Chapter 14: The Light in the Darkness

Enoch is born and at 65 begets Methuselah, then walks with God. He lives 365 years then is taken by the Lord. Methuselah begets Lamech, and Lamech begets Noah. When Noah is 500 years old he begets his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Men of the world multiply bearing beautiful daughters that the sons of God marry. Their offspring become mighty men of renown. Giants and iniquity abound. God swears to end their lives in 120 years. But Noah finds God's grace.

ENOCH'S MARRIAGE

In counting generations Enoch was of the same generation as the sons of Lamech; Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain. Enoch beheld their labors: false religions, commerce, and trade by their crafts. Because we know he walked with God (verse 5:22), we tend to think that he always walked with God. But the Bible says that he "walked with God after he begat Methuselah" (v. 22). Before the birth of his son, Enoch did not walk with God. That was 65 years before his conversion. He may have become involved with the three sons of Lamech. Perhaps, even, he married their sister Naamah. It is an unusual mention of her name without any reason given for including her. As stated before, her name means "pleasantness" or "agreeable." It says in chapter 6:2 "that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." While some teach that the "sons of God" are devils, there is also a school of thought that teaches that the "sons of God" were the righteous believers. This writer agrees with the latter doctrine and will address the reasons later. From that view, Enoch would be a son of God and he may have married Naamah. Frequently in the Bible women are singled out because they become believers. Both Ruth and Rahab are examples, and they partook in the genealogy of Christ. Could not this be the case with Naamah? Enoch as a heathen would be drawn to the exciting industry of Lamech's family. This beautiful and pleasant daughter would make a wonderful wife. If Enoch married Naamah, then she would become the first "gentile" woman in the line of Christ.

A SON IS GIVEN

The birth of Methuselah caused a profound change in Enoch. The utter helplessness of this infant would cause Enoch to remember the frailty of man and the need for divine help. His father Jared had taught him about the Creator Yahweh. He was told of the promised Messiah and the need of blood sacrifice to redeem him from his sins. This infant provoked Enoch to assess his own sins and the lifestyle he lived with the sons of Lamech. He cried out to God and He heard him. Naamah may have even encouraged him to seek God. The responsibility of raising a child showed Enoch the inadequacies of his abilities, so in humble contrition he repented and asked for the Lord's forgiveness. With a new view of life through God's righteous eyes, Enoch must have been appalled by the growing depravity in the world. "How long will this last, Oh Lord?" he must have cried out. And the Lord may have told Enoch, "Call your son Methuselah (-!:{;/, for when he is dead, it shall be sent," which is one meaning of the name of Methuselah. For when he died the Flood came. At this time of his son's birth some 687 years have passed since Creation and the population could have been between 19,000 and 50 million people. Enoch probably did not know that his son would not die until 969 years later when the population would be in the multi-billions.

THE PROPHET'S CRY

Jude, the Lord's half brother, in addressing the false believers who follow their flesh and not the Lord, quotes the Pseudepigrapha book of "Enoch," in saying, "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 14 & 15). Enoch must have watched with alarm the deepening depravity of the world. He knew that the judgment of God was going to fall on them all. His heart must have been stirred with compassion for them in a desire to see them saved. This zeal for God burned constantly for 300 years as he warned the new and ever growing population of the Earth. He would see the birth of his grandson Lamech in a world with perhaps a billion people. He would also see the death of the first man, Adam 930 years after Creation.

THE TWO BRANCHES

The devotion that Enoch showed to the Lord was rewarded by his being taken to heaven without the experience of death. Only one other person in the Bible experienced this removal from Earth without death to heaven. That was Elijah. "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both [Elijah from Elisha] asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). Whether Enoch departed this way, or not, we don't know.

Why did God allow these two men to leave Earth without experiencing death? We don't know. But we can speculate upon additional Scriptures. The prophet Zechariah whose ministry (along with Haggai) was to encourage the building of the second temple, had many heavenly visions. One of them was the vision of the two olive trees.

And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, "What seest thou?" And I said, "I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof (Zech. 4:1-3).
So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord?" (Zech. 4:4).
"...those seven; they are the eyes of Yahweh, which run to and fro through the whole Earth" (Zech. 4:l0b).
And I answered again, and said unto him, "What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?" (Zech. 4:12).
Then said he, "These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth" (Zech. 4:14).

A symbolic representation of something occurring in heaven has been given to Zechariah. The two olive trees whose branches pour forth oil to the seven lamps are explained by the angel to be the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord whose seven eyes roam to and fro amongst the Earth.

The seven eyes of the Lord are referred to again in the book of Revelation. John, in witnessing the throne of God in heaven, declares:

And out of the throne proceeded lightning and thundering and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God (Rev. 4:5).
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the Earth (Rev. 4:6).

We see the repetition of Zechariah's seven lamps (Zech. 4:2) which are the eyes of the Lord (Zech. 4:10) referred to as the eyes of the Lamb that was slain (Rev. 4:6). The slain Lamb is obviously the crucified Christ. Earlier in Revelation we read John's words:

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like the Son of man (Rev. 1:12 & 13).
And he had in his right hand seven stars (Rev. 1:16a).
And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me (Rev. 1:17b)... "The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches" (Rev. 1:20).

