Importance of Enoch and The Book of Enoch

Enoch is an interesting person to study, given that his name is only mentioned a few times in scripture. He is only mentioned in Genesis 5, Luke 3, Hebrews 11, and Jude 1. What then makes him so important?

Facts We Know About Enoch

• Enoch is the seventh descendent of Adam and Eve and is mentioned in the list of the ten patriarchs in Genesis 5.
• Enoch is the first person to be translated [raptured]:

Genesis 5:22-24 – “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

This makes Enoch fairly unique in Biblical circles – only one other has been raptured up to heaven without first experiencing death – Elijah. Enoch, having lived sixty-five years already, walked with the Lord three hundred more years after Methuselah was born, then was taken. Enoch walked in faith the 365 years of his life. No matter what happened, he trusted and obeyed Yahweh. Yahweh loved Enoch so much he spared him the experience of an early death. In the Sefer Hekalot, Rabbi Ishmael states that Enoch, just like Elijah, was taken up in sight of a vast crowd begging him to stay, ascending to Heaven on a horse. The Book of Jasher also tells us that “Enoch ascended into Heaven in a whirlwind with horses and chariots of fire.” (Jasher 3:36).

• Enoch did not keep silent about the sin around him:

Jude 1:14-15 – “Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, ‘Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

• Enoch’s faith pleased God:

Hebrews 11:5b-6 – “For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

• Enoch is listed as one of the sons of Adam:

Luke 3:37-38 – “Methuselah, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Mahalaleel, who was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Enosh, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God.”

Inferences We Can Make About Enoch

• According to tradition, Shavuot is the day that Enoch was born and the day that he was also translated [raptured] to be with Yahweh. His rapture parallels Elijah’s rapture. His rapture also parallels the ascension of Yeshua – all three raptures were witnessed [1].
• Enoch is credited with the invention of the art of writing according to the Book of Jubilees, another book mentioned in Biblical scripture. He is also credited with teaching astronomy and arithmetic, according to the Sefer Yuḥasin.
• Enoch is seen by many as an example of the church being translated prior to the beginning of the tribulation period, especially since Yahweh said that the day of His coming would be like the days of Noah. Enoch’s name means: to teach, to train up; two primary purposes of the believing disciple. In Noah’s days, the unbelieving world was destroyed in the judgment, a believing remnant was protected, and Enoch disappeared before the judgment. At the end of days, the unbelieving world will again be destroyed in the judgment, a believing remnant of Israel will be preserved through the judgment, and the church will be translated just like Enoch – before the judgment!
• Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam. Seven is the perfect number of completeness in Hebrew, and his being of the seventh generation emphasizes his perfect standing in the eyes of Yahweh.
• Because Enoch has not yet experienced death, he may be the second of the two witnesses during the Tribulation Period, though some believe the second person will be Moses. Malachi 4:5 says of one witness: “Behold, I will send Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of The Lord.” Moses, however, has already experienced death, and it is appointed to man only once to experience this event (Hebrews 9:27).

Facts We Know About The Book of Enoch

Many object to any mention or use of the Book of Enoch due to its exclusion from the Bible, but is this a valid reason to ignore what is says? I think not!

• The Book of Enoch was well known to Yeshua, the apostles, and the first-century churches, but the book later fell into disfavor with the powerful because of its controversial statements on the nature and deeds of the fallen angels.
• The Book of Enoch was thought to have been lost, but in 1773, rumors of a surviving copy of the book drew Scottish explorer James Bruce to Ethiopia, and he found that the book had been preserved by the Ethiopic church, which considered it to be on par with the other books of the Bible. Enoch is still revered in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church along with the Book of Jubilees. Together they are regarded as the 13th and 14th books, respectively, of their Old Testament scriptures.
• The Ethiopian text became known to modern students through a translation from this into English by Archbishop Lawrence in 1821. One of the most accurate translations of the Book of Enoch is the one translated by R.H. Charles, Doctor of Letters, in 1917.
• In 1956, during the excavation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a scroll called 1 Enoch was discovered. This scroll is what is commonly referred to as The Book of Enoch. The Scrolls found at Qumran prove that the book was in existence before the time of Jesus Christ, as far back as at least the second century B.C, perhaps even older.
• The Book of Enoch tells us about Enoch’s activities and the timing of his rapture:

Enoch 81:5-6 – “And those seven holy ones brought me and placed me on the earth before the door of my house, and said to me: ‘Declare everything to your son Methuselah, and show to all thy children that no flesh is righteous in the sight of the Lord, for He is their Creator. One year we will leave thee with thy son, till you give Your (last) commands, that you may teach thy children and record (it) for them, and testify to all thy children; and in the second year they shall take you from their midst.”

