Walk With God in These Turbulent Times

“Enoch kept walking with the true God. Then he was no more, for God took him.”​—GENESIS 5:24.

1. What are some features of our times that make them calamitous?

TURBULENT times! Those words well describe the years of unrest and violence that mankind has lived through since the birth of the Messianic Kingdom in 1914. During all that time, humans have been in “the last days.” Such calamities as famines, diseases, earthquakes, and wars have plagued them on an unprecedented scale. (2 Timothy 3:1; Revelation 6:1-8) Those who worship Jehovah have not been exempt. To a greater or lesser degree, we all have to cope with the hardships and uncertainties of the times. Economic pressures, political unrest, crime, and sickness are among the things that make life very difficult.

2. What challenges have Jehovah’s servants faced?

² In addition, many of Jehovah’s servants have endured wave after wave of intense persecution as Satan has kept waging war against those “who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17) And while we have not all suffered direct persecution, all true Christians have to struggle against Satan the Devil and the spirit that he engenders among mankind. (Ephesians 2:2; 6:12) It takes constant vigilance not to be influenced by that spirit, since we encounter it at work, at school, and in any other place where we have to rub shoulders with those who have no interest in pure worship.

Walk With God, Not With the Nations

3, 4. In what way are Christians different from the world?

³ Back in the first century, Christians likewise fought hard against the spirit of this world, and that made them very different from those outside the Christian congregation. Paul described the difference when he wrote: “This, therefore, I say and bear witness to in the Lord, that you no longer go on walking just as the nations also walk in the unprofitableness of their minds, while they are in darkness mentally, and alienated from the life that belongs to God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the insensibility of their hearts. Having come to be past all moral sense, they gave themselves over to loose conduct to work uncleanness of every sort with greediness.”​—Ephesians 4:17-19.

⁴ How eloquently those words describe the deep spiritual and moral darkness of this world​—both in Paul’s day and in ours! As in the first century, Christians today do not ‘go on walking as the nations do.’ Rather, they enjoy the wonderful privilege of walking with God. True, some people may question whether it is reasonable to say that lowly, imperfect humans walk with Jehovah. However, the Bible shows that they can. Moreover, Jehovah expects them to do so. In the eighth century before our Common Era, the prophet Micah wrote the following inspired words: “What is Jehovah asking back from you but to exercise justice and to love kindness and to be modest in walking with your God?”​—Micah 6:8.

How and Why Walk With God?

5. How can an imperfect human walk with God?

⁵ How can we walk with the all-powerful, invisible God? Clearly, not in the way that we walk with fellow humans. In the Bible the expression “to walk” can mean “to follow a certain course of action.”a With this in mind, we understand that one who walks with God follows a life course outlined by God and pleasing to him. Pursuing such a course makes us different from most of the people around us. Yet, it is the only proper choice for a Christian. Why? There are many reasons.

6, 7. Why is walking with God the very best course?

⁶ First, Jehovah is our Creator, the Source of our life, and the Provider of all that we need to sustain life. (Revelation 4:11) As a result, only he has the right to tell us how to walk. In addition, walking with God is the most beneficial course possible. For those who walk with him, Jehovah has made provision for the forgiveness of sin, and he offers the sure hope of everlasting life. Our all-loving heavenly Father also provides wise counsel that helps those who walk with him to make a success of life now, despite their being imperfect and living in a world that is lying in Satan’s power. (John 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:15, 16; 1 John 1:8; 2:25; 5:19) A further reason for walking with God is that our willingness to do so contributes to the peace and unity of the congregation.​—Colossians 3:15, 16.

⁷ Finally, and most important, when we walk with God, we show where we stand on the great issue that was raised back in the garden of Eden​—the issue of sovereignty. (Genesis 3:1-6) We demonstrate by our life course that we stand squarely on Jehovah’s side, and we fearlessly proclaim that he alone is the rightful Sovereign. (Psalm 83:18) We thus act in harmony with our prayer that God’s name be sanctified and his will be done. (Matthew 6:9, 10) How wise are those who choose to walk with God! They can be sure that they are going in the right direction, since Jehovah is “wise alone.” He never makes a mistake.​—Romans 16:27.

8. How were the times of Enoch and Noah similar to our time?

⁸ How, though, is it possible to live as Christians should when times are so turbulent and most people have no interest in serving Jehovah? We see the answer when we consider faithful men of old who kept their integrity during very difficult times. Two of these were Enoch and Noah. Both of them lived in times quite similar to our own. Wickedness was rampant. In Noah’s day the earth was filled with violence and immorality. Yet, Enoch and Noah resisted the spirit of the world of their time and walked with Jehovah. How were they able to do so? To answer that question, we will in this article discuss the example of Enoch. In the following article, we will consider Noah.

