Jude 1:14
It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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It's easy to see Enoch's prophecy as just about a future judgment, but the wording "the Lord comes" in the present tense highlights how prophets spoke of future events as if they were already happening, drawing attention to their certainty and imminence. This prophetic style makes the coming judgment feel incredibly real and urgent, even across millennia.
Jude is warning his readers about destructive false teachers who have infiltrated the church, twisting God's grace into an excuse for immorality. To underscore the certainty of their judgment, he calls upon an ancient prophecy from Enoch, the seventh man from Adam, which speaks of the Lord's coming with thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment. This prophecy, Jude implies, applies directly to these godless individuals and their impending doom.
Jude calls on us to remember a prophecy from way before the flood. What makes this ancient voice so important for us today?
The Earliest Prophetic Voice
Jude highlights Enoch, a figure from the time before the great flood, as a prophet. He's not just any prophet; he's the seventh from Adam, emphasizing his incredible antiquity and direct connection to humanity's beginnings.
Imagine witnessing the Lord's return! What does Jude’s quotation of Enoch reveal about the way He will come?
A Grand and Terrible Spectacle
The prophecy itself paints a vivid picture of Christ's return:
Jude quotes a prophecy from Enoch, a figure from the earliest days of humanity, to assure his readers that God has always known about and judged wickedness. This ancient warning, passed down through generations, highlights the consistent nature of God's justice against ungodliness throughout history.
c. 3100 BC
Noah's Flood
The world was so filled with wickedness that God brought a global flood, saving only Noah and his family. This event marks the end of the antediluvian (pre-flood) world.
~2948 BC
Enoch's Translation
Enoch, known for walking closely with God, was taken directly to heaven without experiencing death, a unique event in human history.
c. 1000 BC
Moses Records Genealogies
The Pentateuch, including the genealogies tracing back to Adam, is written, establishing Enoch's place as the seventh generation from Adam.
c. 166 - 110 BC
Book of Enoch Written
The apocryphal Book of Enoch, containing the prophecy quoted by Jude, is believed to have been composed during this period. While not canonical, it was influential in some Jewish circles.
This passage describes a similar vision of divine judgment, with 'thousands upon thousands' of angelic beings attending God's throne, reinforcing the idea of Christ's magnificent and powerful return with a heavenly host.
Zechariah 14:5This verse speaks of the Lord coming with 'all his holy ones,' echoing Jude's quotation and highlighting the presence of celestial beings at divine interventions and judgments.
Matthew 25:31Jesus Himself speaks of His future glorious return, stating that He will come 'with all the angels,' which directly parallels the description of Christ's arrival with countless holy ones.
1 Thessalonians 3:13This passage mentions Christ coming 'with all his saints,' underscoring the collective presence of believers and angelic beings at the Lord's return for judgment and redemption.
2 Peter 3:3-4Peter addresses mockers who question Christ's return, just as Jude warns against similar figures. This passage contextualizes the prophecy of Enoch as a warning against skepticism about God's judgment.
gillJude 1:14: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,"
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam,.... This was Enoch the son of Jared; his name signifies one "instructed", or "trained up"; as he doubtless was by his father, in the true religion, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and was one that had much communion with God; he walked with him, and was translated by him, body and soul, to heaven, and did not…
pulpitJude 1:14: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,"
Verses 14, 15. - And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these. The Revisers render it, and to these also Enoch... prophesied. In the apocryphal writing from which the passage is taken Enoch is styled, as here, "the seventh from Adam." Seven occurs in Scripture as a sacred symbolical number. Its introduction here, therefore, is very generally u…
It's easy to see Enoch's prophecy as just about a future judgment, but the wording "the Lord comes" in the present tense highlights how prophets spoke of future events as if they were already happening, drawing attention to their certainty and imminence. This prophetic style makes the coming judgment feel incredibly real and urgent, even across millennia.
Jude is warning his readers about destructive false teachers who have infiltrated the church, twisting God's grace into an excuse for immorality. To underscore the certainty of their judgment, he calls upon an ancient prophecy from Enoch, the seventh man from Adam, which speaks of the Lord's coming with thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment. This prophecy, Jude implies, applies directly to these godless individuals and their impending doom.
Jude is warning his readers about destructive false teachers who have infiltrated the church, twisting God's grace into an excuse for immorality. To underscore the certainty of their judgment, he calls upon an ancient prophecy from Enoch, the seventh man from Adam, which speaks of the Lord's coming with thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment. This prophecy, Jude implies, applies directly to these godless individuals and their impending doom.
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c. AD 30-40— this verse
Jude's Ministry and Writing
Jude, the likely half-brother of Jesus, writes his epistle warning believers about false teachers who had infiltrated the church. He uses the prophecy of Enoch to underscore God's coming judgment.
c. AD 62
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman army, led by Titus, destroys Jerusalem and the Second Temple, a major catastrophic event for Judaism and a fulfillment of prophetic warnings.
c. AD 95
Book of Revelation Written
The Apostle John writes Revelation, which also describes Christ's return in glory with his saints to execute judgment and establish his kingdom.
"It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones," — It's easy to see Enoch's prophecy as just about a future judgment, but the wording "the Lord comes" in the present tense highlights how prophets spoke of future events as if they were already happeni…
