A few people have commented on our YouTube channel asking why we read the Book of Enoch (also known as 1 Enoch). This blog was written to provide a bit of background on the book, and answer common questions such as why it was excluded from the Bible.
By M. Dawson on March 15, 2024 [Last updated January 2025]
The Book of Enoch was written over 5,000 years ago by Adam’s great-great-great-great-grandson Enoch. Moses described him as someone who walked with GOD (Genesis 5:22), and the apostles described him as a prophet (Jude 1:14).
The Book contains prophecies about YASHUA that are so elaborate and in line with our Savior’s ministry, scholars were once convinced that the book must have been written by Christians after YASHUA’s crucifixion. That theory has now been debunked since copies of the Book of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls and it’s obvious to everyone that those copies were made long before the coming of CHRIST or the advent of Christianity.
It’s common knowledge these days that the Book of Enoch was in wide circulation at the time of YASHUA and the apostles, and that the apostles’ writings were influenced by Enoch’s writings. And, we have plenty of evidence that the Book of Enoch was treated as Scripture by many of the early “church fathers” and by the ancient Jewish scribes whose work is preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
However, these truths have not stopped the attacks on the Book of Enoch.
In order to diminish his work (which Enoch prophesied would happen), many scholars claim it wasn’t the Enoch of the Bible who wrote the Book of Enoch. But in the same way that we can know Moses wrote the Torah – because YASHUA said so (John 5:46, John 7:19, et al.) – we can know that Enoch wrote the Book of Enoch because Jude said so. Jude quotes from Enoch’s book and attributes that quote to Enoch himself (Jude 1:14-15).
Should I read the Book of Enoch?
20 years ago, Father gave me and my friends a word to let us know that the Book of Enoch is true Scripture, and since then I have learned for myself that everything in the book aligns with the words of the Old Testament prophets, the apostles, and YASHUA our Messiah.
If HE hasn’t spoken to you about it and you’re wondering if you should read the book, why not ask Him? Our Father is living and HE speaks to His children, and HE sent His Spirit to guide us in all things.
What is the Book of Enoch about?
Enoch was a scribe who was instructed to write things down for the generation that would live to see the Day of Judgment (that’s our generation, and that Day is coming soon). He gave his writings to his son Methuselah, and told Methuselah to make sure that the words were passed down to all the generations of the world. Through Noah, Methuselah’s grandson, the book survived the Flood, and some of Noah’s own writings were preserved in the Book of Enoch as well.
Topics in the Book of Enoch include:
The Flood
In Genesis 6, we learn that before the Flood, all flesh on earth corrupted their way. And, in the Book of Enoch, we learn the extent of that corruption. Enoch explains that angels rebelled against GOD and taught men how to make weapons of war, how to kill people in various ways, and how to do many other things that men were striving to learn at the time.
For those interested in history, it’s worth noting that many of the skills the angels taught to mankind during this time were the same skills mankind supposedly developed on their own in a sudden explosion of knowledge during the era historians call the “birth of civilization.”
Of particular interest to us here at Original Hebrew, Enoch informs us that one of the things the angels taught men was how to write. This makes perfect sense to us since, if you’ve watched our Paleo Hebrew Alphabet series, you know that the Hebrew alphabet shows obvious indications that the original script was designed by GOD Himself. The angels would have obtained the knowledge of writing directly from Him before they rebelled.
Enoch tells us that the rebellious angels also married women and produced a type of offspring not authorized by GOD (the “nephilim” of Genesis 6). And they sinned against animals, which helps explain what Father meant when HE said that all flesh (men and animals) had corrupted its way and why all flesh (men and animals) therefore had to be destroyed in the Flood.
For those interested in the Flood and in creation science, Enoch contains details about geological events that occurred on earth before and during the Flood event. These details are helpful in understanding the bigger picture of how the Flood shaped our physical world.
In our Generations of the World video series, we talk a bit about the flood in our second episode (here’s a timestamped link), and in our third episode we discuss the fallen angels and the fall of man in greater detail. You can watch that video here commercial-free or on YouTube (video below).
The history of mankind
Enoch contains two complete histories of mankind. One history is in the form of a parable in which the various nations are represented as animals. The people of Israel are represented as sheep in the parable and GOD is the LORD OF THE SHEEP. From this parable, we gain greater understanding of biblical concepts such as blind sheep, the “tower of the flock” (Micah 4:8), THE LORD as a Shepherd over His people, and His mission to seek out the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In our video on the History of Ancient Israel, we go over Enoch’s parable of the animals in great detail. Click here to watch it commercial-free, or click the video below to watch it on YouTube.
