Scripture tells us very little about Enoch. We know he is one of two men, Elijah being the other, who appears to have been taken straight to heaven without experiencing death on earth. The Enoch mentioned in Hebrews 11 may have been Noah’s great-grandfather and the father of Methuselah, the man who lived longer than any other. But the most important thing we know about Enoch was that “he was commended as having pleased God.”

Imagine being escorted from this life straight into the glory of heaven! That is a unique and amazing reward from God. Death is still considered one of the greatest fears people have, even among many Christians.

Most of the time, when the Bible says “fear not,” those words are a command. God doesn’t want us to live our lives motivated by our fears. We can’t please God if our decisions are made from our fears rather than from our confidence in the Lord’s promises.

Enoch was commended for his life and then taken straight into heaven as his great reward. The author of Hebrews talked about Enoch because he wanted his readers to remember that their promise of salvation included the promise of heaven as well.

Enoch pleased God with the way he chose to live his life, and we can too. Our reward could be the same as Enoch’s. We could be the last generation before the return of Christ. The skies could open and we could be taken to heaven having never experienced death.

Those who live with the promise of salvation are those who have placed their faith in Jesus as their Lord. On the last day we live on earth, we will be commended for our faith decision, and Jesus will usher us straight into heaven.

Wisdom is pleasing God. We don’t know when our last day on earth will arrive, but we do know that day will come. Until then, we are called to live wisely, like Enoch lived.