June 29, 2025

    Jude is using a well-known contemporary source as an example of the point he is making. In doing so Jude does not force us to conclude that 1^st Enoch was inspired by God or that it was written by Enoch. He is simply using a truth expressed by an influential contemporary work to bolster his warning. The most we can say is that Jude guided by inspiration believes the statement describing judgement to be a true warning worth heeding. 

     It should be noted that Jude is not the only New Testament writer to do this. The Apostle Paul quoted a number of popular writings to make various points in his teaching:

• Epimenides and Aratus Acts 17:28 “For in him we live and move and have our being”
• Menander I Cor 15:33 “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”
• Epimenides Titus 1:12 “the Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons!” 

     Jude may have used a quote from a different pseudepigraphical book “The assumption of Moses” in verse 9. Both Clement of Alexandria and Origen attribute the quote to that work. 

     The same principle is at play, Jude is using a cultural reference that his readers would be familiar with to make his point. As mentioned above, these examples do not mean that Paul or Jude affirm anything more than the specific quote used. It is still a common practice for a teacher to use  a quotation that hearers or readers will understand and identify with. We should not read too much into the fact that New Testament authors sometimes do this. 

     Ancient religious writing can help us gain insights into the concepts with which people were familiar. They can also help translators learn about words and phrases. They may supply important historical context, helping us understand the meaning of scripture.

     That said, there was a reason ancient Jews didn’t accept 1^st Enoch as an inspired book or include it in the Bible. Rather, they saw it as human speculation not divine revelation. 

     Lest we miss the point, we would all do well to heed Jude’s  warning as it remains as important today as it was for those who first read it. 

Kevin Cleary

June 22, 2025

     The book contains several visions of Enoch which tell of fallen angels, a coming messiah, the future state of the faithful, and God’s justice winning out in the end. 

     The discussion of fallen angels has been the matter most discussed in recent times. On that connection, the book speculates on who the sons of God were in Genesis 6:1-4. Further how their intermarriage with the daughters of men led to the rise and activities of the Nephilim. Curiosity seekers are drawn to these questions and eager to believe that this book has answers provided by a reliable person who was there when it happened. The problem of course is that Enoch was long gone before someone assumed his name and wrote an imaginary version of events. 

     This document gained enough popularity to be included in the collection of works

among the dead sea scrolls. Fragments of it were found in Cave 4 at Qumran along with

fragments from 574 other manuscripts. It was part of a library that included portions of

Biblical books, Biblical commentaries, Apocryphal books, books on Jewish law, prayers,

sectarian documents and others.

     The book is also quoted by some early church fathers again indicating familiarity with, and popularity among, not just ancient Jews but also ancient Christians. 

     This brings us to our second point of discussion why does Jude quote it? 

     Jude is writing to warn of false teaching and further to encourage the faithful to defend the truth (Jude 3-4). He offers a series of warnings giving examples of those who have abandoned God’s truth down through history. Then beginning in verse 8 Jude starts to describe the nature of these people. 

     As a final warning Jude makes the point that Enoch seventh from Adam prophesied about these people saying “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of his holy ones to execute judgement on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 

~ Kevin Cleary

June 15, 2025

    The book of Enoch is part of the pseudepigrapha, these are books written during the intertestamental period and attributed to Jewish patriarchs. Often these books seek to explain or otherwise amplify texts from scripture which people may be curious about but which do not get a great deal of attention by inspired authors. We might compare this today to fan fiction, which seeks to flesh out minor incidents that a favourite novel only alludes to. 

     Specifically, the book of Enoch starts from Genesis 5:21-24 and 6:1-4. In this text we read 

“ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

     This description stands out because unlike everyone else in the chapter Enoch is not said to have died. This becomes a matter of considerable discussion for Jewish interpreters. Enoch is also seventh from Adam a number often believed to have special theological significance. Because we have more information about Enoch than most others in the chapter, he seems to be a character of some significance and yet we know relatively little about him. The book of Enoch takes advantage of this lack of detail and uses it as an opportunity to fill in the blanks with elaborate fictitious content. 

