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Jude
BC Weekly Digest Monday, April 10 2000 In this issue: Jude 1:3 Jude 1:8,9 Jude 1:10,11 Jude 1:12-15 Jude 1:8-16 Jude 1:3 Jude 1:3 (ASV) Beloved, While I was giving all deligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. Comments by J Lee Roberts The ultimate and final revelation of the divine will and purpose came in the person of Jesus Christ. His words and his lifestyle give us all we need for "our common salvation". In the Old Testament God spoke in many ways through many prophets. His message for us today was given through Jesus and by the Holy Spirit to the apostles and New Testament writers (Hebrews 1:1,2; John 17:14-21; Ephesians 3:1-6). Jesus taught orally and later the Holy Spirit was sent to the apostles so they could remember all the truth that Christ had taught (John 14:25,26;15:26; 16:13). This message, the gospel, was revealed to the apostles and confirmed by signs and miracles (Hebrews 2:1-4; Mark 16:19,20). Christians are to continue faithfully in the apostles' teaching (Acts 2:42,43). Their teaching, the gospel, is God's power to save (Romans 1:16). This truth is the seed of the kingdom, and by which we are born again and our souls are purified - and this message is imperishable (Matthew 13:18-23; 1 Peter 1:22-25). This gospel message was put in writing "according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith..."(Romans 16:25,26). John says that what was written is capable of producing a belief in Christ that leads to life! (John 20:30,31). The faith that gives access to God's marvelous grace is born only from hearing the message of Christ (Romans 10:17). This message is the 'faith' delivered once for all. J Lee Roberts ------------------------------ Jude 1:8,9 Jude 1:8,9 (ASV) 8 Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities. 9 But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Comments by Howard Justice *1:8 "Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities." We should not be dismayed whenever we hear men speak in a derogatory manner of dignitaries, both earthly as well as Heavenly ones. In man's haste to satisfy the desires of the flesh, he desensitizes himself so well against the truth and that which is good that he forgets about God and forgets that God is in control of all things and that even the dignitaries that rule upon the earth are ordained by God. Given the history of people like those who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah, we are left with a pitiful picture wherein man has engaged in the vilest of indulgences. The apostle Paul noted in Romans 1:21-28: "because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves: for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due. And even as they refused to have God in [their] knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting." They clearly had chosen to ignore the nobility and omniscience of God as their leader. For this reason, many shall perish in the hereafter (Revelation 21:8). *1:9 "But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." Of this incident, we are not informed any more than this passage. It would appear from this verse that Satan does contest for the body of each noble one (see also Luke 22:31). In the case of Moses, even after his death, it appears that Satan sought his body (see also Luke 22:3). In this case, even Michael the archangel had not brought a railing accusation against Satan. He knew better, that he was not to speak evil of any dignitary, even those who are evil. This is in agreement with Solomon's comments in Proverbs 15:1. Any rebuke that is raised is to be done by the Lord Himself, not us. We can safely conclude that speaking evil of any dignitary is a sin. Howard Justice ------------------------------ Jude 1:10,11 (ASV) 10 But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed. 11 Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah. Comments by Howard Justice *1:10 "But these rail at whatsoever things they know not and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed." These evil ones (as spoken of in the preceding verses) rail or mock anyone who professes to have the truth. Just as a wild bird sounds the alarm, even in the absence of danger, at everything that they see, so also do these alarmists. Yet their reasoning is flawed because they have left the truth and can no longer discern truth. Because of this, they are destroyed. Not always a total erasure or absence but a general recognition that these foolish ones are not worth heeding for any reason. *1:11 "Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah." Jude recalls Jewish history regarding the foolish reasoning of Balaam when he coveted the riches offered him by Balak. Those riches were offered to entice Balaam to curse God's people. Balaam lusted after them to the point that he disobeyed God's command and was rewarded with death (Numbers 31:8,16; Joshua 13:22; Revelation 2:14). In like manner, Korah, who questioned the authority of Moses and Aaron which was given by God, was swallowed up along with 250 others for his disrespect (Numbers 16:1-35). How can anyone expect any less if he denies the authority and power of God? Howard Justice ------------------------------ Jude 1:12-15 Jude 1:12-15 (ASV) 12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever. 14 And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. Comments by Howard Justice *1:12 "These are they who are hidden rocks in your love- feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots." Again, these same evil ones are the hidden rocks (sources of danger) in your love feasts. Like hidden rocks along the shore, these are deadly hazards to the faith of a Christian. This has a direct relationship between the unholy things that often make one's service and devotion to God trying and difficult. Some scholars believe that this refers directly to the observance of the Lord's Supper. That may be the case but this also has a general bearing on the lusts of the world and the ridicule that we who try to serve God often are made to bear. It is also obvious that these may be leaders of the local church who have become enchanted with their authority to the point that they feed themselves greedily off the love of the flock whom they shepherd. Such is the case in many places today. They are like clouds that have no rain, which are carried about by every whim or doctrine, leaves that fall from dead trees which have born no fruit for God. It is even more obvious that these are false brethren who have roles of leadership (elders, deacons, evangelists, teachers, etc.) because of their ability to foster evil influence. *1:13 "Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever." They are wild waves, those not in sync with the even tide, but as we are oft to say, rip tides, that tear at the beach, even in reasonably calm surf. Their foam is of fruitless roiling and churning in the lives of fellow saints. They are like meteorites (wandering stars) which fall to earth. They appear to be beautiful but they are consumed by that which supports us, our atmosphere that God has given to maintain life. They are consumed by the truth, which God has given us to maintain our spiritual lives (John 8:32). But we can rest assured that these false brethren have a destiny that awaits them: A place where the light of God shall never shine upon them, a place of eternal darkness that is reserved for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4,17). *1:14,15 "And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." Regarding this statement, Barnes writes: "The source from which Jude derived this passage respecting the prophecy of Enoch is unknown. Amidst the multitude of traditions, however, handed down by the Jews from a remote antiquity, though many of them were false, and many of a trifling character, it is reasonable to presume that some of them were true and were of importance. No man can prove that the one before us is not of that character; no one can show that an inspired writer might not be led to make the selection of a true prophecy from a mass of traditions; and as the prophecy before us is one that would be every way worthy of a prophet, and worthy to be preserved, its quotation furnishes no argument against the inspiration of Jude." Barnes Notes. Certainly, because of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we can assume that this prophecy is sure and steadfast. Other teachings in this regard show us that God keeps His promises, both to the faithful as well as to the disobedient. Howard Justice ------------------------------ Jude 1:8-16 Jude 1:8-16 (ASV) 8 Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities. 9 But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 10 But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed. 11 Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah. 12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love- feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever. 14 And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling words), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage. Comments by William Booth *1:8 "Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities." In the previous verses Jude said these false teachers would be from within, and warned them to not allow them to deceive them. Then he reminds them of the examples of the destructive consequences of sin: their forefathers in Egypt, angels, and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were all deceived and destroyed by sin! Jude now further identifies the sinful nature of these false prophets, "yet in the same manner these men." In Deuteronomy 13:1-5 the Jews were given a guide for testing prophets. If a prophet went against God's teachings, he was to be rejected. Jude says these false teachers could be identified because they (1) defile the flesh, (2) reject authority, and (3) revile angelic majesties. There would be no praise for God's authority, they would reject God's messengers, and even 'revile' them and show their true selves through their desires for immorality. God's Word is the standard (2 Timothy 3:16,17) that enables us to identify false teachers and sin. Just as Jesus used scripture to defeat Satan (Matthew 4:4,7,10), we should build up resistance and strength (Ephesians 6:10-20) through the Word of God, and when temptations come our way (1 Corinthians 10:10) we will be victorious. *1:9 "But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." As we read Jude (and the rest of the scriptures) we should not get bogged down in trying to understand everything and every little detail, but try to understand why the words were written, and then glean the import for our salvation, encouragement and the salvation of others. Just as Jesus said often, if we have ears to hear, we should listen and understand! Jude, being inspired by God and guided by the Holy Spirit, was able to have knowledge, wisdom, and understanding beyond the people to whom