Enoch Walked With God in Turbulent Times

9. What information do we have about Enoch?

⁹ Enoch was the first person described in the Scriptures as walking with God. The Bible record says: “After his fathering Methuselah Enoch went on walking with the true God.” (Genesis 5:22) Then, after reporting the length of Enoch’s life​—which, while long compared with our life span, was short for those days—​the record says: “Enoch kept walking with the true God. Then he was no more, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24) Evidently, Jehovah transferred Enoch from the land of the living to the sleep of death before opposers could lay hold of him. (Hebrews 11:5, 13) Apart from those brief verses, there are few references to Enoch in the Bible. Nevertheless, from the information that we have and from other indications, we have good reason to say that Enoch’s times were turbulent.

10, 11. (a) How did corruption spread after the rebellion of Adam and Eve? (b) What prophetic message did Enoch preach, and what response did he surely meet up with?

¹⁰ Consider, for example, how quickly corruption spread in the human race after Adam sinned. The Bible tells us that Adam’s firstborn son, Cain, became the first human murderer when he killed his brother Abel. (Genesis 4:8-10) After Abel’s violent death, another son was born to Adam and Eve, and they named him Seth. Of him, we read: “To Seth also there was born a son and he proceeded to call his name Enosh. At that time a start was made of calling on the name of Jehovah.” (Genesis 4:25, 26) Sadly, that “calling on the name of Jehovah” was in an apostate way.b Many years after the birth of Enosh, a descendant of Cain named Lamech composed a song for his two wives proclaiming that he had killed a young man who wounded him. He also warned: “If seven times Cain is to be avenged, then Lamech seventy times and seven.”​—Genesis 4:10, 19, 23, 24.

¹¹ Such brief facts as the foregoing indicate that the corruption introduced by Satan in the garden of Eden quickly led to the spread of wickedness among Adam’s descendants. In such a world, Enoch was a prophet of Jehovah whose powerful inspired words resonate even today. Jude reports that Enoch prophesied: “Look! Jehovah came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment against all, and to convict all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly deeds that they did in an ungodly way, and concerning all the shocking things that ungodly sinners spoke against him.” (Jude 14, 15) Those words will find their final fulfillment at Armageddon. (Revelation 16:14, 16) Still, we can be sure that even in Enoch’s day, there were many “ungodly sinners” who heard Enoch’s prophecy with annoyance. How loving that Jehovah took the prophet out of their reach!

What Strengthened Enoch to Walk With God?

12. What made Enoch different from his contemporaries?

¹² Back in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve listened to Satan, and Adam rebelled against Jehovah. (Genesis 3:1-6) Their son Abel followed a different course, and Jehovah looked with favor upon him. (Genesis 4:3, 4) Unhappily, the majority of Adam’s offspring were not like Abel. However, Enoch, born hundreds of years later, was. What was the difference between Enoch and so many other descendants of Adam? The apostle Paul answered that question when he wrote: “By faith Enoch was transferred so as not to see death, and he was nowhere to be found because God had transferred him; for before his transference he had the witness that he had pleased God well.” (Hebrews 11:5) Enoch was part of a great “cloud of [pre-Christian] witnesses,” who were sterling examples of faith. (Hebrews 12:1) It was faith that enabled Enoch to endure in right conduct throughout a lifetime of over 300 years​—more than three lifetimes for most of us today!

13. What kind of faith did Enoch have?

¹³ Paul described the faith of Enoch and other witnesses when he wrote: “Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” (Hebrews 11:1) Yes, faith is the confident expectation, based on assurances, that the things we hope for will come true. It involves an expectation so strong that it affects the focus of our life. That kind of faith enabled Enoch to walk with God even though the world around him did not.

14. Upon what accurate knowledge might Enoch’s faith have been based?

¹⁴ True faith is based on accurate knowledge. What knowledge did Enoch have? (Romans 10:14, 17; 1 Timothy 2:4) Undoubtedly, he knew about the events in Eden. Probably, he also heard about what life had been like in the garden in Eden​—which was perhaps still in existence, although barred to humans. (Genesis 3:23, 24) And he knew of God’s purpose that Adam’s offspring would fill the earth and make the whole planet like that original Paradise. (Genesis 1:28) In addition, Enoch surely cherished Jehovah’s promise to produce a Seed that would crush Satan’s head and undo the ill effects of Satan’s deception. (Genesis 3:15) Indeed, Enoch’s own inspired prophecy, preserved in the book of Jude, has to do with the destruction of Satan’s seed. Since Enoch had faith, we know that he worshipped Jehovah as the one who “becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Hence, while Enoch did not possess all the knowledge that we do, he had enough to form the foundation of a firm faith. With such a faith, he kept his integrity during turbulent times.

