A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
A colorfully
decorated wagon at Red Caboose Motel
Click
to enlarge
"The
Prophecy Of Enoch"
Message summary: Are
you, like Enoch, walking with God and speaking out
boldly for Him.
Listen
to this
message on your audio player.
"Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men. 'See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him'" (Jude 1:14,15).
When we got
married in 1976 my childhood dog, Susie, came to live
with us. My parents had cared for her while I attended
college. After we married Susie moved down from my
childhood home in Independence, Missouri to live with
us at the little country parsonage surrounded by farms
near Fair Grove, MO. But by this time Susie was
nearing the end of her life and sadly, fell off a hay
wagon I was pulling with a tractor for a neighboring
farmer. She died but we were at peace since she had
enjoyed her new found freedom out in the country for
several months. Brooksyne would say it was the first
time she ever saw me shed a tear when burying Susie,
and I guess that's true. It was my only pet up to that
point.
A few months later a little boy who heard about Susie's death told us they had a litter of mixed Chow Chow puppies. Being dedicated Bible College students we chose the name of a Bible character and named him Enoch. He was a lot of fun and a colorful part of the early years of our marriage. To this day we're sure many who knew us at that time will also remember Enoch! In fact years ago I even wrote a story about him titled "My Dog Enoch"!
The Bible character, Enoch, is best known for his remarkable departure from this world. The Bible simply states, "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). We also know from Hebrews 11:5-6 that he was a man of faith and "he was commended as one who pleased God".
But our daily verse provides an additional, lesser known and considered, glimpse into his life and ministry. Although Enoch lived in the rampantly evil, pre-flood period of human history, he didn't keep his faith to himself. He prophesied, speaking out regarding his belief in God and his convictions. In fact he is the very first recorded Bible character to prophecy for God.
Jude records the specific prophecy that Enoch spoke forth and it is just as meaningful to our generation as it was when he first gave it some 5,300 years ago; "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 1:14b,15).
Now the notion of judgment is a message that many find offensive. Proclaim that today and you will be labeled a crackpot by the world and sadly many in the visible church would critique your message to be "unloving". It's certainly not "seeker friendly".
The Bible says that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17). He appeared in flesh and walked upon the earth 33 years, taught the ways of godliness, lived a sinless life and died upon the cross that we might be saved from our sins.
A few verses later Jude writes, "But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, 'In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts'.” Interestingly Jude is quoting from another New Testament book from the Apostle Peter. "Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts" (2 Peter 3:3).
The Bible also says that the Lord is coming in judgment. Men and women, like Enoch, are still called by God to walk with Him and faithfully speak forth His word. Enoch's great-grandson, Noah, sure did. In 2 Peter 2:5 he is called a "preacher of righteousness."
Listen
to this
message on your audio player."Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men. 'See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him'" (Jude 1:14,15).
When we got
married in 1976 my childhood dog, Susie, came to live
with us. My parents had cared for her while I attended
college. After we married Susie moved down from my
childhood home in Independence, Missouri to live with
us at the little country parsonage surrounded by farms
near Fair Grove, MO. But by this time Susie was
nearing the end of her life and sadly, fell off a hay
wagon I was pulling with a tractor for a neighboring
farmer. She died but we were at peace since she had
enjoyed her new found freedom out in the country for
several months. Brooksyne would say it was the first
time she ever saw me shed a tear when burying Susie,
and I guess that's true. It was my only pet up to that
point.A few months later a little boy who heard about Susie's death told us they had a litter of mixed Chow Chow puppies. Being dedicated Bible College students we chose the name of a Bible character and named him Enoch. He was a lot of fun and a colorful part of the early years of our marriage. To this day we're sure many who knew us at that time will also remember Enoch! In fact years ago I even wrote a story about him titled "My Dog Enoch"!
The Bible character, Enoch, is best known for his remarkable departure from this world. The Bible simply states, "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). We also know from Hebrews 11:5-6 that he was a man of faith and "he was commended as one who pleased God".
But our daily verse provides an additional, lesser known and considered, glimpse into his life and ministry. Although Enoch lived in the rampantly evil, pre-flood period of human history, he didn't keep his faith to himself. He prophesied, speaking out regarding his belief in God and his convictions. In fact he is the very first recorded Bible character to prophecy for God.
Jude records the specific prophecy that Enoch spoke forth and it is just as meaningful to our generation as it was when he first gave it some 5,300 years ago; "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 1:14b,15).
Now the notion of judgment is a message that many find offensive. Proclaim that today and you will be labeled a crackpot by the world and sadly many in the visible church would critique your message to be "unloving". It's certainly not "seeker friendly".
The Bible says that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17). He appeared in flesh and walked upon the earth 33 years, taught the ways of godliness, lived a sinless life and died upon the cross that we might be saved from our sins.
