Lessons from 'Saints of the Past' Saturday, Bi-Monthly Series; 'Enoch', Post 1 of 3, September 1, 2018​

Welcome my Friends. 

Please come in and have a seat.  Over the past few days I have been remembering and studying - different 'persons' of the Holy Bible.  And, the Lord, I believe, has laid on my heart to do a a 'new' 'bi-monthly'  'Saturday Series', 'Characters of the Holy Bible'.

Remember, as I am always remembering, that what is written at 1 Corinthians 10:11, to wit: 'Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.'  We can learn from 'Characters of the Holy Bible'.

So, let us start with - 'Enoch', A 'Saint'  [Genesis 4:17; 5:18]  audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html
Post 1 of 3; Saturday, September 1, 2018; An Overview
Post 2 of 3, Saturday, September 15, 2018; What was the nature of his religion and the scope and tenor of his conversation, or life?
Post 3 of 3, Saturday, September 29, 2018;His glorious removal to a better world.   

At the beginning, let me say this - Enoch draws a lot of attention due to the mystery surrounding him. Far too much speculation has gone into how and why God took Enoch away. Let us study what we can about Enoch, but instead of conjecturing, let us be seeking to follow Enoch’s example by being men and women who walk faithfully with God and seek to please Him with our lives.  This, I believe is the major 'significance' for the story of Enoch being in the Holy Bible.  We see - the rewards for trust and obedience.

Enoch is mentioned in Genesis 5:18, where we find from the Bible significant information about him. Enoch was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Adam. Genesis 5:22–24 says, 'After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.'    audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html

From Hebrews 11:5, we get a little more detail, to wit: 'By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away.’ For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.'

{Notice these key words - 'by faith'; 'taken from this life'; 'did not experience death'; 'could not be found'; 'God had taken him', all because - 'he pleased God', 'walking by faith'.  THIS IS THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING ABOUT - ENOCH.  God is not partial.  He is always pleased with those who 'have faith', and 'walk with Him'.  Pleasing God is, or should be, the goal of all believers—all who call upon the name of Christ for salvation. [Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13]  The requirements for all who want to please God are that they must [a]seek God by faith, [b]walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, and [c]walk worthy of our calling in obedience and submission to the will of God. These things may seem impossible to do, but God wants us to please Him, and He makes it possible for us to please Him. We do these things by the power of His Spirit who lives in our hearts.} 
[See more at John 14:15; Romans 8:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; Hebrews 10:38]

Paul reminds the believers in Rome that 'they who are in the flesh cannot please God' [Romans 8:8]. So the first step in pleasing God is to accept the sacrifice for sin that He provided in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Only then are we 'in the Spirit' and not 'in the flesh.' [John 3] We do this by faith because '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'  [Hebrews 11:6]. Let us continue, therefore.​

audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html

This being 'taken away' [Hebrews 11:5], is what Enoch is most famous for. Only two people in the Bible are said to have been chosen by God to escape death, Enoch and later, the Prophet Elijah.

[On your own, please see the following with respect to the life, works, and ascension of Elijah. 1 Kings 17:1-7;8-24; 18:1-2; 7-16;17-18; 19-40; 41-46; 19:1-16; 21:17-29; and including His Ascent to Heaven, 2 Kings 1-17; 2:1-15;3:11;9:36; 10:10,17; Malachi 4:5{fulfilled with John the Baptist, Matthew 11:14; 17:11-13; Mark 9:9-13; Luke 1:5-17; 7:33}audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html]

Enoch appears to have been given this privilege, [not 'right', but by the sheer 'choice' of God, through His grace and mercy; who owes no one, anything], due to being a man who walked faithfully with God [Genesis 5:24] and pleased God [Hebrews 11:5].

For what purpose was Enoch taken away? The Bible does not specifically say. The most common assumption is so that he could serve as one of the two witnesses, alongside Elijah, in the end times. [Revelation Chapter 11]

There are also three pseudepigraphal books using Enoch’s name, with 1 Enoch being the most well known, often referred to as the Book of Enoch. None of the pseudepigraphal books of Enoch were actually written by the biblical Enoch. However, since the biblical book of Jude quotes from 1 Enoch and attributes the quotation to the biblical Enoch (Jude 14), at least that one small prophecy must be truly attributable to the biblical Enoch.

Let us do some 'self-examinations', [2 Corinthians 13:5-7], considering as we go through these three posts over the next six [6] weeks, our own walk with God.  As we learn about Enoch, let us be asking of our selves this one question, 'Am I walking faithfully with God, pleasing Him with my faith and obedience?'  For truly '11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.' [Romans 13:11-14]   Amen. Amen. ​

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