The Falsehood of Religious Individualism

Did you know that rugged individualism is a political concept used to excuse a rich person’s lack of alms? In the late 1800’s it became the primary tenet of the Republican party’s platforms. In this theory, every person has to make his own way and solve his own problems without help or interference from outside of himself. This concept eventually infiltrated American Protestant churches to the point that every person was deemed competent to come up with his own interpretation of the scriptures. The rapid proliferation of Protestant denominations in the twentieth century bear witness to this fact. It has gotten to the point where each church goer is a denomination unto himself, and there is not even a semblance of unity in the American Protestant church.

More heinous is the logical extension of the religious form of rugged individualism. If every person has his own opinion on the scripture, and each is equally valid as any other, then what is to say that other religions are not also equally valid? I am not saying there is no value in any other religious faith than Christianity. But if two competing ideologies contradict one another, how can they be equally valid? There is some value in any form of faith, and God can use any religion to draw people to Himself. But that statement does not include the concept of equal validity to all forms of religious faith.

Jesus said, “I am the way (the road or path), the truth and the light. No man (or woman) comes to the Father but by Me.” That is in direct contradiction to the Hindu idea that all paths lead equally to God. Yet this concept of rugged individualism has so permeated the American religious scene that people give equal weight to Pagan and Eastern religions as to Christianity and the Jewish faith from which it derives. “The Lord your God is a jealous God.” “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” These statements cannot be merely ignored for political correctness. Yet we tend to do so out of a rebellion against God and His Plan of Salvation.

What is the danger in this? For those who know no better, there is little danger, because Saint Paul wrote that all persons will be judged by what they know. But it is hard to imagine someone in the United States of America, Canada or Mexico who has not at least heard the Good News of Salvation in Jesus Christ. Anyone who rejects that Gospel, once they’ve heard and understood its implications, rejects the One Who made that Plan in the first place, and the Name of the Plan is Jesus.

No honest philosopher will argue against that logic, although there are many who are not even honest with themselves. Two competing and opposite claims cannot be equally valid. To say that the statement of Jesus that no other way exists to be saved is equally valid with the statement that all ways are equally true is illogical babbling that is not worth the air it takes to make the noise.

Think about it, and be honest with yourself.

The Spiritual Aspects of Addiction

Today I am making a change of pace to give a warning to any of my readers who may think there’s nothing wrong with recreational drugs. I hope this is a wake up call. My neighbor has been fighting an addiction to methamphetamine for years. Last month she fell off the wagon just once, a little bit to celebrate the holidays. Her kidneys totally shut down for three days, and if I had not intervened to get her into the hospital, she would have died by December fifth. She has just been released from the hospital to a physical rehabilitation facility. Needless to say, her holidays were anything but pleasant.

Why did my neighbor fail in her fight against this addiction? She doesn’t realize the spiritual aspects of the battle. Friends, this is war. The spirits of dead Nephalim are out to kill you or drag you into their own punishment. The battleground for this war is the minds and souls of all humanity. There are casualties in this war, sometimes unwanted collateral casualties. But no one can be neutral. The enemy of your soul will take that as an invitation to attack.

Addiction is one of the ways these demonic spirits drag humanity to our doom. Drugs that weaken the ties between the physical senses and the soul are a gateway to the realm of the spirit. These drugs include hallucinogens, euphorics, depressants, stimulants and any other mind-altering agents. Do not be deceived by hyperbole from the pushers and users. These drugs were originally discovered by shaman in the distant past and used for their ability to open the user to the realm of the spirit. If you open yourself to the realm of the spirit without any form of spiritual protection, the spirits who want to kill you will be happy to infest your soul, and they’re always right there to greet you when you take that little trip.

The use of recreational drugs is equivalent to opening the doors of your home whenever you go to sleep, allowing any and all undesirable elements to enter and pillage, and even do you physical harm. Your soul is your fortress. By keeping watch, you can exclude those spiritual enemies that wish you harm. But when you leave the gates of your fortress open and unguarded, expect the enemies to sortie into your demesne. You cannot defend yourself if you open yourself to such attack.

