Our study tonight takes us into some unfamiliar water. Our focus tonight is on Jude 1:6.
Our context from verse 5 Jude gives three illustrations from Jewish history of times when God brought judgment. In verse 5 it was on the rebellious Jews who refused to trust God and enter into the Promised Land. God’s punishment was for them to wander in the wilderness until all of them, who were 20 years of age and older when they began, had died.
In verse 6 we have the second illustration of God’s punishment.
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—
Angels are special created beings by God. They are His messengers and do His work. Jude draws from Jewish history a time when some of the angels did wrong.
These angels KJV “kept not their first estate”; NASB “domain”; ESV/NIV “positions of authority”. Angels have positions of dignity and authority in Heaven. These bad, rebellious angels gave that up.
The next phrase NIV “abandoned their proper dwelling”; KJV “left their own habitation”. The word left is emotionally stronger such as abandoned or forsook. Remember Greek words have a way of adding mood or emotion through prefix or suffixes.
Bible scholars have some disagreements in the interpretation of this verse. Some think this phrase refers to the original rebellion in Heaven when 1/3 of the angels were cast out when Lucifer led his attempt to seize God’s throne. However, that viewpoint does not fit the facts.
1. Satan has not been kept in chains (part b of verse) until Revelation 20
2. Fallen angels become demons on earth and their actions are not bound after the original rebellion.
What Jude refers to must be something else. When is another time angel’s disobeyed God and did something terrible in the OT? Genesis 6 is such a time. This is a passage preachers normally ignore because it is difficult to translate.
Please turn to Genesis 6:4 READ
The phrase “abandoned their proper abode” – some scholars believe these evil angels left Heaven, came to earth and took over the human bodies of some men and had sex with some woman. They had children that were of unusual size called Nephilim. God was so appalled at what they did, He punished them as described in the next phrase. For further support of this verse is the opening phrase in verse 7 “in a similar way” – v7 describes sexual immorality and links these two together. The offspring from that relationship produced babies who became giants. Those descendants were still around when Israel spied out the Promised Land and the Jews felt like grasshoppers in their sight.
The title “sons of God” doesn’t have to mean angels, but righteous people. Why would “sons of God” be used to describe “rebellious angels” – it wouldn’t. Angels are neither male nor female. They are created beings. For them to desire to have sex with woman, doesn’t fit the narrative. The sons of Noah’s son, Seth, had the daughters of Cain had sexual relations together woman.
To review: we have 3 explanations as to what these bad angels did to receive this horrible punishment:
1. Original rebellion in Heaven
2. Genesis 6:4
3. Sons of Adam’s grandson Seth
4. Something else not told about in scripture?
Jewish history has chosen Genesis 6 and that is why Jude refers to it as a known story.
these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
Where is a place that has darkness, people and beings being bound and facing judgment? Hell is such a place. Jude does not use the word Hell, but it feels implied by the description.
Look closer at the wording of this place:
• Everlasting chains – how long are they there? forever
• Darkness – ESV adds “gloomy darkness” and NLT “prison of darkness”
• Judgment day – the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15
2 Peter 2:4 is a companion passage to what Jude is writing about. In Peter’s passage he uses an uncommon word translated Hell in the KJV. The Holman translation is the only one to use the actual Greek word Tartarus. There are three words in the NT that the KJV translates Hell. Hades which is equivalent to the Hebrew Sheol or abode of the righteous and unrighteous dead. It is also translated grave.
The truest definition of Hell is the Greek word Gehenna. It described the garbage dump outside the city of Jerusalem where the soldering trash never stop burning.
The third word is the one found in 2 Peter Tartarus. Some scholars believe this is the worst part of Hell. In case you are not familiar with the concept – there are levels of punishment Hell. Where do we believe Adolf Hitler and Sadam Hussein are? The deepest part of Hell or Tartarus.
Although this Greek word is not used anywhere else in the NT, there are places it is referred to:
• In the story of the demon possessed man from Gadara, Luke 8:31, before Jesus casted the demons out of the man, the demons asked Jesus to not send them to the Abyss. That is another description of this place.
• Revelation 9:2 and 20:1-3
What these fallen angels did was so bad, God immediately sent them to Tartarus waiting for judgment day.
Verse 7 continues with the third illustration of God’s judgment.
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
I assume most of you are familiar with the story of Abraham and Lot entering the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. The people of this city were so wicked God destroyed the cities completely. The Greek word describes people who “indulge in excessive immorality”.
Abraham tried to stop God’s judgment by bargaining with God, if he could find 50 righteous people, he couldn’t and worked his way down to only 10 and couldn’t find even that few.
Two angels of God took on human appearance and went into the city to be with Lot. A multitude of men soon showed up at Lot’s house demanding to have sex with these strangers. Lot refused and did the unthinkable – he offered his daughters for these perverts to have sex with to spare the angelic strangers, even though they didn’t know they were angels. The term “strange flesh” has been interpreted as either referring to homosexuality or even having sex with animals.
Spiritual application:
1. God’s judgment is real. Beware of your actions.
2. Be like Abraham and seek the salvation of others to keep them from going to Hell.
Prayer
