After God Saved, He Destroyed Those Unbelievers & The Most Wicked Of Fallen Angels Examined – Jude 1:5-6 Series

AFTER GOD SAVED, HE DESTROYED THOSE UNBELIEVERS & THE MOST WICKED OF FALLEN ANGELS EXAMINED – Jude 1:5-6

{{Jude 1:5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord subsequently destroyed those who did not believe, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt. Jude 1:6 Angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.}}

INTRODUCTION TO THE SUBJECTS. [Verse 5]. This verse is like the introduction to a book, and verses 5, 6 and 7 are like the three chapters in the book. The verse begins with the assumption of knowledge, that Jude’s readers would know all about the biblical events when Moses led the exodus from Egypt. He stresses that he wants to remind them of those things, even though they should know the facts. Jude is going to draw a conclusion here, and we will get to that shortly, but first, what are the events that Jude is alluding to?

[A]. GOD’S DELIVERANCE IN EGYPT. God intervened in history to deliver, or save – either word can be used - His people from Egypt. That happened under Moses when he led them out from Pharaoh’s stranglehold. Then note, that the verse goes on to say that later on, God destroyed the ones who did not believe, from all that company who left Egypt. Do you remember how many of that original lot from the exodus actually made it into the Promised Land? Anyone? It was just 2 – Joshua and Caleb. Only two. What happened to the others? Jude 5 says they were destroyed because they did not believe.

That makes us wonder about the human heart, or to say it another way, our souls and spirit. If you were among that crowd leaving Egypt, what did you see? Well, firstly, you would have seen the series of plagues that fell on the land but not affecting the Israelites. They were miraculous. Secondly, you would have witnessed the destruction by God of all the firstborn of the Egyptians. God brought them out with a mighty hand. Now once you had seen all that, surely you would have followed Jehovah and stayed close to Him. Do you think you would have strayed? They pledged their allegiance to the Lord but did they really follow Him deep in their hearts?

Thirdly, they very quickly got to the Red Sea (or Reed Sea) and God parted the waters and destroyed Egypt’s army. Miracles of miracles! By now you’d be saying that God is the greatest and you will always keep trusting Him. Then came the miraculous provision of manna and quails. God is great. There is only one God. We will serve Him forever! Really? I want to share with you a New Testament passage that relates to this situation, a passage that speaks of the unfaithfulness of those delivered out of Egypt. – {{Hebrews 3 v 15-19 “while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” Who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses, and with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? and to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? and so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.}} There, it is stated “because of unbelief”, as Jude also said, and for that reason, God destroyed them. Their unbelief was demonstrated by rebellion, idolatry, grumbling and disobedience.

In writing to the Corinthians about temptation and idolatry, Paul cites Israel in the wilderness as an example for us all in the matter of proper belief and behaviour. The example is this passage – {{1Corinthians 10 v 1 - 12 “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things as they also craved, and do not be idolaters as some of them were, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play,” nor let us act immorally as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day; nor let us try the Lord as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents; nor grumble as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”}}