THE BOOK OF ENOCH: A FRAUDULENT DOCUMENT

     As atheism denies the Bible and its chronology of the young age of the Earth, so Christians likewise deny basic tenets of Bible doctrine. Among them includes stumbling over this issue of when there were giants living on the Earth. It is commonly viewed by many that the only way giants could exist is if devils copulated with women to produce them. This study will examine the evidence on both sides of the argument and come to the sure conclusion that this whole notion is founded on placing trust in a fraudulent writing pretending to be from “Enoch, the seventh from Adam” (Ju.v.14). It will be seen that Enoch was merely the pen name for the real author whose purpose was to deceive the gullible.

     What then is the purpose of the teachings of this and many other religious works, from ancient writings to the Left Behind series of Jenkins and LaHaye that hold the constant attention of millions of Christians? The answer is simple: Every Bible defiant doctrine is calculated by Satan to distract people from examining the Bible’s boundaries of sin and repentance: to hinder one’s ability to come to understand the full scope of GOD’S Ten Commandments, and to refrain from their transgression. In Psalm 119 (the longest psalm of Scripture) David thoroughly expounded on our great need to keep the Ten Commandments in the forefront of our service to Jesus Christ. They are integral to His honor (Isa.42:21) and our salvation (Matt.19:17). And every verse of David’s prayer in this psalm should be carried with great affection to the citadel of our souls and to reside at the fountain of our thoughts:

“I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad. MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Ps.119:96-105.

     (You will notice titles are given for every section of this psalm. Each title represents the passage that follows. In the case of “MEM” this is Hebrew for "Jehovah's Word, the Source of wisdom.” And “NUN” is Hebrew for "Jehovah's Word the source of light and joy.")

     Christians should always be on their guard for any assertions related to religious thought. While none among sinful men have perfect theology, there are some absolutes in Scripture that cannot be gainsaid. In these the Bible directs our path when opinions are given that relate to our faith in Christ and His salvation: “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:10,11.

     Let us begin with a foundation of evidence that is conclusive that the generations of men before the flood were not the only creatures of GOD having huge and magnificent stature. From giant insects and dinosaurs to giant clams found on the summits of the world's tallest mountains and the immense diameter of trees (equivalent to the height of a four-story building) the Antediluvian world was very different from the world in which we live today. What is neglected for consideration is how practical science explains the massive size of man and the creatures of Earth before the flood. Experiments have been made of the climate and atmospheric pressure that account for life’s ability to sustain the increased size of life-forms. From these, plausible calculations have been made.

     First: There is the Bible fact that before the flood there was no rain: “for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth…But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” Gen.2:5,6. With the shell of water in the upper atmosphere surrounding the Earth (Gen.1:6-8) the climate was constant from pole to pole while it also blocked all harmful radiation from the sun. Tropical plants have been found frozen in the Arctic Circle proving that it was once a tropical zone. Scientists estimate that the atmospheric pressure was twice that of today, thereby concentrating oxygen levels sufficient for the needs of the massive stature of the creatures and plants. Today, we use hypobaric chambers in medicine to accelerate healing via increased oxygenation of the blood. These devices simulate the Antediluvian atmosphere.

     So, in this evidence we see an environment easily capable of sustaining a magnitude of life much greater than our own. Therefore, the largest dinosaurs and trees were not inhibited in their flourishing on the Earth. And concerning the best health for the creatures all were vegetarians as the LORD commanded in the beginning: “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Gen.1:29-31.

     By neglecting the fossil evidence and the science supporting the pristine Earth as it came forth from the hand of GOD, many Christians have limited GOD and bound Him to their sin-polluted understanding as the LORD has said: “thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.” Ps.50:21. “My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.” Jer.2:11. This is simply because they trust in the “arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us.” II Chron.32:8. For the vast majority of men stand “proud in the imagination of their hearts.” Lu.1:51.

