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April 17, 2011 |
| Some Will Perish | ||
The book of Jude barely made it into the Bible. The author, if indeed he was the author, was Jude, the brother of James and the half-brother of Jesus. He makes no claim to be an apostle. It isn't clear to whom he is writing. He also quotes from two apocryphal books. All of these are reasons to be suspicious of the book.
The book could have been considered to be just one of many works from 1st century church authors, valuable but not part of the canon. Perhaps because of Jude's closeness to Jesus and the apostles, the book was considered the end of the apostolic age rather than the start of the first-century church age.
In the end it was decided to include the book, though the reasons are lost to time. But the book gives us insight into the early church and the problems it faced. But we also see that those problems are the same problems our church faces today, and so the Christian way that the church is instructed to use to deal with them here is for us as well.
Though this study will be focused on the first chapter of Jude, the focus verse comes from 2 Peter 3:9, "The lord Yahweh does not delay his promises as people consider delay, but he is patient for your sakes, and because he is not willing that any person would perish, but that every person would come to conversion." This lesson continues that thought with Jude. Despite God not wanting any to perish, many have and many will. Some Will Perish.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write to you about our common life, it was necessary for me to write to you, as I am to persuade you to compete for the faith, which was once delivered to the holy ones. (Jude 1:3)
Jude had been planning to write a letter that discusses "the salvation we share," but instead he felt compelled to write on a different topic. The topic of this letter was to be "contending for the faith" or "competing for the faith". The change of topic results from the actions of certain people who had gained entrance into the church he was writing to.
When he says "compete for the faith," he is talking about correcting false beliefs, particularly ones that creep into the church. One thing that we will see here is that very similar false beliefs still corrupt the church of today as they did the church of 2000 years ago.
For men have obtained entrance, who from the beginning were written with this guilty verdict: "Evil men who pervert the grace of our God into an abomination and deny him who is the only Lord Yahweh and our Lord Yeshua the Messiah." (Jude 1:4)
While we can't know for sure, "pervert the grace of our God into an abomination" sounds very similar to the current idea of "Once Saved, Always Saved". To the people who accept it, this idea gives them the freedom to behave like the world but still have everlasting life.
But this idea is contradicted both by the idea that Jesus and the life he lived are to be our model, and by verses that clearly contradict that false teaching. The "afterward" here seems to refer to the "after receiving the knowledge of the truth," so the message is that, after you have accepted the knowledge of the truth, there is no atonement for a willful sin against that truth Some of these verses are 2 Peter 2:20, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Hebrews 6:4, and there are many more. One of the better and more concise verses is found in Hebrews 10 "26 For if a man shall sin by his will after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no sacrifice to be offered afterward for sins, 27 But that terrible judgment is ready and the zeal of fire which consumes the enemies."
The second false teaching that Jude mentions is one that says Jesus is not our only Lord. Once again we see that this 2000-year-old false teaching is still around. In today's world and even in today's churches, there are people who believe that Jesus is not the only way to everlasting life. Some believe this because they can't bear the thought that some will perish. But Jesus makes it clear that some will perish. The verses from Hebrews 10 above also serve double duty here when they show clearly by "fearful expectation of judgment" and "raging fire" that some will perish.
I wish to remind you, as you all know, that God, when once he had brought the people out from Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. (Jude 1:5)
Jude establishes an important fact here. The Lord who died on the cross and rose again is the same one who delivered Israel out of Egypt.
But that isn't the point that he is making here. Even though God had led them out of Egypt, not all were saved to reach the promised land. Those who did not believe, he destroyed in the desert. Therefore we see that some will perish.
And those Angels who kept not their principality, but abandoned their own way of life, he has kept to the great day of judgment in unseen chains under darkness, (Jude 1:6)
Having used Israel in the desert as an example that being God's chosen people was not enough to save them, Jude reminds his readers that being an angel was not enough to save them. When they abandoned their positions, they were chained and held for judgment and punishment. Some will perish.
Just as Sadom and Amorah and their surrounding cities, in which, like these, they committed fornication and went after other flesh, are subject to demonstrations of eternal fire while they are condemned to judgment. (Jude 1:7)
For his third example, Jude refers to Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed by God with fire and brimstone, as recorded in Genesis 18 and 19, because they had become completely sinful. Their main sin was sodomy.
