Chapter 9
Enoch, his Life and Translation-References to Him by Paul and Jude-Copious Extracts from His Prophecy-The Prophet Joseph Smith on Enoch and the Doctrine of Translation-The Office of Translated Saints-Enoch's Future Work-Translation and Resurrection-Christ the Creator-Summary of the Results of Enoch's Faith in the Saving Blood of Christ.
We next come to Enoch, who presents a very important figure among the antediluvians, and of whom there are some very marvelous things related. The Bible record of him is as follows:
"And Jared lived an hundred, sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch. * * * And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters; and all the days of Enoch were three hundred, sixty and five years; and Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him."-Gen., v, 18, 21-24.
This is certainly a very meagre history of so great a personage, and to supply the deficiency we must have recourse to other testimonies: one important fact, however, is here stated, that "he walked with God;" another is, that "God took him." There was evidently a book written by this Patriarch, which is called the Book of Enoch, for Jude says;
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand 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, i, 14, 15.
From the above it would seem that not only had Enoch written a book, but that Jude had access to it; or if not had had a communication or revelation from Enoch, as referred to by Joseph Smith, hereafter, for we discover that he had a knowledge of the Son of God, the Messiah. It is true, the Only Begotten, as He is spoken of elsewhere, is not here mentioned, but only the Lord is referred to; yet the circumstances connected therewith are indicative of it being that personage; for Paul expresses the same sentiment in regard to the second coming of the Messiah, and says:
"And to you, who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angles, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."-2 Thes., i, 7-10.
Moreover, Jesus Himself makes the following remarks concerning the same subject:
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."-Matt., xxv, 31, 32.
Thus showing that it was the same personage that was referred to by Enoch.
Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, writes:
"By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."-Heb., xi, 5.
These declarations are very strongly corroborated by the following extracts from a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, relating to the prophecy of Enoch, and published in the Pearl of Great Price:
"And from that time forth Enoch began to prophesy, saying unto the people, That, as I was journeying, and stood in the place Mahujah, and cried unto the Lord, there came a voice out of heaven, saying, Turn ye, and get ye upon the Mount Simeon. And it came to pass that I turned and went up on the mount; and as I stood upon the mount, I beheld the heavens open, and I was clothed upon with glory, and I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he said unto me, Look, and I will show unto thee the world the world for the space of many generations. And the Lord said unto me, Go forth to this people and say unto them, Repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die. And he gave unto me a commandment that I should baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, who is full of grace and truth, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the Son. And it came to pass that Enoch continued to call upon all the people, save it were the people of Cainan, to repent; and so great was the faith of Enoch, that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly. And there went forth a curse upon all the people who fought against God; and from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. And the fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he said unto the Lord, Surely, Zion shall dwell in safety for ever. But the Lord said unto Enoch, Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed. And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven! And the Lord said unto Enoch, Behold mine abode for ever."
The Prophet Joseph Smith, when speaking of Enoch and his people and the doctrine of translation, said;
"If Cain had fulfilled the law of righteousness as did Enoch, he would have walked with God all the days of his life, and never failed of a blessing. Gen., v, 22: 'And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters; and all the days of Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.' Now this Enoch God reserved unto Himself, that he should not die at that time, and appointed unto him a ministry unto terrestrial bodies, of whom there has been but little revealed. He is reserved also unto the Presidency of a dispensation, and more shall be said of him and terrestrial bodies in another treatise. He is a ministering angel, to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation, and appeared unto Jude as Abel did unto Paul: therefore Jude spoke of him, 14th and 15th verses: 'And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, revealed these sayings: Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints.'
"Paul was also acquainted with this character, and received instructions from him: Heb., xi, 5: 'By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God; but without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a revealer to those who diligently seek him.'
"Now the doctrine of translation is a power which belongs to this Priesthood. There are many things which belong to the powers of the Priesthood and the Keys thereof, that have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world; they are hid from the wise and prudent, to be revealed in the last times.
"Many may have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a doctrine of translation was a doctrine whereby men were taken immediately into the presence of God, and into an eternal fulness, but this is a mistaken idea. Their place of habitation is that of the terrestrial order, and a place prepared for such characters He held in reserve to be ministering angels unto many planets, and who as yet have not entered into so great a fulness as those who are resurrected from the dead. See Heb., xi, part of 35th verse, 'Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.'
"Now it is evident that there was a better resurrection, or else God would not have revealed it unto Paul. Wherein then can it be said a better resurrection? This distinction is made between the doctrine of the actual resurrection and translation: translation obtains deliverance from the tortures and sufferings of the body, but their existence will prolong as to the labors and toils of the ministry, before they can enter into so great a rest and glory.
"On the other hand, those who were tortured, not accepting deliverance, received an immediate rest from their labors. See Revelations, xiv, 13: 'And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for from henceforth they do rest from their works do follow them.'
"They rest from their labors for a long time, and yet their work is held in reserve for them, that they are permitted to do the same works after they receive a resurrection for their bodies."-History of Joseph Smith, Deseret News, Vol. IV, No. 30.
"He [President Joseph Smith] explained the difference between an angel and a ministering spirit; the one a resurrected or translated body, with its spirit, ministering to embodied spirits; the other a disembodied spirit, visiting or ministering to disembodied spirits. Jesus Christ became a ministering spirit (while his body was lying in the sepulchre) to the spirits in prison, to fulfil an important part of his mission, without which he could not have perfected his work, nor entered into his rest. After his resurrection he appeared as an angel to his disciples, &c. Translated bodies cannot enter into rest until they have undergone a change equivalent to death. Translated bodies are designed for future missions.