     As a result, men openly deny the glory GOD deserves and the sheer beauty He gave to the creation of life with all its attractive qualities before the intrusion of sin marred what was once perfect "In the beginning." This present world may likened to the birth defects we see in children where all manner of deformities are seen and their consequence of afflictions.

     And it is within this sinful trait of pride that men have embraced the Book of Enoch. They have placed their trust that it is the genuine article, believing it to come from the pen of Enoch, and to contain valuable knowledge for us as Christians. There are several books and videos promoting it. This study of the “Nephilim” (Hebrew for “giants”) has drawn much attention in Christian circles. Even on facebook there are several study groups with the sole purpose of giving praise to the primary teaching of this book. But there is one very important aspect that should be considered before placing our trust in this book. The Book of Enoch stands among many other books that GOD chose not to include in Sacred Writ, and for obvious reasons, as we have seen and will study further. This fact of its omission from Scripture is key to our understanding. There are many books that stand in the same category as the Book of Enoch: books such as the “First and Second Books of Adam and Eve,” “The Gospel of Mary,” “The Lost Gospel of Peter,” “The Gospel of Nicodemus,” etc. There are numerous writings of apocryphal and pseudepigraphal literature: none of which stands with the sacred canon; and all of which have doctrinal suppositions that stand defiant to Scripture’s basic tenets of salvation.

     All these volumes have their source in the philosophy of Gnosticism. This has been a constant threat to the purity of the Christian faith based on the Bible and the Bible only. [Just so you know, the Gnostics were a sect of philosophers that arose in the first ages of Christianity, who pretended they were the only men who had a true knowledge of the Christian religion. They formed for themselves a system of theology, agreeable to the philosophy of Pythagoras and Plato, to which they united with their interpretations of scripture. They held that all natures, intelligible, intellectual and material, are derived by successive emanations from the infinite fountain of deity. These emanations they called oeons. These doctrines were derived from the oriental philosophy. Even the noted church father of Roman Catholicism, Clement, the most famous of the Alexandrian college faculty and a teacher of Origen, boasted that he would not teach Christianity unless it were mixed with pagan philosophy (Mosheim, Commentaries, cent. 2, vol. 1, p. 341.)]

     In the case of the Book of Enoch, its foundational doctrine is the assertion that fallen angels had sexual intercourse with human women and thus created a nation of giant human beings. This is the book’s rendering of Genesis 6:4 where it says, “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” From this it is asserted that “the sons of God” always represent angels. While this is true in other verses of Scripture it does not hold up in this instance. It stands against the Scriptural and scientific evidence showing otherwise.

     First: Let us address the issue of written language. It should be noted that in the early generations of men everyone had the gift of a photographic memory. The areas of genius that are very rare today were common among the first generations of men. This is verified by the verse that says, “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Gen.2:19. In their vast intellect these early generations had no need to write anything. All was passed down by word of mouth (as many illiterate cultures still do today), and all could recall every memory and experience throughout their vastly extended life spans—even to living 969 years, as in the case of Methuselah, the oldest man to ever live on the Earth (Gen.5:27).

     And as to ascribing the Apostle Jude’s revelation about Enoch, this revelation came to him by dream or vision, and not from the Book of Enoch, as it is written:

“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 which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude v.14,15.

     Second: There are two key points of salvation through Jesus Christ that deserve our implicit trust:

1. “To the law, and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa.8:20. Scripture is clear: there is no verse ascribing to either Satan or his angels GOD'S gift of procreation. On this and every other issue of sin’s influence in the lives of men Jesus said, "But take ye heed: Behold, I have foretold you all things." Mk.13:23. Every doctrine pertaining to the set boundaries between angels and man, Scripture omits nothing! With this premise as our guide, the Bible teaches that only man carries the sperm to germinate the fertile egg of a woman. Angels do not carry sperm as evidenced by how there is no mention of Mrs. Satan. The physiology GOD endowed to angels does not allow them to have children because in the Bible they are always in the male form: never the female. They were created solely to serve GOD’S purpose for the destiny of His magnificent Creation and nothing more.