The seven stars correspond to the seven lamps, which Jesus tells John are the angels, or messengers, of the seven candlesticks, or churches. The angels are not, in this case, heavenly spirits, but pastors and leaders. Yet the account in Zechariah described the seven lamps as the eyes of the Lord. This means, that the people of God, or the body of Christ, are the eyes of the Lord, or the Lamb that was slain.

Zechariah's vision is given to encourage Zerubbabel in the building of the second temple. But it goes beyond that. The eternal plan of God was to restore man to Him, which was lost in Eden. The first temple of God was Adam before the Fall. The second temple is Christ, of whom we are his body. Paul said, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?" (1 Cor. 6:19a).

Oil is often a picture of the Holy Spirit An intriguing image is given here of the flow of the Holy Spirit through man's human spirit (the oil from the olive' trees flow into the seven lamps of God). Jesus said to the Jews during the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2), "'He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of' his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given: because that Jesus was not yet glorified)" (John 7:38 & 39). This flow of the Holy Spirit through the human spirit came to pass at Christ's resurrection. These two anointed ones (Enoch Elijah) that stand by the Lord were a reminder to God of his promise to mankind given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15, which would be man's salvation into a new man, Christ.

Since these two stand by the Lord of the whole Earth, who is Jesus, it is also argued that they are not Enoch and Elijah, but Moses and Elijah as seen in the transfiguration of Christ (Matt. 17:3). Moses, it seems was allowed to leave Sheol as Jude shares from the Apocrypha, "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses" (Jude 9a). Apparently the devil still had the right to Moses's dead body, but God wanted Moses for the transfiguration so He temporarily raised him from the dead. The symbol created then with Moses and Elijah next to Jesus was that of the Law and the Prophets.

This writer disagrees with the suggestion of Moses instead of Enoch as one of the two witnesses because the symbol of the Law and the Prophets falls short of God's eternal plan. The Law was used to show our sin, not to save us. The prophets spoke forth the Word of the Lord which, too often, was judgment against mankind. It seems more likely that the reminder to God was of the two worlds, pre-flood and post-flood mankind. For the Lord is not willing that any should perish. Furthermore it says in Hebrews, "And as it's appointed unto men once to die" (Heb. 9:27a), both Enoch and Elijah are sinners just as you and I, and therefore must. die. Neither has yet experienced death. The two olive trees are referred to again in Revelation during the Great Tribulation of the end times.

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore (1,2601 days, clothed in sackcloth. These two are the two olive trees, and two candlesticks standing before the God of the Earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them (Rev. 11:3-7).

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them (Rev. 11:11).

The powers given to the two witnesses are usually cited as clues to their identities. Fire from heaven and the stopping of rain are associated with Elijah who brought fire down from heaven to burn Yahweh's offering when challenging the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:38), and when he commanded the rain to stop during Ahab's reign (1 Kings 17:1). Because of the power to turn water into blood, and the calling forth of plagues, it's argued that this is Moses who did the same with Pharaoh during the Exodus (Ex. 7:20 & 8-10). However, it is possible, that Enoch had some similar powers bestowed by God, although the Bible doesn't say so.

The main argument, though, against Moses being one of the two witnesses is that he has to die twice. Would God do that to him? No one, including Jesus, had to do that. Enoch, on the other hand, must go the way of all the earth, just like everybody else. If not, then he is doomed to live eternally in a sinful body, of which no one else who trusts Christ must endure. That is not likely. He, too, must shed his vile body for one like Christ's own body.

Enoch, then, was given a special privilege. He lived in, the antediluvian world, knowing the paradise that once was. He could have known Adam first hand. He enjoyed a long life on Earth (365 years) and got to be the first inhabitant of heaven, yet in his physical body, only to be joined by Elijah some 2,100 odd years later. He then will get to return to the post-diluvian world to prepare the way of Christ's second coming, of which he prophesied to the antediluvians, finally experiencing death like the rest of us, only to be resurrected a mere 3 days later like Jesus.

METHUSELAH AT REST

And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. Genesis 5:25-27.

As stated earlier, one meaning of Methuselah's name is, "when he is dead, it shall be sent," which refers to the time of God's judgment upon a wicked world. Methuselah's death occurred the very year that Noah closed the door of the ark before the rains fell. So the meaning fits that context. However, the meaning of his name has other possibilities. It is formed from two Hebrew words, math ;/, which means to "extend to full length;" and, shelach +-:, which means "to send away, shoot forth [as a branch], appoint," etc. Math is sometimes interpreted to mean an "adult man," and shelach is sometimes interpreted to mean a "spear, missile, or dart." Therefore some books define Methuselah's name to mean "man of the dart." The first definition of his name (when he is dead, it shall be sent) is a loose adaptation of "extending to full length" = death, and "being sent" (or appointed) as a spear thrown at a target. As the reader can easily see, there is room for differing interpretations. Perhaps the first part of his name suggests the possibility that he was an unusually tall man.

