Peace is the serenity and confidence that come from reliance on God’s word and from looking above circumstances to the One who overrules all circumstances for the accomplishment of His own purposes. This is that same peace “beyond anything we can imagine” (Philippians 4:7). We can have no true and lasting peace except for what flows from our reconciliation with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. The same mercy springs from peace, so from peace springs love, his love for us, our love for him, and our brotherly love for one another. Love is the undeserved embrace of God for His dear people—a super-affection that should then be shared with others. The word used for love here is a?ap? (agape), of which the Lord God is the only source. This love is most clearly demonstrated by the fact that God gave His only Son to be the only acceptable sacrifice for mankind’s sin *(John 3:16). Such love is totally self-giving **(1 John 3:16).
*(John 3:16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The gospel in a nutshell. The love of God shown in action. (1) The source of love—God. (2) The extent of love—the world. (3) The sacrifice of love—He gave his only begotten Son. (4) The results of love—whosoever believeth in him should not perish.
**(1 John 3:16) “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
He wishes for these three blessings to be multiplied. Not measured out in meager amounts, but by multiplication! These things are mentioned as the choicest blessings which could be conferred on them: mercy—in the pardon of all their sins and acceptance with God; peace—with God, with their fellow-men, in their own consciences, and in the prospect of death; and love-to God, to the brethren, to the entire world.
These godly attributes are manifested in the believer through the indwelling Holy Spirit of the living God. By that same Spirit, these blessings continue to grow and bear fruit in the lives of believers.
II. Occasion of the Epistle. 3–4.
A. Change of the Purpose. 3.
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude had originally intended to write about the glorious salvation that is the common possession of all believers. But God’s Spirit so influenced this yielded scribe that he sensed a change of direction. A simple doctrinal essay would no longer do; it must be a fervent appeal that would strengthen the readers. They must be stirred up to contend earnestly for the faith. Attacks were being made on the sacred deposit of Christian truth, and efforts were already launched to whittle away the great fundamental doctrines. In order to combat this, God’s people must stand uncompromisingly for the inspiration, inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of God’s Holy Word.
Yet, in contending for the faith, the believer must speak and act as a Christian. As Paul wrote: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (2 Tim. 2:24). He must contend without being argumentative, and testify without ruining his testimony.
What we contend earnestly for is the faith which was once and for all delivered to the saints. Notice that! Not “once upon a time” but once and for all. The body of doctrine is complete. The canon is finished. Nothing more can be added. “If it’s new it’s not true, and if it’s true it’s not new.” When some teacher claims to have a revelation which is above and beyond what is found in the Bible, we reject it out of hand. The last word has been delivered and we neither need nor heed anything else. This is our answer to the leaders of false cults with their books that claim equal authority with the Scriptures.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you. This diligence is really “eagerness” to reveal the real purpose for him writing this Epistle. It is like saying, “Although I’ve wanted to write to you for a long time about our common salvation, I now find that there is a compelling necessity, I must write.” Common salvation is an abstract (theoretical) term like Christianity. Peter begins the first General Epistle with a discussion of salvation, as he does in his second epistle; so does Paul in all of his epistles, and Hebrews and James assume that their readers are saved. None of the epistles are primarily evangelistic; they are not like “gospel tracts,” but are written to Christians who have some specific need for correction, reproof, encouragement, or instruction. Here Jude sees that it was needful for me to write unto you. The word needful (Gr anangke¯) implies a compelling, pressing need; a serious problem has come up among the believers, and it must be dealt with. He had to write to encourage them to earnestly contend (Gr epago¯nizoman) for the faith. This word means “fight for” someone; here Jude is writing to encourage whatever “agonizing struggle” might be necessary to defend the good name of the faith. The faith is synonymous with “common salvation” or Christianity; they are to “fight for” the honor of the faith. Note that the emphasis is not on contention, but on the faith which is now described further as once delivered unto the saints. What is being promoted here is the apostolic preaching, that is, the Word of God, not an attitude of constant fighting with other believers. This is reinforced by the use of once, which is not the word for “once upon a time” assuming a considerable passage of time, but rather means “once for all,” and refers to the fact that the apostles preached this Word as a final and authoritative message which cannot now be changed by the false teachers.
