1 Enoch

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Chapter 62

1 The Lord commanded the kings, the mighty, the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, saying: 'Open your eyes and lift up your horns if you are able to recognize the Chosen One.'⁠ 2 The Lord of Spirits seated him on the throne of His glory,⁠ and the spirit of righteousness was poured out upon him. The words from his mouth slay all sinners, and all the unrighteous are destroyed from his presence.⁠ 3 On that day, all the kings, the mighty, the exalted, and those who hold the earth will stand, and they shall see and recognize how he sits on the throne of his glory, and how righteousness is judged before him, and no false word is spoken before him.⁠ 4 Pain will come upon them as upon a woman in childbirth,⁠ when her child enters the birth canal, and she feels the agony of delivery.⁠ 5 One group will look at another in terror, their faces will fall, and pain will seize them when they see the Son of Man sitting on the throne of his glory.⁠ 6 The kings, the mighty, and all who possess the earth shall bless, glorify, and exalt him who reigns over all, who was hidden. 7 From the beginning, the Son of Man was hidden, and the Most High preserved him in the presence of His power, and revealed him to the chosen. 8 The congregation of the chosen and holy shall be sown, and all the chosen shall stand before him on that day.⁠ 9 All the kings, the mighty, the exalted, and those who rule the earth will fall down before him on their faces, worship him, place their hopes in the Son of Man,⁠ and ask for mercy from him. 10 Yet the Lord of Spirits will compel them to leave His presence quickly, their faces filled with shame, and darkness will deepen upon their faces. 11 He will deliver them to the angels for punishment, to exact vengeance on them for oppressing His children and His chosen. 12 They will be a spectacle for the righteous and for His chosen: they will rejoice over them, because the anger of the Lord of Spirits rests upon them, and His sword is drunk with their blood. 13 The righteous and chosen will be saved on that day, and they will never again see the face of the sinners and unrighteous. 14 The Lord of Spirits will remain over them, and with the Son of Man, they will eat, lie down, and rise up forever and ever.⁠ 15 The righteous and chosen will rise from the earth, and no longer wear downcast expressions. They will be clothed in garments of glory. 16 These are the garments of life from the Lord of Spirits: your garments will not wear out, nor will your glory fade in the presence of the Lord of Spirits.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 62:4 and 1 Thessalonians 5:3

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

Summary

1 Thessalonians 5 describes sudden destruction like labor pains for a pregnant woman, apocalyptic language also found in 1 Enoch 62 where rulers experience anguish like a woman in childbirth when confronted with judgment.

Passages

1 Enoch 62:4

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

3 On that day, all the kings, the mighty, the exalted, and those who hold the earth will stand, and they shall see and recognize how he sits on the throne of his glory, and how righteousness is judged before him, and no false word is spoken before him. 4 Pain will come upon them as upon a woman in childbirth, when her child enters the birth canal, and she feels the agony of delivery. 5 One group will look at another in terror, their faces will fall, and pain will seize them when they see the Son of Man sitting on the throne of his glory. 6 The kings, the mighty, and all who possess the earth shall bless, glorify, and exalt him who reigns over all, who was hidden.

300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

1 Thessalonians 5:3

New Testament

1 Now on the topic of times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the night. 3 Now when they are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would. 5 For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. 6 So then we must not sleep as the rest, but must stay alert and sober.

41–51 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Thessalonians

References

"... A significant reason to regard 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 as a literary unit is based on Paul's use of apocalyptic symbols throughout the passage. Many of the symbols which Paul uses can be found in the Old Testament as well as in Jewish apocalyptic material. (That Paul is not creating his own imagery can be shown from its occurrence in Jewish apocalyptic material - e.g., the figure of judgment as 'travail upon an expectant mother' [compare 1 Thess 5:3; Matt 24:8] can be found in 1 Enoch 62:4 ...) However, the imagery Paul uses bears a striking resemblance to the eschatological teaching regarding the coming of the Son of Man in the Olivet discourse of the synoptic gospels, particularly the Matthean form. Although many of the symbols do occur in Jewish apocalyptic, the figures appear in isolated texts but never all together as one finds in the Matthean parallels. That Paul is drawing on traditional eschatological material is implied by his statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 in which he says, 'We say this to you by the word of the Lord.' ..."

Tracy L. Howard, “The Literary Unity of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11,” GTJ 9.2 (1988): 163–190.

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

1 Enoch108 chapters

Compare 1 Enoch 62:4 and 1 Thessalonians 5:3

Summary

Passages

1 Enoch 62:4

1 Thessalonians 5:3

References

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