The Book of Enoch with Commentary Chapter 3

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The Book of Enoch
with Commentary by Michael D. Fortner

Enoch Chapters 17-45

17:1 They raised me up into a certain place, where there was the appearance of a burning fire; and when they pleased they assumed the likeness of men.
Where there was-- Or, "where they [the angels] were like" (Knibb, p. 103).
2 They carried me to a lofty spot, to a mountain, the top of which reach to heaven.

3 And I beheld the receptacles of light and of thunder at the extremities of the place, where it was deepest. There was a bow of fire, and arrows in their quiver, a sword of fire, and every species of lightning.

4 Then they elevated me to a babbling stream, and to a fire in the west, which received all the setting of the sun. I came to a river of fire, which flowed like water, and emptied itself into the great sea westwards.
To a babbling stream-- Literally, "to water of life, which spoke" (Laurence).
5 I saw every large river, until I arrived at the great darkness. I went to where all of flesh migrate; and I beheld the mountains of the gloom which constitutes winter, and the place from which issues the water in every abyss.

6 I saw also the mouths of all the rivers in the world, and the mouths of the deep.

18:1 I then surveyed the receptacles of all the winds, perceiving that they contributed to adorn the whole creation, and to preserve the foundation of the earth.

2 I surveyed the stone which supports the corners of the earth.
3 I also beheld the four winds, which bear up the earth, and the firmament of heaven.
4 And I beheld the winds occupying the exalted sky.
5 Arising in the midst of heaven and of earth, and constituting the pillars of heaven.

6 I saw the winds which turn the sky, which cause the orb of the sun and of all the stars to set; and over the earth I saw the winds which support the clouds.

7 I saw the path of the angels.
8 I perceived at the extremity of the earth the firmament of heaven above it. Then I passed on towards the south;
9 Where burnt, both by day and night, six mountains formed of glorious stones; three towards the east, and three towards the south.

10 Those which were towards the east were of a variegated stone; one of which was of margarite, and another of antimony. Those towards the south were of a red stone. The middle one reached to heaven like the throne of God; a throne composed of alabaster, the top of which was of sapphire. I saw, too, a blazing fire hanging over all the mountains.

11 And there I saw a place on the other side of an extended territory, where waters were collected.
12 I likewise beheld terrestrial fountains, deep in the fiery columns of heaven.

13 And in the columns of heaven I beheld fires, which descended without number, but neither on high, nor into the deep. Over these fountains also I perceived a place which had neither the firmament of heaven above it, nor the solid ground underneath it; neither was there water above it; nor anything on wing; but the spot was desolate.

14 And there I beheld seven stars, like great blazing mountains, and like spirits entreating me.
15 Then the angel said, This place, until the consummation of heaven and earth, will be the prison of the stars, and the host of heaven.

16 The stars which roll over fire are those which transgressed the commandment of God before their time arrived; for they came not in their proper season. Therefore was He offended with them, and bound them, until the period of the consummation of their crimes in the secret year. <
Read carefully the following passage from Irenaeus--
"It is impossible that the Gospels can be more or less than they are. For as there are four zones in the world which we inhabit, and four principal winds, while the Church is spread abroad throughout the earth, and the pillar and basis of the Church is the gospel and the spirit of life, it is right that she should have four pillars exhaling immortality on every side, and bestowing renewed vitality on men. From which [fact] it follows that the Word has given us four versions of the Gospel, united by one spirit."
Though Irenaeus did not say where he got this information, he evidently got it from Enoch. Even though the Book of Enoch was a banned book during the Middle Ages, its symbolical comology was accepted as fact.

19:1 Then Uriel said, Here the angels, who cohabited with women, appointed their leaders;

2 And being numerous in appearance made men profane, and caused them to err; so that they sacrificed to devils as to gods. For in the great day there shall be a judgment, with which they shall be judged, until they are consumed; and their wives also shall be judged, who led astray the angels of heaven that they might salute them.
Being numerous in appearance-- Or, "assuming many forms" (Knibb, p. 106). The apostle Paul said, "the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God" (1 Corinthians 10:20).
3 And I, Enoch, I alone saw the likeness of the end of all things. Nor did any human being see it, as I saw it.

