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I Enoch (part 3 of 3)

The book opens up in chapter 13 with confrontation between Enoch and the Watchers. It is quite probable their Nephilim children were in attendance as well. This would have been a hostile environment, yet the prophet remained faithful.

He initially confronted Azazel, per instruction of the Faithful Watchers. This section of the book deals with the conversations and interactions between God's faithful servant and the Watchers.

"1. And Enoch went and said: 'Azâzêl, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth against thee to put thee in bonds: 2. And thou shalt not have toleration nor †request† granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men.' 3. Then I went and spoke to them all together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them."

After condemning Azazel, Enoch confronted "them all together". The fallen Watchers, along with their Nephilim children, become instantly afraid, "and fear and trembling seized them".

Semjaza had stated earlier their plan of action was a grave sin. Now, the prophet had brought them face to face with the consequences of their actions.

Mt. Herman - a possible site of the Watchers descent from Heaven.

These angels, all powerful on earth, shook in fear before the judgment of God Almighty. The fear demon's possess of God is echoed throughout the New Testament. Time and time again Jesus encounters evil spirits, and they shriek at His presence. Heed the words of the demon Legion in Mark 5:6-7. "And seeing Jesus from a distance he ran up and bowed down before Him: and crying out with a loud voice he said, 'What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!"

ENOCH PAGE CONTENTS

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The fallen Watchers knew they were doomed. As so, they turn to desperation, and in I Enoch 13:4-6 they beg God's prophet to intercede on their behalf to God!

After tormenting man, and enslaving him, they turn to a man, a prophet of the Most High - the very God they defied - to deliver them from their pending judgment.

It is more than likely the Nephilim were still torturing the earth as they asked Enoch to intercede for them. I Enoch 13:4 captures his response.

I Enoch reveals in the next chapter God had banned these angels from approaching Him. The only evil allowed in Heaven is Satan, as is evident in the book of Job.

The fallen Watchers and the Nephilim were not only barred from Heaven, they could not even lift up their eyes to Heaven, "for shame of their sins which they had been condemned".

Mt. Hermon was in the northern limits of Israel, north of Galilee and bordering modern day Syria.

Thus, their only course of action was to beg the great Patriarch to approach God for them.

"6. Then I wrote out their petition, and the prayer in regard to their spirits and their deeds individually and in regard to their requests that they should have forgiveness and length †. 7. And I went off and sat down at the waters of Dan, in the land of Dan, to the south of the west of Hermon: I read their petition till I fell asleep. 8. And behold a dream came to me, and visions fell down upon me, and I saw visions of chastisement, and a voice came bidding (me) I to tell it to the sons of heaven, and reprimand them. 9. And when I awaked, I came unto them, and they were all sitting gathered together, weeping in ’Abelsjâîl, which is between Lebanon and Sênêsêr, with their faces covered. 10. And I recounted before them all the visions which I had seen in sleep, and I began to speak the words of righteousness, and to reprimand the heavenly Watchers."

Mt. Hermon towers above the desert to its immediate east. The mountain stands 9,232 feet above sea level.

Enoch, in his righteousness, took great pains with the petition of the fallen Watchers. He writes of their "deeds individually and in regard to their requests".

He then seeks isolation, and sits down at the waters of Dan, to the southwest of Hermon. Two possible locations could be meant here.

One is the allotment of Dan, however, this seems most unlikely due to the time period. The Nephilim gather to hear Enoch's message from God.

The most likely location is the city of Dan , located a mere 15 miles southwest of Mt. Herman. In fact, this location fits precisely with mention of the "waters of Dan".

The Upper Jordan River actually descends from Mt. Herman, into Lake Huleh. The ancient city of Dan rests on the eastern banks of the Upper Jordan.

The prophet was mere miles from where the original descent occurred. While reading the petition, and meditating upon God, he fell asleep.

While he slept, God revealed His rejection of the fallen Watcher's petition. Upon awakening he immediately sets out to find the Watchers.

The Watchers were said to have descended on Mt. Herman. Later they were confronted by Enoch near Baalbek.

He finds the fathers of the Nephilim in mourning, evident by the covering of their faces. They were located between Lebanon and Seneser. Though the location of this area is not know, a fascinating possibility may be Baalbek. Baalbek has shown signs of occupation dating back before 2900 B.C.E. Indeed, Baalbek is located in the Beqa Valley , miles from Mount Herman. I Enoch claims Mount Herman was where the Watchers descended from heaven.

