Living the Life of Enoch

Chapter 1

The Example of Enoch

"The experience of Enoch and of John the Baptist represents what ours should be. Far more than we do, we need to study the lives of these men—he who was translated to heaven without seeing death; and he who, before Christ’s first advent, was called to prepare the way of the Lord, to make His paths straight."—Gospel Workers, p. 51:1.

"Notwithstanding the prevailing iniquity, there was a line of holy men who, elevated and ennobled by communion with God, lived as in the companionship of heaven. They were men of massive intellect, of wonderful attainments. They had a great and holy mission—to develop a character of righteousness, to teach a lesson of godliness, not only to men of their time, but for future generations. Only a few of the most prominent are mentioned in the Scriptures; but all through the ages God had faithful witnesses, truehearted worshipers.

"Of Enoch it is written that he lived sixty-five years, and begat a son. After that he walked with God three hundred years."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 84:3.

"Those who make a profession of sanctification are frequently the most proud, selfish, and overbearing. What an account will such have to render to God for their influence! They profess that their conduct is in harmony with heaven, while they manifest the evil promptings of their natural hearts. They in no way resemble Enoch, Joseph, Daniel, Paul, or Christ, the perfect Pattern. They bring Bible sanctification into contempt. Their course of conduct is uncourteous, and many times really unkind and uncouth. Such are like signboards at crossroads which mislead the traveler by pointing in the wrong direction."—Review and Herald, September 8, 1885, para. 12.

"Daniel and his companions were familiar with the lives of Abel, Seth, Enoch, and Noah. They cherished the truths that had been passed down from generation to generation. The image of God was engraved upon the heart. When surrounded by an atmosphere of evil, these youth remained uncorrupted. No power or influence could sway them from the principles they had learned in early life by a study of God’s Word and works."—Youth’s Instructor, May 21, 1903, para. 12.

"Enoch was a representative man, but he is not praised, he is not exalted; he simply did that which every son and daughter of Adam may do."—Manuscript Releases, Volume Six, p. 147:1.

"Enoch was a prophet who spake as he was moved by the Holy Ghost. He was a light amid the moral darkness, a pattern man, a man who walked with God, being obedient to God’s law."—Manuscript Releases, Volume six, p. 146:1.

"The Bible has been your study book. It is well thus, for it is the true counsel of God, and it is the conductor of all the holy influences that the world has contained since its creation. We have the encouraging record that Enoch walked with God. If Enoch walked with God, in that degenerate age just prior to the destruction of the world by a flood, we are to receive courage and be stimulated with his example that we need not be contaminated with the world but, amid all its corrupting influences and tendencies, we may walk with God. We may have the mind of Christ."—Selected Messages, Book 3, p. 338:2.

"Many regard Enoch as a man to whom God gave special power to live a life more holy than we can live. But the character of the man who was so holy that he was translated to heaven without seeing death is a representation of the character to be attained by those who will be translated when Christ comes in the clouds of heaven. Enoch’s life was no more exemplary than may be the life of everyone who maintains a close connection with God."—Signs, October 12, 1904, para. 1.

"After Adam’s fall from a state of perfect happiness to a state of misery and sin, there was danger of man’s becoming discouraged, and inquiring, ‘What profit is it that we have kept His ordinances and walked mournfully before the Lord,’ since a heavy curse is resting upon the human race, and death is the portion of us all? But the instructions which God gave to Adam, and which were repeated by Seth, and fully exemplified by Enoch, cleared away the darkness and gloom, and gave hope to man, that as through Adam came death, through Jesus, the Promised Redeemer, would come life and immortality."—The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume One, p. 64:1.

"The soul who really believes the truth will carry out in his life the principles revealed in the life of Christ. Of Enoch it is written that his ways pleased God; and without faith it is impossible to please God. Not a thread of courseness or selfishness was woven into the web that this servant of God was weaving in his daily life. And of him we read, ‘Enoch walked with God . . three hundred years; . . and he was not; for God took him.’ "—Review and Herald, September 30, 1909, para. 4.