Next, we must see to it that it is really the Christian faith that we believe, profess, propagate, and contend for; not the teachings of some TV evangelist, not any new age religion that stresses its own ideology instead of the inspired writings of the holy evangelists and apostles. Now observe:
I. The gospel salvation is a common salvation, that is, it is offered to all mankind; to those that the message reaches: because the commission that Jesus gave us says, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:15, 16).
II. Surely God means what He says; he does not deceive us with vain words, like men do; and therefore none are excluded from the benefit of these gracious offers and invitations, except those who obstinately, unapologetically, finally exclude themselves. “Whoever will may come and drink of the water of life freely,” Rev. 22:17. "All good Christians meet in Christ the common head, are actuated by one and the same Spirit, are guided by one rule, meet here at one throne of grace, and hope shortly to meet in one common inheritance. This common salvation is the subject-matter of the faith of all the saints.
III. The apostles and evangelists all wrote to us about this common salvation. This cannot be doubted by those who have carefully read their writings. It is enough that they have fully declared to us, by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, all that is necessary for every one to believe and do, in order to obtain a personal interest in the common salvation.
IV. Those who preach or write about the common salvation should do it well: they should not allow themselves to offer to God or his people that which is not their best. They should be careful not to treat God irreverently, and man unjustly. The apostle (though inspired) gave all diligence to writing about the common salvation. What then will become of those who (though uninspired) give no diligence, or next to none, but say to the people (even in the name of God) quicquid in buccam venerit—whatever comes next, who, so that they use scripture-words, care not how they interpret or apply them? Those who speak of sacred things ought always to speak of them with the greatest reverence, care, and diligence.
V. Those who have received the doctrine of this common salvation must contend earnestly for it. Earnestly, not furiously. Those who strive for the Christian faith, or in the Christian life, must strive lawfully, or they lose their labor and run great danger of losing their crown,* 2 Tim. 2:5. Observe, those who have received the truth must contend for it. But how? As the apostles did; by suffering patiently and courageously for it, not by making others suffer if they will not immediately embrace every notion that we are pleased (proved or unproved) to call faith, or fundamental. We must not permit ourselves to be robbed of any essential article of Christian faith, by the cunning craftiness of any who lie in wait to deceive, **Eph. 4:14. The apostle Paul tells us he preached with much contention ***(1 Th. 2:2), that is (as I understand it), with earnestness, with a hearty zeal, and a great concern for the success of what he preached.
*(2 Timothy 2.5) “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.” Paul now speaks of one of his favorite subjects, that of athletics. Strive (Gr athleo¯) means to engage in athletic contests. To win the prize, he must strive lawfully (Gr nominos) or actually keep the rules of the game. To run the race of life one does not break God’s rules and get away with it. As the umpire of the game of life, God calls the fouls real close!
**(Eph. 4.14) “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
*** (1 Th 2.2) “But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.
'Beloved. Beloved is an expression of strong affection used by the apostles when addressing their brethren: Romans 1:7, “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ;” 1 Corinthians 4:14, “I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you;” Philippians 2:12; “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”; and often elsewhere.”
when I gave all diligence to write unto you This phrase is a Grecism for being exceedingly intent upon a subject; taking it up seriously with determination to bring it to a good outcome. The meaning of the apostle seems to be this: "Beloved brethren, when I saw it necessary to write to you concerning the common salvation, my mind being deeply affected with the dangers to which the Church is exposed from the false teachers that are gone out into the world, I found it extremely necessary to write and exhort you to hold fast the truth which you had received, and strenuously to contend for that only faith which, by our Lord and his apostles, has been delivered to the Christians."
Some think that St. Jude intimates that he had at first wanted to write to the Church at large, on the nature and propose of the Gospel; but seeing the dangers to which the Churches were exposed, because of the false teachers, he changed his mind, and wrote intentionally, against those false doctrines, exhorting them strenuously to contend for the faith; some need impelled him to write at once, more briefly perhaps than he had purposed.
of the common salvation. The common salvation is the Christian religion, and the salvation which it brings. This is called common because it equally belongs to Jews and Gentiles; it is the saving grace of God which has appeared to every man, and equally offers to every human being that redemption which is provided for the whole world. There are great matters of religion that are held in common by all Christians, and it is important for religious teachers to address their fellow Christians on those common topics. After all, they are more important than the things which we may hold as peculiar to our own party or sect, and should be more frequently dwelt upon.
