“You must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.”
“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” [2 PETER 3:1-7].
Peter, as was also true of Jude, was not necessarily looking back to the prophetic writings that were penned before the Christ was revealed, though Peter perhaps did include them as he considered what had been written. Jude, however, restricts what he has to say to what the Apostles had said. And not all that these servants of Christ had communicated concerning the last time was provided in written form. It is likely that the Apostles had adopted a theme of the “scoffers” who would come.
Thomas Schreiner notes, “The prophecies Jude refers to are those of the apostles. By ‘apostles’ he does not refer to missionaries or messengers, though the term can bear that meaning. Rather, Jude has in mind those who served as the foundation of the church, the authoritative interpreters and witnesses of the gospel. In this group belong the Twelve, the apostle Paul, and perhaps Barnabas and James, the brother of Jesus.” [2] Warnings of false teachers was a common feature of apostolic preaching. Paul warned, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” [2 TIMOTHY 4:3-4].
Among other points of note from the information Schreiner provides is the fact that the teaching of the Apostles was prophetic in the sense that they spoke of what was coming, and how followers of the Risen Saviour were to respond to those future events. The warnings delivered were not novel speculations such as what is seen masquerading as “prophecy” commonly observed today among some sects of the Faith found on the margins, as also witnessed among numerous cults; Jude was looking at statements which were firmly grounded in the warnings Jesus had delivered during His days in the flesh.
You may recall that before any of His Apostles wrote warning of false teachers, Jesus had warned of the coming of such charlatans. During the sermon Jesus delivered from the side of a mountain, He had warned, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” [MATTHEW 7:15-23].
Looking forward to the end of this Age, Jesus warned, “Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” [MATTHEW 24:11-14].
In a strange way, the presence of false teachers confirms the truth of the Word. What I mean is that false teachers were prophesied, and their presence among the churches in this day gives proof of the warnings issued repeatedly by the Master and by those who served Him in that early day. Until the time of the end, false teachers will infest the churches. That becomes abundantly apparent when the Master informed us, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” [MATTHEW 7:21-23].
AN UNBROKEN CHAIN OF PROPHECIES — “You must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ” [JUDE 17]. It is critical that those who follow the Risen Saviour be aware of, and then hold in constant memory, the conditions against which the Apostles warned. To be certain, we hold the words of our Saviour as essential to our spiritual health and eternal well being. However, the words of the Apostles that have come down to us as Scripture fill out the words of the Saviour to ensure spiritual health for the child of God. After all, we understand, as Peter has written, “No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” [2 PETER 1:21].
To ensure we are in full agreement that we all on the same page, let’s briefly establish the distinction between prophets and seers. Though seers are not mentioned in the New Testament, people nevertheless confuse the two offices. Often, church leaders assume that any statement concerning future events is a prophecy. Speaking about future events may be prophetic, but prophecy is not necessarily confined to speaking of what lies in the future. A seer tells what will happen in the future, but the statement of the seer may not be prophetic. Prophecy is communicating the mind of God to the present generation; and that may or may not project into the future.
Reading Jude’s statement, it becomes apparent that he is focused on the character of those despicable individuals who seek to infiltrate the congregations of the faithful as the age moves toward a conclusion. He asserts that he is not the first to raise the alarm, pointing to the consistent warnings delivered by the apostles. Well, who were the apostles to whom Jude might have been pointing? Without citing the Gospel accounts, which are accurate presentations of the work and the teachings of Jesus, Jude could look to the words we that were written by the Apostle to the Gentiles, the Apostle to the Jews, and the Apostle of Love—Paul, Peter, and John. Added to the written legacy of these three Apostles we can include the individual who wrote the Book of Hebrews. While we can’t know with any degree of accuracy who this writer might have been, it seems certain that the Apostle Paul heavily influenced the writer of this missive, if it was not Paul himself who dictated the letter. So, to determine who Jude might have had in mind when he wrote these words, we will need to review what Paul, Peter, John, and the writer of the Letter to Hebrew Christians had written.
