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Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word
Before we begin, only if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life) John 3:16, John 6:47 as a few examples; it is very important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so the Holy Spirit can teach you as to what your reading or hearing is true or false. To be taught by the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Holy Spirit which means abiding in Christ. To place yourself in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit [also called abiding in the Christ], take a moment to simply name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father). Why? Because you cannot grow spiritually if you’re not abiding in Christ [in fellowship with Him] when you take in bible truth.
1 John 1:9, says: “If we confess [meaning to simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known unconfessed sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV [New King James Version]; we call this REBOUND; read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; which answers the question, why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time? REBOUND
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.
John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV
Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV
Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:
Study to show yourself approved to God!
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
Weekly Bible Study, September 4, 2023, Meet Enoch – Part 2
Enoch’s Generational Formula
Heb 11:5 By means of doctrine [resident in the
soul] Enoch was transferred so that he should not see death;
and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was
pleasing to God.
We know very little about Enoch except that which is
revealed in the few passages we have noted so far. Therefore
we need to note something of extreme importance concerning
the life of Enoch. There are some very unique things that
happened in the first 8 chapters of the Bible that simply require faith on our part. We simply have to believe that they
are true, in spite of the fact that they may not be understandable to us or fit into the Biblical concepts we may have.
We will be studying Genesis chapter 5:1-32, and it is important to begin this passage by noting some principles which will make it a little bit easier to understand. The first two thousand years of history, which we call the antediluvian civilization [before the flood], involve only a few chapters of
Genesis. In fact, there are only eight chapters relating what
happened to the world before the flood. However, we can
draw some very definite conclusions from what we have seen
thus far. God the Holy Spirit has seen fit to record in the
Word of God a certain formula, or pattern in the Hebrew.
We are going to see that in 5:1-32 we have a generational formula which is patterned using divinely constructed genealogy. We are going to spend some time with this formula, because no portion of the Word of God is to be ignored or light
ly esteemed, every portion of the Word has meaning and purpose, and application to our lives, or it would not be given.
Keep in mind, we are considering things that happened six or
seven thousand years ago. By our standards, living our relatively short time on this earth can seem like it is a very long
time, but to God, it is not a long time at all.
First of all, before the flood, people lived much longer
than we do now. In fact, we have the record of at least two
people who lived to be almost a thousand years old. The human body, in those days, was capable of living for nearly a
millennium. This was because the environment was vastly
different. During the antediluvian civilization, the earth was
not yet tilted on its axis, and there were no bacteria. Therefore, there was perfect climate, and great health as a result of
the good food that grew from the trees and from the ground.
Mankind has a different life span in each civilization.
Historically, the shortest life span was during the Middle Ages, or
what many call the dark ages. In medieval times people had
an average lifespan of 30-35 years.
A person of 50 was considered to be very old! The reasons for this short lifespan had to do with their health standards (which were terribly low),
their manner of diet, and their manner of living. Many of us
have read or seen some romantic stories about knights, however, there wasn't anything romantic about a knight who never brushed his teeth, who constantly had decayed food in his
mouth, and who never changed his clothes. Bathing was alien to their lifestyle, and there was an aversion to it. It's interesting to study the manner in which they lived, and to note
that the terrible conditions in history existed because of religion.
The medieval period is quite in contrast with the time
we are studying during which people lived 900 years or more.
ENOCH—Doctrines of a Visible Hero
Again, there are several reasons for this longevity, the
climate before the flood was universally perfect. The earths
tilt seems to have occurred as a result of the flood. We now
have variations in climate, but at that time there were none.
Before the flood, most of the water was stored under the
earth, the rest came from the dew in the morning. There were
no violent storms or even rain as we have today. Their
weather was good, and the food was absolutely perfect, enriched by the excellent condition of the soil in the antediluvian civilization. Though man had to work for his food, it contained all the vitamins and minerals necessary for good
health. In addition to climate and excellent food, there was
plenty of room on the earth, and there were no terrible diseases that occur during the postdiluvian civilization, the cities
were not over-populated like they are today.
