Gleanings From the Book Of Enoch
The bible mentions Enoch in Genesis 5:18-24 as a man who pleased God and then God took him up to heaven without his physically dieing. The only other person to have that experience (being taken to Heaven without dieing) is the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). Enoch lived on the earth for 365 years before God took him to heaven without dieing. That was a relatively short time span in those days, because people tended to live 800 to 900 years. Enoch going to heaven at 365 years would be roughly equivalent (these days where people live to be 80 to 85) of God taking him to Heaven when he was only 35!
Why did God take Enoch to heaven without waiting for him to die first? Heb 11:5 comments on this, saying, "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (NKJV).
Enoch wrote several books when he was alive on the earth. These are not considered as a part of the Bible, and His writings cannot be looked upon with the same authority of Scripture. But his writings are very insightful and they tend to agree closely with scripture in a lot of areas. And there is something in the New Testament that shows the believers considered the writings of Enoch to be authoritative, because Jude 1:14-15 references writings from the book of Enoch. It says, "Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, 'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (NKJV).
However, we cannot give the book of Enoch the same type of authority we give the Bible. There are some questions as to whether the scrolls that constitute the book of Enoch were really written by Enoch of if they were "forgeries" written by first century believers.
The book of Enoch reads a lot like the Bible. It is highly prophetic and there are passages in there that track very closely with things that are in the Bible. For instance, the Book of Enoch Chapter 46:1-2 gives a vision of God the Father that looks very similar to John's vision of Jesus in the book of Revelation, and a description of what sounds like Jesus standing next to Him: "There I beheld the Ancient of days whose head was like white wool, and with Him another, whose countenance resembled that of a man. His countenance was full of grace, like that of one of the holy angels. Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of man; who he was; whence he was; and why he accompanied the Ancient of days. He answered and said to me, This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness."
Here are some of the things we learn about Enoch from the Book of Enoch:
- Enoch was a prophet and had many visions.
- Enoch had his first vision when he was a youth (when he was learning to write before he was married).
- Enoch interacted directly with angels on many occasions.
- The rebellious angels approached Enoch and asked him to intercede on their behalf, and he did, earnestly. God denied their petition, but Enoch did intercede for them.
- Enoch was an intercessor and he entered in to intercession when he learned that God was going to send a flood to destroy humanity. He prayed for God to spare a remnant and not destroy all of mankind. God responded by sparing his great-Grandson (Noah) and his descendents.
- Because of Enoch's holiness and relationship with God, his son was blessed to be the longest living human being and God held back the flood judgment until after his son died naturally.
- Enoch lived apart from his family in the valley of the righteous for a prolonged time and had many supernatural encounters with God and with angels.
- Enoch was sent back for a year to his family to instruct them in what God had shown them. (I am guessing that maybe he wrote his book during that time??)
- Enoch had a clear and accurate revelation of many events significant in church history, including God delivering the children of Israel from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the coming of the Son of Man (Jesus), and that all humanity would appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
- Noah (Enoch's great grandson) consulted with Enoch when God commissioned him to build the ark. Enoch helped Noah to understand God's plans and commission.
- Enoch provides specific details on the fall of the angels who came down to marry the daughters of men, and on those angels who taught wicked things (occult practices, etc) to the children of man.
If you would like to read the writings of Enoch for yourself, they are readily available on the www. Here are two (of many) sites that contain translations of the book of Enoch:
http://wesley.nnu.edu/index.php?id=2126
Enoch's Interactions With Unfallen Angels
Enoch interacted frequently with angels. He talks about angels as messengers who teach and instruct him about God's plans as early as verse two of his first book. He says, "Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is for to come..." He then proceeds with a vision that is similar to some of what the Apostle John described in the book of Revelation.
He also talked about the angels looking at the decline of humanity (Chapter 9) with concern and they brought their concerns before God and discussed it with Him, which led to God destroying the earth by the flood and sparing only Noah and his family. Enoch seemed to be on a first name basis with many of the angels, and he shared the names of some of the "watchers" who were concerned about humanity's decline into depravity in Chapter 9, verse 1: "Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel." Enoch again mentions angels as holy watchers in Chapter 20. It says: "And these are the names of the holy angels who watch. Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and over Tartarus. Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men. Raguel, one of the holy angels who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries. Michael, one of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind and over chaos. Saraqael, one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit. Gabriel, one of the holy angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim. Remiel, one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise."
In Chapter 17, verses 1 and 2, Enoch described angels' natural appearance as a flame of fire, but they could take on the appearance of man any time they wished. In other words, in their natural state, angels exist as what looks like fire, but they often choose to take on human appearance when they interact with men. Enoch chapter 18 refers to angels as "columns of fire" multiple times. In Chapter 14, Enoch sees cherubim in a vision. He describes them as, "And I went in till I drew nigh to a wall which is built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began to affright me. And I went into the tongues of fire and drew nigh to a large house which was built of crystals: and the walls of the house were like a tessellated floor (made) of crystals, and its groundwork was of crystal. Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were fiery cherubim, and their heaven was (clear as) water. A flaming fire surrounded the walls, and its portals blazed with fire. And I entered into that house, and it was hot as fire and cold as ice (verses 9-13).
The vision of cherubim before God's throne continues in chapter 14 verses 16 to 24. Note that the cherubim are directly in God's presence but the "regular angels" could not approach directly into God's glory.
