“It was also about these [false teachers, scoffers, and ungodly people] 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.” [1]
During my holidays this past year, I received a request to, on short notice, “say a prayer” for a family as they laid the remains of a young man to rest. I agreed to be present, thus assisting the family in their time of need. At the appointed time, I arrived at the cemetery. There were a surprising number of family members present when I arrived. I had never met any of these family members, so I introduced myself and took my place near where the grave had been opened.
Present that day was the young son of the man who was to be interred. The lad looked to be perhaps nine or ten years of age. He was loud and energetic. An older woman, obviously uncomfortable with the boy’s energy, explained that the boy was autistic, adding that there were no boundaries on his inquisitive abruptness.
Sure enough, the lad asked me, “Who are you?” I responded that I was a pastor. “Oh,” the boy said, as if my answer satisfied his curiosity for a moment. Soon, however, he again looked at me and asked, “Why are you here?” It was a very perceptive question, and perhaps one that some of those present were wondering. I must believe that the Spirit of God prompted me to give the answer to the young man’s prescient query, “I represent God. I remind people that He is God, and they are not. I remind people that He is eternal, and that they are finite. I remind people that life is short, and eternity is long. I remind people that God is good and His salvation is real.” That answer satisfied the lad’s curiosity, but others listening to our conversation were obviously and instantly sobered.
When the brother of the man who was to be interred had phoned me, he asked if I was a priest. He seemed confused when I told him I was not a priest, but I was a pastor. I hastened to inform him that I pastored a church filled with priests, and that any one of those I served could pray at the grave of his brother. The man was obviously confused, but in that telling encounter I was reminded that the world cannot understand the Faith of Christ the Lord. And I remembered that we can no longer live as we once did when we were in the world.
The world and the Faith are not identical; in fact, we are diametrically opposed to one another. Our Master emphasised this truth when He warned, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” [JOHN 15:18-19]. Child of God, you are not like those of this world. The people of this world can be “nice,” but they can never be godly.
The Apostle of Love reveals why we who follow the Saviour must not allow ourselves to be at ease with the world when he writes, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” [1 JOHN 2:15-17]. The world is passing away, and the desires we have reflecting the world’s views will pass into oblivion even as the world passes away.
Years ago, we would hear the saints encourage one another, saying,
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
This is evident when we consider the future for the redeemed of God. We know, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:10].
This Judgement Seat before which the redeemed shall stand is not to determine whether they are saved or lost, (that is already settled at the Cross), this is a judgement to determine rewards, as becomes evident when Paul writes, “If anyone builds on the foundation [of Jesus Christ] with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” [1 CORINTHIANS 3:12-15].
The redeemed soul himself will be saved, though all that exalted the flesh and its desires will be burned up. Wood, speaking of the exaltation of “self,” hay, pointing to gratification of our fleshly desires, and straw, revealing our timidity and attempts to preserve ourselves, will all be consumed in the searching fire of revelation. Gold, representing glorification of God, silver, representing efforts to advance the cause of Christ, and precious stones, which are the souls redeemed through our prayers and through our witness, will be revealed as eternal through the same searching process. This is as it should be, just as we are assured when an unknown writer testifies, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints—and by continuing to serve them” [HEBREWS 6:10 CSB]. Dear people, our God takes note of what you do, and He will reward our work—all of it—that we perform to the praise of His glory. The struggles we have are real, but the rewards He promises are just as real. Keep on keeping on.
We who are redeemed have been born from above and we are children of the Heavenly Father; we have the Spirit of Christ living in us. And the Spirit of Christ cannot yield to the desires of the flesh. We are warned, “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” [GALATIANS 5:17]. Did you get that? What the flesh desires is not what the Spirit of God living in us desires. As followers of the Risen Lord, we are bringing our flesh into alignment with the Spirit of God. This is a lifelong process. The struggle is very real and it is ongoing.
The distinction between us and those identified as belonging to the world is emphasised again when John writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” [1 JOHN 3:1-3].
John returns to this point in his first missive when he writes, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error” [1 JOHN 4:4-6].