2. In reading the context of the opening passages in Genesis, "the sons of God" specifically referred to the righteous branch of the human family in those early generations. Genesis wisely abbreviates the history of man by focusing on the two branches of the human race: one righteous and the other unrighteous. In Genesis 3:15, GOD gives the basis of classifying all men into two types when He said to Satan after he seduced our premier parents into sin and thus their condemnation: “And I will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman [Eve], and between thy seed [he who serves you] and her seed [He who serves GOD]; it shall bruise thy head [in total destruction], and thou shalt bruise his heel [temporarily wound and kill in death but a resurrection will follow].”

     After Cain murdered "righteous Abel," Seth was born. Seth had a son named "Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD." Gen.4:26. These were "the sons of God" referred to in Genesis 6:2,4. The line of Seth restored the righteous branch of the human family leading up through our father Noah. So, when we read the verse, “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” the core lesson of Genesis 6:2,4 is that "the sons of God" were seduced into marriage with lascivious women who were unconverted enemies of GOD and salvation. The love of beauty exceeded love for GOD. The very same thing happened when the men of Israel “began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.” Nu.25:1. King Balak sent the most beautiful heathen women to seduce Israel away from GOD and thus secure their destruction, to be cursed of GOD for their sins (Deut.28:15-20). Their dress was seductive, their faces painted, their bodies perfumed; every exaggeration of vanity employed to ensnare to their mutual ruin.

     This lesson of immoral seduction is seen throughout Israel’s history and has continued to our day. King Solomon devoted an entire passage to the virtuous woman: “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is]silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is] vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Prov.12:4; 31:10-31

     Let us analyze Genesis 6:2&4 further in light of what is common today: “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”

     In these words are seen a turning point in the judgment of "the sons of God." GOD was to be the One to choose the best companion for one’s life (Gen.24). But man’s lust for beauty held the preeminence over religious compatibility. And the result of this incompatibility has caused much hostility between husbands and wives, from the opposing values in life, of tastes, and affections. It has often fomented a bitter spirit between the two who came together in marriage. The mystique of infatuation wore off and then the reality of a foolish decision to unite in an ill suited marriage came to light with the unending painful emotions of anger and regret. And this is as Satan would have it for it has sealed the doom for many a man and woman in choosing a loveless and even hostile relationship.

     In the opening chapters of Genesis we see every aspect of GOD’S counsel concerning the dangers we face in a sinful world. And as we’ve shown, the words of Genesis 6:4 verify the great stature of man in those early generations of men leading up to the flood of Noah’s day. When Adam came forth from the Creator’s hand, he stood in perfection: of stature, of spirit, of intellect, of moral and physical strength, of creativity, of ingenuity, of dexterity, and of lovely symmetry in his form. To be created in the likeness of GOD brought with it every gift of GOD.

     The race of men who were of giant stature continued long after the flood. When the children of Israel left Egypt for the Promised Land they encountered the remnant of men who retained the original stature GOD endowed to man: “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Nu.13:33. Various verses of Deuteronomy and Joshua remind the Bible student of this remnant of the once great stature that GOD endowed to man.

     Many generations later, David, in his youth faced one of the very last of the giants: Goliath: a man whose height was 9 ½ feet. Many years had passed, and David, being older and becoming too frail for battle nearly lost his life at the hands of one of these remaining giants: “Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint. And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.” II Sam.21:15-17.

     And so in the Bible record, we see how man came from perfection, but with the entrance of sin, his stature declined and his age dramatically reduced: from 930 years of age [the life of Adam (Gen.5:5)] to 70 years of age as it is written: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Ps.90:10.

     But the promise is sure: All that was lost through sin will one day be regained. And this includes restoring the original stature that GOD gave to His children. The prophecies read: “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Mal.4:2; Rev.22:1,2.

     "The leaves of the tree of life" will restore the physical attributes first given to Adam and Eve that were lost through succeeding generations. Our diminished size is all part of the curse of sin.

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” II Tim.4:1-5.