Revilers & False Teachers Are Unreasoning Animals Destroying Themselves - Jude 1 V 10 Series

REVILERS & FALSE TEACHERS ARE UNREASONING ANIMALS DESTROYING THEMSELVES - Jude 1 v 10

Jude 1:10 These men revile the things which they do not understand, and like unreasoning animals, they are destroyed by these things which they know by instinct. (NASB)

Jude speaks of the character of these evil men, or if you like, the false teachers he has been exposing in his letter. Verse 10 speaks of their actions. They revile things they do not understand. This word “revile” in the NASB or “slander” in the NIV or “blaspheme” in the ESV is the Greek word “blasphemeo”, usually translated as blaspheme. The word for “understand” is a word of varied usages meaning, “what they do not appreciate, or have knowledge of, or to understand what someone is trying to explain”. When they understand, it is a gateway to spiritual truth, the spiritual eyes taking in what the physical data is trying to tell them.

These men are like those who blaspheme the invisible things of God because they reject the God of creation and believe in a chance, random selection called evolution. When matters of faith are raised in their presence they slander, blaspheme God, and mock Christians. When I was young, the atheists did not do that. Those who did not believe in Christian things either kept their opinions to themselves, or just rejected what was being said to them. In these days people get angry and officious and threatening, and lash out against Christians and their God. The world is becoming more and more hostile to anything Christian.

I don’t advise you to do this, but if you examine the Sydney Gay Mardi Gras you will hear people there speak openly against God in the foulest of terms. Christian leaders, such as Fred Nile, a few years ago were openly mocked by placards, and arrogant human voices, and Jesus Christ is blasphemed. That is why persons in the mould of (manes withheld for Sermon Central) and the members of the Australian Greens, are blasphemers against God. These people are so stamped by perversion, the demonic side of them naturally opposes anything relating to God. Yes, they blaspheme what they do not understand. Their darkened hearts naturally oppose the truth.

DARKNESS, CONSCIENCE AND INSTINCT

Can we look at the first chapter of John’s Gospel – {{John 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.”}} In chapter 1, John is introducing the Word made flesh that dwelt among men, and that Word was both life and light. It was from the life that light issued forth. Men had to come into the light so that they could partake of the life. That light of the Lord Jesus Christ shone in the darkness, the darkness of men’s souls, but instead of facing up to what the light revealed, man pulled the visor down over his face and shut out the light, and therefore, did not understand the light. He did not comprehend it. Because man willfully cut off the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, then the life of God could have no part in him, because the acceptance of Christ brings light and light leads to life.

When the heart of man rejects the light, then his life is filled with darkness, and that darkness opposes the light, and so we saw in the Gospels that those who rejected the light called out to crucify the Lord at His trial. They blasphemed God because they did not understand God, for their lives were in darkness. These are they of whom the Psalmist speaks – {{Psalm 82:5 “They do not know nor do they understand. They walk about in darkness.”}} Paul explained something similar to the Corinthians – {{“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”}} (ESV). The average person rejects Christ because it is natural for him to do that, but only when the power of the Holy Spirit is present, then enlightenment comes to the soul.

John continued in chapter 1 to say, {{John 1:10 “He was in the world and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.”}} The creation rejects the Creator. The One who is the Light of the World is rejected and reviled by the ones who are the darkness of the world. There, in John, the same idea is expressed as we have in Jude, that is, they do not understand. Light accepted, is life obtained, but light rejected, is darkness accepted, and life forfeited. That is God’s principle, and Psalms has said, {{119:130 “The unfolding of Your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple,”}} so the bottom line becomes the very word of God, for the word starts revealing the light in our souls.