The story of Enoch: How The Lord took him to Heaven.
There was a wise man and a great artisan whom The Lord took away. And He loved him so that he might see the highest realms of the most wise and great and inconceivable and unchanging Kingdom of God Almighty.
Also to see the most marvelous and glorious and shining and many-eyed station of The
Lord's servants, and of The Lord's immovable Throne, the ranks and organizations of the
bodiless armies, the indescribable composition of the multitude of the elements, the
variegated appearance and indescribable singing of the army of the cherubim, and of
The Light without measure, to be an eyewitness.
At that time he said, When 165 years were complete for me, I fathered my son, Methusala; and after that I lived 200 years. I completed all the years of my life, 365 years. In the first month, on the assigned day of the first month, I was in my house alone.
And I lay on my bed, sleeping. And while I slept, a great distress entered my heart, and I was weeping with my eyes in a dream. I could not figure out what this distress might be, nor what might be happening to me. Then two huge men appeared to me, th elike of which I had never seen on earth.
Their faces were like the shining sun; their eyes were like burning lamps; from their mouths fire was coming forth; their clothing was various singing; their wings were more glistening that gold; their hands were whiter than snow.
And they stood at the head of my bed and called me by my name. Then I awoke from my sleep, and saw those men, standing in front of me, in actuality. Then I bowed down to them; and I was terrified; and the appearance of my face was changed because of fear. Then those men said to me,
"Be brave, Enoch! In truth, do not fear! The Eternal God has sent us to you. Behold, you will ascend with us to heaven today. Tell your sons, and all the members of your household, everything that they must do in your house while they are without you on earth. Let no one search for you until The Lord returns you to them."
I hurried and obeyed them; I went out of my house and shut the doors as I have been
ordered. I called my sons, Methusalam and Regim and Gaidad. And I declared to them
all the marvels that those men had told me.
Enoch said, "Listen, my children! I do not know where I am going, nor what will confront me. Now my children, I say to you:
Do not turn away for God. Walk before His Face, and keep His Commandments. Do not abhor the prayers of your salvation, so that The Lord will not curtail the work of your hands. Do not be ungenerous with The Lord's gifts and The Lord will not be ungenerous with His donations and love-gifts in your storehouses. Bless The Lord with the firstborn of your herds and the firstborn of your children, and a blessing will be on you forever. Do not turn away from The Lord, and do not worship vain gods, gods who did not create the heaven and the earth or any other created thing; for they will perish, and so will those who worship them. And may God make your hearts true in reverence for Him. And now, my children, no one must search for me until The Lord returns me to you."
And it came about, when I had spoken to my sons, those men called me. And they took me up onto their wings, and carried me up to the first heaven, and placed me on the clouds. And, behold, they were moving. There, I perceived the air higher up, and higher still, I saw the ether.
They placed me on the first heaven and they showed me a vast ocean, much bigger
than the earthly ocean.
They showed me the 200 angels who govern the stars and the heavenly combinations.
They fly with their wings and do the rounds of all the planets.
There, I perceived the treasuries of the snow and ice, and the angels who guard their
terrible storehouses; also, the treasury of the clouds, from which they come out and go
in.
They showed me the treasuries of the dew, like olive oil. The appearance of its image
was like every kind of earthly flower, only more numerous; and the angels who guard
their treasuries, how they are shut and opened.
Those men picked me up and brought me up to the second heaven. They showed me, and I saw a darkness greater than earthly darkness. There, I perceived prisoners under guard, hanging up, waiting for the measureless judgment. Those angels had the appearance of darkness itself, more than earthly darkness. Unceasingly they made weeping, all the day long.
I said to the men, who were with me, "Why are these ones being tormented unceasingly?" Those men answered me, "These are those, who turned away from The Lord, who did not obey The Lord's commandments, but of their own will, plotted together and turned away with their prince and with those who are under restraint in the fifth heaven."
I felt very sorry for them; and those angels bowed down to me and said to me, "Man of God, pray for us to The Lord!"
And I answered and said, "Who am I, a mortal man, that I should pray for angels? Who
knows where I am going and what will confront me? Or who indeed will pray for me?"
And those men took me from there, and they brought me up to the third heaven, and set me down there. Then I looked downward, and I saw Paradise. And that place is inconceivably pleasant.
I saw the trees in full flower. Their fruits were ripe and pleasant-smelling, with every food in yield and giving off profusely a pleasant fragrance.
In the midst of them was the Tree of Life, at that place were The Lord takes a rest when He goes into Paradise. That tree is indescribable for the pleasantness and fine fragrance, and more beautiful than any other created thing that exists.
From every direction it has an appearance which is gold looking and crimson, and with the form of fire. It covers the whole of Paradise and has something of every orchard tree and of every fruit. Its root is in Paradise at the exit that leads to the earth.
Paradise is in between the corruptible and the incorruptible. Two streams come forth, one a source of honey and milk, and one a source that produces oil and wine and it is divided into four parts. They go round with a quiet movement and they come out into the paradise of Edem, between the corruptible and incorruptible.
From there they along and divide into forty parts and it proceeds in decent along the earth. They have a revolution in their cycle, just like the other atmospheric elements.
There is no unfruitful tree there, every tree is well fruited and every place is blessed.
There are 300 angels, very bright, who look after Paradise; and with never-ceasing voice
and pleasant singing, they worship The Lord everyday and hour. And I said, "How very
pleasant is this place!" And those men said to me:
This place, Enoch, has been prepared for the righteous, who suffer every kind of calamity in their life and who afflict their souls, and who avert their eyes from injustice, and who carry out righteous judgment, and who give bread to the hungry, and who cover the naked with clothing, and who lift up the fallen, and who help the injured and the orphans, and who walk without a defect before the Face of The Lord, and who worship Him, only. even for them, this place has been prepared as an eternal inheritance."
Those men carried me to the northern region; and they showed me there a very frightful place; and all kinds of torture and torment are in that place, cruel darkness and lightless gloom. There is no light there, and a black fire blazes up perpetually, with a river of fire that comes out over the whole place. Fire here, freezing ice there, it dries up and it freezes.
There, there are very cruel places of detention, dark and merciless angels, carrying instruments of atrocities and torturing without pity.
I said, "Woe, woe! How very frightful this place is!" Those men said to me, "This place, Enoch, has been prepared for those who do not glorify God. And for those who practice on the earth the sin which is against nature, which is child corruption in the anus in the manner of Sodom. For those who practice witchcraft enchantments, divinations, trafficking with demons, who boast about their evil deeds - stealing, lying, insulting, coveting, resentment, fornication and murder.
For those who steal the souls of men secretly, seizing the poor by the throat, taking away their possessions, enriching themselves from the possession of others, defrauding them; who, when they are able to provide sustenance. For those who bring about the death of the hungry by starvation and when they are able to provide clothing, take away the last garment of the naked.
For those who do not acknowledge their Creator, but bow down to idols, which have no souls, which can neither see nor hear, vain gods; constructing images, and bowing down to vile things made by hands - for all these, this place has been prepared for an eternal reward."