Lessons from Enoch and Elijah - The key to translation

Enoch was the first man to be translated from the earth without seeing death. Notice what inspiration says about what opened the door for Enoch to walk more deeply with God.

Of Enoch it is written that he lived sixty-five years, and begat a son. After that he walked with God three hundred years. During these earlier years Enoch had loved and feared God and had kept His commandments. He was one of the holy line, the preservers of the true faith, the progenitors of the promised seed. From the lips of Adam he had learned the dark story of the Fall, and the cheering one of God's grace as seen in the promise; and he relied upon the Redeemer to come. But after the birth of his first son, Enoch reached a higher experience; he was drawn into a closer relationship with God. He realized more fully his own obligations and responsibility as a son of God. And as he saw the child's love for its father, its simple trust in his protection; as he felt the deep, yearning tenderness of his own heart for that first-born son, he learned a precious lesson of the wonderful love of God to men in the gift of His Son, and the confidence which the children of God may repose in their heavenly Father. PP 84.

The secret of Enoch's walk with God came through his relationship with his son. His own feelings for his son caused him to realise the love of the Father for himself and the destiny that we have as children of God. It was from entering into a deeper family relationship that Enoch entered into a deeper experience with God and led to his translation.

Of the second man that was translated without seeing death we read:

Mal 4:5-6  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:  (6)  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Did Elijah have the same experience as Enoch? How could Elijah turn father's to children without experiecing this in his own heart? is it possible to see that the two man who were translated without seeing death had a revelation of the love of the Father through the turning of their hearts to their children and possibly also their parents on earth?

I can testify that this is was has occured in my own experience. As written in the booklet Sabbath Fountain:

What event sparked all these thoughts for me? In the first half of 2001 I was taking a walk on Sabbath morning. Due to illness I had not been able to attend church for a number of weeks. As I was walking I began to think about the day my firstborn son came into the world. I remembered the joy I felt when my wife handed him to me. As I looked into his eyes I stood transfixed by this bundle of joy in my arms. I prayed at that moment. Dear Lord don’t let anything come between me and my son and I just want him to know me for who I am. As I recalled that thought prayer, I heard a voice in my mind at that moment; Adrian, that is how I feel about you. It took me completely by surprise. Deep within me there came this spirit of resistance. But Lord, how could you love a sinner like me? The thought alarmed me because I believed in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and yet at a deeper level this doubt surfaced that I never knew was there. When my heavenly Father found a way through my son to tell me how precious I was to Him, it brought my worthlessness to the surface and I found myself fighting against Him even when I didn’t want to. The words of my Father were like a fire in the midst of my soul. These words confronted my worthlessness and were eager to devour it. This wrestle went on for several minutes until finally I heard a voice in my mind, Are you going to reject my love for you? I was taken aback again, and I immediately confessed my sin and said in my heart, Lord, I accept your grace through Christ’s sacrifice, it is simply too wonderful to grasp but I accept it. Through my son, my heavenly Father reached to the core of my being to reveal His love for me through His Son. He unearthed my feelings of worthlessness and won my heart. It is very interesting that it was on the Sabbath that He expressed His delight in me through His Son.   Sabbath Fountain pages 31,32

The message that prepares the 144000 must be connected to a message the restores true heartfelt love between parents and children. The yearning of families members for each other speaks deeply into our souls of the Father's great love for us.

Through the things of nature, and the deepest and tenderest earthly ties that human hearts can know, He has sought to reveal Himself to us. SC 10.

The forth angel that lightens the earth with its glory must be connected to the message of Enoch and Elijah for we read:

Luke 1:17  And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

To be prepared for the Lord we need the message of Elijah which is to turn the hearts of fathers to children and children to fathers. This is the exact experience had by Enoch and both of these men were translated without seeing death.

Thus we see today that it is through the knowledge of the Son of God that we can have a deeper appreciation of our Father.

John 20:17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

With these thoughts in mind I ask you to consider the books Life Matters and Return of Elijah which present the Third Angel's message in the context of family relationships being restored. These are an invitation to experience what Enoch and Elijah have in relation to seeing a precious picture of our Father through our earthly families. Isn't it obvious that in order to be sealed with the Father's name for translation we must know the Father?