6And the angels who did not keep their 3proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
7as hSodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the 4vengeance of eternal fire.
8iLikewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and jspeak evil of 5dignitaries.
9Yet Michael the archangel, in 6contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, k“The Lord rebuke you!”
10lBut these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
11Woe to them! For they have gone in the way mof Cain, nhave run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished oin the rebellion of Korah.
Apostates Depraved and Doomed
12These are 7spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried 8about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;
13praging waves of the sea, qfoaming up their own shame; wandering stars rfor whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
14Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15“to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the sharsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Profile of an Apostate
Apostates Predicted
16These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they tmouth great swelling words, uflattering people to gain advantage.
17vBut you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18how they told you that wthere would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
19These are 9sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
Maintain Your Life with God
20But you, beloved, xbuilding yourselves up on your most holy faith, ypraying in the Holy Spirit,
21keep yourselves in the love of God, zlooking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22And on some have compassion, 10making a distinction;
23but aothers save 11with fear, bpulling them out of the 12fire, hating even cthe garment defiled by the flesh.
Glory to God
24d Now to Him who is able to keep 13you from stumbling,
And eto present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25To 14God our Savior,
15 Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and 16power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.
Jude Commentaries
Jude 1
1 Jude. See Introduction: Author and Date. bondservant. Before the crucifixion and resurrection, Jude had denied Jesus as Messiah (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; John 7:5), but afterward came to humbly acknowledge himself as His slave, having submitted to Christ’s lordship. brother of James. James was the well known leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal. 2:9) and author of the epistle that carried his name. called. As always in the epistles, this refers not to a general invitation to salvation, but to God’s irresistible, elective call to salvation (cf. Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:23, 24; 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Thess. 2:13, 14). This call yields: 1) fellowship with Christ (1 Cor. 1:9); 2) peace (1 Cor. 7:15); 3) freedom (Gal. 5:13); 4) a worthy walk (Eph. 4:1); 5) hope (Eph. 4:4); 6) holiness (1 Pet. 1:15); 7) blessing (1 Pet. 3:9); and 8) eternal glory (1 Pet. 5:10). Cf. “grace of our God” (v. 4). sanctified. The better Gr. texts have “beloved” (see marginal note). Cf. John 13:1; 14:23; 16:27; 17:20, 23; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:1, which expand on the idea of unconditional, thus unending, love from God to the believer in Christ. It is certainly because of that love that believers are “sanctified,” set apart from sin to God by the transformation of conversion. God the Father. The plan of salvation and its fulfillment come from God, who is not only Father in the sense of creation and origin of all that exists, but is also “God our Savior” (v. 25; cf. 1 Tim. 2:4; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4). See note on 1 Tim. 4:10. preserved. See note on v. 24. God not only initiates salvation but He also completes it through Christ, thus preserving or keeping the believer secure for eternal life (cf. John 6:37–44; 10:28–30; 17:11, 15; Rom. 8:31–39; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; 1 Pet. 1:3–5).
2 Mercy, peace, and love. “Mercy and peace” was a common Jewish greeting; “love” was added to make this distinctively Christian. Only here in the NT do these 3 qualities appear so closely together. Where law and works prevail, there is failure and death. Where grace prevails, there is mercy (Eph. 2:4; Heb. 4:16), peace (Rom. 5:1), and love (Rom. 5:5) in abundance.
