Jude - Contending for the Faith - Part 2

Intro

Do you remember what we were talking about last week?

Why was Jude so eager to write them?

Jude says that people have slipped in un-aware, and they are teaching a bunch of heresy.

One thing I said last week was this...

Secretly they entered, people were unaware. They pretended to be one of them but they were not.. the old thing is like .... Sheep in Wolves clothing.”....

so lets move forward and being looking at verses 5-7

Jude 5–7 ESV

5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 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— 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.

The opening phrase here “ Now I want to remind you...” is signifying a new section, They knew the gospel message, Jude is certain of that for they already heard it and believed, they responded to the message that was preached to them.

Jude is not saying these believers knew everything, no, not at all. But He is says they knew the gospel message and knew it wasn’t what they false teachers were sharing.

They knew the basic truth and that was enough to keep them on track.

Important my friends, for so many things sound like the truth, but are not. Mormons say Jesus is God’s Son but they do not believe it in the same way they protestant evangelicals like us Baptist believe.

Now why does he remind them of this… We all need reminders, those things aren’t wasted. I know things but at times can forget a portion or thought tied to it. So at times I have to hear it again to refresh my memory, to keep the whole truth active and well.

Now Jude uses the word Jesus here and not the Lord speaking of God the Father if you will… and it is very likely that Jude is referring to a pre- incarnate Christ in the OT here.

We traditionally think of the Lord God leading the children of Israel up out of the land of Egypt, But when you think if it as the context of Jesus it could very well be...

Let me share two thoughts with you that speak to it perhaps pointing to another thought of the pre-incarnate Christ

The first is , verses 4 and 9

1 Corinthians 10:4 ESV

4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

I cor

and

1 Corinthians 10:9 ESV

9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,

So it is possible that Jude believed that Jesus is the one who took the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. It is possible that Jude say or understood Jesus as the “angel of the Lord” That we talked about last week.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Three Historical Examples of God’s Judgment (5–7)

Furthermore, New Testament writers identify Jesus Christ with texts that refer to Yahweh in the Old Testament. John said that Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus Christ (John 12:41), referring to the throne room vision of Isaiah 6. Isaiah said every knee will bow to Yahweh and confess allegiance to him (Isa 45:23), but Paul related this to Jesus Christ (Phil 2:10–11).

Now we know that Israel was saved or delivered from the land of Egypt via the Exodus. But those who did not believe were destroyed… this may point out those who sinned against the Lord by not entering into the promised land when the Lord brought them to the entrance at Kadesh Barnea.

Two words in particular link this verse to . Jude said that Israel “did not believe” (pisteuō), and the same term is used to depict Israel’s unbelief in (ou pisteuousin).

And also,

Jude also said that the Lord “destroyed” (apōlesen) those who disbelieved, and the Lord threatens destruction (apolō) in .

The main point Jude made is clear. No person in the believing community can presume on God’s grace, thinking that an initial decision to follow Christ or baptism ensures their future salvation regardless of how they respond to the intruders.

Israel’s apostasy stands as a warning to all those who think that an initial commitment secures their future destiny without ongoing obedience.

Those who are God’s people demonstrate the genuineness of their salvation by responding to the warning given.

They failed to “believe” in God. The call to perseverance is not a summons to something above and beyond faith. God summons his people to believe in his promises to the very end of their lives.

Christians never get beyond the need to believe and trust, and all apostasy stems from a failure to trust in God’s saving promises in Christ, just as the wilderness generation disbelieved that God would truly bring them into the land of Canaan, thinking instead that he had maliciously doomed them to die in the wilderness.

Now lets move to verse 6

Now lets move to verse 6

Jude 6 ESV

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—

Another example of judgement involves the angels who sinned, now this falls back to two places, one of which is listed according to Jewish tradition.

Genesis 6:1–4 ESV

1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

So these two verses of Scripture are and . In both of these cases there is a reference to the thought that angels, fallen angels have down wrong and are thus punished for their actions.

Now , we have looked at in the past, but we will wander down this road and what Jude is referring to according to other passages in the word of God and according to what our early church fathers say about Jude, for some of the early ones knew him, like they knew John.

Now let me say this and here is why it might be a point to consider. There is in Jewish writings what is called the:

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is a constituent of the apocryphal scriptures connected with the Bible. It is a pseudepigraphical work comprising the dying commands of the twelve sons of Jacob.

