Enoch and Elijah, in my understanding, will be the Two Witnesses so despised by all the world in the Tribulation. That they were taken up and out of time does not mean that they will never die. They will. And yet they will rise again on the third day, and the world will know.
Going back to your commentary regarding sin, revisit the book of Romans, chapter 8 for a better understanding. Animals were subjected to futility because of the sin of Adam, therefore they and all Creation groans and travails, in anticipation of the coming of the Son of God.
Jesus Christ came to earth as a man in order to atone for the sin of Adam and all his subsequent descendants. He died as a sin offering, the final atonement for those who accept Him.
As far as infants, they are the children of Adam as well, and inherit a sin state, a propensity. They are flawed and fallen, as are we all. They are, as you note, incapable of consciously deciding to sin and are therefore innocents to a degree, but they are certainly subject to death, and the wage of sin is death. I have difficulty with this myself, but do know what scripture says upon the matter. I have a hope that consideration is made, and knowing that my God, our God, is fair and just and merciful, that babes who never had a conscious choice to sin will be accounted as forgiven in Christ Jesus. This I hope and pray in faith.
Does this make sense? Many believe as I do, it's not just my own personal interpretation of scripture.
>>Enoch and Elijah, in my understanding, will be the Two Witnesses so despised by all the world in the Tribulation. That they were taken up and out of time does not mean that they will never die. <<
How long? That extra plate is sometimes a bit of a hassle... ;)
We all have an appointment with death. Unless we are alive at the rapture. Enoch and Elijah are no exceptions, their appointments were just made FAR into the future. But die they must.
I agree with you that Jesus died to atone for our sins, and that infants are born with that propensity to sin- Catholics call it original sin. It is a state in which we are born, not an act we commit ourselves. I interpret Paul's “all have sinned” as all having committed personal sin themselves; “sinned” suggests action, at least to me; original sin requires no action; you are born with it!
Again, I do not see the logical connection that because babies sometimes die, and the wages of sin is death, that babies are therefore sinners.
The Catholic Church also hopes that unbaptized babies are saved, and entrusts them to the mercy of our loving Father.