Faith is the one thing in life that all of us always need as Christians. No matter what our station in life is or spiritual standing we may have – young Christian or old Christian, pastor or church member – we will still need faith.
What is Faith? “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 NKJV. Not just conviction but the substance, the evidence that is tangible.
Enoch pleases God
Hebrews 11:5-7 “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
“After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Genesis 5:22-24
Scriptures recorded in Genesis 5 that Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, etc..all lived and died. Only Enoch was mentioned to be walking faithfully with God and was taken away without experiencing death.
Wow! What did Enoch do that pleases God so much? The other person that was mentioned to have walked faithfully with God is Noah (Genesis 6:9). Noah warned the people of the impending flood judgement and built the ark by faith.
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” Hebrew 11:7
The Origins of Enoch’s Faith
While the Scriptures have a lot to say about the faith of Abraham or of Noah, it seems that there are little details in Genesis 5 or Hebrew 11 written regarding the faith of Enoch. What did Enoch do that pleases God to the extent that he did not experience physical death going to heaven?
In the verses in Genesis 5:22-24, we can detect a definite turning point in Enoch’s life – the time when Methuselah was born. We are told that Enoch walked with God after his son Methuselah is born. Perhaps before he had Methuselah, Enoch was not walking with God at all. Perhaps he was walking the way of the world for 65 years. But at the end of those 65 years, God revealed Himself to Enoch and told Him about things to come.
How do we know that? One clue can be found in the unique name that Enoch gave to his firstborn son – Methuselah. This name contains an ominous message ‘When he dies, it shall come.‘ Apparently, God had revealed to Enoch that something very great was going to happen at the time when Methuselah dies.
What was this great event? The universal flood that destroyed all life in the world except for 8 souls who were in Noah’s ark!
Methuselah’s name means – When he dies, the Flood will come! God actually revealed to Enoch the fact that the Great Flood was to come upon the world. God would also tell Enoch why the great Flood was to come. It was because of Man’s sins filling the world to such a great extent that Divine Judgement could no longer be withheld.
When Methuselah lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech (Genesis 5:25). Lamech lived 182 years and had a son, Noah (Genesis 5:28). Scripture further revealed that Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth (Genesis 7:6).
| When | Event |
|---|---|
| Enoch at 65 years | Son Methusaleh was born |
| Methusaleh at 187 years | Son Lamech was born |
| Enoch at 365 years | Enoch taken up by God |
| Methusaleh at 187 + 182 = 369 years | Grandson Noah was born |
| Methusaleh at 969 years Noah at 600 years | Methusaleh died GREAT FLOOD begins !! |
Look at Genesis 5:27 … “Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died”!!
Methuselah lived a total of 969 years – the longest that any man has ever lived! But what is interesting and amazing to us is that the year that Methuselah died was the exact year of the Great Flood as revealed by God to Enoch.
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter” Proverbs 25:2
The Results of Enoch’s Faith
Whatever the actual situation may have been, there is one thing is that is certain: It was at that point in time that Enoch turned to God with all his heart in true repentance, and trusted in Him alone to save him. From then on, Enoch no longer wanted to walk the way of the world any more. From then on, he walked with God. From then on, he began to grow in his newfound faith – the faith that pleases God!
Through his encounter with God, Enoch not only returned back to God but also realize how merciful and gracious God was to him, to reveal Himself to him and for him to warn others from the wrath to come.
Enoch served God. He became a prophet to the people of his time, warning them to flee from God’s coming judgment. And it is interesting that the judgment that Enoch preached about was not the immediate one that was to come – the Great Flood, but the ultimate judgement, at the coming of Christ to judge the whole earth.
Jude 14,15 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds”.
The faith that Enoch had as a result of his close walk with God gave him the power to preach this message boldly and courageously. Besides pleasing God and serving God, Enoch’s faith brought one more result: Enoch was Taken Up by God. This took place after he had lived up to the age of 365. Enoch pleased God by walking close to him and faithful in warning the people of his time of the impending judgement that is coming.
As we look at the world events happening daily and see the Day approaching nearer, we are to also walk close to God. We are to warn people of the impending judgement that is coming, faithful to reach out to our family and friends and community.
What happened to Enoch will happen on a much bigger scale in the Last Days – in an event called the Rapture! As children of God who walk with him and please him, when the Rapture takes place, we will be instantly transformed and taken up to heaven without dying.
How wonderful it will be to be like Enoch to be taken up to be with our Lord Jesus Christ forever, and with all the resurrected saints! Praise God!
Tung Weng Him
1 Aug 2021