God could have restored the earth to its original form
after the flood, but did not. Perhaps one of the reasons that
man does not now live as long as he did then is because the
longer we are alive, the more arrogant and corrupt we become. So perhaps it is the grace of God that the average person lives about 70 or 80 years.
As David said Psa 90:10 “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due
to strength, eighty years.” Biological life did not have the
health hazards that we have today in the postdiluvian civilization.
Next, let’s note a formula that will enable us to understand what type of individual Enoch was. We need to begin with Gen 5:1-8 This is the book of the generations of Adam.
In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.
When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years,
he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according
to his image, and named him Seth. Then the days of Adam
after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years,
and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father
of Enosh. Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after
he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and
daughters. So, all the days of Seth were nine hundred and
twelve years, and he died.
These eight verses are actually written in a Hebrew
formula that is not revealed in the English translation. First
year Hebrew students always want to get a passage like this
for an examination, because it has a definite formula.
For example, when it says in verse 6 that Seth lived 105 years it
is the qal imperfect of the Hebrew word. Every time
someone lives hereafter it is always the same chajah. It's always in the qal imperfect and the imperfect tense indicates the elapse of time.
The verse then says, he lived 105 years
and became the father of, which is the hiphil perfect of the
Hebrew word jalad which means to cause to bring forth.
This hiphil perfect is a part of the formula. So, in Gen 5:6
And Seth lived [qal imperfect of chajah] one hundred and
five years, and became [the hiphil perfect of jalad] the father
of Enosh. Gen 5:7 Then Seth lived [qal imperfect of chajah
again] eight hundred and seven years after he became [the
hiphil perfect of jalad] the father of Enosh, and he had other
sons and daughters.
We see it follows the same formula in
every paragraph. Gen 5:8 So all the days of Seth were nine
hundred and twelve years, and he died [qal imperfect of
muth]. This formula is followed for every generation. Here
is the reason and what it should mean to you:
This formula is
followed for every generation selecting and emphasizing only
one person. For example, Gen 5:4 Then the days of Adam
after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years,
and he had other sons and daughters. Gen 5:7 Then Seth
lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. Gen 10:1-32
Then Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after
he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and
daughters. Gen 5:13 Then Kenan lived eight hundred and
forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he
had other sons and daughters. Gen 5:16 Then Mahalalel
lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. Gen5:19 Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters.
Gen 5:22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years
after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other
sons and daughters.
So, they all had one son mentioned by name, and then
many unnamed children as well, then they died. We see that
this formula is found throughout this chapter. We will note in
this formula that there are always others unnamed in each
family, and the principle we derive from that is that families
are divided through Bible doctrine.
The adage that the family that prays together stays together is not true. The family that does anything together doesn't always stay together, old sin
natures inevitably clash and go in different directions. The
only thing that holds a family together is the same thing by
which there could be compatibility in the human race, and
that is Bible doctrine resident in the soul. As Paul said in Phil
2:2 “make my joy complete by being of the same mind.”
Rom 12:16 “Be of the same mind toward one another;”
Rom 15:5 “Now may the God who gives perseverance and
encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one
another according to Christ Jesus;”1Co 1:10 “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same
mind and in the same judgment.”
Spiritual growth and spiritual advance is what keeps
people together. Therefore, if you want to know the truth of
the matter, it is the family that takes in doctrine together that
stays together. If you don't believe that, ask some of the men
or women who are married to a person who has negative volition how that hinders the marriage.
Out of the large family that each person had in the
antediluvian civilization, one person is specified because that
one person was the mature representative, the spiritual leader
for that generation. Therefore, this line mentioned in Genesis
5:1-32 is the line of mature believers in the antediluvian civilization.
There were other mature believers around, but in every
generation, including this one, there is always one spiritual
leader that those who have positive volition toward doctrine
are centered around. It happened in the early church with Peter, and then James, then Paul and finally John and it has happened with men throughout the ages with those like Luther, Chafer, etc.