Nonetheless, Methuselah was not only the longest living man in history, but he was one of four that waited a long time before having children, a theme that is repeated throughout the Bible. Jared was 162 when he had Enoch, Methuselah was 187 when he had Lamech; Lamech was 182 when he had Noah; and Noah waited 500 years before he had his three sons, Japheth, Shem, and Ham!

Apparently Enoch told Methuselah about the prophecy concerning the end of wickedness. Perhaps when his son Lamech was born he had the hope that the wickedness would be overthrown (Lamech means overthrown) by his son as the Messiah. Adam was still alive at Lamech's birth (he was 874 years old) so maybe he was encouraged by God's first promise to Adam and Eve. Until his dying day, Adam probably hoped to see the messiah in his lifetime, but, "having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise" (Heb. 11:39). Lamech didn't overthrow the kingdom of darkness. That darkness continued to grow with the Earth's population which by this time was 120,000 to a billion people.

THE TURNING TIDE: The Righteous Die and Disappear

When Lamech was 56 years old, in the year 3,070 BC, the grand patriarch of the antediluvian world, the first created man, Adam, died at 930 years of age. This must have been a stunning shock to the righteous line. Until this time it didn't seem like the judgment of God, that is, death for disobedience, would ever come to pass. All of Adam's righteous descendants were still alive: Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah,,,and Lamech. They all had their own families and tribes, but it is possible they made pilgrimages to visit one another. But no more. Abel's death was too long ago and was of unnatural causes; murder. Surely a quiet and peaceful life would prevent life's end? The Earth's population had reached 300,000 or more people.

Then 57 years later when Lamech was 113 years old another shock occurs, Enoch disappeared in the year 3,013 BC. As the verse says, "and he was not; for God took him (Gen. 5:24). These events had to have had an impact not only on the righteous, but the wicked. No longer was Adam alive to remind everyone of the truth of creation. Lies are more easily believed when the testimony is gone. No longer was Enoch around to convict them of their sins because the voice of his preaching had become silent. Now the Earth had 750,000 or more people, and God's living witnesses were diminishing.

Then, when Lamech was 168 years old, in the year 2928 BC, the appointed one of Eve's misunderstanding, Seth, died at 912 years of age: and with it another hope of the Messiah permanently removed. The righteous must have felt a growing foreboding while the wicked rejoiced. Lamech must have felt a growing burden and despair if he was to be the one to overthrow the wicked. And the population continues to dramatically increase: perhaps a million or more.

GOD COMFORTS THE RIGHTEOUS

And Lamech lived an hundred eighty two years, and begat a son: and called his name Noah, saying, "This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which Yahweh hath cursed." And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. Genesis 5:28-31.

The growing despair in Lamech's heart was heard as a cry unto the Lord. God must have spoken to Lamech and encouraged him that the promised Messiah would still come and an end to the growing iniquity around him would come to an end. So Lamech was comforted when his son was born, hence the name, Noah (1, which means to "quiet, settle down, and bring rest." In just 14 years since Seth's death the population had grown to 2 million or more when Noah was born in 2944 BC.

It is also noteworthy that Lamech exclaimed that Noah would "comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which Yahweh hath cursed" (Gen. 5:29). Even though the canopy was still overhead, which provided a controlled climate, the labor of farming the ground was getting harder. Perhaps the soil was being depleted and erosion was occurring. Perhaps in the greed for materials people were clear-cutting the forests without replanting trees. Perhaps they didn't understand the need for crop rotation which malnourished the soil. Or if they knew, it was ignored. Perhaps the rocks and thorns were becoming more proliferate which made it difficult to clear ground for farming. Perhaps insects and animals were raiding the crops as they grew in population and competed for food. And certainly it has been true throughout history aggressive people would raid and plunder those who labor honestly. Whatever the events, the curse was being felt even under the canopied Earth.

Lamech had a short life in comparison to the other antediluvians, dying at a young 777 years of age in the year 2349 BC, just 5 years before the Flood. It must have distressed Methuselah to see his son die before him.

When Noah was 84 years old, Enos died at the ripe old age of 905 in the year 2860 BC (1136 AM). The population grew to over 4 and a half million people. This death may have caught Noah's attention. Perhaps God encouraged Noah to research his family ancestry. When he was 164 years old, in the year 2780 BC (1220 AM), Mahalaleel died at 895 years of age when the population expanded to 11 million people. With the increasing pagan population, and the diminishing righteous line, Noah may have dug deeper in his understanding of the past and the work of Yahweh. Just a mere 15 years later, 2765 BC (1235 AM), when Noah was 179, Mahalaleel's father, Cainan, died at the age of. 910. And when Noah was 266 years old, in 2678 BC (1322 AM), Jared, Enoch's father; died at 962 years of age, and the population could have been over 30 million. With the loss of so many righteous, the desire to have his own family must have begun to grow in him. Yet it would be another 234 years before his own sons would be born.