There are safe and reliable means to enter the realm of the spirit without endangering your self that way. No one needs to take drugs to experience the alterations of the mind. But most seekers who reject those methods do so because they reject God. The foolishness of this rejection becomes apparent when you examine the motives of the two sides in this spiritual war. God created you out of love, and love is His only motive. His desire is to enable your growth to the fullest extent of your potential. The Nephalim and their parents want nothing less than to hurt God by destroying what He loves, you. Their only motives are spite and hate. Why would anyone embrace the one that wishes his doom, while rejecting the One Who loves him? Yet that is exactly what is going on in the use of recreational drugs.

If you have become addicted to such drugs, realize that there is not only physical and mental aspects to this addiction, but a spiritual aspect as well. You can’t defeat the spirits arrayed against you on your own. Neither can God defeat the spirits fighting within your own soul without your cooperation. If you would win the battle against addiction, surrender your soul to the only General Who can marshal the troops to win. Give your life over to the service of your Creator, and He will aid you in the war.

I am not suggesting that the simple recitation of a formulaic prayer will end all your spiritual battles, far from it. This is war! But only by joining the army of God can victory be yours. The fight is a long one. And the enemy never rests until the end.

 2017.

A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Enoch, Part 14

Now we come to a place where Enoch starts naming the archangels who were his guides in the realm of the spirit. The first five are in this chapter.

20.1 And these are the names of the Holy Angels who keep watch.
20.2 Uriel, one of the Holy Angels; namely the Holy Angel of the Spirits of Men.
20.4 Raguel, one of the Holy Angels; who takes vengeance on the world, and on the lights.
20.5 Michael, one of the Holy Angels, namely the one put in charge of the best part of humankind, in charge of the nation.
20.6 Saraqael, one of the Holy Angels; who is in charge of the spirits of men who cause the spirits to sin.
20.7 Gabriel, one of the Holy Angels, who is in charge of the Serpents, and the Garden, and the Cherubim.

If you add Phanuel, Raphael and Remiel, you will have the complete list of archangels as revealed in the Book of the Prophet Enoch. We shall see these last three introduced later. These eight are the most faithful of God’s angels, and as such He has given them more power (δύναμις) and authority (͗εξούσια) than the other angels. They have charge of thousands of other angels to assist them in the tasks God has set for them. If when you pray, you call upon them by name, you can enlist their aid in your spiritual struggles too.

In a past post on this blog, Ol’ Fuzzy published a prayer of invocation of the eight Archangels named in the Book of the Prophet Enoch. I am republishing the entire post here:

One of the photos I posted to my Facebook timeline is a prayer I wrote to invoke the eight archangels revealed by the book of Enoch. I have no doubt of the existence of such beings. The Eastern Orthodox Church lists several choirs of angels including for example seraphim, cherubim, archangels angels, throwns and more. The day to day messengers of Heaven are the angels, beings of pure spirit and the power of God behind them.

On the other side of the coin are fallen angels, who followed the anointed cherub into rebellion against God. There’s also a separate group of angels who had been appointed by God to oversee the nascent human society, but took advantage of the physical bodies given to them by God to have sexual relations with women and beget children who were hybrid aberrations. The “watchers,” as the translator of the book of Enoch renders it, are no longer having any direct effect on humanity, because they are being held incommunicado in a place of imprisonment where God withholds His presence.

But by far the most dangerous enemies of humanity are not these angels, who are beings of pure spirit, but the offspring of the watchers. These beings are not a part of God’s plan of creation. They are not welcome in Heaven. So they are confined to the Earth. The reason for the flood in the Bible, according to Enoch, is the existence of these of these Nephalim who were enslaving, oppressing and killing humans all across the Earth. And now they’re dead, but not gone.

Being half human, these Nephalim have souls just as we do, but with angelic spirits. As I said before, the human soul bridges the realms of matter and spirit. But unlike humans, Nephalim are barred from Heaven because they’re not of God, from God or in the image of God. This brings out huge resentments between these Nephs and humanity. Face it they hate us. They want us dead. They have all the power of a human soul, and four and a half thousand years of practice in using it.

That is why God has given His angels charge over His chosen. They are sent to protect us from the fallen angels, yes. But more important, they help us resist the Nephalim. I have developed the prayer if invocation of the Archangels as an acknowledgment of their assistance, and a plea for their specific aid within their realms of responsibility. Enoch lays out these realms of responsibility and I will try to explain them as I understand it.

