"He saw the end from the beginning", and So Can You

[Mr. M]

Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

 

This one verse in the opening chapters of the Bible should be sufficient

to drive us to the desire to walk with God.

We get an early glimpse with Abel, and then Noah:

Genesis 6:9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man,

blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 

and then we find this command for Abram:

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram

and said to him, I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

 

Of course, these four men are found in the annals of faith, where we hear

again of Enoch:

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death,

and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken

he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

So here is where I get really serious in my asking, because I want to know

how what or why Enoch managed to please God with so little information.

Now we have one last Scriptural point of reference and inquiry:

Jude 1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Here is what the Spirit spoke to me about Enoch, if you can receive it:

"He saw the end from the beginning"

Of course, if you know the scriptures, you know how the Spirit uses them

to speak to us by bringing the prophetic word to our remembrance.

Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things 

that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

 

So Enoch, in the earliest generations of man, received visions of the end. He was a seeker!

We must apply this understanding to our prayer life. I will detail this in the companion

thread, "The Captivity of Job" on the topic of prayer.

Edited August 27, 2024 by Mr. M

[Mr. M]

On 8/23/2024 at 9:01 AM, Mr. M said:

"He saw the end from the beginning"

A Living Relationship with the Holy Spirit

enables all believers to partake of this gift.

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, 

He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on

His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak;

and He will tell you things to come.

Any believer will acknowledge the importance of prayer.

When it comes to decisions and a path chosen to walk,

one must go beyond praying to contemplation in the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is able to show outcomes, what to expect

as we go, and it is not always a bed of roses.

We must make the decision to press forward in the Will of God,

even when the road ahead is clearly fraught with difficulty.

Acts 20:

22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem,

not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 

23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city,

saying that chains and tribulations await me. 

24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count

my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, 

and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus,

to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

[AdHoc]

On 8/23/2024 at 6:01 PM, Mr. M said:

Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

 

This one verse in the opening chapters of the Bible should be sufficient

to drive us to the desire to walk with God.

We get an early glimpse with Abel, and then Noah:

Genesis 6:9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man,

blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 

and then we find this command for Abram:

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram

and said to him, I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

 

Of course, these four men are found in the annals of faith, where we hear

again of Enoch:

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death,

and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken

he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

So here is where I get really serious in my asking, because I want to know

how what or why Enoch managed to please God with so little information.

Now we have one last Scriptural point of reference and inquiry:

Jude 1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Here is what the Spirit spoke to me about Enoch, if you can receive it:

"He saw the end from the beginning"

Of course, if you know the scriptures, you know how the Spirit uses them

to speak to us by bringing the prophetic word to our remembrance.

Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things 

that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

 

So Enoch, in the earliest generations of man, received visions of the end. He was a seeker!

We must apply this understanding to our prayer life. I will detail this in the companion

thread, "The Captivity of Job" on the topic of prayer.

Good post. My understanding is that the crucial word is "WALK". To walk with God is simply to travel His road. Has God been misunderstood when He told the truth? Have you? Have you been maligned unrighteously? God has. Did Jesus weep for the blinded Israel? Do you feel for the lost? What about treachery, false accusation and being hated without cause? Are you a man of sorrows? Walk with God and you will never hear the words "I know you NOT"! At the Bema you will hear the words .:. "my old friend from the bad ole days!"

[Mr. M]

2 hours ago, AdHoc said:

Good post. My understanding is that the crucial word is "WALK". To walk with God is simply to travel His road. Has God been misunderstood when He told the truth? Have you? Have you been maligned unrighteously? God has. Did Jesus weep for the blinded Israel? Do you feel for the lost? What about treachery, false accusation and being hated without cause? Are you a man of sorrows? Walk with God and you will never hear the words "I know you NOT"! At the Bema you will hear the words .:. "my old friend from the bad ole days!"

A poetic response to prayer:

Isaiah 38:1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death.

And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him

and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order,

for you shall die and not live.’ ”

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 

3 and said, Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked

before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done 

what is good in Your sight.

And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 

5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father:

“I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears;

surely I will add to your days fifteen years.

[Marathoner]

Walking with the Lord is to always be in His presence, meaning that there is no bifurcation nor partitioning of our time upon this earth, setting aside "time for God" and time for ourselves. That's an ideation of religious doctrine and ritual practice. It means what it says: to walk with God. 

