Enoch and Noah

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Most message followers consider William Branham to be an infallible interpreter of scripture. It is the widely held view of message followers that, if we want to know what a passage of the Bible actually means, William Branham is the best source on all counts.

When encountering a passage in scripture that seems to be at odds with William Branham's interpretation, message preachers generally encourage message followers to simply put it "on the shelf" until God reveals to them why William Branham has the correct view.

But there are a number of biblical issues that William Branham seems to have messed up badly:

• Did God change Saul's name to Paul?
• Elijah and Elisha did pray
• Marriage and Divorce
• Was King Saul the people’s choice by democratic vote?
• Can you lose your salvation?
• How hard do lilies work?
• Did John weep for joy or because no one was worthy?
• Were Women were designed by Satan?
• Were Enoch and Noah alive at the same time?
• Is Jesus really Michael the Archangel?

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William Branham taught that:

• Noah and Enoch were preaching at the same time;
• Enoch was a type of the Bride of Christ that went in the Rapture and is also a type of the seventh church age; and,
• Noah was a type of:
  • the foolish virgin that will go through the great tribulation; or
  • The millennium; or
  • the Jews that make up the 144,000; or
  • the real church that goes in the Rapture. (are you confused yet?)

According to the message doctrine of Progressive Revelation, the correct understanding of this teaching is that Noah is a type of the remnant of Jews that are carried over in the tribulation.

But does this tie into what the Bible teaches? Why does William Branham's teaching on this subject appear to be so confused?

Did Noah watch Enoch?

William Branham believed that Noah and Enoch were both on the earth at the same time and were both preaching at the same time:

• There was Noah and Enoch preaching at the same time. (56-0115)
• Noah kept watching Enoch. When Enoch went, Noah said, "Better get close to the ark. The time is at hand." (63-0320)

But William Branham's understanding is completely contrary to what the Bible says.

If you make a time line chart based on Genesis Chapter 5, you will find that Enoch was taken by God:

• 69 years before Noah was born,
• 569 years before God TOLD NOAH to build the ark, and
• 669 years before the flood started.

This means that, contrary to what William Branham stated in the First Seal, Noah did not watch Enoch because Enoch was gone before Noah was even born.

Timeline from Adam to Noah

Name	Generation	Year of birth (Adam = 0)	Age at death	Year of death/translation	Reference
Adam	1	0	930	930	Gen. 5:5
Seth	2	130	912	1042	Gen. 5:3, 8
Enosh	3	235	905	1140	Gen. 5:6, 11
Kenan	4	325	910	1235	Gen. 5:9, 14
Mahalalel	5	395	895	1290	Gen. 5:12, 17
Jared	6	460	962	1422	Gen. 5:15, 14
Enoch	7	622	365	987	Gen. 5:15, 23
Methuselah	8	687	969	1656	Gen. 5:21, 27
Lamech	9	874	777	1651	Gen. 5:25, 31
Noah	10	1056	950	2006	Gen. 5:9, 9:29

Noah was 500 years old when his 3 sons were born and the Flood started when he was 600 years old (or in year 1656, if you count Adam's creation as year 0). Given that Noah is 500 years old at the end of Genesis 4 and that he was subsequently told to build the ark after this, he was told to build the ark at sometime after his 500th buirthday.

It is interesting to note that Methuselah died the same year that the Flood started.

Where did William Branham get this from?

The Ethiopic Apocalypse of Enoch or 1 Enoch (formerly known as the Book of Enoch) is a pseudepigraphal compilation of five originally independent works attributed to Enoch (Gen. 5:18–24). The individual books of 1 Enoch were written between 300 and 100 B.C.

In 1773, 1 Enoch was discovered by the Scottish explorer James Bruce, who was searching for the sources of the Nile. He brought back three manuscripts. Parts of these were published in Latin in 1800. The full text was published in English in 1821 by Richard Laurence of Oxford.

1 Enoch contains, among other things, a number of conversation between Enoch and Noah such as the following:

And in those days Noah saw the earth that it had sunk down and its destruction was nigh.  And he arose from thence and went to the ends of the earth, and cried aloud to his grandfather Enoch: and Noah said three times with an embittered voice: ‘Hear me, hear me, hear me.’  And I said unto him: ‘Tell me what it is that is falling out on the earth that the earth is in such evil plight and shaken, lest perchance I shall perish with it.’  And thereupon there was a great commotion on the earth, and a voice was heard from heaven, and I fell on my face.  And Enoch my grandfather came and stood by me, and said unto me: ‘Why hast thou cried unto me with a bitter cry and weeping?

