Enoch 38
1 The First Parable. When the congregation of the righteous shall appear, And sinners shall be judged for their sins, And shall be driven from the face of the earth:
2 And when the Righteous One shall appear before the eyes of the righteous, Whose elect works hang upon the Lord of Spirits, And light shall appear to the righteous and the elect who dwell on the earth, Where then will be the dwelling of the sinners, And where the resting-place of those who have denied the Lord of Spirits? It had been good for them if they had not been born.
3 When the secrets of the righteous shall be revealed and the sinners judged, And the godless driven from the presence of the righteous and elect,
4 From that time those that possess the earth shall no longer be powerful and exalted: And they shall not be able to behold the face of the holy, For the Lord of Spirits has caused His light to appear On the face of the holy, righteous, and elect.
5 Then shall the kings and the mighty perish And be given into the hands of the righteous and holy.
6 And thenceforward none shall seek for themselves mercy from the Lord of Spirits For their life is at an end.
Common Questions About Enoch 38
What does the First Parable describe in chapter 38?
It describes the coming judgment: when the righteous appear as a congregation and the Righteous One reveals Himself, light will come to the righteous and elect, while sinners and those who deny the Lord of Spirits will have nowhere to dwell, the text says it would have been better for them if they had never been born.
What happens to earthly kings and the powerful in this vision?
The chapter declares that once the light of the holy appears, the powerful and exalted of the earth will no longer be able to look upon the face of the holy, and the kings and mighty will perish, given into the hands of the righteous and holy, since their time of seeking mercy will have already ended.
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Questions to Think About
- The parable warns that earthly power and status mean nothing once true righteousness and light are revealed. How much of your own sense of security comes from status, position, or possessions rather than from your standing before God?
- The chapter's blunt statement, that it would have been better for the unrepentant not to have been born, is a sobering warning rather than a casual remark. How does taking the reality of judgment seriously change the urgency with which you pray for people who don't yet know God?
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