01.04. Chapter 4: Climbing the Clouds

CHAPTER FOUR Climbing the Clouds "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death" (Hebrews 11:5). The seventh from Adam, Enoch was also a prophet. In fact, he was the first man who ever prophesied about the second coming of Jesus Christ (Jude 1:14-15). He was also the first man in Scripture who never saw death: he was taken away to heaven alive. The writer of Hebrews tells us that he was translated (i.e. to heaven) so that he should not see death; which also implies that death has no power in heaven where God rules. The process of decay and ageing inherent in the spatio-temporal and entropic (decreasing energy) world is absent in the transcendental and spiritual world of heaven. It was known to the contemporaries of Enoch that he walked with God (use to have a close fellowship with God) and that God took him; not just as a matter of conjecture but as a fact, which reveals that he bore a very strong witness of piety and the grace of God during his days on earth. The reason why God took him and not the other saints is not a matter of debate opened to us by God. Remember that "the secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29). However, Augustine saw a foreshadowing significance in Enoch’s translation with reference to his being the seventh from Adam and his being called Enoch (meaning "dedication", i.e. to God), who prefigured the dedication of the heavenly city in contrast to Cain’s son Enoch who represented the earthly city dedicated to the world. In his own words, his opinion is argued as follows: For that line also of which Seth is the father has the name "Dedication" in the seventh generation from Adam, counting Adam. For the seventh from him is Enoch, that is, Dedication. But this is that man who was translated because he pleased God, and who held in the order of the generations a remarkable place, being the seventh from Adam, a number signalized by the consecration of the Sabbath. But, counting from the diverging point of the two lines, or from Seth, he was the sixth. Now it was on the sixth day God made man, and consummated His works. But the translation of Enoch prefigured our deferred dedication; for though it is indeed already accomplished in Christ our Head, who so rose again that He shall die no more, and who was Himself also translated, yet there remains another dedication of the whole house, of which Christ Himself is the foundation, and this dedication is deferred till the end, when all shall rise again to die no more. And whether it is the house of God, or the temple of God, or the city of God, that is said to be dedicated, it is all the same….

Obviously, Augustine regards Enoch’s translation as akin to the translation of saints on the Last Day, which means that he will never die again in accordance to the Word in Hebrews 11:5 . However, some have opined that he will have to return to die a mortal’s death as appointed for all men (cf. Hebrews 9:27), and this would be during the Great Tribulation (cf. Revelation 11:2-11). For instance, the church father Tertullian said that the death of Enoch and Elijah was postponed till the time comes that by their blood they may extinguish Anti-Christ. Others do not think that this needs to be so. In fact, they say, Moses and Elijah would best fit the interpretation of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 than Enoch and one of them. Moses and Elijah represented the Law and the Prophets and the miracles of Revelation 11:1-19 are similar to those done by them during their ministry. They will "represent the Jewish Christian community at the end of history." But, since Moses’ death is already mentioned in the Bible, some have thought that Enoch would better fit the picture with Elijah than Moses would. The complications of such interpretation need not be dealt here since we are presently concerned with Hebrews 11:1-40 and not Revelation 11:1-19. However, there seems to be good reasons for also saying that Enoch need not come back to the earth to die a mortal’s death after all since the word ’translated’ may also mean that the change was not just a matter of place but also the bodily salvation or transformation of Enoch, in which case he, having donned immortality, cannot die again as Revelation 11:1-19 predicts; in which case, further, one of the witness of Revelation 11:1-19 cannot be Enoch or even Elijah.

Translation before the Final Day

There are strong reasons to suppose that Enoch’s translation also meant his transformation, though this doesn’t prove that it might have happened that way. It might be that he was taken to heaven and is awaiting the consummation of ages when his body will finally be saved, though this seems less probably the case. The Scripture tells us that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 15:50) meaning that someone who is not born again by the Spirit of God has no part in the kingdom of God (cf. John 3:3, John 3:5-6). That which is born of flesh (man) is flesh (Adamic, see 1 Corinthians 15:48 ) and that which is born of the Spirit (God) is spirit (sons of God; heirs of His kingdom). Now the final part of regeneration, absolutely needed to qualify one to inherit the kingdom of God, will be seen at the last day when the dead in Christ will rise to a glorious resurrection and the living will be transformed into the image of the Son of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 ; Php 3:20-21). In either case, there is a spiritual transformation of this mortal body and it puts on incorruption and immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). Without such transformation there can be no part in the kingdom of God. This final transformation is also called ’the manifestation of the sons of God’ (Romans 8:19) which is the "glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21) and the final adoption, i.e. "the redemption of the body" (Romans 8:23). It is the moment when "the sons of God" will be manifested or revealed (apokalupsis) to the world. That is why, the Bible says: "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2, NIV). Obviously, this is an event scheduled to take place at the consummation of ages in the future, in which case, one may say, Enoch could not have experienced it prior to the time. Further, the Scripture is very clear that the firstfruits of this resurrection is Jesus Christ, whose resurrection is the ground for the resurrection of those who put their faith on Him (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23). In which case, Enoch could not have been transformed when Christ had not even been born. But this fixation of events in time disregards the eternal significance and dimension of the work of Christ. It limits the effects of Christ’s work to the time following Him as if His death and resurrection was similar to any temporal work. However, the Bible makes it very clear that the sacrifice of Christ was not a mere temporal work; it had an infinitely deeper spiritual dimension. Jesus offered Himself without spot to God through the eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14), that is why His sacrifice could bridge the infinite chasm between man and God created by sin; that is also how He disannulled the penalty of eternal punishment in the moment of sacrifice. He alone could be our sin-offering that takes away the sin of the world and the source of our new life since He as God was infinite in being and, therefore, able to atone infinitely and also defeat death, bringing out a new creation out of it through the resurrection. His sacrifice was not just a physical event; it was a spiritual event that spanned all time by transcending it. That is the reason why its effects are undiminishing and equal through all time – past, present, and future. That is how the Old Testament saints were saved and that is reason for which the transformation of both Enoch and Elijah could not have been an impossibility. In such case, their transformation would have preceded Christ’s resurrection in time, but not in sequence. The firstfruits was Christ and theirs was only based on the work of Christ. Anyway, the Word definitely says that "by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death" meaning that he will also not die anymore and the Word of God is true without doubt.

