Yesterday I pulled my chair into the shade and sat for hours reading the book of Enoch and meditating on ideas, as well as challenging the things in Enoch, compared to what the westernized canon (WC) says. I have yet to find anything that contradicts anything. In fact, there are many things in Enoch that explain random verses in the western canon that are generally misunderstood or just straight up confusing.
This is not the book of Enoch. I just wanted a picture, so I snagged this cover from Amazon.
I'm also seeing God in a different way. Maybe I've seen him like this before and I just don't remember. But I was thinking about some of my traits that I feel like I was born with, or that I developed very early on as a survival instinct. These are some things that I don't like about myself and I can't wait to shed these in eternity. What about the Lord? I don't believe he is looking forward to a wrathful day, but I imagine he's ready for it to be over with. I don't think I've given much thought to his liberation of being free of having to be wrathful. He gets to toss that all aside when sin is gone forever. He is not evil, but evil came from him, and I can only imagine that he will be glad to not have that lingering around anymore.
There is passage in the WC before the flood that says when God saw all the corruption on the earth he repented of making man. So he basically regretted making humans. (Genesis 6:7) In Enoch, after the flood, it says that he repented from destroying everything, because now he understood it was all in vain. Only after the 8 were saved did he realize that anything apart from him was open to corruption and sin, so it was all in vain. Humans will never be perfect and he would have to continue to wipe us out and start all over, time and time again, but for what? We would continue to mess up and sin. It is interesting to me that it appears that God is also learning as he goes. He is omniscient and knows everything, but he always seems very interested and surprised at how humans react and respond.This is also evident in the book of Adam and Eve. It reminds me of how interesting it is for me to watch animals interact. I think I know them, but still their behaviors surprise me at times.
And so, he came to live as one of us. He came to experience the limitations of being human, and yet he remained sinless. The angels in their pride also wanted the human experience. They thought we were weak and fragile (we are,) but for some reason they thought they could toss off their heavenly bodies, try being human, and do a better job than we are. But they didn't. Apparently to err is to be human. The fallen angels were clearly having a harder time being a human than the actual humans. Reminds me a bit of my brain. "You don't know what you have until it's gone." They didn't realize how much more they had than humans until they had limited themselves to this human body.
Anyway, so the Messiah came. The creator, in the form of a man, came to experience what he hadn't experienced before- life as a human. Even though he was prophesied about, his creation didn't recognize or acknowledge him. He experienced all the human emotions. He was betrayed, left out, ridiculed and beaten, and yet he remained absolutely sinless- something the fallen angels could not do. And something us mortal humans cannot do either. And the father recognized this. He knew no matter how many times he could try this again, we would never ever be able to do this without him. So he came to be the perfect sacrifice to reconcile us with Ya'Havah.
There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.
I also believe there is a distinction between the 'holy/righteous' and the 'elect' mentioned in scripture. I've always been taught they were one in the same, but the more I learn, the more I realize that there are different rewards in heaven, just like their are different levels of punishment for people who are intentionally turning against the will of God. I used to think that I would be happy just to make it into paradise. Nope, not anymore. If there is a chance that I could be even closer to our Messiah in eternity, that's what I'm striving for.
It is my understanding (based on Enoch 22) that when we die we are separated into four waiting areas as we await judgement day. No one dies and goes to heaven because the great judgment has not occurred. I mean, the belief that death=immediate heaven contradicts WC already. Anyone who knows the scriptures should already be aware of this. Sorry, you're great granny is not smiling down on you from the pearly gates. However, upon death we are aware of what particular area we are separated into. (Think the rich man and Lazarus.) According to Enoch there is the waiting room of eternal torment that was initially made for the angels that defied the Lord, but is now also for mankind who willingly worship evil, the waiting room for those that will just cease to exist, the waiting room for those who will go to the new earth, and the waiting room for those who live in the kingdom of God. If this is true, I am striving for the kingdom, and not just the new earth. I don't understand why I had to be born, or the purpose of all this suffering on earth, so my experience will not be in vain.
Enter through the narrow gate. Wide is the way that leads to destruction, and many will enter through it. But straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it. Matthew 7:13
All my free time has been spent learning lately. My body is stuck here, but my spirit is already in eternity.
Every time I talk about Enoch Peppy asks why I think this book was removed from the WC. That is easy. Basically every single thing I have questioned about in the Old Testament is answered, or at least partially explained in Enoch. It would be so much harder to pass off the supernatural as 'horror' and 'sci-fi' if we all really knew our true history. People want to argue that God would never allow the true scriptures to be altered and therefore Enoch is for heretics. Says who? We have everything we need to know to be saved, but look around at all the different versions of the bible, some which include verses missing or changed. Obviously man can tamper with the scriptures. He has time and time again. But the Lord rewards those who diligently seek him. Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened for you.
Our time is running out.
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