"The angel that appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos was a translated or resurrected body. Jesus Christ went in body, after his resurrection, to minister to translated and resurrected bodies. There has been a chain of authority and power from Adam down to the present time."-History of Joseph Smith, Deseret News, Vol. V, No. 11.
It would appear that the translated residents of Enoch's city are under the direction of Jesus, who is the Creator of worlds; and that He, holding the keys of the government of other worlds, could, in His administrations to them, select the translated people of Enoch's Zion, if He thought the medium of the Holy Priesthood to act as ambassadors, teachers, or messengers to those worlds over which Jesus holds the authority. We read in the Times and Seasons:
"Truly Jesus Christ created the worlds, and is Lord of Lords, and, as the Psalmist said, 'judges among the Gods.' Then Moses might have said with propriety, he is the 'living God,' and Christ, speaking of the flesh, could say, I am the Son of Man; and Peter, enlightened by the Holy Ghost, Thou art the Son of the living God, meaning our Father in Heaven, and who, with Jesus Christ His first begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one in power, one in dominion, and one in glory, constituting the First Presidency of this system and this eternity. But they are as much three distinct persons as the sun, moon and earth are three different bodies.
"And again, the 'twelve kingdoms' which are under the above-mentioned Presidency of the Father. Son and Holy Ghost, are governed by the same rules, and destined to the same honor. [Book Doc. and Cov., page 135, par. 13.] For, 'Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field, to dig in the field; and he said unto the first, Go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance: and he said unto the second, Go ye also into the field, and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my countenance; and also unto the third, saying, I will visit you; and unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth."'
It is further stated in this section: "Therefore, unto this parable will I liken all these kingdoms, and the inhabitants thereof; every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and in its season; even according to the decree which God hath made."-Verse 61.
That is, each kingdom, or planet, and the inhabitants thereof, were blessed with the visits and presence of their Creator, in their several times and seasons.
It is recorded that to Jesus has been given all power in heaven and in earth, and from the foregoing quotations He evidently had power which He used to commission the citizens of the Zion of Enoch to go to other worlds on missions. In an extract from the teachings of the Prophet Joseph (elsewhere inserted) it is written:
"Elijah was the last prophet that held the keys of this Priesthood, and who will, before the last dispensation, restore the authority and deliver the keys of this Priesthood, in order that all the ordinances may be attended to in righteousness. It is true that the Savior had authority and power to bestow this blessing; but the sons of Levi were too prejudiced."
Here Jesus paid deference to the Priesthood, who held keys relating to the ministration of its powers and blessings, but it is not unreasonable to suppose, when other worlds are concerned, over whom also He holds the keys of salvation, that these considerations would not necessarily interpose, and that He would send or commission members of the translated Priesthood of Enoch's Zion amongst terrestrial worlds whithersoever it pleased Him, in the interests of the peoples thus situated.
We now resume our extracts from the prophecy of Enoch;
"And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and of the Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the power of heaven into Zion.
"And it came to pass that Enoch looked; and from Noah, he beheld all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying, When shall the day of the Lord come? When shall the blood of the Righteous be shed, that all they that mourn may be sanctified, and have eternal life? And the Lord said, It shall be in the meridian of time, in the days of wickedness and vengeance. And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying, The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me!
"Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying, I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods? And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah; and he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand; and the Lord said, Blessed is he through whose seed Messiah shall come; for he saith, I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven, which is broad as eternity; and whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me, shall never fall. * * *
"And the Lord said unto Enoch, Look; and he looked and beheld the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men; and he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks were rent; and the Saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory; and as many of the spirits as were in prison came forth, and stood on the right hand of God; and the remainder were reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day.
"And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years. * * *
"And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy; and all the days of Zion, in the days of Enoch, were three hundred and sixty-five years; and Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is fled."
From the foregoing extracts we learn amongst other truths, all based upon Enoch's faith in the atoning blood of the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, the following:
That Enoch was clothed with glory and saw the Lord, who talked with Him as one man talks with another, even face to face.
That the Lord commanded Enoch to preach repentance; and to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, which is full of grace and truth, and the Holy Spirit, which bears record of the Father and the Son.
That so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, overthrew their enemies, and at his word the earth trembled, whilst the mountains, rivers and seas obeyed his command.
That through this faith Enoch saw the days of the coming of the Son of Man in the flesh, and by it he obtained a covenant from the Lord that after Noah's day He would never again cover the earth by a flood, and obtained an unalterable decree that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations while the earth should stand.
That the Lord showed Enoch the world and its future history for the space of many generations, even unto the end of the world.
That so great was the faith and righteousness of Enoch and his people, that the Lord came down and dwelt with them, and in process of time Enoch's City, Zion, was taken up into heaven, and many, through the testimony of the Father and the Son, were afterwards caught up by the powers of Heaven into Zion.
And, further, that while Enoch, through the favor of the Almighty, not only had a mission to preach the Gospel and to gather the people, but that he was also empowered to have the people that he had thus gathered, and taught and instructed in the laws of life, and the city in which they dwelt, translated and taken into the latter times, while the threatened calamities should overtake the world. But he also further obtained a promise that the future peopling of the earth should come through his seed; thus making him one of the great agencies to administer salvation in the heavens and upon the earth.
Footnotes
1. Page 310, New Edition.