The Facts On The Book of Enoch

Part One: Canonicity

Over the last several years, a growing interest has appeared in American culture regarding the intriguing document known as “the book of Enoch.”

What is the story behind this book?

What is the book of Enoch about?

Should the book of Enoch be included in the canon of Scripture?

What value (if any) does the book of Enoch hold for Christians today?

These are some of the questions that we will be investigating in the next several articles on this topic.

Enoch In The Bible

Enoch was the seventh in a list of ten men recorded in Genesis from Adam to Noah. According to the Bible, he was a very holy man of God. During his time, we are told that the “sons of God” (Hebrew bene Elohim) took wives from the daughters of men and had children with them. These half-angelic and half-human descendants (called the Nephilim) began to enslave humanity, and (using occult practices taught to them by the fallen angels) attempted to completely corrupt mankind.

So loyal to God was Enoch that the Bible records that he never experienced death!

Genesis 5:24-And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Hebrews 11:5-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.

The History Of The Book Of Enoch

Traditionally, there are three books that bear the title “book of Enoch.” The book known as “First Enoch” is the Ethiopian version (and the one we will be studying in this article). Second Enoch is written in the Slavic language and was probably composed around the second century A.D., while Third Enoch is in Hebrew and was most likely created during the fifth or sixth centuries A.D.

There was a time when many scholars believed that First Enoch was written during the Christian Era. However, discoveries of this book among the Dead Sea Scrolls demonstrate that the book Enoch was around several centuries before Jesus walked the Earth.

“The Book of Enoch was discovered in the 18th century. It was thought that Enoch was penned after beginning of the Christian era. This theory was based upon the fact that it had quotes and paraphrases as well as concepts found in the New Testament. Thus, it was assumed that Enoch was heavily influenced by writers such as Jude and Peter. However, recent discoveries of copies of the book among the Dead Sea Scrolls prove the book existed long before the time of Jesus Christ. These scrolls force a closer look and reconsideration. It becomes obvious that the New Testament did not influence the Book of Enoch; on the contrary, the Book of Enoch influenced the New Testament….In fact, many of the key concepts used by Jesus Christ himself seem directly connected to terms and ideas in the Book of Enoch. It is hard to avoid the evidence that Jesus not only studied the book, but also respected it highly enough to allude to its doctrine and content. Enoch is replete with mentions of the coming kingdom and other holy themes. It was not only Jesus who quoted phases or ideas from Enoch, there are over one hundred comments in the New Testament which find precedence in the Book of Enoch.” (Joseph B. Lumpkin, Fallen Angels, The Watchers, & The Origins Of Evil, 94-95 (Kindle Edition); Blountsville, AL; Fifth Estate)

Ken Johnson provides us with the traditional history of how Enoch was preserved:

“If the legends are to be believed , Enoch passed his book and other books to Noah, who preserved them in the Ark . Noah then passed Enoch’s book on to Shem, who preserved it in the city of Sal e m. Eventually it was passed down to the Israeli tribe of Levi for safe keeping. Somewhere along the line a new Hebrew translation renamed some of the place names of the cities, rivers, and lands. This was most likely done around the time of Solomon. It was then preserved up to the time the Essenes buried it, along with other ancient texts, to be found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.” (Ken Johnson, Th.D., Ancient Book Of Enoch, 6 (Kindle Edition))

The Issue Of Canonicity

The Hebrews were very clear that the Old Testament canon ended with Malachi. Lightfoot has documented this in his excellent study:

“The canon was substantially fixed long before Jamnia, and discussions there did not admit certain books into the canon but allowed these books to remain. 2 Additional evidence on the Old Testament canon comes from Josephus, a well- known Jewish historian of the first century….We can draw several conclusions from Josephus. 1. The number of books looked upon as having divine authority is carefully limited to twenty- two. By joining Ruth to Judges and Lamentations to Jeremiah, and remembering that the Jews enumerated their books differently, the twenty- two books mentioned by Josephus are the same as the thirty- nine books in our Bible today. 2. The division of the books is according to a three- part pattern. Although individual books are included in different categories, they form a threefold grouping similar to the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. 3. The time covered in these books is expressly limited. Josephus believed that the canon extended from Moses to Artaxerxes (464- 424 B.C.). This corresponds with the Jewish belief that prophetic inspiration ceased with Malachi, who apparently was a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah. 4 This was the period of Artaxerxes. Others indeed wrote later, but their writings are not on a par with the earlier writings. In other words, according to Josephus, the canon is closed. 4. The text of these books is sacred. No one has dared to cancel or alter it, since to every Jew these writings are “decrees of God.” (Neil Lightfoot, How We Got The Bible, 154-156 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Books)

