Jude 1:16, commentary and pictures

Jude describes ungodly sinners as discontented grumblers who follow their own evil desires, utter proud and inflated boasts, and flatter or favor others only for selfish gain. Their boastful speech includes contempt for God's holy law given at Sinai as a dead and violent Jewish code unworthy to be remembered, which is alliance with Satan against God that will be bitterly regretted at the judgment. This is the condition that prevailed when wickedness filled the earth in Noah's day despite one hundred and twenty years of probation, and it will prevail again before Christ comes the second time to execute judgment for ungodly deeds and hard speeches, as Enoch the seventh from Adam foretold when he walked with God and warned that the Lord would come with ten thousands of His saints. The same apostasy meets believers in the present day through ungodly false teachers who depart from the faith once delivered to the saints, keep a form of godliness while refusing the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in active zeal divert minds from the truth that alone is safe ground. Their murmuring continues Satan's own work begun in heaven of sowing unbelief, discord and disloyalty from self-interest until many are defiled, so believers and churches in every city must remain separate from such influences unless they are converted, and like Enoch earnestly proclaim the coming judgment instead of dwelling with the wicked to save them.

Words and Historical Setting

The ungodly are discontented grumblers and faultfinders who live governed by their own cravings and desires, using inflated, boastful speech and showing flattering regard for persons in order to gain personal advantage. Their discontent springs from self-serving desire, and their boastful speech and flattery serve selfish plans to exalt self. This corrupt class is found in every city and belongs among the ungodly influences from which believers must remain separate unless converted. These traits mark the world before Christ's coming and accompany the judgment the Lord will execute upon the ungodly.

The inflated speech includes contempt against God's holy law proclaimed from Sinai, dismissing it as an old rickety, dead and buried law not deserving even a gravestone, an old thunder and lightning law, an old bloody Jewish law, and feeling relief after disparaging it. Such talk is the speech of the man of sin in alliance with Satan against the Most High God, words that will be wished unsaid in the judgment. The murmuring and complaining comes from self-interest and spreads disaffection to others, sowing unbelief, discord and disloyalty whose bitterness spreads until many are defiled. It continues the work Satan began in heaven, and he uses even professed believers to oppose faithful workers who act without partiality, with greater light and knowledge making his work through opposers more successful.

The verse comes as part of Jude's message to his brethren sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called, with mercy and peace and love multiplied. It calls them to be consistent in the profession of their faith and to earnestly contend for the common salvation, the faith once delivered to the saints. It belongs to the God-given message of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who walked with God in a time no more favorable to perfection of Christian character than the present. He kept himself and his family where the atmosphere would be as pure as possible, and did not dwell with the wicked or settle among them to save them, but went forth at times to proclaim that the Lord would come with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment and convince the ungodly of their deeds and hard speeches against Him. In this way he directed minds forward to the great day of God when Christ will come the second time to judge every man's work, and that warning must now be earnestly proclaimed in the message of Christ's second coming.

Every visit to the world was painful to him because he saw and understood the leprosy of sin. After proclaiming his message he always brought back with him to his retirement some who had received the warning. Some of these, having lived so long under corrupting influence, could not endure righteousness and returned to their former customs and practices, while others became overcomers and died before the Flood came.

Prophecy of Coming Judgment

The verse describes the condition of the world in Noah's day, when wickedness was so great that God would bear with it no longer, and the same state will exist before the second coming of Christ. The people were murmurers and complainers following their own lusts, speaking proud words and favoring persons for advantage. Though given one hundred and twenty years to repent, they did not improve the opportunity, and after being briefly awed and restrained, depraved habit prevailed. As they resisted conviction their discernment was clouded and their desire for ungodliness strengthened, and this picture is given for the instruction and warning of all living in the last days of earth's history. These traits of grumbling and complaining, following sinful desires, boasting in arrogant words, and flattering for personal gain characterize the world before Christ's coming and identify the ungodly sinners who face His judgment for ungodly deeds and hard speeches against Him. For Enoch, the seventh from Adam, directed minds forward to the great day of God when Christ will come the second time to judge every man's work, and like him the warning must now be earnestly proclaimed in the message of Christ's second coming.

The words will be fulfilled as discontent and self-serving desire lead people to boastful speech and flattery for gain in making and carrying out selfish plans to exalt themselves, as Nebuchadnezzar did. The epistle describes apostasy to be met in the present day, when discontented and complaining false teachers governed by their own desires use inflated, boastful speech and admire and flatter persons for advantage. Some persist in an evil course despite reproof and warning, depart from the faith, and seek entry into the churches, with an influence that could deceive even the elect. In the last days such men keep a form of godliness yet are not safe leaders, arising in active zeal presenting all kinds of theories to divert minds from the very truth that defines the position that can be occupied with safety, as Satan works with power upon religious people to lead them to make a pretense of righteousness while failing to place themselves under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Warning and Faithful Separation

This corrupt class marked by grumbling and complaints, living by selfish desires, using boastful speech and flattering persons for advantage, is found in every city, and believers and churches must remain separate from such ungodly influences unless they are converted and bear a different testimony. The pattern to follow is that of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who walked with God in a time no more favorable to perfection of Christian character than the present, placing himself and his family where the atmosphere would be as pure as possible and not making his abode with the wicked or locating among them to save them. He went forth at times to the inhabitants of the world to proclaim the coming of the Lord with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment and convince the ungodly of their ungodly deeds and hard speeches against Him. Every visit to the world was painful to him because he saw and understood the leprosy of sin, and after proclaiming his message he always took back with him to his place of retirement some who had received the warning. Some of these, having lived so long under corrupting influence, could not endure righteousness and returned to their former customs and practices, while some became overcomers and died before the Flood came. The need for separation is urgent because some persist in an evil course despite reproof and warning, depart from the faith, and seek entry into the churches with an influence that could deceive even the elect.

The verse guards believers against the seductive influence of false teachers, men who keep a form of godliness yet are not safe leaders. It exposes Satan working with power upon religious people, leading them to make a pretense of being righteous while failing to place themselves under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In the last days such false teachers arise in active zeal presenting all kinds of theories to divert minds from the very truth that defines the position that can be occupied with safety. Such murmuring and complaining from self-interest, spreading disaffection to others, continues the work Satan began in heaven. It sows unbelief, discord, and disloyalty, and its bitterness spreads until many are defiled. Satan uses even people who claim to have the faith to oppose faithful workers who act without partiality, and the greater the opposers' light and knowledge, the more successful his work through them can be.

The verse applies to those who from jealousy and envy speak against those bearing heavy responsibilities in God's work. Such fault-finding burdens church meetings, and God keeps a record of these speeches and motives. The warning bears also on people involved in dishonest and unjust dealings and on those who support wrongdoing, who must repent and make restitution or they will not enter the kingdom of heaven, yet the warning is not being heeded. Murmuring and complaining accompany a selfish, unchristlike, harsh, unfeeling, independent, and envious life whose profession of truth has not sanctified the life. Claiming to be the world's light and the earth's salt while living this way makes the light darkness and the salt useless, fit only to be cast out and trampled. Like Enoch, who directed minds forward to the great day of God when Christ will come the second time to judge every man's work and face ungodly sinners with judgment for ungodly deeds and hard speeches against God, the warning must now be earnestly proclaimed in the message of Christ's second coming.