Jude

Ver 14a. About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying,

About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam. This was Enoch the son of Jared; his name signifies one "instructed", or "trained up"; as he doubtless was by his father, in the true religion, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and was one that had much communion with God; he walked with him, and was translated by him, body and soul, to heaven, and did not see death; Genesis 5:18; he is said to be "the seventh from Adam"; not the seventh man from him that was born into the world, for there were no doubt thousands born before him; but he was, as the Jews express it f, דור שביעי, "the seventh generation" from him; and they have an observation g, that all sevenths are always beloved by God; the seventh in lands, and the seventh in generations; Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, as it is written, Genesis 5:24; and this is said partly to distinguish him from others of the same name, and particularly from Enoch the son of Cain, the third: from Adam in his line, as this was the seventh from Adam in the line of Seth; and partly to observe the antiquity of the following prophecy of his.

Prophesied, saying,. Of these false teachers, and such as they; what would be their sad state and condition at the second coming of Christ to judgment: that he had a spirit of prophecy is evident from the name he gave to his son Methuselah, which signifies, "when he dies is the emission", or the sending out of the waters of the flood, which came to pass the very year he did die. The Arabic writers h call him Edris the prophet; and the Jews say i, that he was in a higher degree than Moses or Elias; they also call k him Metatron, the great scribe, a name which they sometimes give to the angel that went before the children of Israel in the wilderness, and which seems to belong to the Messiah: that Enoch wrote a prophecy, and left it behind him in writing, does not appear from hence, or elsewhere; the Jews, in some of their writings, do cite and make mention of the book of Enoch; and there is a fragment now which bears his name, but is a spurious piece, and has nothing like this prophecy in it; wherefore Jude took this not from a book called the "Apocalypse of Enoch", but from tradition; this prophecy being handed down from age to age; and was in full credit with the Jews, and therefore the apostle very appropriately produces it; or rather he had it by divine inspiration.

Ver 14b-15. “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones. By the "Lord" is meant the Lord Jesus Christ, who is ordained the Judge of quick and dead, and for which he is richly qualified, being omniscient and omnipotent, and faithful and righteous, and who will certainly come again to judge the world in righteousness; for not of his first coming, which was not to judge and condemn, but to seek and save, but of his second coming at the last day is this to be understood; and this is expressed in the present tense, "cometh", in the manner of the prophets, who speak of things future as if they already were, as Isaiah does of the incarnation, sufferings, and death of Christ, and to awaken the attention of persons to it, as if it was near at hand, as also to signify the certainty of it: and when he comes, he will be attended "with ten thousand of his saints": meaning either the souls of glorified saints, even all of them, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, which will come with Christ, and meet the living ones, and be reunited to their own bodies, which will then be raised; or else the holy angels, as in Deuteronomy 33:2; and so some copies and the Arabic version read; which will be both for the showing forth of his glory and majesty, and for service in gathering his elect together, as well as for terror to the wicked; and a "behold" is prefixed to all this, to denote the certainty of Christ's coming, and the importance and wonderfulness of it: the ends of his coming follow.

To execute judgment on all. Quick and dead, small and great, high and low, rich and poor, good and bad, righteous and wicked, sheep and goats; to pass the definitive sentence on each, that of absolution, life, and happiness, on his own people, and that of condemnation, death, and misery, on the wicked; which will be done in the most strict and righteous manner.

And to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done. Those who are without God, the fear of him love to him, or faith in him; who have lived without the worship of him, or in a false worship; and particularly false teachers are here meant, the same as in Judges 1:4; who will then be convicted in their own consciences, by that clear evidence, and full light, in which things will be set.

In an ungodly way. Both against law and Gospel.

And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Either "against" God, as the Vulgate Latin version reads, against his being, his perfections, his providence, his purposes, his word, and worship; or rather against Jesus Christ the Lord, who will come to judge them, against his person and offices, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; his ministers and people, his truths and ordinances.

Ver 16. These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts—and their mouth speaks proud things—showing respect of persons to gain advantage.

These are murmurers. That is, at others; secretly, inwardly, in a muttering way, grunting out their murmurs like swine; to which, for their filthiness and apostasy, false teachers may be filly compared: and their murmurs might be both against God and men; against God, against the being of God, denying, or at least wishing there was no God, and uneasy because there is one; against the perfections of God, particularly his sovereignty over all, his special goodness to some, his wisdom, justice, truth, and faithfulness; against his purposes and decrees, both with respect to things temporal, spiritual, and eternal; against the providence of God and his government of the world, and the unequal distribution of things in it; and especially against the doctrines of free grace, and the ordinances of the Gospel: and not only are they murmurers against God, and all divine things and persons, but also against men; particularly against civil magistrates, who restrain them, and are a terror to them; and against the ministers of the Gospel, whose gifts and usefulness they envy; and indeed against all men, their neighbours, and what they enjoy, and at everything that goes besides themselves.

