Jude 14-16

¹⁴ And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

In this sobering warning of coming judgment from a prophecy of the Old Testament figure of Enoch, Jude reminds the people of God that the “certain men” that have “crept in unawares” into the church may have escaped the watchful eyes of pastors and congregations, but they have not escaped the omniscient gaze of God. Barring repentance and saving faith in Christ, these individuals are headed for a disastrous end. While talk of judgment is something our modern world shuns because we prize inclusiveness and tolerance above all other things, Jude’s words remain true for every age. Last week, from verses 14-15 of the letter, we looked at two aspects of the judgment of God that can be drawn out of Enoch’s prophecy that Jude references.

First, we noted that God’s judgment is certain. The simple promise of this prophecy is that Christ is coming in judgment. One day He will return and judge the lost world. Revelation 19:11-21 and 20:11-15 lay out for us that horrific spectacle. He will come at His Second Coming and destroy all of His enemies and then a thousand years later will sit upon a Great White Throne, judge His enemies, and cast them into an eternal Lake of Fire. The “certain men” that Jude wrote about may put on the right appearances and be accepted by the people of God, but one day they will be revealed for who and what they are. For all of the harm and dissension they have sown in the body of Christ, they will give an account. God’s judgment is certain.

Next, we learned that God’s judgment is absolute. The word “all” appears four times in verse 15 to tell us the comprehensive nature of the judgment. The judgment will be “upon all.” God will not leave anyone out. The entire lost world will stand before Him in judgment. His judgment will not only include all the lost world, but it will involve “all their ungodly deeds.” They will stand in judgment for all of the wicked things that they have done. It will also include their motives. Jude tells us that all of the deeds will be judged “which they have ungodly committed” or “committed in an ungodly way.” Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word penetrates to the “thoughts and intents” of our hearts. Not only will the lost be judged for what they have done, but how and why they did it. Lastly, Jude tells us that God’s judgment will include their “hard speeches.” Actions, thoughts, motives, and speech will all be judged before the Great White Throne one day. The lost world will stand and be judged. No one and nothing will be left out. God’s judgment is absolute.

Lastly, this week we will see that God’s judgment is just. Particularly here, Jude focuses upon the true nature and character of these “certain men” and proves that God’s judgment against such individuals is absolutely just. Having laid out marks of false disciples in verses 4-7 as hypocrisy, unbelief, rebellion, and immorality and behavior patterns in verses 8-13 of irreverence, pride, willful ignorance, envy, covetousness, murmuring, destructiveness, and hypocrisy, Jude moves from more overt patterns to more subtle patterns in verse 16 to describe the true nature of false converts. These patterns in verse 16 are the signs that a person’s heart is not right with God.

He describes them first as “murmurers.” He doesn’t just say that they are people that murmur but instead that they are “murmurers” by nature. What is a “murmurer?” The same word is used in the Septuagint (Greek OT) and in 1 Corinthians 10:10 to describe the Israelites grumbling against Moses in the wilderness. They were never satisfied with God and never believed, therefore they complained about everywhere that God led them through His chosen leader, Moses. The reference here is to the “hard speeches” that have been “uttered against” God (v. 15). Ultimately, grumbling in the body of Christ is against God. When we murmur against God’s people, we are ultimately murmuring against God. This murmuring has at its core a rejection of God’s authority that is lived out among God’s people.

Attached with being “murmurers,” they are also described by Jude as “complainers.” The word means “malcontents.” Have you ever met someone who isn’t happy with something all of the time? This is the attitude Jude warns about. It describes the attitude of fault-finding and an overly critical spirit. The reality is that you can go to any church and find something wrong in the first five minutes if you really want to. The point is not that churches don’t have things to fix and work on, but instead our attitude towards God’s people should not be one of criticism and fault-finding but of edification. Love edifies (1 Corinthians 8:1).

The third description that Jude gives in verse 16 is that they are “walking after their own lusts.” That means their lives are driven by their own selfish desires. James 3:16 tells us that the inevitable fruit that comes from “envy” and “strife” (selfish ambition) are “confusion” (disorder) and “every evil work.” These “certain men” murmur and complain because they don’t get their way. One of the deadliest forces in a church is selfishness. When people push their own selfish agenda upon the church or subtly try to work their agenda through others in the congregation it breeds disaster. People will do this under sweet and innocent guises and sometimes it is very difficult to realize and avoid.

The last part of verse 16 describes the real way in which these murmurers and complainers push their selfish agendas. It is through the use of “great swelling words” and “having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.” They first use all of the right words and speech to get others to follow them and listen to them. They don’t just come out nasty. They make everything sound innocent and logical. They give the right information to get people to agree with them, but not necessarily all of the information. The second part of that is a difficult phrase that essentially means that they use flattery to get people to look to them and follow them. Flattery is one of the most subtle and deadly forms of deception. There are people who tell people exactly what they want to hear in order to get them on their side. False teachers deceive and get people to follow them by giving messages that are half-true at best. They tickle the ears and tell people what they want to hear. False converts in the body of Christ do the same on a much smaller stage. Beware of anyone who flatters you or tries to sway you to their side with smooth and seemingly innocent talk. Christians should certainly be kind in our speech, but our speech should always be truthful and straightforward. Our goal should always be to win people to Christ, not to ourselves. These “certain men” that Jude wrote about are concerned about getting people to follow and accept them and push their agenda, not with getting people to follow Christ.

These four aspects of false converts that Jude points out in verse 16 are far more subtle than we would think of wolves in sheep’s clothing. However, when we understand the devil’s schemes, he is always subtle. He doesn’t come breathing fire with a pitchfork, forked tongue, scales, and a tale. Instead, he comes as an “angel of light” and so Paul says that his servants come into the church as “ministers of righteousness” (1 Corinthians 11:13-15). They look right, but something is wrong. Over time, their hypocrisy begins to reveal itself. The nature of wolf is revealed from underneath the clothing of a sheep. What are you and I to do? First, examine our own hearts and lives. Do you murmur, complain, walk selfishly, or flatter others to get them on your side? Be honest. Second, we must be on the lookout so that we are not deceived. We must avoid being trapped in the murmuring and complaining remarks of others, the selfish schemes of others, or the flattering speech of someone who wants to use us for their own advantage. Discernment is key. We must be diligent, humble, and sober minded.