Now before his translation (i.e. being carried over to heaven) he had this testimony, says the Word, that he pleased God. This testimony, according to the writer, is proof of the faith of Enoch since "without faith it is impossible to please Him"; therefore, it is evident that Enoch was taken to heaven by faith. This, however, doesn’t mean that if anyone had faith to be taken away, he or she will be taken away (of course, all should have the blessed hope). Enoch was taken away by God’s choice, not Enoch’s choice. It is not said that he believed and prayed for him to be taken away, but it’s clear that he had faith in God and walked with God. However, there is room to wonder if Enoch, himself having the prophetic vision of Christ’s return with his saints, ever wondered what it would mean to be translated in an instant to glory. Yet, that was what he himself experienced because he knew beyond doubt that Christ’s return with the saints was a fact ordained in history, implying the knowledge that death was not the final end of God’s people.

WALK TO WONDERLAND The Bible says that Enoch walked with God for over three hundred years (Genesis 5:22) and then, suddenly, one day "he was not found" because God took him away to heaven. The Septuagint (LXX) renders "And Enoch walked with God" as "And Enoch pleased God" (euerestesen de Enoch to Theo). The writer of Hebrews is, obviously, quoting the Septuagint when saying about Enoch that "before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." To walk with God meant to please Him since to walk with Him meant to walk in conformity to His desire and will. The opposite of walking with Him would be walking against Him, which is characteristic of unbelievers. The characteristics of this walk are explicit in the words "seek", "come to", and "please Him".

He’s near Us The writer says that without faith it is impossible to please God; for he who comes to Him must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. The Greek word ekzeteo (ἐκζητέω) literally means "to seek out", the word being a compound of ek (out) and zeteo (to seek). This reveals not just the inquisitive and investigating nature of the faith of God but also the imperative to ’seek out’ the truth or keep seeking till the true answer is found. Why should there even be a concern to seek for something unless it already exists by nature of the design of things? This, obviously, is the unsolved problem of secular philosophy. For instance, if immortality is mythical, why should man have the desire to seek for it? But the imperative of seeking God is infinitely stronger than the quest for immortality? In fact, an immortality deprived of the experience of God would be blank and void or, to be more specific, hellish. There, definitely, exists a deep hunger for the absolute source of eternal life, who is God, and this can be fulfilled by the experience of the true God alone. However, if someone supposes that neither God nor immortality existed then this hunger will have to be explained in contingent terms as some, for instance, have tried to do when they have related it to the natural instincts of sex, reproduction, and evolutionism. But, obviously, both God and immortality are far beyond the contingent constrictions of this world, and so to explain this hunger in contingent terms doesn’t solve the problem at all, and it is also incomprehensible to believe how contingent objects of this world were meant to satisfy this abysmal hunger. It is irrational to suppose that something can be satisfied by something not meant for it.

Obviously, the signs of this hunger are present in every religion of the world. However, the Bible tells us that in many of these cases the real appetite for God has be suppressed by magnifying false passions of this world (cf. Romans 1:18-31). It is like a drug addict who loses his true appetite to the craving for drugs. Certainly, such false procedures cannot help us in the path of truth. One must truly seek the Lord and Him alone primarily, in order to find Him. For faith must not have a false object; its object must be truth and truth is one. Even Krishna in his liberalism and generosity for world religions shows his reserves in this matter. Observe some of his words, for instance, from the Bhagavad Gita: By whatever way men worship Me, even so do I accept them; for, in all ways, O Partha, men walk in My path (IV. 11).

