Embrace the Faith of Enoch, a Man Who Never Died

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Embrace the Faith of Enoch, a Man Who Never Died

Enoch was a man of God whose life was one of great commitment and servitude to the Lord. While on earth and living in his earthly body, his relationship with Jehovah was so close that he gained a rare privilege, which only one other person mentioned in the Bible received.

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Where Does The Bible Mention Enoch?

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The Bible mentions two men named Enoch across several verses, starting in Genesis and ending in the Book of Jude.

The first Enoch was a son of Cain.

“And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch (Genesis 4:17 KJV, emphasis added).  

The second Enoch was born several generations later.

“And Jared lived one hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch. And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and he begat sons and daughters” (Genesis 5:18-19 KJV, emphasis added).   

“And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God for he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:21-24 KJV, emphasis added).

Later, Luke lists the second Enoch in Jesus’ ancestry.

“… which was the son of Methuselah, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan” (Luke 3:37 KJV, emphasis added).

Hebrews and Jude give details about the second Enoch’s faith and actions.

“By faith, Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5 KJV, emphasis added).   

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these saying, ‘Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of His saints…’” (Jude 1:14 KJV).

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Did Enoch Die?

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No. Enoch did not die.

The Bible clarified that God translated him to heaven—in his live state. The word in Genesis 5:21-24 about Enoch being “taken” means that he was moved from one place (earth) to another (heaven). Only one other person in the Bible is mentioned as having this honor: the prophet Elijah. As detailed in 2 Kings 2:1-14, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, with his student Elishah watching. The fact that Elijah is such a central figure in the Bible (John the Baptist is compared to Elijah in the Old Testament) and Elijah appears alongside Jesus at the transfiguration gives further evidence of what an honor this is. Enoch may not be as well-remembered as Elijah, but the fact he is the only other figure mentioned in the Bible gaining this honor says something about how closely he followed God.

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What Do We Know about Enoch's Descendants?

Noah and the flood, enoch

This Enoch was the seventh descendant of Adam (his great-great-great-great grandson). Enoch was the father of Methuselah and the great-grandfather of Noah. Enoch’s descendants in the Bible were Methuselah, Noah, Lamech, Barakil, Betenos, Emzara, and Rake (Genesis 5:21-32). Here is what we know about Enoch’s descendants.   

Methuselah: Methuselah became the longest-living human being recorded in the Bible. His lifespan was 969 years, as recorded in Genesis 5:27.

Noah: Noah didn’t get taken directly to heaven, but he also lived a pleasing life to God. While Noah was alive, the earth was so full of evil that God decided to cleanse it. So Noah built an ark to save himself, his family, and some animals. The Lord eventually sent a mighty flood to remove evil from the earth. The rain destroyed most civilizations and animal life. Only Noah, his family, and the animals he took into the ark were saved. While the Lord did not translate Noah to heaven, He used Noah for a holy and important purpose.  

Lamech: The Bible tells us that Lamech lived in sin for most of His life. He had two wives, which makes him the first man recorded in the Bible to commit polygamy. In Genesis 4:23-24, Lamech boasts of killing a man, which points to the fact that he inherited the same anger of Cain, his great-great-great grandfather. Despite committing great sins, Lamech didn’t leave a completely poor legacy: he bore three sons who were top-notch experts at their jobs. Jabal became a talented tentmaker and expert in cattle farming. Jubal became a skillful musician who could play the harp and organ well. Tubal-Cain became a gifted artisan with bronze and iron.

Barakil, Betenos, and Rakel are not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. The deuterocanonical Book of Jubilees claims that Noah married a woman named Emzarah.

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What Can We Learn from Enoch Today?

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The life of Enoch, the seventh man from the beginning of Adam, can teach us a lot today. Below are some things we can learn from Enoch as we continue our human journey.

1. We must have a close-knitted relationship with God: While many people around him pursued various evils and sensual pleasures, Enoch focused on God. He never lost the close-knitted relationship he had with the Lord. Likewise, we must not let our fleshly desires guide our lives. We should remain close to the Lord as we traverse this world.

2. We only have one life to live, so we must live it for the glory of God: Enoch knew that he only had one life to live in this world, so he wisely and completely dedicated it to God. Like Enoch, we only have one life to live in this world and should not waste it. We must avoid giving ourselves to unprofitable things that do not add value. Instead, we should seek to please the Lord in everything we do. If we seek to please the Lord with our words and actions, God will take note of our good deeds and reward us in His own time.

3. We must take God everywhere we go: The Bible says, “Enoch walked with God.” The word “walked,” as used in this context, refers to Enoch’s life journey. As we continue our daily lives, we must be careful to have God with us. We should take Him with us everywhere we go, in everything we do and say. We must never be ashamed of having God in our lives, but we should always seek to honor Him at all times. As we honor God in our lives, the world will look on and know we are called by His Name.

4. We must serve no other God but Jehovah only: During the time of Enoch, people were serving other gods, just like what we see many people doing today. We must not serve any other god; giving our hearts to another god ultimately means turning our lives to Satan. The devil did not create us; God created us in His image and likeness. Therefore, if the Lord created us in His image and likeness, He wants us to cooperate by serving Him all the days of our lives here on earth. There is no other God but Jehovah God, and He is the one who deserves our praises.

5. Having a close relationship with the Lord means we are heaven bound: The Bible affirms that there is a heaven and a hell. When we die, we can only go to one of the two places, there are no in-betweens. By keeping a close relationship with the Lord, we are setting ourselves apart from the goats and the foolish virgins who got rejected from entering heaven. A close relationship with our creator will ensure that the Almighty does not turn us away when we leave this world. On the other hand, if we are foolish enough not to foster a close relationship with Jehovah, if we keep harboring sinful deeds in our lives, we will end up in hell where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42).

Enoch in the Bible teaches us that to please the Lord, we must live a selfless life of commitment and servitude to our Master. If we live for God in this sinful world, He will reward us by taking us to heaven when our life’s journey has ended.

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Lancelot Tucker is a book author and freelance writer who writes on a vast amount of topics. In addition, he serves as an associate pastor in his hometown, Spanish Town. Lancelot loves to do research and write, and is an avid reader of other authors' works. When not writing or reading, he spends his time reaching out to the less fortunate residing in his community.