Genesis 5 and the first part of Moses 6 contain the genealogy of Adam through Noah and Methuselah, respectively.
And then we get to the good stuff!
GOD SPEAKS TO ENOCH
"And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him.
"And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son..." (Moses 6:26-27).
Just as with Moses (Moses 1:4), the first thing God wants Enoch to know is that He is Enoch's Father; Enoch has a divine heritage. And then he wants him to know his mission in life:
"...prophesy unto this people, and say unto them--Repent..." (Moses 6:27). God explains the many ways that humans have gone astray.
Enoch is astonished and overwhelmed and feels underqualified (Moses 6:31). And God says, Irrelevant. I am in charge and I am omnipotent (all-powerful).
"Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.
"Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.
"Behold, my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore, walk with me" (Moses 6:32-34).
Whenever God asks us to perform a mission for which we are unqualified, let's remember this. Our lack of qualification is irrelevant! God is in charge and He will help us! We will succeed!
Returning to the story, God then gives Enoch a command to anoint his eyes with mud and wash them and then He shows Him a vision of all the spirits that God had created and many things that he could not see as a human.
This is the first vision Enoch records. We will learn more about Enoch's visions in the next lesson. Stay tuned!
ENOCH PREACHES THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
"And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him."
And yet, they couldn't look away. They followed him, they camped around him, they thought he was crazy, but they were driven to listen to him. He terrified them! The power of God presented itself in him and even if they didn't know what it was, they could see it. (See Moses 6:47.)
He spoke so powerfully that they could not even stand. They trembled, they wobbled, they sat down. And as they sat there, Enoch taught them God's Plan of Salvation.
He taught them that Adam fell, bringing us into mortality, and into a life containing misery and woe. In addition to this problem, Satan entered the equation, tempting people to create even more misery and woe, pulling them away from a relationship with God their Father.
But God solved that problem with His gospel.
"If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you" (Moses 6:52).
"...the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world" (Moses 6:54).
Side note: If you've ever wondered why Jesus Christ is sometimes called the Son of Man as well as the Son of God, the answer is here, in Moses 6:57. One of God the Father's names is "Man of Holiness;" therefore Jesus is "the Son of Man [of Holiness]."
This mortal experience of misery and woe was necessary in order that we learn to choose good over evil. In learning from experience, wrong choices will often be made, but repentance can clear the slate and make a person clean again.
WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
"...inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water [amniotic fluid], and blood [in childbirth], and the spirit [breath of life], which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water [baptism], and of the Spirit [Holy Ghost], and be cleansed by blood [the Atonement], even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin..."
But this doesn't only sanctify us for the next life, it makes this life amazing!
"...and [that ye might] enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
"For by the water [baptism] ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit [Holy Ghost] ye are justified [made clean and sinless], and by the blood [Atonement] ye are sanctified [made better than clean--made holy];
"Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record [witness] of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment" (Moses 6:59-61).
Living with the Spirit, being taught, guided, and enhanced by its fruits day by day, definitely makes this life wonderful! Misery and woe will happen--it's a fallen existence, designed to teach us through opposition--but we will be equipped to live a happy life anyway. We can trust in God and trust in Christ and trust in the Plan of Happiness, even in the times when happiness seems impossible. Joy will return.
"And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time" (Moses 6:62).
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