It Starts with LOVE

I find it fascinating that the Bible records two people as being “taken by God” and therefore, not seeing death. Enoch and Elijah share this wonder (Gen. 5:22;24; 2 Kings 2:1-12, ESV). Hebrews mentions Enoch in the ‘Hall of Faith’. The author makes a not-so-giant leap in recognizing that he must have had faith, because he was recorded as having pleased God. Without faith, Hebrews 11:6 says, this is impossible.

Forget wishful thinking; genuine faith is a continuous, confident hope rooted in the promises of an all-powerful God who made Himself known through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 11:1). It’s more than just believing He exists; it’s a profound certainty in His faithfulness to keep His word and bless those who follow Him (Hebrews 10:35, 11:26, 10:23, 11:1).

Enoch’s journey with God, as described in Genesis 5:21-24, portrays a profound and continuous intimacy. In return for such devotion, God extends His unwavering grace, guaranteeing the perseverance of His own.

When God’s love is within us, it gives us the desire to love and please God (Matt. 11:28). “If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:11-12, Emphasis added). The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines “perfect” as being whole or complete. To be perfected in love is not to say that we are perfect, but God is perfect, and His love in us makes us complete, lacking nothing.

It all starts with love. God’s overarching love for us, revealed through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, helps us cultivate hope and faith, which in turn enables God’s love to reside within us. Couple that with an intimate relationship with Christ, and it leads to a desire to please God above all else.

Elijah obeyed God but fled in fear for his life afterward (1 Kings 19:9). When his anxieties got the best of him, he hid in a cave to avoid certain death. God showed up in a gentle whisper to comfort him. God informed Elijah about his predecessor, Elisha, whom he would pass on his cloak of leadership as a prophet (1 Kings 19:16). God then spared Elijah from seeing death by taking him up to heaven (2 Kings 2:1-11).

The book of Malachi foretold the coming of a prophet who would precede the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). This wasn’t a prophecy that demanded Elijah himself reappear. Instead, it spoke of a legacy—a spiritual inheritance.

John the Baptist, arriving “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), embodies this fulfillment. His ministry, characterized by a fervent call to repentance and preparation, mirrored the impactful and unyielding prophetic work of Elijah of old. Thus, the ancient prophecy found its powerful realization not in Elijah’s physical return, but in a successor who carried his fiery torch, preparing the way for Jesus.

Although John the Baptist, beheaded by the king’s orders, was not miraculously spared from death, as Elijah was (Mark 6:27), his ministry and legacy as a forerunner to Christ still bore a resemblance to that of Elijah.

Upon reflection, it occurred to me that being taken up by God, without seeing death, could be a blessing promised to believers who are still alive when Christ comes back. End times are shrouded with mystery, but Jesus says two will be together, one left and one taken (Matt. 24:40). We don’t know for sure which one is taken, the believers or non-believers, nevertheless considering verse 31, which records Jesus words, God will send his angels with a loud trumpet call. The elect from the four winds, from each end of heaven, will be gathered. This, along with Paul’s writings, “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17, Emphasis added), leads me to the conclusion that God takes up the elect. What a delightful image.

All the mysteries tend to make us fearful. To echo Paul, “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18, Emphasis added). In other words, even with the unknown variables about end times, this teaching about Christ’s return should result in comfort and encouragement for believers, rather than fear, which is Paul’s goal in these passages (ESV Study Bible Notes).

It starts with love.

“If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:11-12, Emphasis added).

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18, Emphasis added).

“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, Emphasis added).