what does the bible say?

In Genesis 5:24 it says, “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” In Hebrews 11:5 it states, “By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found because God had translated him’; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” What do these verses mean?  

At this moment Enoch is dead and in his grave.  We know this because it is clearly stated in Hebrews that Enoch died in faith, not having received the promises (Hebrews 11:13).  And Genesis 5:23 plainly states that “all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.”  

On the other hand God did deal with Enoch in a highly unique manner. Enoch was one of those rare people who realized the tremendous importance and profit in living God’s way.  From age sixty-five until his death, three hundred years later, Enoch “walked with God” (Genesis 5:22).  God is always particularly concerned for those who put Him and His work first in their lives.  He promises to protect them in times of severe trial (Psalm 23:4; Psalm 37:39-40). We are not informed of the conditions that made it necessary for God to “translate” (transfer, transport) Enoch from where he had been, but God did this to save his life (Hebrews 11:5).  

Enoch was not taken to the heaven of God’s Throne, he was removed by God to a safer location on the earth.  Conditions were so bad that Enoch would have perished at the hands of men had God not intervened. A time of severe trial and test is soon coming on the whole world – worse than anything the world has ever experienced.  Jesus said this regarding the time shortly ahead: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22-23).  

Like Enoch we can escape this coming time of unparalleled trouble with God’s divine protection (Revelation 3:10-11; Revelation 12:13-17).