JUDGMENT REMINDERS (PART 9)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Jude 1:14-15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Over the past eight messages, we have found Jude, the writer of this letter that bears his name, warning the Christian church against ungodly people who were in their midst. We have covered the character traits of the ungodly and how they are destined for God’s judgment and punishment, the latter the highlight of today’s passage and the final message in this series, Judgment Reminders. Here’s what we read in verses 14 and 15:

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Of interest here is that the quote used by Job is from a writing that isn’t in the Bible.

The First Book of Enoch was written around first century B.C. and is included in a series of writings referred to as the Apocrypha. Some bibles you may see on the market might include this as an appendix to the established 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.

But here’s the thing. Not all of what one finds in the Apocrypha is accurate or trustworthy. If it was, God would have included it within the Word He created and inspired. In fact, most Bible scholars believe that much of the letter wasn’t written by Enoch at all.

With this, then the question is, why would a quote from the First Book of Enoch find its way into the perfectly true scriptures, words that are God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17)?

The answer to the question is that although the Apocrypha which includes this First Book of Enoch are inaccurate as a whole, there was at least one statement that was valid and that’s the prophecy we find in these two verses in the Book of Jude regarding the judgment of the ungodly. If it weren’t true, God would not have permitted it in His Word.

Okay, so who was Enoch?

We definitely know he is in the scriptures and the Old Testament Book of Genesis. For in our passage today, we read where he was the seventh from Adam, a statement confirmed in Genesis, chapter 5.

There we find the genealogy line from Adam which progressed from him to Seth, then Enosh, then Kenan, Mahalalel, and Jared before we get to Enoch. Seven men in the line of Adam so we affirm and validate that Enoch is who Jude states he is.

So this brings us to the prophecy, one grounded in the sure judgment of God on those who rejected and, as a result, disrespected the Sovereign Maker and Master of all creation. Speaking on behalf of the Lord, Enoch said this:

“See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Of course, the Lord in this prophecy is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God who sits in power at His right hand after having been given “all authority in Heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). The scriptures are clear that while He came to earth the first time to be its Savior, His second coming will be as Judge and we see this highlighted clearly in this prophecy from God through Enoch.

The imagery here is both awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time. For picture for a moment, Jesus descending from Heaven along with “thousands upon thousands” of “His holy” angels, a divine force coming to “judge everyone” and “convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness” as well as every defiant word an ungodly sinner may have “spoken against Him”.

Friends, no mere human can withstand such an onslaught and all the ungodly who have not believed in Jesus as Savior should tremble in fear over what’s to come. For after the judgment and condemnation will be a sentence of eternal darkness, torment, and damnation in Hell. That’s the future of anyone who is not in Christ at His second coming.

Now, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The saved sinner still has a past record of wrongs that more likely than not may have included ungodliness and defiant words against God.

So do they get a pass?

Not if they have failed to repent of the sins they have committed. In those instances, judgment can come but that judgment will not remove the Christian’s future destiny in Heaven. For as we are reminded in the first chapter of Romans, chapter 8, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. They are justified by the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross, a redeeming work that bore the sins of all mankind and allowed the punishment that every sinner deserved to fall on Him.

The Gospel truth is that anyone who has believed in Christ Jesus will be pardoned and gain their part of the blessed inheritance of Heaven, the very Kingdom of the God Most High.

So what is your destiny today? Where would you end up if Jesus was to return with His thousands upon thousands of holy angels to bring judgment on the ungodly?

If you’re not a Jesus believer, please do yourself a favor and surrender your life to Him today. You’ll never regret that decision, now or forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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