JUDE 1: PART 2….

BEGINS WITH VERSE 5

Verse 5 tells us THREE EXAMPLES THAT SHOW THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S JUDGMENT AGAINST THESE CERTAIN MEN/WOMEN, WITH THE EXAMPLES OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.

“But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”

But I want to REMIND YOU, though you once knew this: Jude knew he wasn’t telling them anything new. They were already taught this example, but they needed to hear it again and to apply it to their PRESENT situation.

IN OTHER WORDS, GOD SAYS, I CHOSE THE ISRAELITES. THEY ARE MY CHOSEN PEOPLE. BUT DO NOT THINK THAT AS MY WIFE, THE JEWISH PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOR AND REJECTION AND DISOBEDIENCE WENT UNCHECKED. IF I PUNISH MY WIFE, I WILL PUNISH MY SON’S BRIDE AS WELL.
JUST AS JESUS TOLD THE SADDUCCES AND THE PHARISEES…JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE JEWS, MY FATHER‘S CHOSEN PEOPLE, DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU AUTOMATICALLY GO TO HEAVEN REGARDLESS YOUR CHOICES, REGARDLESS THAT YOU REJECT ME. THERE WILL BE JEWS CONDEMNED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE, JUST AS THEIR WILL BE GENTILES THERE.

Ideally, every Christian would read these allusions to the Old Testament and say, “Yes Jude, I know exactly what you are talking about.” If we DON’T KNOW what Jude wrote about, it shows we NEED TO DEEPEN our understanding of the Bible.

The Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt…Jude IS REMINDING US OF WHAT HAPPENED IN in Numbers 14.

God delivered the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. They went out of Egypt and without unintended delays came to a place called Kadesh Barnea, on the threshold of the Promised Land. But at Kadesh Barnea, the people REFUSED to trust God and go into the Promised Land of Canaan.

SO WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO TRUST AND OBEY GOD?

ALMOST NONE OF THE ADULT GENERATION who left Egypt entered into the Promised Land.

Think of what God did FOR the people of Israel in this situation, and then how they responded to Him.

THEY SAW GOD SEND PLAGUES ONLY UPON THE EGYPTIANS.
THEY SAW GOD FREE THEM FROM 400 YEARS OF SLAVERY.
THEY SAW GOD PART THE RED SEA.
THEY SAW THE COOL CLOUD BY DAY.
THEY SAW THE PILLAR OF FIRE BY NIGHT.
THEY HEARD THE VERY VOICE OF GOD AT MOUNT SINAI. They received His daily care and provision of manna, water, quail in the wilderness.
Yet EVEN AFTER ALL THAT…they still lapsed into unbelief, and NEVER entered into the place of blessing and rest God had for them.

Afterward destroyed those who did not believe…AND EVEN WORSE…Those who doubted and rejected God at Kadesh Barnea paid a BIGGER PRICE than just not entering the Promised Land. They also received the JUDGMENT OF GOD.

Psalm 95:10-11 describes how the Lord reacted to them: “For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways. “So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest”.

The WARNING through Jude is clear. The people of Israel started out from Egypt well enough. They had many blessings from God along the way. But they did NOT ENDURE to the end, because they DID NOT BELIEVE God’s promise of power and protection.

This example gives TWO IMPORTANT REMINDERS.

FIRST, it assures us that the certain men/women causing trouble WILL certainly be judged, even though they may have started out well in their walk with God. Jude says, “The certain men might have started out well. But so did the children of Israel, and God afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”

SECOND, it warns us that we also must FOLLOW & TRUST in Jesus to the end, and NEVER BE AMONG those who did not believe.

WHAT IS JUDE TELLING US?
The final test of our Christianity is ENDURANCE…ABIDING IN JESUS…COME WHAT MAY. BECAUSE SOME START THE RACE but never finish it.

THERE IS A NEW CHRISTIAN SONG OUT BY BUILDING 429, WE WON’T BE SHAKEN…THE LYRICS SPEAK PERFECTLY TO WHAT JUDE IS SAYING HERE…

This world has nothing for me,
This life is not my own,
I know you go before me and I am not alone
This mountain rises higher, The way seems so unclear, but I know that you go with me, So I will never fear
I will trust in You
What ever will come our way, Through Fire or Pouring Rain, we won't be shaken,
What ever tomorrow brings, together we'll rise and see,
That we won't be shaken, No we won't be shaken
You know my every longing
you've heard my every prayer
you've held me in my weakness
'Cos you were always there
So I'll stand in full surrender
It's your way and not my own
My mind is set on nothing less
But you and you alone
I will not be moved
What ever will come our way,
Through Fire or Pouring Rain,
We won't be shaken, no we won't be shaken

We will trust in you, we will not be moved
We will trust in you and we won't be shaken
What ever will come our way, Through Fire or Pouring Rain, no we won't be shaken, no we won't be shaken.
What ever tomorrow brings, together we'll rise and see, That we won't be shaken
No We won't be shaken

JUDE COULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS SONG FOR US!


