Jude 24-25-Jude’s Doxology (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Sunday December 11, 2022

Jude Series: Jude 24-25-Jude’s Doxology

Lesson # 44

Jude 24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (NIV)

Jude 24 and 25 constitute the closing of the letter and contains a doxology.

The term “doxology” is from the Greek doxologia and is derived from the Greek noun doxa, “praise, glory, honor” and denotes a brief ascription of praise to members of the Trinity.

The doxology was commonly employed in various parts of the New Testament epistles: (1) Salutation (Gal. 1:5). (2) Opening thanksgiving (2 Cor. 1:3f.; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3). (3) Final exhortations (1 Tim. 6:15f.; 1 Pet. 5:11; 2 Pet. 3:18). (4) Closing (Heb. 13:20f.; Jude 24f.).

Although God the Father is the primary focus of New Testament doxologies, there are others that are the objects of praise such as Christ (Mt. 21:9; Rev. 5:12) and His kingdom (Mk. 11:10).

In Jude 24 the verb dunamai (δύναμαι), “who is able” speaks of the exercise of the Father’s divine omnipotence on behalf of each one of the recipients of the epistle of Jude.

Therefore, this verb is expressing the idea of the Father possessing inherently the capability to protect each and every one of the recipients of the epistle of Jude from faults and to cause them to exist in the state of not possessing any defects with great joy in the presence of His Son at the rapture of the church.

The plural form of the adjective amōmos (ἄμωμος), “without defects” pertains to being free from physical and moral defects.

Here it is describing the recipients of the epistle of Jude existing in the state of not possessing any moral or physical defects in the presence of the Father’s glory, who is His Son, Jesus Christ at the rapture of the church.

They will not have any moral or physical defects at the rapture of the church because at that time they will be in a resurrection body and minus a sin nature.

Their indwelling old Adamic sin nature will be permanently eradicated at the rapture.

Consequently, their salvation and sanctification will have been completed at the rapture or resurrection of the church.

Furthermore, the noun doxa (δόξα), “glory” refers to the Father’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Father’s glory because His Son manifests through His words and actions the absolute perfection of God the Father’s character (cf. John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3; 1 John 1:1-13).

Also supporting this interpretation is that the church age believer will be perfected at the rapture of the church when they receive their resurrection bodies.

Consequently, they will be without moral and physical defects (cf. Phlp. 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:50-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).

Immediately, after the rapture, every church age believer will have to give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ in order to determine if they merit rewards or not for faithful service in this life (1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10-12).

Nowhere in the New Testament is the Father mentioned in connection with either the rapture or the Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

However, after these two prophetic events, they are all presented to the Father by the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:1-3; Rev. 3:5).

The prepositional phrase katenōpion tēs doxēs autou (κατενώπιον τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ), “before His glorious presence” is expressing the idea of the recipients of the epistle of Jude in the presence of the Father’s glory, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ at the rapture of the church.

This is indicated by the fact that at the rapture of the church, the church age believer will be perfected in a resurrection body and will no longer have any moral or physical defects because they will no longer possess the indwelling old Adamic sin nature.

Jude 24 not only asserts that the recipients of the epistle of Jude will not possess any moral or physical defects when they receive their resurrection bodies at the rapture of the church but also states that this perfection will be accompanied by great joy.

The adjective agalliasis (ἀγαλλίασις), “joy” pertains to a state of intensive joy and gladness, often implying verbal expression and body movement such as jumping, leaping, dancing.

Here it speaks of the “great or transcendent joy” which the recipients of the epistle of Jude will experience when existing in the state of not possessing any moral or physical defects in the presence of the Father’s glory, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ at the rapture of the church.

The first attribute of God which is mentioned in Jude 25 is “glory,” which is translating the noun doxa (δόξα), which speaks of the manifestation of the character and nature of God, which His one and only Son, Jesus Christ manifested perfectly during His First Advent (cf. John 1:14-18).

Here it is related to the manifestation of the Father’s character and nature, which exceeds the limits of human and angelic understanding and experience.

Thus, it refers to the honor, which is accorded to that which characterizes the Father and the splendor which characterizes Him.

It speaks of the fact that the Father is a transcendent being in that He exceeds the limits of human and angelic understanding and experience.

The noun megalōsynē (μεγαλωσύνη), “majesty” pertains to the quality of a person or thing which inspires awe or reverence in the beholder and speaks of the state of greatness or preeminence.

Therefore, this refers to God the Father’s preeminence among His creatures, both human and angelic beings, which inspires awe and reverence from Him by these creatures.

The noun kratos (κράτος), “power” pertains to the inherent power of God the Father, which is sovereign and thus refers to His omnipotence, which when exerted over His creatures manifests the fact that He is sovereign over His creatures.

It thus refers to the omnipotence of the Father, which when manifested serves to govern both human and angelic beings.

Thus, the word is referring to the sovereign power of God the Father over all of creation and every creature, which He exercises from His innate dignity with no areas of His province outside of His jurisdiction.

This word means that the Father exercises His omnipotence absolutely without any conditioning by any finite will or wills.

The noun exousia (ἐξουσία), “authority” and is referring to the sovereign authority of God the Father over all of creation and every creature.

It speaks of the Father ruling over all of creation and every creature from His innate dignity and that He exercises supreme power with no areas of His province outside of His jurisdiction.

This word means that the Father exercises His omnipotence absolutely without any conditioning by any finite will or wills.

The prepositional phrase pro pantos tou aiōnos (πρὸ παντὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος), “before all ages” refers to the period of time before the beginning of the creation of the time, matter, space continuum and continuing throughout human history up to the church age.

Therefore, it refers to eternity past before the creation of the time, matter, space continuum or in other words, before angelic and human history.

The adverb of time nun (νῦν), “now” speaks of the moment when Jude wrote this epistle and specifically, it refers to the church age.

The prepositional phrase eis pantas tous aiōnas (εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας), “forevermore” speaks of the dispensations, which follow the church age as well as the eternal state.

The interjection amēn (ἀμήν), “Amen” emphasizes the certainty that glory, majesty, sovereign power and authority will be possessed by the Father throughout each and every one of the ages in the future, i.e. the dispensations following the church age and the eternal state.