Jude 17-21

Read Jude 14-25

In verses 17 -20 Jude sums up all the arguments, examples, and comparisons he gave that made up the bulk of his short letter to the church or churches he was writing to, verses 4 -16, by again reminding us that these people, the ones that have crept in and are now trying to lead the church astray with their false teachings and worldly passions, have long ago been warned about and that Christ is not surprised or caught off guard. Then in verse 20 through 23 Jude gives his response and how we are to do what he told us what we needed to do and why he was compelled to deliver the message he is writing instead of what he wanted to say, for us to contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints.

17

Jude 17 “But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

After 12 verses of warning, giving examples, and comparing these people to other Old Testament and well known, by his audience, apocryphal stories, Jude comforts his audience by calling us beloved, loved fellow saints of Jesus Christ, to remember that these who have infiltrated the churches he was writing to were not a surprise to God or the apostles of Christ. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Zephaniah, Christ, Paul, John, Peter and more all warned about and prophesied about false teachers, false prophets, false apostles, and wolves in sheep’s clothing. Neither the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit were caught off guard, surprised, or didn’t see this coming, warnings were made and prophecies given.

Jeremiah 23:14 “But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.””

Micah 3:11 “Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.””

Christ in Matthew 7:15 ““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” That whole section and many other places.

Paul, 2 Corinthians 11:13–14 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” Also in many other places.

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” Also in John’s other two letters, and quoting Jesus in John and Revelation.

2 Peter 2:1–2 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.”

Also this is in no way an complete list. These people have been known about and we have been informed and warned.

You have to know what the true word and gospel says to be able to know when you hear false doctrine, and the true work of God was written by the apostles, through the Holy Spirit.

18

Jude 18 “They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.””

All those warnings mentioned before, but specifically and especially from Christ and his apostles have told us that it the last time, in the last days, this present time in between Jesus’ first and second coming we will have false teachers who deny Christ and try to justify their selfish and worldly passions.

The verse right before the one I quoted from John before.

1 John 2:18 “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.”

This quote seems to come from 2 Peter 3:3 “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” This and many other places where Jude and 2 Peter mirror each other leads some to believe that Jude came after Peter’s second letter and Jude is using it as an inspiration. But those that we have been warned against, and now are in the church or churches that Jude is writing to are scoffers, also translated as mockers. They are going against the scriptures openly and not only with no remorse or shame, they are mocking and blaspheming what is correct and God given by claiming that the commandments of God do not have to be followed because we have grace and can listen to and follow our retched, sinful flesh into all kinds of ungodly passions.

19

Jude 19 “It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.”

The phrase cause divisions can also be translated as “separate themselves”, which may have a different meaning, but I think it is both at the same time. They do separate themselves from the actual true teachers of God’s word and claim that they alone have special revelation from God that allows all their ungodliness. Also they cause divisions by what they are teaching, deceiving all that they can with their wicked ideas and flagrant, blasphemous acts which split the church apart. These people are of the world, the KJV says sensual, the go with the fallen world and its ruler Satan and thus the truths of the spirit cannot be understood by them because the Holy Spirit is not in them they are devoid, empty.

17, 18, and 19 are not introducing any new information by Jude but is a recap and summation of what he has already said so that he can now move onto building us up and advising us on what we must do in order to be contending for the faith that was once and for all delivered to us.

20 - 21

Jude 20–21 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”

Jude starts of with “But you” signifying that a shift in the letter is happening, he has wrapped up his description and example giving of those who have crept in unnoticed and now moved to what the church or churches he is writing to, and also all of us, what we are to do when these people who attempt to deceive with their false teachings and worldly focused lives come, also adding beloved just like in the first few verses, further saying that this next part is for the beloved, the saved saints, the bride of Christ.

These two verses, 20 and 21 are one sentence and are our main task that Jude called us to do back in verse 3 Jude 3 “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” At first look this may seem to have four items for us to do, but there is actually one command and three things to do in order for us to follow that command. The command is in the middle of the statement at the beginning of verse 21, “Keep yourselves in the love of God”

We must consciously, actively, and purposefully keep ourselves in the love of God. You may be thinking, God is sovereign over all and none of the elect will be lost, Jesus told us this himself,

John 10:27–30 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.””

Paul also echoed this in Romans 8:38–39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Father, Son, and Spirit are working so that no one will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, so how and why is it our task to keep ourselves in the love of God? And does this contradict what is said in the scriptures? No, this does not contradict the scriptures, Jesus himself also said something very much like what Jude here says.

John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”

Abide, to remain, continue, and stay in his love.

John 15:10 “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”

Live your life always looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.