Verse 6 gives us the EXAMPLE OF THE ANGELS who sinned.

“And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;”

Jude’s letter is famous for bringing up obscure and/or controversial points, and this is one of them. Jude speaks of the angels who sinned, who are EVEN NOW IMPRISONED IN CHAINS IN DARKNESS and awaiting a future day of judgment.

THE HOLY BIBLE ONLY GIVES US TWO PLACES where it speaks of angels sinning.

FIRST, there was the original rebellion of some angels against God in Isaiah 14:12-14, Revelation 12:4.

SECOND, there was the sin of the sons of God described in Genesis 6:1-2.

I have given a complete Holy Bible study on both, so I will not revisit it today. Suffice it to say, this unnatural sexual union between the fallen angels & daughters of man…(BETWEEN DEMON ANGELS & HUMAN WOMEN) was so HEINOUS AND DEMONIC AND DANGEROUS TO THE CONTINUANCE OF MANKIND…that it prompted an incredibly drastic judgment of God - a global flood, wiping out all of mankind except for eight people.

And those FALLEN ANGELS OF SATAN ARE EVEN NOW reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. THIS ALSO CONFIRMS THAT FALLEN ANGELS HAD AND ALWAYS HAVE HAD ((LIMITS)) SET UPON THEM BY ALMIGHTY GOD…

AND IT IS ALSO A REMINDER, If angels WITH SUPERNATURAL POWERS/STRENGTH cannot break the chains sin brought upon them, we are foolish to think that humans can break them. We CAN NOT SET OURSELVES FREE from these chains, but we can only be set free BY JESUS CHRIST, AMEN?

This reminds us that these angels who sinned with an unnatural sexual union are NO LONGER active. With His radical judgment back in the days of Noah, God PUT AN END to this kind of unnatural sexual union. AND WE WHO HAVE STUDIED THESE SCRIPTURES, ARE TOLD AND KNOW, THAT THIS WAS ANOTHER PLOT AND PLAN OF SATAN…TO SO COMPLETELY POLLUTE THE BLOODLINE OF ALL MANKIND WITH DEMONIC BLOOD….IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE MESSIAH FROM COMING.

THIS ALSO TELLS US AND SHOWS US THAT EVEN SATAN HIMSELF AND HIS DEMONS FEAR THE WRATH OF ALMIGHTY GOD.

This example gives two lessons.
FIRST IT ASSURES US that the certain men CAUSING TROUBLE WILL BE judged, no matter what their spiritual status had been & as well ALL THEIR SELF-SERVING “HOLY, HOLINESS, PROPHET, PROPHETESS, EVANGELIST…PREACHER…REVEREND).

AND REMEMBER TOO….that at ONE TIME these angels HAD BEFORE THEIR FALL…ENJOYED AND STOOD IN the immediate, glorious presence of God - and now they are in everlasting chains. If God judged the angels who sinned, He will judge these certain men.

SECOND IT WARNS US that we also must continue walking with Jesus. If the past spiritual experience of these angels didn’t guarantee their future spiritual state, then neither does ours. We must keep walking and be on guard.

Verse 7 REMINDS US OF THE example of Sodom and Gomorrah.

“As Sodom 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 vengeance of eternal fire.”

These two cities (and the cities around them) also stand as examples of God’s judgment. Their sin - which was most conspicuously homosexuality, but included other sins as well - brought forth God’s judgment.

Sodom and Gomorrah were blessed, privileged places. They were situated in a blessed area: it was well watered everywhere . . . like the garden of the Lord in Genesis 13:10.

Jude refers to the account in Genesis 19, where the homosexual conduct of the men of Sodom is described.

Ezekiel 16:49 tells us of other sins of Sodom…“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Sexual depravity was not their only sin, but it was certainly among their sins, and Jude makes this plain.

You don’t have fullness of food, and abundance of idleness if you don’t have material blessings. But despite their great blessing from God and material prosperity, they sinned and were judged. Because EGO, ARROGANCE, THE FLESH TOLD THEM THAT THEY, NOT ALMIGHTY GOD WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THEY HAD.