Michael, whose name means “Who Is Like God,” is the warrior of the Archangels. Michael is associated with the East. He leads several legions of lessor angels in battle on our behalf. I invoke Michael for protection, especially from spiritual evil. When invoking Michael, I face East and say, “Holy Archangel Michael, protect me from all harm, spiritual, emotional and physical.”

Raphael, whose name means “Healing of God,” is the physician of the Archangels. He is responsible for delivering the healing and wellness God has ordained for us. Raphael is associated with the South. He leads angels who know how to eliminate the spiritual causes of physical and mental illnesses. I invoke Raphael for health and wellness of my spirit, mind and body. When invoking Raphael, I face South and say, “Holy Archangel Raphael, bring God’s healing to my body, soul and spirit.”

Gabriel, whose name means “Man of God,” is the herald of the Archangels. He is responsible for delivering the revelation of God to humanity. Gabriel is associated with the West. When I invoke Gabriel, I face West and say, “Holy Archangel Gabriel, enlighten me with God’s wisdom in my heart.”

Uriel, whose name means “Flame of God,” is the executioner of the Archangels. Often called the Angel of Death, he is responsible for removing the physical life of those whom God has deemed must die. He also aids us in ridding ourselves of those habits of sin of which we wish to be rid. Uriel is associated with the North. When I invoke Uriel, I face North and say, “Holy Archangel Uriel, remove that which is sin from within me.”

Raguel, whose name means “Friend of God,” is the Archangel in charge of the stars and planets. He is associated with the sky. When invoking Raguel, I turn to the East and look up and say, “Holy Archangel Raguel, guard my thoughts from error from above.”

Saraqael, whose name appears only in the book of Enoch and doesn’t appear in my dictionary, is the prison warden of the Archangels. Enoch writes he is in charge of the prison where the watchers are held until the day of judgment. He is associated with the underworld. When invoking Saraqael, I look down and say, “Holy Archangel Saraqael, guard my feelings from temptation from below.”

Phanuel, whose name means “Face of God,” is the Archangel in charge of repentance. He assists us to align our thoughts with the will of God. When I invoke the Archangel Phanuel, I look inward and say, “Holy Archangel Phanuel, assist me to repent and change the way I think.”

Remiel, who is only named in the Book of Enoch and therefore not in my dictionary, is the Archangel in charge of resurrection. When I invoke the Archangel Remiel, I look through to Heaven and say, “Holy Archangel Remiel, raise my soul to the thrown of grace.”

I had posted a photo of this prayer on my timeline on Facebook. But I am reprinting it below for all those who do not follow me on Facebook. I use this as a lead in to my daily prayers, so I can have angelic assistance when I pray.

Holy Archangel Michael, protect me from all harm, physical, mental and spiritual.

Holy Archangel Raphael, bring God’s healing to my body, soul and spirit.

Holy Archangel Gabriel, enlighten me with God’s wisdom in my heart.

Holy Archangel Uriel, remove that which is sin from withing me.

Holy Archangel Raguel, guard my thoughts from error from above.

Holy Archangel Saraqael, guard my feelings from temptation from below.

Holy Archangel Phanuel, assist me to repent and change the way I think

Holy Archangel Remiel, raise my soul to the thrown of grace.

Holy angels of God, surround me.

Holy angels of God, defend me.

Holy angels of God, pray for me to the Lord our God for forgiveness of my sins.

I use this prayer of invocation every time I set down to pray in any form, for protection in the realm of the spirit as well as the realm of matter. I urge all Christians to use the authority given to us by Jesus to invoke these powerful aides in your own spiritual battles. These beings were created by God for the purpose of ministering, and given charge by Him to minister to us.

Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until there is enough traffic on the blogs to interest advertisers (20,000 hits per month). If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. First, share, share, share. The more people who know about the blogs, the more who will visit them. And you can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Enoch, Part 13

The rest of Enoch’s vision of the watchers is an explanation from the Holy Archangel Uriel. It’s quite short, so I may do some of chapter twenty too.

