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God's coming judgment upon the false teachers:
v. 14. And Enoch also, the seventh. from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with. ten thousands of His saints
v. 15. 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.
v. 16.These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great, swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
The apostle here introduces a quotation: But there prophesied also for these the seventh from Adam, Enoch, saying, Behold, the Lord came with myriad saints to execute judgment upon all and to convict all the godless of all their works of godlessness which they godlessly committed, and of all their violent speeches which the godless sinners spoke against Him. Note the repetition of the same word, godlessness, ungodliness, impiousness, since the apostle aims to drive home the heinousness of the transgression. His quotation, ascribed by himself to Enoch, the seventh patriarch in line from Adam, may without hesitation be considered as having been taken from the apocryphal Book of Enoch; for the possibility of the Lord's having acknowledged a fact recorded in an apocryphal book is not excluded. Still it may also have been transmitted to the apostles in some other manner, very likely by the Lord Himself, in one of His discourses on the end of the world, Mat_24:3-26; Luk_21:5-36. At such a time Jude also was told what Enoch had prophesied concerning the Deluge and the Last Judgment. With myriads of holy ones, angels, Heb_12:22; Mat_25:31, the Lord will return on the last day. All men will then have to appear before His judgment seat to render an account of all that they committed in this life, Rom_14:10-12. Then will the unbelievers and all those that did not really accept Christ and cling to Him in faith be convicted of their lack of belief, as shown in their works of ungodliness and in the proud and hard words which they spoke against the great God. In the case of the unbelievers, not only of those professedly so, but also of the hypocrites, every evil word and every wicked work are charged against them, and they will have to bear the punishment of all their guilt.
That the apostle applies the entire prophecy of Enoch to the false prophets against whom he is issuing his warning is evident from the next words: These are discontented murmurers, walking according to their own desires, and their mouth speaks arrogant things, flatterers to men's faces for the sake of advantage. These characteristics are found in many false teachers even today. They are always grumbling and murmuring and complaining, discontented with God and the world, always bemoaning their fate. And yet they desire to walk only after their own lusts and desires, the satisfaction of their carnal appetites being the highest aim of their existence. The false teachers also were noted for their boastfulness, for their arrogant praise of themselves, of their own abilities and accomplishments. But when it suited their purpose and they hoped to have some advantage for themselves, no one could have excelled them in the abjectness of their flattery to the faces of men. "All the flatterers of the rich are of this kind; and especially those who profess to be ministers of the Gospel, and who, for the sake of a more advantageous settlement or living will soothe the rich even in their sins'. " (Clarke.)