The tiny seeds of promise found in the book of Genesis come to fruition in the New Testament. Specially in this first book of the Bible are found the beginnings and typical forms of all the fulfillments and consummations of the great Messianic future as revealed i the Book of the Revelation.
First let us turn to the brief note in Genesis concerning a man who anticipated by thousands of years the highest form of redemption, which awaits believers who shall be alive at our Lord’s return.
The account is short, but filled with divine drama!
Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
The New Testament commentary on this event is recorded in the Book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 11:5 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.
Chapter 5 of Genesis has been called the epitaph chapter of the Word of God, for it contains the phrase “and he died” many times. This is the history of all men until you have reached the seventh from Adam, and he did not see death.
Enoch escaped dying by one solitary means – and that was by translation! God took him out of the way because a judgment was due for the earth and God had made no provision for Enoch on the earth during that judgment. Through divine intervention Enoch became a trophy of God’s glorious victory over the power of death. Enoch became the exception to the rule of physical death.
Just so, prior to the release of judgment upon this earth, there will be living on earth a generation of Christians who will not see death but, like Enoch, will be translated into the realm of eternal bliss.
Bibloscope 