And complainers. Some join the above character and this together, and read, as the Vulgate Latin version, "complaining murmurers"; others, as the Syriac version, place not only a comma, but a copulative between them; and as the former may design secret and inward murmuring, this may intend outward complaining in words; not of their own sins and corruptions, nor of the sins of others, with any concern for the honour of religion; or of the decay of powerful godliness in themselves or others; or of the failure of the Gospel, and the decrease of the interest of Christ; but either of God, that he has not made them equal to others in the good things of life, as the Arabic version renders it, "complaining of their own lots"; or that he lays so much affliction upon them more than on others; or of men, that their salaries are not sufficient, and that they are not enough respected according to their merit; and indeed, as the Syriac version reads, "they complain of everything", and are never satisfied and easy.

Walking after their lusts. Which are carnal and worldly.

And their mouth speaks proud things. Both against God and men; and this may point at their boast of knowledge, their great ostentation of learning, their vain and empty doctrines, their high flights, their rhetorical style, and bombast language.

Showing respect of persons to gain advantage. Crying up men of their own stamp for the advantage of the party; and giving flattering titles to men of wealth and riches, for the sake of their money: so the Ethiopic version, "they studied to please persons, to make gain of them"; they were respecters of persons; so the phrase is used by the Septuagint in Deuteronomy 10:17, and in Job 22:8, and in Proverbs 18:5 and in Isaiah 9:15.

Christ's Coming to Judgment

Jude 14-15

"Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

God has had in every age some to testify against the ungodly, and to warn them of the consequences of their sin at the future judgment: and though the faithful execution of this office meets with but ill returns from an ungrateful world, yet we trust there will be found, to the end of time, some, who will gladly suffer reproach or even death itself in the service of their God, and in the benevolent attempt to save their fellow-sinners from destruction.

We do not indeed hear of many who were witnesses for God, before the time of Moses; and even his warnings and exhortations were enforced principally with temporal sanctions: yet the certainty of a future judgment was known not only by Moses, but by the antediluvian world; and was solemnly urged by Enoch as a motive to repentance. This prophecy is not recorded in the Old Testament; but, by whatever means Jude attained the knowledge of it, whether by tradition, or by some written memorial, or by immediate inspiration, we may be sure that it was delivered by Enoch; and we may be thankful that such a precious fragment of inspired truth has been preserved to us.

It proclaims to us,

I. The manner in which our Lord shall come to judgment.

Christ, we are assured, is coming to judge the world.

There can be no reason to doubt that Enoch referred to Christ, even to that very "seed of the woman, who was to bruise the serpent's head," him he represents as coming to complete his victory over Satan and his agents by calling them to his tribunal, and by consigning them over to the punishment they have deserved.

The New Testament writers uniformly speak to the same effect: they declare that it is at the judgment seat of Christ we must stand; that it is Christ who is ordained to be the Judge of the living and the dead; and, that all judgment is therefore committed unto him, because he is the Son of man; or, in other words, that he who died for sinners, shall, in that very nature that he assumed for them, be the immediate author of salvation to his followers and of condemnation to his enemies.

And even the manner of his appearing is here plainly predicted.

It is not with "his saints," but with his holy ones, or holy angels, that he will come. The saints will not be his assessors in judgment until they themselves shall have received their sentence: then indeed "they shall judge angels;" but until then, they themselves will stand before him to be judged.

But the holy angels will be his attendants in the clouds of Heaven; all the "myriads" of them shall descend with him from their blessed abodes, to increase the solemnity of that day, and to honor him to whom they owe their very existence. This accords with the description given by Daniel, by Paul, and by Christ himself.

How different will our Lord's appearance then be from what it was when he first visited our guilty world, and lay a helpless infant in the manger! How earnestly should we now exert ourselves that we may he prepared to meet him!

That our minds may be raised to an expectation of that day, let us consider,

II. The ends of his coming.

It is not to display his own glory that Christ will come; but,

1. To pass judgment upon the whole world.

All, who have ever lived in this wretched world, shall be summoned before him. The old and the young, the rich and the poor, will all come forth out of their graves, and those that who be then living upon earth shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and all shall stand together at his tribunal. Every one shall then be tried as by fire; their actions shall then be weighed as in a balance; and the most secret motions of their hearts be brought to light. Then shall they that are approved, "have praise of God;" and they that are disapproved, be driven from his presence.