he was writing, and beyond us today. We need to allow the inspired writers to give us the meaning. The burial of Moses is recorded in Genesis 34:5 and 6, and no one knows the burial place, except God. Until Jude wrote, that was all the information we had concerning Moses' body. Jude, being guided by the Holy Spirit, is made aware of a contention over the body of Moses by Satan. Satan's discussion is with Michael the Archangel. The lesson Jude is getting across to his readers, and us today, is that Michael the Archangel did NOT revile, argue, fight, or even get into a great debate of this issue with Satan, but just said the Lord would 'rebuke' Satan for his evil desires. We should not display any hatred or dislike for our fellow mankind. Jesus did not do it with Satan when He was tempted; Michael the Archangel, did not do it when Satan argued for Moses' body; and, we should not do it today when others revile us and say evil things. Rebuking sin must be based on God's Word and we must be sure our motives are pure. *1:10 "But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed." Now Jude brings these teachings closer to home: 'But these men', the false teachers, really do not understand what they are doing, and their human side, the natural man, will come forth, and you, the Christians to whom Jude was writing (and us) should see their evil ways. Eventually their evil ways would be their undoing - would destroy them. There are men today, like these false teachers, who claim to have a better understanding of the scriptures and a superior knowledge (or more education) than the everyday Christian, and who leads people away through their false teachings. This happens because many Christians are not grounded and rooted in God's Word (Psalm 1:1-6), and are swayed by every false doctrine (Ephesians 4:14) that comes along, and will follow after false teachers (2 Peter 2:1- 22). We need to not be lead away from the truth but to search the scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), prove our own faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), and stand firm (1 Corinthians 16:13); 1 Thessalonians 3:7,8). *1:11 "Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah." Just as Jesus gave a stern warning to the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-33) and God gave a warning to the uncaring shepherds of Israel (Ezekiel 34:1-10), Jude gives a stern warning to the false teachers for leading away the children of God. Although this is a stern warning to the false teachers, it was also a warning to the readers of Jude's letter to not give in to these evil practices (verses 2 and 3), and to contend earnestly for the faith. *1:12,13 "These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever." In these two verses Jude emphasizes the wicked ways of the false teachers by the use of metaphors: They are: (1) hidden reefs in your love feasts - without fear and caring only for themselves; (2) clouds without water carried along by winds; (3) autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; (4) wild waves of the sea foaming up their shame; and (5) wandering stars, reserved for eternal 'black' darkness. These metaphors describe the emptiness, the waste, the darkness and void of their teachings. Jude paints an ugly picture of their natural tendencies (Galatians 5:19-21). All of these are opposites of a true Christian's character, a composite of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:4-8; and Matthew 22:37-40). *1:14,15 "And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Here Jude again uses words that have been referred to as 'quotes' from the non-canonical 'Book of Enoch'. Although Jude uses phrases and words that are also in the Book of Enoch, Jude does NOT say he is quoting from the book, he is quoting Enoch himself! The knowledge that these are indeed words of Enoch could have only came to Jude through inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jude used these phrases (as in verse 9) to help his readers understand the point of the message he was getting across, which is in verse 16. This does not mean that Jude endorses the 'Book of Enoch'. *1:16 "These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling words), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage." This verse is Jude's assessment of the application of the comments of Enoch being used to further describe these false teachers. He mentions three characteristics of these false teacher: (1) grumblers - just as it was a sin for the Children of Israel to murmur (Exodus 15:24 - 16:2, 17:3; and, Numbers 14:29) it is also a sin for Christians to murmur (1 Corinthians 10:10; James 4:11; 5:9); (2) they are wicked men following their own lusts (2 Peter 2:10- 18); and, (3) they are arrogant and full of pride (James 2:1-4). These false teachers demonstrated their lustful desires and greed for self-gain, or as some have said, 'for money.' In the second chapter of 2 Peter, Peter describes the attributes of false teachers in much detail, and in verses 3 and 14 he mentions the 'greed' of their motives. Just as Peter, Jude paints a disgusting picture of these men. We should heed the warnings of Jude, Paul, Jesus, and Peter about false teachers. They are still with us, they are real, they are near, they are greedy and full of self pride, and the most dangerous thing is that they are from 'within' the body. Let us all study the scriptures to be able to correctly identify false teachers and rebuke them for what they are! William Booth