Located 53 miles northeast of Beirut, in the Beqa Valley, Baalbek has hosted numerous pagan temples throughout its existence. These temples have all been built on a terraced foundation constructed of colossal blocks, some weighing 1000 tons! The foundation is approximately 5 million square feet in size, and contains more stone than the Great Pyramid of Giza. How these blocks came to be has puzzled scholars ever since their discovery. The site of such large blocks within the setting of I Enoch is yet another "coincidence".

The great monolithic stones at Baalbek defy human understanding. Baalbek is one of the most ancient sites on earth. It is not far from Mt. Herman, where the Watcher's descended to from above.

Possibly, the fallen Watchers had gathered here to mourn their sin by erecting a massive and grand temple to God. Baalbek is approximately 43 miles north of Dan, on the eastern banks of the Litani River. This would have been an easy journey for Enoch to make after he awoke from his vision. Needless to say, their possible efforts had been in vain.

Study Resources

The Book of Enoch

Chapter 14

The first eight verses of chapter 14 deal with God's direct words to His prophet concerning the petition of the fallen Watchers.

" 4. I wrote out your petition, and in my vision it appeared thus, that your petition will not be granted unto you throughout all the days of eternity, and that judgment has been finally passed upon you: yea (your petition) will not be granted unto you. 5. And from henceforth you shall not ascend into heaven unto all eternity, and in bonds of the earth the decree has gone forth to bind you for all the days of the world."

God declared, through His prophet Enoch, judgment upon the fallen Watchers. They were banned from Heaven for the rest of eternity.

They were placed in bonds, and cast into the depths of the earth.

God, however, does not stop there with His punishment. The fallen Watchers were to watch the annihilation of their Nephilim children, without power to stop it.

"6. And (that) previously you shall have seen the destruction of your beloved sons and ye shall have no pleasure in them, but they shall fall before you by the sword. 7. And your petition on their behalf shall not be granted, nor yet on your own: even though you weep and pray and speak all the words contained in the writing which I have written. 8. And the vision was shown to me thus: Behold, in the vision clouds invited me and a mist summoned me, and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped and hastened me, and the winds in the vision caused me to fly and lifted me upward, and bore me into heaven."

God's prophet then began to relate the vision of Heaven which he was granted to see by God Almighty. In it he describes a house, made up crystals.

The ceiling was "like the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were fiery cherubim, and their heaven was (clear as) water" (vs. 11).

I Enoch describes the walls of this house as being surrounded by fire, and the room was "as hot as fire and cold as ice".

The narrative describes him becoming terrified, "and trembling got hold of me". As dreadful and magnificent as this house was, a second house was revealed, "greater than the former".

"...and the entire portal stood open before me, and it was built of flames of fire. 16. And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to you its splendour and its extent. 17. And its floor was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path of the stars, and its ceiling also was flaming fire. 18. And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the vision of cherubim.19. And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire so that I could not look thereon."

I Enoch's use of a cherubim near the throne is in accordance with the Bible. It was a cherub which stood over the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. It was a cherub God placed to guard the Tree of Life in Eden , after Adam and Eve had been expelled.

Cherubim always appear next to the Throne of God in Scripture, continually praising Him and serving Him day and night. Thus, there is little doubt as to where Enoch is when he enters this second house.

THE VISIONS OF EZEKIEL & JOHN

Ezekiel 10:2

"And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, 'Enter between the whirling wheels under the cherubim, and fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city'. And he entered in my (Ezekiel) sight."

John 4:5-6

"And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sound and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God; and before the throne there was it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind."

The 3 major empires of the Ancient Near East were the Egyptians, Babylonians & Medo-Persians. The Assyrian Empire was a dominant force as well.

John and Ezekiel were both in exile when they recorded their visions. Ezekiel was part of the Babylonian Exile, John was imprisoned on the island Patmos.

It is safe to assume with rather certainty that neither man had access to a copy of I Enoch in order to copy their descriptions.

The descriptions are almost identical, in the respect of lightning, crystals, fire, cherubim, and with Ezekiel, wheels of a chariot!

If there was any doubt as to who the throne belonged to, I Enoch erases all doubt in verse 20.

"20. And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His raiment shone more brightly than the sun and was whiter than any snow. 21. None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. 22. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh Him: ten thousand times ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed no counselor."

I ENOCH 15

Chapter 15 lays forth a scenario which has unsettling implications for mankind. God goes into full detail concerning these fallen Watchers and their fate.

He also addresses the status of the Nephilim. What He has to say is staggering.

"1. And He answered and said to me, and I heard His voice: 'Fear not, Enoch, thou righteous man and scribe of righteousness: approach hither and hear my voice. 2. And go, say to the Watchers of heaven, who have sent thee to intercede ??for them: "You should intercede" for men, and not men for you: 3. Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children of earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons?"