Geisler and Nix provide further historical confirmation that the Old Testament canon was closed nearly four hundred years before Christ Jesus was born:

“The Jewish teachers acknowledged that their prophetic line ended in the fourth century B.C. Yet, as even Catholics acknowledge, all apocryphal books were written after this time. Josephus wrote: “From Artaxerxes until our time everything has been recorded, but has not been deemed worthy of like credit with what preceded, because the exact succession of the prophets ceased” (Josephus). Additional rabbinical statements on the cessation of prophecy support this (see Beckwith, 370). Seder Olam Rabbah 30 declares “Until then [the coming of Alexander the Great] the prophets prophesied through the Holy Spirit. From then on, ‘Incline thine ear and hear the words of the wise.’” Baba Bathra 12b declares: “Since the day when the Temple was destroyed, prophecy has been taken from the prophets and given to the wise.” Rabbi Samuel bar Inia said, “The Second Temple lacked five things which the First Temple possessed, namely, the fire, the ark, the Urim and Thummin, the oil of anointing and the Holy Spirit [of prophecy].” Thus, the Jewish fathers (rabbis) acknowledged that the time period during which their Apocrypha was written was not a time when God was giving inspired writings.” (Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia Of Christian Apologetics, 33 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Books)

The thirty-nine Old Testament Book canon that we possess today is the exact same canon that the Hebrews accepted as inspired. Sometimes, people object that there are a different number of Books in the Hebrew canon and the traditional canon in Protestant Bibles. However, this is simply due to the way that the Books themselves are arranged in the Hebrew Old Testament.

“The books of the Old Testament, in the days of Christ and the Apostles, were the same as now…It is well known that the twenty-two books endorsed by Josephus are the same as our thirty-nine, since he reckoned the minor prophets as one book, Judges and Ruth as one, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, as one each, Ezra and Nehemiah as one, and Jeremiah and Lamentations as one. It should also be remembered that this decisive testimony comes from the times of Christ and His Apostles…The Septuagint version of the Old Testament was the one generally used in the days of Christ. The Apostles usually quote from it, rather than from the Hebrew; but the Septuagint contained the same books as our present Old Testament…This of itself, is sufficient and unanswerable evidence that the ‘Scriptures’ of Christ and the Apostles were our books of the Old Testament.” (Harvey Everest, The Divine Demonstration, 362-363; Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate Company).

The Criteria For Canonicity

Not just any book could be added to the Library of God! There were certain requirements that a document had to meet in order to be recognized as having canonical status. Geisler has documented:

“Five foundational questions lie at the very heart of the discovery process: Was the book written by a prophet of God? The basic question was whether a book was prophetic. Propheticity determined canonicity. A prophet was one who declared what God had disclosed. Thus, only the prophetic writings were canonic. Anything not written by a prophet of God was not part of the Word of God. The characteristic words “And the word of the Lord came to the prophet,” or “The Lord said unto,” or “God spoke” so fill the Old Testament that they have become proverbial. If substantiated these claims of inspiration are so clear that it was hardly necessary to discuss whether some books were divine in origin. In most cases it was simply a matter of establishing the authorship of the book. If it was written by a recognized apostle or prophet, its place in the canon was secured….Was the writer confirmed by acts of God? A miracle is an act of God to confirm the word of God given through a prophet of God to the people of God. It is the sign to substantiate his sermon; the miracle to confirm his message…Does the message tell the truth about God? Only immediate contemporaries had access to the supernatural confirmation of the prophet’s message. Other believers in distant places and subsequent times had to depend on other tests. One such test was the authenticity of a book. That is, does the book tell the truth about God and his world as known from previous revelations?…Did it come with the power of God? Another test for canonicity is a book’s power to edify and equip believers. This requires the power of God…Was it accepted by the people of God? A prophet of God was confirmed by an act of God (miracle) and was recognized as a spokesman by the people who received the message. Thus, the seal of canonicity depended on whether the book was accepted by the people.” (Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia Of Christian Apologetics, 81-83 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Books)

It is absolutely imperative that we remember that Prophets made sure that their Books were given to the people of God. For example, we read:

Deuteronomy 31:9-So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.

