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Commentary on the Book of Enoch, Chapter 17:2a. |
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Text |
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17:2 And they brought me to the place of darkness, and to a mountain the point of whose summit reached to heaven. |
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Commentary | |||||
17:2 Now these flaming beings bring Enoch to “the place of darkness.” Is Enoch returned to this earth at this point, so that we would expect an earthly location to correspond to this place? If indeed “the place of darkness” is on this earth, where is it? Where is “a mountain the point of whose summit reached to heaven”? First, we must determine what this “place of darkness” is in Torah, before we can determine if it is on this earth. In Genesis 1:4-5 and Psalms 104:20 darkness is simply referencing the dark of night: “And Elohim saw the light, that it was good: and Elohim divided the light from the darkness. And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.” “Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.” [Also study: Psalms 74:16; 139:10-12; Genesis 8:22; Isaiah 45:7; Amos 4:13.] Obviously, night occurs on earth and the day and night cycle are earthly phenomenon, not heavenly. Furthermore, there is never a Scriptural reference to darkness in heaven, so it would appear necessary that “the place of darkness” in Torah must be on this earth. David notes: “In my distress I called upon Yehuveh, and cried unto my Elohim: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ears. . . . He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under His feet. . . . And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.” Psalm 18:6-11. Clearly, “the place of darkness” is not necessarily an evil or an anti-Yehuveh place. Rather it is a place which is under His feet, an expression Isaiah uses of the earth: “The earth is My footstool.” Isaiah 66:1. [Also carefully study Psalms 104:20; Jeremiah 13:16; Ezekiel 32:8; Amos 4:13; Nahum 1:8.] During the pre-exodus period in Egypt, “Yehuveh said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” Exodus 10:21-23. In this specific situation, for three days, “the place of darkness” was Egypt. David speaks of this time powerfully in Psalms 105:28: “He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against His word.” It would appear that for these three extremely unusual days even the Egyptians submitted to Yehuveh. Is it possible, at times, that “the place of darkness” is any place where Yehuveh has arrested the course of men and gained their submission? If so, then this “place of darkness” truly becomes a place of great light! Gael Bataman Originally Written: 11 July 2006 Latest Update: 30 November 2011 Return to Zadok Home Continue . . . Return One Page Go to Enoch Introduction Go to Enoch’s Second Vision Introduction “Who is Yehuveh?” “Who is Elohim?” |