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1 Enoch

About this book
Chapter 18

1 I saw the treasuries of all the winds:⁠ I saw how He had equipped them for the whole creation and the firm foundations of the earth.⁠ 2 And I saw the cornerstone of the earth: I saw the four winds that support the earth and the dome of heaven.⁠ 3 And I saw how the winds stretch out the vaults of heaven and have their station between heaven and earth; these are the pillars of heaven. 4 I saw the winds of heaven which turn and guide the course of the sun and all the stars to their setting. 5 I saw the winds on the earth carrying the clouds; I saw the paths of the angels. I saw at the end of the earth the dome of heaven above. 6 And I proceeded and saw a place that burns day and night, where there are seven mountains of magnificent stones, three towards the east, and three towards the south. 7 And as for those towards the east, one was of colored stone, and one of pearl, and one of jacinth, and those towards the south of red stone. 8 But the middle one reached to heaven like the throne of God, of alabaster, and the summit of the throne was of sapphire.⁠ 9 And I saw a flaming fire. 10 And beyond these mountains is a region at the end of the great earth: there the heavens were completed. 11 And I saw a deep abyss,⁠ with columns of heavenly fire, and among them I saw columns of fire fall, which were beyond measure alike in height and depth. 12 And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no dome of heaven above, and no firmly founded earth beneath it; there was no water upon it, and no birds, but it was a waste and horrible place.⁠ 13 I saw there seven stars like great burning mountains,⁠ and to me, when I inquired about them,⁠ 14 The angel said: 'This place is the end of heaven and earth; this has become a prison for the stars and the army of heaven.⁠ 15 And the stars which roll over the fire are those which have transgressed the command of the Lord at the beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times.⁠ 16 And He was angry with them, and bound them until the time when their guilt should be consummated, even for ten thousand years.'

Texts in conversation

Stars That Burn Like Mountains in 1 Enoch 18 and Revelation 8

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

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Summary

Revelation 8 echoes 1 Enoch 18, which describes burning stars like fiery mountains. Revelation expands this imagery in its apocalyptic narrative, reflecting an ancient tradition where stars were thought to be divine beings.

Passages

1 Enoch 18:13

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
11 And I saw a deep abyss, with columns of heavenly fire, and among them I saw columns of fire fall, which were beyond measure alike in height and depth. 12 And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no dome of heaven above, and no firmly founded earth beneath it; there was no water upon it, and no birds, but it was a waste and horrible place. 13 I saw there seven stars like great burning mountains, and to me, when I inquired about them, 14 The angel said: 'This place is the end of heaven and earth; this has become a prison for the stars and the army of heaven. 15 And the stars which roll over the fire are those which have transgressed the command of the Lord at the beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times. 16 And He was angry with them, and bound them until the time when their guilt should be consummated, even for ten thousand years.'
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Revelation 8:8

New Testament
6 Now the seven angels holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed. 10 Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; it landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 (Now the name of the star is Wormwood.) So a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... seven stars like great burning mountains — While “stars” is used in verse 15 is a term that points to the transgressing Watchers, the stars here are restricted to seven and are described as being “like burning mountains.” The conclusion must be that the term can be used of both divine beings and objects. The conceptual overlap between celestial objects and divine beings in ancient cosmology is behind this seeming incongruity. The same sort of star-entity equation is witnessed in the Hebrew Bible (Job 38:7–8; Daniel 12:2–3; cp. the phrase “host of heaven” for heavenly beings; e.g., 1 Kings 22:19 and 1 Enoch 18:14) ..."
Michael S. Heiser, A Companion to the Book of Enoch: A Reader's Commentary (Crane, MO: Defender, 2019), 1:183.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Comments

  • Does the book of Enoch what percent different from the old testament or the new testament? (2) Question what are the differences in revelation with the seven angles and there trumpet? My email address is [email protected] thank you for helping me understanding it better.

    Amanda Dumaw, July 23, 2023

  • Something happened in 2013. Which led me to the book of Enoch. I believe many truth seekers would be interested to know the events which are leading all of us to today, which soon would become the end of this epoch. Jesus is Enoch. He is the only begotten son, who went up into heaven and absorbed in ...

    Tjan Troy, August 8, 2025

1 Enoch 18:13 and Revelation 8:8

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