Deuteronomy 31:24-26-24  So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, 25  that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: 26  “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you;

Joshua 24:26-Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.

Isaiah 30:8-Now go, write it before them on a tablet, And note it on a scroll, That it may be for time to come, Forever and ever:

Jeremiah 30:2-Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.

Jeremiah 36:2-3-2  “Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. 3  It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

Now, if the book of Enoch had been inspired Scripture, we can see clearly that the Prophets of God would have ensured that it was given to God’s people as the Word of God.

Likewise, the people of God (recognizing accredited Prophets) would have accepted such works as the Word of God and quickly placed such into the canon of Scripture.

There is certainly undeniable evidence that the Prophets were familiar with the book of Enoch; yet the truth is equally clear that they did not accept this document as inspired Scripture, for it never was included in the canon!

“Though claims have been made for the canonicity of 1 Enoch by some early Church Fathers, it was not considered to be Scripture by any of the ancient traditions. The traditional thirty-nine books that we now call the Old Testament, was referred to in the New Testament and other Second Temple literature as “the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms” (Luke 24: 44).[ 22] There is no manuscript or historical evidence that 1 Enoch was ever a part of this traditional threefold designation. The earliest manuscripts we have of Old Testament canonical writings are from 400-300 B.C. from the library of Qumran.[ 23] But as Bauckham points out, the Enoch literature and other apocryphal works at Qumran were evidently valued as literary works by the Essene community but were not included in their canon of Scripture.[ 24] The Septuagint (LXX) was considered the authoritative Greek translation from around 200-100 B.C. and was quoted or alluded to by Jesus and the apostles.[ 25] The LXX did include additional apocryphal books along with the traditional threefold division, but 1 Enoch was not one of them.[ 26] The Hebrew Masoretic texts (MT), compiled between A.D. 500 and 900 by Jewish scribes, is considered by both Christians and Jews to be one of the most authoritative set of manuscripts reflecting the ancient Jewish canon.[ 27] 1 Enoch was never a part of this set. The only manuscript collection that does include 1 Enoch as canonical is the Ethiopic canon of the Coptic Church. But this designation was solidified sometime in the 13th century A.D. in response to Western pressure and under Muslim influence.[ 28]” (Brian Godawa, The Book Of Enoch: Scripture, Heresy, Or What?, 177-195 (Kindle Edition))

We may safely conclude that the book of Enoch is not-and never has been-part of the canon of Scripture.

Whether Enoch Is Inspired Or Not The Bible Encourages People To Study And Learn From It

Despite the fact that Enoch is not part of the canon, it is a valuable book to study!

“First and foremost is the matter of canonicity. A handful of important early Christian writers such as Tertullian, Irenaeus, Origen, and Clement either advocated 1 Enoch as worthy of canonical status or considered it authoritative on certain matters of truth and doctrine. The book was assigned full canonical recognition only in the Ethiopian Church….I don’t consider the book of 1 Enoch to be inspired and canonical, but that is no excuse for neglecting it in the study of Scripture. Frankly, this entire book is testimony to the folly of this inattention. The assumption that uninspired ancient books aren’t valuable for understanding Scripture is deeply flawed. Biblical writers in both testaments show detailed knowledge of ancient writings now known to the modern world. That this material wasn’t inspired didn’t bother biblical writers. It is well known among scholars, for example, that Old Testament covenants follow the structure of different types of ancient Near Eastern treaties,[ 7] that prophets and psalmists quote from the Baal Cycle (e.g., KTU 1.5. I; Psalm 74: 13), and that Solomon borrowed material from the Wisdom of Amenemope for Proverbs 22: 17–23: 11. In the New Testament, Paul’s quotations of Greek poets are well known (Acts 17: 28, Epimenides and Aratus; 1 Corinthians 15: 33, Euripedes or Menander; Titus 1: 2, Epimenides) as is the use of the apocryphal (“ deutero-canonical” to Roman Catholics) Wisdom of Solomon in Hebrews 1: 2 (Wisdom of Solomon 7: 26). These are far from the only instances.” (Dr. Michael S. Heiser, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, The Watchers & The Forgotten Mission Of Jesus Christ, 127-138 (Kindle Edition))

