Jude 5-7

Read Jude 1-7

Verses 5-16 are an expanding on what Jude says in verse 4 by giving examples and illustrations of what these people are doing and how they will ultimately be condemned. Verses 5-7 form an example of increasingly severe condemnation of three groups of “peoples” who have gone against the authority and commands of God. Verse 8 says that these interlopers are also like the peoples in Sodom and Gomorrah, defiling their flesh. Then in 9-11 another three examples, 12-13 again bringing it back to to whom he is talking about with a rapid fire set of illustrations of harmful and useless things that Jude compares our antagonists to. 14-15 using an excerpt from 1 Enoch as an illustration that God will provide the judgement. Then in 16 another set of three comparisons on the attitudes of these people.

5

Jude 5 “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it”

Jude begins his section of illustrations and examples with the statement that all of these examples should be well known to the audience he is writing to, and from the content of some of the examples he uses we can surmise that the church or churches he was writing to were at least a mixed group of Jews and Gentiles, with the probability that the Gentiles that were in the churches were also very aware of the Old Testament and Jewish apocryphal writings because he includes “although you once fully knew it”. This give the impression that all of the examples and illustrations he uses were common knowledge to all those whom he was writing to. The ESV translates this “although you once fully knew it”, the KJV just “ye once knew this” and other translations have it as “although you know everything once and for all” This language calls back to verse 3 when Jude tells us to “contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints.” It is a good thing that we are constantly reminded of what is in the revealed word of God, either in our private Bible readings or at every church service. The truths of the bible should not be a read once and never again type of reading. We need to be constantly in the word and receiving good bible teaching.

2 Peter 1:13 “I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,”

Always be constantly reading the bible, reading and listening to good biblically solid other works that we have available to us, but not forsaking the local church and errantly thinking that pastors and sermons online are a substitution for being part of and participating in a local church and under Pastors that will know you, care for you, and shepherd your soul personally.

Jude 5 “, that Jesus”

Those of you who are reading from the KJV may notice that this verse is translated as “That the Lord” but the ESV and other newer translations read “that Jesus”, we now have more copies of the manuscripts available to us now that we did when the KJV was translated, and the oldest and most reliable of these manuscripts have Jude using Iēsous, which is Jesus in Greek while the ones that were available when the KJV was translated have ho Kyrios, the Lord. This is a good example of Jude affirming Jesus’ deity, as do other New Testament do through the Holy Spirit. Because what one of the trinity does or says all are in agreement and they are showing the oneness of Jesus and Yahweh and the Spirit.

Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

John 8:56–58 “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.””

Jesus there saying “I am”, ego eimi, the same words used by Yahweh for himself to Moses, Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ””

Mark 14:61–62 “But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.””

Jesus proclaiming his deity to the high priest by both saying that he is “I AM” and that he will be seated at the right hand of God in heaven.

Two other examples from Paul using Jesus in the Exodus story:

1 Corinthians 10:4 “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”

1 Corinthians 10:9 “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,”

Jude 5 “, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”

This illustration is referring to the Exodus of the Jewish nation from Egypt and how they constantly grumbled and complained, saying that they would have been better off staying in Egypt, even forging a golden calf as an idol to worship when Moses did not return down the mountain on their time table. When they got to the borders of the promise land and sent spies to scout out the land, every scout, except Caleb and Joshua, came back saying that the land was filled with milk and honey but the inhabitants are too strong for them to overtake. Only Caleb and Joshua had faith in the Lord that He would deliver the land to them and defeat all of the inhabitants. So the people grumbled once again and did not trust in God and said in Numbers 14:2 “And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!” So God promised judgement on them for their lack of faith and trust. Numbers 14:28–30 “Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.”

The faithless will not see the promised land.

6

Jude 6 “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—”

This mention of angels not staying in their own position is referring to the angels who fell and became demons but the conciseness is that Jude here is not referring to the entirety of the fallen angels that aligned with Lucifer. One reason is that Satan and his demons were not immediately contained in chains in darkness, they are in the world today prowling around looking to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” This is generally thought of as to be referring to Genesis 6:1–4 when angels took the form of man and had relations with humans, this is also strengthened with that Jude references 1 Enoch later in the letter and 1 Enoch “contains much discussion on the fall of these angels”.

But what can we take from this illustration?

In verse 5 God did not spare his own chosen people when they did not have faith and here God does not spare the angels either when they disobeyed. Here we also see that the sin that these angels committed was of a sensual nature, just the same as what Jude said that these people who had crept in were doing. Verse 4 “...ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality”

The angels did not stay in their position of authority and left their proper dwelling, can we see parallels to those of us in authority not staying in their own position of authority, straying and teaching false doctrine?

We can also see the increasing severity of the illustrated punishments, those who grumbled did not go into the promised land and died in the wilderness, the angels who disobeyed are being held to the end of days in chains and darkness. And we will see in verse 7 the punishment and the representation of the punishment is far worse.

7

Jude 7 “just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”

Here we see another verse on sexual sin/homosexual relations as the people of the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah and the surrounding towns were wicked and perusing unnatural desires. Other translations saying going after strange flesh, meaning flesh that was not normal and prescribed by God.

Some argue that the bible or Jesus does not condemn homosexuality. But they are wrong, we see it in the referenced passage from Genesis and in other places in the Old Testament. As well as in the New Testament, referenced and mentioned here and in Romans 1 among other places.

Romans 1:26–27 “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

So if we hold to the doctrine of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit are three distinct persons in one God, and they are all co-equal, then we can say that what one says, the Father condemning Sodom and Gomorrah, the Holy Spirit breathing out what Paul wrote, then we hold to that all three are at all times in total agreement with each other. If they were in disagreement with one another then that would mean that one of them would be in error.

Long way to say that anything one says or does then all are aware and in full agreement with each other. The Father condemns it, the Spirit condemns it then Jesus also condemns sexual sins.

In this illustration we can also see the increased punishment for the rampant sin of the cities, they were destroyed with brimstone and fire, representing the eternal punishment in the lake of fire that awaits all unrepentant sinners. Jude in these three illustrations say that these people do not love God, they are outside of their authority, and they are committing grievous sins with their flesh and for it they will, if they do not repent, be cast down into hell for all eternity.