.
God says that it is not good for man to be alone so, He probably took along Enoch's wife, or created another woman for Enoch. That way God had other people, in case He decided to destroy the earth.
Observe what comes after God takes Enoch.
Genesis 6:6
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his
heart.
Notice that God repented of creating man on earth, but not in paradise where Enoch and his children are.
Genesis 6:7-8
And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the
Lord.
God had translated Enoch .... years before Noah was born. Remember, Enoch was Noah's great grandfather. Noah's grandfather died... months before the Flood, and Noah's father died... years before the Flood.
Hebrews 11:5
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.
This is the timeline from Adam to the Flood:
Notice that Adam was still alive when Enoch, Methuselah and Lamech were born. The earth was already full of violence. That is why God decided later on to take Enoch out of this Earth.
Adam died when Lamech was 56 years old. A short time later, Enoch was taken to
the third heaven. Three more generations after Enoch, we get to Noah, his great grandson. The flood occurs when Noah is 600 years old. At that time, all of Noah's ancestors are dead. God decides to save Noah, his wife and his 3 sons with their wives (8 total persons.)
But looking at the translations, what examples do we have?
The next translation mentioned in the bible is when Elijah was taken in a whirlwind.
2 Kings 2:11-12
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 separated them both; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. As Elisha [Elijah's servant] watched, he kept crying out, "My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!" Then he never saw Elijah again.
Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind into heaven (the third heaven.) But, how is it possible for God to do that?
Let us see what the bible says:
1 Kings 18:11-12
And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord [the king Ahab], Behold, Elijah is here.
And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth.
Here Obadiah is telling Elijah that "the spirit of the Lord" could take Elijah to a place where they could not find him. That is exactly what happened some time later when Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind. Let us see what happens when Elisha (Elijah's servant) returns and is met by a group of the prophets:
2 Kings 2:16
And they said unto him [Elisha], Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the
Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And
he [Elisha] said, Ye shall not send.
The prophets argued with Elisha that maybe Elijah was upon some mountain and that they should try to find him. Elisha argued against searching for Elijah on this Earth. He knew that Elijah had been taken away from this Earth. But again notice in which way the prophets stated the translation would occur -- "the spirit of the Lord has taken him up."
We reiterate the fact that Enoch and Elijah were taken in human form, not as spirit beings -- which they were not. As flesh and blood humans, Enoch and Elijah can only continue to live forever if they have access to the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.
The next example of translations were in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, our Messiah.
We find that Jesus was translated several times, sometimes to escape from His enemies. These translations were from one place on this Earth to another location on this Earth. Let us look at the examples:
John 6:16-21
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.
A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four
miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened.
But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and
immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Here we see that Jesus was transported (translated) about 4 miles to where the boat was; they see Him walking on the water, then He goes inside the boat and the boat reaches the other shore immediately. That means another translation of Jesus along with the boat and everybody who was inside the boat to the other shore.
Another example happened on Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection. The two disciples who sat at the table with Jesus had not recognized Him (probably because His appearance looked different after 3 days from His crucifixion.) They realized it was Jesus when He gave thanks and broke bread with them. Then Jesus disappeared.
Luke 24:30-32
When he [Jesus] was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
The original Greek word used for "disappeared" is "aphantos." This is another example of Jesus transporting
Himself from one place to another.
That same night Jesus is back in Jerusalem. Let us see what the scriptures say:
John 20:19-20
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when
the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Notice that Jesus appears in the midst of the room even though all doors are shut.
He is able to translate himself from Emmaus to the middle of a room in Jerusalem. Jesus had the capability of translating himself because He was full of the Holy Spirit.
John 20:24-29
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus,
the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Jesus repeats the same feat again, translating Himself to the center of a room
where all doors are shut. He showed Thomas the wounds from His crucifixion
which were still evident 11 days afterward.
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There is a translation which occurred to Philip after he baptized a eunuch. He went from one place to another on this earth.
Acts 8:36-40
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
“If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Observe again that the method for Philip's translation to Azotus is "the spirit of the
Lord."