As Heiser points out, the Bible often refers to non-canonical books and works and encourages Bible readers to study these and learn from them. Consider a few examples.

Acts 17:26-28-And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27  so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28  for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

The Apostle is here referring to a couple of pagan writers.

“The precise expression is found in the writings of Aratus (270 B.C.); and though not the exact words still the idea is found in the writings of Cleanthes (300-220 B.C.). Cleanthes was a Stoic philosopher, and the sentiment here quoted was directly at variance with the Epicureans’ beliefs. Aratus was a native of Cilcia, the same country Paul was from. This quotation of the heathen poets would at once quicken the attention of the hearers. This was not an illiterate Jew, but a man of culture, acquainted with the thoughts of their own great poets.” (Gareth Reese, Acts: New Testament History, 632; Joplin, Missouri; College Press)

Consider again:

1 Corinthians 15:33-Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

In this passage, whom is Paul quoting?

“Although Paul is quoting an Old Testament text (albeit without a quotation formula to explicitly mark it as such), it is not necessarily important for his readers to recognize it as a scriptural quotation (I Corinthians 15:32 quoting Isaiah 22:13, M.T.). The sentiment expressed in the line is widespread in both the Jewish and Greco-Roman worlds…”Paul now moves from a biblical text with an anti-Epicurean thrust (vs. 32 b) to a quotation from the third-to-fourth century Athenian dramatist Meander: ‘Do no be misled; bad company corrupts good character.‘ …The epigram from Meander’s Thais was a popular one in Paul’s day and would probably have been known to any educated Corinthian.” (Roy E. Ciampa & Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter To The Corinthians: The Pillar New Testament Commentary, 791-792 (Kindle Edition); Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)

Again, in Titus Paul quotes from a well-known pagan prophet and poet:

Titus 1:12-13-One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13  This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith…

Paul was here referencing an ancient pagan!

“This phrase is found in the Minos of the Cretan poet Epimenides, a sixth-century B.C. poet of Knossos, Crete, quoted by Callimachus (ca. 300-240 B.C.). Epimenides joked of his own people that the absence of wild beasts on the island was supplied by its’ human inhabitants…Paul occasionally quoted Ancient Greek poets (Acts 17:28).” (Thomas C. Oden, First And Second Timothy And Titus: INTERPRETATION: A Bible Commentary For Teaching And Preaching, 65-66 (Kindle Edition); Louisville, KY; Westminster John Knox Press)

Other New Testament writers refer to non-canonical works to establish their points. For example, notice what Jude says:

Jude 9-Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Here, Jude is referring to a book called The Assumption Of Moses. We learn:

“The story is reputed to come from a book titled Assumption Of Moses…What we do learn from the traditions compiled by Bauckham is that the devil contested Moses’ ‘right to an honorable burial,’ charging him with the of Egyptian…”Jude’s reference to a noncanonical book is puzzling for many Christians today…These are vexing questions, but we should not draw the conclusion that the citation from a book means that the entire book is inspired. Paul cited Greek poets and sayings without suggesting that the entire work was authoritative Scripture (Acts 17:28; I Cor. 15:33; Titus 1:12).” (Thomas R. Schreiner, The New American Commentary: An Exegetical And Theological Exposition Of Holy Scripture: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Volume 37); 459-460 (Kindle Edition); Nashville, TN; B&H Publishing Group)

All of this clearly demonstrates that the Bible often refers to outside sources and encourages believers to consider these as well.