This, more than anything else, was the root of strangeness that I encountered in the churches I visited after the Lord called me from this world. I could not fathom how (or why) anyone called by the Lord would separate themselves from Him for any length of time, though this understanding eventually arrived many years later. I finally saw it for the cultural tradition that it is. 

Before the Lord equipped me for what He called me to do, I heard the Lord but was otherwise ignorant of His will and purpose. During those years, I didn't know what my calling was nor what He required of me. I didn't know that the Lord required everything from me. Had I known back then, it would have terrified me to no end. The understanding of this offering didn't arrive until it had been taken away, and I was left with nothing but the life in this body. The Lord was pleased with the work of His hand, and my calling began. 

Walking with the Lord costs everything, but what we receive from Him is more than we ever possessed. What we give is returned to us in greater measure; I walk in the knowledge of His purpose and will. I live each and every day for Him and with Him, so walking with the Lord is not something that ended with Enoch. When our Lord promised that He would always be with us, He wasn't pointing toward something in our past. He means right here, and right now, while it is today. 

[Diamond]

On 8/23/2024 at 12:01 PM, Mr. M said:

before he was taken

he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

I was just reading an old sermon where we are to live to please God and not ourselves. So we should do all we can to make Him happy and this may mean we need to discipline ourselves so He does not have to discipline us. 

[Mr. M]

20 minutes ago, Diamond said:

I was just reading an old sermon where we are to live to please God and not ourselves. So we should do all we can to make Him happy and this may mean we need to discipline ourselves so He does not have to discipline us. 

We accomplish this in Christ, by ministering to one another through our mutual faith.

Philippians 2:

3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind

let each esteem others better than himself. 

4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

I feel compelled to caution over the idea of "disciplining ourselves",

as this can lead into cult behavior.

Colossians 2:20-23 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

As we grow in Christ, and maintain a lifestyle of "examining ourselves" as Paul instructs, we should witness a lessening in the need for the Lord's discipline. This growth requires us to embrace the chastisement of Christ, and not frustrate the Spirit by trying to go our own way.

Hebrews 12:

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons;

for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 

I appreciate your thoughts, as they are worthy of consideration by all.

[Marathoner]

When I focus upon what the Lord gives and declares to me, this is where discipline and personal efforts bear good fruit. 

Without Christ, our discipline and efforts are meaningless. It's no different from the zealous monastic who denies himself food or doesn't speak for decades. 

The difference is obvious. What did the Lord declare to me? That's what I devote myself to keeping and carrying out. Not complicated at all. 

[AdHoc]

1 hour ago, Marathoner said:

When I focus upon what the Lord gives and declares to me, this is where discipline and personal efforts bear good fruit. 

Without Christ, our discipline and efforts are meaningless. It's no different from the zealous monastic who denies himself food or doesn't speak for decades. 

The difference is obvious. What did the Lord declare to me? That's what I devote myself to keeping and carrying out. Not complicated at all. 

A good point. Since Adam and Eve made garments of fig-leaves, man likes religion on his terms - ones that make him comfortable. This road is designed to flatter and justify in ones own eyes. "Lord, Lord, have we not done this and kept that!" But the way is a man-made one and Jesus is on another road - a narrow, lonely, dangerous road where there is room for but two in parallel - you and Jesus. Whatever befalls Him will be your portion. Whatever is around the next corner is not known. Sometimes it is so narrow that you can only follow Jesus blindly.

[Diamond]

3 hours ago, Mr. M said:

I feel compelled to caution over the idea of "disciplining ourselves",

as this can lead into cult behavior.

Colossians 2:20-23 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,”

Discipline means to receive instruction. WE see this 50 times in our Bible. Do you have a better way to explain how we are to receive the Grace  of God to allow Him to do a work in our lives?  Paul can be difficult to understand sometimes. In what way do you think we can ignore the instruction God is giving to us? Jesus lived HIs life as an example for us to follow. 

In Matthew 7:23 "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." These are the people who do not receive the instruction of God. 

Jesus said: "It is finished" but we still need to allow Him to do a work in our lives. It is not what Jesus does for us, it is what Jesus does in us and through us.