Scripture appears to agree. Enoch taught his son, Methuselah, whose name can mean “his death brings.” Enoch was taken before this death. Upon Methuselah’s death, Noah boarded the Ark, and the rains and flooding started seven days later.

• The Book of Enoch was written to inform those who would be living in the end times.

Enoch 1:1-2 – “The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed.”

• The Book of Enoch can be divided into several sections, each of which has a particular theme. The first section tells about the time of Noah and Yahweh’s judgments on the earth and the fallen angels. The next section deals with Enoch’s rapture. Section three deals with astronomy and portals on the earth. The fourth section deals with sin and with Israel’s history from the time of Noah until the final judgment, including portions regarding the conversion of the Gentiles (i.e., the Bride of Christ), the resurrection, and the second coming of Yeshua. The final section deals with suffering, the denouncing of all evils, and the woes that will come upon the sinner.

Inferences We Can Make About The Book of Enoch

• The Book of Enoch is old. It may even precede the Book of Job. It is clearly referenced in Genesis and Leviticus.
• The Book of Enoch was considered as authentic scripture, especially the part about the fallen angels and their prophesied judgment.
• Many of the key words and themes used by scripture may be connected to the Book of Enoch, as over one hundred phrases and terms in the Newer Covenant find parallels in the Book of Enoch. The similarities in terminology and teaching are striking. Many of the phrases used by Peter, Jude, and others are virtually direct quotes from the Book of Enoch.

Quotes and References from The Book of Enoch

Numerous quotations and references from The Book of Enoch can be found throughout scripture:

• The name, Azazel, appears in Leviticus 16:8–10: “And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for Yahweh, and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for Yahweh, and offer him for a sin-offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before Yahweh, to make atonement over him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.” But nowhere in scripture do we find who Azazel is! Only by reading the Book of Enoch can we find the history and activities of Azazel!

The Book of Enoch, Chapters 8-10, informs us that Azazel is one of the leaders of the angels who desired the daughters of men, and it was he who taught “men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all coloring tinctures” (8:1-2). Azazel taught “all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn.” (9:6-7).

Chapter ten then goes into many of the reasons why Yahweh had to flood the earth. These events appear to be retold in Genesis 6. Furthermore, Enoch informs us that it is commanded that an angel, Raphael, was to “bind the hands and feet of Azazel and cast him into the darkness.” The other angels (watchers) that were involved were also bound and cast into the darkness (10:1-16:4). Both Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4 clearly appear to be referencing these events describe by the Book of Enoch.

• Jude 1:14-15 is virtually a direct quote of Enoch 1:9, which says: “And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment upon all, and to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” This theme is repeated in Deuteronomy 33:2-3; Job 5:1; Psalms 16:3 & 34:9; and in Zechariah 14:5. The phrase, “And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam,” which begins Jude’s verses, is found in Enoch 60:8, which says it this way: “my grandfather was taken up, the seventh from Adam.” Seven is the perfect number in Hebrew, and it emphasizes the perfect standing of Enoch in the eyes of Yahweh.
• Luke 9:35 – “Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!'”

The word translated “chosen one” is the Greek word eklegō [G1586]. It can be literally translated selected or elect one. The phrase “Elect One” is found throughout the Book of Enoch. According to the book, the Elect One would “sit upon the throne of glory” and would “dwell in the midst of them.” These phrases are also used throughout scripture in reference to Yeshua. So, when Luke tells us that Yeshua is the chosen, or elect one, Luke may simply be affirming that the prophecies given in the Book of Enoch have now been fulfilled.

Conclusions

Both Enoch and the Book of Enoch are worthy of study. Both have much to teach us about the time we live in. Enoch looked forward to see much of history up to the day of judgment and Messiah’s return. Several prophecies in the Book of Enoch have been fulfilled as noted by writers of the Biblical scriptures. Now, we can be sure that Yeshua will come and that he will do exactly as Enoch has also prophesied!