20:1 These are the names of the angels who watch.
2 Uriel, one of the holy angels, who presides over clamor and terror.
3 Raphael, one of the holy angels, who presides over the spirits of men.
4 Raguel, one of the holy angels, who inflicts punishment on the world and the luminaries.

5 Michael, one of the holy angels, who, presiding over human virtue, commands the nations.
6 Sarakiel, one of the holy angels, who presides over the spirits of the children of men that transgress.
7 Gabriel, one of the holy angels, who presides over Ikisat, over paradise, and over the cherubim.
Ikisat-- The serpents (Charles; Knibb, p. 107). Laurence says, "This appears to be a proper name."

21:1 Then I made a circuit to a place in which nothing was completed.
2 And there I beheld neither the tremendous workmanship of an exalted heaven, nor of an established earth, but a desolate spot, prepared, and terrific.

3 There, too, I beheld seven stars of heaven bound in it together, like great mountains, and like a blazing fire. I exclaimed, For what species of crime have they been bound, and why have they been removed to this place? Then Uriel, one of the holy angels who was with me, and who conducted me, answered: Enoch, wherefore do you ask; wherefore do you reason with yourself, and anxiously inquire? These are those of the stars which have transgressed the commandment of the most high God; and are here bound, until the infinite number of the days of their crimes be completed.

4 From thence I afterwards passed on to another terrific place;
5 where I beheld the operation of a great fire blazing and glittering, in the midst of which there was a division. Columns of fire struggled together to the end of the abyss, and deep was their descent. But neither its measurement nor magnitude was I able to discover; neither could I perceive its origin. Then I exclaimed, "How terrible is this place, and how difficult to explore!"

6 Uriel, one of the holy angels who was with me, answered and said: "Enoch, why are you alarmed and amazed at this terrific place, at the sight of this place of suffering? This," he said, "is the prison of the angels; and here they are kept for ever."
The above must be the first mention of Hell. Next is the first description of Paradise:
22:1 From thence I proceeded to another spot, where I saw on the west a great and lofty mountain, a strong rock, and four delightful places.

2 Internally it was deep, capacious, and very smooth; as smooth as if it had been rolled over: it was both deep and dark to behold.

3 Then Raphael, one of the holy angels who were with me, answered and said, "These are the delightful places where the spirits, the souls of the dead, will be collected; for them were they formed; and here will be collected all the souls of the sons of men.

4 These places, in which they dwell, shall they occupy until the day of judgment, and until their appointed period.

5 Their appointed period will be long, even until the great judgment." And I saw the spirits of the sons of men who were dead; and their voices reached to heaven, while they were accusing.

Some religious groups teach that humans do not have immortal souls that live on after the death of the body, even though there is ample evidence for this in the New Testament. But no one can dispute the numerous clear statements about it here in Enoch.
6 Then I inquired of Raphael, an angel who was with me, and said, "Whose spirit is that, the voice of which reaches to heaven, and accuses?"
7 He answered, saying, "This is the spirit of Abel, who was slain by Cain his brother; and who will accuse that brother, until his seed be destroyed from the face of the earth;
8 until his seed perish from the seed of the human race."

9 At that time therefore I inquired respecting him, and respecting the general judgment saying, "Why is one separated from another?" He answered, "Three separations have been made between the spirits of the dead, and thus have the spirits of the righteous been separated.

10 Namely, by a chasm, by water, and by light above it.
11 And in the same way likewise are sinners seaparated when they die, and are buried in the earth; judgment not overtaking them in their lifetime.
12 Here their souls are separated. Moreover, abundant is their suffering until the time of the great judgment, the castigation, and the torment of those who eternally execrate, whose souls are punished and bound there for ever.