And this brings us to the message this day. Among the churches of our Lord, even within the Zion of the Faith, are individuals who are godless. Tragically, these godless individuals are often functioning as leaders among the faithful. Jude identifies them as “false teachers, scoffers, and ungodly people.” They see God’s justice as unrighteous, and they would speak harsh things against Him and against His work. Be aware of these deluded souls. Guard yourself by refusing to permit them to influence you, turning you from your service that exalts the Name of the Son of God.
FALSE TEACHERS, SCOFFERS, AND UNGODLY PEOPLE — “It was also about these [false teachers, scoffers, and ungodly people] 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’” [JUDE 14-15]. Wow! Cutting words, indeed! Didn’t Jude know that this is no way to make friends and influence people! Wouldn’t he have benefitted from intervention by some of the kind souls instructing pulpiteers in this day?
There are a plethora of timid souls who seek to present themselves as legitimate spokesmen for the Saviour. Some of these are no doubt genuine followers of the Lord Jesus; but they are weak and fearful, not wishing to upset anyone who may disagree were they to adopt a vigorous embrace of the Faith. These timid souls are performing precisely as they were trained, thus fulfilling the expectations of the diffident congregations that hired them to perform as shepherds of God’s flock.
Despite their diffidence and a notable lack of biblical courage, it is still a tragic truth that among the supposed spokesmen for the Faith false teachers, scoffers, and ungodly people are overrepresented. In plain language, there are a lot of phonies—charlatans, liars, con artists, fraudsters—presenting themselves as preachers and teachers of the Gospel of Christ the Lord among the churches of this day.
Jude does a surprising thing as he writes warning of the infiltration of wicked sorts into the leadership of the churches—he cites an oft quoted pseudepigraphical book. It was perhaps well known and highly respected in that ancient day, but no one imagined the book to be biblical. Jude cites something attributed to Enoch. Enoch didn’t author this particular book, but many people thought that Enoch had given a message that was passed down through oral tradition until his words were recorded in this book.
Let’s refresh our memory concerning the reason Jude was writing this scathing missive. The half-brother of our Lord wanted to write encouraging his readers by focusing on the salvation we share as followers of the Risen Saviour. However, despite his ardent desire, Jude was compelled “to write appealing to [his readers] to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” [JUDE 3]. He describes the event necessitating the change in his initial intentions as arising because, “Certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” [JUDE 4].
I doubt that any God called preacher enjoys confronting errant teachers. No minister of Christ enjoys preaching a negative message. Every servant of God wants to be positive, wants to build up the faithful. However, God’s servant has received a holy charge that demands that he, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” [2 TIMOTHY 4:2].
Preaching the Word is somewhat easy for the man of God—reproving, rebuking, and exhorting is considerably more demanding. Doing this with “complete patience” while ensuring that he is teaching, giving the reason behind his words so that those who listen understand the need for such confrontational preaching is much more difficult, much more taxing. The preacher who seeks to honour Him Who appoints to holy office will know that his words run the risk of offending the unsaved and the antagonistic.
As the age moves toward the inexorable conclusion, the people of God are warned, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” [2 TIMOTHY 4:3-4].
This inevitable movement toward a flaccid, feeble, frail, and anemic religion was described earlier when the Apostle to the Gentiles wrote in sombre tones, warning, “Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” [2 TIMOTHY 3:1-7].
In light of what is coming, the man of God ministering in the Last Days, is admonished, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” [2 TIMOTHY 4:5].
As he continues writing, Jude exposes these ungodly people who were even then infiltrating the work of the Lord as false teachers, scoffers, and ungodly people. If his language exposing the character of these charlatans appears severe, unkind, even rigid, it is because we who profess Christ in this day have grown soft. Our willingness to stand firm in the Faith of Christ the Lord is suspect at best. We love the praise of mere mortals more than the smile of Heaven, and so we want to avoid saying anything that might cast an opprobrium on the views of prominent churchmen, however out of step with the Word their views may be. We would rather tolerate words undermining the Faith of Christ than risk besmirching the name of insidious interlopers who are destroying the Faith.
