
Although ex-canonical, the Book of Enoch is regarded by many as inspired, valid for reference and introduces itself as something written for the express benefit of those living at the very end of the current age836. It foretells a messianic rule on earth together with the
“elect and holy”, whilst at the same time envisaging an entirely new heaven and earth that will be prepared for the time of the General Resurrection and Universal Judgement of mankind and the angelic realm. It provides a little more detail on the physical means by which human life and wellbeing are to be sustained prior to that. Politically, the whole
“structure of unrighteousness would be removed”837; those not of God, having made their irrevocable choice for destruction are necessarily culled and a righteous rule established. It distinguishes more clearly between the righteous or what John in Revelation describes as 830 Lk2:10
831 Jn1:46
832 1Cor2:9
833 2Pet3:13
834 2Thes1:8
835 Acts1:7
836 En1:1-2 https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Enoch_(Charles)/Chapter_01
837 En91:5 https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Enoch_(Charles)/Chapter_91
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the “nations of those who are spared”838 and the “elect who cling to the Elect One”839.
Describing the respective fates of the three main categories of people at the end of this age, Enoch foretells:
“The righteous shall be victorious in the name of the Lord of Spirits and He will cause the others to witness this that they may repent and forgo the works of their hands.
They shall have no honour through the name of the Lord of Spirits yet through His
name they shall be saved, and the Lord of Spirits shall have compassion on them, for His compassion is great. And He is righteous also in His judgement, and in the presence of His glory unrighteousness shall also not maintain itself: at His judgement the
unrepentant shall perish before Him”840.
The sequence of events according to Enoch is set out in chapter 91841. As the end of the age approaches, wickedness, violence, uncleanness and apostasy will have increased.
The first universal judgement had been by flood, the last on the current earth would be in the presence of the Lord, when the roots of unrighteousness and idolatry will be removed from under heaven (v9) and the righteous (only) would be raised from the dead (v10). This initiates the Messianic Kingdom which would be a period of righteousness in which “sinners would be delivered into the hands of the righteous” (v12), after which the righteous “would acquire houses through their righteousness whilst a house will be built for the great king in glory” (v13). At its conclusion comes the great white throne judgement when all the dead are raised, the world having been written down for destruction after which all mankind shall look to the path of uprightness (v14) within a new heaven and earth. Then, “all shall be in goodness and righteousness, and sin shall no more be mentioned for ever” (v17). This may go beyond but doesn’t contradict the Revelation account and re-affirms a terrestrial age to follow this one in which the wicked are removed and the elect support Jesus Christ as He
“subjects all things to Himself”.