Enoch is an important person despite the minimal references to him in the Bible. He is the first to be raptured, and that event set the pattern for all future raptures in scripture – all involve horses. The just are taken out before Yahweh punishes the unbelieving and corrupt. Seven is the perfect number in Hebrew, and Enoch being the seventh generation from Adam emphasizes the perfect standing of Enoch in the eyes of Yahweh. Revelation 10:7 tells us that the mystery of God would be finished when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet. Scripture tells us that two witnesses will appear prior to this sounding. One witness will be Elijah. Perhaps, just as he was one of the first days’ witnesses, he will also be one of the two last days’ witnesses.

Enoch is the only prophet from the centuries before the Flood whose words have been preserved for us. The Book of Enoch, though well known to those at the time of Yeshua’s first coming, was written for those who will live in the season of tribulation. And how amazing that they have come fully to light once again at about the same time that Israel became a nation, mere decades before the rapture of the Bride of Christ and the tribulation period of seven years. While not considered scripture by many, the Biblical scriptures make liberal use of themes, phrases, and terms first coined by this book. It is not by accident or coincidence that this book is referenced and quoted by the Bible. Scripture confirms that this book is authentic and worthy of study.

Final Thought

The prophetic signs are burgeoning and not abating. Time is incredibly short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon – so be of great cheer, keep looking up, and keep maintaining an attitude of gratitude. Be sure you are believing The Truth, not The Lie. Be sure Yeshua is your Redeemer, King, and High Priest, and your sins are forgiven.

Note [1]: (https://www.raptureready.com/2020/02/14/i-saw-it-happen-by-jeff-van-hatten/)

Website: https://raptureparty.net

Email: jeff@raptureparty.net

Ephesians, Chapter 5 (continued):

Spirit-Filled Living

Walk in Spiritual Wisdom (vv.15-21)

“¹⁵ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God.”

Paul continues to instruct the Ephesians on the nature, character, and attitude a genuine follower of Jesus Christ is to emulate. We are to keep our eyes on Jesus and imitate Him in our journey of life. To do so is to build trust, faith, and assurance in His Word and example and to aid us in maturity concerning the things of the Spirit and will of the Father. Jesus Christ is Lord, Savior, and God Incarnate who has walked among us and has been one of us. He died publicly upon a cross, beaten, ripped to shreds by whips, bleeding and bruised by hands that hated and despised Him, representing all of us throughout the course of time (Romans 5:6-11).

He willingly took this upon Himself, not because we deserve any kind of mercy or rescue, but because of His love for us. The gift of eternal life and forgiveness of our sins is too wonderful to comprehend at times, but as Holy God, Sinless Savior and Creator (Isaiah 53; John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-18), and if what the Scriptures declare are true and of His hand (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21), as our Creator, we can trust Him to guide us and assist us in the decisions and trials of life.

If we are serious about allowing the LORD to guide us, we need to keep focused on doing those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22). We are not to give any place in our lives to anything or any person who would take our eyes off the LORD and have us rely on our own faulty sense of direction and thinking, including food, drink, and amusements that are questionable at best and destructive at worst, especially in terms of how they could ruin your testimony and effectiveness for Christ. The devil would love nothing more than to trip you up and catch you off guard (2 Corinthians 11:12-15; 1 Peter 5:8).

We are instructed to be filled, not with wine (Hard liquor), but to be filled with the Spirit of God, who guides us into all truth (John 16:13; Acts 8:39), controls our behavior fitting a true believer (Acts 10:19-20), directs the selection of godly leaders (Acts 13:2), and chooses our fields of operation (Acts 16:6). The Lord Jesus taught us about the work and person of the Holy Spirit throughout His ministry and in the Upper Room with His disciples the night before His crucifixion.

The Holy Spirit dwells in us as believers in Christ (John 14:17). He is our Comforter and Teacher as He aided the Apostles in the preaching of the Gospel without error or contradiction (John 14:26; Galatians 1:8-9, 2:2). He testifies of Christ (John 15:26), warns sinners of judgment, and blesses righteousness (John 16:5-15). Being filled with the Spirit of God is not a dramatic emotional experience of energy and accelerated spirituality nor a stoic attempt at doing God’s will where we act in the flesh and hope God approves of it. It is not the same as possession, which is what we have as believers at salvation, and is not a repetitive reception of Him in degrees of spiritual development.

