146. Why Isn’t the Book of Enoch in the Bible? Fallen Angels, Nephilim, and Hidden History

Send us a text

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!

Support the show

Thank You for Joining Us!

For the full show notes, including links to any resources mentioned, please visit The Radiant Mission Blog.

Follow along on social media:
Instagram
Facebook

Enjoying the show? Please refer it to a friend :)

Episode Transcript

Rebecca Twomey (00:32):
Hello and welcome back to the Radiant
Mission podcast.
My name is Rebecca Twomey andwe are in our Coffee Talk series
.
This is a series all aboutgoing deep, exploring the unseen
and asking questions thatsometimes we might be avoiding
or not wanting to even betalking about.

(00:53):
But here we are talking aboutthese things in this series.
So I love deep diving.
So these episodes have beenvery different.
I'm curious to hear youropinions on things.
Of course, I can look at thedata and kind of see it seems
like you guys are enjoying theseshort episodes, but you might

(01:15):
have heard something about thistopic in previous episodes with
my sister back.
I mean, I'm talking early yearsof the podcast.
So we're diving into a veryfascinating and controversial
topic today and that is whyisn't the book of Enoch in the
Bible?
And again, we have touched onthis a little bit and talked

(01:38):
about some of this stuff back inour Spiritual Warfare series
and other episodes.
But this episode is short andsweet but also focused on
answering this question, trulyanswering why isn't it in the
Bible?
And give you some ammunitionfor understanding the context

(01:59):
behind Enoch.
Okay, so if you haven't heardabout the book of Enoch, it is
an ancient text and it talksabout fallen angels, the
Nephilim, hidden knowledge andeven prophecies about the
Messiah.
But of course it is not in ourBibles today.
So many will ask or wonder well, why was it left out of

(02:21):
scripture?
Should I even read this as aChristian?
What does it reveal about theworld before the flood, and is
it even important at the end ofthe day?
So that is our focus of today'sepisode.
Let's jump in and get started.
The book of Enoch.
What is it?
It is also called or referredto as first Enoch and it is an

(02:46):
ancient Jewish text that isattributed to Enoch, who is the
great-grandfather of Noah.
So interesting background there.
Think Noah great-grandfather.
In Genesis 5.24,.
Enoch walked faithfully withGod.
Then he was no more because Godtook him away.

(03:10):
Enoch is one of only two peoplein the entire Bible who never
died.
That already sets him apart andmakes him very interesting from
a biblical perspective.
Makes him very interesting froma biblical perspective.
This book is attributed to himand it describes in vivid detail

(03:30):
the fall of the angels, whichis in Genesis 6, and, of course,
their rebellion, theirinteraction with humanity and
the consequences that thenfollowed.
It even includes prophecies ofjudgment and references.
It even includes prophecies andjudgment and references to the

(03:52):
coming of the Messiah.
So here's where all thequestions come up right.
Despite the fact that it has aspiritual context you know Enoch
was related to Noah it is notincluded in the Protestant or
Catholic Bible.
Protestant or Catholic Biblethough, interestingly, it is

(04:18):
included in the EthiopianOrthodox canon.
So interesting from thatperspective.
Why isn't it in our Bibles?
To really understand thisquestion, we have to understand
how the Bible was formed.
So let's get into that a littlebit.
The Old Testament it was writtenby prophets and leaders

(04:38):
recognized by the people ofIsrael and then later affirmed
by Jesus and his apostles.
The New Testament was writtenby the apostles, those who knew
Jesus personally or weredirectly called by him.
Enoch's book was widely readand respected by the early Jews
and even the early church.

(04:59):
In fact, jude directly quotesthe book of Enoch.
In Jude 1, 14-15, enoch theseventh from Adam prophesied
about them See, the Lord iscoming with thousands upon
thousands of His holy ones tojudge everyone.
This is a direct quote fromEnoch and it's in our Bibles.

(05:22):
So why didn't Enoch make the cut?
There are a couple of reasonsthat are cited, the first being
that the original Hebrewmanuscript was lost for many
centuries and only fragmentsremained in other languages,
which made it hard to reallyverify its authenticity.
The second reason is that bythe time the early church

(05:45):
councils, the book was no longerwidely circulated and it wasn't
included among the establishedHebrew scriptures.
And then it was also consideredapocalyptic and symbolic, which
made some early church leadershesitant about its inclusion.