13 And thus has it been from the beginning of the world. Thus has there existed a separation between the souls of those who utter complaints, and of those who watch for their destruction, to slaughter them in the day of sinners.
14 A receptacle of this sort has been formed for the souls of unrightous men, and of sinners; of those who have completed crime, and associated with the impious, whom they resemble. Their souls shall not be annihilated in the day of judgment, neither shall they arise from this place. Then I blessed God,
15 and said, "Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of glory and of righteousness, who reigns over all for ever and for ever."
Since there is very little in the Old Testament about hell, it is probable that the New Testament concept of hell was derived from Enoch, especially these passages. Jesus mentions the abode of the dead and a chasm between them; one abode he called "Abraham's Bosom" (Luke 16:22); this leads great credibility to the Book of Enoch.
23:1 From there I went to another place, towards the west, unto the extremities of the earth.
2 Where I beheld a fire blazing and running along without cessation, which intermitted its course neither by day nor by night; but continued always the same.

3 I inquired, saying, What is this, which never ceases?
4 Then Raguel, one of the holy angels who were with me, answered,
5 And said, This blazing fire, which you behold running towards the west, is that of all the luminaries of heaven.
The blazing fire was made up of the same stuff as our Sun, or it symbolically represented the Sun and the other suns in the universe. The next passage describes a tree that will be on Earth during the Millennial rule of Christ:
24:1 I went from thence to another place, and saw a mountain of fire flashing both by day and night. I proceeded towards it; and perceived seven splendid mountains, which were all different from each other.

2 Their stones were brilliant and beautiful; all were brilliant and splendid to behold; and beautiful was their surface. Three mountains were towards the east, and strengthened by being placed one upon another; and three were towards the south, strengthened in a similar manner. There were likewise deep valleys, which did not approach each other. And the seventh mountain was in the midst of them. In length they all resembled the seat of a throne, and odoriferous trees surrounded them.
3 Among these there was a tree of an unceasing smell; nor of those which were in Eden was there one of all the fragrant trees which smelt like this. Its leaf, its flower, and its bark never withered, and its fruit was beautiful.

4 Its fruit resembled the cluster of a palm. I exclaimed, "Behold! this tree is goodly in aspect, pleasing in its leaf, and the sight of its fruit is delightful to the eye." Then Michael, one of the holy and glorious angels who were with me, and one who presided over them, answered,
5 and said: "Enoch, why do you inquire respecting the odour of this tree?
6 Why are you inquisitive to know it?"

7 Then I, Enoch, replied to him, and said, "Concerning everything I am desirous of instruction, but particularly concerning this tree."
8 He answered me, saying, "That mountain which you see, the extent of whose head resembles the seat of the Lord, will be the seat on which shall sit the holy and great Lord of glory, the everlasting King, when he shall come and descend to visit the earth with goodness.
9 And that tree of an agreeable smell, not one of carnal odour, there shall be no power to touch, until the period of the great judgment. When all shall be punished and consumed for ever, this shall be bestowed on the righteous and humble. The fruit of this tree shall be given to the elect. For towards the north life shall be planted in the holy place, towards the habitation of the everlasting King.

10 Then shall they greatly rejoice and exult in the Holy One. The sweet odour shall enter into their bones; and they shall live a long life on the earth, as your forefathers have lived; neither in their days shall sorrow, distress, trouble, and punishment afflict them."
11 And I blessed the Lord of glory, the everlasting King, because He has prepared this tree for the saints, formed it, and declared that He would give it to them.
Wow! Enoch tells us that Christ will sit here on this Earth and that the tree will be a literal tree upon Earth. It will be for Christians during the Millinnium, which is after the next judgment. It will cause us to live hundreds of years, (unless it is symbolism representing those who will be in the resurrection.) Those before the Flood lived very long, Noah lived 950 years!

At the end of the present age, there will be another consummation like the flood of Noah, only the next judgment will be with fire when God will kill most of the world's population. The survivors will go into the next age when they will live long healthy lives as also described by the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament, who said that everyone who does not live to be 100 will be considered cursed (Isaiah 65:20).

Next Enoch sees a mountain and a valley where the accursed of God will be gathered. The angel Uriel explains:
25:1 From there I proceeded to the middle of the earth, and beheld a happy and fertile spot, which contained branches continually sprouting from the trees which were planted in it. There I saw a holy mountain, and underneath it water on the eastern side, which flowed towards the south. I saw also on the east another mountain as high as that; and between them there were deep, but not wide valleys.