AND HERE JUDE TELLS US SOMETHING ELSE…Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire means Sodom and Gomorrah were not ONLY destroyed with fire from heaven, BUT THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THEIR judgment by fire. Far worse than what happened in Genesis 19, they suffered the vengeance of ETERNAL FIRE…NOT ONE PERSON FROM SODOM AND GOMORRAH AND ITS SURROUNDING AREAS WILL BE IN HEAVEN…THEY ALL SIT IN THE WAITING PRISON OF HELL FOR THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT.

This example gives TWO MORE LESSONS…

FIRST….it assures us that the certain men causing trouble will be judged, no matter how much they had been blessed in the past. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were once wonderfully blessed but eventually suffered the vengeance of eternal fire, so will it be with these certain men.

SECOND…it warns us that we also must continue walking with Jesus. If the blessings of the past didn’t guarantee their future spiritual state, then neither does ours. ONE ON ONE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IS A DAILY WALK…NOT A WHEN WE ENCOUNTER TRIALS, TROUBLES, NEEDS, WANTS OR ONE DAY A WEEK OR JUST DURING CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS…IT IS AND MUST BE A DAY TO DAY WALK, AMEN?

Verse 8 tells us MORE SINS & THE CHARACTER OF THESE DANGEROUS CERTAIN MEN.

“Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.”

Likewise also…Jude connected the certain men with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah in their sensuality (defile the flesh) and in their rejection of God’s authority (reject authority).

When Jude pointed out that these certain men reject authority, it meant that THEY WANTED TO BE IN AUTHORITY…THEY ELEVATE THEMSELVES ON EQUAL GROUND WITH ALMIGHTY GOD, THEY BELIEVE, TEACH, AND SAY THAT THEY ARE GOD ON EARTH, HIS PERSONAL MESSENGERS, AND DISMISSED THE AUTHORITY OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND THOSE GOD SENT AND PUT IN AUTHORITY.

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, THEN AND NOW, IN OUR CULTURE…ENCOURAGES THE SODOM AND GOMORRAH MIND SET.

WHAT DO I MEAN BY THIS?

Today, our culture encourages us to reject authority and to recognize I,I,I,I,….ME, ME, ME,…as the ONLY real authority in our lives.

CHRISTIANS CAN DO THIS with the Bible, by choosing to only believe certain passages AND DISMISSING OR REJECTING THE REST.

CHRISTIANS CAN DO THIS with our beliefs, by choosing at the “salad bar” of religion. Or we can do it with our lifestyle, by making OUR OWN RULES and not recognizing the proper authorities God has established, DELIVERED, AND FULFILLED IN HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.

JUDGES 21:25...TELLS US THAT THE “MY OWN RULES & MEISTIC MIND SET IS NOTHING NEW….“In the darkest days of Israel, society was characterized by a term: every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

Today, this is the pattern of all the world and especially Western civilization.

These dreamers…Jude REMINDS US THAT THEN AND NOW the certain men were out of touch with reality & CLAIMED TO HAVE PROPHETIC DREAMS/VISIONS/VISITATIONS/WORKING MIRACLES which were nothing more than SELF DECEPTION INTENDED TO ELEVATE THEIR OWN IMPORTANCE BEFORE MEN AT BEST…AND DECEPTIONS OF SATAN AND HIS DEMONS AT WORST.

Speak evil of dignitaries…Probably these dignitaries were the apostles or other leaders in the church. Their rejection of authority was connected with their speaking evil of dignitaries.

VERSES 9 GIVES US A POWERFUL EXAMPLE TO CONSIDER AND FOLLOW. Michael the archangel as an example of someone who would not speak evil of dignitaries.

“Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him (SATAN HIMSELF) a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Michael the archangel . . . the devil: Jude mentioned two kinds of angelic beings. Michael is among the angelic beings faithful to God, who are the servants of God and man. The devil is among the angelic beings rebelling against God, who are the enemies of man.

THE BIBLE TELLS US THERE ARE INVISIBLE, angelic beings all around us. There are THE MINISTERING SPIRITS sent by God to assist us, and THE DEMONIC SPIRITS SENT & WHO want to defeat us.

The devil can’t unsave a saved person; but through his deceptions he can corrupt and defile a Christian who is supposed to walk in purity and freedom. To the devil, CHRISTIANS WHO LOVE JESUS CHRIST, are time bombs, ready to wreck his work – bombs that he would like to defuse and make ineffective.