19.1 And Uriel said to me: 'The spirits of the Angels who were promiscuous with women will stand here; and they, assuming many forms, made men unclean and will lead men astray so that they sacrifice to demons as gods. And they will stand there until the great judgment day, on which they will be judged, so that an end will be made of them.
19.2 And their wives, having led astray the Angels of Heaven, will become peaceful
19.3 And I, Enoch, alone saw the sight, the ends of everything; and no man has seen what I have seen.

Uriel is sometimes referred to as The Angel of Death, because God supposedly sent him to Egypt to slay the firstborn of every household where the doorposts were not marked by the blood of the lamb. Uriel gives Enoch a clue to the identity of the many formed idols and demons that plague the world. The watchers that rebelled were able to change their form into whatever they desired. Humans being gullible and innocent, were easy to fool with the smoke and mirrors of these illusions. He also shows the purpose of the watchers, just like any politician, is to be worshiped by the common humans that lived on the Earth in those days, just as it is for their offspring today.

Don’t be fooled by lying spirits that only want your destruction. There is only One worthy of your worship, the One Who created all that is. If you allow yourself to be fooled into worshiping these dead spirits, dead in more ways than one, you risk the death of your own spirit and the eternal separation of your soul from the presence of the Most High God. Since God is the source of all life, eternal separation from Him is the worst kind of death.

I realize that today’s post is a bit short, but I wanted to get one on the board today, and there wasn’t enough time to do a large passage. The coming week is going to be a busy on for Ol’ Fuzzy, so the posts will also be short for a while.

Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until there is enough traffic on the blogs to interest advertisers (20,000 hits per month). If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. First, share, share, share. The more people who know about the blogs, the more who will visit them. And you can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Enoch, Part 12

Now let’s pay attention to the sights Enoch reports seeing on his spiritual journey.

18.1 And I saw the storehouses of all the winds, and I saw how with them He has adorned all creation, and I saw the foundations of the Earth.
18.2 And I saw the cornerstone of the Earth. And I saw the four winds which support the Earth and the Sky.
18.3 And I saw how the winds stretch out the height of Heaven, and how they position themselves between Heaven and Earth; they are the Pillars of Heaven.
18.4 And I saw the winds which turn the sky and cause the disc of the Sun and all the stars to set.
18.5 And I saw the winds on the Earth which support the clouds and I saw the paths of the Angels. I saw at the end of the Earth; the firmament of Heaven above.
18.6 And I went towards the south, and it was burning day and night, where there were seven mountains Of precious stones, three towards the east and three towards the south.
18.7 And those towards the east were of coloured stone, and one was of pearl, and one of healing stone; and those towards the south, of red stone.
18.8 And the middle one reached to Heaven, like the throne of the Lord, of stibium, and the top of the throne was of sapphire.
18.9 And I saw a burning fire, and what was in all the mountains.
18.10 And I saw a place there, beyond the great earth; there the waters gathered together.
18.11 And I saw a deep chasm of the earth, with pillars of heavenly fire, and I saw among them fiery pillars of Heaven, which were falling, and as regards both height and depth, they were immeasurable.
18.12 And beyond this chasm, I saw a place, and it had neither the sky above it, nor the foundation of earth below it; there was no water on it, and no birds, but it was a desert place.
18.13 And a terrible thing I saw there, seven stars, like great burning mountains.
18.14 And like a spirit questioning me, the Angel said: 'This is the place of the end of Heaven and Earth; this is the prison for the Stars of Heaven and the Host of Heaven.
18.15 And the stars which roll over the fire, these are the ones which transgressed the command of the Lord, from the beginning of their rising, because they did not come out at their proper times.
18.16 And He was angry with them, and bound them until the time of the consummation of their sin, in the Year of Mystery."

This passage is filled with metaphor. Remember, Enoch is not giving us a lesson in astrophysics, but a description of what he saw in the spiritual realm. So we can’t criticize him for his poor understanding of physical cosmology, he wasn’t in the physical world at the time. Verses one to five are an overview of the trip to the place of imprisonment for the angels who transgressed against God. In another translation, the seven mountains in verses six ans seven are said to be made of metal. That was the basis for Hermetic alchemy. The alchemists claim that the metals each represent stages of spiritual awakening and growth. But anyone who thinks he can make himself like God without divine intervention is fooling himself in the first place. This hubris was the sin of Lucifer.

