Christ's Death and Resurection Opened Heaven

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Eddie_Mac

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I was listening to my audio bible today and was struck with a question.

During the transfiguration Jesus was observed talking to Elijah and Moses. This was before His death and resurection.

Wasn’t Elijah taken to heaven in a fiery chariot?

I was taught that as a result of original sin heaven was closed until Christ’s victory over death and that the righteous were awaiting heaven until Jesus’ death on the cross.

Can someone explain the conversations with Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration? I do not like to think I am placing limits on Jesus’ power and authority. It seems as if Moses and Elijah were in a heavenly place.

Thanks!

Eddie Mac
 
Elijah was taken up bodily into Heaven (II Kings 2:11 - incidentally, when sola-scriptura Protestants tell you the Assumption of Mary is unbiblical and that bodies can’t be taken into Heaven until the Second Coming, ask them about Elijah and Enoch.)

Many Jews believed that Moses’ body was also taken into heaven.

This does not place limits on Jesus’ power and authority. God could certainly choose to take someone into heaven bodily before the final resurrection, and even before the Incarnation, since the “before” is a limitation of time, which does not limit God. We exist in time and space, so we conceptualize Heaven (and even eternity) in terms of time and space - in and out, before and after - those are all terms which we use to describe realities of the spiritual world which, because they are in eternity, are not limited in that way.

There are many layers of significance to the meeting of Jesus with Elijah and Moses. The simplest is that Moses represents The Law and Elijah The Prophets, all of which are fulfilled in Jesus. (Matt. 5:17). There were also Messianic expectations that the coming of the Messiah would be preceded by the return of both Moses and Elijah. So for Peter, James and John to see Jesus conferring with those two would be one way of revealing to them the magnitude of who He was.

Hope this helps?
 
John 3:13 “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

I do not believe that any human was in heaven before Jesus’ ascension. But God can certainly “transfigure” Moses from Limbo (bosom of Abraham) and have him present with Jesus and Elijah on the high mountain. As for Elijah, he was seen in vision by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich in a place near the Garden of Eden awaiting his foreordained return along with Enoch at the end of time. They are to be the two witnesses killed by the Antichrist.

SHW
 
We know no-one went to “heaven” (the “third heaven of God’s throne”) before Jesus ressurection because Jesus told us this in scripture.

I believe that Eljah and Enoch went directly to Abraham’s bosom (revealed in the parable of Lazarus where the righeous went until being released to heaven after Jesus’ resurrection). Moses died, and presumably went there as well.

Blessings,

Brian
 
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