And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to you its splendour and its extent. And its floor was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path of the stars, and its ceiling also was flaming fire. And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the vision of cherubim. And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire so that I could not look thereon. And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His raiment shone more brightly than the sun and was whiter than any snow. None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh Him: ten thousand times ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed no counselor. And the most holy ones who were nigh to Him did not leave by night nor depart from Him.
Enoch chapter 18, verses 1-6 describes the angels as winds that God furnishes to His whole creation. These wind-like angels help keep the planets and stars in orbit and they help keep earth separated from the heavenlies. With a little stretch of imagination, Enoch may be saying that the "force" of gravity may actually be the ministry of certain angels tasked to hold God's creation in order.
There is much more that Enoch had to say about angels. You can read the Book of Enoch if you are interested.
Our next lesson will look at Enoch's insights and interactions with the angels who, according to Genesis 6:1-2 says, "When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God [Angels] saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose."
Enoch's Interactions With Fallen Angels
In our last lesson we discussed that Enoch was a godly man who pleased God so much that God took him to Heaven without dieing. There are some books that were reported to be written by Enoch. These books are not considered as a part of the Bible, they are not to be treated as authoritative. We do not know if they are divinely inspired, the word of God.
However, the writings in these books does seem to track closely with the Bible in a lot of areas. When you read the writings of Enoch you will feel a lot like you are reading Scripture, because much of the content matches things that are in the Bible.
The book of Enoch also contains several details that are not recorded anywhere else in Scripture, including details about angels. These must be taken as secular writings about angels from a person who had many experiences and interactions with them. The writings of Enoch must not be taken as a part of the Bible and we must not assign that type of credibility to them. But they do provide some interesting insights about angels and that is why I am sharing them in this teaching series.
Enoch's Description Of The Fall Of Angels
Chapter 19 verses 1-3 expand on an incident mentioned in Genesis 6:1-2. It says: "And Uriel said to me: 'Here shall stand the angels who have connected themselves with women, and their spirits assuming many different forms are defiling mankind and shall lead them astray into sacrificing to demons as gods , (here shall they stand,) till the day of the great judgment in which they shall be judged till they are made an end of. And the women also of the angels who went astray shall become sirens.' And I, Enoch, alone saw the vision, the ends of all things: and no man shall see as I have seen."
He expands on this quite a bit more in Chapters 6 to 8, where Enoch says,
And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.' And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaq1el, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens.And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.
And Azazel 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 colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, 'Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal (taught) astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .
This stuff was apparently going on during Enoch's lifetime. He came to the fallen angels who had married human wives in Chapter 13 and prophetically pronounced a judgment of God on them. The angels became afraid when they heard the judgment and they asked Enoch to intercede on their behalf. Enoch chapter 13, verses 3-7 describe this incident,
Then I went and spoke to them all together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them. And they besought me to draw up a petition for them that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence of the Lord of heaven. For from thenceforward they could not speak (with Him) nor lift up their eyes to heaven for shame of their sins for which they had been condemned. Then I wrote out their petition, and the prayer in regard to their spirits and their deeds individually and in regard to their requests that they should have forgiveness and length. And I went off and sat down at the waters of Dan, in the land of Dan, to the south of the west of Hermon: I read their petition till I fell asleep.
When Enoch is asleep, God meets him in a vision and denied the petition of the fallen angels -- He refused to forgive them for their sins or to restore them to fellowship with God. Instead He gave Enoch a lengthy reprimand to deliver back to these fallen angels in chapters 14 and 15.
Here are some portions of that rebuke
"Your petition will not be granted unto you throughout all the days of eternity, and that judgment has been finally passed upon you: yea (your petition) will not be granted unto you. And from henceforth you shall not ascend into heaven unto all eternity, and in bonds of the earth the decree has gone forth to bind you for all the days of the world. And (that) previously you shall have seen the destruction of your beloved sons and ye shall have no pleasure in them, but they shall fall before you by the sword. And your petition on their behalf shall not be granted, nor yet on your own: even though you weep and pray."Say to the Watchers of heaven, who have sent thee to intercede for them: "You should intercede" for men, and not men for you: Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children of earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons? And though ye were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten (children) with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, have lusted after flesh and blood as those also do who die and perish.
Therefore have I given them wives also that they might impregnate them, and beget children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on earth. But you were formerly spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world. And therefore I have not appointed wives for you; for as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven is their dwelling."
"You have been in heaven, but all the mysteries had not yet been revealed to you, and you knew worthless ones, and these in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work much evil on earth. You have no peace."
Enoch had multiple visions of hell, where the fallen angels were to one day be imprisoned. Chapter 18 verses 12b - 16 describes one of them, "And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no firmament of the heaven above, and no firmly founded earth beneath it: there was no water upon it, and no birds, but it was a waste and horrible place. I saw there seven stars like great burning mountains, and to me, when I inquired regarding them, The angel said: 'This place is the end of heaven and earth: this has become a prison for the stars and the host of heaven. And the stars which roll over the fire are they which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord in the beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times. And He was wroth with them, and bound them till the time when their guilt should be consummated (even) for ten thousand years.'
In Chapter 21, Enoch is terrified of Hell and of the flaming abyss he saw there and called it a "spectacle of the pain."
Again, we must view the writings of Enoch as a secular book and not as the authoritative Word of God. You can accept or reject the information about angels portrayed here. I included this in the teaching as a historical secular book to give you some of the basis of where the Jewish traditions about angels came from.