Jude Series: Jude 18-Mockers Will Live For Their Own Selfish Interests During the Last Period of History Before the Second Advent of Jesus Christ

Jude 17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” (NIV)

2 Peter 3:2-4 echoes Jude 17-18 and actually identifies for the reader of the latter exactly what unrepentant, unregenerate people will be mocking during the last days.

A comparison of these passages indicates that these individuals will mock the apostolic teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will personally establish the kingdom of God on the earth at His Second Advent.

2 Peter 3:2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. 3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (NIV)

The last days began with the Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father and will end with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ or in other words, the last days began with the First Advent of Jesus Christ and will end with His Second Advent.

Both the apostle Paul and the apostle John asserted that they were living in the last days (cf. 2 Tim. 3:1–2; Heb. 1:2; 1 John. 2:18).

The “last hour” or the “last days” speaks of the present period of history immediately preceding the return of Jesus Christ at His Second Advent to establish God’s kingdom on the earth for a thousand years.

Therefore, this period is called “the last days” because it is the last days of Satan’s kingdom ruling over the earth.

This interpretation is supported by the contents of Jude 14-15, which compares those who will be judged by Jesus Christ at His Second Advent with these unregenerate Jewish Zealots.

Jude 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (NIV)

As we noted in our study of Jude 14-15, it is interesting that the writer in Jude 14-15 quotes this prophecy which appears in 1 Enoch 1:9 regarding the Second Advent of Jesus Christ in order to support his contention that the Lord will judge these unregenerate Jewish Zealots in his day and age in the first century A.D.

Jude 14 continues to use similes, which was the case in Jude 12 and 13 where they are clearly implied.

Human beings are not dangerous reefs, waterless clouds, autumnal trees, violent waves or wandering stars.

Thus, Jude is making a comparison between these various phenomena of nature and these unregenerate Jewish Zealots in the first century A.D.

Further supporting this interpretation is that the Holy Spirit who inspired Jude to quote 1 Enoch 1:9 would know from His omniscience that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots living in the first century A.D. would not be living when the Second Advent of Jesus Christ took place.

Therefore, Jude 14-15 asserts that the Lord will return to planet earth at His Second Advent with myriads of His elect angels in order to execute judgment against each and every unrepentant, unregenerate human being living on the earth because of each and every one of their ungodly actions and words.

Jude 14-15 are comparing the judgment of the Jewish Zealots with those who will live during the seventieth week of Daniel who will follow Antichrist in his rebellion against the Lord Jesus Christ.

They are asserting that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge every unrepentant, unregenerate human being on the earth at His Second Advent by convicting each and every one of them because of their ungodly actions and words.

Therefore, when Jude 17-18 assert that during the last period of human history, mockers will live for their own selfish interests because they will for their own selfish interests conduct their lives according to their own desires, which are ungodly, it is in relation to the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, this is indicated by the immediate preceding context and in particular Jude 14-15, which compares the unregenerate people who will be judged by Jesus Christ at His Second Advent with the unregenerate Jewish Zealots in the first century who were leading Judaea in revolting against Rome.

Unlike, 2 Peter 2:3, Jude 17-18 does not explicitly assert that the people will be mocking the apostolic teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ will personally establish the kingdom of God on the earth at His Second Advent because the Second Advent is already implied from Jude 14-15.

Now, as we noted Jude 18 presents the content of the prophetic words, which were communicated to and for the benefit of the recipients of this epistle by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It asserts that during the last period of history, mockers will, as a certainty, live for their own selfish interests because they will, as a certainty, for their own selfish interests, conduct their lives according to their own desires, which are ungodly.

Jude 18 also presents the reason for the command in Jude 17 which we noted required that all of the recipients of this epistle bring into remembrance the prophetic words, which have been communicate for the benefit of them by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, this indicates that the recipients of this epistle must bring into remembrance these prophetic words, which have been communicated to them beforehand by the apostles the Lord Jesus Christ.

The reason that they must do so is “because” they said to them for their benefit, “During the last period of time, mockers will as a certainty live for their own selfish interests because they will, as a certainty, for their own selfish interests conduct their lives according to their own desires, which are ungodly.”

The noun chronos (χρόνος), “times” pertains to a period of time marked by specific attributes or activities and here it is referring to the period of human history which is between the First and Second Advents of Jesus Christ.

Jude 18 asserts that this period will be marked by people who will mock the apostolic teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ will personally establish the kingdom of God on the earth at His Second Advent.

It also asserts that they will live for their own selfish interests because they will for their own selfish interests conduct their lives according to their own desires, which are ungodly.

This word chronos (χρόνος), “times” is modified by the adjective eschatos (ἔσχατος), “last” which pertains to a period of time coming after all other periods of time in human history.

The word eschatos (ἔσχατος), “last” is thus describing the period of human history, which is between the First and Second Advents of Jesus Christ in that it is describing this period as the “last” period in human history.

This period is “last” in a two-fold sense.

First, it is the “last” because it is the last period of history in which Satan is ruling this world along with his angels.

Secondly, it is “last” because it is the last period of history before the kingdom of God is established on the earth by the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Advent.

The noun empaiktēs (ἐμπαίκτης), “scoffers” pertains to someone who jeers, mocks or treats something with contempt and thus, the word speaks of one who makes fun of something by mocking it.

The noun empaiktēs (ἐμπαίκτης) appears in 2 Peter 3:3 in relation to those who will mock the apostolic teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ will Himself establish the kingdom of God on the earth at His Second Advent.

In fact, as we noted, 2 Peter 3:2-4 echoes Jude 17-18 and actually identifies for the reader of the latter exactly what unrepentant, unregenerate people will be mocking during the last days, namely, the apostolic teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Advent will establish the kingdom of God on the earth.