2 Water ran towards the mountain to the west of this; and underneath there was likewise another mountain.

3 There was a valley, but not a wide one, below it; and in the midst of them were other deep and dry valleys towards the extremity of the three. All these valleys, which were deep, but not side, consisted of a strong rock, with a tree which was planted in them. And I wondered at the rock and at the valleys, being extremely surprised.

26:1 Then I said, What means this blessed land, all these lofty trees, and the accursed valley between them?

2 Then Uriel, one of the holy angels who were with me, replied, This valley is the accursed of the accursed for ever. Here shall be collected all who utter with their mouths unbecoming language against God, and speak harsh things of His glory. Here shall they be collected. Here shall be their territory.
This passage may have been one of the passages that Jude based the later part of his quote from Enoch: "and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
3 In the latter days an example of judgment shall be made of them in righteousness before the saints; while those who have received mercy shall for ever, all their days, bless God, the everlasting King.
Does this refer to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Peter said they were destroyed as an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly (2 Peter 2:6).
4 And at the period of judgment shall they bless Him for his mercy, as He has distributed it to them. Then I blessed God, addressing myself to Him, and making mention, as was meet, of His greatness.

27:1 From there I proceeded towards the east to the middle of the mountain in the desert, the level surface only of which I perceived.
2 It was full of trees of the seed alluded to; and water leaped down upon it.

3 There appeared a cataract composed as of many cataracts both towards the west and towards the east. Upon one side were trees; upon the other water and dew.

28:1 Then I went to another place from the desert; towards the east of that mountain which I had approached.

2 There I beheld choice trees, particularly, those which produce the sweet-smelling opiate, frankincense and myrrh; and trees unlike to each other.
Choice trees-- Literally, "trees of judgment" (Laurence).
3 And over it, above them, was the elevation of the eastern mountain at no great distance.

29:1 I likewise saw another place with valleys of water which never wasted,
2 Where I perceived a goodly tree, which in smell resembled Zasakinon.
3 And towards the sides of these valleys I perceived cinnamon of a sweet odour. Over them I advanced towards the east.

30:1 Then I beheld another mountain containing trees, from which water flowed like Neketro, Its name was Sarira, and Kalboneba. And upon this mountain I beheld another mountain, upon which were trees of Alva.
Neketro-- A nectar (Knibb, p. 119).
Sarira, and Kalboneba-- Styrax and galbanum (Knibb, p. 119).
Alva-- Aloe (Knibb, p. 119).
2 These trees were full, like almond trees, and strong; and when they produced fruit, it was superior to all redolence.

31:1 After these things, surveying the entrances of the north, above the mountains, I perceived seven mountains replete with pure nard, odoriferous trees, cinnamon and papyrus.

2 From thence I passed on above the summits of those mountains to some distance eastwards, and went over the Erythraean sea. And when I saw advanced far beyond it, I passed along above the angel Zateel, and arrived at the garden of righteousness. In this garden I beheld, among other trees, some which were numerous and large, and which flourished there.
The Red Sea.
3 Their fragrance was agreeable and powerful, and their appearance both varied and elegant. The tree of knowledge also was there, of which if any one eats, he becomes endowed with great wisdom.
4 It was like a species of the tamarind tree, bearing fruit which resembled grapes extremely fine; and its fragrance extended to a considerable distance. I exclaimed, "How beautiful is this tree, and how delightful is its appearance!"

5 Then the holy Raphael, an angel who was with me, answered and said, "This is the tree of knowledge, of which they ancient father and your aged mother ate, who were before you; and who, obtaining knowledge, their eyes being opened, and knowing themselves to be naked, were expelled from the garden."
Raphael does not say that Adam and Eve were Enoch's actual father and mother, but they were in the sense of being his ancestral parents.

32:1 From there I went on towards the extremities of the earth; where I saw large beasts different from each other, and birds various in their countenances and forms, as well as with notes of different sounds.

2 To the east of these beasts I perceived the extremities of the earth, where heaven ceased. The gates of heaven stood open, and I beheld the celestial stars come forth. I numbered them as they proceeded out of the gate, and wrote them all down, as they came out one by one according to their number. I wrote down their names altogether, their times and their seasons, as the angel Uriel, who was with me, pointed them out to me.

