And He Warned Of The Coming Flood Of Noah’s Time
“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” (Genesis 5:21-24).
It is believed that Enoch was the first to hear from the Lord through revelations. It is said that he wrote 5 books, and these 5 books have been combined into one volume. The five books are: The Book of Watchers, The Similitudes, The Astronomical Book, The Book of Dreams, and the Epistle of Enoch. None of these 5 books became a part of the canon of scripture, and whether these were all written and passed down by Enoch is unknown, but we do know that Jude quoted him in the New Testament (Jude vs. 14), so we know that he did write some things that were passed down.
At sixty-five years of age it is thought that Enoch gave his heart to the Lord, or something significant happened to him at the time when he begat Methuselah. Methuselah’s name means “the deluge will be sent when he is dead.” This foretold the flood of Noah’s time.
It seems that the Lord gave Enoch great revelations at the time of Methuselah’s birth, or just prior to it. One of which was regarding the great flood that was to come upon the Earth and when it was to come. Noah was born 100 years after Enoch was translated by the Lord. Enoch’s son, Methuselah, would have certainly known Noah and Noah would have known of Enoch’s prophecy regarding the flood. Methuselah lived 969 years which is longer than any other person. Enoch’s prophecy of the flood, and that it would come when Methuselah was dead was certainly meant by the Lord as a warning of what would take place and when it would happen. We can see that it was also the Lord’s grace extended towards all those that were alive at the time.
Those alive at the time of the flood did not know how long Methuselah would live. so they did not know when the flood would come. Those living at that time lived very long lives and the fact that Methuselah lived longer than anyone else points to the Lord’s grace towards all those who were alive. Just as in the case of the flood of Noah’s time; the rapture of the church could come at any time. The rapture of the church is when the Lord returns for all believers whose hope is in His coming. Like those at the time of the flood, we do not know when the rapture will happen and the Lord’s grace is extended to all those today as it was then. The Lord is:
” …Longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. (2 Peter 3:9b).
The Lord instructed Noah to build the ark, and we know that outside of Noah’s family (8 people) no one headed Enoch’s warning. We also know that Noah preached to all that would listen during the period of time when the ark was being built. This is an example to us all today. All living today would be wise to heed the Lord’s warning of both the coming rapture of the church and His final judgment on this world in the final Great Tribulation.
So, we have two amazing stories in the fifth chapter of Genesis. The first is Enoch’s translation by God. Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he begat Methuselah and then the Lord took him; meaning he was translated without dying. There were only two men in scripture that did not die, but were taken by the Lord: Enoch and Elijah. Enoch’s faith in the Lord and his life of walking with God for three hundred years in a world that was corrupt and about to be judged by God is a good example for us in these end times as we witness wickedness increasing. We are to believe God and walk in faith believing in all that He has promised those that wait for His return.
The second amazing story is the warning of the coming flood in naming his son Methuselah which meant “the deluge will be sent when he is dead.” Methuselah was a living warning of the flood to come and his life showed forth the grace of God extended to anyone that would heed the warning and come to the Lord by grace. The year he died the flood came. The sad thing is that the Bible does not tell us that Methuselah himself came to the Lord. There isn’t any mention of it. We all must come to the Lord individually. If Methuselah did not place his faith in the Lord after seeing the faith of his father Enoch, and his very name prophesying the coming judgment, then it is a sad end to a life that had every opportunity to know the ways of God and receive His mercy and grace.
We are faced with similar circumstances. Our Lord came and died on a cross to pay the sin debt and show us the way to have forgiveness and fellowship with Him. We also know that a final judgment of God is coming. We, like those of Methuselah’s time, have been warned and have had the grace of God extended to us. The rest is up to us. Today is the day of salvation. Will we accept the forgiveness and grace of God, or will we like those at the time of Noah go about our daily business with no thought to the “flood” that is about to come upon the Earth?
“…….Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…..( Joshua 24:15).
The Book of Revelation identifies two men who will come down from God and shall be witnesses on the Earth at the last half of the seven-year Great Tribulation. Many think these two will be Enoch and Elijah, the only two men who were translated and did not die. The following is an account of these two witnesses ministry:
“And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth (preaching repentance). And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed” (Revelation 11:3,4,5).
“These have power to shut up Heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and to have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will” (Revelation 11:6).
These two witnesses sent by God will warn all those living at the time of the coming judgment, and call all to repentance. The Bible says that when “their testimony is finished,” the Beast (the Antichrist) will kill them and their bodies will lay in the street of Jerusalem for three and a half days. Unbelievably, it says those that dwell on the earth will rejoice over their death and give gifts to each other because the two that had tormented them were dead.
“And after three days and a half the Spirit of the Lord entered into them, and they stood upon their feet. And they heard a great voice from Heaven saying unto them, come up hither. And they ascended up to Heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:11,12)
At the time of Noah, the Lord both extended His offer of grace and warned those that were alive for 969 years. Its been nearly 2000 years since the Lord’s first advent. He provides forgiveness and life eternal to all those that would come by faith and believe. He also warned of a final judgment that would come. Even until the end, the Lord sends witnesses, as we have seen in the Book of Revelation, to preach repentance and bring judgments in a last warning to all those on the earth. The Lord has done all He can to call all to repentance, but judgment is coming. As has been mentioned, it has been almost 2000 years.
See the A,B,C’s of Salvation on this website
https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/5448
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