But he that denieth me before men
That is, that continues to deny Christ, and lives and dies a
denier of him; for otherwise it is possible for a person to deny
Jesus to be the Son of God, or the Messiah, and afterwards
confess him, as a Pagan or Jew; and through temptation, a real
Christian may be left for a while, in one shape or another, to
deny him and his truths, and afterwards truly repent, and at last
be saved, as Peter; but they that deny Christ publicly, and
persist in it,
shall be denied before the angels of God:
they will be denied by Christ as belonging to him; they will be
denied admission into heaven; they will be covered with shame and
confusion publicly; they will be sent into everlasting burnings,
and be ever tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of
the holy angels.