Many people today, even THOSE RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND CULTS don’t believe the devil exists, but the Bible says he does. Or, if they believe he exists, they think of him in funny images created in the Middle Ages.

Back then, miracle plays were a chief form of ENTERTAINMENT. They were sort of a pageant where religious stories were acted out on stage.

DID YOU KNOW….The audience learned to look for ONE character that was always dressed in red, wore horns on his head, and had a tail dangling behind him. His shoes looked like cloven hoofs, and he had a pitchfork in his hand. The audience was amused by this silly characterization of Satan, and got the idea that he was sort of a comical character AND HARMLESS. The devil doesn’t mind being thought of this way. HE WANTS MANKIND TO DISMISS HIM OR TO THINK HIM HARMLESS…AND THEREFORE APPROACHABLE…WHEN THE BIBLE TELLS US TO FLEE FROM ALL EVIL.

Michael the archangel: This angelic being is mentioned by name in four passages of the Bible: Daniel 10, Daniel 12, Revelation 12 and here in Jude. Every time Michael appears, it is in the context of battle or readiness to fight. He is an archangel, which simply means a “leading angel.”

AND UNDERSTAND THIS….SATAN AND THE WORLD STRIVE TO PUT JESUS AND SATAN AS OPPOSITES ON THE SAME LEVEL…SAME RANK.

BUT THAT IS A LIE. THAT IS THE IGNORANCE OF LOST MANKIND AND ARROGANCE OF SATAN HIMSELF.

If the devil has an opposite, it certainly isn’t JESUS CHRIST.
It is Michael the archangel – another high ranking angelic being.

When he disputed about the body of Moses: This is another obscure reference by Jude. The last we read about the body of Moses is in Deuteronomy 34:5-6:.. “So Moses, the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows the grave to this day.”

JUDE DOES NOT TELL US WHERE OR FROM WHOM HE received his information about this dispute, BUT KNOWING OUR JESUS CHRIST, JUDE WAS GIVEN A UNIQUE REVELATION DURING THE WRITING OF THIS LETTER.

AND WE LEARN SOMETHING ELSE….MEN DID NOT BURY MOSES….ALMIGHTY GOD DID HIMSELF!

THE BIBLE DOES NOT TELL US WHY THERE WAS A DISPUTE ABOUT MOSES BODY, BUT HAVING READ THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT…IT IS MOST PROBABLY ANOTHER ATTEMPT OF SATAN TO STOP AND DERAIL THE PLANS OF ALMIGHTY GOD.

WHY?

BECAUSE THE BIBLE TELLS US IN MATTHEW 17:1-3, THAT MOSES APPEARED IN BODILY FORM, LONG AFTER HIS DEATH, at the Transfiguration with Elijah (whose body was caught up to heaven in 2 Kings 2). Perhaps also Moses and Elijah are the TWO WITNESSES of Revelation 11, and God needed Moses’ body for that future plan.

But for Jude, the MAIN POINT IS NOT WHY MICHAEL was disputed, but ON HOW MICHAEL DISPUTED SATAN.

“The Lord rebuke you!” The manner of Michael’s fight is a model for OUR spiritual warfare. First, we see that Michael was in a battle. Second, we see that he battled with the Lord’s authority.

NOT HIS OWN….ONLY USING JESUS CHRIST AUTHORITY.

THIS ALSO ANSWERS AN OLD DEBATE…AND PROVES THAT Michael is NOT Jesus, as some heretical groups have thought. Jesus rebuked the devil in HIS OWN AUTHORITY, but Michael did not.

The point of contrast is that Michael could not reject the devil’s accusation on his own authority.

AND NEITHER CAN WE…WE SEE EXORCISTS & DEMON HUNTERS SEEKING TO DESTROY AND CAST OUT DEMONS IN THEIR OWN AUTHORITY AND POWER…I have seen documentaries where THESE SELF-SERVING EGOCENTRICS…EXORCISTS SAY….“I REBUKE YOU, I COMPEL YOU TO LEAVE!” For hours on end. THAT SHOULD TELL US, AND SHOW US, THAT they have NO PART OF JESUS CHRIST IN THEIR TRUE HEART OF HEARTS!”

ALSO WE SEE…Michael dared not bring against him a reviling accusation. Michael did not mock or accuse the devil. God hasn’t called us to judge the devil, to condemn the devil, to mock him or accuse him, but to battle against him ALWAYS USING AND IN THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, AMEN!