New Testament References To The Book Of Enoch

It has been suggested that there are over sixty references to the book of Enoch in the New Testament Scriptures. Notice several examples:

1 John 1:7-“walk in the light”

Enoch 92:4-92: 4. ‘walk in eternal light’.

1 John 2:8-“the darkness is passing away”

Enoch 58:5-58: 5. ‘the darkness is past’.

Revelation 3:5-“clothed in white garments”

Enoch 90:31-90: 31. ‘clothed in white’.

Revelation 3:20- “have fellowship with him, and He with me”

Enoch 62:14-62: 14. ‘and with that Son of Man shall they (i.e. the righteous) eat and lie down and rise up’.

Revelation 6:15-Jesus will dwell with His people

Enoch 45: 4. ‘I will cause Mine Elect One to dwell among them’.

Revelation 9:1-a star falling from Heaven

Enoch 86: 1. ‘And I saw … and behold a star fell from heaven’.

Revelation 20:13-The earth, the sea, and Hades shall give up the dead

Enoch 51: 1. ‘in those days shall the earth also give back that which has been entrusted to it, and Sheol also shall give back … and hell shall give back …’.

Revelation 20:15-“cast into the lake of fire”

Enoch 90: 26. ‘cast into this fiery abyss’.

Colossians 2:3-“in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”

Enoch 46: 3. ‘the Son of Man … who reveals all the treasures of that which is hidden’.

1 Thessalonians 5:3-‘then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child’.

Enoch 62: 4. ‘Then shall pain come upon them as on a woman in travail’.

1 Timothy 6:15-King Of kings, Lord Of lords…

Enoch 9: 4. ‘Lord of lords … King of kings’.

John 5:22-‘He hath committed all judgement unto the Son’.

Enoch 69:27-69: 27. ‘the sum of judgement was given unto the Son of Man’.

Hebrews 4:13-And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Enoch 9: 5. ‘all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee’.

Matthew 19:28-So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Enoch 62: 5. ‘When they see that Son of Man sitting on the throne of his glory’.

Luke 6:24-But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.

Enoch 94:8-Woe to you, you rich, for you have trusted in your riches, and from your riches shall you depart, because you have not remembered the Most High in the days of your riches.

Jude 14-15-Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15  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.”

Enoch 1:9-9 Behold! He comes with ten thousand s of His holy ones to execute judgment upon all, to destroy all the ungodly, to convict all flesh of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, and of all the har sh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Quoted in Jude 14-15

Consider also that one of the titles of the Son of Man (Jesus) in the book of Enoch is “the Elect One” of the Lord (cf. Enoch 45;3-4; 49:2-4). In Luke 9:35, Jesus applies this title to Himself (although the KJV and other translations have often not done the best job translating this passage).

“Other evidence of the early Christians’ acceptance of the Book of Enoch was for many years buried under the King James Bible’s mistranslation of Luke 9: 35, describing the transfiguration of Christ: “And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son. Hear him.’ ” Apparently the translator here wished to make this verse agree with a similar verse in Matthew and Mark. But Luke’s verse in the original Greek reads: “This is my Son, the Elect One (from the Greek ho eklelegmenos, lit., “the elect one”). Hear him.” The “Elect One” is a most significant term (found fourteen times) in the Book of Enoch. If the book was indeed known to the apostles of Christ, with its abundant descriptions of the Elect One who should “sit upon the throne of glory” and the Elect One who should “dwell in the midst of them;” then the great scriptural authenticity is justly accorded to the Book of Enoch when the “voice out of the cloud” tells the apostles, “This is my Son, the Elect One,”… the one promised in the Book of Enoch.” (Joseph B. Lumpkin, The Book Of Enoch: A Complete Guide And Reference, 233-244 (Kindle Edition); Blountsville, AL; Fifth Estate Publishers)

Clearly, Jesus and His inspired Apostles were familiar with Enoch! What’s more, this demonstrates to us emphatically that the Word Of God can reference non-biblical books and encourage us thereby to read and study these works as well (always using the Bible as our measuring rod of truth versus error-1 John 4:6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Content Of The Book Of Enoch

The book of Enoch is divided up into five different sections, or “books.”