God puts forth the duty He has assigned to the Watchers dwelling in the heaven above earth. He states they should be interceding for men, "and not men for you" - an obvious reference to Enoch's intervention on their behalf.

He asks them the logical question; Why did they leave their eternal abode to lay with women, thus defiling themselves?

God can no longer tolerate these spiritual beings, who have defiled themselves with already corrupted flesh and produced Nephilim offspring of mixed genetics. God's attitude towards these beings is identical to His attitude concerning the Nephilim in Genesis.

"4. And though ye were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten (children) with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, have lusted after flesh and blood as those also do who die and perish. 5. Therefore have I given them wives also that they might impregnate them, and beget children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on earth."

Man was given wives because both are of flesh, thus, it is natural we be paired together. God points out it is the fleshly nature of man which leads to his death.

Angels, on the other hand, are supposed to remain pure, unscathed by the curse of original sin. However, these angles defiled themselves, and begat children, the half divine and half flesh Nephilim.

There is nothing more detestable in the sight of God than that mutation.

The holiness of His spiritual creation mingling with the corruption of man's sin was an abomination, and could not be tolerated.

It was unnatural, ungodly, and unholy. It went outside everything God had ordained, and the boundaries and limitations he placed not only on man, but also on the angles.

The remaining verses of I Enoch 15 deal specifically with the Nephilim, and their fate. Up to this point, mankind had been absent from God's judgment.

However, as they were also partakers with the Watchers and the Nephilim, so they too shared guilt, and would not go unpunished.

The fate of mankind would irrevocably be altered by the following decree.

"8. And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. 9. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men, and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called."

In essence, God just described the source of all evil from that point in time to the present! The Nephilim were ordained to forever be "evil spirits upon the earth".

He goes into further detail concerning the role and activities of the Nephilm, turned evil spirits.

William Blake's 1806 lithograph entitled, 'Enoch'.

"10. As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling. 11. And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, but nevertheless hunger and thirst, and cause offences. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them."

By declaring thus, God had set right what the fallen Watchers and Nephilim had made wrong. He states spirits in heaven shall dwell in heaven, as per His initial creation.

As for the Nephilim, however, they were to be confined to their birthplace, the earth. They are the earthborn children of the heavenly Watchers, thus, their abode shall forever be as evil spirits on the earth.

Mankind's punishment is seen in I Enoch 15:11. Due to man's willingness to follow after the Nephilim, they are to be forever tormented by them on earth.

The Nephilim, or the spirits of the giants, are to oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, cause trouble, and work destruction towards all of mankind, for as long as the earth is in existence.

Mankind, for his role in the Nepilim, is to forever be under their constant attack.

Nero, Hitler, Idi Amin, Gadhafi, and others, surely exemplify the efforts of the Nephilim to torment and wreak havoc on the earth.

God ends His stinging judgment with this declaration to the fallen Watchers.

" 2. And now as to the Watchers who have sent thee to intercede for them, who had been aforetime in heaven, (say to them): "You have been in heaven, but all the mysteries had not yet been revealed to you, and you knew worthless ones, and these in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work much evil on earth." 4. Say to them therefore: "You have no peace."'

ENOCH CONCLUSION

I Enoch seems to fill in the background information on the mysterious passage in Genesis 6.

The depth and scope of I Enoch is perhaps too much for some to take in and accept.

However, one cannot deny the parallels which exist between I Enoch, and many passages from both the Old and New Testaments.

The visions found within are very similar in many aspects to John's vision in Revelation, and Ezekiel's in Ezekiel 10.

The similarities are such as to raise the question as to why John and Ezekiel's visions were considered worthy of the Bible, and Enoch's were not.

Could the story of the Nephilim found in I Enoch be the reason? It is the widest variation from any of the other prophets found throughout canonized Scripture.

There are those today, though, that believe in the Holy Inspiration of I Enoch.

The Ethiopic Orthodox Church stands alone today in Christendom. Their Bible is the only one which legitimizes the ancient sage and his visions.

The book is considered by them to be Holy Scripture, Divinely Inspired. Is it a coincidence this Church also claims to be in possession of the Ark of the Covenant?

Some may dismiss the Ethiopic Church as a church of mystics and fanatics. This view was often shared by the children of Israel, when

Could the Nephilim still be at work today? Enoch claims so.

Jesus Christ Himself said the end days would be; "just like the days of Noah". What were those days like?

"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also after, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown." GENESIS 6:4

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