July 2023

On The Two Enochs In The Bible

July 31, 2023

Ever since the beginning of human existence on this earth, mankind has been divided into two separate genealogies or bloodlines. One bloodline which steamed from Cain, who killed his brother Abel, is regarded as cursed and wicked. While the other bloodline descending from Seth is acknowledged as righteous, from which the promised Messiah would ultimately descend from. Though there were two different people groups who lived during the period before the Great Flood, two individuals (one from each bloodline) would share the same name. And this name, which both the righteous and evil bloodlines shared, is none other than Enoch. The first Enoch mentioned in the Scriptures is the eldest son of Cain, and the second Enoch recorded is known as the seventh from Adam, who was also one of the ten righteous antediluvian patriarchs. In this work we will look into the significance of each of these two Biblical characters, and at the same time examine their differences. So now, let us take a journey back to the beginning of human civilization and get ourselves a little more acquainted with the two Enochs in the Bible.

After Cain murdered his brother Abel, the Bible informs us that, “…Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden” (Genesis 4:16). Now it is interesting to note that even before Cain and Abel were ever born, both Adam and Eve had been driven out of Eden through their disobedience. So the fact that the Bible makes an emphasis on Cain moving ever farther away from Eden, then this must mean that the more we sin the further we drift away from Paradise and away from the presence of God. It is also crucial to comprehend the fact that God cursed Cain and severely punished him due to his sin. So when the Bible says that Cain dwelt in the land of Nod, this could not only infer that Nod was indeed a physical location found somewhere on the planet, but this could also imply that spiritually speaking no matter where Cain dwelt on the earth he was living in the land of Nod, due to the curse that God had placed upon him. Thus the land of Nod where Cain dwelt was in the confines of his own inescapable guilty conscience.

Now when Cain was driven away from the presence of the LORD, he became a builder. For it is written, “…Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch” (Genesis 4:17). From this Biblical passage it is revealed that the name of the first city in the history of human civilization was called Enoch, named after Cain’s eldest son Enoch. This Enoch is not to be confused with the Enoch who walked with God and was then translated that he should not see death. However, though the Enoch of the wicked bloodline did not share in the blessings of long life as did the Enoch of the holy bloodline, the fact that a city was built which bore the name Enoch in a way granted Enoch the son of Cain immortality. As we see in other ancient literature such as the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, the quest of everlasting life has always been a struggle for the human race. Though he strives for immortality, Gilgamesh is not granted it. Yet in the end Gilgamesh achieves a form of immortality through the city which he built, whose foundations would remain his lasting legacy long after he had died. So too could Cain have named the city he built after his son, in the attempt of making both his city and his son’s memory be eternal.

The name Enoch in the original Hebrew is pronounced Hanoch and means, “dedicated.” It also shares a linguistic relationship to the Hebrew word “Hanukkah”, the name of the Jewish holiday which commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (I Maccabees 4:52-59). In Arabic the name Enoch is known as Idris, and has the meanings of “studious”, “smart”, and “to learn or understand.” These titles are very appropriate when applied to the righteous Enoch, for one of the many legends that have come down to us concerning prophet Enoch is that he was the first among men who learned writing. Being the first prophet after Adam it is believed that Enoch wrote a book of prophecy which is known as the Book of Enoch. Many Bible scholars today doubt that it was Enoch himself who wrote this book, and thus they attribute authorship of the book of Enoch to ancient Jewish scribes. While the Greek Orthodox Church does not believe the book of Enoch to be inspired, it is included within the Canon of Scriptures held to be inspired by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Returning to Enoch the son of Cain, there seems to be no other record of him in the Bible apart from the city which his father built and named after him. Similarly, not much of the life of righteous Enoch is recorded in the Bible either. However, even though prophet Enoch is only given a brief mention in the Scriptures, he is widely spoken of in religious circles. Many believe Enoch to be one of the Two Witnesses mentioned in the book of Revelation who preach during the Great Tribulation in the era of the Antichrist. Along with the prophet Elijah, Enoch is the only other person in history who has not died, and thus their martyrdom at the hands of the Antichrist will fulfill the Scriptures which state that all must die (Hebrews 9:27). Though the wicked bloodline of Cain was destroyed by the Flood in the days of Noah, the disobedient spirit of Cain has survived even to this day. For when Christ returns he will separate the sheep from the goats (the good from the bad). The sheep will abide with the Lord forever in Paradise, while the goats will suffer for all of eternity in hell. So when it all comes down to it there are truly only two types of people in this world: the righteous Enochs and the wicked Enochs.

 

References:

Burns, R.I. The Book of Enoch: Messianic Prophecy Edition. (San Francisco, CA: SagesWorks Press, 2017).