The Book Of The Watchers (1-36)

The Book Of Parables (37-71)

The Book Of Heavenly Luminaries (72-82)

The Book Of Dream Visions (83-90)

The Book Of The Epistle Of Enoch (91-107)

At the end of the Epistle of Enoch is an interesting document called the Book Of Giants. It has some fascinating history for us to ponder, as the Nephilim giants became aware that there would be a Great Flood upon the Earth.

“Lastly, is the Book of Giants. Until the 1950s, the Book of Giants was only known as a Manichean gnostic text from the late 3rd century A.D. But the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran in the 1950s uncovered fragments of an original Book of Giants in Aramaic from the 2nd century B.C. that was the basis for the Manichean expanded alterations.[ 18] Enochian expert J.T. Milik argues that the Book of Giants should be considered part of the corpus of 1 Enoch texts, but scholars are divided over this conclusion.[ 19] Although we only have precious few fragments of this book, the story can be pieced together of the fall of the Watchers and their mating with humans, producing defiled giant offspring. But the unique aspect of this manuscript is its elaboration of the personal exploits of the giants from their perspective. Several giant sons of the Watchers named Ohya and Hahya (sons of Semyaza) and Mahway have dream visions of the Deluge. Interestingly, the Mesopotamian giant king Gilgamesh shows up in this tale as well, and he helps the giants seek out Enoch to discover the interpretation of their dreams. Enoch responds with a tablet declaring the great Flood to come as their judgment and his own challenge to them to pray for mercy.” (Brian Godawa, The Book Of Enoch: Scripture, Heresy, Or What?, 164-175 (Kindle Edition)

Conclusion

I believe Godawa has provided this excellent summation of the facts on the book of Enoch:

“But the preponderance of evidence shows that not only does the New Testament letter of Jude quote directly from 1 Enoch 1 (Book of the Watchers), but the entire letter and its alternate version in 2 Peter, show signs of literary and theological dependency on the rest of the Book of the Watchers (Chaps. 1-36), as well as chapter 80 (Book of Luminaries), chapter 46 (Book of Parables), and chapter 100 (Epistle of Enoch). 2 Peter shows evidence of structural and thematic dependency on 1 Enoch 17-22 and 108 (Additional Books). But the fact is, the entire New Testament shows such a multitude of allusions and linguistic echoes of the entire corpus of 1 Enoch, that one can safely say, the book and its basic interpretations may not be Scripture, but are surely legitimated by the Bible and are therefore worthy of study and high regard by the Christian Church.” (Brian Godawa, The Book Of Enoch: Scripture, Heresy, Or What?, 636-646 (Kindle Edition)

In our next article, we will consider in great detail why the book of Enoch has so often been neglected by children of God.

One lesson we may definitely glean from Enoch is this: Judgement Day is coming! God kept His promise to destroy the world by water. In the same way, He will keep Hid promise to destroy the world with fire, when Jesus returns (2 Peter 3:9-13). We need to seek God’s salvation today, while we have opportunity.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son Of God Who died for your sins, was buried, and arose again on the third day? The evidence is clear that these things are true (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life: and no man can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Why not trust in Him today (John 8:24)?

Are you willing to make Him the Lord and Savior of your life today? Repentance is where we make the decision to stop living for ourselves and to start living for Him Who died for us and arose again (2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus said that if we do not repent of our sins, we will perish (Luke 13:3). Will you begin following Him today?

Will you have the courage to confess that Jesus Christ is the Son Of God? Timothy made this good confession (1 Timothy 6:12-16). The eunuch had to confess that Jesus Christ is the Son Of God (Acts 8:37). That good confession is one that we make continually, beginning at baptism and continuing on till the day we die (Romans 10:9-17).

Have you been baptized into Christ to have your sins forgiven? That’s what the Word Of God says we must do to be saved (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Will you not today be buried with Christ in the watery grave, arising to walk in newness of life as your sins are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb (Romans 6:3-4)?

We must be faithful to death to inherit Heaven (Revelation 2:10), but faithful doesn’t mean perfect. Christians will struggle with sin (Hebrews 4:15-16; 12:1-2). When we sin, the Lord offers forgiveness when we repent and pray to Him (1 John 1:9).

Why not obey Him today?

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.