Unsung Heroes Part 10
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
Unsung Heroes
Part 10
Enoch: The First Raptured Man
Heb.11:5 “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.”
In light of such an incredible life, it is interesting that there are only ten verses from both the Old and New Testaments that sketch Enoch’s biography.
But those ten verses provide amazing information!
While many heroes of the faith were martyrs, Enoch never had a funeral.
He completely escaped its clutches and was translated into God’s presence.
Now, what made Enoch so special that God snatched him off the planet and whisked him into glory?
From the limited information available about Enoch, we find three words that clue us in on his translation.
Hebrews 11:5 says, “he pleased God.”
Moses was marked by meekness.
Samson was known for his incredible strength.
Daniel modeled “no fear” in the lion’s den.
Ezekiel is remembered for his visions.
Paul is known for his passion for souls and writing of Scripture.
John is best remembered for his unmatched Book of Revelation.
But Enoch’s career is distinguished by pleasing God and defying death!
HISTORY:
Enoch lived in the days just before Noah’s Flood, known as the antediluvian age.
This time period in earth’s history was profoundly wicked.
The Bible describes the earth as being “filled with violence.”
It was a time when man’s wickedness reached such a level that God “was sorry he had made man.”
The Bible records that “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Gen 6:5).
It had reached the point where God would soon judge the entire earth with the great flood.
Now, living in the midst of this deeply dark hour was a man named Enoch.
The book of Genesis paints a brief biographical sketch of him:
Genesis 5:21-24 “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. (22) And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. (23) Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. (24) Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
What an amazing passage!
When the Bible says, “he was no more, because God took him away,” it doesn’t mean God resettled him into another land.
That word “took” means God suddenly interrupted Enoch’s activity, caught him up into heaven, and he was gone.
Search parties could not find him.
Local authorities were baffled.
He seemingly vanished into thin air—wife, children, friends could not locate his whereabouts.
But God knew!
Enoch had experienced an instant translation, like a flash of lightning.
Enoch’s experience perfectly resembles what Paul said about the imminent rapture of the church:
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52).
Whereas one man was instantly removed from earth in the O.T., millions will one day instantly vanish in the same way!
The story of Enoch is a type, a foreshadowing of future events reserved for the last days.
And so we have in Enoch a man that loved God, and who was also a father of some great children—Methuselah being among them.
We have in Enoch a man whose walk with God became so close, so intimate, so vivid that God took him off the planet in a flash as the first raptured man.
Now, let’s trace his life a bit and see what we can learn about him—what brought him to the place of his literally being raptured off of the earth.
First,
Enoch was changed by God
Let’s read the passage again, “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. (22) And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.”
Something dramatic happened to Enoch when he was 65 years old.
A great change took place.
We don’t read of him walking with God before he was 65.
Some defining moment occurred after which he would never be the same.
Enoch was changed by God!
So what could that defining moment have been?
The Bible connects his change with the birth of Methuselah for we’re told that after his birth, Enoch began to walk with God.
Well then, what was it about Methuselah that ignited this change?
The mystery is found in his name…
Methuselah’s name means “in the year of his death, IT shall come!”
From the moment Enoch named his son—he knew something cataclysmic was coming to earth as soon as Methuselah died.
We now know what that “something” was—it was the great flood of Noah’s day.
Methuselah, by the way, was Noah’s grandfather.
God had told Enoch that the life of this special child would literally be the hourglass that counted down the years remaining for planet earth.
Adam lived 930 years.
Seth lived 912 years.
But Methuselah lived 969 years, longer than any person in all of history.
His incredibly long life span was a mark of God’s mercy.
God waited, and waited while Noah, Methuselah’s grandson, was busy building the ark and preaching to his generation.
The Book of Genesis is clear when one adds up the ages of Methuselah’s offspring that he died just before the Great Flood; some scholars take it as close as the week of the flood.
Likewise, when we really understand the terror of Christ’s Return, we’re encouraged to live holy lives.
1 John 3:2-3 says, “we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (3) Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
The knowledge of this approaching cataclysm caused Enoch to rearrange his entire life.
When we really understand the terror of Christ’s Return it brings sanctifying presence into our lives.
1 John 3:2-3 says, “We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (3) Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
So Enoch was changed by God.
Secondly,
Enoch aimed for God
From this moment forward, Enoch intentionally directed his life toward God.
He made God his target and walked with Him.
Heb.11:5 provides further commentary on what motivated Enoch:
Heb. 11:5 “For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
This is a commentary on Enoch’s belief system!
Enoch believed that God was, and that He rewarded the person who aimed for Him by earnestly seeking Him!
Each and every day when Enoch awoke he said to himself, “Not only is catastrophe coming, but…God exists, and He rewards the person who aims for Him.”
I want to ask you something, and let me particularly ask the men here, the dads.
What are you aiming at today?
What is your target?
What are you pursuing?
It’s easy to discover what you’re aiming at.
It’s revealed in three things that we all spend:
How you spend your money—when you look at your checkbook it reveals what your target is.
How you spend your time—When you look at where the bulk of your time goes, it becomes obvious what you are pursuing most.
How you spend your affection: Who your friends—You can determine what your target is when you examine the people you continually fellowship with.
Guys, I know what it is to follow God, and I know what it is to get off course.
I want to urge you on this Father’s Day to allow God to change you like Enoch did.
Then allow God to aim you in the direction of seeking Him.
Enoch believed that this was the most fulfilling life available on earth, and the Bible certainly confirms that he was right!
Enoch was changed by God, Enoch aimed for God, and finally,
Enoch proclaimed for God
People that change and aim for God want others to enjoy the peace and satisfaction that God offers.
And the way others discover God’s goodness is when Christians boldly proclaim for Christ.
It’s not enough to just shake our heads in disgust at the tragic direction our country is going in, at the moral depravity and lawlessness of our culture.
Jude tells us that Enoch warned his generation to turn to God before it was too late.
He also gave an amazing prophecy of Christ’s Second Coming:
“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied…“See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones.”
This refers to the Second Coming of Christ, Who will appear in the clouds with the millions of his raptured saints to bring to an end the War of Armageddon and usher in His righteous kingdom.
Enoch warned his generation!
He proclaimed for God!
In summary, Enoch changed for God, then aimed for God, and finally proclaimed for God.
The Bible says that these three things “pleased God.”
One day he was walking along like any other day.
Perhaps he kissed his wife goodbye, said something to his children, and proceeded down the same path he’d walked so many times before.
He was thinking, “God exists, and I believe He rewards those that diligently aim for Him; so what can I do today to get closer to Him, to please Him, to proclaim for Him.”
As he thought, and walked, he took his last step on earth.
His foot didn’t touch down on dirt; it stepped over into golden streets of heaven.
Suddenly, in a flash, Enoch was in the presence of God, for God “took him.”
Enoch changed for God, aimed for God, and proclaimed for God.
What about you today?
PRAYER