Enoch’s Experience

David Bowie, aged 69, dead.
Alan Rickman, aged 69, dead.
Glen Frey, aged 67, dead.
The news reports kept coming in.

After the first death, I was seeing the same posts on Facebook.
There’s one; where are the other two?
Death comes in threes, I read over and over in post after post.
After the second death, those seemingly wise sages, were morbidly waiting for the next one.

The third death came.
Each death only four days apart.
After the third death, the seemingly wise sages regretted that they were right.
Death comes in threes, they again reported.

I saw a post that made me pause.
Dear Bands I grew up with: Please stop dying. Thanks.
It’s not that simple.
We wish it were, but it is not that simple.

I grew up listening to the music of David Bowie and The Eagles.
Many of my high school and college memories have that music playing in the background.
I can see myself driving with the windows rolled down, singing along.
Even today, those songs bring me back; music tends to do that.

When Alan Rickman died, everyone’s thoughts went to the villain in Harry Potter.
In a brilliant plot twist, the villain was really the protector all along.
A legend has died, the news reports said.
Snippets of his former movies and plays were all over the internet.

An actor, bigger than life, died.
Just like any other human being, he died.
Two musicians that carved out a unique place in our culture have died.
Their music and art lives on.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could ask people to stop dying?
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could pause time and keep everything the same?
Wouldn’t it be nice if the characters we know and love never aged or got sick?
Wouldn’t it be nice?

Death is the great leveler.
No matter what pedestal we tend to put people on, they will one day die.
No matter the height of the pedestal, they will not stay there.
None of us can stay there.

No matter how hard we try to keep death at bay, it will come.
No matter how successful we are in whatever work we do, we are not immortal.
No matter how important we are, or how influential we are, we are finite creatures.
Death is inevitable; so we must die well.

When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image, and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died…Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died…Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died…Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died…Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died…Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died….Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died…Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
(taken from Genesis 5:3-31)

Over and over, it is the same refrain.
And then he died.
Because of the Fall, death comes to everyone.
Because of Jesus, eternal life is the great Hope of those who trust in Him.

In that lengthy genealogy, only one person does not have, and then he died, after his name.

Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. (Genesis 5:22,23)

By faith, Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found because God had taken him away.  (Hebrews 11:5)

Enoch walked with God.
Enoch’s experience is one that Christians can anticipate.
Enoch’s experience is reserved for those Christians who are alive at the end of time.
Those Christians will not experience death.

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

All who live will eventually die.
Except those believers who are alive when Jesus comes back.
Those believers who are alive when the Lord returns will be taken away, never having to face death.
Enoch’s experience will be theirs as well.

If we are in Christ and die before the Lord Jesus returns, we will only die once.
We will be raised to eternal life where we will live forever with our Lord.
Those who are not in Christ will die twice: an actual death and an eternal death.
That truth is clear in God’s word.

But there is time.
We cannot stop people from dying.
We can point them to the Lord Jesus, so they only will die once.
There is a point of no return; however as long as we have breath, we need to tell them the truth.

We need to share the Gospel so that people understand that they desperately need a Savior.
We need to tell them the Truth about the brevity of this life.
We have an eternity to spend either with God or without Him.
Dear Bands I grew up with: Please stop dying. Thanks.

Impossible!
We cannot stop people from dying once.
We can stop people from dying twice.
Let’s get busy; we have a job to do!