Brown, R.K. The Book of Enoch. (Nashville, Tennessee: James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1997).

Cambridge University Press. The Apocrypha, Authorized King James Version. (Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1992).

Holy Bible: Ethiopic Version. (Saderingrad Productions, 2007).

Kush, I.K. Enoch the Ethiopian. (Buffalo, New York: Eworld Inc., 2000).

Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).

Was the Persian Overthrow of Babylon an Inside Job?

July 3, 2023

As most students of history and Biblical studies will tell you, the Persian Empire overthrew the Babylonian Empire way back in the mid-6th century BC. However, a certain theory which explains how the Persians accomplished their victory over the Babylonians is not as commonly discussed. For the city of Babylon was protected by massive walls and secured by two large leaved gates of brass that were submerged deep into the Euphrates River, which also aided the city against foreign invasion. Additionally these gates were shut at night and reinforced by huge iron bars. So, since the Persians were so easily able to march into Babylon and take the entire city in just one night, then they must have had help from within the walls of Babylon in order to penetrate the two thick gates of brass which made the city virtually impregnable. The following presentation will attempt to briefly summarize the theory of how Babylon fell by taking a deeper look into the historical records which pertain to the ancient city of Babylon and her ultimate overthrow by the Persians, who were lead by that legendary figure of history: Cyrus the Great.

Ancient Babylon was home to the pagan priesthood of the god Marduk. But the Babylonia ruler Nabonidus was despised by the priests of his realm, due to the king’s introduction of foreign gods into the empire which threatened the supremacy of the Babylonian god Marduk. Because of the adoption of new deities into the territories of Babylonia the power of the Babylonian priesthood, which administered the rights of worship and sacrifices to Marduk, found itself in great peril. Though the priests of Marduk were in danger of losing their control over politics, an opportunity arose which would secure their power and position. For when the news traveled to Babylon, concerning the threatening approach of king Cyrus’ army into the great city, a revolt broke out and Nabonidus quickly collected all the various idols of his gods and fled out from amongst the borders of Babylon.

For it was in the year 539 BC, that king Cyrus of Persia managed to enter Babylon along with the assistance of a couple of Babylonian traitors who (it can be argued) made the Persian overthrow of Babylon an inside job. For according to the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, these turncoats were able to divert the Euphrates River into a new channel allowing the Persian army to march over the dry riverbed and into the city, while the Babylonians were preoccupied in the revelry and drunkenness of a party dedicated to their gods. And this story, taken directly from the historical record of ancient Babylon, is also recorded in the 5th chapter of the book of Daniel as found within the pages of the Holy Bible. For it was the proverbial “writing on the wall” that the prophet Daniel was able to decipher which proclaimed God’s judgment upon the kingdom of Babylon, and her ultimate demise as an ancient world power.

Now the two Babylonian traitors, who helped the Persian king enter the city, may in fact have been employed by the priests of Marduk. For these priests found themselves with no other choice but to tolerate the worship of the other gods brought into Babylon by Nabonidus. And even after Nabonidus had left the country, his son Belshazzar reigned in his place and he also continued in the worship of and the service to his father’s gods. This in turn only bred resentment in the hearts of the priests of Marduk against prince Belshazzar. Biblically speaking, the plot to divert the river by unlocking the gates of the city was prophesied by Jeremiah. For the prophet wrote of how the men of Babylon would not fight and that the bars of Babylon would be broken (Jeremiah 51:30). The prophet Isaiah also foretold of how God would use the king of the Persians, “..to subdue the nations…and…to open…the two leaved gates” (Isaiah 45:1). Thus through a conspiracy plotted and executed by it’s very own priesthood, was the Babylonian Empire conquered by the Persian Empire.

From what has been presented in this treatise of ancient revisionist history, it can be strongly argued that there is indeed a power which lurks behind the throne. Though the king of Babylon possessed material power over the empire, he was not all powerful. For the priesthood also held a political monopoly when it came to the religious practices and other administrative duties involving the king and the people. For in all civilizations throughout history do we see monarchy’s ultimately answering and bowing down to religious leadership. As we have seen, if the king rebels and the priests don’t get their way, then these religious conspirators put their magic to work by toppling the disobedient ruler and craftily install a figurehead (or puppet) who is keen on dancing to any tune the masters play. And ancient Babylon was a prime example of this gross abuse of power. As there is no new thing under the sun this ruling class struggle for power will continue until the end of history. For as prophesied in the Bible, the final world religious/political system is appropriately titled: MYSTERY BABYLON.

 

References:

Daniel, E. The History of Iran. (Westport, Connecticut: The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations, 2001).

Daniel, J. Scarlet and the Beast Vol. II. (Tyler, TX: JKI Publishing, 1994).

Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).