1 Peter 1:25 ... the word of the
Lord endureth for ever...
Aurelius Baptist Church 4419 W. Barnes Rd.
(517) 628-2085 Mason, MI 48854
Grace Extended
Bible Study....Enoch,
the Translated Saint
God’s love reaches out to you and when God’s love touches your need, we call it Grace.
"For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ... "
(Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV)
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen."
(Hebrews 11:1)
Faith: Assurance, title-deed Substance: Seen and unseen Evidence: Proof, conviction
2. ENOCH THE RAPTURED SAINT
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....
[Hebrews 11:5; Genesis 5:21-24; Jude 14, 15]
The historical account of Enoch is given in only nine verses in the Bible: Genesis, Hebrews, and Jude. He was unique among the men of faith. Enoch and Noah are the only men of whom it was written, "they walked with God." Enoch and Elijah were the only two men in the Old Testament who were translated into heaven. Enoch left earth in the prime of life when he was only 365 years old.
For 300 years, he walked uprightly before the Lord. He was also a prophet of God who spoke of the end-time judgment of Christ.
"Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam prophesied ... saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in ungodly ways, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him’" [Jude 14, 15].
Enoch was not protected from the perils and daily problems of life, yet he valued God’s favor more than anything this world could offer him, and he used his time on earth to glorify God. He taught the world by his life. Enoch was not perfect. He could have rebelled just as easily as the next man. But the character of the man is easily seen because he centered his faith on God and because he determined within himself to walk with God. It is not natural and it is not easy to be a Christian. Enoch found the strength he needed through his faith, and was rewarded with a close, personal relationship with the Lord, his God.
As with Adam, God walked and talked with Enoch. In response to Enoch’s godly life, God extended him grace and translated him from earth to heaven. He did not see death. We understand that he was changed (glorified) in body, soul and spirit when he was taken away, for Scripture tells us that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" [1 Corinthians 15:50-55]. "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ... for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God" [Hebrews 11:5].
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot [are not able to] inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; [secret] We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible [in His likeness], and we shall be changed . For this corruptible [mortal flesh] must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory." O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?....But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ [1 Corinthians 15:50-55; Isaiah 25:8, 9 KJV].
Faith is trust in the unseen. It is not trust in the unknown, for we may know by faith what we cannot see with the eye. Faith is the ultimate complement to the one we love. Faith gives assurance and evidence that the certainty of that which is not seen is the ultimate reality. The testimony of those who have believed "by faith" in things not seen is endless.
[References: Hebrews 11:3; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:7]
Enoch was the first (inauguration) of those who, by faith, walk with God into eternal life–if not by death, then by translation (rapture). This is the beginning of the biblical theology of life after death. Enoch’s experience teaches that God walks with those who by faith have become the righteousness of Christ.
Eternal life (the gift of salvation by faith) is demonstrated through obedience to the will and purpose of God in the daily life of a believer. A lump of clay can never grow into a beautiful and useful vessel until, in the hands of the potter, it is fashioned into that for which it has been designed.
".... can I not do with you as this potter?" says the Lord.
"Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand...." (Jer. 18).
"God is not limited to working with our strengths (2 Cor. 12:9-10). He can mold us into whatever kind of instrument He requires. When God’s assignment demands humility, he finds a servant willing to be humbled.... God is looking for compliant, moldable, yielded clay.... If your tendency is to tell the Father what you can and cannot do for Him, submit to His agenda and allow Him to shape you into the person He wants you to be. Like Clay."
[Experiencing God Day-By-Day, Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, p. 6, 1997.]
There were two ladies whose profession of faith in Christ Jesus was a joyful and exciting blessing to their lives. One lady supposed that the Lord had called her to some great service and she plunged head-long into Christian service. Shortly thereafter, her husband lost all his money and she found herself shut up at home attending to all sort of domestic duties with little or no time left for Gospel work. She accepted her situation with as much enthusiasm and zeal as she had her Christian endeavors. She swept, dusted, baked and sewed as "unto the Lord." Later when the crisis passed, God made her into a vessel "meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work."
The other lady also expected to go forth into some great work for the Lord. But her life was altered because she had two invalid children who demanded all of her time and energy. Unlike the first lady, she was resentful, often fretting and complaining to the Lord and others about the situation. In rebellion she lost her blessing and became indifferent to the things of God. If she had understood, as the first lady, that the Divine purpose of God is accomplished only by trusting in His perfect knowledge and grace, she would have been molded into a useful and purposeful vessel instead of a vessel marred and unsuitable for the Master’s use.
[The Christian’s Secret of A Happy Life, Hannah Whitall Smith, 1883.]
As moves my fragile bark across the storm-swept sea,
Great waves beat o’er her side, as north wind blows;
Deep in the darkness hid lie threat’ning rocks and shoals’
But all of these, and more, my Pilot knows.
Sometimes when dark the night, and every light gone out,
I wonder to what port my frail ship goes;
Still though the night be long, and restless all my hours,
My distant goal, I’m sure, my Pilot knows.
— Thomas Curtis Clark
Enoch is an example of the raptured believer who is alive when Christ returns to earth to establish His kingdom. He taught us what God requires of those who walk with Him:
Righteousness: "The Lord knows the way of the righteous" (Psalm 1:6). Enoch’s life teaches that we should have more than a casual interest in the life hereafter.
Faith: His life teaches us that we should constantly seek to walk in holiness before God, ever seeking His counsel and fully trusting in His love and ability to do what is best. True faith can survive the darkest hours and live through the hardest tests of time.
Eternal Life: His translation teaches us that there is an eternal destiny. Man’s daily choices will determine if that destiny is eternal life in heaven or eternal separation from God in hell.
Regardless of how long we live, we will never achieve perfection. Only Christ, through the Holy Spirit, can change us from what we are to what God wants us to be. To change, means that we will have to yield to the Lordship of Christ by asking Him to save our sin-sick souls and to take control of our lives that we might become more and more like Him. Only this step of faith will secure eternal life.
By faith, we will one day walk before our God in moral purity. What an honor it will be to hear Jesus, our Lord and Savior says, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord" [Matthew 25:21 KJV].
You can commit your life to Jesus any time and any where. Here is a simple prayer to help you become a Christian.
Dear Lord Jesus:
I know that I am a sinner. I believe you died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I receive you as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me.........In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
-End-