Enoch

By Richard Govier

The Book of Enoch purports to be a record of visions and dreams by the great-grandfather of Noah. This makes it the first and oldest of the religious testimonies to come down the generations of mankind. Even this pre-Christian document is remarkable given that some of the prophecies foresee events that have only unfolded with the coming of Jesus Christ and the Church. The book itself, while prophesying that saints of God will have a "book" to guide them, clearly says that this book is not to be included with them. Instead, the writer claimed his work was written to the generation that would be alive during the Tribulation, as a witness especially to them. Nevertheless, scholars and historians have found the accuracy of the visions reported by Enoch amazing and inexplicable if not inspired.

Richard O. Govier (1928-2018) was a Protestant pastor and missionary and travelled the world in that capacity. He planted a number of churches as well as training pastors who served in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and across the United States.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Govier
• Release date: Jul 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463715482

Richard Govier

Richard O. Govier (1928-2018) was a Protestant pastor and missionary and travelled the world in that capacity. He planted a number of churches as well as training pastors who served in Brazil, Chile, Argentina and across the United States.After his marriage to his lifetime sweetheart, Christine Ann Golfis, at the Bethesda Missionary College in Portland, Oregon, he attended extension classes at Pierce College and the Portland State college. Touched by the Latter Rain revival that began in the Northwest, the call of God rested continually on their hearts and they were forever seeking means of preaching the Gospel to their generation. They bought a small trailer and began an evangelistic trek across the United States, preaching in small churches that were open to the work and moving of the Holy Spirit. They criss-crossed the United States from Los Angeles to New York and finally settled down in Los Angeles where they both got jobs and attended a church in Long Beach, California. While serving in that church their son, Jeffrey Lee, was born on November 4, 1963.God had spoken through prophetic words that they would be going to a land whose language they would not understand. Going through a dry period in their lives, Richard loaded up a small tent and made a trip to Mount Palomar, to wait on God. After a week of prayer and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to his heart that it was time to fulfill the call to a foreign land. Richard, Christine, and Jeff, set out for Brazil. They had no financial support for this until the night they boarded the ship. God sent a local Christian businessman who committed himself to their support for two years, just enough time to attend language school.It was while attending the Brazilian language school that a missionary visited and introduced Richard to one of Brazil's most notable guitar players, who had recently converted to Christianity. Richard played with him on the banjo and the two began a ministry together that took them to Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Richard taught pastors in afternoon meetings, while accompanying his Brazilian friend in large city-wide evangelistic campaigns in the evenings.After serving for ten years in South America, Richard and Christine returned to the United States, primarily to get Jeff into an English-speaking school. Richard pastored churches in York, Pennsylvania, and later in Brooksville, New Jersey. The family eventually moved to Florida where Richard went to work for Piper Aircraft and Page Avjet.Richard loved studying the word of God and, in his retirement years, wrote over thirty books about the unfolding revelations of God in human history. His son, Jeff, published these books one year after his father passed away.

Book preview

ENOCH

and

The Seventy Shepherds Prophecy

Richard O. Govier

Copyright © 2019 by Jeff Govier

Bible quotations unless otherwise identified are taken from

the King James Version with emendations by the author.

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible®,

Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995

by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

After reading this book and finding it of value to you, please consider sending a small donation for the hard work and research it took to write this book. All donations will go toward the costs of print and digital distribution of my father's work. Send all donations either by Paypal account name [e-mail] or by mail to:

Jeff Govier, 5511 Lorraine St., Lakeland, FL  33810.

Contents

Editorial Note

Introduction

I. The Priesthood of Aaron

II The Nature and the Decline of the Priesthood

About the Author

Editorial Note

The Book of Enoch purports to be a record of visions and dreams by the great-grandfather of Noah. This makes it the first and oldest of the religious testimonies to come down the generations of mankind, although the oldest surviving manuscripts have only been dated to the second and third century B.C. Even this pre-Christian era date is remarkable given that some of the prophecies foresee events that have only unfolded with the coming of Jesus Christ and the Church. Early Christian fathers and writers of canonical Scripture were well acquainted with the book (Jude even quotes directly from it). But the book itself, while prophesying that saints of God will have a book to guide them, clearly says that this book is not to be included with them. Instead, the writer claimed his work was written to the generation that would be alive during the Tribulation, as a witness especially to them. Nevertheless, scholars and historians have found the accuracy of the visions reported by Enoch amazing and inexplicable if not inspired.

INTRODUCTION

It will not be our object in this article to discuss the authenticity of this non-canonical book, The Book of Enoch. It shall be our object, rather, to interpret a portion of this prophecy in the light of history and the events surrounding the Aaronic Priesthood.

We are well aware of the prevailing attitudes toward non-canonical books. It has been with a great deal of hesitancy that we have ventured to establish a thesis on a book of questionable origin. Nevertheless, the portion of the prophecy that I have chosen speaks for itself. The events that it portrays are well attested by the Bible, Flavius Josephus, and Jewish history in general. We therefore feel it our obligation to reveal to the household of Faith the truth that is contained in portions of this prophecy without necessarily putting our endorsement on the book as a whole. It is my opinion that much of the book is spurious but contains fragments of what may have been the original prophecy of Enoch. There was a tendency, on the part of the ancients, to popularize their writings by the use of Enoch's name, so doubtless there has been much added to the book that may not be authentic.

History reveals, however, that such a book did exist and was quoted in the Epistle of Jude (1:14). It was known and quoted by the early Church fathers, but was rejected from the sacred canon of scripture in the fourth century. With its rejection from the canon, it fell into misuse and disappeared from history some time after the eighth century. Are we to assume that just because it was rejected from the canon, and that at a time when the Church had already began to decline in spiritual perception, that the book is entirely without merit? Fabricius cites twenty different authors, who have more or less alluded to this book.[1] St. Jerome had seen a Book of Enoch. Irenaeus, in the second century alluded to it. Tertullian also, who wrote in the same century, makes a direct and distinct quotation from chapter XCVII, p. 7-8.[2] To these testimonies we can also add Anatolius, Bishop of Laodicea, cited by Eusebius. The Catholic Encyclopedia in reference to the patristic writers says: "...the Book of Henoch enjoyed a high esteem among them, mainly owing to