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The Book of Enoch (part 2)

Chapter 8 of the book of Enoch assigns certain teachings to specific fallen angels.

"1. And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. 2. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl, (taught) astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Ezêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, , and Sariêl the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . ."

It would appear certain angels had expertise in particular areas. The book of Enoch credits the ancient's knowledge to the teachings of these fallen angels.

Men learned how to make weapons, thus introducing war. Women learned how to beautify themselves, which immediately leads to fornication.

According to the book of Enoch, Semjaza taught the black art of enchantments, and how to cut roots, or, multiply vegetation, thus the early emphasis, perhaps, man placed on agriculture.

Along with these arts, the book of Enoch states man learned astrology, star patterns, signs of weather, and the movement of the heavenly bodies, all of which was not originally intended for man to know.

The book of Enoch concludes this passage by saying as the men of earth perished, they cried. He does not specify that the cried to God, only that they cried, and their "cry went up to heaven".

A map of Sodom & Gomorrah potential locations.

A similar "cry" reached heaven during the life of Abraham. This cry, however, was the cry of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah.

God, in turn, destroyed those cities from the face of the earth. Another cry will reach God in the last days. This is the cry of those who had "been slain because of the word of God", in Revelation. John states these souls; "cried out with a loud voice".

God, thus, hears the cry of man, and does not turn a deaf ear to the pleas of the righteous.

What follows in chapter 9 of the book of Enoch is an extraordinary scene in which the cry of man is brought before the Lord.

Bull's Head - An Ancient Mesopotamian Idol

"1. And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth. 2. And they said one to another: 'The earth made †without inhabitant cries the voice of their crying† up to the gates of heaven. 3 And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, "Bring our cause before the Most High."

There yet remained faithful Watchers still in heaven. These Watchers, two of which are named in the Bible, were faithful in their obedience to God. The book of Enoch and the Bible seem to treat the role of angels exactly the same.

They remained in their abode, and looked down upon the earth from heaven, and saw the exact nature of the corruption and depravity which had gripped mankind.

Resultingly, they took man's case to God.

Based on the scenario laid forth by the book of Enoch, it is only when the angels of the heaven of this earth approach God that He takes action. These were His appointed watchmen, or guardians, of the earth.

As long as things remained as they should, the angels could handle what happened on earth by acting in accordance with God's will. This, of course, is a hypothetical analysis of the Heavenly protocol. It is interesting the same protocol is described in both the Bible and the book of Enoch.

An Ancient Sumerian Idol dated to ca 3500 BC

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However, in dire circumstances, the cry must be taken to God, the Supreme Commander. The book of Enoch describes these times in the same nature as Genesis. These were some of the direst times the earth had ever known.

Thus, in the following passage, "the holy ones of heaven" take the cause of man before God.

"4. And they said to the Lord of the ages: 'Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings, , the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages! 5. Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou: and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and Thou seest all things, and nothing can hide itself from Thee. 6. Thou seest what Azâzêl hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn: 7. And Semjâzâ, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. 8. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. 9. And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness. 10. And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are wrought on the earth. 11. And Thou knowest all things before they come to pass, and Thou seest these things and Thou dost suffer them, and Thou dost not say to us what we are to do to them in regard to these.'

Like faithful soldiers they report to God what has been happening at their post, and how some of their fellow angels have rebelled once again. The book of Enoch, in essence, is a play-by-play of the brief passage found in Genesis 6.

The faithful angels report the specific sins of certain angels, making special mention of Azazel and Semjaza. Based on this, it would be logical to assume these were the two most powerful of the rebellious Watchers.

Indeed, Semjaza had been given authority by God to "bear rule over his associates". We know of at least two Nephilim children, Og and Sihon, descended from Semjaza. He was no doubt powerful.

Semjaza's connection to the Bible has been discussed previously. However, it is Azazel who holds a special place of mention throughout the early Old Testament books. The treatment of Azazel by the Bible and the book of Enoch again agree in nature.

The Jewish Encyclopedia states outside of Satan, Azazel is the "most mysterious being in sacred literature". The name itself is obscure, finding no likeness in the Hebrew language.

Azazel was the chief of the goat-demons, or, Se'irim. He dwelt in the wilderness and desert regions. The ancient Hebrews believed Azazel to be a real threat.

A fascinating story is revealed concerning The Day of Atonement and Azazel in Leviticus 16.

The Goat Demon Azazel is mentioned by name in the Book of Enoch

The high priest is instructed to take two goats, and cast lots over them. One lot is for the Lord, and the other for Azazel.

The goat whose lot fell upon the Lord, was to be slain as a sin-offering for the people to God. However, the goat whose lot fell to Azazel faced an interesting fate.

The high priest placed his hands upon the head of the goat, and ceremonially transferred all the sins of the people to this particular goat.

The goat was then handed over to a man standing nearby for just this purpose.

As he received the goat, assigned to bear the sins of the people, he led it to a remote region, where it was let loose to to wander into the wilderness, the abode of Azazel.

This goat, thus, came to be known as the scapegoat, and was specifically attached to Azazel. Thus, the sins of the people were attributed to Azazel, one of the fallen Watchers of Enoch!

As the faithful Watchers finish their report, they acknowledge the fact God is fully aware of everything that happens in all the universe.

Yet, they remain unsure of how to proceed because God had not yet instructed them on how He wanted to handle the matter. Like good soldiers, they receive orders before acting on their own volition.

This would indicate the reason they had been silent for so long, while their fallen colleagues wreaked havoc on earth.

Chapter 10 of the book of Enoch is God's response to His holy warriors.

"1. Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: 2. ' and tell him in my name "Hide thyself!" and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. 3. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.'

It is important to keep in mind that Enoch the prophet was 365 years old when he was taken from the earth. It is thus possible Noah was a young man while his great-grandfather was still alive.

THE BOOK OF ENOCH

Enoch is assured by God that Noah will survive. The book of Enoch then relates God sent His messenger Uriel to Noah. This is consistent with the actions of angels in the Bible. They are messengers, sent to relay extremely important messages directly to man from God.

Uriel tells Noah to flee, and go hide himself and his family from the evil and death so prevalent upon the earth. Uriel also instructs Noah as to the fate of the earth.

This passage can be inserted into the Genesis narrative without altering the flow of verse, or meaning of the scripture at all.

What follows is a combination of I Enoch 10:2 (above), and Genesis 6:12-14, where God instructs Noah to build the ark.

"Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: 'Go to Noah and tell him in My name, 'Hide thyself!' and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch."

It is necessary to EMPHATICALLY STRESS the intent of the above passage is by no means to add to the Word of God. That would be blasphemous.

William Blake's work of an angel teaching a daughter of man the secrets of sin. This was the sin of Genesis 6.

The intent, is to point out the smoothness of transition from the Book of Enoch to Genesis! It is well understood the ancients also felt the book of Enoch was part of the Word of God as well.

Without any reference, one would be hard pressed to identify which lines come from the book of Enoch, and which come from Genesis.

It would seem, following the chronology of events in the book of Enoch and Genesis, that God first sent an angel to Noah, and warned him to take his family and flee.

The wrath of the Nephilim had become too dangerous for Noah and his family to take any chances.

God surely had hoped the preaching of Noah and his family could sway the Nephilim. He did not feel it necessary at this point to approach Noah Himself, but sent His angel to warn Noah to hide out, and not to fear, for he would be protected.

As time passed, how much we are not told, it became evident man was intent on evil, influenced by the fallen Watchers and their Nephilim offspring.

God thus appeared to Noah in his exile, as His message was now of the utmost importance and must be delivered by Himself.

God then instructed Noah to build the ark, because the flood, and the destruction of all upon the earth, was now imminent. It is amazing the constant similarities that arise in the book of Enoch and Genesis. In fact, the book of Enoch influenced the writers of the New Testament.

The Ancient Egyptian god Anubis

God continued to instruct His guardian angels as to how to proceed in the following verses. Note specifically what God ascribes to Azazel.

"4. And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azâzêl hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dûdâêl, and cast him therein. 5. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. 6. And on the day of the great judgment he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. 8. And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azâzêl: to him ascribe all sin.'" Azazel is bound by Raphael, and buried in the desert, under rough and jagged rocks, and in complete darkness.

God then states that it was the works of Azazel who had corrupted the earth, and all sin was to be ascribed to him!

Could it be that Moses possessed the book of Enoch, and knew of the evil of Azazel, thus the reference in Leviticus! Regardless, the parallels cannot be denied.

Further instructions are handed out by God below.

"9. And to Gabriel said the Lord: 'Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy [the children of fornication and] the children of the Watchers from amongst men [and cause them to go forth]: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in battle: for length of days shall they not have. 10. And no request that they (i.e. their fathers) make of thee shall be granted unto their fathers on their behalf; for they hope to live an eternal life, and that each one of them will live five hundred years.'"

Gabriel is instructed to go wage war against the fornicators, and the sons of the fallen Watchers. However, this war is to be a civil war, amongst the giants.

Assume, now, that the Ethiopic Church's view of the book of Enoch is the truth.

Bearing this in mind, this one passage from the book of Enoch provides an actual, historically accurate basis, for the Greek mythological Clash of the Titans.

This was, of course, a battle waged amongst two factions of the gods, for control of the earth! Astonishing! Is it possible the Nephilim became greedy, and wanted to eliminate other Nephilim? The book of Enoch claims so.

Michael's orders by God are given in verses 11-14.

