Daily Devotionals in Verse and Rhyme: 04/20/13

Saturday, April 20, 2013

ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD

Enoch Walked with God

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 20 April 2013

Hi all,

Name	Age when Enoch was
Name	Born	Taken
Adam	622	987
Seth	492	857
Enosh	387	752
Kenan	297	662
Mahalalel	227	592
Jared	162	527
Enoch	0	365

The little table on the left indicates the age of Enoch’s antecedents when he was born. The following columns indicate their age when God took him. Adam’s age is in red because he died when he was 930, some 57 years before Enoch was “raptured”. The term “raptured” is used to indicate he was taken up to be with God, without having died. The only other Old Testament person to whom this happened was Elijah who was taken up in a chariot.

I’ve included this little table to indicate how the age of the antediluvians affected each generation. In better words if we lived for as long as they did, some of us would have been around when the Magna Carter was signed. We may well have known the 6 wives of Henry VIII. We could have sailed with Vasco De Gama, Jan van Riebeeck or the Pilgrim fathers. I’m not sure I’d like to have personal memories of those times.

Several Theologians believe in the Millennium; the 1000 year reign of Christ on the Earth when He returns. Personally, it’s also what I believe. Exactly how and when this will happen is not clear. However, if we are going to live on this earth with Him for 1000 years, the sort of memories referred to above are what we will experience. Since by then, we should also have resurrection bodies, presumably we will have new “brains”. Hopefully we will be able to clearly remember things which happened up to 1000 years ago!

Elijah Taken into Heaven

Scripture tells us of three “men” who have “ascended” into heaven. They are Enoch in the time before the flood. Elijah, who lived in the time between the flood and the coming of Jesus. Then there was Jesus Himself who ascended into heaven. Although Jesus was Divine, He was also a man so it’s not unfair to include him with the other two.

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

What exactly was meant by the verse in Genesis ²⁴ Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Gen 5:24 ESV? Certainly we know something of Elijah’s walk with God. He was not perfect. However he was caught up to heaven. Jesus Christ was perfect in all respects so it’s not surprising that He ascended into heaven. There also appears, that there is a difference between the ascension of Jesus and the other two. Jesus appears to have been able to do so Himself. The other two had no control over what happened to them.

Today’s meditation looks at the “rapture” of Enoch in more detail.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 21 April 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Enoch walked with God
We are told that Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BC. Jerome states 1592, and Ussher1619. The Torah is said to have been written by Moses in 1441 BC. The last book of the New Testament, (Revelation) was written in ±95 AD. This means the Christian Bible was composed over a period of ±1500 years. There is not sufficient space for me to go into Old Testament Biblical history. Suffice to say that Moses compiled Genesis and associated “stories” from long before he was born! How he obtained this information is open to speculation. What we do know, is that such stories came down to Moses by means of the oral tradition, a method that was remarkably accurate. What is not clear is the information concerning Genesis 1 and 2. This predates all of us. The only way it could be obtained, would be directly from God, in much the same way as God gave the book of Revelation to John. We know very little about the antediluvians. Little more than names and ages. However, today, as we focus on Enoch, it’s useful to know who was who then. If we look at the respective ages of the Antediluvians at the birth of Enoch, we find that all of those mentioned in the Bible were still alive during Enoch’s life. In fact, 360 years later, when God took Enoch, only Adam had died! The mystery for us, is what had Enoch done in his walk with God, that he didn’t die, He just vanished – some say he was “raptured”. We can only speculate. There was one man in Enoch’s life who could speak of the experience of walking with God. He was Adam, referring to his times of fellowship with God before the fall. No doubt Eve could also speak of those days. Sadly we know nothing more about Eve after the birth of Seth. Assuming Enoch asked Adam about those days, what did Adam say to set Enoch off on a venture to walk with God? All we know is that God walked with Adam. Some believe that Adam and God had regular times of fellowship in the cool of the evening; that they “walked together” at those times. Did this prompt Enoch to take walks in the cool of the evening and “imagine” he was walking with God? Perhaps it was? Enoch was a fallen man, the same as we are. He was antediluvian. What did Enoch know of death? If people lived to such great ages in those days, had he ever seen anyone die? In all probability he had, but not in the line of the first born through Seth. Did Enoch look foolish walking round “pretending” he was fellowshipping with God? At what point in his life, did his belief that it was possible to walk with God, result in actually doing so? We don’t know. We do know the day dawned when God decided to reward Him for his effort. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Gen 5:24 ESV Jim & Phyllida Strickland			²⁴ Enoch walked with God. Then he couldn't be found, because God took him from this life. Genesis 5:24 NIrV ³ Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? Amos 3:3 NLT ²⁰ God was pleased to bring all things back to himself because of what Christ has done. That includes all things on earth and in heaven. God made peace through Christ's blood, through his death on the cross. ²¹ At one time you were separated from God. You were enemies in your minds because of your evil ways. ²² But because Christ died, God has brought you back to himself. Christ's death has made you holy in God's sight. So now you don't have any flaw. You are free from blame. Colossians 1:20-22 NIrV ¹³ But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 NLT ¹⁰ For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son. ¹¹ So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:10-11 NLT ³ This is the life we have seen and heard. We are reporting about it to you also so that you, too, can have a relationship with us. Our relationship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 GW ¹⁴ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV	“Enoch walked with God” it says. I wonder what that means? They must have known each other, like men do in their dreams. It’s hard to walk together, unless both men are brothers. It’s hard to think of fellowship with unacquainted others. But what did it consist of; what could Enoch see? Was it something tangible? Invisibility Is what we are accustomed to. God doesn’t manifest, To anyone we know of. Those who know You best, Don’t know what You look like. But Lord You once did say, That anyone who sees You, they look at God that day. Yes, men did see You Master two thousand years ago. But after Your ascension, there’s no one else we know, Who’s seen the Lord Almighty. So what did Enoch see? And when we think about it, it’s still a mystery. Did they walk together as folk do, hand in hand? Did they laugh and chuckle? Lord help us understand, How they both related. Lord Jesus was that You, Who fellowshipped with Enoch the way men long to do? Perhaps the greatest secret is where it was You met? Was it accidental, or was his prayer time set? How can we achieve this? What things must be in place, For us to walk like Enoch, together, face to face! Perhaps in his prayer closet is how the deed was done. There’s nowhere else we know of to be with God the Son. But Lord, that isn’t walking. Not in the way we know. We walk together, step by step aware of where we go! Was it in the open? Could anybody see What You both were doing, or was obscurity The hallmark of the journey? This enigmatic time, With Enoch on a journey with Jesus Christ Divine. Your word tells us, he did this, for some three hundred years. None of us live that long. So Master, it appears, That no one else can do this. Not in this day or age. But we are volunteering; and Lord, if You will page, Your people on your beeper, or give a trumpet blast, I think we’ll know for certain, the time has come at last, For us to be in fellowship and walk on streets of gold. Then Enoch just may tell us about those days of old. Jim Strickland Written 21^st April 2013.