The Enoch Syndrome vs. Noah's Paradigm
By David Paul The Covenant News ~ December 31, 2008
It seems as if since the foundation of the nation of Israel in 1947 certain Christian groups have hailed it as a sign of the imminent return of Our Lord. They have written books, preached sermons, taught Sunday school lessons and much more predicting Jesus second return over and over again, only to be disappointed.
These professing Christians talk about the miracle of the Jews being back in the land, and the time of the Gentiles being past. Yet they do not critique the Jewish state as the Prophets of old did. They do not call that state, rabbis, or families into account on the problems of Idolatry, (replacing the worship of the True God and His son Jesus Christ with another system) abortion (Moloch Worship), they do not comment on the legitimacy of homosexuality (Sodomy), nor does the Jewish nation adhere to Biblical or Old Testament law economically, for the Kibbutzim are incubation spots for socialistic practice and teaching. Their economy is based on paper money, not true weights and measures, thus the most formidable form of idolatry is practiced in the modern state of Israel. Where are the prophets among the "friends of Israel" in the church today? If they were truly friends would they not warn their friends of coming destruction because of the national sins?
Many of these "Friends of Israel" seem to have an Enoch syndrome. Enoch was the 7th from Adam who was raptured "he walked with God and he was not" Genesis 5:21-24. Just think what it would have been like if Noah had said to his family, "We know that Enoch walked with God and was not for God took him. Things around here are really bad so we should walk with God and He will take us out of the earth, too."
Of course this was not the reasoning of Noah because God talked to him and told him to build an ark to the saving of his family in the midst of the destruction of the wicked system built by man under the influence of the Evil one.
Now we go to the New Testament part of the Bible. In Matthew 24:37. Here Jesus tells his disciples that as in the days of Noah so would be the days of the coming of the Son of Man. He tells them that two would be grinding in the mill and one taken and the other left, two in the field and one taken and one left.
Note the name of the hero. It is not Enoch who walked with God and was not because God took him, but Noah who prepared for a judgment (Hebrews 11) and was left when the wicked were taken out of the earth. The example is not a rapture but a rupture. It is not that the Redeemed disappear but they are divinely enabled to withstand and persevere or overcome the judgment of the wicked.
Also note that Noah had work to do for 100 years before the flood. That would be about 1/6 of his lifetime. So today Christians have work to do before the judgment of the wicked in the earth.
Part of the work of Noah was to preach the coming judgment of God to the people around him (I Peter 3:20). He also prepared the ark with the help of his family. Preaching and preparation, spiritual and physical readiness were the order of the day for Noah! We need to have such practical wisdom, and it is found in the Bible for those who have eyes to see.
Finally we see that Noah, like Lot of ancient times, was delivered from the vexing wickedness of their cultures by a judgment of the Lord upon the rebellious culture. (II Peter 2:5-2:10).
One result was a loss of capitol (Note Noah could not have built the ark after the flood because the technological base for such construction had been taken away. Men lived in caves and such for a few generations until civilization had once more advanced enough to make large building projects possible.
Another result was that there was a spiritual base given that enabled a rebuilding of both the city of God and that of Man. II Peter tells us that the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished. The judgment took 100 years to come in the days of Noah, and took some time also with Lot for that culture was warned by the confederation and defeat by Chederalomer and the salvation given by Abram.
Coming Cures For Common Curses
So what is the cure for the Enochism in our time when God gave the example of Noah and Lot to the church in our age. The cure is coming. It is called the judgments of God. Another cure is the rediscovery of intergenerational Christian family life, church life, and civil life under the ways of God vs. the ways of Man.
Christian Constitutionalsim
Christians who believe in the word of God as presented above will work to know righteousness of the law of God, of the constitutionalism of the early American settlers, like Thomas Hooker whose elders, after hearing a sermon on Deuteronomy 1:13 took it upon themselves to write a constitution for the Connecticut colony, the Fundamental Orders. (sermon outline available upon request and the Fundamental Orders surely can be found anywhere by looking)
Christian Readiness
Christians who think about the problems of the judgments of God will ask Him how to overcome such idols as are in our world today. One of the reasons Enochists are not critical of modern Israel's sins are that they are so much like our own.
Here are some examples of sinful idolatry and steps of repentance.
The idol of fiat money. (Baal or the Government as god) It is the largest, most accepted idol today, and the fruit of very much evil. This idol takes energy, work, rewards, responsibilities that belong to the Biblical family and offer them to the Leviathan state.
Pray for honest weights and measures. Teach the doctrine of Creation and the false doctrines men use to upset God and His people. Begin to use the system God has provided. Move from trust and commercial law to Biblical and have elders in churches judge according to the Bible. Replace social security with family care of elderly and intergenerational investment in family business.
The idol of fiat (Venus or Dianna) sexuality. This is the symbolic and systematic war against the God of the Bible and His world order. Fiat sexuality says whatever man says he wishes his sexuality to be (Saturn) it is so. This is in direct contradiction to God's word, but to His creation and the Trinity itself.
Pray for true families. Teach the central doctrines of the Word such as the doctrine of the Trinity, rebellion against God and the separation of powers.
The idol of Moloch. It is the murder of babies so mom and/or dad can have time for expanding their opportunities at the expense of their future. It is abortion without reason or the Law of God.
Pray for the Redeemer God has chosen to lead us out of this culture of death. Remember that the leaders out of the World's tyranny were often born just at the beginning of the war on children. Pray for the coming generation that they will be righteous enough to give their children Christian freedom and wisdom to keep it.
Exercise: Add to the modern idols. Here are a few ideas.
Historiography: How does modern history take on a life of myth instead of one of Memory of God's might works in the affairs of men
Values: How has the idea of "values" replaced the Biblical standards of morals coming from the character and persons of the Biblical God.
Happiness: How has the idea of "fun" and "amusement' replaced the standard of calling, service, and Biblical joy?
The Exodus Paradigm, or How God told Moses to do this work.
Tie each of the new values with a Egyptian, Greek, Norse, or modern god and give specific steps of how to show repentance. Then give a headline of what the change would look like.
Another approach: St. Paul's method II Timothy 3:16-17:
What is the false and true doctrine?
What are the reproofs of a friend and those of judgment?
How can corrections be made?
What will be the practical results of those corrections?
David Paul, BBE Columbia Bible College; MDiv. Faith Theological Seminary; CPE Meriter Hospital; Missionary and pastor 14 years;
Married 40 years to Pat, with children and grandchildren.