it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith. Jude longed to share the joys of salvation, which was the dominant theme uniting all of the Christian community, but an insidious cancer developing within the body of the believers threatened to destroy their peace and unity. Because of this, Jude saw that it was far more important to bring this battle into the open, to expose its heresy, and to encourage the believers to stand firm in the faith that had been delivered to them. Christians are not only to contend for their faith but to fight for it earnestly and wholeheartedly. The followers of Jesus Christ must be diligent, defending the faith that has been delivered to them with clarity of thought and strength of conviction in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The word faith as used here does not pertain to anyone’s personal relationship to Jesus Christ but refers to the doctrine consigned to them through the teachings of the apostles and the Scriptures. They were to forcefully uphold the true doctrine originally entrusted to them against the false doctrine infiltrating their ranks. One’s personal faith exists within the parameters of this great body of God-inspired truth. These are the teachings that must be defended against the onslaught of those who deny the authority of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, as revealed in His Holy Word.
which was once delivered unto the saints. The saints are all Christians, holy (that is, consecrated to God) by their calling, and in God's plan.
B. Purpose of the Change. 4.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, The nature of the threat is unveiled here in verse 4. The Christian fellowship was being invaded by subversive elements---"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction" ( 2 Pe. 2.1). Certain men had wormed their way into the Christian fellowship, unnoticed; and, when in, began to sow their bad seed. It was an underground movement with stealth and deceit. Not long ago they were condemned in writing for the following reason: They are people to whom God means nothing. They use God’s kindness as an excuse for sexual freedom and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Who are these men? They are supposed ministers of the gospel. They hold positions of leadership in Christendom. Some are preachers or church council members or seminary professors. But they all have this in common—they are against the Christ of the Bible and have invented for themselves a permissive or legalistic “Christ”, stripped of glory, majesty, dominion, and authority.
Jude writes this short, powerful epistle to encourage us in the midst of this battle. He focuses our attention on a serious conflict within the body of believers between those truly called and those who only appear to be called. The latter labor within the church under the guise of the redeemed but are in truth under the penalty of death. They may look and sound good, but they are ungodly people.
who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, These false Christians were marked out for this condemnation. This seems to say that God selected these particular individuals to be doomed. But that is not the meaning. The Bible never teaches that some are chosen to be damned. When men are saved, it is through the sovereign grace of God. But when they are finally lost, it is because of their own sin and disobedience.
This expression, “who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,” teaches that the condemnation of apostates has been determined long beforehand. If men choose to fall away from the Christian Faith, then their condemnation is the same as that of the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness, the rebel angels, and the Sodomites. They are not foreordained to fall away, but once they do apostatize by their own choice, they face the punishment predetermined for all apostates. The text says these men were ordained to live under condemnation for this offense against the church of Jesus Christ. This simply means that all persons who falsely pervert the truth of the gospel are included in this judgment. Unfortunately, in our current age, there are many who serve our churches and espouse a doctrine that comes straight from Satan. They deny the only Lord God and the inerrant truth of His Scriptures. They affirm that the only criterion is sincerity. They commend other forms of religion that deny the true God. This is perversion because every man has sufficient evidence of Almighty God, so when he rejects the truth, he is without excuse. “From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse. They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were pointless, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness” (Romans 1:20-21).
What was before . . . ordained was also "forewritten," namely, in Jude’s prophecy--"But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.” (Jude 1:17, 18). And in Paul's before that--"(1 Ti 4.1) “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” And--"(2 Ti 3.1) “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” The last days includes the whole church age. Paul stated these conditions would be prevalent in Timothy’s day, for he said to him, “from such turn away” (vs. 5). Perilous times are evident today as well; and by implication in the judgments which overtook the apostate angels. The disobedient Israelites, Sodom and Gomorrah, Balaam and Core, and which are written "for an example" *(Jude 1:7 , and Jude 1:5, 6, 11). God's eternal character as the Punisher of sin, as set forth in Scripture "of old," is the ground on which such apostate characters are ordained to condemnation. Scripture is the reflection of God's book of life in which believers are "written among the living." "Forewritten" is applied also in **Ro 15:4 to the things written in Scripture. Scripture itself reflects God's character from everlasting, which is the ground of His decrees from everlasting. BENGEL explains it as an abbreviated phrase for, "They were of old foretold by Enoch (Jude 1:14), who did not write his prophecies), and afterwards marked out by the written word."
*(Jude 1. 7, 5, 6, 11) “7Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.5I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 11Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.”
