NASB
(New American Standard Bible)
"...to 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.”
NLT
(New Living Translation)
"...to execute judgment on the people of the world.
He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
SIDENOTE: In studying today's verse, I found some commentary telling us Enoch's prophecy in verses 14 and 15 is composed in Hebrew poetic parallelism. It is quite interesting; and when you have time, here is a good explanation of it: Truth or Tradition - The Prophetic Perfect.
There are a couple of things that stand out to me as Jude continues the reminder of Christ's return and the judgment befalling the apostates of the Church. If you need a refresher, here's a look back at verse 14.
You may want to dig in and draw your own conclusions
by reading some commentaries at Biblegateway.com or BlueLetterBible.org.
- execute judgment upon all - Jude uses the Greek word, κρίσις krísis, to help us understand this sentence of condemnation, damnatory judgment, condemnation and punishment is for everyone. No one can escape the judgment upon Christ's return.
- convict - ἐλέγχω elénchō, is the Greek word meaning to bring to the light, to expose. Christ is the Light. All we've said and done is exposed to Him.
- ungodly - Did you pick up the repetitive use of this word, ungodly, in verse 15? When a word or phrase is repeated in scripture, it's an indication to look at it more carefully and discover what God is trying to tell us. Jude uses ἀσεβής asebḗs the Greek word meaning destitute of reverential awe towards God, impious. When we dig a little further, this word is rooted in ἄλφα alpha (as a negative particle) and σέβω sebō. The meanings of these when combined literally mean to revere or worship without Christ.
Now that we've unboxed this verse, let's rewrite in our familiar, everyday language:
Those, who are empty of the wonder of God,
are exposed to the Light, the Christ,
and are brought to inescapable ruin, damnatory judgment, because of their sinful ways.
Ouch. I don't want to be one of these people, these apostates. Though we may not renounce God and His commands, we all fall short of His glory; but there is Hope found in this Truth. Look to the wonder of God. Look to the Light. While we cannot escape His judgment, we are offered His grace. Through His infinite mercy, He has given us an escape clause from the eternal damnation. It is found through His Son.
Be filled with His Light
& shine it outward to others today.
What stood out most to you in this verse?