Nor will Jesus merely pronounce the sentence of condemnation or acquittal, but he will "execute" it himself, either exalting them instantly to thrones of glory, or casting them headlong into "the lake that burns with fire and brimstone!"

2. To manifest the equity of his decisions.

Whatever endeavors be now used to show men their guilt and danger, they have many things to allege in their own favor; nor even "if we could speak with the tongues of angels," could we bring home conviction to their hearts. But Jesus will show them, beyond all contradiction, the futility of their excuses: and will prove by such unquestionable evidence "the deeds they have committed, the words they have spoken," and the thoughts they have entertained, that they shall be silenced and confounded before him. The ministers, who once labored for their salvation, shall then be forced to bear testimony against them. Their companions in sin, though to their own confusion, must also testify of those deeds of darkness, which they once fondly hoped would be buried in eternal oblivion. The very places, where their most secret iniquities were committed, will stand forth to accuse them, than that they should escape with impunity. Above all, "God himself will be a swift witness against them," and will so thoroughly "convince" them of all their sins, whether of commission or of omission, that they shall be constrained to acknowledge the equity of that sentence which dooms them to everlasting burnings! Even in Hell will they be compelled to say, "Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments!"

Inferences.

1. How needful is it that we should instantly begin our preparation for that day!

Five thousand years ago the prophet spoke of Jesus as so near at hand, that it seemed as if he were already come; and it is in this way that all, whether Prophets or Apostles, have been inspired to speak. So strongly did Paul express himself on this subject that the Thessalonians conceived the judgment-day to be almost immediately at hand. In the same manner must we say, "The Lord is at hand!" "The Judge is at the door!" He surely is coming as soon as ever the events that are ordained to precede his advent shall have received their accomplishment.

With respect to us, it signifies little whether it is near or distant, since as death leaves us, judgment will find us. Is it not even madness then to delay our repentance, since we cannot tell but that death may come within the next year, or day, or hour?

Beloved, shall your Lord come, and find you sleeping? Is he hastening towards you, and will you not prepare to meet him? O awake from your slumbers, and turn to him with your whole hearts; so that you may "have confidence before him at his coming."

2. How desirable is it to possess a saving interest in Christ!

It surely is not necessary to prove that we are ungodly, since we have all sinned, times without number, in thought, word, and deed, against the Divine Majesty. Where then shall we go for the remission of our sins? How shall we get our iniquities blotted out from the book of his remembrance? Our tears, even if we could shed rivers of tears, will never avail for this end. Nothing but the blood of Jesus can ever cleanse us from the guilt of one sin! And, if we are not washed in that fountain, we shall die in our iniquities, and lie under the guilt of them forever. Let us then seek a saving interest in Christ. Let us never attempt to substitute any repentance or reformation of our own, in the place of his meritorious blood and righteousness: but let it be our one desire to "be found in him," and to obtain from him those garments of salvation, which alone can "cover the nakedness" of our guilty souls.

3. With what confidence and comfort may believers look forward to the coming of their Lord!

Whom will they have for their judge but the very person who bought them with his blood? The very person in whom they have believed; and to whom they cleaved with full purpose of heart? Be it so then; the catalogue of their sins shall be produced, a catalogue reaching, as it were, from Heaven to earth; and they shall not have one word to offer in arrest of judgment! Yet, will the Savior pass a sentence of condemnation upon them? Will he not himself stand forth and testify, "I saw their deep contrition; I treasured up their tears in my vial; I was witness to their frequent sighs and groans, and to their cries for mercy through my atoning blood," "Deliver them from going down into the pit! I paid their ransom," they were mine; and they manifested that they were mine, by their obedience to my will, and their conformity to my image! "Come, you blessed children of my Father, inherit my kingdom prepared for you!"

Fear not then, weak and trembling saints; but rather "be looking for and hastening to the coming of the day of Christ," you shall surely stand before him with joy; while they, who once justified their ungodliness, and thought, that to be among the godly was a fit matter for derision, shall bewail their folly, and confess the equity of the sentence that fixes you in Heaven, and themselves in Hell. Remember then with gratitude that you are to have Jesus for your judge; and when he says, "Behold, I come quickly!" let your hearts reply, "Even so, come Lord Jesus!"