The Book of the Prophet Enoch Revealed, Part Two

Leaving out the fragments of writings by Noah that found their way into the Book of the Prophet Enoch, the middle sections of the book set the stage for the final two sections. In the fourth section, Enoch describes a sweeping vision of the things to come. This vision covers all of human history as well as what is yet ahead of us. It is surprisingly clear on current conditions of human society and warns of the coming end of human rule over the physical creation. God warns that, if left to ourselves, we will destroy ourselves and all life in the universe. This is, of course, the primary goal of the dead Nephalim.

One interesting note is that Enoch wrote the oldest condemnation of birth control practices, including abortion, in surviving literature. Chapter 98, verse 5, “And barrenness has not been given to the woman, /But on account of the deeds of her own hands she dies without children.” In the days this was written, and for thousands of years thereafter, a woman was an object of shame when she did not bear children. The very idea of a woman being childless by choice must have been scandalous when Enoch wrote this.

The sixth chapter of Enoch is almost word-for-word quoted in the sixth chapter of Genesis. Enoch wrote, “And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born to them comely daughters. And the angels, the children of 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.’” The two books separate in their narratives at this point. Enoch follows the ‘Watchers,’ while Genesis follows the divine point of view. Most reference works mention the genealogy in Gen 5:18-24 as being from the Book of the Prophet Enoch, but it is not a direct quotation.

Many of the prophetic visions in the Old Testament are near parallels to the vision of Enoch in his book. Daniel’s vision in chapter seven is a good example. Daniel’s vision is more specific to the four empires of the ancient world, while Enoch’s vision is more sweeping and covers all of human history from the flood to the judgment. My recommendation is to read the Book of the Prophet Enoch for yourself, and you will see that the mentions of Enoch in the Old and New Testaments are not necessarily quotations from his book. The real quotations are often missed by these books.

The most direct quotation from Enoch is by the Apostle Jude. In the fourteenth verse Jude quotes Enoch 1:9. The full poetic passage is gloriously uplifting for all people of faith. If you are a believer, I highly recommend you read Enoch 1:3-9 for comfort whenever the depredations of the wicked get you down.

The Book of the Prophet Enoch is a valuable book of the Old Testament, with even more references to the person of Jesus Christ than any other Old Testament book. I intend to go through and make a restoration of the work to the traditional wording of the rest of the Bible. When I do so, I shall make it available to all my readers.