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JudeContending for the FaithJudgment of the ApostatesJude – Contending for the Faith

Review of 11-13Doom of the ApostatesJude – Contending for the Faith

"It was also about these men that Enoch, inthe seventh generation from Adam,prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord camewith many thousands of His holy ones, toexecute judgment upon all, and to convict allthe ungodly of all their ungodly deeds whichthey have done in an ungodly way, and of allthe harsh things which ungodly sinners havespoken against Him.”"(Jude 14-15)Jude – Contending for the Faith

Questions to ConsiderWho was Enoch?Where does Jude get his information about Enoch‟s prophecy?"It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam,prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodlydeeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things whichungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”"(Jude 14-15)When will the judgment spoken of occur?Who is the target of the judgment?Why is the judgment taking place?Jude – Contending for the Faith

“Enoch . . . Prophesied…”The quote from Enoch is “Behold he comeswith ten thousands of his saints, to executejudgment upon them, and to destroy the wicked,and to strive (at law) with all the carnal foreverything which the sinful and ungodly havedone and committed against him.” The Book ofEnoch, which was known to the fathers of thesecond century, was lost for some centurieswith the exception of a few fragments, and wasfound entire in a copy of the Ethiopic Bible, in1773. It became known to modern studentsthrough a translation from this into English byArchbishop Lawrence, in 1821. It wasprobably written in Hebrew. It consists ofrevelations purporting to have been given toEnoch and Noah.Jude – Contending for the Faith

“Enoch . . . Prophesied…”"Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years,and became the father of Enoch. Then Jaredlived eight hundred years after he became thefather of Enoch, and he had other sons anddaughters. So all the days of Jared were ninehundred and sixty-two years, and he died.Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became thefather of Methuselah. Then Enoch walkedwith God three hundred years after he becamethe father of Methuselah, and he had othersons and daughters. So all the days of Enochwere three hundred and sixty-five years. Enochwalked with God; and he was not, for Godtook him."(Genesis 5:18-24)Enoch = “Initiated; initiating; teacher;dedicated; consecrated; experienced”Jude – Contending for the Faith

“Enoch . . . Prophesied…”"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and hewas not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witnessthat before his being taken up he was pleasing to God."(Hebrews 11:5)Some theologians see Enoch as a type of the rapture that will happento saints at the time of Christ‟s coming:" But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, sothat you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus diedand rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until thecoming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himselfwill descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpetof God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will becaught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shallalways be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.“(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)Jude – Contending for the Faith

Should Jude quote non-Biblical sources?Those who wonder about the propriety of Jude's quotation of this noncanonical bookshould note that he does not call it Scripture. Paul also quoted from noncanonical writersstatements he considered true. See Acts 17:28 (“for we also are his children”), where hequoted Cleanthes and Aratus (Phaenomena 5) on Mars Hill; 1 Corinthians 15:33 (“Do notbe deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals””), where he quoted Menander (Thais218); and Titus 1:12 (“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons”), where he quotedEpimenides (De oraculis). Even though this prophecy is not recorded in the OldTestament, the Holy Spirit inspired Jude (cf.2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20–21) to use itbecause it was familiar, historically valid, and supported his overall thesis.Jude – Contending for the Faith

"It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying,“Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and toconvict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all theharsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”"(Jude 14-15)Four Certainties of Christ‟s Coming1. The Lord will come2. He comes with His saints3. He comes to execute judgment on the ungodly4. He comes to expose their sinJude – Contending for the Faith

“The Lord Will Come…”“I saw heaven standing open and there before mewas a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful andTrue. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyesare like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.He has a name written on him that no one knows buthe himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,and his name is the Word of God. The armies ofheaven were following him, riding on white horses anddressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of hismouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike downthe nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter.”He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath ofGod Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he hasthis name written:KING OF KINGS AND LORD OFLORDS.”(Rev. 19:11-16)Jude – Contending for the Faith

“with many thousands of His holy ones …”"You will flee by the valley of My mountains, forthe valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes,you will flee just as you fled before theearthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all theholy ones with Him!"(Zechariah 14:5)"When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, thenyou also will be revealed with Him in glory."(Colossians 3:4)"so that He may establish your hearts withoutblame in holiness before our God and Father atthe coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.“(1 Thessalonians 3:13)"And the armies which are in heaven, clothed infine linen, white and clean, were following Him onwhite horses."(Revelation 19:14)Jude – Contending for the Faith