The other history in the Book of Enoch is in the form of a prophecy about the righteous sons in the genealogy of YASHUA HA MASHIACH (JESUS CHRIST). In our video on Enoch’s 10 Weeks, we go over Enoch’s 10 Weeks prophecy in great detail. Click here to watch it commercial-free, or click the video below to watch it on YouTube.
Messiah
Enoch gives a very beautiful and very detailed account of the role of “THE SON OF MAN,” a title YASHUA used often for Himself as HE ministered on earth. In Daniel we find a reference to one “like a son of man,” but in Enoch it becomes abundantly clear that “THE SON OF MAN” was established long ago as a title reserved for YASHUA the Messiah.
Enoch also makes it abundantly clear that GOD has a SON.
In the Old Testament, references to the SON appear in Messianic psalms, in a proverb, and in prophecies. All of those verses attest to YASHUA as the SON OF GOD, but to be frank, they require a little help from the Holy Spirit in order to understand them. In Enoch, the mention of the SON OF GOD is incredibly straightforward.
Enoch records THE LORD GOD as saying this about the righteous:
“For I and My Sonwill be united with them forever in the paths of uprightness in their lives”
Consider the words of YASHUA here:
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us…” (John 17:20-21)
This is YASHUA, the prophesied SON and The Way – that is, the ultimate Path of Uprightness – speaking of us being united with HIM and with GOD just as Enoch described.
Enoch’s obvious reference to GOD having a SON also helps us understand the words of Martha, sister of Lazarus:
“I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” (John 11:27)
She was waiting for the SON OF GOD, because it was so clearly prophesied.
And Peter was waiting for Him as well. Matthew records:
“Now when JESUS came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that THE SON OF MAN is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the CHRIST, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD.’” (Matthew 16:13-16)
Encouragement for the end of days
Enoch also describes for us what life will be like in Millennium, and provides a great deal of encouragement for our generation as we approach the end of days.
Why isn’t the Book of Enoch included in the Bible?
On this topic, all we can do for now is speculate.
It’s worth noting that what we call the Old Testament today was a list of books selected by Jewish leaders decades after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70AD. Prior to this, Israel didn’t have a defined list of which books were considered to be Scripture. I believe simply that since the rabbis who produced the Old Testament list didn’t include the Book of Enoch, and the Protestant church later adopted the exact same rabbinical list, Enoch was therefore excluded from the Bible.
But why the rabbis excluded it is up for debate.
Some say it was excluded because the men who determined the list only considered writings that were in Hebrew, and we haven’t yet found a Hebrew copy of the Book of Enoch. Many Aramaic-language fragments of the book have been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the book is fully preserved in Ge’ez, the ancient Semitic language of the Ethiopians, but as of yet, there is no Hebrew scroll available for public viewing.
The Book of Enoch, 16th Century Ge’ez Manuscript. Ge’ez is a Semitic writing system derived from the original Hebrew script.
Another view held by a prominent Jewish scholar is that Enoch was left out because of the calendar it contains.
Enoch speaks of a 364-day-year and evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls (and the Bible) shows that the 364-day year calendar had been in use by Levitical priests in the tabernacle and the temple of GOD since the days of Moses. However, after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70AD, the rabbis felt the need to reinvent any parts of their religion that had to do with temple life.
Part of this well-known reinvention of Judaism involved creating a new calendar that they had more control over. For example, the modern Jewish calendar is often adjusted so that certain days never fall on a Sabbath. In the ancient 364-day calendar however, dates for feasts are set forever and never change, according to the command of THE LORD.
Since the modern Jewish calendar is very much at odds with the calendar described in the Book of Enoch, the rabbis excluded the Book of Enoch from their list, as the theory goes.
Those are just a few of the theories out there on why Enoch was excluded, but no matter the reason, it’s fair to say that since the day the rabbis excluded it, Enoch has suffered nearly 2,000 years of bad press. Today, a lot of people who have never actually read the book nevertheless make videos upon videos about why others should not read it either. However well-meaning they may be, they’re telling lies about a prophet of GOD, which is not a place I would want to be in.
In any case, as I said before, Enoch prophesied this would happen.
He wrote:
“And now, I know this mystery; that many sinners will alter and distort the words of truth, and speak evil words, and lie, and concoct great fabrications, and write books in their own words.
But, when they write out all my words exactly, in their languages, and do not alter or omit anything from my words, but write out everything exactly, everything which I testified about them before, then I know another mystery: That books will be given to the righteous and wise, which will be a source of joy, and truth, and much wisdom.
And books will be given to them, and they will believe in them and rejoice over them, and all the righteous, who have learnt from them all the ways of truth, will be glad.”