(Ro 15.4) "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
ungodly men. Two prominent features of these ungodly persons are their depraved conduct and their corrupt doctrine. By their behavior, they turn the grace of God into vulgarity. They twist Christian liberty into license, and pervert freedom to serve, into freedom to sin. In their doctrine, they deny the only Lord; God and our Lord, they deny Jesus Christ. They deny His absolute right to rule, His deity, His shocking death, His resurrection—in fact; they deny every essential doctrine of His Person and work. While professing an unrestrained liberality in the spiritual realm, they are rigidly and fiercely opposed to the gospel, to the value of the precious blood of Christ, and to His being the only way of salvation.
Ungodly men live without God in the world, and have no regard for God and their own conscience. They perverted the truth of the gospel and in so doing undermined the grace of God. They are to be dreaded, and consequently they should be avoided, not only those who are wicked due to sins of commission, but also those who are ungodly due to sins of omission, who, for example, inhibit prayer before God, who dare not reprimand a rich man, when it is their duty to do so, for fear of losing His favor and the advantages they hope to obtain from him, and who do the work of the Lord without taking due care and attention. In the Bible all such persons, false doctrines, and impure practices, have been forbidden and condemned; and in the following verses the apostle immediately produces several examples, namely, the disobedient Israelites, the unfaithful angels, and the impure inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. The punishment of such men was also written down in the Bible: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2.1).
turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, Turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness— refers to making the grace and mercy of God a covering for crimes; insinuates that men might sin safely who believe the Gospel, because in that Gospel grace abounds. But perhaps, what is meant here is the goodness of God, for I cannot see how they could believe the Gospel in any way, and yet deny the Lord Jesus Christ; unless, which is likely, their denial refers to this, that while they acknowledged Jesus as the promised Messiah, they denied that He was the only Lord, Sovereign, and Ruler of the Church and of the world. There are many in the present days that hold the same opinion.
As discussed previously, the false teaching of Gnosticism taught that the spiritual realm and the physical realm were totally separate and incompatible. These imposters within the church believed that the Lord God ruled the spirit world but did not concern Himself with the things of the earth. Therefore, it was possible to pursue the special knowledge required to gain access to the spirit world while simultaneously indulging in the excessive pleasures of the flesh. Since one did not affect the other, the Gnostics did not perceive this as inconsistent with Christian teaching, although the early church quickly identified it as heresy. Jude cautioned his audience to be vigilant against these terrible fallacies that dilute and destroy the truth *(Ephesians 4:14).
*(Ephesians 4:14) “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” God desires that we be stalwart Christians with doctrinal stability, spiritual perception, responsibility, and direction toward the goal. Too many are content to remain in weakness and immaturity, spiritual infancy. Tossed to and fro. Cast about as driftwood on the waves of the sea. This is a picture of instability, helplessness, and restlessness. Carried about with every wind of doctrine. Christians should not be whirled around in circles by every shifting wind of false doctrine. If not anchored in Christ, Christians are at the mercy of these ever-changing winds which blow unstable souls in every direction. By the sleight of men. By the deceit and dishonesty of the religious quacks. And cunning craftiness. These unscrupulous, scheming frauds stop at nothing to ensnare fickle souls by their clever deceit and treacherous trickery. Whereby they lie in wait to deceive. By deliberate planning and scheming deceit, they wrestle, twist, and pervert the Word of God (Acts 13:10; Gal 1:7; II Pet 3:16). The Christian’s only hope is to “search the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).
the grace of our God—A phrase for the Gospel especially sweet to believers who appropriate God in Christ as "our God," and so rendering the more loathsome the vile *perversity of those who turn the Gospel state of grace and liberty into a ground of **licentiousness, as if their exemption from the law gave them a license to sin.
*perversity--stubborn unreasonable behavior: being perverse, especially willfully persisting in actions that seem contrary to good sense or your own best interests
**licentiousness: sexually immoral: pursuing desires aggressively and selfishly, unchecked by morality, especially in sexual matters.
and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. These words may be translated, ‘Denying the only sovereign God, even our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Such imposters as we have here deny the Lord Jesus Christ. They do not deny the existence of Jesus but simply reject that He is Lord, the Christ, the Anointed One. They deny that He is God and that He is coming again. They deny that He paid for sin on Calvary, that He is Messiah and Savior, or even that they need a Savior. However, denying any or all of these facts does not alter the truth about them. One day, everyone will stand before Almighty God and acknowledge Who He is. In human terms, such people may be very moral, but from God’s perspective, they are immoral and spiritually bankrupt.