Whatever form a particular devotee wishes to worship with faith – concerning that alone I make his faith unflinching. Endowed with that faith, he worships that deity, and from him gets his desires, which are indeed granted by Me alone. But that fruit of these men of little understanding has an end; the worshippers of gods go to the gods, (but) My devotees come to Me (VII. 21-23).

Even those devotees of other gods who worship (them) endowed with faith, worship Me alone, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), though in an unauthorized way (IX. 23). The words "that fruit of these men of little understanding has an end," "(but) My devotees come to Me," and "devotees of other gods…worship Me alone…though in an unauthorized way" demonstrate the exclusivist tendencies of Gita’s pluralism. One can’t be rational and still escape being exclusivist with regard to truth somehow. All ways cannot, therefore, be the same and lead to the same goal as Krishna himself confesses that "the worshippers of gods go to the gods, (but) My devotees come to Me."

Therefore, God alone must be the object of the faith of God that seeks Him and must find Him in order to rightly resolve its desperation. This also means that the seeking must be on the right track and the finding must be of the real one. Man’s religiosity (a term that denotes man’s nature of seeking for God) doesn’t absolve him from his responsibility to the truth. This responsibility involves a rational evaluation of our beliefs. That is what Paul intended to say to the Athenians on the Areopagus when he said: The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of Heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is served with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life and breath and all things to all. And He has made all nations of men of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth, ordaining fore-appointed seasons and boundaries of their dwelling, to seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him, though indeed He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also certain of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring. Then being offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like gold or silver or stone, engraved by art and man’s imagination. Truly, then, God overlooking the times of ignorance, now He strictly commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:24-30, MKJV).

Notice that it is God who ordained the times and habitations of men so that they may "seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him, though indeed He is not far from each one of us." In such case, therefore, "we ought not to think that the Godhead" can be represented in forms of human imagination. Consequently, God calls men to repent from all false procedures of religion. Thus, "seeking out" (ekzeteo) God is mandatory and obligatory for man. The phrase "seek the Lord" has profound meaning in Hebrew tradition as is evident from its usage in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 4:29 ; Ezra 6:21 ; Psalms 34:10 ; Psalms 105:3-4; Proverbs 28:5 ; Amos 5:6). It doesn’t mean searching for God as if He is lost or unknown to us. In fact, the seeking is because God is already present in the knowledge a priori though, perhaps, in a vague way. That is why Paul says to the Romans about the gentiles that they were guilty because "when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened" (Romans 1:21). Biblically speaking, God is not totally unknown to the human spirit. That is why when the Gospel is presented to him, he instantly recognizes the truth. However, this doesn’t mean that the preaching of the Gospel doesn’t face the problem of hindrance caused by the blindness imposed by the devil through falsehood communicated through false religion and tradition (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). But when the Gospel is preached, one who has faith immediately accepts it not because he rationally grasps it but because he spiritually recognizes it by faith. Therefore, Paul, talking of his conversion, says: "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood"(Galatians 1:15-16). Obviously, for Paul the instant of the revelation dispelled all previous antagonism against the Gospel of Christ from his heart and he didn’t need to consult people in order to seek confirmation or understanding of it.

