“Enoch, the Seventh from Adam”

FOLLOWING the Genesis record of Adam and Eve and their immediate family, the next important personage in the antediluvian world is Enoch. Not a great deal of information is given to us in The Book of Genesis concerning Enoch. We are informed merely that he was the father of Methuselah, that he walked with God, and that God “took him”—the New Testament uses the word “translated.” But this does not mean that Enoch was taken to heaven.—Gen. 5:21-24; Heb.11:6,13; John 3:13

We may safely assume from this meager bit of information that Enoch loved righteousness, and that he was a faithful servant of the Creator. The chronological data contained in The Book of Genesis reveals that Enoch lived contemporaneously with Adam for more than two hundred years. It would seem reasonable to conclude, therefore, that he was well acquainted with Adam, and from him learned many of the details concerning the great tragedy of disobedience to divine law which occurred in the Garden of Eden.

Evidently Enoch had great faith in God, and believed his promise of deliverance from sin and death as implied in the statement made to Satan that the “seed” of the woman would “bruise” the “serpent’s” head. (Gen. 3:15) Just how much Enoch understood of the divine plan we do not know. God used him to utter a meaningful prophecy concerning a time when the Lord would send myriads of his saints to execute judgment and to convince the people of their ungodly deeds.—Jude 14,15

Jude’s outline of Enoch’s prophecy emphasizes that the Creator does not propose to permit sin and sinners to continue unbridled forever. To Enoch, this undoubtedly was understood to mean that the downward course of sin and death which began in Eden was one day to be arrested, that steps would be taken to convince the sinful world of its ungodly course and thus provide an opportunity, upon the basis of enlightenment, to repent, reform, turn to God, and live.

The brief report of Enoch’s prophecy as outlined by Jude does not contain all this information in detail, but the testimony of the Bible is that the judgments of the Lord will result in the enlightenment of the people concerning righteousness. (Isa. 26:9) Other prophecies assure us that the world’s future time of judgment will not be a doomsday for all mankind, but a time of rejoicing.—Ps. 96:10-13; 98:5-9

The Apostle Paul contrasts the time when the world is in ignorance concerning the true God, with the coming day of judgment, when, as the Scriptures reveal, the people will be enlightened. Paul explains that the future work of judgment will be conducted by Jesus, and that we have been given the assurance of this in that Jesus has been raised from the dead.—Acts 17:30,31

According to Jude, Enoch prophesied that the Lord would come with “ten thousands [or myriads] of his saints.” This is in keeping with the general testimony of the Bible. Our Lord and Savior will be the world’s chief Judge, and he will have associated with him all those faithful ones of the present Age who have proved their worthiness by following in his footsteps of sacrifice even unto death.—I Cor. 6:2; Matt. 16:24; Rev. 2:10

The present is the time of judgment, or trial, for the footstep followers of the Master. (I Pet. 4:17) Those who fail in this test will not have an opportunity during the world’s future judgment day. But those who prove faithful in the crucial tests to which they are submitted will, as we have seen, be co-judges with Jesus during the time when the world of mankind is being enlightened and judged.

QUESTIONS

WHO was Enoch, and what is the Old Testament record concerning him?

Did God take Enoch to heaven?

Upon what basis may we conclude that Enoch had a good knowledge of what occurred in the Garden of Eden?

Quote the prophecy uttered by Enoch. Which writer in the Bible refers to it?

What is one of the points emphasized in Enoch’s prophecy concerning a coming judgment day?

How do we know that the world’s coming judgment day will he one of rejoicing for those who then obey the laws of God?

What assurance has God given to all concerning the judgment day?

Who will be the chief Judge, and who will be associated with him in the world’s coming judgment day?

Will the Gospel-Age followers of Jesus come into judgment in the world’s judgment day?

REFERENCE MATERIAL

“The Divine Plan of the Ages,” pages 137 to 148.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT THOUGHTS

Little is said in the Bible about Enoch except that by faith he walked with God, and that God used him to utter the first prophecy relating to a coming day of judgment.

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