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. 17 But, beloved, remember ye the words
which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How
that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk
after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves,
sensual, having not the Spirit. (Jude 1:14-19)
The salient point of Jude’s Epistle has been to open the eyes of the believer
to the evil deception of false prophets of whom the Lord has said there will
be, not a few, but MANY. Of the end times, Christ says: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive
many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But
he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matt
24:11-13) This does not appear to be an INCREASING faith upon the earth, but a
waning one consistent with the birds in the branches of the Mustard Tree the
inquiry of Lord, “. . . when the Son of man
cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) My impression
is that faith will be a rare commodity reserved for the Remnant of His people
at His Coming! Jude has told us of the proliferation of false prophets. There
would not be so many false prophets if they had no followers but,
unfortunately, many false professors are deceived today – perhaps far more than
those who will cling to the Solid Rock which is Christ.
Now we come to another intriguing figure of the early Old Testament period –
ENOCH. Perhaps there is a signification in the naming of Enoch as the seventh
from Adam since the number seven is often used to symbolize a special authority
and completeness of action such as, in this case, the prophecy of Enoch. 14 “And
Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these.” Enoch had
great faith, so much so that he walked with God as Adam had walked before the
Fall at Eden. More than any works of righteousness to which we may pretend,
FAITH is the only thing that is pleasing to God. Strong Faith entails all of
the rest of the works of righteousness. “By faith Enoch was translated that
he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for
before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
(Heb 11:5,6)
Enoch was a prophet not unlike Abel of
the early dawning of the world. As Abel had done, and later, Abraham, Enoch
looked to the coming of the Redeemer for the salvation of his soul. God will
brood no sin in His Heaven, yet the faith of Enoch in the future promise was
sufficient for God to take him from among men to be with Himself.
The main factor that is so sorely missing in the modern church is simple FAITH.
We have pulpit dandies who parade before us claiming the powers to call down
the Holy Ghost at their own beckon and call. They never omit to extort money
from men and women desperate for healing and to see a miraculous sign. We have
sign enough in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ. When He returns, there will be no doubt of His identity! There will not
be horrified passengers in airliners screaming in panic at the taking of their
pilot, or buses and cars going off the road because their drivers have been “raptured.”
What a hoax on the professing and luke-warm Christians. How great will be their
dismay to learn that they shall undergo terrors of persecution ere the end. “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if
they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he
is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of
the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son
of man be.” (Matt 24:24-27)
As Enoch has prophesied: “Behold,
the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 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.” Here, Enoch is speaking of the Lord
Jesus Christ! You may be thinking that, no worry, these are all without the
Church? If so, you would be wrong. If your discernment has not been so blinded
by the false doctrines of modern day deceivers, you will immediately recognize
that our greatest threat comes from WITHIN the Church and not WITHOUT! There
has never been an idle word spoken against the Triune God that shall not be
written in blazing flames on the breasts of their source. Brothers and Sisters
of the Church of Christ, it is time to awaken and get serious! Serious about
what? About your soul’s salvation; about truth and error; about real authentic
and biblical Church worship, and the cheap shambles that pass for such in our
day!
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.” What is the source of murmurings and
constant contention in the Church? It is most often the sins of lust, jealousy,
and covetousness. If the Church, and each of its members, is One with Christ,
how can there exist dissension and division? The great swelling words of many
are spoken to draw attention to their own presumed piety and
self-righteousness. Remember the long prayers that they love to say in public
to be seen of men? “Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make
long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.”
(Matt 23:14) This verse is so incriminating of the false prophets that they
prefer to expunge it from the modern versions of the Bible – I’m sorry, I
should say ‘pseudo-bible’.
Many churches have prayer meetings in
which long and unending prayers are proudly voiced among the congregation.
Others cannot even utter a prayer for the volume coming from the single
individual who drowns out, not only all expression, but all thought, from the
minds of the other congregants. It is for this reason that we in the Anglican
tradition use only those Godly and biblical prayers of the Prayer Book that
will suit the intentions of all worshippers without exception – and all say
communally (together). Those prayers of particular interest are those which our
Lord advises to be said in our private closets. By praying as our Lord taught
us in the “OUR Father” we understand that such a prayer is to be said in
community. We avoid ‘prayer sermons’ of the novice layperson by observing these
cardinal points of public worship. Such usurpers of worship also pay a
particular interest in men and women of means who enter the church. Hear the
words of St James in his Epistle: “My brethren, have not the faith of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there
come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there
come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that
weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and
say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not
then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my
beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and
heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have
despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the
judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are
called?” (James 2:1-7) Many churches today have ‘referral reference
services’ whereby they are notified when a doctor, lawyer, or otherwise
well-to-do person moves into town so that they may go the extra mile to invite
them to church. This is worship of the institution itself and not of Christ.
The true Christian must separate himself
from the alluring temptations and sins of the world. I will add that the wicked
false professors also separate themselves, not from the world, but from the
righteousness of God! 17 “But, beloved, remember
ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who
should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who
separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” These men taunt
the believer, “Come on! I am a Christian, too, but do you really believe that
God created the world as presented in Genesis? Do you REALLY believe a big fish
swallowed Jonah? Do you REALLY believe that Jesus was born of a virgin? Do you
REALLY believe that the Bible is inerrant and wholly true?” What are your
answers to these mockers, friends?