It is like a baby hungry for milk, who when given it immediately recognizes it because the hunger was unalterably connected to the milk beforehand, i.e. a priori. Thus, when Paul preaches to the Athenian crowd at Areopagus, he doesn’t say that they were ignorant of God; instead, he recognizes their religiosity (i.e. their a priori understanding of God manifest in their worship of Him as the Unknown God) and says to them, "Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you" (Acts 17:23). Evidently, though vaguely, some knowledge of God was already present to them even before Paul had to preach to them. They knew that this Unknown God existed and was involved in human history. Thus, their seeking of God was not related to the investigation of whether He existed or not. In fact, such a quest would be rather impossible for that would require them to check all parts of the universe which would require infinite time and lead to infinite knowledge, of course; something that was the most impossible. And still, even if one was unable to find material proofs of Him in this world, this could not disprove the hypothesis that He existed as some other form of being. Obviously, faith in God must precede seeking God. Therefore, the seeking is not at all in order to find out whether God exists or not. It begins with and from faith. That is why the writer of Hebrews says that "he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:5, MKJV). Thus, seeking God doesn’t refer to searching for Him as if for someone lost or unknown to us. It is obvious that God cannot be lost and if He were really totally unknown to us then how would we recognize that it is He when we find Him? It is we who have become blind (groping for Him in the darkness) though surrounded by Him all the time. Thus, "seeking out" doesn’t refer to trying to know whether God exists or not. It starts with the faith that God exists and rewards His people. Seeking out God diligently is, then, an act of faith. The phrase "seek the Lord" usually occurs in the Old Testament in the sense of seeking God to see His power and glory (Psalms 63:1-2 ), to know His will in a particular matter (2 Samuel 21:1), of worshipping Him (Exodus 33:7 ; 2 Chronicles 11:16), seeking to follow His will (1 Chronicles 28:9 ; 2 Chronicles 14:4-7), and seeking God for an answer to prayer (2 Chronicles 20:3 ff; Psalms 34:4). The Bible requires that we seek God not casually but "diligently", i.e. with all the heart and soul (Deuteronomy 4:29). This flows from a sense that nothing but God can satisfy the infinite hunger for love and holiness, as Augustine confessed "Thou hast made us for Thee and our heart is unquiet till it finds its rest in Thee." David seeks God desperately in Psalm 63 as a man thirsty for water in a parched and dry land. Thus, whether it is seeking God in prayer, worship, study of His Word, or knowing and doing His will, it should be whole heartedly and persistently. The Word tells us that God is the rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). In fact, unless one believes this he can neither seek God nor come near to Him. This implies that faith is personal. It is not faith in some blind, cosmic power but in a personal God who attends to the calls of those who trust Him. Unless one has this faith one cannot please God or walk with Him. Of course, there is no sense of talking about pleasing or walking with some blind and impersonal cosmic power. The believer is personally related to God through faith. Further, one must also remember that God only rewards those who diligently seek Him. Obviously, a reward has no meaning if some effort has not been made to get it. The word "reward" itself means return, recompense, retribution, and requital. Thus, it can only follow some action towards it. Evidently, then faith is also active and full of the efforts of faith. Therefore, Jas. tells us that "as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26). The effort of faith that God rewards is the effort of seeking to know and do His will. That alone is the true form of worshipping and honoring Him (cf. Romans 12:1-2). All such labor will never go unnoticed and unrewarded as the Scripture says "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love" (Hebrews 6:10). This, it must be remembered, is not a preaching of salvation by works of the Law; because "by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight" (Romans 3:20, ASV). No man can be justified by the works of the law for "by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20). In other words, man already stands condemned before the court of God. Therefore, he can’t point to some or many of his good works and claim justification in the same manner that a thief cannot claim justification by referring to some of his works of generosity. And so the Scripture says, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Galatians 3:10), and again "whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). Thus, by the works of the Law shall no man be justified; instead, "the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe" (Galatians 3:22). The one who bases his righteousness on the literal Law of God, therefore, stands condemned since he cannot keep the Law. The works of faith, on the other hand, are never intended to prove self-righteousness but to demonstrate and work out one’s faith in the goodness and righteousness of God. It is the intent and act of seeking to know and do God’s will, therefore, that constitutes the core of a seeking faith. And such faith will be duly rewarded.

Space Is Not the Limit The second element of this walk with God is coming to Him or approaching Him as is indicated by the words "he who comes to God" (v. 6). However, coming to God doesn’t imply going to certain places where He may be found as if He could be found only in certain places. God is not limited by space. In fact, the rational law "objects occupy space" doesn’t apply to Him, even for the sake of both rational and empirical consistency; for to say God is connected to space as material things are connected to it is to say that space is co-eternal with God, which is attributing to space a quality that can only belong to God; secondly, knowing now that space is a material dimension, we cannot apply it to God who is the source of all kinds of being, including space-time. God’s infinity exceeds the material limits and dimensions of space-time. He is above and beyond this all. He fills both heaven and earth, as King Solomon said at the dedication of the temple at Jerusalem, "Behold, Heavens and heaven of the heavens cannot contain You! How much less this house which I have built?" (2 Chronicles 6:18, MKJV). God, not being limited by space, is omnipresent, i.e. everywhere. Therefore, coming to God is not to be understood in materialistic terms. Coming to God doesn’t mean to visit a temple or holy place. God is approachable anywhere; one only needs to draw near to Him in spirit and truth (John 4:21, 23) and He will draw near to him (James 4:8) for He is found of them that seek Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). God is the "exceeding great reward" of all who seek Him in spirit and truth (cf. Genesis 15:1).

There are several things, however, that this act of approaching entails; and one must be able to know them in order to see the significance of the faith of God that draws one closer to God. First of all, faith gives us access into the presence of God. It is faith that bridges the chasm between God and man and brings him close to God. It is evident that a distance exists between God and man; that is the reason why, it is necessary for man to come near to God "though He is not far from each one of us". The problem about this distance is man himself. It is man’s sin that puts up a wall between God and man (Isaiah 59:2). This separation is not a physical separation; it is a spiritual separation (also referred to as spiritual death) and is characterized by a violent enmity against God in the spirit (Colossians 1:21). This is an undeniable malady in man; in fact, the Bible calls denial of sin as self-deception (1 John 1:8-10). The fact of this human malady (evil tendency) is not just a Christian doctrine. For instance, Glaucon in Plato’s Republic tells the story of a young shepherd named Gyges who, one day, found a ring that could make him invisible. Soon, he entered the palace by means of it, seduced the queen, murdered the king and took the kingdom. "Suppose now that there were two such magic rings," says Glaucon, "and the just put on one of them and the unjust the other; no man can be imagined to be of such an iron nature that he would stand fast in justice." Then, proceeding to prove that all human show of justice doesn’t prove man to be just, he argues: No man would keep his hands off what was not his own when he could safely take what he liked out of the market, or go into houses and lie with any one at his pleasure, or kill or release from prison whom he would, and in all respects be like a God among men. Then the actions of the just would be as the actions of the unjust; they would both come at last to the same point. And this we may truly affirm to be a great proof that a man is just, not willingly or because he thinks that justice is any good to him individually, but of necessity, for wherever anyone thinks that he can safely be unjust, there he is unjust.

