Just today, a brother in the Lord created a Facebook post declaring (paraphrased), "If you are a Christian who has fallen away, you were probably not a Christian to begin with." This is a highly damaging statement and literally a piece of demonic propaganda.
NOTE: My apologies ahead of time to my brother who posted this. Please read this article out slowly, carefully, closely, and perhaps a time or two before having any upset.
Abstract
This article aims to produce substantial proof for how the Enochian backstory view can simplify the understanding of historically challenging scriptures. We will tackle one passage of scripture from 2 Peter 2 and then four related passages of scripture as a package: Hebrews 3:1-18, Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 10:26-30, and Galatians 5:1-5.
Each of these represents a significant conundrum, especially when considered in the light of modern, 21st-century versions of Christian belief. For instance, older Christian movements, born out of Protestantism, often presented a hard-line approach, coercing followers into obedience. Conversely, more recent movements, such as hyper-grace, have tried to interpret scripture in a way that fail under severe scrutiny.
This paper aims to show that understanding the Enochian narrative as the framework for these challenging scriptures can make the entire concept much more comprehensible. This understanding allows us to dismiss modern distortions, like the paraphrased quote mentioned earlier.
The summary of the proof is simply this: The cross and the spirit within you (if Christ is formed in you) represent the part of God's work that liberates us from sin. The presence of the spirit in us empowers us to exercise our free will to remain loyal to Christ in this life. This life is a test, ordained by God, to determine who is qualified for eternal life. The only component of manifesting Christ within us that relies on us is our free will. Everything else is the work and power of Christ supporting our free will in either proving or disproving our loyalty to him.
This knowledge allows us to interpret the three rebellions described in Genesis 3 (where our first fall in loyalty came), 6 (fallen Watchers and giants), and 11 (more fallen Watchers as gods - lesser elohim), understanding our lives as a testing ground for loyalty or disloyalty. Knowing this, we may choose to depart from Jesus and the promise of eternal life for the faithful to indulge in earthly pleasures; knowingly and willfully aligning our loyalties back to the fallen Watchers and demons — this time with our eyes open and free will choosing, thereby disqualifying ourselves from Christ and the gift of eternal life.
To aid in understanding, the 20th and 21st century version of this concept parallels the WWII conflict between the Allied forces and the Nazis. Suppose you and I start off as rebels, violent Nazis, then observe the goodness of the Allies and switch our loyalties. Consequently, we fight alongside and behind enemy lines to confound the Nazis and rescue others. However, if we then revert to our loyalty to the Nazis, we forfeit our right to convert back a second time. The reasoning is clear – We have proven our inability to remain faithful. No Allied soldier or commander can ever trust us again not to rebel and become an enemy.
This summation is the core of the entire matter, which this article aims to provide with highly substantial proof.
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
The primary question arising from the preceding verse is elementary: Why is it preferable to never have known? The reason is that when we have an understanding of the Watchers, and the implications of pledging allegiance to them subsequent to affirming loyalty to Christ, incurs judgement and condemnation equivalent to those dolled out to the Watchers and demons themselves. Whereas, prior to this knowledge, the severity of consequences was less significant.
Contemplate this reality.
The aforementioned passage provides a mere glimpse of the entirety of the 2 Peter, chapter 2, which in itself is both expansive and intricately connected to the Enochian backstory. Therefore, our initial task — in order to validate the abstract summary provided above — is to commence an in-depth analysis of the chapter from beginning to end.
2 Peter, chapter 2
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Chapter two's thesis addresses the destructive influence of false teachers, examining their methods, and identifying the source of the damage they cause. "Reversing Hermon" by Dr. Heiser extensively details how Second Temple Jews attributed the origin of evil to two complementary sources.
The first source of evil is inherently connected to the human condition; the second source is linked to the historical narrative and ongoing influence of Watchers and deceased giants. According to the belief, the unclean spirits of these giants persistently lure humanity into the sin they modelled once, for which humans and human-hybrids (giants) and the physical planet was destroyed in a flood.
This interpretation of malice derives from a simple premise: the Watchers, who were condemned to live imprisoned, copulated with human females, consequently giving birth to vile giants. These giants inflicted evil and unmitigated violence upon humanity.
