All Doves:
There is no question of the importance of the book of Enoch to the Mormons, the Jehovah Witnesses, and the 7th Day Adventists. The common denominator of these three religious cults, often viewed as churches, however, they are in disagreement with Christian Orthodoxy, is Freemasonry. All three religious cults have as a common denominator between them that they were founded by Freemasons. That fact is the biggest red flag you could have regarding the bogus Enoch evil exaggerations! This book is about "seducing spirits and doctrines of demons!"
In this post we are going to be looking at the Seventh Day Adventists relationship to the book of Enoch. We will be looking at Mrs. White's writings about Enoch and discover the mysterious sources she used. Mrs. White's account of Enoch differs sharply from the Biblical account in certain details. I kept this cult apart from those noted in Part 4, because there is so much evidence of how the corrupt SDA doctrine was tied to the evil exaggerations of the book of Enoch. Biblical Enoch never wrote the book ascribed to his name and in this series the reader will discover the real source of the propaganda on this fable.
Enoch is an all-important figure in the writings of Ellen White. Despite the fact that the Bible only mentions him in a scant dozen occurrences, Ellen White mentions him hundreds of times in her writings. I do not exaggerate one bit in that statement. According to her writings, Enoch, attained to a perfection of character that allowed God to take him to heaven. Therefore, Enoch is an apt representation of what all Seventh-Day Adventists need to strive to become before their translation into heaven at the second coming of Christ Jesus.
Perhaps part of the need to be identified so closely with Enoch is that she believed him to be an Adventist herself: "Enoch was an Adventist", in several of her writings. In fact, at one point early in her career she claimed to have held a conversation with Enoch on a mysterious planet with seven moons: "Then I was taken to a world which had seven moons. There I saw good old Enoch, who had been translated. On his right arm he bore a glorious palm, and on each leaf was written 'Victory',. Around his head was a dazzling white wreath, and leaves on the wreath, and in the middle of each leaf was written 'Purity', and around the wreath were stones of various colors, that shone brighter than the stars, and cast a reflection upon the letters and magnified them. On the back part of his head was a bow that confined the wreath, and upon the bow was written 'Holiness'. Above the wreath was a lovely crown that shone brighter than the sun. I ask him if this was the place he was taken to from the earth. He said, 'It is not; the city is my home, and I have come to visit this place'. He moved about the place as if perfectly at home".
In her vision Mrs. White said Enoch told her "the city is my home". What city is Enoch talking about? A clue is found in one of her Testamonies: "But Enoch's heart was upon eternal treasures. He had looked upon the celestial city. He had seen the King in His glory in the midst of Zion." Here we are informed that Enoch looked upon a celestial city named Zion.
Not surprisingly, Enoch was also an all-important figure to Mormon prophet Joseph Smith. In fact, the Mormon Joseph Smith was sometimes referred to under the pseudo-name of "Enoch". Like Mrs. White, Smith elaborates upon the life of Enoch. In his writings entitled 'Pearl of Great Price', Joseph Smith describes how Enoch founded a city named Zion: "And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion."
Enoch built a city named Zion. Beginning to sound familiar? "But wait", you say, "this city was on earth, not in heaven, right?" Well, it started out upon the earth, but Smith tells us that soon this earthly city became a celestial city: "And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in the process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever."
According to Joseph Smith, Enoch's city of Zion was moved to heaven and became the celestial city where God abode. Now let's read those quotes from Ellen White one more time: "I asked him [Enoch] if this was the place he was taken to from the earth. He said, it is not, the city is my house..." But Enoch's heart was upon eternal treasures. He had looked upon the celestial city. He had seen the King in His glory in the midst of Zion."
It sounds like more than a coincidence that both Sister White and Brother Smith talk about Enoch's celestial city of Zion. But the coincidences do not stop there.
According to Mrs. Ellen White, Enoch was not only an Adventist, but also a Christian. She describes Enoch as being a Christian thousands of year before the first Christians were called such at Antioch in the first century AD. Traditionally, in order to become a Christian one must believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, one must not only believe in Jesus Christ, but also be baptized for the remission of sins.
One of Joseph Smith's fundamental teachings about Enoch was that he was a Christian. In fact, in the following quote we find Enoch going about preaching Jesus Christ, calling people to repent and be baptized: "And he also said unto him: If thou will turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent, of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you."
Is the fact that both Joseph Smith and Ellen White taught that Enoch was a Christian merely another mysterious coincidence?