Studies in the psychology of evil, in the past few decades, have shown that crime escalates where anonymity prevails, proving the internality of human sinfulness and tendency towards evil when things seem conducive. This inherent tendency towards evil is what is described in the Bible as the carnal mind set on the things of the flesh and sold under sin (Romans 7:14) and set in enmity against the Law of God; therefore, in enmity against God (Romans 8:17). For us in the New Testament, this unsurpassable wall of separation is broken down by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who satisfied the demands of the Law in His flesh and brought us into fellowship with God (Zephaniah 2:14-16). Only His sacrifice could do that as only He, being the embodiment of infinite deity and untainted by Adamic guilt through the virgin birth, could be a true mediator between God and man as the Scripture says:

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Thus, we know that it is through Jesus Christ that we have access into the presence of God (Zephaniah 3:12) as Jesus Himself said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6); which also implies that Enoch and all saints could only have access into God’s presence through the effects of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for their sins and the sins of the world. Their conscious acceptance of the revelation of God and submission to His will was in line with the acceptance of the finality of this progressive revelation in Jesus Christ (cf. Hebrews 1:1-2). Therefore, their faith in God’s will and purposes was faith in Jesus Christ as the Scriptures tell us several times, for instance, regarding the Israelites: For also we have had the gospel preached, as well as them. But the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it (Hebrews 4:2, MKJV).

And, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea. And all were baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4, MKJV). In fact, the Scriptures tell us that salvation in the Old Testament was through Christ alone, who in His pre-incarnate form as Spirit, preached to the them in various ways (Hebrews 1:1) the Gospel of His death and resurrection. It was Christ who through the Spirit, for instance, preached to the people then, "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared"; but they disobeyed and are now kept in prison for the Day of Judgment. For Christ also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, indeed being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit; in which also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, to disobeying ones, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared (in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through water); which figure now also saves us, baptism; not a putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; who is at the right hand of God, having gone into Heaven, where the angels and authorities and powers are being subjected to Him (1 Peter 3:18-22, MKJV).

It must be remembered that when we talk of Christ’s death and resurrection and His Gospel, we talk of spiritual things (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:13 ) that transcend the rigors of time and space; thus, it says "but made alive in the Spirit; in which also He went and preached…in the days of Noah." In other words, the Gospel of the Spirit of Christ, though not as clear to them as to many of us, was the same bringing salvation to the saints in the Old Testament as well.

About which salvation the prophets sought out and searched out, prophesying concerning the grace for you; searching for what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ made clear within them, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow (1 Peter 1:10-11, MKJV).

What was a shadow to them is now a reality to us, and what is now a shadow to us will be a reality in the days to come; yet, we walk in the fullness of the assurance and partake of the goodness and mercies of God: that is faith, the ability to go beyond the shadows and experience the eternal and spiritual blessings of God in Jesus Christ. The strength of this faith in the Old Testament can be seen in the fact that never once did any of the men of God claim forgiveness of sins on the basis of a sacrifice or offering they brought before God. They knew that whatever they brought could not atone for their sins. They needed the grace of God and a way that God would provide (Lamentations 3:22 ; Daniel 9:9 ). They were at His mercy. In fact, the Law had no stipulation of forgiveness for intentional sins. Anyone seen breaking the Ten Commandments was condemned to death. No sacrifice could atone for him. But the prophets preached repentance and forgiveness by the grace and mercies of God. Therefore, without any doubt, salvation in the Old Testament was by faith alone; and God’s way of salvation is Jesus Christ (cf. Numbers 15:28 ; Deuteronomy 19:4 ; Exodus 21:12 ; Exodus 21:15-17 ; Exodus 21:29; Isaiah 1:18 ; Psalms 51:7 ; Micah 7:19 ; Luke 2:25-32 ). In fact, there is no doubt that the fellowship with God in the Old Testament was, in fact again, the fellowship of Christ (Matthew 22:41-45). Thus, even the Old Testament saints could have access into the presence of God by faith in God’s grace and salvation. On the basis of the Law or their own works of righteousness, they could never have fellowship with God since only the high priest was allowed into the Holiest Place of the Sanctuary, once a year, and that too with the blood of a sacrifice. No one else had this privilege (Hebrews 9:7). In fact, we could never have gained access beyond the veil of separation in the Sanctuary of the Law. But in Jesus Christ, we through the Spirit have unrestricted access into the presence of God (Zephaniah 2:18).