Chapter 2

The Family of Enoch

"During these earlier years Enoch loved and feared God and had kept His commandments. He was one of the holy line, the preservers of the true faith, the progenitors of the promised seed. From the lips of Adam he had learned the dark story of the Fall, and the cheering one of God’s grace as seen in the promise; and he relied upon the Redeemer to come. But after the birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience. He was drawn into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own obligations and responsibility as a son of God. And he saw the child’s love for its father, its simple trust in his protection. As he felt the deep, yearning tenderness of his own heart for that first-born son, he learned a precious lesson of the wonderful love of God to men in the gift of His Son, and the confidence which the children of God may repose in their heavenly Father. The infinite unfathomable love of God through Christ became the subject of his mediations day and night; and with all the fervor of his soul he sought to reveal that love to the people among whom he dwelt."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 84:3.

"In following Christ, looking unto Him who is the Author and Finisher of your faith, you will feel that you are working under His eye, that you are influenced by His presence, and that He knows your motives. At every step you will humbly inquire: Will this please Jesus? Will it glorify God? Morning and evening your earnest prayers should ascend to God for His blessing and guidance. True prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence and gives us the victory. Upon his knees the Christian obtains strength to resist temptation.

"The father who is the ‘house band’ of the family will bind his children to the throne of God by living faith. Distrusting his own strength, he hangs his helpless soul on Jesus and takes hold of the strength of the Most High. Brethren, pray at home in your family, night and at morning. Pray earnestly in your closet; and while engaged in your daily labor, lift up the soul to God in prayer. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. The silent, fervent prayer of the soul will rise like holy incense to the throne of grace and will be acceptable to God as if offered in the sanctuary. To all who thus seek Him, Christ becomes a present help in time of need. They will be strong in the day of trial."—4 Testimonies, pp. 615:4-616:1.

"There is order in heaven, and it is to be imitated by those upon earth who are heirs of salvation. The nearer mortals attain to the order and arrangement of heaven, the nearer are they brought to that acceptable state before God which will make them subjects of the heavenly kingdom and give them that fitness for translation from earth to heaven which Enoch possessed preparatory to his translation . . Brother P. . . has not been in harmony with that restraint, that care and diligence, which are necessary in order to preserve harmony and union of action . . A man who has but a feeble sense of his responsibility as a father to encourage and enforce order, discipline, and obedience will fail as a minister and as a shepherd of the flock. The same lack which characterizes his management at home in his family will be seen in a more public capacity in the church of God. Wrongs will exist uncorrected because of the unpleasant results which attend reproof and earnest appeal."—2 Testimonies, pp. 697:3-698:1.

"Enoch walked with God. He honored God in every affair of life. In his home and in his business he inquired, ‘Will this be acceptable to the Lord.’ And by remembering God and following His counsel, he was transformed in character, and became a godly men, whose ways pleased the Lord. We are exhorted to add to godliness, brotherly kindness. O how much we need to take this step, to add this quality to our character! . . We should have that love for others that Christ has had for us. A man is estimated at his true value by the Lord of heaven. If he is unkind in his earthly home, he is unfit for the heavenly home. If he will have his own way, no matter whom it grieves, he would not be content in heaven, unless he could rule there. The love of Christ must control our hearts . . Seek God with a broken and contrite spirit, and you will be melted with compassion toward your brethren. You will be prepared to add to brotherly kindness, charity, or love."—My Life Today, p. 98:3.

"God had a church when Adam and Eve and Abel accepted and hailed with joy the good news that Jesus was their Redeemer. These realized as fully then as we realize now the promise of the presence of God in their midst. Wherever Enoch found one or two who were willing to hear the message he had for them, Jesus joined with them in their worship of God. In Enoch’s day there were some among the wicked inhabitants of earth who believed. The Lord never yet has left His faithful few without His presence nor the world without a witness."—The Upward Look, p. 228:2.

"Enoch instructed his family in regard to the flood; Methuselah, the son of Enoch, listened to the preaching of his grandson, Noah, who faithfully warned the inhabitants of the old world that a flood of waters was coming upon the earth. Methuselah and his sons, and grandsons, lived in the time of the building of the ark. They, with some others, received instruction from Noah, and assisted him in building the ark."—Spirit of Prophecy, Volume One, p. 65:2.

Chapter 3

The Home of Enoch

"Enoch’s walk with God was not in a trance or a vision, but in all the duties of his daily life. He did not become a hermit, shutting himself entirely from the world; for he had a work to do for God in the world. In the family and in his intercourse with men, as a husband and a father, a friend, a citizen, he was the steadfast unwavering servant of the Lord.