“To Execute Judgment…”"Then I saw a great white throne and Him whosat upon it, from whose presence earth andheaven fled away, and no place was found forthem. And I saw the dead, the great and thesmall, standing before the throne, and bookswere opened; and another book was opened,which is the book of life; and the dead werejudged from the things which were written in thebooks, according to their deeds. And the seagave up the dead which were in it, and death andHades gave up the dead which were in them; andthey were judged, every one of them according totheir deeds. Then death and Hades werethrown into the lake of fire. This is the seconddeath, the lake of fire. And if anyone‟s name wasnot found written in the book of life, he wasthrown into the lake of fire."(Revelation 20:11-15)Jude – Contending for the Faith

“And to Convict…”The verb translated to convict(elegchō) means “to expose,”“rebuke,” or “prove guilty,” whichincludes showing someone hiserror and culpability. When Christreturns, the sins of the ungodly willbe exposed and the verdictrendered accordingly. The finalsentence will be eternalpunishment in hell.Jude – Contending for the Faith

Note the Four-Fold Repetition of Words"It was also about these men that Enoch, in theseventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying,“Behold, the Lord came with many thousands ofHis holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and toconvict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deedswhich they have done in an ungodly way, and of allthe harsh things which ungodly sinners have spokenagainst Him.”"(Jude 14-15)The judgment is thorough (all) and just (ungodly)Jude – Contending for the Faith

Two Core Reasons for Their JudgmentUngodly deedsbefore GodHarsh wordsspoken about GodJude – Contending for the Faith

Denying God by Deeds"To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who aredefiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mindand their conscience are defiled. They profess to knowGod, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestableand disobedient and worthless for any good deed."(Titus 1:15-16)"You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law,do you dishonor God? For “the name of God isblasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as itis written."(Romans 2:23-24)Jude – Contending for the Faith

Denying God in Speech"“But I tell you that every careless word that peoplespeak, they shall give an accounting for it in the dayof judgment."(Matthew 12:36)"“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil,speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out ofthat which fills the heart."(Matthew 12:34)Jude – Contending for the Faith

"A lot of people come uphere and thank Jesus forthis award. I want you toknow that no one had lessto do with this award thanJesus. Suck it, Jesus.This award is my godnow.”- Kathy GriffinJude – Contending for the Faith

“All … All … All … All …”“The wheels of God‟sjudgment may grindslow but they grindexceedingly fine”-A. W. Tozer"For God will bring every act to judgment,everything which is hidden, whether it is goodor evil."(Ecclesiastes 12:14)Jude – Contending for the Faith

Word Study – Ungodlyasebēs“to execute judgment upon all, and to convict allthe ungodly of all their ungodly deeds whichthey have done in an ungodly way, and of all theharsh things which ungodly sinners have spokenagainst Him.”(Jude 15)Greek Meaning1 Irreverent2 Impious3 Violating norms for a properrelation to deityArndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000).A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testamentand other early Christian literature.Interpretation & ApplicationThe fourfold use of “ungodly” is used by Jude to emphasize the point that a characteristic ofunbelievers and false teachers/apostates is a lack of proper respect and fear of God. Instead ofreverence for God they are irreverent. If they had proper respect and reverence for God, they wouldnot do what they do (deeds) and say what they say (spoken). While the Bible says, “The fear of theLord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10, the ungodly are characterized by this: “There is no fearof God before their eyes.”(Romans 3:18) . The lesson for us is (1) We see one way of spottingunbelievers is their irreverence; (2) We need to make sure we live with a strong reverence andfear/respect of God.Jude – Contending for the Faith

If there is one attribute ofGod that every Christiansays they believe, and yetimplicitly denies in the waythey live, it is God‟somnipresence. He seeseverything you do, hearseverything you say, andknows everything you think.Do you live in light of thisreality?Jude – Contending for the Faith

Exposition of 16The Mouth of the ApostatesJude – Contending for the Faith

"These are grumblers, finding fault,following after their own lusts; they speakarrogantly, flattering people for the sakeof gaining an advantage."(Jude 16)Jude – Contending for the Faith

“…harsh things which ungodly sinners have spokenagainst Him.”(Jude 15)"These are grumblers, finding fault, following aftertheir own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flatteringpeople for the sake of gaining an advantage."(Jude 16)We find in verse 16 the types of things that apostates speak againstGod referenced in verse 15Jude – Contending for the Faith

