THE POWER OF ENOCH

 

In my last post about Enoch, I expounded on the power he was endowed with to overcome the enemies who sought the destruction of the Church of God he established in his day. To recap:

"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them, and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command, and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him". (Moses 7:13)

 

After I wrote that post, I was reminded of the early pioneers in our dispensation and the persecution and destruction they endured and then I also remembered Nephi’s vision of us in the last days wherein he saw the enemy that will ‘gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth to fight against the Lamb of God and the saints of the church of the Lamb’ (1 Nephi 14:12-14)…… and I wondered what is yet awaiting us.

 

Now for the good news. There is something very interesting about the power the Lord gave to Enoch. It would seem this power was not only for him but was also to be had by his every  descendant.  The interesting thing being is that every mortal is a descendant of Enoch.  

 

Enoch was the Father of Methuselah who was not translated with his father’s city but who died the year of the flood (Moses 8:3-7). Methuselah was the father of Lamech, who was the father of Noah.  Everybody that has been born on this earth after Noah is Noah's descendant and therefore a descendant of Enoch.  The Lord made an oath with Enoch regarding his power which is found in Joseph Smith Translation:

 

"For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself, that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; to put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God, to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers, and this by the will of the Son of God which was before the foundation of the world". (JST Appendix in Genesis 14:30, 31)

 

Have you ever read of a power so great? It’s a power which greatness must equal the greatness of the enemy of all righteousness we have to fight in the war we are all engaged in.  And what is this power? It is the power of the priesthood.

 

The scriptures are clear that the saints of God are endowed with this power in the temple (D&C 95:8; 109:22). This is where we make covenants which in turn endow us with the power of the saving ordinances of the priesthood. We cannot stand in the presence of God without the mantle of the priesthood upon us.

 

The oath sworn by God to Enoch and his seed is a promise made to us.  All mortals who embrace the power of the priesthood have been promised that by their faith they can do the very works of Enoch. These works lead us to only one place……Zion.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Restoration by Liz Lemon Swindle)

HOW'S YOUR ARMOUR?

Elder Carlos E. Asay had the following dream concerning the Lord's armour:

"As a small boy in grammar school, I had a teacher who made King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table come alive.  She caused me to become so obsessed with stories of knights that I played and dreamed that I was one.  One evening I dreamed that I was a white knight on a white horse riding over the greens of England.  Suddenly, without warning, a knight dressed in black armour and mounted on a black horse appeared at the edge of the forest.  We measured each other carefully, lowered our lances, and charged at full gallop.  The lances struck target and both of us were knocked off our steeds.

"I scrambled to my feet knowing that swords would be drawn and that hand-to-hand combat was imminent.  Fear gripped my heart as I saw my opponent rushing toward me flashing a long, gleaming sword.  Instinctively, I reached to my side and drew forth from the scabbard my weapon.  That is when the dream turned into a nightmare!  For in my hand was a small, dinky dagger - not a long, gleaming sword.  I woke up in a cold sweat screaming for help. 

"Many times since that nightmarish experience, I have wondered about the serviceability of the Saints, particularly the young Latter-day Saints.  When God calls you to serve, are you positioned in the scabbard and ready to be drawn?  When the Lord draws you forth as his instrument in combating evil forces, what does he have in his hand - a long, gleaming sword or a dinky dagger?...The saving virtue of a sword is related to its strength, sharpness, cleanliness, and the hand which guides it.  Is it not the same with people?  I would pray that you would seek strength of character, sharpness of mind, and cleanliness of soul so as to become gleaming swords of righteousness.  By doing this, there will be no embarrassment, no disappointment, and no nightmare when He draws you out in battling the powers of darkness" (Elder Carlos E. Asay, "Instruments of Righteousness", New Era, June 1983)

"Wherefore lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armour, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.

"Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you;

"Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen."
(D&C 27:15-18)

We are engaged in the mother of all battles.  Our enemy has been perfecting his craft for nearly 6,000 years.  He knows us both from our pre-mortal life and from observing us in our mortal state.  He knows what buttons to push when and he knows how to get into our cracks and inflict wounds that might never heal.  The message in the abovementioned scripture is that we take up the 'whole armour' of God upon us to prevent these wounds.  A section or two is not enough.  Almost all the armour will not do.  It needs to be complete armour for complete protection.

When Ahab, the king of Israel led his army against the forces of Syria, he took every precaution to avoid being injured, even disguising himself so that the Syrians would not recognise him and focus on his destruction.  The only thing he forgot was to wear enough armour.

"But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armour". (2K22:34, NIV) (Ted Gibbons, SS Lesson 43 - Take Upon You My Whole Armour)

The degree of protection we have from the adversary is directly proportional to the diligence and heed we give to the Lord's commandments.  How obedient we are here is an indication of how much we are willing to stand for the conviction that was ours in our pre-existence.  The extent of our armour is a good indication of how valiant in our testimony of Jesus we are being here and now.  We cannot afford to choose which commandment we will obey and which we will let slide.  This life is not a cafeteria. 

If you ever wanted to be a hero, this is the time and the place.  Examine the cracks in your armour and sharpen your sword of righteousness.  President Ezra Taft Benson said: "You will never have a better opportunity to be a greater hero in a more crucial battle than in the battle you will face today and in the immediate future. Be warned that some of the greatest battles you will face will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.  David's battles in the field against the foe were not as critical as David's battles in the palace against a lustful eye.  We will each find our own battlefield". (Ezra Taft Benson, "In His Steps", 1979, Devotional Speeches of the Year, 60).

When the war is over and the battle won, whose side will you be found on?