Book of Jude, verse 14

NASB

(New American Standard Bible)

It 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..."

NLT

(New Living Translation)

Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, 
prophesied about these people.
He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming
with countless thousands of his holy ones..."

In verse 14, Jude reminds us of two men from the Old Testament. One in particular may be unfamiliar to you. Here are a couple of things that stand out to me. 

You may want to dig in and draw your own conclusions
 by reading some commentaries at Biblegateway.com or BlueLetterBible.org.




• Enoch - חֲנוֹךְ Chănôwk, khan-oke'; This is the Hebrew name for Enoch. It means dedicated. While you may not be familiar with him, you may have heard of his son, Methuselah, the oldest man in recorded history. Enoch lived 365 years, while his son, Methuselah lived 969 years.
  
  Enoch was a man of great character, who walked with God...literally. (Enoch's life story can be found here...look around v18-20.) He was blessed to be taken to heaven, not just in spirit, but in bodily form, because he was in such close fellowship with God. Y'all...Enoch was the first person raptured! That just blows my mind when I dwell upon it. Does it yours?
  Enoch was also one of the great antediluvian (this is just a fancy word for living before the Great Flood.) prophets. There is an accounting of his prophecies and words, entitled The Book of Enoch, though that particular book is not included in the Bible. (There is a good explanation of it here:  GotQuestions.Org).
  
  Why did Jude refer to Enoch in this verse? He obviously thought it important to include his prophecy of Christ's return. There is also reference of this in the book of Revelation. (Read more here. It starts about verse 11.) I believe the importance lies in remembering to stay focused on Jesus and the eternal life He has offered. He's always reminding us of Christ's return. He is returning soon. 

• the seventh generation of Adam - Jude makes a point to show the connection between Enoch and Adam. I like how A.R. Fausset links the great-grandfather of Noah to the first man God created: 

Seven is the sacred number. In Enoch, freedom from death and the sacred number are combined: for every seventh object is most highly valued. Jude thus shows the antiquity of the prophecies....There were only five fathers between Enoch and Adam. The seventh from Adam prophesied the things which shall close the seventh age of the world...

• about these people - I believe Jude reminds us of Enoch's prophecy not only to point to the apostates, but to all the ungodly.  

I think what Jude is trying to impart on us is Enoch, dedicated to God, gave us notification of Christ's imminent return in plenty of time for us to prepare. We've had thousands of years to get ready. Even though Jude's warnings mostly focus on those in the Church who embrace apostasy, we do well to heed this verse for all who do not believe His Word. As we continue digging, we'll connect this verse to verse fifteen tomorrow. 

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How does Enoch's prophecy affect you?

Dwell on His Return today.

What stood out most to you in this verse?