(Jude 14-1614And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. (Jude 14‑16))
Having thus learned the character and source of this great evil we are finally permitted to see the judgment of the evil. For the backslider there is a way of recovery; for the apostate nothing but a certain fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Apostasy ends in the crushing judgment, foretold by Enoch, and fulfilled when the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints. Enoch in his day, surrounded by the world of the ungodly, looked to be caught up to heaven, and foretold the judgment that was coming. Once again the Lord’s people find themselves surrounded by the ungodly, they too look to meet the Lord in the air, and they know that judgment must follow upon apostate Christendom. In that day not only the “ungodly deeds” will meet their due reward but “all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (vs. 15). From the days of the apostles to these last closing days the Person of the Christ has been the constant object of attack by ungodly corrupters within the church. But no “hard speeches” “against Him” have been forgotten. All will be remembered and all will be recalled only to recoil in judgment upon those who have so lightly dared to sit in judgment upon the Son of God.
But those who have belittled Christ have ever exalted man. If they have spoken “hard speeches” against the Christ of God they have also uttered “great swelling words” (vs. 16) concerning sinful men. The degradation of Christ is ever linked with the admiration of man. Moreover, behind the hard speeches against Christ there is ever a low walk. Such are “murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts” (vs. 16). Lust is the real secret of antagonism to Christ and admiration of man.
Hard speeches against the Christ of God must raise the righteous indignation of the true children of God; and yet they can to a very large extent afford to treat the authors of these hard speeches with silent contempt, knowing that the time is soon coming when all will be dealt with in judgment. The irreverent handling of God’s revelation, the wicked perversions of divine truths, and the blasphemies against the Person and work of Christ, whether on the part of higher critics, religious infidels, or graceless professors, have not been passed over by a Holy God. For centuries He has kept silence, and borne in long-suffering patience, while men, ever growing bolder in rebellion, have heaped up wrath against the day of wrath; but at last every “hard speech” will receive its crushing answer, and every opposer will be silenced and condemned, for, “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (vs. 14-15).