Verses eight and nine describe the throne of God. Apparently the stibium is the transliteration of the Ethiopian Coptic word for the Hebrew word shaboath. One of the titles of the Most High God is Lord of Shaboath, which we translate into the Lord of Hosts. The burning fire is a good metaphor for the ever luminescent brilliance of the uncreated light of God. This is the light that shone from Jesus on Mount Tabor in Judea when He was transfigured in the Gospels at the Feast of Tabernacles.

Verse eleven contains a description of angels in their natural form, ‘pillars of heavenly fire.’ Remember Enoch’s description of angels in the previous chapter changing form a form of fire into an androgynous form. So the pillars of fire he saw standing around to chasm are the legions of Saraqael, the guardian of the abyss. The pillars he saw falling from Heaven are the angels being cast into prison to await judgment in the Day of Judgment. The book interprets itself if you pay attention.

The strange turn of phrase in verse eighteen, ‘like a spirit questioning me,’ should probably be rendered ‘like an angel teaching me.’ The practice of teaching by asking the student questions is far older than Socrates and his Academy. We still use this method of teaching in the older catechisms of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The wordκατεχίσμος from which we get our English word catechism is Greek for teaching with questions and answers.

Enoch is the first author to refer to angels as stars of heaven. In their natural form, angels shine bright like stars and heaven is another word for sky. So the metaphor fits quite naturally. He tells us the things the angel said about those angels in the abyss or chasm. They are bound until the ‘Day of the Consummation of their sin in the Year of Mystery.’ Why is it called the Year of Mystery? God has not revealed to anyone when that judgment shall be, only that it is coming. Therefore, the exact time remains a mystery until it arrives. We have been given signs to watch for, but dates and hours are not in the prophecies.

It is obvious from this passage that this spiritual chasm, this abyss, was not created for humanity. But God will allow humans to go there if they really want to get away from Him. I do not see the separation of those who hate God from His presence as a vindictive punishment, but rather as a mercy for those who cannot abide in the eternal presence of absolute holiness and purest love. Hell, the place Dante wrote about, is mostly fictitious. The fires of hell are the despair and loathing of the ones who are sent there. And the description that Jesus Gave is echoed in Enoch’s description, ‘outer darkness where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.’

Since this is not the planned end for humanity, why would anyone willingly put himself there? If you are in rebellion to the Creator of the universes, it’s past time for you to change the way you think. Repent and reunite with the One Who loves you enough to die for you salvation from the bondage of sin and death. You don’t have to slide down the slippery slope of the chasm. You can climb the middle mountain to the very throne of the Most High. It’s your choice.

Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until there is enough traffic on the blogs to interest advertisers (20,000 hits per month). If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. First, share, share, share. The more people who know about the blogs, the more who will visit them. And you can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Enoch, Part 11

We saw Enoch’s dream vision of God’s answer to the petition of the watchers. So where does Enoch go next?

17.1 And they took me to a place where they were like burning fire, and, when they wished, they made themselves look like men.
17.2 And they led me to a place of storm, and to a mountain, the tip of whose summit reached to Heaven.
17.3 And I saw lighted places, and thunder in the outermost ends, in its depths a bow Of fire, and arrows and their quivers, and a sword Of fire, and all the flashes of lightning.
17.4 And they took me to the Water of Life, as it is called, and to the Fire of the West, which receives every setting of the Sun.
17.5 And I came to a river of fire, whose fire flows like water, and pours out into the Great Sea, which is towards the west.
17.6 And I saw all the great rivers, and I reached the Great Darkness, and went where all flesh walks.
17.7 And I saw the Mountains of the Darkness of Winter and the place where the water of all the deeps pours out.
17.8 And I saw the mouths of all the rivers of the Earth, and the mouth of the deep.

Enoch says the watchers or some other angels with him took him on a spiritual walkabout. The angels at first appeared to Enoch as beings of fire. This is obviously their normal spiritual form. In the realm of the spirit, form is mutable, people take the form they normally associate with themselves unless they have learned, like the angels, to take on an alternate form of their own choosing. Spiritual form is a function of self image.

This commentator is unsure if Enoch is giving an overview here of a later passage or describing a separate vision. Either way, he tells of a trip that he took in the spirit world to explore spiritual topology. This is something Enoch did many times with different angels at different times. Each time Enoch saw something different. Many commentators have tried to interpret the visions with esoteric systems of symbology that satisfy their personal agendas. My agenda is to promote the book on its own face and not read anything else into it.