Secondly, faith gives us the boldness to approach God (Hebrews 10:19). It is like the boldness of a child who can approach his father without any fear or hesitations. We do not just have the access but also the boldness to come before God. The boldness comes from the faith in the revelation of God’s love towards us as the Scripture says: "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3). It is the awareness of God’s longing towards us as His children and our irresistible need of Him that draws us to Him. Boldness is the absence of guilt and anxiety. Guilt is the sense of having failed infinitely, existentially, morally; anxiety is the sense of insecurity and infinite threat. Guilt is infinite regret because the past act cannot be undone for infinity. Anxiety is infinite apprehension because it is uncertain of any hope beyond the horrific end that is at hand. This anxiety might not necessarily be concerned with death but with the fear of an irrecoverable and hopeless experience. Guilt prevents man from coming before the presence of God as it makes one ashamed of himself for failing to be right and thus be pleasing in the sight of God (see Luke 5:8 ; Job 42:5-6). Anxiety from sin-consciousness produces the hesitation that prevents man from coming boldly to God (Genesis 3:10 ). Faith in the Word of God gives us boldness as it shows the goodness and mercies of God towards us. God reveals His love to us so that they who accept His love will find forgiveness of sins and healing for the past as well as assurance for the future. We have expressively seen God as Love in the face of Jesus Christ in the New Testament (1Joshua 4:8-9). Similarly, Enoch and the other saints saw God as Love in God’s revelation of Himself as "Jehovah! Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exodus 34:6, MKJV) because God is One and is revealed to us (whether in the Old or the New Testament) only in the face of Jesus Christ (John 1:18 ; 14:9; Genesis 32:30 ; Joshua 5:13-15 ; 2 Corinthians 4:6 ; 1 John 5:20 ). Thus, faith in God’s revelation of His love casts of all guilt and fear as the Word says "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment….There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." (1 John 4:17-18).

It is a tragedy, however, that there are some who have lost their consciences and exhibit a kind of impudence with disdain for the Law of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4). Such impudence and insolence is nothing but false boldness that leads to fall (Proverbs 16:5 ; Proverbs 16:18). As seen earlier, disdain for God’s Law as sign of rebellion is the result of carnal mindedness. It is all about a willing-to-believe or inclination of heart towards anything that decides the "rationality" or "intelligibility" of that thing. Therefore, to one who chooses or is drawn to disbelieve in the Law or authority of God, God’s Law looks irrational, unfair, and absurd to him. Such persons will have no guilt-feelings since their consciences are dead to the Law of God. Obviously, such persons cannot find peace and joy in the presence of God. Yet, God is merciful to allow time and opportunity to repent and His love strives with the sinner’s spirit with the hope that he will turn his ways to God as the Word says "I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love" (Hosea 11:4 ). However, the Bible warns us not to take the patience and mercies of God lightly:

And, O man… do you think this, that you shall escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and the forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But according to your hardness and your impenitent heart, do you treasure up wrath for yourself in a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each according to his works; indeed to those who with patience in good work are seeking for glory, and honor, and incorruptibility, everlasting life. But to those who indeed disobeying the truth out of self-seeking, and obeying unrighteousness, will be anger and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man who has worked out evil…. (Romans 2:3-9, MKJV). But those who accept God’s love into their lives are "born again" by the Spirit of God and are adopted as sons in the family of God, and as such have child-like confidence before their heavenly Father. One cannot deny that there are times when the heart will say "You should not have done it" or "Your sins are too great to be forgiven", and with such thoughts condemn us. But the Word says, And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God (1 John 3:19-21). In other words, it is possible that our hearts continue the natural way of condemning us even when our sins have already been blotted out. In such cases, faith must take the stand to affirm that the witness of God’s Word is greater than the witness of one’s heart. And when the heart that is steadfast in God no longer condemns, one has boldness before God; for with the removal of guilt and anxiety also comes the child-like boldness to approach God. Remember that Jesus never condemned Peter for failing Him thrice; He never mentioned it: He only asked him whether he loved Him (cf. John 21:14-17). Peter replied in the affirmative and Jesus told him to take care of His sheep (the church). Peter need not be obsessed with his failures as if that was all to his life and as if God expected him to be righteous in his own power; he only needed to trust in God and be confident that God is not against us but for us if we love God and commit ourselves to His will (cf. Romans 8:33-34). Thus, faith gives us the boldness to enter the presence of God. By faith in God’s love and rich mercies Enoch walked with God in fellowship, and, obviously, experienced each day the insurmountable blessings of His grace until, one day, his time merged into the eternity of heaven.

Attunement The Bible tells us that Enoch "pleased God" (as seen, the LXX rendering of "walked with God"). Thus, walking with God is equivalent to pleasing God as the inspired Word confirms. And "without faith it is impossible to please Him"; therefore, Enoch pleased God not because of his works but because of his faith. The necessary connection between faith and pleasing God is revealed in the words "impossible" and "must" as follows: But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out] (Hebrews 11:6, Amplified Bible).

