"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God" (Hebrews 11:5)
Our second hero of faith is Enoch. Genesis 5:21-24 records that "Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."
What a wonderful epitaph: "Enoch walked with God." His life exemplifies the walk of faith. Adam and Eve had walked with God in the Garden of Eden, but their sin separated them from such intimacy. Enoch experienced the fellowship with God they had forfeited.
Enoch’s faithful walk pleased God greatly. And after more than three hundred years on earth, Enoch was translated to heaven without ever experiencing death. It’s as if God simply said, "Enoch, I enjoy your company so much, I want you to join me up here right now."
Like Enoch, there is coming a generation of Christians who will never see death. Someday–perhaps soon–Jesus will return for His church, "then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up . . . in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians. 4:17). Enoch is a beautiful picture of that great future event, which we call the rapture of the church.
As you walk with God, He delights in you. You’re His child and your praises and fellowship bring Him joy. Psalm 116:15 says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." Even death itself simply ushers you into His presence for all eternity.
Let the joy of intimacy with God, and the anticipation of seeing Christ face to face–either by rapture or by death– motivate you to please Him more and more each day of your life.
Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for the promise of Christ’s return.
For Further Study:
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
What events surround the rapture of the church?
How were the Thessalonians to respond to Paul’s teaching about the rapture?
How should you respond?
From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
Got-Fruit(?) 
Devotional -20091001
How to be Noble Minded – John MacArthur devotional
"[The Bereans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11).
On his second missionary journey, Paul, accompanied by Silas, preached the gospel of Jesus Christ in the city of Thessalonica. They weren’t there long before the gospel took root and many turned from their idolatry to serve the true and living God (1st Thessalonians 1:9). In 1st Thessalonians 2:13 Paul says, "We also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God." Their open response to God’s Word made them an example to all the believers in that area (1st Thessalonians 1:7).
But as exemplary as the Thessalonians were, their fellow believers in Berea were even more so. God called them "noble- minded" (Acts 17:11). They were
eager to hear what Paul and Silas had to say, but tested it against God’s prior revelation in the Old Testament before receiving it as a message from God. They had learned to examine everything carefully and hold fast to the truth (1st Thessalonians 5:21).
The church today, however, has an appalling lack of that kind of discernment. Many believers are duped by novel teachings and outright heresies. They’re "tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14). We desperately need a new breed of Bereans who will raise high the banner of sound doctrine and never compromise it.
With that goal in mind, our studies this month will focus on the character and benefits of God’s Word. You’ll learn that it’s the source of spiritual growth, spiritual service, blessing, victory, truth, and knowledge. You’ll see its infallibility, inerrancy, authority, inspiration, and sufficiency.
I pray that by this month’s end, your commitment to learning and applying biblical truth will be stronger than ever, and you will indeed be a modern-day, noble-minded Berean.
Suggestions for Prayer: Ask God to give you a greater love for His wonderful Word.
For Further Study: Read Acts 17:1-15.