Enoch was a man who walked with God and strangely “was not,” for God took him. We don’t know quite what that looked like, but we know God is no respecter of persons. If we do with our faith what Enoch did with his faith, we may rightly expect the same or equivalent outcomes. What do we know of this man Enoch? Well, he left no authentically verified writings behind him. He did not pass down to approved canon any books that we can revere as holy writ; however, Enoch has one direct quote in the books of Jude and 2 Peter and many veiled references to it by the New Testament writers and even Jesus Himself. The quote from Jude is:
[Jude 1:14-15 KJV] 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
The fact that Jude quotes the book of Enoch does not mean that the book of Enoch is, therefore, to be accepted on the level of the other canonical books. Paul quotes the Greek philosopher Epimenides in Titus 1:12, but that doesn’t mean that the writings attributed to Epimenides are to be considered canonical. We answer these questions because many young zealots are anxious to discover some new insight that might be found in extra-biblical manuscripts that scholarship is aware of. Besides the book of Enoch, other manuscripts and ancient writings that get such attention include The Shepherd of Hermas, the Secret Sayings of Thomas, and other writings brought to light with the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Does the Book of Enoch Belong in the Canon of Scripture:
No, the book of Enoch was not considered as canonical by the generations we look back on in history that were tasked with traversing that time when decisions were made about what is “bible” and what is not. What we know of the book of Enoch most commonly comes from a version put together in 1906 by Robert Henry Charles from 28 manuscripts of Enoch available to him at the time. In none of that collection of manuscripts do we find the quote that Jude used and attributed to Enoch. However, in 1956, there was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls a book called “Enoch” that contains an almost direct correlating quote of Jude 14-15.
Regardless of the light that we can draw from the three distinct and primary versions of the Book of Enoch available, the one reliable truth we can look to is the endorsement of heaven to Enoch’s words quoted from Jude in his epistle. We shall look at that and consider the remainder of the book of Enoch in its various forms to be interesting, a historical oddity but not holy writ. Having said that, however, it would be hard to deny that Jesus, the apostles, and several centuries of early church development were greatly influenced by the book of Enoch; therefore, we do not lightly dismiss it but put it in its proper, venerated place but not for its infallibility that we would attribute to the canon of 66 accepted books.
Talk Like Enoch Talked – the Message of Enoch:
The message of Enoch will be drawn from the direct quote of Enoch in Jude (also in 2 Peter) and several veiled quotes we could make a note of but will not for the sake of time. In the book of 2 Peter, we find two quotes attributed by scholars to Enoch:
[2Pe 2:4 KJV] 4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
[2Pe 3:13 KJV] 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Again, our point is not to elevate the purported writings of Enoch by connecting them with scripture but to highlight passages where New Testament writers were influenced by manuscripts attributed to Enoch in their day, so much so, that they transferred them to what eventually became sacred scripture for us. Having done so, we can at least, with some reliability, attribute the quotes to Enoch and believe the Holy Spirit would not have given them to us as coming from Enoch unless they actually did – if you, in fact, believe the Bible is inspired, given by God and infallible.
From the 2 Peter references, we see that the 2nd-century view regarding angels, hell, and punishment of disobedient angels was influenced by the writings of Enoch that are attributed in the Holy Scripture to Enoch. From the reference to 2 Peter 3:13, Enoch also believed and prophesied about enduring earth where righteousness would dwell. What does this tell us about Enoch? Beginning with Methuselah and the message of his name given by Enoch – Enoch was preoccupied with what we call Eschatology or the study of end things. He was looking forward-looking. He hoped to see his son live out the 1000-year day that Adam’s sin condemns us all to die in. According to Heb. 11:5, he was putting his faith on overcoming death. His translation took place just 57 years after the first recorded natural death so it is probable that the natural death of Adam galvanized him to believe and appropriate by faith the opportunity to step from mortality to immortality without going by way of the grave.
Are We Skating on Dangerous Ground to Study Enoch?
If Enoch was translated by faith (therefore apparently putting his specific hope in being translated (e.g. Heb. 11:5 faith is the substance of things hoped for)) – are we wrong or on dangerous ground to put OUR faith on a translation experience? If Enoch, according to Hebrews 11:5, was translated by faith, then on what basis are those of 1 Thess. 4:17 going to be translated? Are we to put our faith in walking into immortality like Enoch did, or is the parousia (catching up) going to simply be a sovereign act of God as He is in the course of working out a timeline of scheduled end-time events? We would submit to you that if the parousia (catching up, rapture, adjudication of the saints, redemption of the purchased possession, body felt salvation, manifestation of the sons of God – whatever you want to call it) isn’t a faith proposition, it would not please God to do so.
[Heb 11:6 KJV] 6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]…
[Rom 14:23 KJV]… for whatsoever [is] not of faith is sin.
