At several points in the Scriptures, human persons come in contact with the sacred in ways that result in extremely negative consequences. Chiefly, this takes the form of death. By entering sacred space or coming into contact with holy things incorrectly, these persons are immediately struck dead. This result, being instant, leaves no room for repentance or correction. The nature of these deaths and warnings issued regarding them, both before and after, has created a certain false sense of fear among many Christians. The seeming injustice of the death penalty for what seems to be minor transgression has likewise become a source of mockery for critics of the Scriptures and of Christianity. Before looking at several individual instances of this…
The final portion of the Book of Enoch, comprising what is generally numbered as chapters 91-108, is commonly referred to as the Epistle of Enoch. Though ‘epistle’, through its New Testament usage, gives the idea of a letter, these chapters are not purported to be a letter written by Enoch. Rather, they purport to be a record of Enoch’s parting words to his son Methuselah and his extended family. Depending upon the translation which one reads, 1 Enoch may end with a brief, two verse chapter 105, may continue through to chapter 108, or may jump from the former ending to chapter 108. Some translations incorporate all of the material sometimes numbers as chapters 105-108 as verses of chapter 105. …
