The Book of Enoch, specifically in its “Animal Apocalypse” section (1 Enoch 85–90), offers a vivid and symbolic narrative about the fate of the northern tribes of the Israelites, represented as a flock of sheep. In this allegory, the tribes are entrusted to a series of seventy shepherds, each representing a foreign power or spiritual ruler that will oversee the Israelites throughout history. The moment of their appointment is recorded in 1 Enoch 89:59: “And He called seventy shepherds, and cast those sheep to them that they might pasture them, and He spake to the shepherds and their companions: ‘Let each individual of you pasture the sheep henceforward, and everything that I shall command you that do ye.’” However, soon after their appointment, the shepherds fail in their commission. Instead of protecting the sheep, they allow them to be devoured by wild beasts, a symbol of the oppression and destruction inflicted upon Israelites by foreign powers. In 1 Enoch 89:66–67, the shepherds hand the sheep over to these wild beasts, with each one causing far more harm than was ordained. This failure begins with the first shepherd, who allows the birds of prey to descend upon the flock, consuming their flesh. “And the sheep cried out because their flesh was being devoured by the birds, and as for me, I looked and lamented in my sleep over that shepherd who pastured the sheep” (1 Enoch 89:70). This failure to protect the sheep mirrors the prophetic warnings in the Book of Hosea, where the northern kingdom of the Israelites, having abandoned the Temple and embraced idolatry, faces judgment from foreign powers, particularly Assyria. This corresponds to the first shepherd’s role in the Enochian narrative, where the Assyrians begin their incursions into northern Israelite territory around 730 BCE, ultimately leading to the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE.
The seventy shepherds in the Book of Enoch are not merely a representation of a brief historical period but a symbol of a long continuum of foreign domination and spiritual disinheritance. Each shepherd acts in succession, bringing increasing destruction and oppression upon the sheep. This pattern continues for centuries, with the shepherds symbolizing various empires that dominate the Israelites, including the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and later the Caliphates, European colonial powers, and modern-day regimes. The narrative reaches its climax when the Lord of the Sheep, representing divine intervention, arrives to judge the corrupt shepherds and restore the flock. This divine reckoning signifies the end of the oppressive cycle and the beginning of a new era, where the sheep are purified and made white.
This apocalyptic vision in the Book of Enoch closely parallels the events described in the Book of Revelation, particularly the opening of the seals in Revelation 6. In both texts, a period of intense tribulation unfolds, characterized by divine judgment and cosmic upheaval. Revelation 6 introduces the opening of the seals, which bring forth catastrophic events upon the earth: war, famine, death, and cosmic disturbances. The “wrath of the Lamb” is poured out on the wicked, and the oppressed cry out for justice (Revelation 6:16–17). This mirrors the judgment described in Enoch, where the shepherds, having failed in their duties, are punished for their oppression of the sheep. The wild beasts that devoured the sheep in Enoch can be seen as symbolic of the forces of chaos and destruction unleashed during the period of divine wrath in Revelation. Both texts describe a time when the righteous are vindicated and the corrupt powers of the earth are overthrown.
The overlap between the seventy shepherds in Enoch and the time of wrath in Revelation is significant in terms of the timeline of divine judgment. If we consider the seventy terms to be each of forty years (calculated by hindsight historic fact alignment with the prophecy) that begin with the Assyrian incursions around 730 BCE, this could mark the beginning of a final period of divine wrath. This would place the start of this intense ten-year period of tribulation at the threshold of the modern era. The final shepherd’s reign in Enoch could symbolize the last phase of foreign rule and spiritual misrule, coming to an end just as the judgments of Revelation begin to unfold.
The ten years of wrath could thus correspond to the events of Revelation 6 onwards, where the seals are opened, and the wrath of God is unleashed upon the earth. These ten years would be a period of intensified suffering, geopolitical conflict, and cosmic disturbances, drawing on the themes of tribulation and judgment that characterize both Enoch and Revelation. As the seals are broken and divine judgment is executed, the world would enter into a period of intense upheaval, leading to the eventual battle between good and evil, and culminating in the establishment of God’s kingdom.
In this framework, the final reckoning described in Revelation is not just the conclusion of the seventy shepherds’ reign but the fulfillment of the apocalyptic vision of judgment that has been unfolding for centuries. The wrath of the Lamb, as described in Revelation, would coincide with the end of the oppressive rule that began with the first shepherd and continued through successive foreign powers. As the tribulation intensifies, the world would be purged of corrupt systems, and the righteous would be restored, mirroring the ultimate victory of the Lord of the Sheep in Enoch.
The parallel between the seventy shepherds and the events of Revelation underscores a coherent timeline of divine judgment, stretching from the Assyrian invasions to the end times. If the end of the seventy forty-year terms signifies the beginning of the period of wrath, then the world might enter into the final phase of judgment, lasting for ten years of intense tribulation. This period, marked by wars, famines, and cosmic disturbances, would fulfill the prophecy of the seventy shepherds' failure and the subsequent divine reckoning, ultimately leading to the establishment of God's eternal kingdom.
Stephen D Green, with ChatGPT, April 2025
Note: If the end of the 40 x 70 (2800) years (since around 740/730 BC) marks the start of wrath, not the end of it. 2060/70 could be the start of ten years of wrath, of Rev 6 onwards.