3 He showed them all to me, and wrote down an account of them.
4 He also wrote down for me their names, their regulations, and their operations.

33:1 From thence I advanced on towards the north, to the extremities of the earth.
2 And there I saw a great and glorious wonder at the extremities of the whole earth.

3 I saw there heavenly gates opening into heaven; three of the distinctly separated. The northern winds proceeded from them, blowing cold, hail, frost, snow, dew, and rain.

4 From one of the gates they blew mildly; but when they blew from the two other gates, it was with violence and force. They blew over the earth strongly.
We know that there are no gates in the upper atmosphere from which blows the different winds; does this mean the book of Enoch is false? Certainly not. God was not going to give him a scientic explanation of wind. Enoch explains this:

34:1 From there I went to the extremities of the world westwards;
2 Where I perceived three gates open, as I had seen in the north; the gates and passages through them being of equal magnitude.

35:1 Then I proceeded to the extremities of the earth southwards; where I saw three gates open to the south, from which issued dew, rain, and wind.

2 From there I went to the extremities of heaven eastwards; where I saw three heavenly gates open to the east, which had smaller gates within them. Through each of these small gates the stars of heaven passed on, and proceeded towards the west by a path which was seen by them, and that at every period of their appearance.

3 When I beheld them, I blessed; every time in which they appeared, I blessed the Lord of glory, who had made those great and splendid signs, that they might display the magnificence of this works to angels and to the souls of men; and that these might glorify all his works and operations; might see the effect of his power; might glorify the great labour of his hands; and bless him for ever.

36 (There is no chapter 36.)

Book Two - The Parables
37:1 The vision which he saw, the second vision of wisdom, which Enoch saw, the son of Jared, the son of Malaleel, the son of Canan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam. This is the commencement of the word of wisdom, which I received to declare and tell to those who dwell upon earth. Hear from the beginning, and understand to the end, the holy things which I utter in the presence of the Lord of spirits. Those who were before us thought it good to speak;

2 And let not us, who come after, obstruct the beginning of wisdom. Until the present period never has there been given before the Lord of spirits that which I have received, wisdom according to the capacity of my intellect, and according to the pleasure of the Lord of spirits; that which I have received from him, a portion of life eternal.

3 And I obtained three parables, which I declared to the inhabitants of the world.
The book of Enoch was merely the beginning of wisdom, and according to his ability to comprehend. God did not reveal to him what he could not understand.

38:1 Parable the first. When the congregation of the righteous shall be manifested; and sinners be judged for their crimes, and be troubled in the sight of the world;

2 when righteousness shall be manifested in the presence of the righteous themselves, who will be elected for their good works duly weighed by the Lord of spirits; and when the light of the righteous and the elect, who dwell on earth, shall be manifested; where will the habitation of sinners be? and where the place of rest for those who have rejected the Lord of spirits? It would have been better for them, had they never been born.
When righteousness shall be manifested-- Or, "when the Righteous One appears" (Knibb, p. 125; cp. Charles).
3 When, too, the secrets of the righteous shall be revealed, then shall sinners be judged; and impious men shall be afflicted in the presence of the righteous and the elect.

4 From that period those who possess the earth shall cease to be powerful and exalted. Neither shall they be capable of beholding the countenances of the holy; for the light of the countenances of the holy, the righteous, and the elect, has been seen by the Lord of spirits.
Or, "for the light of the Lord of spirits will have appeared on the face of the holy, the righteous, and the chosen" (Knibb, p. 126).
5 Yet shall not the mighty kings of that period be destroyed; but be delivered into the hands of the righteous and the holy.
6 Nor thenceforwards shall any obtain commiseration from the Lord of spirits, because their lives in this world will have been completed.

This passage resembles statements made by Jesus and Daniel. Jesus said it would be better had Judas never been born and referred to the elect. Daniel said the kingdoms of this world will be handed over to the righteous (7:27); this will happen at the start of the Millennium Reign of Christ.