3 Beloved. Cf. vv. 17, 20. I found it necessary. Cf. 1 Cor. 9:16. This verse implies that Jude had intended to write a letter on salvation as the common blessing enjoyed by all believers, perhaps to emphasize unity and fellowship among believers, and remind them that God is no respecter of persons. But he was compelled, instead, to write a call to battle for the truth in light of the arrival of apostate teachers. contend earnestly. While the salvation of those to whom he wrote was not in jeopardy, false teachers preaching and living out a counterfeit gospel were misleading those who needed to hear the true gospel. Jude wrote this urgent imperative for Christians to wage war against error in all forms and fight strenuously for the truth, like a soldier who has been entrusted with a sacred task of guarding a holy treasure (cf. 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7). the faith. This is the whole body of revealed salvation truth contained in the Scriptures (cf. Gal. 1:23; Eph. 4:5, 13; Phil. 1:27; 1 Tim. 4:1). Cf. v. 20. Here is a call to know sound doctrine (Eph. 4:14; Col. 3:16: 1 Pet. 2:2; 1 John 2:12–14), to be discerning in sorting out truth from error (1 Thess. 5:20–22), and to be willing to confront and attack error (see notes on 2 Cor. 10:3–5; Phil. 1:7, 27; 1 Tim. 1:18; 6:12; 2 Tim. 1:13; 4:7, 8; Titus 1:13). once for all delivered…saints. God’s revelation was delivered once as a unit, at the completion of the Scripture, and is not to be edited by either deletion or addition (cf. Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18, 19). Scripture is complete, sufficient, and finished; therefore it is fixed for all time. Nothing is to be added to the body of the inspired Word (see notes on 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; 2 Pet. 1:19–21) because nothing else is needed. It is the responsibility of believers now to study the Word (2 Tim. 2:15), preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2), and fight for its preservation. saints. Believers are identified as holy, since they are set apart from sin to God. See note on 1 Cor. 1:2.
4 certain men…crept in unnoticed. These were infiltrating, false teachers pretending to be true, who on the surface looked like the real thing, but whose intentions were to lead God’s people astray (cf. Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:29; Gal. 2:4, 5; 1 Tim. 4:1–3; 2 Pet. 2:1, 20; 1 John 2:18–23). These apostates were Satan’s counterfeits, most likely posing as itinerant teachers (cf. 2 Cor. 11:13–15; 2 Pet. 2:1–3; 2 John 7–11). Their stealth made them dangerous. They were characterized by 3 features: 1) they were ungodly; 2) they perverted grace; and 3) they denied Christ. long ago…marked out. Apostasy and apostates in general were written about and condemned many centuries before, such as illustrated in vv. 5–7 and spoken of as Enoch did in vv. 14–16. Cf. Is. 8:19–21; 47:9–15; Hos. 9:9; Zeph. 3:1–8. Their doom was “pre-written” in Scripture as a warning to all who would come later. Jesus had warned about them in Matt. 7:15–20 (cf. Acts 20:29). The most recent warning had been 2 Pet. 2:3, 17; 3:7. this condemnation. This refers to the judgment spoken of by others “long ago.” Jude’s present exposé o
f apostates placed them in the path of the very judgment of God, written of previously. ungodly men. Lit. “impious” or “without worship.” Their lack of reverence for God was demonstrated by the fact that they infiltrated the church of God to corrupt it and gain riches from its people. Cf. vv. 15, 16, 18, 19. lewdness. Lit. “unrestrained vice” or “gross immorality,” which describes the shameless lifestyle of one who irreverently flaunts God’s grace by indulging in unchecked and open immorality (cf. Rom. 6:15). deny…Lord…Lord Jesus Christ. Two Gr. words for Lord are used here. The apostates disowned Christ as sovereign Lord (despote¯s) and disdained any recognition of Christ as honorable Lord (kurios) by their wicked behavior. The better NT mss. omit “God” in the text (see marginal note), placing the emphasis clearly on one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and emphasizing that apostates deny Him. See note on 2 Pet. 2:1. Cf. Matt. 10:33; 2 Tim. 2:12; Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:22, 23. It is always true of apostates, false teachers, and false religions that they pervert what Scripture declares is true about the Lord Jesus Christ.
5–7 Jude provided 3 well known acts of apostasy from the OT as brief reminders (v. 5) to illustrate their damnable outcome as declared in v. 4.
5 saved…destroyed. Cf. Heb. 3:16–19. God miraculously delivered the nation of Israel out of Egyptian bondage (Ex. 12:51; Deut. 4:34) only to have them respond in unbelief, doubting, and defecting from faith in God that He could bring them into the Promised Land (Num. 13:25—14:4), even to the extent of worshiping an idol of their own making, as well as murmuring against God instead of adoring Him (Ex. 16:7–12; 1 Cor. 10:10, 11). That apostate generation died during 38 years of wilderness wanderings (Num. 14:22–30, 35)
6 angels…did not keep. This apostasy of fallen angels is described in Gen. 6:1–3 as possessing men who then cohabited with women. See note on 2 Pet. 2:4. The transition to Sodom and Gomorrah in v. 7 points to the similitude of the sin of homosexuality and what these angels did in Gen. 6. judgment…great day. This refers to the final judgment when all demons and Satan are forever consigned to the “lake of fire” prepared for them (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10) and all the ungodly (Rev. 20:15).
