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 angels, 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 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 roar of 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 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 were three hundred and sixty-five years; and 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 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 labors and 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 proper, to perform a mission to these various planets,
and as death had not passed upon them, they could be prepared by Him
and made use of through 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.[A]] 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.'"
[Footnote A: Page 310, New Edition.]
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 bosom of the
Father, there to be preserved until 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.