We welcome you once again to our sermon review. Last week, we went through a teaching, titled “Who is this Melchizedek?” We were able to answer a couple of questions by the scriptures. click the link below to follow through:
Today we delve into a new teaching, titled “The Rapture and the tribulation saints” expounding on the life of Enoch, what he represents, what message we have to learn from him, with focus on his translation. Today we have people question the translation of Enoch, saying he died somewhere, and that there is nothing like rapture (Translation). We are not surprised because Peter in his epistle predicted the rising up of scoffers who would be out to question the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this is fulfilling right in our own dispensation. God most times allows these things to test our faith, and see if actually, we are standing for the truth. Suffice to say that we can only stand for the truth if we have rooted ourselves in the word of God.
TEXT: Genesis 5:19-24, 2 Peter 3:3, Jude 1:14, Hebrews 11:5, 1Thessalonians 4:16, Matthew 25:1-12, Revelation 1:4,16, Revelation 3:14-18, Revelation 19:7, Genesis 9:29, Revelation 5:1, 1King 6:38, Ezekiel 40:22,26, Zachariah 14:7, 2king 2:11, Genesis 7:11, Genesis 19:14-26, Revelation 16:1, Revelation 11:5,10, 2Corinthians 6:18, Daniel 11:32, Revelation 3:10, Revelation 13:7, Revelation 12:11, 1Thessalonians 5:1,9.
Known to God are all His works from the foundation of the earth, and because everything of God is settled and steadfast, He is neither confused about His purposes nor how to go about them. This is the reason He would in the bible, prefigure a phenomenon that would take place in the future, thus enhancing our understanding when they begin to come to pass. Just like Paul says, that the ‘law is the shadow of good things to come’. With Enoch, one of the greatest messages of God was en-shadowed. Would you go with me to explore this spiritual adventure? Yeah, let’s go!
- ENOCH, THE SEVENTH FROM ADAM
God has got His numbers/figures with which He operates, to pass vital revelation to His people. An example is “three” which stands for “Perfection”. God is perfected in threes. Not that God is three, but in His work of perfection, He will work with number “three” – Just like He works in three offices as ‘father, son and Holy Spirit’ –same God, but in three dimensions. In the perfection of salvation, we also have three processes, ‘Justification, Sanctification and the Holy Spirit Baptism’.
Another number God uses is “Seven” –which stands for “Completeness”. Naaman was told to go wash in Jordan seven times (2 king 5:10); the temple of Solomon was built in seven years –typing how Jesus would build his church through seven church ages (1 king 6:38); even the seven steps to the altar (Ezekiel 40:22, 26) prefigured the Gentiles. Seven is a number God uses to work with the Gentiles, thus if God must run His work to completion, “seven” must be involved. This is why God gave us this vital revelation that “Enoch was the seventh from Adam”(Jude 1:14)
Before we go into the fullness of the clause above, it is important to let you know that the gospel among the Gentiles is divided into seven dispensations, which must be, as God is completed in ‘seven’. These are the seven churches that were mentioned in Revelation 1:20. These churches mentioned typed a future occurrence of how the gospel would move through seven dispensations, akin the character of each church with the word of God in their respective age. So, a church called Laodicea was selected because of her character to prefigure the character of the seventh church age with the word of God.
Having understood this, we can now run abreast the message of Enoch with the bride of the seventh church age. For Enoch prefigured the bride of the seventh church age.
- Enoch walked with God: Your walk with God was designed to be personal. You need to have your own revelation, and have your personal walk with God –just like Enoch. Someone else’s revelation cannot work for you –it also cannot take you in rapture. Second birth is not borrowable, get your oil, light your lamp, and girdle your loins. We are in the seventh church age, and it is expedient for us to walk with God just like Enoch, the seventh from Adam walked with God. Enoch lived 365 years and all that was said about him was that ‘he pleased the Lord’. Every day of our lives, every 365 days of the years of our lives, we are only supposed to have this testimony ‘that we please the Lord’. The bible didn’t record Enoch and his wife walking with God –it is personal!
- Enoch was translated: Before the Great Tribulation, the bride of Jesus Christ (wise virgins) will be ‘raptured’, and this is what Enoch typed. Enoch walked with God till He was taken up, that he should not see death. If Enoch was the seventh from Adam and was raptured, you can be sure that the bride in this seventh age will be raptured, for God has not appointed us to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
- THE BRIDE WILL NOT GO THROUGH THE GREAT TRIBULATION
There is a call to seriousness for every believer of this age as I will beg to say that the standard for us is Enoch –we must be ready to have a walk with God that can be crowned with rapture. God has not destined the bride to go through the Great tribulation. We have a-seven-year program left for the Jews –which is split into two: the first three and half years is the time for the two witnesses to preach to the Jews and seal the 144,000 menservants. The last three and half years are for the Great Tribulation.
Now, in this last age before the gospel returns to the Jews, the Bible already prophesied that we would have both “wise virgins and foolish virgins” –these are the believers given the same opportunity. Their difference however is ‘diligence’ to the grace given to them. whilst the wise virgins will see every reason to keep walking daily closely to God, pleasing Him, having their lamps trimmed and their garments purified for their groom, the foolish are without sufficient oil and therefore would not make themselves ready for their groom, though they still are virgins. Thus, when the bridegroom comes, they would not go with Him in the rapture.
Therefore, we must be diligent to ensure that nothing interferes with our personal relationship with Christ. Just like Enoch, we need to forfeit friends and family who do not have the same goal that we have. Yes, you have to do away with some friends and you have to also walk with some people. Diligence is key! So for every serious-minded Christian, your type is Enoch. Enoch did not experience the deluge of the antediluvian world. God took him before the time.
Like Noah, the foolish virgins also would be saved but not without going through the tribulation –they will sacrifice their lives for it. Noah went through the deluge and he was a type of foolish virgins. But praise is to God that we are likened to Enoch, but we have to be diligent. May God help us to walk daily with Him.