In addition to this turmoil, forbidden heavenly knowledge brought by the Watchers was passed down by them to both giants and humans, which further enhanced the encroachment of vicious depravity. For the Second Temple Jew, the ultimate source of all heinous deeds and ailments in the world, both then and now, could be traced back to these ancient demonic spirits and their Watcher parents. Over millennia, these demons developed proficiencies in tempting humans, diverting them from the path of righteous loyalty to God, towards sin and unfaithfulness; wherein unfaithful disloyalty to God is loyalty to Watchers and demons by default.
Jesus speaks about being for or against him in several places in the New Testament. One key passage can be found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 11, verse 23:
"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." (ESV)
In this context, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees who accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul. This text has strong overtones of covenant loyalty, where any position of neutrality is deemed as opposition, a sentiment paralleled in passages related to political loyalty, such as in the Book of 1 Kings, chapter 18, verse 21, when Elijah challenges the people to serve either Yahweh or Baal.
The Semitic language and context also draw a stark line for the followers of Christ, implying not just political allegiance but also spiritual participation in his Kingdom.
In another passage, Matthew 12:30, Jesus rephrases the sentiment:
"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." (ESV)
Both these passages underscore a strong binary understanding of loyalty in ancient Near Eastern culture. This echoes in the other Second Temple and Ancient Near Eastern literature where loyalty to deities and kings was crucially important.
For instance, the Book of 1 Enoch emphasizes the same necessity for unequivocal allegiance (1 Enoch 5:7). In Greco-Roman writings, we see similar demands put forth by rulers (Polybius, Histories 32.22.8). Modern scholars like Richard Baukham and Michael F. Bird reiterate this critical role of exclusive loyalty within the Semitic and Greco-Roman worldviews, which in turn helps to shed more light on Jesus' own teaching about loyalty and opposition.
Therefore, Peter points out that a mark of a destructive heresy is disloyal denial of the Master (Jesus Christ) who bought them. This indicates the false prophets and false teachers that Peter is referring to themselves as former Christian brothers. Now, here they are trying to lead others into their same heresies, which results in swift destruction.
The concept of "swift destruction" is found in several biblical and extra-biblical texts. Here are some examples from both Old Testament, New Testament and extra-biblical sources:
Old Testament (OT):
1. Psalm 73:18-19 ESV: “Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!” (A Psalm of Asaph, who speaks of the sudden destruction of the wicked)
2. Proverbs 29:1 ESV: "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing."
3. Isaiah 30:13 ESV: "Therefore this iniquity will be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant."
4. Jeremiah 51:8 ESV: "Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; wail for her!"
New Testament (NT):
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 ESV: "While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
2. Revelation 18:8 ESV: "For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her."
Extra-Biblical sources:
1. 1 Enoch 94:8-9: "Woe to you, ye obstinate of heart, who work wickedness and eat blood: From where have you good things to eat and to drink and to be filled ? From all the good things which our Lord the Most High has placed in abundance on the earth; therefore ye shall have no peace. Woe to you who love the deeds of unrighteousness: wherefore do you hope for good to happen to yourselves?"
These passages, from biblical and extra-biblical sources alike, illustrate the widespread ancient Near Eastern (ANE) worldview belief in the sudden or swift downfall of the wicked, often as a result of divine intervention or judgement. Whether it's the swift destruction prophesied against false teachers in the NT, or the divine retribution expressed in the Psalms, these texts reveal a common understanding of divine justice that transcends particular cultural or linguistic boundaries.
It's also important to note that this sort of divine retribution is a common motif in other ANE cultures outside of the Jewish tradition. For example, in the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods unleash the flood, a cataclysmic event that brings about swift destruction, as a response to humanity's hubris and noise.
Scholars such as Dr. Michael S. Heiser and others have highlighted the cross-cultural similarities in these worldviews, demonstrating the influence and interconnectivity of cultures in the Ancient Near East.
Therefore, the opening verses of chapter two are clearly linking false prophets and false teachers, along with those who follow them, to the swift judgment and destruction. This is set to happen on the Great and Notable Day of the Lord. What is needful to see is how Second Temple and first century Jews would see this judgment and destruction in the same storyline and context — that is — the judgment of fallen Watchers and the unclean spirits of disembodied giants who were the chief source of evil in the world.
However, the story is only starting to pick up steam.
