Friday, December 5, 2025
In my view the Book of Enoch should be part of our biblical text, but there’s much controversy about that given the manufactured traditions of men that caused excluding Enoch from what we hold as inspired Scripture. Yet, I would ask you to look at examples that hold much weight as to why Enoch should be included in our Scripture – as it once was. From time immemorial certain men have been spiritually disposed to reject portions of God’s word, and so it is even yet today.
This is not a trick question, but do you know who said this: “And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment upon all, and to destroy all the ungodly: and to convict all flesh of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him”? It was Enoch as written at 1 Enoch 1:9. Did you know Enoch is even recorded in the lineage of Jesus Christ at Luke 3:37?
Now, compare Enoch’s prophetic word above as quoted here by the Apostle Jude: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 1:14–15). If Enoch was not an inspired source why would the Holy Spirit see fit to quote him here? And why, if Enoch is not inspired writing, does his account of the fallen angels match nearly verbatim our Bible from Gen. 6:1–4 as you will see below? Fear and tradition are likely culprits of exclusion.
Enoch was counted worthy of remembrance by the Holy Spirit in the writing of Hebrews saying, “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Heb. 11:5). Yet, though Enoch was once very much a part of the Old Testament many centuries ago biblical scholars saw fit to exclude the Book of Enoch from Scripture. Reasons varied between scholars. But this question needs answering: “Why would scholars, who say they love Jesus Christ, want to exclude from Scripture the teachings of a man of whom the Spirit said “that he pleased God”?
Maybe, Enoch was in part excluded from our Scripture due to his emphasis on angelology. It’s easy for the human mind and heart to become distracted by the works of angels and things they did, e.g. the 200 fallen Watcher angels “who did not keep their proper domain, [in heaven with God] but left their own abode” (Jude 1:6), and descended to the top of Mt. Hermon where they agreed by covenant and said “Come, let us choose wives from among the children of men and beget us children” (1 Enoch 6:2). Now, compare what he said to what our Bible says of those ancient days: “Now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God [angels] saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose” (Gen. 6:1–2). Not only are the ancient accounts of fallen angels who fathered the Nephilim and their rebellious exploits revealed by Enoch and Genesis, similar, they are inarguably identical in end results.
As examples of mere man being overcome by an angelic ministry, consider that after the angel Gabriel revealed a vision to Daniel the prophet, he said, “And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days … I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it” (Dan. 8:27). And soon Daniel had another vision and said: “Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground … When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me” (Dan. 10:8–9, 15–17). Also, when the Apostle John had a vision he said “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’” (Rev. 19:10). These biblical examples reveal evidence as to physical effects of angelic ministry upon mere mortal mankind.
Among Christian denominations the Book of Enoch was not really rediscovered until about the middle of the 19th Century, though it never left the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Early Church fathers kept Enoch as there’s no good reason to reject Enoch except it be for the threat of false worship of angels as the Apostle John revealed at Rev. 19:10. But in preservation love, God’s Holy Spirit would convict any true Christian who tended to err on the side of false worship of angels. For the benefit of you, the reader, I provide three links, here, here and here, where you can read the various reasoning for the exclusion of Enoch from our Bible. But I believe there’s much valuable truth, especially, end-time truths, the Church could use to equip and prepare the believers by including Enoch, given the extraordinary truth “that he pleased God” (Heb. 11:5).
From an end-time viewpoint Dispensational Theology and its deceptively false pre-trib rapture naturally agrees with the silencing of Enoch because he calls out the pre-trib rapture lie from the opening verse saying, “The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed” (1 Enoch 1:1). Compare that to Matt. 13:24–30 and Matt. 13:37–43. The first chapter of Enoch reveals that God comes and protects “His elect”, and has mercy on them, prospers and helps and blesses them in the time of tribulation! And this is exactly what the Bible teaches from Rev. 12:6 and Rev. 12:14, which I’ve taught for many years that God has a place of safety and provision for His elect whom He gathers “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31), and that those who believed Jesus had also prepared in His testimony to endure those last 1,260 days of great tribulation when He keeps them “from the presence of the serpent” (Rev. 12:14)!
So, it’s quite predictable that Dispensational pre-trib rapture adherents want the Book of Enoch excluded from Scripture at any and all costs, because Enoch’s testimony, just like the testimony of Jesus Christ 100% eviscerates the deceptive false claims of the Dispensational pre-trib rapture narrative! I believe there are great spiritual truths in the Book of Enoch, especially given the fact that our own Bible says of Enoch “that he pleased God”. What true Christian would not want to learn from a man who “pleased God”? I don’t want to be part of that crowd, nor should you.
My second book “ON EAGLES’ WINGS” explains in detail how to know Christ and find God’s Bozrah sheepfold of safety and place of provision for the last 1,260 days of the great tribulation.
Marlin J. Yoder