The remainder of Jude’s letter issues warnings and judgments against these kinds of people. They have always endeavored to destroy the work of Christ and will do so until Christ comes again. In the meantime, we are charged “to continue your fight for the Christian faith that was entrusted to God’s holy people once for all time.”
III. The Apostate Past. 5–7.
A. Israelite Apostasy. 5.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, *afterward destroyed them that believed not.yed
*Afterward: Greek, "secondly"; in the next instance "destroyed them that believed not," as contrasted with His in the first instance having saved them.
Like the Jews in the wilderness, the fallen angels, and the evil cities of the plain, these false Christians reject the authority of God. Their words are defiant and defiling. Like Cain (Gen. 4), they have no saving faith, but they do have religion. Like Balaam (Num. 22–24), they use religion as a way to make money; and like Korah (Num. 16), they defy the Word of God and the authority of God’s chosen servant.
I will therefore put you in remembrance. The believers to whom Jude was writing had already believed the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were also aware of the fact that a number of ungodly people had infiltrated their congregations and were a threat to the peace and security of the church. Because of this budding cancer, Jude was compelled to remind them of the ancient history of the Jewish people; specifically, of how God speaks judgments on sinners; the first example is recorded in *Deuteronomy 13:1–11, and it supports this verse.
*( Deuteronomy 13:1–11) “1If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. 6If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; 7Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; 8Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: 9But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. 10And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 11And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.”
Now what are these things which we Christians need to be put in remembrance of? There are four examples given in this passage. The first is found in this verse; the destruction of the unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness. Paul reminds the Corinthians of this, *(1 Co. 10.1-10). No one, therefore, ought to presume upon their privileges, since many who were brought out of Egypt by a series of amazing miracles, eventually perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Let us not therefore be high-minded, but fear; "That is so. They were broken off because of unbelief, but you are there because of faith. So do not become haughty, but stand in awe" (Rom. 11:20). "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" (Heb 4:1: KJV). They had miracles in abundance: they received their daily bread; yet even they perished in unbelief. We have greater (much greater) advantages than they had; let their error (their so fatal error) be our awful warning.Let us therefore fear. God's promises are conditional. A rest is promised, but we must take heed that we do not come short of it by failing to keep the conditions.—People's New Testament, The
*(1 Co 10.1-10) “1Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
though ye once knew this, St. Jude is to be understood as saying; I will therefore put you in remembrance, even though ye are THOROUGHLY instructed in this. That is, you were formerly made acquainted with these things, though they may not now be fresh in your recollection. The thing which seems to have been in the mind of the apostle was an intention to call to their recollection, facts with which they had formerly been familiar, and about which there was no doubt. It was the thing which we often endeavor to do in an argument—to remind a person of some fact which he once knew very well, and which bears directly on the case.
The Jewish people had often experienced the saving hand of the Lord Jehovah. However, that did not preclude His judgment on those who disobeyed Him within the context of His covenant.
how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, The bearing of this fact on the case, before the mind of Jude, seems to have been this—that, as those who had been delivered from Egypt were afterward destroyed for their unbelief (see footnote 23), or as the mere fact of their being rescued did not prevent destruction from coming on them, so the fact that these persons seemed to be delivered from sin, and had become professed followers of God, would not prevent their being destroyed if they led wicked lives. It might be inferred from the example of the Israelites that they would also be destroyed if they led wicked lives.
The Lord -- The oldest manuscripts and versions read, "Jesus." So "Christ" is said to have accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness; another example of how perfectly Jesus is one with the God of the Israelites.
Saved -- brought safely, and into a state of safety and salvation.
Saved the people. Delivered them from the Egyptian bondage.
*afterward destroyed them that believed not. First, those who believed not were destroyed--“I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.” (Num 14:35). That great tragedy in the wilderness before they entered into the Promised Land, you will remember, was called the “day of bitterness,” or “day of testing--"Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD" (Numbers 14:29, 37) . The greatest responsibility for that tragedy falls upon those “spies” or scouts who brought the “evil report.” They not only disbelieved themselves, but they caused the people of God to despair and disbelieve the Word of God. The result was that they were destroyed, because they neither believed His word, nor were obedient to His commands. This is the first example of what was mentioned in Jude 4 (see Numbers 14:22-37, for the story).