Jude has pointed to three biblical events, both historical and future, to demonstrate the serious nature of the infiltration of the churches by ungodly people. He reminded readers that Jesus saved Israel out of Egypt, and then destroyed those who refused to believe that He could bring them into the land He had promised. God holds to account those whom He has blessed in the past. No one should presume against God’s mercy. This is especially true of those who have been given divine privilege and grace.
Then, the half-brother of Jesus pointed to the angels that had followed Lucifer in rebellion against their Creator, the Living God. Until this day, many of those angels are bound in the abyss where they will remain until one dark day during the Great Tribulation they will be released to torment those of the earth. It is a revelation of the power and the foul nature of these demonic powers to learn that the Lord holds them in check at this time. We know the power of demonic beings that are encountered in this day; how terrifying to learn that some have malevolent power beyond anything we can imagine, except for the mercies of God.
It is essential that we understand the power of these angels whom God has bound. And we are given insight when the Revelator writes, “Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss. He opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it like smoke from a giant furnace. The sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft. Then out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. They were told not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their forehead. The locusts were not given permission to kill them, but only to torture them for five months, and their torture was like that of a scorpion when it stings a person. In those days people will seek death, but will not be able to find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them” [REVELATION 9:1-6 NET BIBLE 2nd].
The third event to which Jude points is the judgement on the cities of the plain. The judgement that was poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities casts a fierce glare across the pages of the Word of God to this day. The judgement of that ancient society as they defied God by refusing to accept His assignment warns all mankind not to presume against the grace of God. That society, that culture, which embraces the weird in defiance of the Creator has but one possibility before them—judgement! There is no other possible outcome.
Jude continues his pointed warning of the danger arising from invasion by the ungodly by pointing to the character of these false teachers, scoffers, and ungodly people, exposing them for presumption against the Living God. These charlatans, fraudsters that they are, are acting precisely as did those destroyed during the exodus. They imagine themselves to have more power than the very angels of God. And they approve of the most vile actions as though they are the arbiters of righteousness. Jude exposes them as people who have degenerate minds that are on a level with the beasts God created.
Then, this bold preacher of righteousness, reveals how the Lord sees these invaders of the Faith. They are hidden reefs that wreck the righteous, shepherds who have no concern for the flock, clouds that promise refreshment though their promises are never fulfilled, trees that promise nourishment though never producing the fruit that is promised, stormy seas, and trackless planets endlessly circling through the darkened skies of the night. What a terrible condemnation of these diseased cockroaches!
THE FATE OF THE UNGODLY — “It was also about these [i.e. false teachers, scoffers, and ungodly people] 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’” [JUDE 14-15]. Jude cites an unexpected source, “1 Enoch.”
I certainly have some questions. And it is likely that you have some questions as well. I don’t recall these words anywhere else in my Bible! When did Enoch write this? How did Jude discover these words? “Preacher, can you provide a cogent explanation of what is going on?” The Spirit of God inspired Jude to use this quote because it was familiar and considered to be historically valid by pious rabbis in the day that Jude was writing. Moreover, the quote supported what Jude was saying.
Though Enoch did not author the book Jude cited, his message was passed down through oral tradition until it was at last recorded as “1 Enoch.” There are a number of books that were never part of the Old Testament canon that were valued by the Jews because they presented what was understood to be accurate citations drawn from ancient sources. [2] The Apostle to the Gentiles is known to have cited nonbiblical sources to make a legitimate point as he was presenting a particular truth. [3]
Jude has written, “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’” [JUDE 14-15]. Reading the citation from Enoch, Jude tells us five Scriptural truths.
In the first place, Jude tells us that judgement is certain when he writes, “Behold, the Lord comes.” We who follow the Risen Lamb of God know that divine judgement is coming. We do not know the day or the hour, but we do know that judgement is coming. Jesus warned those who will listen, “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come” [MARK 13:28-33]. We know that judgement is certain.
Jude also uses the prophecy given by Enoch to inform us that when the Lord brings judgement, judgement will be delivered by angels. Citing Enoch, Jude writes, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.” The use of angels to bring judgement is repeated throughout the Word. Jesus warned, “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” [MATTHEW 13:41-42]. How dreadful this warning is! Jesus is warning the ungodly that they shall be held to account. And the consequences are terrifying!