In this likeness, these also lust in their dreams, who defile the flesh, reject lordship and slander the glory. (Jude 1:8)
Jude lists three attributes of these people, with each referring back to an example he gave previously.
So Jude is showing both the characteristics and examples where those characteristics led to the perpetrators' perishing.
But Michael the Archangel, who, when he was speaking with The Devil about the body of Moses, did not speak to bring a slanderous judgment against him, but he said, "the Lord Yahweh will rebuke you." (Jude 1:9)
Jude's point here is that these false teachers think too highly of themselves in their claims to authority in God's world. To amplify that point, he says that Michael, the greatest of the angels, did not think so highly of his position that he dared to condemn Satan. Instead Michael left that condemnation to God.
There is a message in here for us as well. It is not our function to condemn others. We need to leave that to God. Other scriptures discuss our authority to correct brothers and sisters in the faith and those outside the faith.
Jude refers to a book here from the apocrypha called the "Testament of Moses."1
But these things which they do not know, they slander, and those things which they desire naturally, like dumb animals, in them they are corrupted. (Jude 1:10)
Jude continues by saying that they have little understanding and thus teach falsely. But they understand their natural desires, as any animal does, and these will be their destruction.
Woe to them who have gone in the way of Cain, and have run riot after the deception of Balaam for wages, and they have perished in the rebellion of Korah. (Jude 1:11)
Jude refers to three Biblical figures who made mistakes:2
These are those who are defiled in their feasts and run riot while feeding themselves without fear, clouds without rain that wander with the wind; trees, whose fruit has died, who are without fruit, which have died twice and they pull-up by the roots, 13 strong surges of the sea that show their shame by their froth. These are wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness is reserved for eternity. (Jude 1:12-13)
Jude is saying that these people are a disgrace when the church holds dinners. They claim to be shepherds who feed the flock, but they feed themselves only. They are:
Jude says here and above that these people are reserved for judgment, eternal fire, and blackest darkness.
But Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied to these as he said, "Behold, the Lord Yahweh comes with myriads of his Holy Ones, 15 to do judgment on all and to reprove all souls, because of all the works of those who did wickedness, and because of all of the hard words which evil sinners have spoken." (Jude 1:14-15)
Jude is quoting here from another book of the apocrypha, the "First Book of Enoch". In doing so, Jude makes it clear that these people will be judged and convicted for the ungodly acts they have committed and the defiant words they have spoken.
These are those who murmur and complain in every matter while they walk according to their desires, their mouth speaks guiltiness, and they flatter persons for profit. (Jude 1:16)
Jude summarizes the points he has made about these people. He is making every effort to show these wolves for what they are.
But you, beloved, remember those words that were spoken before by the Apostles of Our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, 18 who said to you, "In the last time there shall be those who mock and by their own desires go after wickedness." 19 These are those who distinguish the animal nature, because they do not have the Spirit. (Jude 1:17-19)
These people are the ones the apostles warned you about, says Jude. As a sideline, Jude quotes the apostles' teaching about the people who will come in the end time, some of them quoting Jesus. This indicates that Jude believed he was in the end times and, in fact, that the appearing of people like this was proof of that.
But you beloved, be encouraged again in your holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 But let us keep ourselves in the love of God as we look for the mercy of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah unto our eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21)
Jude instructs the readers to
They are to do this by:
"The marvelous promise of Romans 8:26 is that we don't have to be perfect in prayer. The Holy Spirit, sent to us by our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, helps us pray as we ought. He is our advocate, our counselor, our comforter. But this happens only if we let him.
"Most of us don't pray in the Holy Spirit very well on a crowded bus or while we are in freeway traffic. It is hard to do so while we are watching TV. It takes time, time alone with God or with a prayer partner or two"3
And snatch some of them who are from the fire. 23 And when they repent, show pity upon them with respect, while you hate also the tunic that is defiled by the flesh. (Jude 1:22-23)
Jude instructs the church in the handling of doubters and sinners in the church. Both should receive mercy. Love should be what brings them back into the faith. When they realize their wrongdoing and repent, they should be shown pity and respect and not be treated harshly in restoring them to the church.
But everything about their wrongdoing (tunic) should be hated. Jude and others say this so that the church won't be tempted to fall into that sin again, but this concept of loving the sinner but hating the sin is foundational in Christianity.
1 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude+1&version=NIV
2 http://bible.cc/jude/1-11.htm
3 NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, Spring 2011, Unit 2, April 10, Section II, A