7 Sodom…Gomorrah. See notes on 2 Pet. 2:6–10. The destruction of these cities at the SE corner of the Dead Sea is used over 20 times in Scripture as an illustration of God’s judgment during the days of Abraham and Lot (cf. Gen. 18:22—19:29). This destruction was in view of their apostasy, since it occurred about 450 years after the Flood, when at least one of Noah’s sons, Shem (Gen. 11:10, 11) was still living. Since this was only 100 years after Noah’s death (Gen. 9:28), people would have known about the message of righteousness and judgment from God which Noah preached, and which they rejected. similar…to these. This points back to v. 6. sexual immorality…strange flesh. This refers to both the heterosexual (Gen. 19:8) and homosexual lusts (Gen. 19:4, 5) of the residents. Cf. Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:27; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10 for the absolute condemnation of homosexual activity. eternal fire. Sodom and Gomorrah illustrate God’s fire of earthly judgment (cf. Rev. 16:8, 9; 20:9) which was only a preview of the fire that can never be quenched in eternal hell (cf. Matt. 3:12; 18:8; 25:41; Mark 9:43, 44, 46, 48; Luke 3:17; Rev. 19:20; 20:14, 15; 21:8).
8 these dreamers. See notes on 2 Pet. 2:10–12. This refers to a confused state of the soul or abnormal imagination, producing delusions and sensual confusion. These men’s minds were numb to the truth of God’s Word so that, being beguiled and deluded, they fantasized wicked perversions, being blind and deaf to reality and truth. Perhaps they falsely claimed these were dreams/visions from God. “These” occurs 5 more times (vv. 10, 12, 14, 16, 19) in reference to the apostates, who are characterized in 3 ways (v. 8). defile the flesh. Similar to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7), apostates have few, if any, moral restraints and thus are frequently characterized by immoral lifestyles (v. 4). Cf. Titus 1:15; Heb. 12:15; 2 Pet. 2:10–19; 3:3. reject authority. Like the sinning angels (v. 6), these pretenders rejected all authority, civil and spiritual, thus rejecting the Scriptures and denying Christ (v. 4). speak evil…dignitaries. Cf. v. 10. That the dignitaries (lit. “glories”) are likely angels is supported by the illustration in v. 9.
9 Michael…archangel. The chief angel of God who especially watches over Israel (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1) and leads the holy angels (Rev. 12:7). Nowhere else in Scripture is this struggle over the body of Moses mentioned. Michael had to fight with Satan to do God’s bidding, as he did on another occasion in Dan. 10:13 (see note there). the devil. Another name for Satan which means “accuser” or “slanderer” (cf. Rev. 12:9, 10). body of Moses. Moses died on Mt. Nebo in Moab without having entered the Promised Land and was secretly buried in a place not known to man (Deut. 34:5, 6). It would likely be that this confrontation took place as Michael buried Moses to prevent Satan from using Moses’ body for some diabolical purpose not stated. Perhaps Satan wanted to use it as an idol, an object of worship for Israel. God sent Michael, however, to be certain it was buried. This account was recorded in the pseudepigraphal Assumption of Moses (see Introduction: Interpretive Challenges). reviling accusation. See note on 2 Pet. 2:11. Rather than personally cursing such a powerful angel as Satan, Michael deferred to the ultimate, sovereign power of God following the example of the Angel of the Lord in Zech. 3:2. This is the supreme illustration of how Christians are to deal with Satan and demons. Believers are not to address them, but rather to seek the Lord’s intervening power against them.
10 speak evil. Lit. “blaspheme.” Cf. v. 8. Apostate teachers, in their brash, bold, egotistical infatuation with imagined power and authority, rail on that which they don’t even understand. whatever…whatever. See note on 2 Pet. 2:12. Apostates are intellectually arrogant and spiritually ignorant in that they don’t know because they are blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4) and spiritual matters are beyond their unregenerate capacity to understand (1 Cor. 2:14). In divine matters, they are no brighter than the dumbest beasts. corrupt themselves. This speaks of spiritual and moral self-destruction.
