When an Old Testament saint died he went to paradise, or Abraham's bosom. He could not go to heaven because his sins had only been remitted, not redeemed. My question: What about Enoch and Elijah?
Recently, I have been discussing man being made in the image of God. Some say that God's essence is spirit and, therefore, that image is mind, will, and emotions (or similar variations) and cannot include anything physical like a body.Some put forth that the image is spirit, soul, and body. But even most of those admit that the body is looking forward to Jesus as God in the flesh. My question for you is, why couldn't the Word have had a spiritual/physical body before the incarnation and, thus, man being made in God's image would be body, soul, and spirit?
I understand the Bible says that God requires a blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22). I have heard preachers say that if Jesus had not shed any blood, then his death would not have been a valid sacrifice. Why does God require a blood sacrifice? I know the life of the flesh is in the blood (you can not live without blood), but you can die without bleeding. What is the significance of the blood sacrifice?
The popular belief is that Enoch and Elijah were translated up to heaven where God abides. If this is true, how do we explain Christ's words in John 3:13?
I was curious, since you have a rather strict stance on the King James Bible what you think of these verses in light of your views. I have emailed another Christian preacher who I also enjoy and he didn't really answer the question, so maybe you can.