Imitate Enoch’s Example

15, 16. How can we follow Enoch’s course?

¹⁵ Since, like Enoch, we want to please Jehovah during the turbulent times that exist today, we do well to follow Enoch’s example. We need to gain and retain accurate knowledge of Jehovah and his purpose. But we need more. We need to allow that accurate knowledge to direct our course. (Psalm 119:101; 2 Peter 1:19) We need to be guided by God’s thinking, always striving to please him with our every thought and action.

¹⁶ We have no record of who else in Enoch’s time was serving Jehovah, but clearly he was either alone or part of a small minority. We too are a minority in the world, but that does not dismay us. Jehovah will support us no matter who may be against us. (Romans 8:31) Enoch courageously warned about the coming destruction of ungodly men. We too are courageous as we preach “this good news of the kingdom” despite mockery, opposition, and persecution. (Matthew 24:14) Enoch did not live as long as many of his contemporaries. Still, his hope was not in that world. He had his eye fixed on something far grander. (Hebrews 11:10, 35) We too have our eye fixed on the fulfillment of Jehovah’s purpose. Hence, we do not use this world to the full. (1 Corinthians 7:31) Instead, we use our strength and resources primarily in Jehovah’s service.

17. What knowledge do we have that Enoch did not have, so what should we do?

¹⁷ Enoch had faith that the Seed promised by God would appear in Jehovah’s due time. It has now been almost 2,000 years since that Seed​—Jesus Christ—​appeared, provided the ransom, and opened the way for us, as well as for such faithful ancient witnesses as Enoch, to inherit everlasting life. That Seed, now enthroned as King of God’s Kingdom, cast Satan out of heaven down to this earth, and we see the resulting tribulation all around us. (Revelation 12:12) Yes, there is far more knowledge available to us than was available to Enoch. May we, then, have firm faith as he did. May our confidence in the fulfillment of God’s promises influence everything we do. May we, like Enoch, walk with God, although we live in turbulent times.

[Footnotes]

We Shall Walk in the Name of Jehovah Our God

“We, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.”​—MICAH 4:5.

1. As regards morality, what was the situation in Noah’s day, and how was Noah different?

THE first man mentioned in the Bible as walking with God was Enoch. The second was Noah. The record tells us: “Noah was a righteous man. He proved himself faultless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with the true God.” (Genesis 6:9) By Noah’s time, mankind in general had deviated from pure worship. The bad situation was made worse by unfaithful angels who formed unnatural unions with women and produced offspring called Nephilim, “the mighty ones,” or “the men of fame,” of those days. No wonder the earth became filled with violence! (Genesis 6:2, 4, 11) Still, Noah proved himself faultless and was “a preacher of righteousness.” (2 Peter 2:5) When God commanded him to build an ark for the preservation of life, Noah obediently “proceeded to do according to all that God had commanded him. He did just so.” (Genesis 6:22) Truly, Noah walked with God.

2, 3. What fine example did Noah provide for us today?

² Paul included Noah in his list of faithful witnesses when he wrote: “By faith Noah, after being given divine warning of things not yet beheld, showed godly fear and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; and through this faith he condemned the world, and he became an heir of the righteousness that is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7) What a splendid example! Certain that Jehovah’s words would come true, Noah expended time, energy, and resources in order to fulfill God’s commands. In a similar way, many today turn their backs on secular opportunities in this world and expend their time, energy, and resources in obeying Jehovah’s commands. Their faith is noteworthy and will result in their own salvation as well as that of others.​—Luke 16:9; 1 Timothy 4:16.

³ Exercising faith must have been as difficult for Noah and his family as it was for Enoch, Noah’s great-grandfather, who was discussed in the preceding article. In Noah’s day as in Enoch’s, true worshippers were a small minority​—just eight people proved faithful and survived the Flood. Noah preached righteousness in a violent and immoral world. Moreover, he and his family were building a huge wooden ark in preparation for a worldwide flood, although no one had seen such a flood before. That must have seemed very strange to those observing them.

4. What failing of Noah’s contemporaries did Jesus highlight?

⁴ Interestingly, when Jesus referred to the days of Noah, he did not speak of the violence, the false religion, or the immorality​—grievous as those were. The error that Jesus highlighted was the refusal of people to heed the warning being given. He said that they were “eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark.” Eating, drinking, marrying, being given in marriage​—what was wrong with that? They were just living “normal” lives! But a flood was coming, and Noah was preaching righteousness. His words and his conduct should have been a warning to them. Still, they “took no note until the flood came and swept them all away.”​—Matthew 24:38, 39.