Jesus’ warning is echoed by Paul as he looks to God’s retribution on the wicked, writing, “God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed” [2 THESSALONIANS 1:6-10]. The Living God is fully aware when the wicked assault the righteous. And though He delays responding to the violence His saints are forced to endure, He will in due time take vengeance on those wicked people who injure His beloved child! Be aware of this!
The Revelator likewise writes of the role of angels in meting our divine punishment of the wicked, when he writes of the Bowl Judgements that will be poured out on the earth during the Great Tribulation. Those judgements are described following the opening statement given in REVELATION 16:1: “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.’” The description of the judgements can only be seen as frightful, as horrific, as formidable in the extreme.
Jude’s citation informs us that the coming judgement is universal—it is a judgement on all the ungodly. Citing Enoch, Jude writes, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly.” That this is the case becomes evident when we witness the Revelator looking to the Judgement before the Great White Throne. John writes, “I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” [REVELATION 20:11-15].
John has given a pointed, concise statement expanding upon the words Jesus spoke concerning the Judgement, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left” [MATTHEW 25:31-33].
Moreover, Jude’s citation of the prophecy Enoch gave demonstrates that this will be a judgement of ungodliness. Remember that the prophetic word of Enoch has warned, “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.” God will judge the ungodly of every ungodly act they ever committed, even judging them for the ungodly way in which they have acted and holding them accountable for the harsh words they have spoken because they are ungodly!
The thought that people can live without God will be exposed as folly as the reality is brought down on the heads of lost people. What is especially dreadful is that the people who are judged will include many who are considered to be respectable, powerful, religious, and kind. But you must know that your failure to receive the Son of God as your Saviour is high treason against the Lord of all the universe. Without Christ as Master over your life, you are ungodly!
I remind you who listen, “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” [ROMANS 5:6]. Christ died for the ungodly! Therefore, to reject the sacrifice of God’s Son is lese majesté! And treason against the God Who gives you freedom from condemnation must be punishable by death. And since the transgression is against the infinite God, the punishment will likewise be infinite. How terrifying! Moreover, as the Apostle to the Jews has written, “[Scoffers] deliberately overlook … [that by God’s Word] the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” [2 PETER 3:5-7].
If you see yourself as self-sufficient, as somehow good enough that God must accept you as you are, you are ungodly. If you console yourself that somehow your good deeds will outweigh any evil you have committed, you are ungodly. If you imagine that you will satisfy God with a quick decision at the end of days, you are ungodly. Your arrogance is betraying you, and you will be judged as ungodly. If you are depending on your religious duties to satisfy the Judge of all mankind, you are ungodly. Your religion is masking deep ungodliness and blinding you to your need for God’s mercy and grace.
Enoch’s prophecy speaks of a truthful judgement. Jude, citing this ancient prophetic word warns, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly.” It is not merely the pronouncement of judgement, but what the Lord does will convict the ungodly of the truth of God’s divine judgement. Sinners will stand speechless before God’s searching gaze. They will be naked before the truth of who they are, and exposed as utterly devoid of righteousness. This knowledge lends understanding to the Apostle’s admonition, “Stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts” [1 CORINTHIANS 4:5 ISV].
The judgement the lost will face will reveal the truth about themselves. Every pretence, every hidden motive, every self-deceiving consolation harboured will burst forth for all to see. The most awful part is that when the Lord condemns the lost soul, that soul will be convicted and compelled to agree with God’s revelation. Indeed, the Apostle is correct when he writes, “Let God be true though every one were a liar” [ROMANS 3:4a]. [4]
EXPOSING THE CHARACTER OF THE GODLESS — “These [i.e. false teachers, scoffers, and ungodly people] are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage” [JUDE 16]. One would suppose the destruction wrought by these devastating ecclesiastical termites would be sufficient to compel righteous individuals and the churches of our Lord to do whatever is necessary to expose them, but Jude says these religious cockroaches infesting the Faith exhibit a distasteful nastiness that would make them odious to any conscientious soul.
