Has The World Learnt From Sodom And Gomorrah? A Great Evil Is On Us - Jude 1 V 7 Series

HAS THE WORLD LEARNT FROM SODOM AND GOMORRAH? A GREAT EVIL IS ON US - Jude 1 v 7

[A]. REVISION: Jude was in the process of writing about the Christian’s common salvation when it became urgent for him to side-track his letter to address the problem of false teachers moving into church fellowships to destroy the faith of the believers. This was critical, so Jude gave all urgency to write about that problem. These evil men had crept in unnoticed and without great ceremony, and among them were those who were telling the saints they could live however they liked, because God’s grace would cover their sin. The more you indulged the flesh, the more grace God gives to cover that sin. The word Jude used was “licentiousness”. These men are deniers.

From there he cited examples to show that God does not tolerate apostasy and unbelief, or those arrogant ones who abuse God’s true message. He sends them into judgement. The first group he covers was Israel, redeemed from Egypt, protected by God, provided for by God, but were utterly faithless and disloyal. Then he looked at the angels who left their heavenly appointments and sinned in a most evil way and they were, and are confined in chains in the gloomy darkness until they end in the lake of fire forever.

To speak on the issue of homosexuality is politically incorrect but we obey the scriptures not the perverted laws of man. Those who stand for the truth are now persecuted in losing their careers as in the case of sports people and honest politicians. Very evil people, including increasing numbers of politicians, are trying to formulate actions against Christians to silence them so they can not speak against the immorality of the nation. We move to God’s word -

[B]. Verse 7. LUSTING AFTER STRANGE FLESH

(a) Verse 7 in Context. We will now look at the second group Jude covers in revealing apostasy and evil, and judgement that follows. Here is the verse in the NASB – {{Jude 1:7 “In the same way as these, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”}} It is important in our study to see the opening words of the verse – “in the same way” or “in a similar way”, so that means he is being consistent with the argument he presented in the previous verses, which is gross sin = definite judgement. Jude has just written of these fallen angels who sinned immorally (maybe lusting with earthly women, but all that was uncertain) but then he moves to what is unnatural – man with man. Verse 7 considers Sodom and Gomorrah, the two main cities, but the net is cast wider to include the cities around them, Admah and Zeboim, and all the valley.

(b). The Charge Against the Sodomites. Jude now states the reason for the judgement that came upon them. It was “gross immorality” (NASB), “sexual immorality” (NIV), but I feel neither translation is strong enough for the meaning. It means to indulge oneself in great immoral behaviour. Here you have these people of Sodom, more so the men, who feasted themselves and indulged in the grossest of immorality, particularly homosexuality. The bible uses words the world hates, which it tries to eradicate from its language, namely, fornication, adultery, indecency, perversion, homosexuality (especially that one and the name has changed to “gay”), but all those sins are listed by God under the umbrella of immorality, but only one of them is termed as “gross”, and that is homosexuality.

(c). The Importance of the Marriage Blueprint. I believe there is a reason why “gross” is attached to the sin. Let me explain. There is only one institution God gave to mankind. Yes, He outlined codes of behaviour but only one institution. It is found in Genesis – {{Genesis 1:27 “God created man in His own image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them. Gen 1:28 God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”}} Those verses indicate a union of male and female which is explained in more detail in this section - chapter 2 – {{Genesis 2:22 “and the LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. Gen 2:23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man.” Gen 2:24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”}}