So, Gen 5:9 Enosh lived ninety years, and became the
father of Kenan. Many of these names also mean something
to us. For example, Enosh means weak, helpless and hopeless and therefore represents the concept of grace. The people who became great in every generation before the flood were grace people, mature believers who exploited grace to
the maximum. Therefore, let's note some principles before we
go on.
· Verses Gen 5:6-8 are a formula presenting the mature believer,
the spiritual leader in every generation of Seth's line. The
same formula occurs throughout the chapter with several
very dramatic exceptions.
Each generation had an ultra-super-grace hero who exploited God's grace to the maximum, and who left for us
the heritage principle, which is the fact that the person
who exploits God’s grace in any generation of history is a
person, blessed by God to the maximum, in both time and
eternity. The blessings that are given to the visible or invisible hero are fantastic in time, but beyond description in eternity.
As previously mentioned, escrow blessings
are not only phenomenal in their content but often unusual as far as this life is concerned.
· Each generation has an ultra-super-grace hero, a spiritual
leader, a person around whom all who are positive toward
doctrine and God's plan can rally.
· Gen 5:1-32 is not merely a formula, but a part of the Word of
God, and it becomes a memorial to the importance of
spiritual growth in every generation regardless of the circumstances. This anticipates Gen 6 where some terrible
things occurred before the flood at a time of wonderful
living conditions and excellent environment.
People lived for a long time, had excellent food, perfect air, perfect
health, and yet the old sin nature managed to destroy the
best of everything. Gen 5:1-32 is a pleasant chapter, where
Gen 6 is a horrible chapter. In those days, you either
lived in Gen 5:1-32 or Gen 6:1-22 depending upon your attitude
toward the Lord Jesus Christ and your attitude toward
doctrine as it was revealed in those days.
· No extensive details regarding these families, the names
of all the children, and all the things they did are given.
The detail that is provided is the fact that in every generation before the flood there was a strong spiritual heritage.
God has in every generation, His own representatives, not
all believers, but those believers who crack the maturity
barrier.
· In every generation there is also apostasy, reversionism,
evil, religion, and legalism. Satan never lets up in any
generation, he is still alive and heavily pressing generations of believers.
The repetition of this Hebrew formula down through the tenth
generation is a reminder that history's greatest people are the
mature believers of any generation. This formula becomes
a memorial to history's greatest people. Enoch was the spiritual leader of his generation, and this paragraph is a memorial to his true greatness in history. True greatness in life, and in history, is cracking the maturity barrier and becoming an invisible hero.
Exploitation of the grace of God demands
maximum saturation of Bible doctrine in the soul. The fourth
generation mature believer who was a leader is found in verses 12-14, his name is Kenan. Gen 5:12-14 Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel.
Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father
of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. So, all the
days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
of the meanings of the name Kenan is manufacturer, and his name has significance in that sense because he was a businessman of great success.
We think of spiritual success in terms of a missionary, evangelist or a pastor or of
someone who communicates doctrine, however, here is spiritual greatness in the field of free enterprise. Kenan is spiritually great and exploits grace to the maximum through the utilization of doctrine - as a businessman.
The fifth generation mature believer, who was a leader, is found in verses 5:15-17, his name is Mahalalel which
means praise of God, or praise belongs to God. His name
emphasizes the fact that the way to God, and the way to glorify God, is through reaching spiritual maturity and become an
invisible hero.
Gen 5:15-17 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years,
and became the father of Jared. Then Mahalalel lived eight
hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared,
and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
Mahalalel emphasized the fact that in every generation, no matter how terrible the situation may be, no matter what the handicap, or what a maximum number of old sin
natures might do to hinder doctrine, someone always cracks
the maturity barrier becoming a spiritual leader to that generation. He is someone around whom those who have positive
volition toward doctrine are centered.