Given that this is the only ancient book which speaks of Noah talking to Enoch, it is assumed that William Branham took his inspiration in this regard from 1 Enoch.

What does the Flood type?

The Bible also states that:

The few people in the boat — eight in all — were saved by the water, which was a symbol pointing to baptism, which now saves you. 1 Peter 3:20–21 (GNT)

So it wasn't a type of the foolish virgin, it wasn't a type of the Jewish remnant, it was a symbol pointing to water baptism.

The Seventh from Adam

Referring to Enoch's lineage, the Bible states:

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints... Jude 14 (NKJV)

As part of his proof of the serpent seed doctrine, William Branham stated:

Enoch was the seventh from Noah. Enoch. There catches the serpent's seed. For, if Cain was Abel's son, then he was the eighth.

William Branham's statement makes no sense. Now perhaps he meant to say - "if Cain was Adam's son, then he was the eighth" - but this makes no sense either.

The real problem is that William Branham didn't understand genealogy, and he did not understand why Jude needed to mention this.

It is important to note that there were two Enochs in this period, both probably living at the same time, and that one was the seventh descendant from Adam through the line of Seth, while the other was the third descendant from Adam through the line of Cain. The Enoch who descended from Adam through the line of Seth was godly. But the Enoch who descended from Adam through the line of Cain was godless. He is the devil’s Enoch. So Jude’s identification of Enoch as the seventh from Adam is a way of distinguishing the two.

When Jude said that Enoch was “the seventh from Adam,” he counted inclusively and began with Adam:

1. Adam
2. Seth
3. Enosh
4. Kenan
5. Mahalalel
6. Jared
7. Enoch

In counting the descendants of Adam to get to Seth, you could not include Cain because he was not in Seth's lineage. Cain and Seth were brothers (as was Abel who Cain killed). They were both second from Adam, genealogically speaking. To attempt to say that Seth was the third from Adam, which is what William Branham is stating would be the case if Cain was Adam's son, is contrary to basic genetics and genealogical reckoning.

The seventh from Adam through Cain was Lamech:

1. Adam
2. Cain
3. Enoch
4. Irad
5. Mehujael
6. Methushael
7. Lamech

Quotes

Noah and Enoch

Now, as I've just said that the antediluvian destruction, Noah was the sign. And Noah had a sign to start on. When he seen Enoch was taken up, Enoch was taken up, then Noah--was time Noah to start, for he knew that that would be the sign of his beginning and then the end would be near.

And notice, back there in that evil day just before the destruction, when God had a man out preaching the Gospel, a poor man, humble man, not very much of the world, but a man who had a heart to listen to God: Noah. There was Noah and Enoch preaching at the same time.

Enoch... the... but--a Noah--Noah was a type that was carried over like the sleeping virgin. But Enoch was translated just before the tribulation struck. And Enoch was took up, and was found not, because God took him: the type of the going forth of the church. And Noah watched him. When he seen Enoch go, he knew it was time to enter the ark, for to be carried through the tribulation.

The Bible said there was ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom, and five were wise; five were foolish. And they were all virgins, every one of them. But five was wise. And they had oil in their lamp. And they went out to meet the bridegroom. And the bridegroom came. And the ones that had oil, went in.

See, the translation, going with the Bridegroom. But those who were left behind, they come and wanted in too just like those who come and knocked on the door of the ark. "Noah, let us in." But God closed the door.

That's what the church, the believer, is today, watching--watching for something. He knew the time was growing close.

Just like Noah, watching Enoch. When Enoch went up, Noah knowed that the storm was close.

God, we know then, that our days are numbered. We're watching just as Noah watched Enoch, and knowed immediately after Enoch come, the judgment was going to strike the earth.

Noah was a type of the Jews, but Enoch went home without dying. And when Noah seen Enoch go, he knowed it was time to start on that ark. That's right. That was Noah's sign, when Enoch went home.

O God, may someday, the church, which is a type of Enoch. Five hundred years he walked before God {see next post}, walking, walking in the Light, with a testimony that "Everything God said, he did it." He didn't displease Him. What the Lord said do, Enoch done it.