Keep in mind that Jude is focused on people who profess to be followers of Christ, though they are actively working to destroy the work of the faithful. While I don’t have time to review every statement or allusion to the destructive work of people who wish to pass themselves off as dedicated to the advance of the Kingdom even as they engage in destruction of the Lord’s work.
You may recall how Judaizers had infiltrated the churches in Galatia, turning those early followers of the Saviour from freedom to a form of ecclesiastical slavery. The Apostle to the Gentiles confronted these early saints, demanding how they could so easily surrender their freedom. Paul wrote, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
“Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
“You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump” [GALATIANS 5:1-9].
Just so, among the churches of our Lord are false teachers who destroy the freedom of the saints by demanding that redeemed souls must speak in gibberish while experiencing an ecstatic high. “Well, you may be saved,” they murmur, “but if you want to be really saved you will need to have my experience.”
Or, like the Pharisees of ancient days when Jesus walked through the Temple precincts, they impose strict rules for those who wish to be saved. Too often we forget that Jesus excoriated the efforts to impose regulations on those wishing to honour God. Jesus denounced pharisaical imposition of meaningless rules as a means of honouring God, warning, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean” [MATTHEW 23:23-26].
The Apostle Paul spoke prophetic words concerning those who seek to invade the congregations of our Lord, destroying the work to advance His Kingdom when he wrote, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions” [1 TIMOTHY 1:5-7].
And he named names as he exposed scoffers such as Phygelus and Hermogenes [see 2 TIMOTHY 1:15], in addition to Hymenaeus and Alexander [see 1 TIMOTHY 1:19-20]. This man Alexander was a particularly destructive individual who garnered a second, even more scathing denunciation when the Apostle warned Timothy, “Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message” [2 TIMOTHY 4:14-15]. I suspect that Demas could be added to this rouge’s gallery of destructive termites who threatened to do great harm to the cause of Christ [see 2 TIMOTHY 4:10].
I suggest that James’ warning against promoting oneself as a teacher would qualify as a prophetic warning. You will no doubt remember how the brother of Jude cautioned, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body” [JAMES 3:1-2].
THE PROPHECIES — “[The Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ] said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions’” [JUDE 18]. Jude spoke broadly at this point. I have already pointed to the warnings delivered by Paul and by James, words that anticipate what Jude would write. It does seem apparent to me that Jude viewed the statements they and others delivered as prophetic.
Jude’s words of warning mirror what Peter wrote in his Second Letter. You will recall that the Apostle to the Jews wrote, “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” [2 PETER 3:1-7]. I know that I have already cited these words that Peter penned in his second missive, but it is critical to again hear what this servant of the Risen Saviour said. To ignore his warning is to subject the Faith to detrimental doubt, exposing our church to an assault from which we can never recover.
We can’t focus exclusively on prophecy if we will do justice to the warning Jude provides, but neither can we ignore the broader prophetic words woven throughout the warp and weft of the New Testament, beginning with the words Jesus Himself gave us. Jesus our Master warned all who follow Him to beware of false prophets who would insinuate themselves among the faithful—and these false prophets have insinuated themselves among the churches of our Lord in this day! These wicked individuals occupy the pulpits of churches great and small throughout the land.
Seminaries and Bible colleges seemingly hold to the Faith that was once for all delivered to the saints for a generation at the most before surrendering to the mellifluous, seductive tones of false teachers that aim to destroy hope and faith of multiplied young souls who seek to prepare themselves for a life of service. The blind guides that purport to instruct future church leaders fulfil the censure pronounced by Jesus when He slammed the Pharisees in that ancient day, saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” [MATTHEW 23:13-15].
Recall how Jesus warned, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognise them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognise them by their fruits.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” [MATTHEW 7:15-23].
Again, we are warned to be watchful of those who would come when Jesus said, “Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” [MATTHEW 24:11-14].
The warnings Jesus issued are echoed by the Apostles. As an example, recall Paul’s warning delivered to the Ephesian elders gathered on a beach at Miletus. The Apostle warned, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” [ACTS 20:29-30].
Consider as well the warnings that are included in the messages sent to Timothy. In his first missive to the young theologue, Paul warned, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” [1 TIMOTHY 4:1-3]. Paul foresaw a day when the Faith would be optional as people were willingly deceived.
