Why does\u00a0Hebrews 9:27 state what it does and yet Elijah and Enoch did not\u00a0experience physical death?<\/p>\n\t
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment<\/em>” (Hebrews 9:27).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The writer of Hebrews is stating a general principle. Because of Adam’s sin, man is appointed to die. “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return<\/em>” (Genesis 3:19). But this general statement does not rule out exceptions. It doesn’t state that every man\u00a0must<\/strong>\u00a0die once.<\/p>\n
The point is being made that people just die once and not many times. Thus, when Jesus died, he only needed to die once to bring salvation to mankind. “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation<\/em>” (Hebrews 9:28).<\/p>\n
Therefore, Hebrews 9:27-28 would be a good verse to prove that reincarnation is wrong. However, it doesn’t prove that every person dies; after all, when Jesus returns those who are still alive do not first die. “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord<\/em>” (I Thessalonians 4:15-17). This, too, is an exception to the general rule.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Why does\u00a0Hebrews 9:27 state what it does and yet Elijah and Enoch did not\u00a0experience physical death? Answer: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The writer of Hebrews is stating a general principle. Because of Adam’s sin, man is appointed to die. “In the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[568,109,76],"class_list":["post-16036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-accuracy-of-the-bible","tag-death","tag-terminology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19750,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-near-death-experiences-reflect-the-afterlife\/","url_meta":{"origin":16036,"position":0},"title":"Do near-death experiences reflect the afterlife?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have heard about different accounts that people have had in the afterlife.\u00a0 I have heard people who were unbelievers say that nothing happened and it was simply dark, but no experience of hell.\u00a0 I have also heard an account of a pastor who was in a car accident\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4116,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-people-have-to-die\/","url_meta":{"origin":16036,"position":1},"title":"Why do people have to die?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 14, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why do people have to die? When you think about it, it can make people mad at God, or it will drive them away. Why does God let suffering happen? Suffering is hard for people. Answer: To understand why people die, we have to go back to when death\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9202,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-people-physically-go-to-heaven-or-hell\/","url_meta":{"origin":16036,"position":2},"title":"Do people physically go to heaven or hell?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where is paradise? Is it above the earth or below? When Jesus was raised, how can he be lifted up in the flesh? By flesh, will a man go to heaven or hell? When Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus in what form did they appear, flesh or spirit?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91321,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/questions-about-the-body-soul-spirit-and-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":16036,"position":3},"title":"Questions about the body, soul, spirit, and death","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Jeffrey, I listened to your Bible lesson on the body, spirit, and soul, and it was very helpful. I have some questions and thought I would like to run them by you (my Bible quotes are from KJV): The Body, Soul, and Death Genesis 2:7 breathed into his nostrils\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4012,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-there-a-set-time-for-someone-to-die\/","url_meta":{"origin":16036,"position":4},"title":"Is there a set time for someone to die?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 5, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is there a set time for someone to die? You often hear people say, \"It was just their time to go.\" Answer: It is a fact that living means each of us will eventually die, barring those who will see our Lord's return. \"And as it is appointed for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43099,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-answer-requests-to-die\/","url_meta":{"origin":16036,"position":5},"title":"Does God answer requests to die?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question for you. When someone prays for death does God ever answer that prayer? I have had so many health issues and depression that I want to die and go to heaven. I have asked God to take me peacefully in my sleep. 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