The people who try to put some physical meaning to the spiritual visions are either denying the reality of the spiritual world or the veracity of the book. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that magic and spell craft are fake. But I believe that if you take Enoch at his word, you will understand the grave spiritual and psychoid dangers of using any magic system, because they’re all beholden to the spirits of dead Nephalim. Instead of placing magic based metaphors over the things Enoch saw let’s interpret Enoch’s visions in the light of God’s subsequent revelation to humanity and the rest of the book that tries to explain these things.

Enoch didn’t try to wander around the spirit world without a guide from that world. Modern shaman always use a spirit guide. My caveat is that you must be careful to vett your spirit guide most carefully. Enoch’s guides were all angels from Heaven. Today there are many spirits who clamor for the attention of the spiritual traveler. Do not let yourself be deceived by the spirits of dead Nephalim or fallen angels. These entities desire nothing less that the eradication of humanity. Why would you trust your spiritual safety to a spirit who wants you dead? Instead, place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and the angels who serve Him. They want you to grow to your fullest spiritual potential.

Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until there is enough traffic on the blogs to interest advertisers (20,000 hits per month). If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. First, share, share, share. The more people who know about the blogs, the more who will visit them. And you can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

A Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Enoch, Part 10

We saw Enoch travel to the place in the spirit realm where the watchers are confined and deliver God’s message of rebuke, then in turn write down their petition for mercy which he then delivered to God in prayer and received a vision in his dream that night that there could be no mercy for the watchers. What happens next? Enoch goes into greater detail on the specifics of the trip and the message.