5. What qualities did Noah and his family need?

⁵ Looking back on those times, we see the wisdom of Noah’s course. However, in the days before the Flood, it took courage to be different from everyone else. It took strong conviction for Noah and his family to build the huge ark and fill it with representatives of the animal kinds. Did some among those few faithful souls sometimes wish that they could be less conspicuous and just live “normal” lives? Even if such thoughts crossed their minds, they did not weaken in their integrity. After a great many years​—longer than any one of us will have to endure in this system of things—​the faith of Noah led to his salvation through the Flood. However, Jehovah executed judgment on all those who were living “normal” lives and taking no note of the meaning of the times they were living in.

Violence Again Plagues Mankind

6. After the Flood, what situation still existed?

⁶ After the waters of the Flood receded, mankind had a fresh start. However, humans were still imperfect, and “the inclination of the heart of man” continued to be “bad from his youth up.” (Genesis 8:21) Besides, although the demons could no longer materialize human bodies, they were still very active. The world of ungodly mankind quickly showed that it was “lying in the power of the wicked one,” and just as today, true worshippers had to fight against “the machinations of the Devil.”​—1 John 5:19; Ephesians 6:11, 12.

7. How did violence escalate in the post-Flood world?

⁷ At least from the time of Nimrod, the post-Flood earth once again became the scene of human violence. As a result of increasing population and the progress of technology, that violence has escalated over time. In earlier years, there were the sword, the spear, the bow and arrow, and the chariot. In more recent times came the musket and the cannon, then the rifle and the sophisticated artillery of the early 20th century. World War I brought to the fore more frightening weapons, such as the airplane, the tank, the submarine, and poison gas. In that war, these weapons took millions of lives. Was that unexpected? No.

8. How has Revelation 6:1-4 been fulfilled?

⁸ In the year 1914, Jesus was enthroned as King of God’s heavenly Kingdom, and “the Lord’s day” began. (Revelation 1:10) In a vision reported in the book of Revelation, Jesus is seen as a King riding forth victoriously on a white horse. Other horsemen follow him, each representing a different plague on mankind. One of them rides a fiery-colored horse, and to him it was granted “to take peace away from the earth so that they should slaughter one another; and a great sword was given him.” (Revelation 6:1-4) This horse and its rider picture warfare, and the great sword represents the unprecedented destructiveness of modern warfare with its powerful weapons. Those weapons today include nuclear devices, each one capable of destroying tens of thousands of people; rockets able to deliver those devices to targets thousands of miles away; as well as sophisticated chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction.

We Take Note of Jehovah’s Warnings

9. How does today’s world compare with that existing before the Flood?

⁹ In the days of Noah, Jehovah brought mankind to ruin because of the extreme violence of wicked humans abetted by the Nephilim. What of today? Is the earth any less violent than it was then? Hardly! Moreover, just as in Noah’s day, people today are going about their business, trying to live a “normal” life, refusing to heed the warnings being sounded. (Luke 17:26, 27) Is there any reason, then, to doubt that Jehovah will once again bring mankind to ruin? No.

10. (a) What warning is repeatedly given in Bible prophecy? (b) What is the only wise course today?

¹⁰ Hundreds of years before the Flood, Enoch prophesied the destruction that must come in our day. (Jude 14, 15) Jesus too spoke of the coming “great tribulation.” (Matthew 24:21) Other prophets warned of that time. (Ezekiel 38:18-23; Daniel 12:1; Joel 2:31, 32) And in the book of Revelation, we read a graphic description of that final destruction. (Revelation 19:11-21) As individuals, we imitate Noah and are active as preachers of righteousness. We take note of Jehovah’s warnings and lovingly help our neighbors to do the same. Hence, like Noah, we walk with God. Indeed, it is vital that any who desire life keep on walking with God. How can we do that in view of the pressures that we face each day? We need to cultivate strong faith in the outworking of God’s purpose.​—Hebrews 11:6.

Keep Walking With God in Troublous Times

11. In what way do we imitate first-century Christians?

¹¹ In the first century, anointed Christians were spoken of as belonging to “The Way.” (Acts 9:2) Their whole way of life centered on faith in Jehovah and Jesus Christ. They walked in the path their Master had trod. Today, faithful Christians do likewise.