Faith is not faith unless it has a specific object in mind. To just blithely put our expectations on a vague acknowledgment of resurrection one day is not faith. Faith that is not now is not faith. Remember the facetious statement of Martha to Jesus when He declared to her that her brother Lazarus would live – and her response was a dismissive religious platitude:
[John 11:23-26 KJV] 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Is it Wrong to Put Our Hope and Our Faith in a Never Die Expectation?
When Martha marginalized the words of Jesus with her religious banality, He directly challenged her with these words: “I am the resurrection and the life…” In other words, Jesus was saying, “Stop relegating miracles you are having a hard time believing into a ‘one-day; someday unlikelihood”. He wanted her to believe that her brother’s resurrection would not originate in an eschatological eventuality but that Lazarus’ resurrection would originate in the person of Jesus on that day at that moment.
What about your resurrection? Scholars might say that Jesus never intended for us to construe His conversation with Martha to apply to our own mortality. Yet, considering the stark simplicity of his words, what else are we to think?
[John 11:23-26 KJV] … 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Looking at this verse as a suggestion that resurrection and immortality are available to us as they were to Enoch is a tremendous challenge to our faith. Scholars and theologians would denounce us for even suggesting it. But the words of Jesus couldn’t be clearer – “…whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die – BELIEVEST THOU THIS?” Most Christians, if they were honest, do not believe this and have no intention of believing it. They expect to go by way of the grave unless Jesus comes back and whisks them to glory through a process that requires nothing more of them than to sign a decision card for Jesus and be living as a Christian when he returns.
The Parousia will be a Faith Proposition or Not at All:
I would submit to you that those who participate in the parousia of 1 Thess. 4:17 will be those that, like Enoch in Heb. 11:5, will be able to say they were translated by faith. They will be those holding forth the specific hope by faith in God for the unlikely and improbable outcome of stepping into an immortal life as Enoch and Elijah did on the same basis. Is this blasphemy? Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Is the opportunity to be translated only an Old Testament anomaly not available to us today? How can that be when Hebrews 8:6 insists that the New Testament economy of God is established on a better covenant by the blood of the son of God and not the imperfect covenant based on the blood of bulls and goats in the Old Testament? The bandwidth of legitimate New Covenant expectations must include the whole Old Testament gifts and graces and go beyond it by comparing the excellency of the blood of Christ to the blood of animal sacrifice.
The inclusive message of the gospel inextricably included the hope of immortality as Jesus defines it in John chapter 11 in his conversation with Martha. In 2 Tim. 1:10, Paul declares that the preciousness of the gospel includes the fact that it brings “… life and immortality to light through the gospel.” How will immortality come? Through the gospel. Coming through a sovereign act that does not involve volition or cooperation on our part does not fit what Paul is stating. If it comes through the gospel, it must involve a message received, believed, and acted upon, or it falls inert at our feet. Therefore, it must be preached. Immortality and life, as defined by the words of Jesus and declared by Paul, must be preached in order to be believed and believed in order to be appropriated.
[Rom 10:14 KJV] 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Therefore, it is incumbent upon us who claim to preach the gospel to include this theme of resurrection by faith in our preaching.
Conclusion:
Death is not a friend; death is your enemy (1 Co. 15:26). God does not need, and God does not use His enemies to achieve an end He intends for His friends:
[Jas 1:17 KJV] 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Paul said this:
[1Ti 6:16 KJV] 16 Who only [Jesus] hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Death is not the doorman to immortality. Only Jesus is the door to immortality. He does not need the services of death to make you immortal. The process by which faith brings you to the crisis experience of immortality is a matter of a faith transaction. You are hoping for immortality, expecting immortality, and believing for immortality as Enoch evidently did and, in fact, received.
[1Co 15:53, 55-58 KJV] 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. … 55 O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? 56 The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. 57 But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
The assertions of 1 Thess. 4:17, regarding those who are alive and remain who are caught up to immortality, are far more than the description of an eschatological event. The experience described in 1 Thess. 4:17 has much in common with those 120 that were gathered in the upper room in Acts waiting on the promise of the Father. They received the promise that was given because they chose to believe and to hold out the expectation of an immediate manifestation. Likewise, those that lay hold on the 1 Thess. 4:17 experience will be those choosing to believe and to hold out an expectation to one day both individually and corporately walk into immortality by Christ Jesus.
Discover more from Fathers Heart Ministry
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jodi Cabino Cipriano says:
THIS🔥”The experience described in 1 Thess. 4:17 has much in common with those 120 that were gathered in the upper room in Acts waiting on the promise of the Father. They received the promise that was given because they chose to believe and to hold out the expectation of an immediate manifestation. Likewise, those that lay hold on the 1 Thess. 4:17 experience will be those choosing to believe and to hold out an expectation to one day both individually and corporately walk into immortality by Christ Jesus”.🔥