What the Apostle foresaw and declared in that first letter to the Pastor of the Ephesian congregation was amplified in his second letter to Timothy. There, Paul wrote, “Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men” [2 TIMOTHY 3:1-9].
Paul has given us a survey of social conditions prevailing “in the last days.” The last days began with the revelation of Jesus as the Anointed One, the Son of God. This becomes evident when we read, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” [HEBREWS 1:1-2].
That this is an accurate understanding of the timing of “the last days” is emphasised when James confronted those who professed faith in the Son of God even as they were exposed as worshipping wealth. Recall how the half-brother of our Master wrote, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you” [JAMES 5:1-6]. I would guess that the Pastor of the New Beginnings Baptist Church of Jerusalem never read the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
As a comment that must be made considering the response that is heard when parishioners react to stern warnings delivered by the shepherd of the flock. Stern language from the pastor is not delivered out of anger, but given from love—love for the Master, love for the church over which the overseer has received appointment, and love for the erring sheep. We have come to a day when people are taught that every “No” is an indication of hatred for them. This attitude, which is tragically prevalent throughout much of society, is carried into the congregation of the Lord where sulking and complaining becomes the response from every slight, real and imagined. Rather than trying to discern the motive, adjusting attitudes and actions, the infantile response is to grumble, causing even greater dissention within the congregation. As tragic as the spread of murmuring may be, the response of pastors facing such rebellious attitudes is more tragic still. Too often, pastors confronted by such immature responses to necessary correction cease providing strong doctrine and withhold necessary correction. Such reticence on the part of the pastor may be more hurtful to the church than the grumbling!
Those who would shepherd God’s flock, serving as elders appointed by the Lord of the church, need to pay careful attention to the words delivered to the young theologue serving the Ephesian congregation when the Apostle commanded, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” [2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5].
I’m not advocating harshness, nor am I justifying meanness as a characteristic for the preacher; I am stating that when firmness is necessary, the man of God must stand firm. When the flock of God is threatened, the God-appointed shepherd must do the difficult task, refusing to surrender to the feel-good position of acquiescing to tolerating errant behaviour and destructive teaching—the people must demand this of elders!
Did not Peter, the Apostle to the Jews, warn us, “False prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” [2 PETER 2:1-3]. The man of God peered into the days that stretched out over the age that lay before the faithful to warn of the insinuation of error into the churches. Disturbingly, that day is now upon God’s work.
Peter would continue warning his readers with even greater specificity as he writes in 2 PETER 2:12-22, “But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
“These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: ‘The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.’”
For all the pressures these Jews scattered in the Diaspora were then facing, Peter warns that new pressures would be coming. Looking to what lay ahead, the Apostle to the Jews foresaw dark days for the churches of the Lord. He warned of infiltration of the leadership of the churches as growing numbers of false teachers would make havoc of the faithful through their self-serving teaching. They would destroy the faith of unwary souls and make a mockery of the Word of God. The Bible would be twisted and distorted to say whatever these destructive termites wanted to make it say. The Faith would be progressively apostatised until at the last it would be questionable whether any could be found who hold to the Faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. The tragic end of the Faith before the Master returns caused Jesus to ask, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth” [LUKE 18:8b]?
The Revelator saw this final condition of religion that will be fully revealed during the Great Tribulation. What John saw was described in horrifying detail as he wrote, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.’ And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” [REVELATION 17:1-6a].
John saw a worldwide religion that will hold sway over the entire earth. During the Great Tribulation, the fever dream of those longing for and promoting ecumenical religion will at last be accomplished. At the last, there will be a worldwide religion that supplants all religions. It will approve of gratification of every lustful desire, promising wealth, and ease of life for adherents even as that religion punishes anyone failing to embrace its tenets. John would shortly describe another angel testifying,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich
from the power of her luxurious living.”
[REVELATION 18:2-3]
No saint of God need despair because of what is coming; to be aware is not to despair. Knowing what is coming equips us to avoid the judgement that accompanies the wickedness that is so destructive. John exults, hearing the raptured saints cry out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
[REVELATION 18:2-3]
Dear people, I read the end of the Book—Christ wins! Evil falls! Christ’s saints reign! Hallelujah! Hallelujah, indeed!