Evidently, one cannot get around faith to please God. It is the only way available The opposite is the way of flesh which can never seek to please God. Therefore, the works of faith are in variance against the works of the flesh. The works of faith flow from a heart that is attuned with the heart of God; the works of flesh flow from selfishness. The flesh cannot please God because it is bound and enslaved to its immediate desires and cravings (Romans 8:8). Therefore, when the flesh tries to keep the Law of God, it externally keeps it only to suit its selfish intentions as Glaucon says in The Republic, "all men who practice justice do so against their will, of necessity, but not as a good." Such compulsive law-keeping is abominable in God’s sight since it doesn’t come from a heart of faith; in fact, carnal worship (i.e. worship by flesh for immediate desire fulfillment) is never worship of God but the worship of an ideal of the flesh, which is idolatry. This is how the unspiritual Israelites and priests could go and worship in the temple while also doing wicked deeds everywhere; the flesh fooled them to believe that God was not concerned with all their evil deeds as long as His rituals were met, similar to the gods of the heathens. That was their false picture of God created by the flesh. This ultimately led to total departure from even the godly form of worship as the flesh found situations conducive to idolatry (Isaiah 1:13-14; Ezekiel 8:8-17 ; Psalms 94:7 ; Isaiah 29:15), because obedience to the flesh is the same as idolatry and the worship of the flesh (Jude 1:16-18).

One cannot walk with God unless one’s heart is already close to God. The show of walk is not true walk. For instance, a love letter can be written by both a lover and a computer; however, it is the letter of the lover alone that pleases the beloved, not because it has better display of words, but because it comes from the lover’s heart: the computer, on the contrary, having no heart, only makes a show of love in words that have been programmed into it; therefore, it is incapable of love and its "love letter" is meaningless. Similarly, someone who doesn’t have a heart after God cannot walk with God. Therefore, as has been seen, seeking precedes pleasing God in this walk of faith and seeking never ceases. The word for "to please", used here, is euaresteo (εὐαρεστέω), whose noun form is euarestos, a combination of two words eu (good, well) and arestos (agreeable, fitting, pleasing); thus meaning "to please entirely" or be "well pleasing". The word arestos is used in Romans 8:8 where it says, "they that are in the flesh cannot please (arestos) God" meaning that they who live fulfilling their fleshly desires all the time cannot agree with God or fit His ways; in other words, they can neither walk in agreement with Him nor please Him; for to walk implies also to be in agreement with as the Word says "Can two walk together, except they be agreed" (Amos 3:3). Through the combination of eu with arestos, euarestos attains the meaning of being in total agreement with or being perfectly or well attuned with God. It is understandable that God cannot accept less than euarestos in anyone’s approaching or relating to Him. That is the reason why the Scripture uses euarestos and not just arestos when talking about pleasing God by faith. The sense is that they that are carnal minded cannot even agree with God, far be it that they can be perfectly pleasing in His sight. But the man of faith goes beyond mere agreement to a total satisfaction of divine will and pleasure. Obviously, this is not humanly or fleshly possible; it is only possible by faith and a self-giving in trust into the hands of God in total commitment. It is like the burnt-offerings of the Old Testament in which the sacrificial animal had to be totally offered and burnt on the altar. It is that which is wholly pleasing to Him. That is also what the Word calls for when it says, "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable (euarestos) unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1); and again, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable (euarestos), and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2). The walk of faith that pleases God must be selfless and wholly dedicated to God. But such qualities are internal and not external. That is why Romans 12:1-2 talks about reasonable (logikos, rational or logical) service and renewing of mind. For, unless one’s way of thinking is governed by the faith of God, his walk cannot be pleasing to God. In fact, a willing committal of self in holiness and conformity to God’s will is the only kind of service that God accepts as rational (logikos); all other forms of religion are meaningless before Him. It is only when the mind is renewed that the body can be offered as a living sacrifice to God (for God has no use of the dead; He needs the living to serve Him in spirit and truth). Jesus said that the internal of a vessel needs to be cleaned before the external is cleaned (Matthew 23:26). The internal must be purified by faith in God’s Word and the love of God. Obviously, the tenth commandment, "Do not covet", deals with the internal aspect of man’s moral life. It is the only law that prohibits something that is externally invisible until it manifests itself in visible forms of violating the other commandments. Only the one who covets really knows if he is coveting or not. That is why when the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him what he must do to get eternal life, Jesus told him to keep the commandments, namely "do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your parents, and love your neighbor as yourself." He didn’t mention the first three commandments of honoring and worshipping God; neither did He mention the last commandment "do not covet", instead of which He said "love your neighbor as yourself" since love would never violate any of the commandments but would go beyond them to fulfill God’s will and, thus, honor Him; for if one cannot love his neighbor then one cannot love God either (1 John 4:20-21). The hideous nature of covetousness is what constitutes the anti-love element of sin in the human heart. It is the enemy of love; therefore, both of them cannot co-exist: either one must win or the other. Therefore, the carnal mind is said to be in enmity against the Law of God. But true love fulfills the whole Law of God in spirit and truth as the Scripture says:

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law. For: "Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not lust;" and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love works no ill to its neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law (Romans 13:8-10, MKJV).

