The Ancient Future and the Ungodly Now Text: Jude 1:14-16
Introduction: Contending in a Crooked Time
The book of Jude is a stick of dynamite. It is short, dense, and explosive. Jude tells us at the beginning that he wanted to write about our common salvation, a pleasant and encouraging topic. But the Holy Spirit redirected him. The times required something more potent, more urgent. He had to write and exhort the saints to "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (v. 3). This is not a suggestion for a debate club; it is a military command. To contend is to enter the fray, to fight, to wrestle.
And the fight was not against external enemies, which are often easy to spot. The threat was from within. Certain men had "crept in unnoticed," like termites in the woodwork. These were not honest heretics, if there is such a thing. They were spiritual saboteurs, turning the grace of God into a license for sensuality and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Throughout this letter, Jude has been describing them with a series of vivid, devastating metaphors. They are hidden reefs, waterless clouds, fruitless trees twice dead, wild waves, and wandering stars. They are defined by what they are not. They promise much and deliver nothing but ruin.
Now, in our text, Jude brings his case to a thunderous climax. He reaches back into the mists of primordial history, before the Flood, to pull forward a prophecy that speaks directly to the future. He shows us that the problem of ungodliness is an ancient one, and that the promise of judgment is just as ancient. He is telling the church then, and us now, that God has never been surprised by apostasy. He has had a plan for dealing with ungodly men from the very beginning. And after quoting this ancient prophecy, he gives us a field guide for identifying these men by the foul fruit that comes out of their mouths and lives. This passage is a bracing dose of reality. It shows us the end of the ungodly and the character of the ungodly, so that we might be steadfast, contending for the truth in our own crooked time.
The Text
But Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, also prophesied about these men, 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 ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of their own benefit.
(Jude 1:14-16 LSB)
An Ancient Prophecy for a Certain Future (vv. 14-15)
Jude begins by grounding his warning in a prophecy from before the world was washed clean.
"But Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, also prophesied about these men, 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 ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.'" (Jude 1:14-15 LSB)
Now, the first thing that makes modern readers nervous is the source of this quotation. This prophecy is found in a non-canonical book called 1 Enoch. And so the question immediately arises: why is an inspired apostle quoting from a book that is not in the Bible? Does this mean the book of Enoch should be in our Bibles? Not at all. We must handle this with biblical sobriety. The doctrine of inspiration applies to the book of Jude, not to the book of Enoch. The Holy Spirit, in guiding Jude, is perfectly free to have him quote a true statement from any source whatever. Paul did this very thing. On Mars Hill, he quoted the pagan poet Aratus, saying, "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). He quoted Epimenides the Cretan in his letter to Titus (Titus 1:12). All truth is God's truth, regardless of where you find it. If a pagan poet says something true, it is still true. The Holy Spirit is simply authenticating this particular statement, not the entire work it is found in. He is telling us that Enoch, the man who walked with God and was not, for God took him, really did say this. This prophecy was preserved for generations, and the Spirit of God has now incorporated it into the canon of Scripture for our benefit.
And what is the prophecy? It is a stunning declaration of the final judgment. "Behold, the Lord came..." Notice the past tense. This is the prophetic perfect. The event is so certain in the mind of God that it is spoken of as though it has already happened. This is not a maybe. This is a done deal. The Lord is coming, and He is not coming alone. He comes with "many thousands of His holy ones," His myriads of angels, a celestial army to execute His sentence.
The purpose of His coming is twofold: to execute judgment and to convict. And notice the target. Jude hammers the point home with relentless repetition. The Lord comes to convict "all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." Four times in one sentence he uses the word "ungodly." This is not an accident. Ungodliness is the root of the problem. It is not just a matter of breaking a few rules. It is a posture of the heart that lives as though God is not. It is a practical atheism. And this internal ungodliness inevitably manifests itself in two ways: ungodly deeds and harsh words against Him. God sees both the rebellious actions and the arrogant speeches, and He will bring both into the courtroom on the final day.
This prophecy serves as a great anchor for the saints. The false teachers may be flourishing now. They may be popular, persuasive, and powerful. But their end is fixed. God saw them coming thousands of years ago, and He has already declared their doom. History is not a random series of events; it is a story moving toward a final, decisive judgment. Christ will return in glory, and He will settle all accounts.
