He Was Not.
THE first thing recorded of Enoch was that he walked with God; the second, that he “was not, for God took him.” And this event was intimately and indissolubly connected with his faith and walk—observe the expression, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death” (Heb. 11:55By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)).
One would rather have expected to read, “By faith he pleased God and then he was translated;” but no, his translation formed part, so to speak, of his course of faith. It was the aim of his life, which reached on to his translation, although probably it was not revealed to him beforehand. But he knew that the Lord would come with ten thousand of His saints, and it was such a reality to his soul, that he said, “Behold the Lord has come” (Jude 1414And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (Jude 14)). It was a thing ever present to his soul, he lived in view of the blessed prospect, and lo, suddenly his faith was confirmed by the event taking place. He was caught up to be with the Lord, and to return with Him. His life on earth, as we have seen, had been a heavenly one; it had begun in heaven and was going to be continued there. His existence was not divided into two parts, earthly and heavenly. His life had brought heaven to earth, and now it carried back heaven to heaven.
Even to think of it is extremely humbling, for this man of God was far from possessing the full extent of the revelations made to us. The eternal counsels reserved for us were hidden from him, he had never known the Word made flesh; he had neither seen, heard, nor touched what the apostles had seen and communicated to us by the Holy Ghost. And yet he had lived three hundred years with one object in view, for the Lord was his object, and he reached his goal without faltering. Could the Lord say of us, “By faith they were translated!” Yet He has said to us, “I come quickly,” and we believe it and know it. How are our days spent? To what purpose is our activity? Is a coming Lord the end of our course? Is He the bright guiding-star amidst the darkness? If we were really waiting for the Lord, how clear our testimony would be, for this hope is the spring of all Christian life.
Moreover, even if the believer has, like so many of the saints, to pass through death, to die or live, should not make much difference to him, except that to die is gain. For the apostle Paul, to live, was to live with and for Him. Was not to die, also to live with and for Him?
Enoch did not die; he was translated “that he should not see death.” He was the first witness to a power which had during three centuries withdrawn him morally from a region of death to enjoy life with God, and which was also able, instead of raising his dead body, to transport him alive out of this scene, stripping him of everything mortal. Enoch was the first to realize the words, “This mortal must put on immortality.” By faith he thus escaped the lot common to man, which is, “once to die.” By faith he also escaped the impending judgment which so soon overtook the world, and was kept from the hour of temptation which came upon all the habitable earth (compare Rev, 3:10) Enoch’s faith qualified him to be almost the only type of the future destiny of the saints, the mystery which was not yet revealed in the Old Testament.
It is said of Enoch that he “was not found because God had translated him” (Heb. 11:55By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)). When he disappeared men sought for him as they did later on for Elijah, but they did not find him. The world had lost Enoch. They had not troubled themselves about him during his life, but once he was gone they would perhaps have liked to recall him. It was too late. The world will never more see Jesus coming in grace, nor will they see those who, however feebly, have brought them some echo of the grace of Jesus. Christ in the perfection of His character, personally present among men, had shone like the sun over this poor world, and lighted it with the full daylight of His divine beauty. One would have thought that in presence of His perfect grace, the world could not be indifferent; but let us see what they did.
With a few strokes of the ax and hammer they made a common gibbet and nailed Him to it like the vilest criminal, He whose only crime lay in being the personification of beauty and goodness. Next the world invites men to another spectacle which it has been preparing for centuries, a magnificent pedestal of marble, alabaster, ivory, gold, and every precious thing. It already reaches up to the clouds, almost to heaven itself, and when it is completed the world will place its ideal upon it, man filthy with wickedness and hatred, corrupt, belching out infamy, slave of Satan and enemy of God, man whose murderous hands are red with the blood of the Just One. But God, who has highly exalted the Crucified One, will precipitate man from his pedestal. “How are they brought into desolation as in a moment, they are utterly consumed with terrors, as a dream when one awaketh, so, O Lord, when Thou awakest, Thou shalt despise their image.”
Yes, the world will not see Christ except in judgment. When once the saints are caught up to be with their Saviour, they will no longer be found. After that, until the final judgment, there will be no sun or light for the world, no beauty or goodness, no rest or peace, no holiness or justice, no love or mercy, nothing, in fact, which has any Divine savor. Alas, alas! what will be left for man? The power of evil and violence, hatred and blasphemy, the reign of all that is subversive of every moral principle, corruption in all its hideousness, revolting even to those who loved it. Nothing to console or ease or attract the heart, only sorrow and anguish and such endless despair that they will seek death a thousand times and not be able to die. It will be the reign of night on the earth, the invasion of the power of darkness.
But of Enoch it was said, “God took him.” The friend of God could at length enjoy the full satisfaction of the joy of His face. To this lowly pilgrim the right was given to dwell in the glory even before judgment overtook the world. For Enoch it was the conclusion of a continuous heavenly walk.
May we have a similar history; may our life resemble Enoch’s, and may we reach the goal like he did! H. R. (From the French).