>>“No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.”<<
Yup, I explained that before, we are all of the Body of Christ. If you’re not, you don’t make it.
Where Abraham and Elijah hanging out before they came down and spoke to Christ?
I know, that imaginary holding cell.
Kind of sounds like PURGATORY. LOL!!!!!
Look, I personally don’t care what you believe. Imaginary holding cells or heaven. It doesn’t matter at all to me. I’m confident in my place. Maybe you’re not. Who knows? God knows.
"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." (Heb 11:5, NKJV)
"And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal . . . 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." (II Kgs 2:1, 11, NKJV)
One of the rarely taught teachings of the Bible is that there are THREE types or kinds of heaven that scriptures can refer to:
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. - II Cor 5:8The context of II Cor 5:1-10 implies that we are present with the Lord as soon as the soul quits and takes its leave and farewell of the body. Jesus said that he was leaving to prepare a mansion for us having many rooms. Revelation speaks of the martyrs being in a compartment beneath God's Throne. Moreover, there is clear intimation of a new Heaven and Earth being created after the end of the Millenial Kingdom. Furthermore, there is an account of Lazarus speaking of his plight in the grave, i.e., sheol (Lazarus clearly not being present with the Lord - the saints relaxing in the cool luxury of Abraham's Bosum however).
While it is true that Jesus stated none have ascended to heaven, where was John during his vision he recorded in Revelation? It would seem he was there. So just where does the soul go when the body dies? I'm comfortable to say it is a heaven of sorts for believers in Christ.
Thomas L. Constable, John Walvoord and J. Dwight Pentecost of Dallas Theological Seminary provide a dispensationalist interpretation of the two witnesses described in Revelation as two "new individuals" to arrive on the prophetic scene yet future. Tim LaHaye also considers the two witnesses to be future prophets. William Barclay believed that they are most likely Enoch and Elijah returned to earth.
I am inclined to agree with Barclay, in that along with the foregoing in mind, and in conjuction w/ "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Heb 9:27) - the judgment alluded to being the same Paul referred to in II:Cor 5:10, i.e., Bema Seat, speculation is warranted that the two witnesses spoken of in Revelation are Elijah and Enoch. Aside from the issue of neither having experienced physical death, which of all the prophets have ever called fire from heaven? One who did, however, is recorded as having died (although there is contention about that issue as seen in Jude 9 between the archangels and Satan; they refusing in that confrontation to bring about railing accusation against him; deferring instead to the Lord Himself rebuking Satan on that matter).
That being said, just because only two prophets ever are recorded in Scripture having called fire from heaven, doesn't mean that the Lord won't grant that authority to two entirely new individuals during the Tribulation; such is entirely within His providence.
All I know is that I don't really know what's up with that. Neither am I losing any sleep over the issue, nor do I believe that any essential doctrine of salvation is predicated upon that.
“Where Abraham and Elijah hanging out before they came down and spoke to Christ?”
Which was a vision, not a literal appearance.
Matthew 17:9
“And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.”
From a Biblical standpoint, a vision is a spiritual phenomenon when God causes something to appear in a person’s mind, eye or to his physical eyes.
Examples:
2 Kings 6:17; Acts 10:9-20; 2 Cor. 12:1-4