The sixth generation mature believer, who was a leader, is found in verses Gen 5:18-20, his name is Jared, and his name means decent and signifies the fact that through Bible doctrine the super-grace believer heads a long line of mature believers in every generation. It is the line of leadership for every generation. Gen 5:18-20 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years and became the father of Enoch. Then Jared
lived eight hundred years after he became the father of
Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. So, all the days
of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
Enoch is the seventh generation mature believer and is
the subject of our study, and he is the exception to the formula. Gen 5:21-24 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the
father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three
hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and
he had other sons and daughters. So, all the days of Enoch
were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with
God; and he was not, for God took him.
Again Heb 11:5 By faith [means of doctrine resident
in the soul] Enoch was taken up [transferred] so that he
should not see death; and he was not found because God took
[had transferred] him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
The phrase obtained the witness is the Greek verb memarturetai, which in the passive voice means to be well spoken of, approved, to obtain a deposition.
In this case it is a deposition that was taken over 5,000 years ago; a deposition
which is still standing today: Before he was taken up, Enoch
was pleasing to God. The Greek word euarestekenai, which
means to please, refers to God deriving pleasure from an individual.
This is in the intensive perfect tense and emphasizes
the fact that Enoch kept pressing on until he reached spiritual
maturity and invisible hero-ship. It is in the active voice
which means that he persisted with positive volition toward
doctrine. He was downright stubborn and hardheaded about
the importance of Bible doctrine, and he would never let anything stop him.
Pleasing God is a matter of entering into spiritual maturity and becoming a spiritual champion or invisible hero.
Pleasing God is a matter of consistent, persistent, positive volition toward doctrine, not letting up on the intake of
doctrine, going forward under all circumstances of life.
This is why Paul said in 2Ti 4:2 “preach the word; be ready in
season and out of season.”
There are certain requirements for pleasing God, for
example, Rom 8:8 says and those who are in the flesh cannot
please God. This simply refers to the fact that no matter what
you do, if you are not filled with the Spirit, it is not pleasing
to God. It may be pleasing to you, and even to others, but it
is not pleasing to God. Pleasing God is a matter of walking
in the PPOG [Predesigned Plan of God - for your life], 1Th 4:1 “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received
[doctrine] from us instruction as to how you ought to walk
and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you [may]
excel still more.” Pleasing God is being able to go through
affliction and pain and still remain faithful to Him.
Psa 69:29 “But I am afflicted and in pain; May Your salvation [deliverance]
O God, set me securely on high.” Psa 69:30-36 “I will praise the name of God with song, And [shall] magnify Him with thanksgiving [this is to be your attitude while you're going through something].
And it will please the Lord better than an ox or a young bull with horns
and hoofs. The humble have seen it and are glad; You who
seek God, let your heart revive. For the Lord hears the needy,
And does not despise His who are prisoners. Let heaven and
earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in
them. For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
The descendants of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will
dwell in it.” In Num 24:1 blessing God's people is said to
please the Lord, Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless
Israel. Paul said that communicating truth, and not compromising, pleases the Lord in 1Th 2:4 “but just as we have been
approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we
speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.”
In 1Ki 3:5-14 we read, In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish me to give you.”
Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my
father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have
reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
Now, O Lord my God, you have made Your servant king in place of
my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how
to go out or come in.
Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too
many to be numbered or counted [cannot be numbered or
counted for multitude.] So, give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and
evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked
this thing. God said to him, “Because you have asked this
thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have
asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of
your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, behold, I have done according to your
words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart,
so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall
one like you arise after you. I have also given you what you
have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not
be any among the kings like you all your days. If you walk in
My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your
father David walked, then I will prolong your days.”
Again Heb 11:5-6 By faith [means of doctrine resident in the soul] Enoch was taken up [transferred] so that he
should not see death; and he was not found because God took
[had transferred] him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without
faith [which is a reference to doctrine in this passage] it is
impossible to please Him.
Knowing this, we can conclude that Enoch had the
faith necessary to please God.
The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
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