39:1 In those days shall the elect and the holy race descend from the upper heavens, and their seed shall then be with the sons of men. Enoch received books of indignation and wrath, and books of hurry and agitation.
2 Never shall they obtain mercy, saith the Lord of spirits.
Notice that the elect will descend from heaven, this probably refers to the saints coming from heaven to Earth with Christ at the start of the Millennial rule of Christ on Earth; or the rapture which is very close to the Millennial rule. The wicked will not obtain mercy because this time is also the Day of Judgment.
3 A cloud then snatched me up, and the wind raised me above the surface of the earth, placing me at the extremity of the heavens.
4 There I saw another vision; I saw the habitations and couches of the saints. There my eyes beheld their habitations with the angels, and their couches with the holy ones. They were entreating, supplicating, and praying for the sons of me; while righteousness like water flowed before them, and mercy like dew was scattered over the earth.

5 At that time my eyes beheld the dwelling of the elect, of truth, faith, and rightesousness.
6 Countless shall be the number of the holy and the elect, in the presence of God for ever and for ever.
7 Their residence I beheld under the wings of the Lord of spirits. All the holy and the elect sung before him, in appearance like a blaze of fire; their mouths being full of blessings, and their lips glorifying the name of the Lord of spirits. And righteousness incessantly dwelt before him.

8 There was I desirous of remaining, and my sould longed for that habitation. There was my antecedent inheritance; for thus had I prevailed before the Lord of spirits.
9 At that time I glorified and extolled the name of the Lord of spirits with blessing and with praise; for he has established it with blessing and with praise, according to his own good pleasure.

10 That place long did my eyes contemplate. I blessed and said, "Blessed be he, blessed from the beginning for ever. In the beginning, before the world was created, and without end is his knowledge.
11 What is this world? Of every existing generation those shall bless you who do not sleep in the dust, but stand before they glory, blessing, glorifying, exalting you, and saying, 'The holy, holy, Lord of spirits, fills the whole world of spirits.'"

12 There my eyes beheld all who, without sleeping, standing before him and bless him, saying, "Blessed be you, and blessed be the name of God for ever and for ever." Then my countenance became changed, until I was incapable of seeing.

40:1 After this I beheld thousands of thousands, and myriads of myriads, and an infinite number of people, standing before the Lord of spirits.

2 On the four wings likewise of the Lord of spirits, on the four sides, I perceived others, besides those who were standing before him. Their names, too, I know; because the angel, who proceeded with me, declared them to me, discovering to me every secret thing.

3 Then I heard the voices of those upon the four sides magnifying the Lord of glory.
4 The first voice blessed the Lord of spirits for ever and for ever.
5 The second voice I heard blessing the Elect One, and the elect who suffer on account of the Lord of spirits.
Suffer-- Or, "are crucified or tormented" (Laurence).
6 The third voice I heard petitioning and praying for those who dwell upon earth, and supplicate the name of the Lord of spirits.

7 The fourth voice I heard expelling the impious angels, and prohibiting them from entering into the presence of the Lord of spirits, to prefer accusations against the inhabitants of the earth.
Impious angels-- Literally, "the Satans" (Laurence; Knibb, p. 128). Ha-satan in Hebrew ("the adversary") was originally the title of an office, not the name of an angel.
Prefer accusations against-- Or, "to accuse" (Charles).
8 After this I besought the angel of peace, who proceeded with me, to explain all that was concealed. I said to him, Who are those whom I have seen on the four sides, and whose words I have heard and written down? He replied, The first is the merciful, the patient, the holy Michael.

9 The second is he who presides over every suffering and every affliction of the sons of men, the holy Raphael. The third, who presides over all that is powerful, is Gabriel. And the fourth, who presides over repentance, and the hope of those who will inherit eternal life, is Phanuel. These are the four angels of the most high God, and their four voices, which at that time I heard.
Here we have the names of four archangels, Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Phanuel. Only Michael and Gabriel are mentioned in the Bible.

41:1 After this I beheld the secrets of the heavens and of paradise, according to its divisions; and of human action, as they weight it there in balances. I saw the habitations of the elect, and the habitations of the holy. And there my eyes beheld all the sinners, who denied the Lord of glory, and whom they were expelling from there, and dragging away, as they stood there; no punishment proceeding against them from the Lord of spirits.