"His heart was in harmony with God’s will; for ‘can two walk together, except they be agreed?’ Amos 3:3. And this holy walk was continued for three hundred years. There are few Christians who would not be far more earnest and devoted if they knew that they had but a short time to live, or that the coming of Christ was about to take place. But Enoch’s faith waxed the stronger, with the lapse of centuries."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 85:1-2.

"He [Enoch] did not make his abode with the wicked. He did not locate in Sodom, thinking to save Sodom. He placed himself and his family where the atmosphere would be as pure as possible. Then at times he went forth to the inhabitants of the world with his God-given message. Every visit he made to the world was painful to him. He saw and understood something of the leprosy of sin. After proclaiming his message, he always took back with him to his place of retirement some who had received the warning. Some of these became overcomers, and died before the Flood came. But some had lived so long in the corrupting influence of sin that they could not endure righteousness."—Manuscript 42, 1900.

"When iniquity abounds in a nation, there is always to be heard some voice giving warning and instruction, as the voice of Lot in Sodom. Yet Lot could have preserved his family from many evils had he not made his home in this wicked, polluted city. All that Lot and his family did in Sodom [to help them] could have been done by them, even if they had lived in a place some distance away from the city. Enoch walked with God, and yet he did not live in the midst of any city polluted with every kind of violence and wickedness, as did Lot in Sodom."—Manuscript 94, 1903.

"If the Lord abides with us, we shall feel that we are members of Christ’s family in heaven. We shall realize that angels are watching us, and our manners will be gentle and forbearing. We shall be fitting up for an entrance into the courts of heaven by cultivating courtesy and godliness . . Enoch walked with God. He honored God in every affair of life. In his home and in his business he inquired, ‘Will this be acceptable to the Lord?’ And by remembering God and following His counsel, he was transformed in character and became a godly man, whose ways pleased the Lord . . A man is estimated at his true value by the Lord of heaven. If he is unkind in his earthly home, he is unfit for the heavenly home. If he will have his own way, no matter whom it grieves, he would not be content in heaven, unless he could rule there. The love of Christ must control our hearts. Seek God with a broken and contrite spirit, and you will be melted with compassion toward your brethren. You will be prepared to add to brotherly kindness, charity, or love . . These steps will take us into the atmosphere of heaven."—Review, February 21, 1888, para 11-13.

"The dangers are many because of the unconsecrated elements that wait only until a change of circumstances shall encourage them to put their influence on the side of wrong. If all those connected with our institutions were only devoted and spiritually minded, relying upon God more than upon themselves, there would be far greater prosperity than we have hitherto seen. But while there is such decided lack of humble trust and entire dependence upon God, we cannot be sure of anything. Our great need today is for men who are baptized with the Holy Spirit of God—men who walk with God as did Enoch. We do not want men who are so narrow in their outlook that they will circumscribe the work instead of enlarging it, or who follow the motto: ‘Religion is religion; business is business.’ We need men who are farseeing, who can take in the situation and reason from cause to effect."—5 Testimonies, p. 555:1.

"The cities must be worked. The millions living in these congested centers are to hear the third angel’s message. This work should have been developed rapidly during the past few years. A beginning has been made, for which we praise God. Outpost centers are being established, from whence, like Enoch of old, our workers can visit the cities and do faithful service."—Review and Herald, July 5, 1906, para 8.

"Diligent work is now called for. In this crisis, no half-hearted efforts will prove successful. In all our city work, we are to hunt for souls. Wise plans are to be laid, in order that such work may be done to the best possible advantage. More and more, as wickedness increases in the great cities, we shall have to work them from outpost centers. This is the way Enoch labored in the days before the flood, when wickedness was rife in every populous community, and when violence was in the land."—Review and Herald, September 27, 1906, para. 18.

"The complete plan in regard to the purchase of the Hill Street property was not laid before me till my last visit to Los Angeles. I was then taken to see this property, and as I walked up the hill in front of it, I heard distinctly a voice that I well know. Had this voice said, ‘This is the right place for God’s people to purchase,’ I should have been greatly astonished. But it said, ‘Encourage no settlement here of any description. God forbids. My people must get away from such surroundings. This place is as Sodom for wickedness. The place where my institutions are established must be altogether different. Leave the cities, and like Enoch come from your retirement to warn the people of the cities.’ "—Manuscript Releases, Volume One, p. 250:2.

"As God’s commandment-keeping people, we must leave the cities. As did Enoch, we must work in the cities but not dwell in them."—Evangelism, pp. 77:5-78:0.

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