Jude 1:14-16

It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”  These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

The existence of those who rebel against God is long standing going all the way back to the fall of mankind. Seven generations after Adam, Enoch prophesied about the Lord’s coming judgment of sin.  Any prosperity that false teachers may seem to enjoy in the present is simply temporary.  Jude describes the coming judgment as well as the cause behind that judgment.

THE CONDEMNATION OF APOSTATES IS SURE: Once sin came into the world it did not take long for it to infect humanity in drastic ways.  There was a righteous remnant that feared and obeyed the Lord.  However, the vast majority of people were living in rebellion against God.  Enoch, one of the faithful men of God, prophesied of the Lords return to judge the earth.  There is a great deal of debate about this passage because this prophecy attributed to Enoch is not recorded in Scripture.  Jude seems to be quoting from an Apocryphal book 1 Enoch that was written after Moses and long before Jude.  It is not a problem for authors of Scripture to quote from sources other than Scripture.  Perhaps the best solution is to say that whomever the author of 1 Enoch was, he included a prophecy of the historical Enoch in his writings.  Juda had access to this quote and used it under the inspiration of the Spirit.  That does not mean that all of 1 Enoch was inspired by the Spirit.  Whatever the source of the quote may be, the content is unmistakable and aligned with Scripture.  God will judge the rebellious and false teachers.  They will be convicted by God and judged when Christ returns.  This describes the second coming of Christ with heavenly hosts to reign and execute judgment on the earth.  However successful ungodly and false prophets may be today, their day are numbered, and they will ultimately be judged and condemned by Christ.

THE CHARACTER OF APOSTATES IS SINFULL: The character of these ungodly men is marked by a wide variety of sinful attitudes and actions.  Their greatest sin is the slanderous things they speak against Christ.  Denial of Christ is the most serious sin known to man.  This type of denial can come in various forms.  Those who reject the deity or humanity of Christ are the most egregious.  But, murmuring and discontentment are also examples of rebellion and the denial of Christ.  These things question the power and goodness of God and reveal an unbelieving heart.  These false teachers are controlled by their desire for power and position.  They boast about themselves and seek to manipulate people for their own personal gain.  The character of our hearts will eventually appear on our lips.  Only Christ is able to transform our hearts and mouths to be instruments of praise to the glory of His name.

APPLICATION: Be assured of the coming judgment of false teachers and rebellious sinners.  Guard our hearts from the pride that fosters complaints and forgets contentment.  Evaluate the condition of our hearts by what is coming out of our mouths.

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