According to Ellen White,
1. Enoch received visions of the future, of many generations
2. Enoch went to preach in the land of Cain
3. Enoch was shown the flood
4. Enoch had a vision of the death of Christ
5. Enoch was shown the second coming of Christ
6. Enoch saw the righteous crowned with glory
Mormon Joseph Smith wrote about all the above terms in 'Pearl of Great Price' Moses, chapter 7. The parallels between the writings of Joseph Smith and Ellen White on Enoch are simply too amazing to ignore. It appears that Mrs. White did not receive her teachings on Enoch from the Bible or from the angels but from the Mormons.
Of course, not all of Ellen White's teachings about Enoch originated with Joseph Smith. Her description of the light of Enoch's countenance matches a similar description from the book of Jasher, another spurious book of writings. Mrs. White confuses the situation even further by claiming Enoch was alive while the ark was being built:
"God determined to purify the world by a flood; but in mercy and love He gave he antediluvians a probation of one hundred and twenty years. During this time, while the ark was in building, the voices of Noah, Enoch, and many others were heard in warning and entreaty. And every blow struck on the ark was a warning message".
Mrs. White goes further and says that Enoch was taught by Noah, "Enoch first received instructions from Noah, and he observed the law of God and served him with singleness of heart." But did Enoch preach while the ark was being built? Did he receive instructions from Noah? Was he translated "just before" the flood? There is a VERY big problem with Biblical math and the Enoch claims, even so with Ellen White's claims. Enoch was "translated" to heaven 69 years before Noah was even born! How could he have received instructions from Noah? The building of the ark did not commence until 1536 BC, a full 549 years after Enoch had been translated. How could Enoch have preached while the ark was being built? Enoch was translated to heaven 669 years before the flood. Was this "just before" the flood? The credibility of Ellen White is suspect. Did Ellen White really see Enoch in vision? Or was she simply fabricating history?
Mrs. White makes this observation in the SDA Bible Commentary: "Enoch the First Prophet - Enoch was the first prophet among mankind. He foretold by prophecy the second coming of Christ to our world, and his work at that that time. His life was a specimen of Christian consistency. Holy lips alone should speak forth the words of God in denunciation and judgments. His prophecy is not found in the writings of the Old Testament. We may never find any books which relate to the works of Enoch, but Jude, a prophet of God, mentions the work of Enoch".
It's no surprise that Ellen G. White's writings are not spoken of in much more than a whisper among Adventists today. There are a couple of issues with this statement above. First, she describes Jude as "a prophet of God". Nowhere in the Bible is Jude called a "prophet". He was Jesus' half-brother, the brother of James (confirmed in Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55). He is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible and if it were not for the brief letter of Jude, we would know virtually nothing about him. There is nothing prophetic in the book of Jude except for one verse about the second coming, and that statement is simply a quote from another book, so there is no basis upon which to call Jude a prophet. Unfortunately, the statement of Jude 1:14, however true it might be, did not come from Enoch, but from a spurious author who wrote what is a pseudepigraphal "false" book called the book of Enoch.
Enoch as a extra-Biblical writing fell out of favor following the Council of Laodicea. After dropping out of circulation for over 1,000 years, a copy was discovered in Ethiopia in 1773. In 1821, an English translation was made in England. Nearly all scholars are agreed that the book was not written by Enoch of the Bible. Because fragments were found among the Dead Sea scrolls, most scholars date the book to the 2nd century BC. There is no mention of the book of Enoch being in existence prior to that time. We are told by Ellen G. White supporters that she, as a prophet of God, was able to "detect error", and yet Mrs. White writes as if Jude is quoting from the actual writings of Enoch instead of a spurious work written by an anonymous author long after Enoch died.
You can decide for yourself whether Ellen G. White's writings on Enoch are interesting and they provide a good moral lesson. However, based upon the evidence presented here, the question remains as to her reliability to discern error as well as where she got her beliefs. Are her writings of Enoch historical facts gleaned from her visions, or are they merely a fictional account based upon the writings of others such as Joseph Smith, and Charles Taze Russell? One cannot ignore the fact that all three (Joseph Smith, Charles Russell, and Ellen White), had a common thread or connection to religion by the fact they were all founded by Freemasonry membership, money, and motives.
Folks that put their faith in the book of Enoch are desperately grasping at straws for any credibility or smidgen of truth. Fools who dabble with demons of the devil have no idea how the the book of Enoch has deep roots in the world of witchcraft and the occult. Stick with the KJV Bible that contains all the evidence of God's Truth that one needs. At least it stands the test of computer mathematical analysis to be the True Word of God since it alone bears the authenticated God's "Heptadic Feature".
Be not deceived by the minions of Satan! Enoch is about seducing spirits and doctrines of demons!
Blessings from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Pastor Bob