The Radiant Mission
The Radiant Mission
146. Why Isn’t the Book of Enoch in the Bible? Fallen Angels, Nephilim, and Hidden History
Ever wonder about those mysterious verses in Genesis that briefly mention fallen angels and giants? There's actually an entire ancient book that dives deep into this story—the Book of Enoch—and it's one of the most fascinating pieces of spiritual literature you've likely never read.
The Book of Enoch tells the explosive story of 200 angels who descended to Earth, took human wives, and produced giant offspring called Nephilim. These angels, named "Watchers," taught humans forbidden knowledge like sorcery, weaponry, and cosmetics, corrupting humanity so severely that God sent the flood to cleanse the earth. Written by Noah's great-grandfather, this text explains the supernatural corruption behind Genesis 6 in vivid detail.
Most surprising? The New Testament book of Jude directly quotes from Enoch, showing early Christians were familiar with it. So why isn't it in our Bibles today? I explore this question thoroughly, examining how the canon was formed and why this particular text was excluded despite being referenced by biblical authors. The original Hebrew manuscripts were lost for centuries, raising questions about authenticity, yet the Ethiopian Orthodox Church still includes it in their canon.
For those seeking deeper spiritual understanding, Enoch provides valuable context for spiritual warfare, the days of Noah (which Jesus said would mirror the end times), and the supernatural forces operating in our world. While we shouldn't treat it as scripture, this ancient text can help fill gaps in our biblical knowledge and deepen our faith when approached with discernment. As Romans 12:2 reminds us, we're called to "be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God." I'd love to hear your thoughts—have you explored this fascinating piece of ancient wisdom? Message me through the podcast app or find me on social media @theRadiantMission to continue the conversation!
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Hello and welcome back to the Radiant Mission podcast. My name is Rebecca Twomey and we are in our Coffee Talk series. This is a series all about going deep, exploring the unseen and asking questions that sometimes we might be avoiding or not wanting to even be talking about. But here we are talking about these things in this series. So I love deep diving. So these episodes have been very different.
Rebecca Twomey:I'm curious to hear your opinions on things. Of course, I can look at the data and kind of see it seems like you guys are enjoying these short episodes, but you might have heard something about this topic in previous episodes with my sister back. I mean, I'm talking early years of the podcast. So we're diving into a very fascinating and controversial topic today and that is why isn't the book of Enoch in the Bible? And again, we have touched on this a little bit and talked about some of this stuff back in our Spiritual Warfare series and other episodes. But this episode is short and sweet but also focused on answering this question, truly answering why isn't it in the Bible? And give you some ammunition for understanding the context behind Enoch. Okay, so if you haven't heard about the book of Enoch, it is an ancient text and it talks about fallen angels, the Nephilim, hidden knowledge and even prophecies about the Messiah. But of course it is not in our Bibles today. So many will ask or wonder well, why was it left out of scripture? Should I even read this as a Christian? What does it reveal about the world before the flood, and is it even important at the end of the day? So that is our focus of today's episode. Let's jump in and get started.
Rebecca Twomey:The book of Enoch. What is it? It is also called or referred to as first Enoch and it is an ancient Jewish text that is attributed to Enoch, who is the great-grandfather of Noah. So interesting background there. Think Noah great-grandfather. In Genesis 5.24,. Enoch walked faithfully with God. Then he was no more because God took him away. Enoch is one of only two people in the entire Bible who never died. That already sets him apart and makes him very interesting from a biblical perspective. Makes him very interesting from a biblical perspective. This book is attributed to him and it describes in vivid detail the fall of the angels, which is in Genesis 6, and, of course, their rebellion, their interaction with humanity and the consequences that then followed. It even includes prophecies of judgment and references. It even includes prophecies and judgment and references to the coming of the Messiah. So here's where all the questions come up right.
Rebecca Twomey:Despite the fact that it has a spiritual context you know Enoch was related to Noah it is not included in the Protestant or Catholic Bible. Protestant or Catholic Bible though, interestingly, it is included in the Ethiopian Orthodox canon. So interesting from that perspective. Why isn't it in our Bibles? To really understand this question, we have to understand how the Bible was formed. So let's get into that a little bit.
Rebecca Twomey:The Old Testament it was written by prophets and leaders recognized by the people of Israel and then later affirmed by Jesus and his apostles. The New Testament was written by the apostles, those who knew Jesus personally or were directly called by him. Enoch's book was widely read and respected by the early Jews and even the early church. In fact, jude directly quotes the book of Enoch. In Jude 1, 14-15, enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about them See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone. This is a direct quote from Enoch and it's in our Bibles.