"11. And the Lord said unto Michael: 'Go, bind Semjâzâ and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves with them in all their uncleanness. 12. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgment and of their consummation, till the judgment that is for ever and ever is consummated. 13. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever. And whosoever shall be condemned and destroyed will from thenceforth be bound together with them to the end of all generations."

Michael follows the actions of Gabriel, binding Semjaza and his followers, and casting them "in the valleys of the earth". The parallels in the book of Enoch and the Bible keep appearing.

Could these bound angels provide the identity of those released from the bottomless pit following the sounding of the 5th trumpet in Revelation? It is a remarkable coincidence if not.

Connections have been made between the fallen Watchers of the book of Enoch, and those demons to be released from the deep in the book of Revelation.

With this in mind, the prophecy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:7 is chilling to say the least.

"For the coming of the son of Man will be just like the days of Noah."

Chapter 10 ends with God's assurance that once the Watchers and Nephilim are destroyed, the earth and man will experience peace again.

Man will live upon the earth without the fear of Nephilim evil. Nature will also return to its normal course, as the trees and soil shall produce in abundance.

The book of Enoch concludes chapter 10 with the following promise from God.

" 21. And all the children of men shall become righteous?, and all nations shall offer adoration and shall praise Me, and all shall worship Me. And the earth shall be cleansed from all defilement, and from all sin, and from all punishment, and from all torment, and I will never again send (them) upon it from generation to generation and for ever."

Chapter 11 is a brief affirmation of God's promise above.

"1. And in those days I will open the store chambers of blessing which are in the heaven, so as to send them down ?upon the earth? over the work and labour of the children of men. 2. And truth and peace shall be associated together throughout all the days of the world and throughout all the generations of men.'"

Chapter 12 of the book of Enoch demonstrates the righteousness of Enoch the prophet, and just how highly esteemed he was in his day.

It opens in verse 1 with the statement Enoch had been hidden from the inhabitants of earth for some time. Nobody knew where he was, or, what he was doing.

Enoch, however, relates his activities had to do with the Watchers, and he was with "the holy ones".

"1. Before these things Enoch was hidden, and no one of the children of men knew where he was hidden, and where he abode, and what had become of him. 2. And his activities had to do with the Watchers, and his days were with the holy ones."

Enoch then states he was engaged in worshiping the Lord. He does not tell where he was worshiping God, only that he was "blessing" God, when he was suddenly interrupted.

"3. And I, Enoch was blessing the Lord of majesty and the King of the ages, and lo! the Watchers called me--Enoch the scribe--and said to me: 4. 'Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go, †declare† to the Watchers of the heaven who have left the high heaven, the holy eternal place, and have defiled themselves with women, and have done as the children of earth do, and have taken unto themselves wives: "Ye have wrought great destruction on the earth: 5. And ye shall have no peace nor forgiveness of sin: and inasmuch as †they† delight themselves in †their† children, 6. The murder of †their† beloved ones shall †they† see, and over the destruction of †their† children shall †they† lament, and shall make supplication unto eternity, but mercy and peace shall ye not attain."

This passage in the book of Enoch makes it evident there were two groups of "Watchers" involved, though originally they were all united.

The Watchers which approach Enoch are the faithful Watchers, those that remained steadfast to God. They had returned from their meeting with God, and were fully prepared to carry out His instructions.

Enoch ascends on the clouds into Heaven. Enoch is one of only two people in the Bible to never die.

They call Enoch, "thou scribe of righteousness". Enoch was a deeply faithful man, made apparent by the fact Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel call him a scribe of righteousness.

Enoch's influence on his great-grandson Noah was noticed by God. Hence the passage in Genesis 6:8.

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord."

Not only did Noah find favor in God's eyes, but like his great-grandfather Enoch, "Noah walked with God" (6:9).

The apparent random choice of Noah by God in Genesis, no longer appears so random when taken in context with the book of Enoch.

Perhaps random may not be an accurate word, however, the choice of Noah would seem to be in direct connection to his blood relation to Enoch, the "scribe of righteousness".

Enoch was on the front lines of the battle with the Nephilim in his day, then was taken up by God.

Likewise, Noah followed suit, picking up the torch of prophecy to the fallen Watchers and the Nephilim. God, thus, took notice of Noah, and spared Him from the upcoming wrath.

The Faithful Watchers, once receiving their orders from God, immediately approach Enoch. They instruct him to go to the "Watchers of the heaven who have left the high heaven" and relay to them God's judgment.

The two groups are clearly defined. There are those Watchers who remained in their fixed abode, and then there are those Watchers who "left the high heaven", transgressing the command of God, and producing the Nephilim giants.

Enoch is told to approach Azazel directly. He is the only angel mentioned by the Faithful Watchers to Enoch. This emphasized Azazel's wickedness as exceeding the wickedness of the others.

Click on the link to continue to the Book of Enoch part 3.

Click on the link to go back to the Part I.

Book of Enoch - Sacred Texts