(06:06):
But still, the fact that Judereferences it and Peter echoes
some of its language as well, itshows that early believers were
familiar with it and did notview it as heretical.
So now this might all soundvery interesting.
So what's in it?
What is in the book of Enochthat is so interesting?

(06:29):
Enoch is divided into severalsections, but the most
well-known part is the book ofthe Watchers.
It tells the story of 200angels that are called the
Watchers, who descended to earthand took human wives, and it
created a race of giants calledthe Nephilim.
This aligns with our Bibles,with Genesis 6, verse 4.

(06:52):
The Nephilim were on the earthin those days and also afterward
, when the sons of God went tothe daughters of humans and had
children by them.
The book of Enoch names theseangels and describes how they
taught humanity forbiddenknowledge like sorcery,
astrology and the use of herbsand roots, weapon making and

(07:15):
even beautification.
This corrupted the earth sobadly that God sent the flood to
wipe it clean, one of thereasons Enoch even names some of
these key angels and theirroles, like Azazel.
Some of these key angels andtheir roles, like Azazel, who
taught humans warfare and makeup, and Samjaza, the leader of the

(07:43):
rebellion.
The book ends with propheciesabout the day of the Lord and
the eternal judgment, and thislines up with biblical prophecy.
So should Christians read it?
That is the big question, andthe answer is nuanced.
We should never treat the bookof Enoch as equal to the
scripture.

(08:03):
It wasn't preserved in thecanon.
There's not a good reason forthat necessarily.
However, that doesn't mean thatit's not useful.
It helps us to reallyunderstand the background of
Genesis 6.
And it gives context to Peterand Jude's letters as well, and
it also deepens ourunderstanding of spiritual
warfare.

(08:24):
It also shows that earlybelievers, including the authors
of the scripture, knew about itand they referenced it.
So, yes, if you are grounded inthe word and you are discerning
with your reading, it reallycan be a valuable tool for study
and spiritual growth when youuse it as a lens to view the

(08:47):
world of the Bible more clearly.
It can be very helpful, I knowfor me personally.
It has personally helped me tounderstand the depths of
spiritual warfare much more andwhat we are up against Now.
If you're still asking, why doesthis matter today?
What is the point?
Let's talk about a couple ofreasons why I think that this

(09:12):
matters, and you might too.
The book of Enoch reminds usthat we live in a supernatural
world, with battles happeningall around us.
It also shows the depths of thespiritual corruption that led
to the flood, and Jesus said theend times would be as it was in

(09:32):
the days of Noah, in Matthew 2437.
It was in the days of Noah, inMatthew 24, 37.
It helps us explain the originof false religions, occult
knowledge and the spiritualdeception that still operates in
the world today.
And, most importantly, itpoints to Jesus, the one who

(09:55):
brings judgment, restoration andeternal life.
The enemy would love for us toforget where we came from and
what's really going on behindthe scenes, but when we uncover
the truth, we're better equippedto stand firm in our faith and
for that reason, check out thebook of Enoch.
So, as we're closing, I do havesome reflection questions, as

(10:16):
usual.
Be sure, of course, to holdeverything up to scripture, but
also ask these questions, digdeeper, because this is how you
get stronger in your faith.
God gave us our minds todiscern and a heart to seek him
and, of course as we talkedabout last week the Holy Spirit.
The more that we learn and themore we realize how deep and

(10:38):
layered his truth really is, thecloser we are able to get to
him.
So reflection questions haveyou heard of the book of Enoch
before this episode?
Does it challenge or affirmwhat you've read in Genesis 6?
Are there areas of your faithwhere you've settled for surface
level answers?
How can you grow your biblicalliteracy and spiritual

(11:01):
discernment?
I hope you enjoyed this littletaste of the book of Enoch.
If you'd like me to go into amore expanded view, please send
me a text.
You can actually do that rightthrough the podcast option.
There's an option there to sendme a message or reach out to me
on social media.
You can find me or join themission on Instagram at the

(11:22):
Radiant Mission.
You can also join on Facebookat the Radiant Mission Podcast,
and you can view this episode invideo format as well on YouTube
by searching for my name.
Rebecca Toomey spelledT-W-O-M-E-Y.
Today, I'm going to close witha verse about discernment, and
that is Romans 12.2.
Do not be conformed to thisworld, but be transformed by the

(11:46):
renewal of your mind that bytesting, you may discern that is
the will of God what is goodand acceptable and perfect.
I'm wishing you a radiant weekand I'll see you next time.
Bye, everyone.