14.1 This book is the word of righteousness, and of reproof, for the Watchers who are from Eternity; as the Holy and Great One commanded in that vision.
14.21 saw in my sleep what I will now tell, with the tongue of flesh, and with my breath, which the Great One has given men in the mouth, so that they might speak with it, and understand with the heart.
14.3 As He has created, and appointed, men to understand the word Of knowledge, so He created and appointed me to reprove the Watchers, the sons of Heaven.
14.4 And I wrote out your petition, but in my vision, thus it appeared, that your petition would not be granted to you, for all the days of eternity; and complete judgment has been decreed against you, and you will not have peace.
14.5 And from now on, you will not ascend into Heaven, for all eternity, and it has been decreed that you will be bound on Earth for all the days of eternity.
14.6 And before this, you will have seen the destruction of your beloved sons, and you will not be able to enjoy them, but they will fall before you by the sword.
14.7 And your petition will not be granted in respect of them or in respect of yourselves. And while you weep and supplicate you do not speak a single word from the writings which I have written.
14.8 And the vision appeared to me, as follows: - Behold; clouds called me in the vision, and mist called me. And the path of the stars, and flashes of lightning, hastened me and drove me. And in the vision winds caused me to fly, and hastened me, and lifted me up into the Sky.
14.9 And I proceeded until I came near a wall which was made of hailstones, and a tongue of fire surrounded it, and it began to make me afraid.
14.10 And I went into the tongue of fire and came near to a large house, which was built of hailstones, and the wall of that house was like a mosaic of hailstones and its floor was snow.
14.11 Its roof was like the path of the stars and flashes of lightning, and among them was fiery cherubim, and their sky was like water.
14.12 And there was a fire burning around its wall and its door was ablaze with fire.
14.13 And I went into that house, and it was as hot as fire and as cold as snow, and there was neither pleasure nor life in it. Fear covered me and trembling took hold of me.
14.14 And as I was shaking and trembling, I fell on my face.
14.15 And I saw in the vision, and behold, another house which was larger than the former and all its doors were open before me, and it was built of a tongue of fire.
14.16 And in everything, it so excelled in glory and splendor and size, so that I am unable to describe to you its glory and its size.
14.17 And its floor was fire, and above lightning and the path of the stars, and its roof also was a burning fire.
14.18 And I looked, and I saw in it, a high throne, and its appearance was like ice, and its surrounds like the shining Sun and the sound of cherubim.
14.19 And from underneath the high throne there flowed out rivers of fire so that it was impossible to look at it.
14.20 And He who is Great in Glory sat upon it, and his raiment was brighter than the Sun, and whiter than any snow.
14.21 And no Angel could enter, and at the appearance of the face of Him who is Honoured and Praised, no creature Of flesh could look.
14.22 A sea of fire burnt around Him, and a great fire stood in front of Him, and none of those around Him came near to Him. Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him but He needed no Holy Council.
14.23 And the Holy Ones who were near to Him did not leave by night or day and did not depart from Him.
14.24 And until then I had a covering on my face, as I trembled. And the Lord called me with his own mouth, and said to me: "Come here, Enoch, to my Holy Word."
14.25 And He lifted me up and brought me near to the door. And I looked, with my face down.
15.1 And He answered me, and said to me with His voice: "Hear! Do not be afraid, Enoch, you righteous man, and scribe of righteousness. Come here and hear my voice.
15.2 And go say to the Watchers of Heaven, who sent you to petition on their behalf: You ought to petition on behalf of men, not men on behalf of you.
15.3 Why have you left the High, Holy and Eternal Heaven, and lain with women, and become unclean with the daughters of men, and taken wives for yourselves, and done as the sons of the earth, and begotten giant sons?
15.4 And you were spiritual, Holy, living an eternal life, but you became unclean upon the women, and begot children through the blood of flesh, and lusted after the blood of men, and produced flesh and blood, as they do, who die and are destroyed.
15.5 And for this reason I give men wives; so that they might sow seed in them, and so that children might be born by them, so that deeds might be done on the Earth.
15.6 But you, formerly, were spiritual, living an eternal, immortal life, for all the generations of the world.
15.7 For this reason I did not arrange wives for you; because the dwelling of the spiritual ones is in Heaven.
15.8 And now, the giants who were born from body and flesh will be called Evil Spirits on the Earth, and on the Earth will be their dwelling.
15.9 And evil spirits came out from their flesh, because from above they were created, from the Holy Watchers was their origin and first foundation. Evil spirits they will be on Earth and 'Spirits of the Evil Ones' they will be called.
15.10 And the dwelling of the Spirits of Heaven is Heaven, but the dwelling of the spirits of the Earth, who were born on the Earth, is Earth.
15.11 And the spirits of the giants do wrong, are corrupt, attack, fight, break on the Earth, and cause sorrow. And they eat no food, do not thirst, and am not observed.
15.12 And these spirits will rise against the sons of men, and against the women, because they came out of them during the days of slaughter and destruction.
16.1 And the death of the giants, wherever the spirits have gone out from their bodies, their flesh will be destroyed, before the Judgment. Thus they will be destroyed until the Day of the Great Consummation is accomplished, upon the Great Age, upon the Watchers and the impious
ones. "
16.2 And now to the Watchers, who sent you to petition on their behalf, who were formerly in Heaven:
16.3 "You were in Heaven but its secrets had not yet been revealed to you; and a worthless mystery you knew. This you made known to women, in the hardness of your hearts. And through this mystery the women and the men cause evil to increase on the Earth.
16.4 Say to them therefore: "You will not have peace."

Sometimes typographical errors will crop up in my text version of the Book of the Prophet Enoch because I am using a very simple OCR application that doesn’t quite know how to read. It isn’t state of the art, but you get what you pay for, and it was free.

But let’s look at this huge passage of Enoch’s vision and his travels in the spirit world. Chapter fourteen is spent explaining the trip and the settings in the dream vision. Enoch is nothing if he is not thoroughly descriptive. His lack of reference is often assumed by the scholars who try to interpret the book according to their own theories and conceits. But remember that Enoch already told us the watchers taught men. Among the things taught was the making of glass. So Enoch knew the difference between ice and glass. If you find a commentary in which the scholar tells you that Enoch mistook a glass wall for ice, you can believe the person writing it does not believe in God.

This is a record of Enoch’s report to the watchers on his vision. So these words are the same as heard by the ones awaiting judgment. It is a harsh judgment Enoch reported to them, but they had many advantages that humans do not have. They were resident in Heaven, in the presence of the Most High God. They saw His glory on a regular basis. They knew He has a plan for creation, if not the particulars of that plan. And most of all, they had a commission from God to care for humanity. An interesting note: the Greek word we translate as bishop, ̛επίσκοπος (episcopos) literally means one who watches or looks upon. These angels were to be bishops for humans.