Following their sensuality
As noted in an earlier article ("Severed"), Galatians 3:1 says, "O' foolish Galatians", which is literally "O, sensual Galatians" — that is — those who are given to sensuality over reason. As in 2 Peter, Paul is pointing out that the source of the Galatians being taken from being loyal to Christ and loyal to demons is stemming from their propensity for sensuality and pleasure, greed and pride, and the arrogance arising from it. Peter is walking this very same road with the audience he is writing to when in verse 2 he talks of false teachers and those who follow them being led by sensuality.
It is here that we must stop and point out that the chief sin of the fallen Watchers is sensuality — sex with human women that is forbidden to them openly by God according to 1 Enoch and implied in OT scripture like Genesis 6:1-4. Therefore, it is sensuality (led by sexual lusts and passions) that get people into trouble. The quickest way to disloyalty to Christ is through sensuality (things pleasurable to the flesh).
This doesn't mean just sex. It means anything that pleases the flesh is a pathway to disloyal rebellion against Christ. In verse two, Peter notes that the lure of false teachers is an appeal to sensual desires. Verse three then notes that "in their greed (idolatry - to gods - lesser elohim and demons pretending to be gods [Galatians 4]) they will exploit you with false words."
All of this adds up to a "condemnation from long ago". Remember, Peter is writing in the first century so his long ago is not ours. The condemnation from long ago is the condemning that God gave to both the Watchers (angels who sinned) and their hybrid demon children starting in Genesis 6:1-4. Therefore, we have another link from false prophets, false teachers, and people following them away from being loyal to Jesus to fallen Watchers and demons.
The point to see is how the first three verses of 2 Peter, chapter 2 are strongly linked to the fallen Watcher Enochic storyline. Without this story, there is no sense to "swift destruction" and "condemnation from long ago". The most coherent sense is made of these statements when the motif of the Enochic backstory is applied.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into Tartarus [hell] and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
Peter's train of thought in verses 1 to 3 is thoughtfully led from his meditations straight into the heart of the Enochic narrative. This narrative is centered upon the Fallen Watchers who, having sinned with human women, bear the consequences of their transgressions. Their defiance not only led to the creation of giants, but it also resulted in their own judgement, leading to their confinement and eventual judgement by God. These fallen Watchers now must face an impending judgement and a consequential destruction in a lake of fire. This punishment will be swift and sudden, and will not discriminate amongst Watchers, demons, and the people who pledged loyalty to them.
Taking a step further on this discourse, Peter ventures into a contrast between the righteous and the ones who are destined for destruction. He talks about the contrasting destinies of Noah and Sodom among others. According to Peter, the judgment day will witness these righteous people being saved whilst the people in the likes of Sodom et al will face destruction.
Peter then warns of the similar abrupt and absolute condemnation, judgment, and destruction that the Watchers, demons, and their followers like Sodom, as well as the false prophets and teachers of his time, will face. This fate, he elucidates, will befall anyone who decides to wilfully return to their loyalty to these evil entities, instead of persevering in their commitment to Christ. This warning from Peter is amplified by his assertion that once freed by Jesus and imbued with the ability to remain loyal by the Spirit of God within, one should not succumb to the evil.
7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
In verses 7 to 10, we notice an expansion of the story. Examining verse 10, we find an exceptional definition for the "unrighteous" as individuals who surrender to the "lust of defiling passion". This reference serves as a callback to the Watchers and the giants who were their followers.
Included is also the concept of those who "despise authority". This accurately depicts what the Watchers did. By despising God's authority, they renounced heaven in overt defiance against God's directive. Hence, there is a trace extending from the Watchers to their offspring, the giants or later demons, and finally to the people who align themselves with them. In essence, this trace denotes their collective disloyalty to God.
Going further in in reviewing the text, we can discern that Lot is depicted as a "righteous" man, despite dwelling in the heart of a society devoted to behaviors promptly destined for judgement and destruction. He lives in sight and knowledge of these sins, which is then causing severe torment to his righteous soul. Nonetheless, Lot also relies on the righteousness bestowed upon him by faith similar to his uncle, Abraham. Impressively, despite his surroundings, Lot does not succumb to the belief systems that inspire the sinful thoughts, words, and actions of the soon-to-be-destroyed population of Sodom.
10b Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
The "glorious ones" referring to angelic beings, potentially even rebellious ones (fallen angels), drawing parallels from Jude 1:8, which uses similar language in a context that seems to discuss heavenly beings: "Yet in like manner, these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority and blaspheme the glorious ones." Clearly, Peter (like Jude) is bouncing