Jude 15-The Purpose of the Repeated Reference to the Concept of Ungodliness and the Word 'All'
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday August 27, 2022
Jude Series: Jude 15-The Purpose of the Repeated Reference to Ungodliness and Four-Fold Repetition of “All”
Lesson # 53
Jude 14 Now, in fact, Enoch, who is the seventh in descent from Adam, prophesied against individuals like these, namely, by asserting, “Look! The Lord is returning with a countless number of His holy ones 15 in order to execute judgment against each and every person. Specifically, for the purpose of convicting each and every person because of each and every one of their ungodly actions, which they committed in an ungodly manner. Correspondingly, because of each and every one of their harsh words, which they have spoken against Him.” (Lecturer’s translation)
Jude 14-15 contain a quotation from 1 Enoch 1:9 and a prophecy concerning the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
Jude 15 contains two infinitival purpose clauses, which present the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ returning to planet earth at His Second Advent.
The first asserts that He will return to earth in order to execute judgment against each and every unrepentant, unregenerate person living on the earth at that time and the second explains the first and contains two causal clauses.
This second purpose clause asserts that He will return at His Second Advent in order to convict each and every unrepentant, unregenerate person living on the earth at that time.
The first causal clause asserts that He will do this because of each and every one of their ungodly actions, which they committed in an ungodly manner during the course of their entire lives.
The second causal clause corresponds to the first causal clause.
It asserts that the Lord will convict each and every unrepentant, unregenerate person living on the earth at His Second Advent because of each and every one of their harsh words, which they have spoken against Him during the course of their entire lives.
Therefore, Jude 14-15 emphatically assert that Enoch, who is the seventh in descent from Adam, prophesied against individuals like the Jewish Zealots in the first century A.D. by stating that the Lord Jesus Christ will return at His Second Advent with a countless number of His elect angels in order to execute judgment against each and every unrepentant, unregenerate human being living on the earth.
Specifically, He will return in order to convict each and every one of them because of each and every one of their ungodly actions, which they committed in an ungodly manner during the course of their entire lives.
Correspondingly, He will convict them because of each and every one of their harsh words, which they have spoken against Him during the course of their entire lives.
Consequently, these verses serve to emphasize with the Christian community in Judaea that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots, like every unrepentant, unregenerate person living on the earth at Jesus Christ’s Second Advent, will be judged by Jesus Christ if they do not repent by trusting in Him as their Lord and Savior.
Both, the infinitive conjugation of the verb poieō (ποιέω), “in order to execute” in the first infinitival clause and the infinitive conjugation of the verb elegchō (ἐλέγχω), “for the purpose of convicting” in the second infinitival clause indicate the purpose or the goal of the action of its controlling verb, which appears in Jude 14.
The latter is the third person singular aorist active indicative conjugation of the verb erchomai (ἒρχομαι), which speaks of Jesus Christ “returning” to planet earth from the throne room of God in the third heaven at His Second Advent.
Therefore, the first infinitival purpose clause indicates that the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ returning to planet earth at His Second Advent is to execute judgment against each and every unrepentant, unregenerate person living on the earth at the time of His Second Advent of sinning against Him.
Therefore, the second is describing specifically exactly what Jude means when he asserts that the Lord will return to planet earth in order to execute judgment against each and every person living on the earth at His Second Advent.
Consequently, it is describing this judgment as the Lord convicting each and every one of these individuals of sin because of each and every one of their ungodly actions, which they committed in an ungodly manner.
Secondly, it is describing this judgment as the Lord convicting each and every one of these individuals of sin because of each and every one of their harsh words, which they have spoken against Him during the course of their lives.
Notice, the repeated reference to the concept of ungodliness in relation to the unrepentant, unregenerate people living on the earth at the time of Jesus Christ’s Second Advent in Jude 15.
In the second infinitival purpose clause, the writer describes them with the adjective asebēs (ἀσεβής), “ungodly” and their actions with the noun asebeis (ἀσεβεῖς), “ungodly” and the manner in which they committed their actions with verb asebeō (asebeō), “they committed in an ungodly manner.”
This harkens back to Jude 4 where the writer introduced these individuals by describing them with the adjective asebēs (ἀσεβής), “ungodly.”
The repetition of this concept of ungodliness with regards to these unrepentant, unregenerate people living on the earth at the time of Jesus Christ’s Second Advent in Jude 15 emphasizes that they are unregenerate and totally in opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Also notice the four-fold repetition of the adjective pas (πᾶς), which emphasizes the total depravity of these individuals in that the ungodliness encompasses both their words and actions.
It also emphasizes that this judgment will be universal or in other words, it emphasizes that each and every unrepentant, unregenerate person will experience eternal condemnation in the lake of fire.
Now, we must remember that in Jude 14, the writer is using the figure of simile, which occurs 5 times in Jude 12-13.
As we noted, in Jude 14, Enoch prophesied against these unrepentant, unregenerate people living on the earth at the time of Jesus Christ’s Second advent who are “like” these unregenerate Jewish Zealots living in the first century A.D. whose character is described in Jude 12-13.
Therefore, the repetition of this concept of ungodliness is also with regards to these unregenerate Jewish Zealots.
It emphasizes that they are unregenerate and totally in opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ like the ungodly people who will be judged by Jesus Christ at His Second Advent.
Also, the four-fold repetition of the adjective pas (πᾶς) emphasizes the total depravity of these individuals in that the ungodliness encompasses both their words and actions.
Therefore, Jude 14-15 quotes 1 Enoch 1:9 and asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ will return to planet earth at His Second Advent with myriads of His elect angels in order to execute judgment against each and every unrepentant, unregenerate human being living on the earth because of each and every one of their ungodly actions and words.
These verses are comparing the judgment of these individuals with the judgment of the unregenerate Jewish Zealots living during the first century A.D. who were attempting to persuade the Jewish Christian community in Judaea to join them in their revolt against Rome in order to usher in the kingdom of God on the earth.
They are asserting that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge every unrepentant, unregenerate human being on the earth at His Second Advent by convicting each and every one of them because of their ungodly actions and words.
Warren Wiersbe writes “There will be a Judge, Jesus Christ (John 5:22), but no jury. There will be prosecution, but no defense; for every mouth will be stopped (Rom. 3:19). There will be a sentence, but no appeal, for there can be no higher court than God’s final judgment. The entire procedure will be just, for the righteous Son of God will be in charge.”