     The work we are discussing is rightly called 1^st Enoch as differentiated from 2^nd and 3^rd Enoch which are different books with different focuses. Furthermore it should be pointed out that even 1^st Enoch is widely acknowledged to be a conglomeration of several different sources. 

     The historical Enoch lived before the flood, The book of Enoch appears to have been written thousands of years later during the intertestamental period. So the man mentioned in Genesis five can’t be the actual author. We do find the book among the dead sea scrolls which says something about it’s age and popularity in the years leading up to the life of Christ. 

~ Kevin Cleary

June 8, 2025

The term woke is a popular or hated term these days , some use it as a badge of honour and others as a pejorative. Those who use the term positively do so because they associate the term with ideas or principles that are good and right. In this article I would like to describe a little about those good people and the principals they hold.

Believing all men are created equal. If you believe all human beings are of equal moral worth you are correct. That belief however does not come from any human philosophy rather it is derived from the fact that God created man in his image (Gen 1:26). This was the truth the founders of the United States quoted to ground their constitution. “All men are endowed by their creator with inalienable rights.”  Without this key truth there can be no meaningful morality. A number of important truths are established based on this. There are no races except the human race. There are no lesser people who don’t deserve the same rights and privileges as the others. Believing in these good principals isn’t woke it’s Christian. Where the real problem comes is in trying to establish these truths apart from a Christian worldview. If you don’t believe in the God of the Bible, there is no way to justify your belief that all humans are equal the most it could ever be is a nice opinion. 

Desiring a fair and just society. While humans are all equal in value, they are also equally flawed. When given power humans will abuse it. Establishing parameters which keep human wickedness in check is good and right. Establishing laws which protect the innocent and punish those who are willing to harm others for their own benefit is also necessary. In this way we ensure that some humans can’t use their strength or intellect to defraud others. Again, it must be said that a desire for justice flows from human creation in the nature of a just God (Is 1:17; Prov 21:15; Rom 13:3). As we stated above unless there is a God there can be no ultimate justice because for justice to be anything but subjective it must be founded on the moral standard of a transcendent God. 

If you have a desire to see humans thrive, you want to be a blessing to those around you, if you want to influence the world in a positive way, you are tapping into the goodness that is built into man by their likeness to God. You are not woke, you are desiring Godliness. Developing a right relationship with God through Christ will satisfy your good inclination in a way that nothing else can. It will also help you to do more for your fellow man than you can possibly imagine. 

If you have questions or want to talk further, please reach out, I am happy to discuss any or all of the points raised here.

~ Kevin Cleary

June 1, 2025

The nature of the Church is described most often as family. This term implies a number of important principals. Families are the smallest and arguable the most important social structure. Our primary allegiance and closest relationships are with our family (1 Tim 5:8). 

If the Church is the household of God then we are brothers and sisters. We should value our relationships with brethren as we do our own families. We should miss them when we don’t see them. We should be concerned about their well-being; we should help them when they are in need. We should take an interest in their lives. 

Caring about people this way doesn’t just happen. These kinds of relationships take time and attention. There is no question that each Christian should endeavour to get to know and spend time with brethren. 

The local congregation also has a role in facilitating this relationship development. Certainly, the teaching ministry needs to work to impart these principals. In addition, the congregation should look for ways to make fellowship a part of each of our regular meetings. Something like coffee before and after Sunday service or areas of the building with chairs and tables for people to gather. Specific events that are planned with an eye toward fellowship are important as well. 

Many churches have potluck meals together. This is great, events outside the building like sports or activities can add options that allow for mutual shared interests among brethren. In planning these the physical abilities of some may need to be considered and accommodated. This is not to say we exclude considering activities or events it just means we provide options that will be appealing to different groups. Some may like a quilting group while others want to go on a hike or play paint ball. The latter may sound like youth group activities but there is great value in keeping as many events as possible open to all generations.

The encouragement and camaraderie of the local congregation is a wonderful blessing that God has provided. Let us be thankful for it and seek ways to embrace fellowship in our individual and congregational lives.

~ Kevin Cleary