“Afterward,” (the second); that is, the second thing in order of occurrence. The expression is unusual in this sense, but the apostle seems to have fixed his mind on this event as a second great and important fact in regard to the Israelites. The first was that they were delivered; the second, that they were destroyed.
As the apostle Paul warns, this history provides an example of the judgment upon those who disregard the salvation that has been offered through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Such judgment is reserved for all those who faithlessly reject the salvation that was purchased at such a great price. They may participate in the fellowship of the body of Christ, but they are frauds.
B. Angelic Apostasy. 6.
6 And the angels which kept not their first *estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
*Estate. The word rendered estate is often translated principality. Here it refers to the rank and dignity which the angels had in heaven. That rank or pre-eminence they did not keep, but fell from it. On the word used here, comp. Ephesians 1:2, 3:10, Colossians 2:10.
The second example of rebellion and apostasy is the angels who sinned. All we know about them for certain is that they did not keep the domain that was assigned to them, they abandoned their own abode, and they are now restrained in everlasting chains under darkness for their final judgment.
It seems from Scripture that there have been at least two apostasies of angels. One was when Lucifer fell and presumably involved a host of other angelic beings in his rebellion. These fallen angels are not bound at the present time. The devil and his demons are actively promoting war against the Lord and His people.
The other apostasy of angels is the one referred to by Jude and also by Peter--"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;” (2 Pet. 2:4). There is considerable difference of opinion among Bible students as to what event is referred to here. What I suggest is that you have a personal viewpoint on this subject, and not a rigid assertion of fact. however, I feel obliged to state what I believe about this. I believe that Jude is referring to what is recorded in *Genesis 6:1–7. The sons of God left their proper estate as angelic beings, came down to the earth in human form, and married the daughters of men. This marital union was contrary to God’s order and is an abomination to Him. There may be a suggestion in verse 4 that these unnatural marriages produced offspring of tremendous strength and wickedness. Whether or not this is true, it is clear that God was exceedingly displeased with the wickedness of man at this time and determined to destroy the earth with a flood. There are three objections to this view: (1) The passage in Genesis does not mention angels, but only “sons of God.” (2) Angels are sexless. (3) Angels do not marry.
It is true that angels are not specifically mentioned but it is also true that the term “sons of God” does refer to angels in Semitic languages (see Job 1:6** ; 2:1*** ).
*(Genesis 6:1–7) “1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”
**(Job 1:6) "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
***(Job 2:1) "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
There is no Bible statement that angels are sexless. Angels sometimes appeared on earth in human form, having human parts and appetites (*Gen. 18:2, 22 ; later on **19:1, 3–5 ). The Bible does not say that angels do not marry but only that in heaven they neither marry nor give in marriage. Whatever historical incident may lie behind verse 6 (And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.), the important point is that these angels abandoned the sphere which God had marked out for them and are now in ... chains and in darkness until the time when they will receive their final sentence to perdition. Created holy, they had sinned and become wicked angels, or evil spirits.
*(Gen. 18:2, 22) “2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground…22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.” The angel of the Lord was accompanied in this visit by two others, evidently ordinary angels. All three, at first, were simply called three men (vs. 2). It is clear that one was truly the angel of the Lord (a Christophany); for He is called LORD (Yahweh) in verses 1, 13–14, etc., and He also referred to himself as I when speaking in the capacity of God (vss. 17, 26, etc.).
**(Gen. 19. 1, 3-5) “1And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground…3And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 4But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”
The angels which kept not their first estate. Their own principality. It could be that they invaded the assigned sphere of influence of some others, or that for some reason they forfeited their own. We generally refer to this group as “the fallen angels”; but we are not told what they fell from, or what caused their fall. However, it is by and large thought to have been pride; but this is simply conjecture. Some of the later Jews supposed that they relinquished heaven out of love for the daughters of men. One thing is certain; the angels who fell must have been in a state of probation, capable of either standing or falling, as Adam was in paradise. They did not continue faithful, though they knew the law of God; that is, that they should stay within the boundaries He had set; that is why they are given as the second example. A second case denoting that the wicked would be punished--"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" (2 Peter 2:4). The Lord did all this; he knows how to rescue godly people when they are tested. He also knows how to hold immoral people for punishment on the Day of Judgment. These angels were created in righteousness and holiness. How much more will God judge the race of man, who is born in sin? We must realize the seriousness of disobedience when we walk contrary to the Creator’s direction.