2 There, too, my eyes beheld the secrets of the lightning and the thunder; and the secrets of the winds, how they are distributed as they blow over the earth: the secrets of the winds, of the dew, and of the clouds. There I perceived the place from which they issued forth, and became saturated with the dust of the earth.

3 There I saw the wooden receptacles out of which the winds became separated, the receptacle of hail, the receptacle of snow, the receptacle of the clouds, and the cloud itself, which continued over the earth before the creation of the world.

4 I beheld also the receptacles of the moon, whence they came, whither they proceeded, their glorious return, and how one became more splendid than another. I marked their rich progress, their unchangeable progress, their disunited and undiminished progress; their observance of a mutual fidelity by a stable oath; their proceeding forth before the sun, and their adherence to the path allotted them, in obedience to the command of the Lord of spirits. Potent is his name for ever and for ever.
Or, "the sun goes out first and completes its journey" (Knibb, p. 129; cp. Charles).
5 After this I perceived, that the path both concealed and manifest of the moon, as well as the progress of its path, was there completed by day and by night; while each, one with another, looked towards the Lord of spirits, magnifying and praising without cessation, since praise to them is rest; for in the splendid sun there is a frequent conversion to blessing and to malediction.

6 The course of the moon�s path to the righteous is light, but to sinners it is darkness; in the name of the Lord of spirits, who created a division between light and darkness, and, separating the spirits of men, strengthened the spirits of the righteous in the name of his own righteousness.

7 Nor does the angel prevent this, neither is he endowed with the power of preventing it; for the Judge beholds them all, and judges them all in his own presence.

42:1 Wisdom found not a place on earth where she could inhabit; her dwelling therefore is in heaven.

2 Wisdom went forth to dwell among the sons of men, but she obtained not a habitation. Wisdom returned to her place, and seated herself in the midst of the angels. But iniquity went forth after her return, who unwillingly found a habitation, and resided among them, as rain in the desert, and as a dew in a thirsty land.

43:1 I beheld another splendour, and the stars of heaven. I observed that he called them all by their respective names, and that they heard. In a righteous balance I saw that he weighed out with their light the amplitude of their places, and the day of their appearance, and their conversion. Splendour produced splendour; and their conversion was into the number of the angels, and of the faithful.

2 Then I inquired of the angel, who proceeded with me, and explained to me secret things, What their names were. He answered. A similitude of those has the Lord of spirits shown you. They are names of the righteous who dwell upon earth, and who believe in the name of the Lord of spirits for ever and for ever.

44:1 Another thing also I saw respecting splendour; that it rises out of the stars, and becomes splendour; being incapable of forsaking them.

45:1 Parable the second, respecting these who deny the name of the habitation of the holy ones, and of the Lord of spirits.
2 Heaven they shall not ascend, nor shall they come on the earth. This shall be the portion of sinners, who deny the name of the Lord of spirits, and who are thus reserved for the day of punishment and of affliction.

3 [God said,] "In that day shall the Elect One sit upon a throne of glory; and shall choose their conditions and countless habitations (while their spirits within them shall be strengthened, when they behold my Elect One), shall choose them for those who have fled for protection to my holy and glorious name.

4 In that day I will cause my Elect One to dwell in the midst of them; will change the face of heaven; will bless it, and illuminate it for ever.

5 I will also change the face of the earth; will bless it; and cause those whom I have elected to dwell upon it. But those who have committed sin and iniquity shall not inhabit it, for I have marked their proceedings. My rightous ones will I satisfy with peace, placing them before me; but the condemnation of sinners shall draw near, that I may destroy them from the face of the earth."
The "Elect One" is Jesus, the Son of God. He will dwell on Earth during the Millennium. The sinners will be destroyed during the next global destruction just before Christ returns to rule.

You will read later that the planets of this solar system will change their orbits. When this happens to Earth, the face of heaven will change, that is, we will see a different pattern of stars in the sky.

God will also change the face of Earth. The Flood certainly change Earth's surface, so will the fire that is coming at the next judgment.