The Diagnostic Marks of the Ungodly (v. 16)
After establishing the certainty of their judgment, Jude gives us a practical, diagnostic list of their characteristics. How do you spot these people? Look at their lives and listen to their mouths.
"These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of their own benefit." (Jude 1:16 LSB)
First, they are "grumblers, finding fault." The Greek word for grumbler is the root of our word "gong." It is a low, constant, murmuring complaint. This is the characteristic sin of Israel in the wilderness. Despite God's miraculous provision, the pillar of fire, the manna from heaven, they were constantly complaining. About the food, the water, the leadership. At its root, grumbling is a deep-seated rebellion against the providence of God. It is to look at the world God has made, the circumstances He has ordained, and to find fault with it. It is to say, "If I were God, I would have done a better job." This is the native language of our therapeutic, victim-culture. It is a spirit of perpetual discontent, a refusal to give thanks, and it is a direct assault on the goodness and sovereignty of God.
Second, they are "following after their own lusts." This is the engine that drives their entire enterprise. They have thrown off the authority of Christ, so the only authority left is the clamor of their own appetites. A lust is any disordered desire. It can be for sex, certainly, but it can also be for power, for approval, for comfort, for control. When a man is governed by his lusts, he is a slave. He has made a god of his belly, or his libido, or his ego. This is the essence of their "freedom." They have rejected the glorious liberty of the children of God for the miserable bondage of their own cravings.
Third, "their mouth speaks arrogantly." Literally, it speaks "swelling things." This is the language of pomposity, of big talk. Because they are hollow on the inside, they must be loud on the outside. They are full of boasts, grand pronouncements, and self-important jargon. They speak as though they are the final authority on all matters. This is the pride of the creature puffing out his chest before the Creator. It is the clay telling the potter that he knows better. This arrogance is a dead giveaway, for true wisdom is always clothed in humility.
And fourth, they are "flattering people for the sake of their own benefit." Here we see the other side of the coin. With one side of their mouth, they speak arrogant things against God and His truth. With the other side, they speak smooth, flattering things to men. Why? For advantage. They are pragmatists to the core. They will say whatever is necessary to get what they want, whether it is money, position, or a following. They are man-pleasers, not God-fearers. They tell people with itching ears exactly what they want to hear. They will praise a rich donor to get his money, or affirm a popular sin to get applause from the culture. This is the opposite of faithful ministry, which speaks the truth in love, whether it is popular or not. The flatterer uses people; the faithful shepherd serves them.
Conclusion: The Great Divide
Jude presents us with a stark contrast, a great divide between two kinds of people. On the one hand, you have the ungodly. They are defined by their discontent, their slavery to lust, their arrogant mouths, and their manipulative flattery. And their end is certain: judgment. The Lord is coming, and He will convict them.
But by implication, Jude is also describing the saints, those who are contending for the faith. If the ungodly are grumblers, the saints are to be characterized by gratitude. We are to be a people who give thanks in all circumstances, recognizing the good and sovereign hand of our Father. If the ungodly follow their own lusts, the saints are to be those who follow Christ, crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires. If the ungodly have arrogant mouths, the saints are to have mouths filled with humble praise and faithful testimony. And if the ungodly flatter for gain, the saints are to speak the truth in love, without compromise, fearing God rather than men.
The dividing line between these two groups is not natural goodness or superior intelligence. The dividing line is the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. We were all, by nature, grumblers. We all followed our own lusts. We all had proud hearts and flattering tongues. We were all ungodly, and we were all headed for the same judgment described by Enoch.
But God, who is rich in mercy, did not leave us there. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, not initially with ten thousands of His holy ones to judge, but as a humble servant to be judged in our place. He took the conviction for our ungodly deeds and our harsh words. He absorbed the wrath we deserved. And He rose again, securing for us not condemnation, but a common salvation.
Therefore, the call is to flee from the character of the ungodly and to take refuge in Christ. Repent of your grumbling and learn to give thanks. Repent of your lusts and walk in the Spirit. Repent of your pride and humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Repent of your flattery and your fear of man, and resolve to speak the truth. For the Lord is coming. For the ungodly, this is a terror. But for those who are kept in Christ Jesus, it is our blessed hope. He is coming to execute judgment, yes, but He is also coming to vindicate His people and bring us home.