– 1 Enoch, chapter 104
I believe the books that will be given to the righteous which Enoch mentions here are books of understanding. Because if you’ve studied Enoch in detail, your house no doubt has at least a few notes on the understanding you’ve gained from it. And we, His children who HE declares in His mercy to be righteous, we rejoice over the knowledge our Father has given us – over knowing things like GOD has a SON and that HE made it so clear for us, and that even if they removed those words from our Bibles, His sheep hear His voice, and we know the truth when we hear it.
20 years ago when Father told us the Book of Enoch was true, we were in a very narrow minority of believers who considered Enoch to be Scripture. But thankfully, more of our Shepherd’s sheep are now tuning in. As just one example of Enoch’s message becoming more widespread and well-received, an audio version of the Book of Enoch that was recently posted to Youtube, read by the well-known Bible narrator Alexander Scourby, has received over 800,000 hits in just 7 months (link in Resources section below).
Answers to common questions and misconceptions about the Book of Enoch
The following is a list of common arguments that people use against the Book of Enoch, with answers to each one of them.
– Does Enoch say that angels forced man to sin?
Some teach that Enoch doesn’t match scripture because he says that fallen angels caused sin rather than mankind. However, that’s not true. Enoch specifically says, “sin has not been sent upon the earth, but man of himself has created it.” What Enoch does say is that Father ascribed the sins of man to the angel named Azazel. HE ascribed man’s sin to Azazel because it was through the teachings of Azazel that violence became widespread on the earth. Azazel taught men how to make weapons, how to value money, and how to beautify themselves, and it was through these things that Father said the earth was ruined.
The act of ascribing man’s sins to Azazel explains the origins of a ritual that Father commanded Israel to perform on Yom Kippur. Moses tells us that on Yom Kippur, the priest was to put the sins of Israel onto an animal called the “scapegoat.” The word for scapegoat in Hebrew is actually Azazel. Father used this ritual as a sign for Israel to remember His mercy, and as a sign to Himself that HE would judge the angel, and forgive those who love Him, even though we sin.
– Didn’t YASHUA say that angels don’t marry, whereas Enoch talks about angels marrying women?
Another common argument against the Book of Enoch is that YASHUA said angels in heaven don’t marry, and Enoch teaches that the angels came and took wives. However, Jude explains in the New Testament that these lawless and rebellious angels are not considered “angels in heaven” – they are those who left their estate in heaven. Father’s holy angels who listen to Him do not marry. The sinful ones who left heaven did marry.
– Why does Enoch say that the angels built the ark?
Many have a hard time understanding why Enoch wrote that angels built the ark, whereas Moses wrote that Noah built the ark.
We believe simply that Father commanded His angels to assist Noah and that both statements are true.
As an example of this, it’s written in the New Testament that the angels will gather us at the Last Day. Since the angels are under YASHUA’s command, to say that the angels will gather us is the same as saying YASHUA will gather us, since the Commander receives credit for the actions of those under his command. In war, if you say King David won the battle, it doesn’t mean that he fought alone without an army. We think the two varying accounts of the ark being built are written in the same way.
– Is it true that Enoch refers to himself as THE SON OF MAN, a.k.a. the Messiah?
“Son of man” is a term used for the sons of Adam. Father called Ezekiel “son of man” many times, and like Ezekiel, Enoch was a son of man, but not THE SON OF MAN who is to sit on the throne of His glory and judge the world. The SON OF MAN is YASHUA and Enoch speaks of Him numerous times as being someone completely separate from himself.
On the one occasion where Enoch is called “son of man” by the angels, the angels tell him that Father’s righteousness will never leave him, that all the righteous will walk according to his ways, and that the lot (inheritance) of the righteous will be with Enoch. This is true of all the righteous sons of Adam. We all walk according to the same Way, Father’s righteousness will never leave us, and we will all live together forever with GOD our Father and share in the inheritance that HE promised (eternal life in the City of GOD).
As YASHUA said, one day we will sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom. Enoch will be there as well. Praise GOD.
Free Resources
If you’re interested in learning more about Enoch, here are a few free resources:
This PDF is hosted here on our website. We use the 1917 R.H. Charles translation for our free download since it’s in the public domain and free to distribute. If you’d like to see a newer translation, you can search the web for the Andy McCracken version or the Nickelsburg/VanderKam version as a few popular options.
2.Audio Recording (YouTube): A reading of the Book of Enoch by Alexander Scourby, with verses onscreen that you can read along to (video below):
6. And of course, our Generations of the World video series discusses various aspects of the book as described in this article. You can watch the series commercial-free here, or on YouTube, or download it for free here.
In conclusion
If you have any additional questions or thoughts on the Book of Enoch,feel free to leave us a comment on any of our YouTube videos.
May THE LORD be glorified by this writing and may His truth reach whoever HE wants to hear this message.
Shalom to our brothers and sisters in YASHUA HA-MASHIACH.