When we are filled with the Spirit, we are to give up all self-centered will, intellect, body, time, talent, possessions, and desires to follow Christ, to let our thoughts be His thoughts, our work His work, and our will His will, and to be in step with His ideas and standards. Our worship of Him is to be from the heart and the depths of our souls through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Psalm 150). We are to have a continual attitude of gratefulness and thanks for all things in His name and for His glory, all under His Sovereign authority. This is not just the pattern for us as individual believers but is also the foundation for a successful marriage, which will be our next area of study in this letter.

Marriage- Christ and the Church (vv.22-33)

“²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

³¹ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ ³² This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

If every couple, who is serious about getting married and staying that way, would take the time to read these verses together and abide by them in the strength and name of the LORD, they could save a lot of money and heartache on counselors and lawyers in the future. Now, can we keep these standards with perfection and without fault? Not without the guiding hand of the LORD, a serious attitude and goal to commit to one another, and taking the vows of marriage as an act of both love and determination.

The role of the Christian wife is to be an example of godliness to her husband (Proverbs 31:12), to be faithful to her husband (1 Cor. 7:10), to recognize the dual authority of both her husband and the LORD in the home (Colossians 3:18), and to have a faithfulness and reverence to the LORD (1 Tim. 3:11). The Scriptures also speak of the act of submission, and modern humanity cringes and rebels against the entire concept. It brings up the picture of male chauvinism, domination, or abuse to some women who have suffered through such hardship. And to men, it is a picture of a dominating, nagging shrew who will not let him have a moment’s peace and finds fault with everything he says and does.

Submission is for both sexes a voluntary response to the Sovereign will of Almighty God, and to set aside all independent thinking and actions before other believers and ordained authority.

There must be a chain of command and a sense of order and responsibility in the body of Christ. It cannot be a “free-for-all” as there had been in Corinth.

I had a ministerial colleague tell me one time that he was going to “step back one Sunday and let the Spirit take control of the service.” That might have sounded holy and wondrous but could also be a recipe for disaster and a foundation for chaos and confusion over what is to be done.

Scripture commands us to do everything decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). Submission is a part of a disciplined life and a comfort in that we know what is going on, who is in charge, and our specific duty or chore in order to have the household, our business, and the church run smoothly and in harmony with the will of God. It is the spiritual equivalent of a well-running machine.

The Christian husband is the head of the household and submits to the authority of Christ, as does his wife. He is to be the protector of his wife and family and to be side by side with each other as partners in marriage. He is to establish a home for his bride (in other words, have all your events in order, and be mature enough to handle the responsibility) and to enjoy her pleasures in every way (Genesis 2:23-24; Proverbs 5:18). He is to honor her and be an example of a godly man before her and his family (1 Peter 3:7). Husbands are to love their wives just as Jesus loves His church and gave Himself for her. In other words, a good husband will sacrifice his life and well-being for the sake of his wife if needed.

The bride of Christ is His church, and He has made us clean and justified, spotless and pure before Him. Likewise, husbands should desire the best and greatest for our wives. We are to place her interests and needs before ours. In other words, act like the gentlemen the LORD expects us to be with them and as a witness before the world of commitment and true love. The welfare of our wives comes first in any God-centered marriage, but we need to take care of ourselves as well physically, mentally, and keep a time of prayer and Bible reading open every day in order to get spiritually charged and prepared for what may come down the line.

Jesus Christ and His church are united as a groom is to his bride. They are no longer two separate individuals but one flesh forever. This unity was a mystery to Paul, but he used it as the best means of illustrating the love Christ has for His church and that husbands and wives should abide by this example. When I mean marriage, I mean the biblical standard of a biological man and a biological woman and nothing and no one else. There are no third options or changing of genders for the sake of a daily whim of fickle emotions or from the beratement of a deviant society and a dishonest media who could not care less about you but only want to push a trendy agenda.

The devil, his demons, and his willing minions throughout history have done their level best to destroy, pervert, or redefine the institution of marriage that had been created and blessed by God Himself in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. The LORD takes marriages and families seriously and does not and has never looked the other way when they are compromised, deterred, or ruined by the acts and words of despicable individuals and families who are not satisfied with the order and function of life that God has established for His creation.

Christian families are being pummeled every day with the world’s persecutions and derisions, and we must not give in or compromise our standards for any reason. If our brethren in the past could get through their dark times, so can we until that day when our LORD returns to take us home.

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