By 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
Enoch is the father of the oldest man in the Bible, Methuselah. The old joke is that Methuselah was the oldest living man in the Bible, yet died before his father. Why? Because his father, Enoch, never died! Enoch never experienced death, thus becoming one of the many types in the Bible of the chosen Bride of Christ, the Church of the living God!
He was taken up to be with God, or translated, as the Bible records. Enoch was said to have had a testimony that pleased God and his testimony was the result of his diligent faith.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Friend, we cannot come to God unless we believe that He is Who the Scriptures reveal Him to be and understand that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Those that seek the Lord with all their heart and a diligent faith will be rewarded immensely.
Enoch’s diligent faith which was so pleasing to God resulted in Life. “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death” (v.5a). God rewarded Enoch with eternal life because of his diligent faith. When Jesus Christ hung on the cross at Calvary with thieves on each side, one of them railed against Jesus and the other repented. Jesus Christ said to the thief who had expressed remorse, "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise". (Luke 23:43) Beloved, the word "verily" comes from the Greek word, amen (am-ane'; of Hebrew origin properly: firm, i.e. trustworthy; adverb surely). It is a word of assurance or profound diligence, as if there is nothing, nor any other way, to change that which has been declared.
The fact that Enoch’s diligent faith allowed him to escape death is sweet assurance for us today because our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only thing that grants us life. Romans 10:9 tells us "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." This is one of the simplest verses in all the Word of God, yet many will miss its full application by solely focusing on its end rather than its beginning. Yes, ‘thou shalt be saved’ is key, but in order to achieve that eternal life one must first by faith confess (agree with) Christ as Lord. Friends, we could not have proceeded from the beginning words of this verse without a diligent faith resting upon those three words identifying ‘the Lord Jesus’. He must be Lord of our life, the Lord in our hearts, before we are able to receive that same gift of eternal life that Enoch had been granted. (Hebrews 11:6). We cannot come to God without believing that He is – THE LORD!
Secondly, we find another reward of Enoch’s diligent faith was that he was Lifted (and was not found, because God had translated him:) (v.5b). We are encouraged today in the knowledge that there will be a time in the near future when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will descend from Heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) to call His bride home. The graves of those who have already died will suddenly be opened and they will receive their glorified bodies. For those who are alive, just as was Enoch, they will be translated into a glorious body (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). Paul tells us by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to "comfort one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:18). They are indeed comforting words. Knowing that a diligent faith which seeks the Lord’s will and trusts in His power and might to accomplish great and wonderful things through us so that we may bring Him glory is pleasing to God. We should find comfort and be encouraged to know that we will be rewarded for our diligent faith that will bring the gift of Life and the future Lifting into the air.
Lastly, Enoch’s diligent faith which gave him life and Lifted him to Heaven also provided a testimony that Lasted. “For before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (V.5c). The word testimony is defined as "to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something". In our Bibles, testimony means to witness or bear witness, to testify or bear record. We know that without faith it is impossible to please God, and by simple deduction, we understand that without faith it will also be impossible to present or leave a lasting testimony that will honor God.
I had preached a sermon once titled “The Dash”. It's theme focused upon the ‘dash’ (-) between the year you were born and the date you died. What will the dash testify to and teach others? A diligent faith, one that results in Life and is rewarded with being Lifted, is a faith that exclaims the testimony of the precious Christ who suffered a shameful death, yet rose victoriously, leaving a testimony that salvation is for anyone who diligently seeks Him.
A lasting testimony requires diligence that is exercised in faith and excels through faithfulness. Consider the bee, my friend:
A red clover blossom contains less than one eighth of a grain of sugar; 7,000 grains are required to make a pound of honey. A bee, flitting here and there for sweetness, must visit 56,000 clover heads for a pound of honey; and there are about sixty flower tubes to each clover head. When a bee performs that operation 60 times, 56,000 or 3,360,000 times, it secures enough sweetness for only one pound of honey!
If you have a diligent faith, one that has a focused vision upon Christ and seeks to please Him, then and only then will you have a Lasting testimony that you may carry into that Life beyond the crystal sea before being Lifted.
It will be a testimony that will stand the test of time… one that will extend beyond the pages of history revealing that God is Who he says He is and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. That is Enoch’s diligent faith and his testimony.
for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God
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