Jude lists five characteristics that are associated with the destructive insects that are infiltrating the Zion of God. They are denoted as grumblers, as malcontents, and as individuals who are controlled by their own fallen desires—they are incapable of avoiding the consequences of their choices. Then he identifies these pernicious pests as boasters—and not merely boastful, but loud-mouthed in proclaiming their own glories! And beyond that, they are exposed as using favouritism to gain an advantage. When you witness these dark characteristics marking the life of someone claiming to represent the Son of God, know for a certainty that they are ungodly phonies!
Those infiltrating the churches are grumblers. As a child, I was told on numerous occasions, “Son, there are two things that’ll get you a whuppin’. If you can’t do anything about a situation and you complain; and if you can do something about it and don’t!” I learned rather early that grumbling would only get me acquainted with the board of education being applied to the seat of knowledge. Grumbling, complaining, is detestable to the Lord God, as the people of Israel discovered during their desert wanderings.
There is nothing positive in the actions of the people in the account of God’s providing meat for them when they grumbled [see EXODUS 16:2-12]. The Psalmist Asaph, looking back on this event recalled the high cost of grumbling. He wrote,
“[Israel] sinned still more against [God],
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God, saying,
‘Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?’”
[PSALM 78:17-20]
Asaph recalled how God viewed the grumbling of the people, writing,
“Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
because they did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.”
[PSALM 78:17-20]
God did send meat, raining down quail on the camp. The people ate and were filled. Asaph noted,
“They ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.”
[PSALM 78:29]
The price they paid for their grumbling was far more than they could have ever imagined. Asaph writes,
“Before they had satisfied their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed the strongest of them
and laid low the young men of Israel.”
[PSALM 78:30-31]
Grumbling is a serious sin inviting God’s extreme displeasure.
Again, the people grumbled against those whom God appointed to lead them to the land He had promised. We read, “All the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt’” [NUMBERS 14:2-4].
God heard the grumbling of the people and responded by punishing the people who were grumbling. The divine account informs us, “The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ‘How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, “As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.” I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.’
“And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the LORD” [NUMBERS 14:26-37]. Grumbling is a serious sin doubting God’s goodness.
These invaders are malcontents. Jude uses a word occurring only here in the Greek New Testament. The word speaks of those who are always complaining. These are people unhappy with their lot in life, so they find fault with their situation, find fault with others, even finding fault with God Himself, whining that He isn’t fair. They are constantly blaming others for whatever deficit may arise in their life. To be certain, the grumbling may arise from their discontent, but ever and always these are people who are quick to assign blame to anyone other then themselves for whatever dissatisfies them.
The worrisome worms follow their own sinful desires. Ruled by their feelings, the infiltrating termites were incapable of thinking rationally. Had they been able to reason, they would have understood the futility of defying the Living God! Their highest and best thoughts were based on their feelings—and feelings are notoriously fickle. Surely, this is the implication we witness when the Apostle Paul wrote, “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God” [1 CORINTHIANS 8:2-3].
The infiltrators are loud-mouthed boasters. Those who promote themselves through their boasts are writing a cheque for which there are no funds covering what is promised. As followers of the Christ Who conquers death, we are assured by the words of the Apostle when he writes, “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” [1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31].
Those showing favouritism to gain advantage are a grave danger to the churches. Peter testified, “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is welcomed before him” [ACTS 10:34-35 NET BIBLE 2nd]. And Paul would assert, “God does not show favouritism” [see GALATIANS 2:6 CSB].
The message I have presented is a cautionary statement meant to warn the people of God concerning those who to this day infiltrate the churches to corrupt the work of God. Those who infiltrate, and perhaps some who hear my words need to come to grips with their need to be regenerated, must face up to their need for salvation. Above all else, lost souls need to hear the word delivered by the Apostles to a terrified goaler, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” [ACTS 16:31]. Believe this promise and be saved today. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] E.g. “The Book of Jubilee,” “The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs,” “The Assumption of Moses”
[3] See, e.g. Acts 17:28; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Titus 1:12
[4[ The foregoing points are derived from John Benton, Slandering the Angels: The Message of Jude, Welwyn Commentary Series (Evangelical Press, Darlington, England, 1999) 117–123
