What Old Testament references support Jude's mention of Enoch's prophecy? Tracing Enoch through Genesis • Genesis 5:21-24 introduces Enoch as “the seventh from Adam” (Jude 14 echoes this). • v. 24: “Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him.” • This early glimpse of an intimate, prophetic walk with God prepares readers for the idea that Enoch could have uttered Spirit-inspired words about the Lord’s future coming. Old Testament Passages That Echo Enoch’s Prophecy Jude 1:14 quotes Enoch: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones.” Several inspired Hebrew texts carry the same theme: “He said: ‘The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.’” “The chariots of God are tens of thousands—thousands of thousands; the Lord is among them in the sanctuary as He was at Sinai, in holiness.” “A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him.” “Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.” “For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire.” Why These Texts Matter for Jude • Each passage pictures the LORD arriving in glory, surrounded by innumerable angelic beings or “holy ones,” the very language Jude attributes to Enoch. • Deuteronomy and Zechariah specifically pair the LORD’s coming with “myriads” or “holy ones,” providing exact verbal links. • Daniel and Isaiah reinforce the judicial aspect Jude stresses (vv. 15-16) by portraying a courtroom or fiery judgment scene. • Psalm 68 amplifies the sheer scale—“tens of thousands”—matching Jude’s “thousands upon thousands.” Putting It All Together Genesis grounds Enoch in real history; the prophetic books flesh out the very words Jude records. Though Jude cites a prophecy preserved outside the canonical text, the Old Testament itself already testifies that the LORD’s climactic arrival with multitudes of holy ones is a long-standing, Spirit-revealed theme. Jude’s use of Enoch therefore harmonizes seamlessly with the authoritative Hebrew Scriptures. |
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