11 Woe. In declaring ultimate spiritual judgment on the apostates, Jude followed the example of the prophets (cf. Is. 5:8–23) and of Christ (cf. Matt. 23:13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29). The severest judgment of all (Heb. 10:26), will come on apostates because they too followed the same path as Cain, Balaam, and Korah. way of Cain. Cain openly rebelled against God’s revealed will regarding sacrifice (see notes on Gen. 4:1–15; cf. Heb. 11:4; 1 John 3:12). error of Balaam. Cf. Num. 22–25; see note on 2 Pet. 2:15. For a large financial reward, Balaam devised a plan for Balak, king of Moab, to entice Israel into a compromising situation with idolatry and immorality which would bring God’s own judgment on His people (cf. Num. 31:16; Rev. 2:14). rebellion of Korah. See notes on Num. 16:1–32. Korah, plus 250 Jewish leaders, rejected the God-appointed leadership of Moses and Aaron in an attempt to impose his will upon God and the people. Apostates will unquestionably meet the same end as Korah—divine judgment.
12, 13 See notes on 2 Pet. 2:13–17.
12 spots…love feasts. See note on 2 Pet. 2:13. “Spots” can be taken as “hidden rocks” or “reefs” or as “stains” (see marginal note). These apostates were dirt spots, filth on the garment of the church; or more likely, what God intended for the church as smooth sailing, they turned into a potential shipwreck through their presence. “Love feasts” were the regular gathering of the early church to partake of the bread and cup, plus share a common meal (cf. 1 Cor. 11:20–30). clouds without water. See note on 2 Pet. 2:17. Apostates promise spiritual life but are empty clouds which bring the hope of rain, but actually deliver nothing but dryness and death (cf. Prov. 25:14). They preach a false gospel that leads only to hell. trees without fruit. Apostates hold out the claim of providing a spiritual feast, but instead deliver famine (cf. Luke 13:6–9). Doubly dead trees will never yield fruit and, regardless of what they say, will always be barren because they are uprooted. Cf. Matt. 7:17–20.
13 raging waves. Apostates promise powerful ministry, but are quickly expo
sed as wreakers of havoc and workers of worthless shame (cf. Is. 57:20). wandering stars. This most likely refers to a meteor or shooting star which has an uncontrolled moment of brilliance and then fades away forever into nothing. Apostates promise enduring spiritual direction, but deliver a brief, aimless, and worthless flash.
14 Enoch. Following the genealogy of Gen. 5:1–24; 1 Chr. 1:1–3, Enoch was the seventh in the line of Adam. Because Enoch “walked with God,” he was taken directly to heaven without having to die (cf. Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5). prophesied about these men. See note on v. 4. The source of this information was the Holy Spirit who inspired Jude. The fact that it was recorded in the nonbiblical and pseudepigraphal Book of Enoch had no effect on its accuracy. See Introduction: Interpretive Challenges. Behold…Lord…saints. Enoch, before the Flood, prophesied about Christ’s second coming in judgment (cf. 1 Thess. 3:13). “Saints” can refer to either angels or believers. Since both angels (Matt. 24:31; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 2 Thess 1:7) and believers (Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 3:13; Rev. 19:14) will accompany Him, it may refer to both (cf. Zech. 14:5), but the focus on judgment in v. 15 seems to favor angels, who are often seen in judgment action. While believers will have a role of judging during the Lord’s earthly kingdom (see note on 1 Cor. 6:2) and will return when Christ comes to judge (Rev. 19:14), angels are the executioners of God at the second coming of Christ (see Matt. 13:39–41, 49, 50; 24:29–31; 25:31; 2 Thess. 1:7–10).
15 execute judgment. The sentence will be eternal hell (see Rev. 20:11–15). Cf. Matt. 5:22; 7:19; 8:12; 10:28; 13:40–42; 25:41, 46). ungodly. See note on v. 4. The 4-fold use of this word as a description of the apostates (cf. vv 4, 18) identifies the core iniquity, which is failure to reverence God. See Peter’s use of the term in 2 Pet. 2:5, 6; 3:7. It was for such that Christ died (Rom. 5:6).
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