Should Christians consult the book of Enoch for spiritual warfare?

While Enoch is mentioned in the book of Genesis as the great-grandfather of Noah and a man of righteousness who was taken into heaven without dying, the book of Enoch is not part of scripture. Although the ancient Jewish text is attributed to Enoch, most scholars agree that the authorship is uncertain and that it was likely written by multiple Jewish authors.

The text describes Enoch’s visions and heavenly journeys, detailing his encounters with angels, demons, cosmic secrets, and divine judgments, which is why it is sometimes consulted by people, especially Christians, who are interested in demonology and spiritual warfare.

But Rick Burgess, BlazeTV host of “Strange Encounters” — a podcast on biblical spiritual warfare — says this is a dangerous mistake for the Christian.

“Some of you are developing a view of demons from the book of Enoch that has no Holy Spirit inspiration, no God-inspired information. It’s flawed,” he cautions.

For one, the time frame in which the book of Enoch was written is far removed from the presumed lifetime of Enoch. Second, “it's got a lot of things in it that aren't true,” including historical inaccuracies, says Rick.

Some Christians point to the book of Jude in the Bible to justify the credibility of the book of Enoch. In Jude 14-15, Jude refers to Enoch, saying, “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’”

“Everybody says, ‘Jude is using the book of Enoch.’ No, he's not. He's quoting the man Enoch, not the book of Enoch,” Rick says.

“When Jesus references Enoch, he's talking about the person. He's not talking about the book of Enoch.”

Rick reminds us that neither “the apostles nor Jesus ever called [the book of Enoch] scripture.”

“A few early church fathers highly valued the book of Enoch. That is true, but they never referred to it as scripture, and since it has never been referred to as scripture, even by people who held it in high regard ... we cannot view it as authoritative, and we cannot view it as the word of God. End of subject.”

Rick’s advice? “I wouldn't have anything to do with the book of Enoch.”

To hear more of his analysis and commentary, watch the episode above.

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