The Reality of God's Judgment

Introduction

By default, humanity recognizes God should judge evil.

One of the long-standing objections about God is this “if God exists, why does evil exist?”

God should judge righteously.

Evil should be punished.

We live under God’s judgment in so many ways:

Death

Difficulty eating

Pain in childbirth

“War between the sexes”

Incomplete knowledge

Cycle of humanity

Living in societies filled with the depravities of the human mind

We often complain that God fails at being God. He should listen to us.

Jude’s letter gives us two categories of people.

Those who share a common faith.

They can be said to have been loved by God.

They are kept in Jesus Christ.

They have a common struggle for the faith.

They share a common behavior.

Those who share a common rebellion.

They deny God’s authority.

They pursue their own pleasures.

They corrupt his word.

They share in common behaviors.

They will share in a common judgment.

Jude has spoken of both in historical terms.

This is especially true of the false teachers.

He has compared them to:

Unbelieving Israel

Rebellious angels

Sodom and Gomorrah

Cain

Balaam

Kore

Notice the references to reservation for judgment.

Advertised judgment: Jude 4

Angelic judgment: Jude 6

Astral-like judgment: Jude 13

Enoch’s Forewarning (Jude 14).

It can be difficult to know why Jude states a prophecy from Enoch.

The quotation comes from 1 Enoch 1:9, from pseudepigrapha. It uses Enoch’s name as a pseudonym but was not written by him.

It was commonly known and used among Jews of the first centuries BC and AD.

Jude does not refer to it as scripture.

Enoch may have given this prophecy, and it was historically preserved over time. Or, Jude may be doing something that Paul did and using something well-known because what it says is accurate. In this case, historically accurate because it gives a true prophecy.

The content of the prophecy is consistent with all known statements about the final, eschatological appearance of God (Jesus Christ).

2 Thess. 1:3-10.

Christ’s coming will be experienced differently depending on which side of the “faith” divide you are.

Grace, redemption of the body, resurrection to never die.

Judgment, second death.

Acts 17:30-33 Paul says that the resurrection signifies judgment.

Christ’s Judicial Objectives in Coming

Jude gives two objectives in Christ’s second coming.

“To Make Judgment.”

“To Rebuke.”

The laying out of evidence has two referents.

“Concerning all their ungodly works which they did in ungodliness.”

Romans 1:18

“Concerning all the harshness which sinful ungodly ones spoke against him.”

Jude makes the connection with false teachers directly in Jude 16.

Conclusion:

Christ will return, and he will do so for judgment.

To which category of people do you belong? Those who trust Christ or those who rebel against him?

Let us be grateful that we have experienced love of God rather than his future wrath.