“These are Grumblers…”Grumblers: goggustēs (γογγσστης), “onewho discontentedly complains,” here, againstGod. The word is used of the cooing ofdoves. It refers, not to a loud, outspokendissatisfaction, but to an undertonemuttering. Occurs only here in the NewTestament and is the same term theSeptuagint uses to describe Israel‟smurmurings against God (Ex. 16:7–9; Num.14:27, 29; cf.John 6:41; 1 Cor. 10:10).Like the ancient Israelites (Ps. 106:24–25;107:11; Zech. 7:11), they grumbled againstthe truth and murmured against God‟s holylaw.Jude – Contending for the Faith

" For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers wereall under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all werebaptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the samespiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they weredrinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock wasChrist. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased;for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happenedas examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they alsocraved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written,“The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” Nor letus act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fellin one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and weredestroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, andwere destroyed by the destroyer."(1 Corinthians 10:1-10)Jude – Contending for the Faith

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so thatyou will prove yourselves to be blameless andinnocent, children of God above reproach in themidst of a crooked and perverse generation, amongwhom you appear as lights in the world, holding fastthe word of life, so that in the day of Christ I willhave reason to glory because I did not run in vain nortoil in vain."(Philippians 2:14-16)Jude – Contending for the Faith

“Finding Fault…”memspimoiros (μεμσπιμοιρος),from memphomai (μεμυομαι), “tofind fault with,” and moira (μοιρα),“a part or lot.” The compoundword means, “blamers of their lot,complaining of one‟s lot,discontented.” It describes onewho is perpetually discontent anddissatisfied.Jude – Contending for the Faith

"Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to becontent in whatever circumstances I am."(Philippians 4:11)"If we have food and covering, with these we shall becontent."(1 Timothy 6:8)"Make sure that your character is free from the love ofmoney, being content with what you have; for He Himselfhas said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”"(Hebrews 13:5)Jude – Contending for the Faith

“Following after their ungodly lusts…”“Lusts” is epithumia (ἐπιθσμια), “a passionatecraving,” good or bad. According to thecontext, it is evil.This explains why the apostates deny God‟struth: they do not want God to tell them howto live. They want to satisfy their own sinfuldesires, while Christ‟s commands and HisWord condemns their selfish way of life. Whena person says, “I have intellectual problemswith the Bible,” he more probably has moralproblems because the Bible contradicts whathe is doing. The only sure way to know thetruth of the Bible is by obeying it" “Why do you call Me, „Lord, Lord,‟ and donot do what I say?"(Luke 6:46)Jude – Contending for the Faith

Word Study – Arrogantlyhuperogkos"These are grumblers, finding fault, followingafter their own lusts; they speak arrogantly,flattering people for the sake of gaining anadvantage."(Jude 16)Greek Meaning1 Excessive size; puffed up2 Swollen; extravagant3 HaughtyArndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000).A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testamentand other early Christian literature.Interpretation & ApplicationJude is describing the characteristics of the false flattery that the apostates use to gain anadvantage or captivate their audience – he calls their words literally “swollen”. Such wordsare used for only one purpose: manipulation. True compliments edify, but these falseteachers utilize flattery to get the upper hand over their listeners by way of endearingthemselves to their prospects. After all, who doesn‟t like to hear good things aboutthemselves? It takes spiritual discernment to understand and turn away from swollen wordsthat appear to compliment, but are only used for manipulation.Jude – Contending for the Faith

"The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we mayinquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerningme, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the kingsay so.”"(1 Kings 22:8)Jude – Contending for the Faith

"“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used totreat the false prophets in the same way."(Luke 6:26)Jude – Contending for the Faith

"For the time will come when they will notendure sound doctrine; but wanting tohave their ears tickled, they willaccumulate for themselves teachers inaccordance to their own desires, and willturn away their ears from the truth and willturn aside to myths."(2 Timothy 4:3-4)Jude – Contending for the Faith

"Faithful are the wounds of afriend, But deceitful are the kissesof an enemy.“(Proverbs 27:6)Jude – Contending for the Faith

Concluding Thoughts• Our true faith is shown by our deedsand words – the apostates deeds andwords reveal them to be false apostles• The destiny of those who opposeGod is one of eternal separation; it iscertain and fixed by God• Expressing discontentment isultimately grumbling and complainingabout the Giver of all things – God.• Everyone must guard against thenatural inclination to gravitate towardwhat we want to hear vs. the truthJude – Contending for the Faith

Concluding Thoughts"Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way,what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct andgodliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the dayof God, because of which the heavens will be destroyedby burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!But according to His promise we are looking for newheavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, bediligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless andblameless,"(2 Peter 3:11-14)Jude – Contending for the Faith

JudeContending for the FaithJudgment of the ApostatesJude – Contending for the Faith