12. What happened after Jesus miraculously fed a crowd?

¹² The importance of faith is seen in an event that took place during Jesus’ ministry. On one occasion, Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of about 5,000 men. The people were amazed and delighted. Notice, though, what happened next. We read: “When the men saw the signs he performed, they began to say: ‘This is for a certainty the prophet that was to come into the world.’ Therefore Jesus, knowing they were about to come and seize him to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain all alone.” (John 6:10-15) That night he traveled to another location. Jesus’ refusal to accept the kingship likely disappointed many. After all, he had shown that he was wise enough to be king and that he had the power to satisfy the people’s physical needs. However, it was not yet Jehovah’s time for him to rule as King. Besides, Jesus’ Kingdom was to be heavenly, not earthly.

13, 14. What viewpoint did many betray, and how was their faith tested?

¹³ Nevertheless, the crowds determinedly followed Jesus and found him, as John says, “across the sea.” Why did they follow him after he avoided their efforts to make him a king? Many betrayed a fleshly viewpoint, speaking pointedly of the material provisions that Jehovah had made in the wilderness in Moses’ day. The implication was that Jesus should continue to make material provisions for them. Jesus, perceiving their wrong motives, began to teach them spiritual truths that could help adjust their thinking. (John 6:17, 24, 25, 30, 31, 35-40) In response, some murmured against him, especially when he spoke this illustration: “Most truly I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. He that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I shall resurrect him at the last day.”​—John 6:53, 54.

¹⁴ Jesus’ illustrations often moved people to show whether they truly desired to walk with God. This one was no exception. It provoked strong reactions. We read: “Many of his disciples, when they heard this, said: ‘This speech is shocking; who can listen to it?’” Jesus went on to explain that they should look for the spiritual meaning of his words. He said: “It is the spirit that is life-giving; the flesh is of no use at all. The sayings that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” Still, many would not listen, and the account reports: “Owing to this many of his disciples went off to the things behind and would no longer walk with him.”​—John 6:60, 63, 66.

15. What right viewpoint did some of Jesus’ followers have?

¹⁵ Nevertheless, not all of Jesus’ disciples reacted that way. Admittedly, the loyal disciples did not fully understand what Jesus had said. Still, their confidence in him remained very firm. Peter, one of those loyal disciples, expressed the feelings of all who remained when he said: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life.” (John 6:68) What an excellent attitude, and what a fine example!

16. How might we be tested, and what proper viewpoint should we cultivate?

¹⁶ We today could be tested as those early disciples were. In our case, we might be disappointed that Jehovah’s promises are not being fulfilled as quickly as we personally would like. We might feel that explanations of the Scriptures in our Bible-based publications are difficult to understand. The conduct of a fellow Christian might disappoint us. Would it be right to stop walking with God for these or similar reasons? Of course not! The disciples who abandoned Jesus betrayed a fleshly way of thinking. We must avoid doing the same.

“We Are Not the Sort That Shrink Back”

17. How can we be helped to keep walking with God?

¹⁷ The apostle Paul wrote: “All Scripture is inspired of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Through the pages of the Bible, Jehovah tells us clearly: “This is the way. Walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21) Obeying God’s Word helps us to ‘keep strict watch on how we walk.’ (Ephesians 5:15) Studying the Bible and meditating on what we learn enable us to “go on walking in the truth.” (3 John 3) Truly, as Jesus said, “the spirit . . . is life-giving; the flesh is of no use at all.” The only reliable guidance by which to direct our steps is spiritual guidance, which comes through Jehovah’s Word, his spirit, and his organization.

18. (a) What do some unwisely do? (b) What kind of faith do we cultivate?

¹⁸ Today, those who become disgruntled because of fleshly thinking or unfulfilled expectations often turn to making the most of what this world has to offer. Losing their sense of urgency, they see no need to “keep on the watch,” and they choose to pursue selfish goals instead of putting Kingdom interests first. (Matthew 24:42) Walking in that way is most unwise. Notice the apostle Paul’s words: “We are not the sort that shrink back to destruction, but the sort that have faith to the preserving alive of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:39) Like Enoch and Noah, we live in turbulent times, but like them, we have the privilege of walking with God. Doing so, we have the assured expectation that we will see Jehovah’s promises fulfilled, wickedness destroyed, and a righteous new world brought to pass. What a wonderful prospect!

19. How does Micah describe the course of true worshippers?

¹⁹ The inspired prophet Micah said of the nations of the world that they would “walk each one in the name of its god.” Then he spoke of himself and other faithful worshippers and said: “We, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.” (Micah 4:5) If your determination is the same as Micah’s, stay close to Jehovah however turbulent the times become. (James 4:8) May it be the heartfelt desire of each one of us to walk with Jehovah our God now and to time indefinite, even forever!