Love doesn’t just think about the letter of the commandment; it looks beyond it to its spirit. It is covetousness that looks to the letter in order to find a way to get around it and fulfill the desires of the flesh (cf. Mark 7:10-13). Therefore, the Law was rightly given to the sinners in order to condemn them (1 Timothy 1:9-10; Romans 3:20; Romans 7:7-8). It is only ludicrous when sinners use this same Law of God to accuse each other (Romans 2:1). Remember the incident of the Pharisees bringing a woman caught in adultery to Jesus and trying Him with the question of what to do with her since the Law of Moses commanded to stone adulterers to death. There were several side-tracking complications like, for instance, the whereabouts of the man who also, obviously, was caught in the immoral act. However, Jesus didn’t act like a normal scribe would have; he stooped down and started writing on the ground as if they had come to Him with a meaningless question. But when they insisted He stood up and told them "Anyone who is without sin among you may cast the first stone at her." On hearing this, and convicted by their consciences, everyone of them left the scene except the woman (John 8:10). Evidently, though their external adherence to the Law might have been visible to all, their conscience did not testify that they were sinless (because lust or covetousness ruled their internal thoughts) and they knew that they were equally condemned by the Law as the woman was. In such case, their bringing her to Jesus and making a show of being protectors of the Law was absurd. In the case of the rich young ruler, he was prompt to say that he kept all those commandments that Jesus had talked of from his childhood and inquired whether he lacked anything yet. Jesus answered him saying "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me" (Matthew 19:21, MKJV). The Bible tells us that the man went back sorrowful because he had great possessions. Obviously, this man could not get over his covetousness for the things of the world despite the fact that he was externally keeping the commandments. For the sake of such worldly desires he even disregarded the treasures of heaven. But he could not do anything else because his mind was set compulsively on the flesh and so he could not see the things of God nor place his faith in the promise of Christ "You shall have treasure in Heaven". Thus, it is obvious that though he was saddened by how he was proven wrong, yet his deep love for worldliness disabled him from submitting himself to God completely. Therefore, it is not the external compliance to the Law but an internal sacrifice of self and perfect attunement with the will of God that is the first step towards pleasing God. Certainly, such attunement is only possible when actions flow purely out of love for God and His ways. It is God’s love alone that can break the spell of covetousness from our hearts and get us beyond the letter (or fetter) of the Law to a free and pure service of God; for the only kind of service that is acceptable before God is the service of faith that works by love (Galatians 5:6). It was in this sense that Mother Teresa told Malcolm Muggeridge that the world lacks faith because of so much selfishness and so much gain only for self, but faith to be true must be a giving love, and love and faith go together. The one thing that the young man lacked was the faith of God that operates by love. He neither cared for the poor nor for God, and he could trust neither because of his lack of faith. Teresa’s perspective is the contrary as she says: "Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself" and then again "Only in heaven we will see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them." Obviously, it is not an attraction towards some utopian treasures or pleasures in heaven but the love of Christ that drew her to serve the poor. It was because of this that Muggeridge says, "Every day Mother Teresa meets Jesus", i.e. at not just the Mass but also in "each needing, suffering soul she sees and tends." Her own confession of this faith in God is overwhelming as, in her, love and action combine in her faith. She says:

Faith is a gift of God. Without it there would be no life. And our work, to be fruitful and to be all for God, and beautiful, has to be built on faith. Faith in Christ who has said, ’I was hungry, I was naked, I was sick, and I was homeless and you did that to me.’ On these words of his all our work is based.

Obviously, faith here goes beyond the carnal craving of those who look at the reward of faith as some carnal pleasure and luxury in heaven. In fact, the Bible never talks of such reward. The reward of the faith of God is God Himself; for, it is God alone whom faith seeks and approaches and finally pleases. Therefore, the apostle tells the believers to do whatever they do, heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men (Colossians 3:23); for our attitudes and intentions matter more than our words and actions. The "LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV). There will be many on the Day of Judgment who’ll say to Jesus that they did mighty works of wonders in His name, but He’ll deny them since it is only those who do the will of God that are known by Him in an intimate way that pleases Him (Matthew 7:21-23). Lusts and passions may come (uncalled for many times) but it is the resolute act of faith that alone overcomes the world (1 John 5:3-4). Thus, one can see how by faith Enoch pleased God and was translated that he should not see death. His faith possessed the qualities of completeness, absoluteness, and finality leaving no possibilities for a turn around. It was incessantly inquisitive, infinitely intimate, and inextricably integrated with God’s will; therefore, it was testified of him that he pleased God, and so will it be of everyone that blends his life completely with the fire of God’s will on the altar of His love, by faith to the glory of His grace (Zephaniah 1:6) who is the only One who can be absolutely trusted forever. Amen!

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

1.    Through faith one inherits the eternal salvation of God which is eternally available to all in the past, present, and future, through Christ Jesus.

2.    To walk by faith is the same as pleasing God.

3.    Faith recognizes God’s truth in the same way that a thirsty man receives pure water.