Rebecca Twomey:So why didn't Enoch make the cut? There are a couple of reasons that are cited, the first being that the original Hebrew manuscript was lost for many centuries and only fragments remained in other languages, which made it hard to really verify its authenticity. The second reason is that by the time the early church councils, the book was no longer widely circulated and it wasn't included among the established Hebrew scriptures. And then it was also considered apocalyptic and symbolic, which made some early church leaders hesitant about its inclusion. But still, the fact that Jude references it and Peter echoes some of its language as well, it shows that early believers were familiar with it and did not view it as heretical. So now this might all sound very interesting. So what's in it? What is in the book of Enoch that is so interesting?
Rebecca Twomey:Enoch is divided into several sections, but the most well-known part is the book of the Watchers. It tells the story of 200 angels that are called the Watchers, who descended to earth and took human wives, and it created a race of giants called the Nephilim. This aligns with our Bibles, with Genesis 6, verse 4. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward, when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. The book of Enoch names these angels and describes how they taught humanity forbidden knowledge like sorcery, astrology and the use of herbs and roots, weapon making and even beautification. This corrupted the earth so badly that God sent the flood to wipe it clean, one of the reasons Enoch even names some of these key angels and their roles, like Azazel. Some of these key angels and their roles, like Azazel, who taught humans warfare and makeup, and Samjaza, the leader of the rebellion. The book ends with prophecies about the day of the Lord and the eternal judgment, and this lines up with biblical prophecy.
Rebecca Twomey:So should Christians read it? That is the big question, and the answer is nuanced. We should never treat the book of Enoch as equal to the scripture. It wasn't preserved in the canon. There's not a good reason for that necessarily. However, that doesn't mean that it's not useful. It helps us to really understand the background of Genesis 6. And it gives context to Peter and Jude's letters as well, and it also deepens our understanding of spiritual warfare. It also shows that early believers, including the authors of the scripture, knew about it and they referenced it. So, yes, if you are grounded in the word and you are discerning with your reading, it really can be a valuable tool for study and spiritual growth when you use it as a lens to view the world of the Bible more clearly. It can be very helpful, I know for me personally. It has personally helped me to understand the depths of spiritual warfare much more and what we are up against Now.
Rebecca Twomey:If you're still asking, why does this matter today? What is the point? Let's talk about a couple of reasons why I think that this matters, and you might too. The book of Enoch reminds us that we live in a supernatural world, with battles happening all around us. It also shows the depths of the spiritual corruption that led to the flood, and Jesus said the end times would be as it was in the days of Noah, in Matthew 24 37. It was in the days of Noah, in Matthew 24, 37. It helps us explain the origin of false religions, occult knowledge and the spiritual deception that still operates in the world today. And, most importantly, it points to Jesus, the one who brings judgment, restoration and eternal life. The enemy would love for us to forget where we came from and what's really going on behind the scenes, but when we uncover the truth, we're better equipped to stand firm in our faith and for that reason, check out the book of Enoch.
Rebecca Twomey:So, as we're closing, I do have some reflection questions, as usual. Be sure, of course, to hold everything up to scripture, but also ask these questions, dig deeper, because this is how you get stronger in your faith. God gave us our minds to discern and a heart to seek him and, of course as we talked about last week the Holy Spirit. The more that we learn and the more we realize how deep and layered his truth really is, the closer we are able to get to him. So reflection questions have you heard of the book of Enoch before this episode? Does it challenge or affirm what you've read in Genesis 6? Are there areas of your faith where you've settled for surface level answers? How can you grow your biblical literacy and spiritual discernment? I hope you enjoyed this little taste of the book of Enoch.
Rebecca Twomey:If you'd like me to go into a more expanded view, please send me a text. You can actually do that right through the podcast option. There's an option there to send me a message or reach out to me on social media. You can find me or join the mission on Instagram at the Radiant Mission. You can also join on Facebook at the Radiant Mission Podcast, and you can view this episode in video format as well on YouTube by searching for my name. Rebecca Toomey spelled T-W-O-M-E-Y. Today, I'm going to close with a verse about discernment, and that is Romans 12.2. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing, you may discern that is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect. I'm wishing you a radiant week and I'll see you next time. Bye, everyone.