A few verses later Jude writes, "But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, 'In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts'.” Interestingly Jude is quoting from another New Testament book from the Apostle Peter. "Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts" (2 Peter 3:3).
The Bible also says that the Lord is coming in judgment. Men and women, like Enoch, are still called by God to walk with Him and faithfully speak forth His word. Enoch's great-grandson, Noah, sure did. In 2 Peter 2:5 he is called a "preacher of righteousness."
And
many, many more have done so throughout both the
Biblical and Church ages. In our own day millions,
like Enoch, are walking with God and speaking out
boldly for Him. Are you?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, I must
confess that holy boldness does not come easily for
me. Though I may hold an unwavering conviction based
upon the teachings of Scripture, I find it difficult
to articulate my position when faced with opposing
views or ungodly lifestyle. It is in this setting that
I rely upon Your Holy Spirit to equip me with the
words I am to speak and the tone of which I speak
them. You've instructed the believer to always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to
give the reason for the hope that we have. We are to
do this prayerfully with gentleness, and respect. Keep
our motives pure as we unashamedly and boldly declare
Your truths to a lost and dying generation, we pray.
Amen.
There are two individuals mentioned in Scripture (Enoch and Elijah) that did not die in the usual sense but were transferred to heaven. The Bible teaches that the generation still alive at the time of the return of Christ will pass directly to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, I must
confess that holy boldness does not come easily for
me. Though I may hold an unwavering conviction based
upon the teachings of Scripture, I find it difficult
to articulate my position when faced with opposing
views or ungodly lifestyle. It is in this setting that
I rely upon Your Holy Spirit to equip me with the
words I am to speak and the tone of which I speak
them. You've instructed the believer to always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to
give the reason for the hope that we have. We are to
do this prayerfully with gentleness, and respect. Keep
our motives pure as we unashamedly and boldly declare
Your truths to a lost and dying generation, we pray.
Amen.(Portion
of prayer based on I Peter 3:15,16.)
There are two individuals mentioned in Scripture (Enoch and Elijah) that did not die in the usual sense but were transferred to heaven. The Bible teaches that the generation still alive at the time of the return of Christ will pass directly to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Years ago we wrote a message titled "A Good Minister" also using Enoch (our dog) as an illustration.
Here's a "biographical" story about Enoch on our humor blog titled "My Dog Enoch".
Today's story prompts some memories of our earliest years as a married couple so we will share a few photos.
Enoch
and our kitten Coon were our first pets as
newlyweds.
When
we
first got married we lived in a tiny parsonage out in
the country about five miles from Fair Grove, Missouri
which was about 20 miles northeast of
Springfield. (Google map). We pastored
a small country church that had been closed for
awhile. We heated the house with a "Warm Morning" wood
stove, ate lots of hot dogs and pork & beans as
Brooksyne learned to cook and I did farm work for
local farmers. Fond memories! We met some wonderful
country folk with an earnest faith in Christ who had a
formative part in our lives, especially an old farmer
and his wife named Tracy and Bulah Sutherland.
We
brought Enoch and Coon with us when we moved to
Pennsylvania a year after our marriage. Coon ran off
shortly after our move but Enoch lived another nine
years. During our early years of marriage we were foster
parents to many children from our own country and
several from overseas for medical care. Here's
Chrissie who lived with us for over two years, whom we
are still in contact with, who is hugging Enoch. His sad
look is because he had gotten in a tussle with a
porcupine. (Note the quills in his nose). We don't know
how many of you have ever had porcupine quills in your
nose but they are surely quite painful!An
interesting feedback note yesterday concerning "Not A Waste Of Time".
I
had a very similar experience in the last engineering job
I had before entering full time prison ministry. It was an
amazing time of sharing the Gospel with fellow workers
that could not understand how I could choose low paying
missions work over engineering. The Texas Instruments
plant in Attleboro, MA was shaken and Jesus was glorified
way back in 1977. Praise God.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
To receive the "Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or through a Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)
We realize there are many fine
ministries and causes requesting support
but if the Lord would lead you we surely need
and appreciate the financial support from our
readers and listeners.Our ministry labor is comprised of approximately half our time to Daily Encouragement and the other half to our chaplaincy ministry to companies for which we receive compensation. Each of these ministries essentially is the same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for each of us. Our goal for many years is that each would provide half of our ministry expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
Donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Please Note:
We also provide this easy option due to the
convenience, for international supporters, and
for those who may not be concerned regarding
receiving an official tax deductible receipt. Click here
to send an offering using PayPal. This
will open to a page that states "Brooksyne
Weber"Permissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2019 Stephen
C. & Brooksyne Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA