¹⁴It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, ¹⁵to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” ¹⁶These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

We know little about Enoch from the OT writings other than the cryptic comment that “he walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Gen. 15:24). The “walked with God” phrase was jargon for being faithful to God, as were Noah and Abraham (Gen. 6:9, 17:1). And “God took him” is traditionally understood as God miraculously taking Enoch to Himself, by-passing the usual human experience of death. Jude, however, does not focus on Enoch’s character but on what he prophesied about a future time of judgment.

Bible interpreters have long recognized this quotation of Enoch’s does not occur anywhere in the OT. Some believe it comes from “The Book of Enoch,” a writing that first-century Jews regarded highly. Jude never refers to such a book as “Scripture” as the NT writers usually do when quoting the inspired OT. But other NT writers were not averse to quoting from non-biblical sources (see Acts 17:28, 1 Cor. 15:33, Titus 1:12 as examples). So Jude’s inclusion here is not problematic, though it does not mean that the book of Enoch, if it existed, was inspired in its entirety. The most we can say is that Jude, an inspired author included in NT canon, treats this quote as historically authentic. In other words, since the book of Jude is inspired, we take it that Enoch did make this statement.

Using what scholars call the prophetic past tense to describe future events being as certain as past events, Enoch predicted a coming and final judgment against all the ungodly of all time and generations, especially those who speak against God and His truth in an ungodly way. Jude adds his commentary on his contemporary pseudo-believers: they are known for their arrogance in continual criticisms and selfishness. They manipulate conversations, while hiding their true motives. If they continue in their self-imposed blindness, refusal to repent and rejection of God’s true grace they are in for an enormous surprise:

“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matt. 7:22–23)

Lord, may You graciously convict those in our midst who have not genuinely converted to You by grace through faith.