For the sake of completeness, I must tell you that just as James, the half-brother of our Lord, the Apostle to the Gentiles, and the Apostle to the Jews has warned us, so the Apostle of Love echoes the repeated warnings first delivered by the Master Himself. John writes, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also” [1 JOHN 2:18-23].
And again we witness John as he writes what the Spirit commanded, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already” [1 JOHN 4:1-3].
Dear people, be on your guard. Don’t allow yourself to be carried away with error. Don’t fall for every smooth-talking religionist who seems to draw followers from out of nowhere. Heed the admonition that encourages us as followers of the Christ, “Remember your leaders, who spoke God’s message to you; reflect on the outcome of their lives and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever! Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings” [HEBREWS 13:7-9a].
THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT OF ERROR IN THE CHURCH — “It is these [scoffers, following their own ungodly passions] who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit” [JUDE 19]. Ultimately, the introduction of error into the Faith of Christ the Lord, incorporated into the doctrine of the churches through the insinuation of men without the Spirit of God, leads to the Great Prostitute (worldwide ecumenical religion) that will be judged during the Great Tribulation. This religious prostitution is coming, as surely as smoke rises from the fire. And the first evidence of this coming desecration of our Holy Faith is witnessed in the apostasy of the churches as they are invaded by false teachers and the godless religion they are now introducing as Christianity. Though that twisted religion will be judged and destroyed at last, it will wreak havoc among the churches.
And that is Jude’s immediate concern for the faithful as he reveals in this NINETEENTH VERSE: “It is these [scoffers, following their own ungodly passions] who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit” [JUDE 19]. The false teachers are identified as “worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.” The term Jude employs provides insight into the characteristics of these infiltrating despoilers of the Faith. The introduction of error ensures division within the congregation of the righteous. Ungodliness is a proven recipe for division among the people of God.
Unity is critical for the spiritual well-being of the congregation of the Lord. Have you ever noticed the emphasis throughout the New Testament on the need for unity? Before the descent of the Spirit, we read that the saints spent ten days in prayer. During those days we read, “[The disciples] all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” [ACTS 1:14 CSB].
You may recall that Paul urged a determination to live harmoniously, when he wrote, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” [ROMANS 12:14-19].
Concluding that letter, the Apostle penned this prayer for the followers of Christ, “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” [ROMANS 15:5-6].
This prayer is reminiscent of the plea the Apostle Peter makes in his First Missive: “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” [1 PETER 3:8-9].
In the encyclical Letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle to the Gentiles admonished, “I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” [EPHESIANS 4:1-6 NET BIBLE 2nd].
You will find a similar admonition as the Apostle writes to the saints in Colossae: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” [COLOSSIANS 3:12-17].
If unity is this important to the Lord, it should be obvious to even the most casual observer that anything causing division among the faithful is opposed to Christ and to His will. Anything that threatens harmony within a congregation is a serious matter that cannot be ignored. Baseless threats, unbiblical demands, the exaltation of personal preferences over the revealed will of God, sowing discord through complaining against the work of Christ—all alike are dangerous threats that cannot be allowed to fester. And the false teachers, the scoffers, and the malcontents that threaten the congregation of the Lord must be confronted, and if necessary, removed from the assembly of the righteous.
The message is a plea with the people of God to review the relationship each of us has with our fellow worshippers and to ensure that our relationship with the Master is as it should be. Are we walking in His Spirit? Are we seeking His glory in our work for Him? Are we exercising the gift or the gifts with which He has entrusted us? Are we holding those who lead us to the high standard set in the Word of God? What should you be doing that is not being done at this time to make the congregation more effective in our service to the Saviour? How can you be invested in the life of some fellow saint to build that sister or that brother in the Faith? And if you are prone to grumble, liable to inflate your own importance, or focus on the errors of others, it is well beyond time to reexamine your purpose as a Christian. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Thomas R. Schreiner, 1-2 Peter and Jude, ed. E. Ray Clendenen and Brandon D. Smith, Christian Standard Commentary (Holman Reference, 2020) 577
