“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:24
I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, so I know firsthand what it’s like to go through a terrible storm. When a hurricane was headed our way, my dad would begin making sure we were prepared. If it was a major storm, we would move to a safer building until it passed. He was a loving father who made sure his children were out of harm’s way before the storm hit. We didn’t wait until the storm was overhead. We prepared ahead of time because we knew what was coming. The Bible gives us a beautiful picture of that principle in the life of Enoch.
THE LIFE OF ENOCH.
Enoch is one of the most remarkable men in Scripture. The Bible simply says in our verse for today he “walked with God” for three hundred years. Then one day, without dying, “he was not; for God took him.” Hebrews tells us that he was translated, or taken directly into God’s presence. Enoch never experienced death. He simply disappeared from this world and was taken home to be with the Lord.
BEFORE THE JUDGMENT CAME.
Notice when God took Enoch. When he was taken out is not incidental. It was before the Flood. Not during the judgment. Not after the judgment. But before it. Soon afterward, the floodwaters of God’s judgment covered the earth in the days of Noah. What a powerful picture of another event still in our future.
A PICTURE OF CHRIST’S RETURN.
Jesus is coming soon for His Church! Just as Enoch suddenly disappeared from earth, one day every believer in Jesus Christ will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The Apostle Paul describes it in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God…and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, God’s children will be taken from this world to be forever with the Lord. Can you imagine the headlines the next day? Cars without drivers. Airplanes without pilots. Homes where loved ones are suddenly missing. The world will search for answers, but Scripture already gives the answer: Jesus will have come for His Church.
Then, like the flood, the Great Tribulation judgment of this world will come. Revelation chapters 6–19 describe a horrifying seven-year period of terrible judgment upon the earth. Daniel 12:1 warns, “…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time…” But here’s the good news: if you know Jesus as your Savior, you won’t be here! Just as Enoch was taken before the Flood, the Church will be caught away before God’s wrath is poured out. Noah and his family were preserved through the Flood in the ark, but Enoch never entered the Flood at all. He had already been taken into God’s presence. What a reminder that “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
HOW SHOULD WE LIVE NOW?
Enoch’s life also teaches us how to live while we wait. The Bible does not highlight his wealth, occupation, or achievements. It simply says he walked with God. That is God’s desire for every believer. The closer we walk with Him today, the more eagerly we will look forward to seeing Him tomorrow. As someone once said, “Live each day as though Jesus died yesterday, rose today, and is coming again tomorrow.” No one knows the day or hour when the trumpet will sound, but every passing day brings us closer to the moment when faith becomes sight. Our hope is not in this world improving. Our hope is in the return of Jesus.
A PERSONAL CHALLENGE.
If Jesus were to call His Church home today, are you ready? Have you trusted Him as your personal Savior? And if you know Him, are you walking with Him as Enoch did? Until that day comes, may we be found faithfully walking with Him before the storm comes. And may the final words of our Bibles also be the prayer of our hearts: “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Until He comes, let’s keep walking, keep watching, and keep looking up…because one day, perhaps sooner than we think, the Lord is coming for His Church…before the storm comes.
Think it over…
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