ENOCH: The son born to Jared at the age of 162; the seventh man in the
genealogical line from Adam. In addition to Methuselah, who was born to
him when he was 65 years old, Enoch had other sons and daughters. Enoch
was one of the "so great a cloud of witnesses" who were outstanding
examples of faith in ancient times. "Enoch kept walking with the true
God." (Ge 5:18, 21-24; Heb 11:5; 12:1) As a prophet of YHWH, he
foretold God's coming with His holy myriads to execute judgment
against the ungodly. (Jude 14, 15) Likely persecution was brought
against him because of his prophesying. However, God did not permit the
opposers to kill Enoch. Instead, YHWH "took him," that is, cut
short his life at the age of 365, an age far below that of most of his
contemporaries. Enoch was "transferred so as not to see death,"
which may mean that God put him in a prophetic trance and then
terminated Enoch's life while he was in the trance so that he did not
experience the pangs of death. (Ge 5:24; Heb 11:5, 13) However, he was
not taken to heaven, in view of Jesus' clear statement at John 3:13.
It appears that, as in the case of Moses' body, Jehovah disposed of
Enoch's body, for "he was nowhere to be found."-De 34:5, 6;
Jude 9.


Enoch was apparently in mortal danger when "God took him." (Genesis
5:24) Jehovah did not allow his faithful prophet to suffer at the hands
of rabid enemies. According to the apostle Paul, "Enoch was
transferred so as not to see death." (Hebrews 11:5) Many say that
Enoch did not die-that God took him to heaven, where he kept on
living. However, Jesus plainly stated: "No man has ascended into
heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man." Jesus was
the "forerunner" of all who ascend to heaven.-John 3:13; Hebrews
6:19, 20.

So, what happened to Enoch? His being "transferred so as not to see
death" may mean that God put him in a prophetic trance and then
terminated his life while he was in that state. Under such
circumstances, Enoch would not experience the pangs of death. Then
"he was nowhere to be found," apparently because YHWH disposed of
his body, even as he disposed of Moses' body.-Deuteronomy 34:5, 6.

Enoch lived 365 years-not nearly as long as most of his
contemporaries. But the important thing for lovers of YHWH is that they
serve him faithfully to the end of their days. We know that Enoch did
that because "before his transference he had the witness that he had
pleased God well." The Scriptures do not disclose how YHWH
communicated this to Enoch. Nevertheless, before Enoch died, he was
given assurance of God's approval, and we can be certain that YHWH
will remember him in the resurrection.

YHWH did not permit Satan or his earthly servants to kill Enoch.
Instead, the inspired record says: "God took him." (Genesis 5:24)
The apostle Paul describes matters this way: "By faith Enoch was
transferred so as not to see death, and he was nowhere to be found
because God had transferred him; for before his transference he had the
witness that he had pleased God well."-Hebrews 11:5.

How was Enoch "transferred so as not to see death"? Or as rendered
in the translation by R. A. Knox, how was Enoch "taken away without
the experience of death"? God peacefully terminated Enoch's life,
sparing him the pangs of death from either sickness or violence at the
hands of his enemies. Yes, YHWH cut short Enoch's life at the age of
365-quite a young person in comparison with his contemporaries.

How was Enoch given a "witness that he had pleased God well"? What
evidence did he have? Likely, God put Enoch into a trance, even as the
apostle Paul was "caught away," or transferred, evidently receiving
a vision of the future spiritual paradise of the Christian
congregation. (2 Corinthians 12:3, 4) The witness, or evidence, that
Enoch had been pleasing to God could have entailed a visionary glimpse
of the future earthly Paradise in which all those living will support
God's sovereignty. As for Enoch's life being cut short while he had
a vision, this is based on Paul's remarks at Hebrews 11:5, which
reads: "By faith Enoch was transferred so as not to see death, and he
was nowhere to be found because God had transferred him; for before his
transference he had the witness that he had pleased God well." That
these words do not mean that Enoch was taken to heaven, as is generally
held in Christendom, is apparent from the following Scriptural
testimony:

At Matthew 11:11 are recorded Jesus' words that there had not risen
one greater than John the Baptist, yet a lesser one in the kingdom of
heaven would be greater than John, indicating that John would not be in
heaven. If not John, then certainly not Enoch. Further, we have
Jesus' plain words at John 3:13, that up to his day it was true that
'no man had ascended into heaven,' not even Enoch. Only by means of
Jesus' death was a new and living way to get to heaven opened up.
Jesus has become "the one who is first in all things," including
entrance into heaven.-Col. 1:18; Heb. 10:20.

More than that, the apostle Paul, in Hebrews, chapter 11, discusses
such faithful ones as Enoch, Noah and Abraham. In verses thirty-nine
and forty of this chapter, Paul contrasts the men of faith before the
Christian congregation with those who, like himself, were a part of it:
"And yet all these, although they had witness borne to them through
their faith, did not get the fulfillment of the promise, as God foresaw
something better for us, in order that they might not be made perfect
apart from us." In other words, only after the members of the
Christian congregation receive their reward will these faithful men of
old receive theirs.

Therefore, since we cannot conclude that by Enoch's being transferred
is meant his being taken to heaven, to what does it have reference?
Evidently in Enoch's case death came differently than to the rest of
mankind, for which reason it is written that he "was transferred so
as not to see death."

The Greek word at Hebrews 11:5 rendered "transferred"  has the
meaning of "transfer," "transport," or "change the place
of." It seems that the experience of the apostle Paul throws light on
this matter, since he was transferred or caught up to the third heaven;
whether in the body or out of the body, he was not able to say. In this
state he caught a vision of the future spiritual paradise of the
Christian congregation. (2 Cor. 12:1-4) Apparently it was in a similar
state of spiritual rapture or ecstasy, while having a vision of the
earthly paradise (Enoch not knowing anything about a spiritual one),
that God took Enoch away or put him to sleep. He did not see death in
that he did not see his own death approaching, and therefore Enoch did
not experience any pangs of death. In his instance the resurrection
will mean a transition from his vision to the reality of the New World
life he was privileged to see.

Jesus' ascension to heaven to present the ransoming value of his
lifeblood to YHWH inaugurated "a new and living way" of approach to
God in prayer. That it also opened the way to heavenly life harmonizes
with Jesus' own statement to the effect that, prior thereto, "no
man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son
of man." (Joh 3:13) Thus, neither Enoch nor Elijah inaugurated this
way, any more than David had. (Ge 5:24; 2Ki 2:11; Ac 2:34) As Paul
states: "The holy spirit makes it plain that the way into the holy
place had not yet been made manifest while the first tent was
standing."

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