Now, he was a type, remember. The ark is a type of the Jews, the hundred and forty-four thousand that's carried over, which is Noah and his bunch; but Enoch went home just a little bit before the flood. You know that.

And when they... When Noah saw Enoch was missing, he thought, "What become of Enoch? What become of Enoch? Where is he at?" Which, was grandson, Noah was grandson to Enoch. And he said, "Where is it at? What become of him? We can't find him no more." Noah started building on that ark. He knowed that the time was at hand, right there.

And when Noah looked around and couldn't find Enoch anywhere, he looked around, and he didn't know where Enoch went, then he said, "It's time to get to building the ark now." See?

In the days of Enoch, just before the flood, when Enoch looked out there and saw Noah building away on that ark. Enoch was a prophet. Enoch knew that he was a type. And he knew, that before the floods came, that he had to give an example, so one afternoon it was becoming to him to take a walk.

This thing of this Council of Churches is nothing else in the world but a--a stir of the foolish virgin, to be left here on the earth for a picking for the antichrist. But the real church of God will float like old Noah did, and go on into glory just as sure as I'm standing here. That's why He's gathering them together.

Now, God sent His Word by His prophet, Noah. And when Noah and Enoch begin to prophesy... And then just before the flood struck, what happened? Enoch went up; Noah went through. See? Enoch was translated. Noah's sign was watching Enoch. When Enoch come up missing, then Noah knew the flood was at hand 'cause he was keeping his eye on Enoch.

Here come Noah and Enoch with THUS SAITH THE LORD, building away on an ark. Now, they said, "That old fellow up there on the hill building that ship, Old fellow, you're crazy." "But I've got, THUS SAITH THE LORD." Built right away, stood right in the door of the ark, preaching the Gospel, and building away, and watching Enoch.

Now, maybe day after day, and they laughed and made fun. The children maybe ha-ha'd at him, but Noah went right on preaching anyhow. And all of his family and all the converts went right on believing anyhow. All that was following Noah believed Noah. That's right. They had to make their choice to believe what the world said, or believe what this mighty anointed prophet said.

So he said, "Now, watch. Enoch is going to leave one of these days, church. And when it does... When Enoch goes away, we'd better get in. We're going to miss Enoch; he's going to be taken up, so we better get in." So they watched closely as the days passed by.

You know, Noah watched Enoch, for when Enoch come up missing, he knowed judgment was at hand. He got to hanging around the ark, but Noah didn't go up.

Just like Noah kept watching Enoch. When Enoch went, Noah said, "Better get close to the ark. The time is at hand." Noah kept watching Enoch (See?)

How anyone can get the Church going through the tribulation, I don't know. But... What's it got to go through the tribulation for, when it hasn't got--got--hasn't got a sin? I mean the... I don't mean the church; the church will go through the tribulation. But I'm talking about the Bride.

The Bride won't, no, it hasn't got a sin against it at all. It's done been bleached out, and there's not even a--a--there's not even smell of it; there's nothing left. They're perfect before God. So what's any tribulation to purify them, but the others do. The church does go through the tribulation, but not the Bride.

Now, now, we're just taking it in all kinds of symbols now like the--the church, Noah, the carried over type, went on out into sin. See? Now, they did go over, but Enoch went first. That was the type of the saints that would go in the--in--before the tribulation period.

Enoch was the seventh from Adam

Now, go back unto the 5th chapter (I think it is) of Genesis, and then go also, over into the Book of Luke (wish I could find it; I wrote it all down here, if I could find it in here) and you’ll find out that in the genealogies, nowhere in the Bible…If…Look! If Noah…If Enoch is the seventh from Adam, the Bible said, “Adam and then his son Seth,” because Cain was not Adam’s seed. It said Adam begot Seth, and Seth begot…Jared; Jared begot, all the way down to Enoch; and Enoch was the seventh from Adam. Nowhere did it ever speak that Cain was ever considered to be anything in the genealogies of God.

Now, just look and find out if it’s so or not; search it out. And Luke comes over and names it right back again, and puts down from Adam. Not one time is Cain ever mentioned in the whole thing. And if Enoch (see?) was the seventh from Adam, where did Cain come in? Because the Bible said that, in the genealogies, that Adam begot his son, Seth. And Seth begot Jared, and Jared begot So-and-so, on down; and not one time was Cain ever mentioned. Then he could not be the son of Adam. So he had to be the son of the serpent, and he couldn’t be a son without intercourse. Amen! If he wasn’t, he was virgin born, then he’d be a son of God. I want them to get out of that one time.

