Book of Jude

¹ Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

² Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

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.

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.

Gnosticism emerged in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD and encompassed a diverse range of beliefs and practices. It was influenced by various philosophical and religious traditions, including Greek and Roman philosophy, Jewish mysticism, and elements of Paganism.

• Mark 7:1-9 “Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”
• Matthew 23:1-3 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach.“

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.

• Proverbs 25:5 “Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.”
• Proverbs 10:30 “The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.”

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.

• Genesis 6:1-5 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And 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. There 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. And 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.”

In my research of this topic I have encountered everything from: deep intellectual discussions and scientific discoveries that boggle the mind, to the absolute nonsensical and everything in-between. We will read later in the Genesis of the war of the Nephilim where they are killed. It is my opinion: bound in everlasting darkness means they cannot be in the presence of God until they are sentenced. This means they roam the earth as disembodied spirits until they are accepted by a willing participant to inhabit.

• Mark 5:1-12 “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.”

We read that the pigs run off the cliff killing the pigs and setting the spirits free to continue their work. Look how Matthew introduces this same thing…

• Matthew 8:28-29 “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?“

⁷ Even 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.

⁸ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

• Genesis 13:12-13 “Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”
• Genesis 19:1-5 “And 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; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And 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. But 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: And 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.
• H3045 יָדַע yada` (yaw-dah’) v. to have intimate knowledge of another. Gen 4:1 “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.”

⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Michael, a powerful and revered angel, refrains from making accusations against the devil and instead defers to the authority of the Lord. This attitude of humility and reverence for God’s authority is presented as an example for believers to follow. The phrase “The Lord rebuke you” is significant, as it emphasizes the ultimate authority of God over spiritual forces, even over powerful beings like the devil. It reflects a recognition of God’s sovereignty and power to intervene in spiritual conflicts.

This verse may well be an instruction to this very generation. One can only imagine the look on the face of one of these confused humans when you say “The Lord rebuke you.” More than likely they will think you are pronouncing a ‘curse’ upon them and they will focus their response directly at you, when in reality, they have already cursed themselves.

¹⁰ But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

¹¹ Woe 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*. *Korah (to make bald)

• Romans 1:21-32 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

We can see that people will want to dispute (gainsaying) in the same manner as Korah. Korah, Cain and Balaam all wanted to do things their own way and ignored the warning they received from God.

• Genesis 4:6-7 “And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” Numbers 16:1-3,11 “Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?”

¹² These are spots (blemish, defect) in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

¹³ Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

To the chagrin of many, this verse seems to be pointing to the fraudulent faith taught in the modern 501(c)3. They openly deny the command to memorialize these feasts, the Sabbath and the fundamental food instructions. These brick-n-mortar organizations promote the traditions of men, pagan practices, mysticism, and New Age philosophies. In a recent survey of classes at a notable Seminary, the list of classes well in excess of 200 contained less than 25 classes titled by a book in the Bible. The majority of classes were on philosophy and psychology (lots of self-help) with the balance focused on business models and raising money. Not the picture of disciple making. Empty clouds.

¹⁴ And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

¹⁵ To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

¹⁶ These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. (same as Romans 1)

¹⁷ But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

¹⁸ How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

¹⁹ These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

This is the attraction to the non-Biblical festivals and activities…. they are fun. I grew up beguiled by the actions at the instruction of my parents. Yes that is a harsh word, but honestly, they showed me something that looked good and looked like it could be “Christian” in nature (Christmas & Easter). The truth is that these practices are a large part of the paganism that has “deceived even the elect”.

Well meaning, yet beguiled, humans trying to live a certain way (piety) yet without the personal effort to discover the truth relying upon untrained teachers to inspire their misguided efforts.

• Matthew 22:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”
• Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
• G458 ἀνομία anomia (a-no-miy’-a) n. illegality, violation of law.
• Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:” 1 John 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.“

²⁰ But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

²¹ Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

²² And of some have compassion, making a difference:

²³ And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Jude encourages us to use our unique testimony to the benefit of the Kingdom.

²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

²⁵ To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

When Yeshua was asked about the End of Days he told them straight out of the gate … don’t get fooled. This is the same with Jude. He tells us there will be people willing to talk about God with the purpose of building their own earthly kingdom. They will use empty speeches (clouds) to produce a fruitless (untrained and undisciplined) following.

Jude also tells us these fruitless followers will be fanatical in their participation and will defend the empty speeches they have memorized. The confrontations must be handled with the delivery of truth and the faith that God will handle the rest. [I will be the first to admit, very difficult for me as I am always seeking the affirmation the other person “gets it”.]