For the last few days we have been sharing together about the words of Jude who has been describing the characteristics of false itinerant teachers who are attempting to persuade believers in Jesus Christ to believe something else. He has been colloquial and graphic in his words, and if we are not convinced that false prophets provide no profit at all for us by now, Jude resorts to an Old Testament example of the pending doom for these false persuaders. He wrote in Jude verse fourteen:
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints,
Enoch is found in the book of Genesis in chapter five and was the son of Jared and the father of Methuselah. We read of Enoch “And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:24. The book of Hebrews in the Bible also references Enoch in chapter eleven and verse five:
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.
In other words, Enoch did not die, and although the Bible is very clear that “it is appointed once unto men to die”, Enoch walked so closely in a relationship with God and God was so pleased with him that one day God just translated or took Enoch away to be with Him.
Let's look at what Enoch said, “Behold” or “take a look, observe, see, pay attention”, “the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints”. This is known as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ when Jesus will actually step back into the world again to defeat His foes, and the saints are coming with Him. Notice it doesn't say a few saints, but “ten thousands of his saints”. Those who are true believers in Jesus Christ will be coming with Jesus when He returns to the Earth again. This will begin what is known as the Millennial Reign of Christ. The book of Acts records an angel speaking of Jesus in chapter one and verse eleven where he said,
Which also said, You men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.
The apostle Matthew records Jesus saying it this way in Matthew chapter twenty-five and verse thirty-one:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Jude writes that Enoch prophesied about the Lord's coming again long before the event was to occur, and the reason for the coming of the saints with the Lord was in part because of the teachings and persuasions of these false teachers.
The prophesy that is recorded here by Jude is actually just the first half, we will study the other part tomorrow, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
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