So God actually set the standard we are to follow for wrongdoing by clergy in His judgment of the watchers. Let’s look at that judgment after we examine Enoch’s interpretation of the throne room of God. Enoch said he was called by the clouds and the mist. He was caught up into the sky in his dream vision. And he came to a wall of hailstones surrounded by tongues of fire. There are others who have studied the lore of symbology who can explain better than I the significance of the ice and fire. But my take is that the fire represents the Holy Spirit. I base this on the description of the “tongues of fire” that came upon the five hundred in the upper room of Mark’s mother’s house the Day of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts.

Enoch says he saw a series of houses or structures. Speculation among those who don’t want to believe that Enoch saw a vision of a spiritual reality runs from the mundane to the fantastic. Some scholars speculate that Enoch was taken into a pair of different space ships. I find that concept less credible than the idea of a transcendent being enthroned in Heaven and giving visions to people who love Him. Remember, Enoch tells us that this is a vision within a dream. Enoch was not physically present in Heaven at this time, and people who try to put a physical, material interpretation on this vision are being disingenuous. Some of my readers with a background in interpretation of dreams ought to try their hand at this one, and leave a comment at the end of the blog post so I too can benefit.

Enoch tells us three times and more that he was afraid to look at the face of God. Yet God called him to the throne as he would call a friend or a favorite child. Enoch’s fear in the face of utter holiness is a lesson to us. We act so blaze in the presence of the Most High God that He ought to be offended, but He is not. There is no being in all of creation who has a tenth of the power and majesty of the Creator. Enoch’s trepidation at being in the Presence is justified. We Christians of the modern age ought to remember the meaning of the word reverence.

Let us now look at the meat of the message God gave to Enoch for the watchers, the angels who had been charged with caring for humanity and corrupted humanity instead. God told the watchers through Enoch that they were eternally barred from Heaven, a punishment not even Satan suffers (see Job 2:1). The watchers are imprisoned in a spiritual abyss in the vicinity of Earth, and had to watch their offspring, the Nephalim, kill each other and then the survivors die in the flood. But God says the Nephalim will be known among men as “evil spirits.” I have not seen the Septuagint translation of this passage, and I have no knowledge of the Ethiopian Coptic language that is the only complete version of the book to survive the centuries, but I am sure that the Greek word translated here as evil spirits in the Coptic tongue is the word we translate as demons.

God told the watchers through Enoch that their offspring will be confined to the Earth because they sprung from the Earth. And the watchers who knew holiness and lived in Heaven will have no mercy because they were tempted by physical things even though they were spiritual beings, and they corrupted not only themselves but the very humans they were charged with keeping safe and holy. Both the watchers and their children are here, the former imprisoned until judgment and the latter running amok among humanity, but as demons and not able to directly harm the physical world any more. The mysteries of magic taught by the watchers, while often practical and efficacious, were imperfect because God’s plan for the salvation of humanity is superior. Therefore, God calls them worthless, because they have not the power to save one from the bondage to sin and death.

Perhaps you have made contact with a spirit who promised you great power and wealth if you just follow its instructions. Do not be fooled by those lies. The power may be real, as far as it goes, but the power and wealth are fleeting, temporal and lead to damnation. The greater power of God unto salvation is freely given to all who ask Him in the Name of Jesus Christ. The power to destroy is heady and calls to the nihilist in our sinful souls. But the power to create ex nihilo far surpasses the power to destroy what is already created, and that power is the same as the power that delivers humanity from the bondage of sin and death.

Reject all advances from spirits that tempt you to power and wealth that exist only in this world. The temporary existence of the world in which we live is a limit upon any power that stems from it. The power that formed all worlds on the other hand is eternal, timeless and never-ending. Receive that power instead.

Ol’ Fuzzy is not employable and was denied for disability benefits. The only thing I have is the blogs. But I don’t qualify for ads on the blogs until there is enough traffic on the blogs to interest advertisers (20,000 hits per month). If you like the scribbles I post, please help me keep it going. First, share, share, share. The more people who know about the blogs, the more who will visit them. And you can leave me a gratuity by dropping a buck or two in Ol' Fuzzy's Tip Jar. This is a PayPal account I opened on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.