Her first son was not the son of Adam. If it was, he had the birthrights. The Bible, in Jude, said that Adam…that, “Enoch was the seventh from Adam.” Is that right? And he starts out, “Adam begot his son, Seth.” What about Cain, which had the birthrights? He wasn’t Adam’s son. Seth, and Seth begot; Jared, and on down to Adam, which down to… “which was the seventh from Adam.” Then if Cain was his son, there is not one place in the Bible, even in Luke when he refers back to it again, he never refers to Cain being the son of Adam. And, if he wasn’t, whose son was he? And if he was the son of Adam, he was his first son, which had all the birthrights.

Now let's notice whether we're in the last age, or not. Now we find out, if we turn back in Genesis, about the, oh, about the 5th chapter, you can also turn to Luke and find out, that Enoch was the seventh from Noah. Enoch.

There catches the serpent's seed. For, if Cain was Abel's son, then he was the eighth. See? But nowhere in the Bible it said that Cain was Abel's son... or Cain--or Cain was Adam's son. Because, that, the Bible said, "He was of that evil one." And Adam wasn't the evil one. See? "He was of the evil one."

...So now notice Enoch, the type of the Church. Here he's also typed in the seventh church age. Can you think of that? The seventh church age! Notice. "At the sounding..."

How many believes there's been seven messengers for the seven chur-... Oh, we all believe it, if we believe the Bible. If we don't believe the Bible, course, see, we don't believe it. But, there has been.

And the seven watches, like the seven watch, of one come. He didn't come the first watch, second, third, fourth, but come in the seventh watch. That was Enoch, the seventh, which was translated. And Noah, being a type of the remnant of Jews, is to be carried over. Now, in the Bible times, talking about the watches. And nights were not divided into hours, in the Bible time.

Video Transcript

Message followers place William Branham’s message above the Bible. They do this while at the same time denying that they do. Here Barry Coffey, a message pastor from North Carolina:

We don't we don't look at brother Branham's words as the Bible. We don't look at brother Branham as god. That would be blasphemy. That would be anti-Christ for us to do that.

While the Bible is clear that Enoch and Noah never met, William Branham stated on numerous occasions that they did:

Just like Noah kept watching Enoch. When Enoch went, Noah said, “Better get close to the ark. The time is at hand.” Noah kept watching Enoch. <ref>63-0320 - The Third Seal, para. 204>/ref>

But this is not biblical. I put this chart together myself based on a simple reading of Genesis chapter 5. We can see Adam’s descendants from Seth down through Adam. Enoch was born 622 years after Adam’s creation and was translated 365 years later. It is obvious to anyone who can read and perform simple addition that Noah was born 69 years AFTER Enoch was translated. Given that Noah was at least 500 years old before he God told him to build the ark, construction did not start until at least 569 years AFTER Enoch was translated.

Even though this is not biblical, here’s Barry Coffey doing exactly what he described as blasphemous:

Hey listen... Enoch did it.. Looking up there at the size of that ark. We are witnesses of how big that ark actually was. We've been there, seen it, done that. And and that completed ark was a symbol of pending judgment, right. Enoch knew that. Noah knew that. And here's Noah saying that and here's Enoch observing that.

Chris Maritz from Langley, BC in Canada does exactly the same thing:

and I want you to remember that Noah was alive during this time. Can you imagine the conversations that Noah and Enoch would have around a dinner table? There's Noah preaching the gospel. Judgment's coming. Enoch is believing the word because of something that happened in his own life. Amen. As they're mirroring each other. These two eternal seeds of god walking together on the earth, walking with God in fellowship and communion... the rest of the world thinking they're completely crazy.

Message ministers say they are familiar with the questions we have raised and completely discount them. Yet we raised this issue, that Noah and Enoch were alive at the same time, almost 10 years ago.

Personally, I think message ministers have lied. They haven’t even looked at our questions. Rather they have remained ignorant, knowingly rejected scripture and followed William Branham instead.

How can you say that William Branham’s word has a lesser status than the Bible when you can’t disagree with him? When the plain reading of the text of scripture takes a back seat to their prophet’s interpretation?

Either you believe the Bible or you believe William Branham. You can’t believe both.

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