It is part of the Oskan Armenian Orthodox Bible of 1666. Fragments of similar writings were found at Qumran, but opinions are divided as to whether these are the same texts. It is considered apocalyptic literature.

Now we do not consider this as the same level of Scripture but it might have historical implications...

Now I tell you all of this for this reason....

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Three Historical Examples of God’s Judgment (5–7)

In Testament of Naphtali 3:4–5 the angels of Gen 6:1–4 are designated as “Watchers,” and they are said to have “departed from nature’s order” and hence are cursed with the flood. According to T. Reu. 5:6–7 women charmed the Watchers with their beauty, so that the Watchers lusted after them. They transformed themselves into males and gave birth to giants (cf. 1QapGen 2:1). Jubilees also teaches that the Watchers sinned with the daughters of men by mingling with them sexually (Jub. 4:22). The angels of the Lord saw the beauty of the daughters, took them to be their wives, the offspring were giants, and because of such wickedness the Lord brought the flood (Jub. 5:1–11)

Now why mention this at all...

There is a strong Jewish tradition that these angels left there state and did what was not natural for them. Thus they are being held and reserved for punishment.

Now I am not saying Jude agreed with all of these traditions, but it would appear that he did believe that these angels had left their rightful places and sinned.

Here is another important thought....

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Three Historical Examples of God’s Judgment (5–7)

The main point Jude made is clear. No person in the believing community can presume on God’s grace, thinking that an initial decision to follow Christ or baptism ensures their future salvation regardless of how they respond to the intruders. Israel’s apostasy stands as a warning to all those who think that an initial commitment secures their future destiny without ongoing obedience. Those who are God’s people demonstrate the genuineness of their salvation by responding to the warning given. The warnings are one of the means by which God preserves his people until the end. Those who ignore such warnings neglect the very means God has appointed for obtaining eschatological salvation. Nor should such a perspective be considered a form of works righteousness. Jude pinpointed the fundamental reason Israel was judged. They failed to “believe” in God. The call to perseverance is not a summons to something above and beyond faith. God summons his people to believe in his promises to the very end of their lives. Christians never get beyond the need to believe and trust, and all apostasy stems from a failure to trust in God’s saving promises in Christ, just as the wilderness generation disbelieved that God would truly bring them into the land of Canaan, thinking instead that he had maliciously doomed them to die in the wilderness.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Three Historical Examples of God’s Judgment (5–7)

The objection most raise is that angels are asexual (Matt 22:30). Actually, Matthew did not say angels do not have sexuality, but they neither marry nor are given in marriage. There is no evidence that angels reproduce or engage in sexual intercourse. But when angels come to earth, they often come as human beings; and presumably the human form is genuine, not a charade, so that the sexuality of angels when they appear on earth is genuine.

So I am not 100% certain that these angels committed this particular sin, but what ever their sin, it lead to their punishment...

So lets move onto the second example of punishment for these angels. Look at verse 7.

Jude 7 ESV

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.

Now some translations open this verse as “In a similar way”…as to establish a parallel between sexual immortality of the angels and the sexual immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The surrounding cities with Sodom and Gomorrah are Adman, Zeboiim and Zoar, and Zoar we know was spared from destruction for some reason.

Sexual sin was not the only sin for which Sodom and Gomorrah were punished. Ezekiel said they were also punished for their pride and lack of concern for the poor ().

Ezekiel 16:49 ESV

49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.

Even Josephus, the great Jewish historian criticized Sodom for its pride and their hatred of foreigners.

And there is a lot of works that refer to part of their as the sin of homosexuality.

The sin of homosexuality is featured prominently in the account in Genesis in that the men of Sodom desired to have sexual relations (“know” in Hebrew) with the angels who visited Lot ()

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Three Historical Examples of God’s Judgment (5–7)

The sin of homosexuality is featured prominently in the account in Genesis in that the men of Sodom desired to have sexual relations (“know” in Hebrew) with the angels who visited Lot (Gen 19:5–8)

Debauchery was the great sin there, their hands were guilty of a great deal of sin.

So how are verses 6 and 7 connected then?

What is Jude saying, I think i tis difficult to say these are specific examples of sin… I think both are mentioned to illustrate the point that God will punish sin. And we must remember that sin is sin. There is no little “I” and big “U” when it comes to sin...

There are terrible and horrible consequences for sin...

So commit sins of the flesh, commit sins in which you neglect others, live for self and not for God nor His creation, God punishes theses sins… also in relation to others verses we have been looked at… God punishes those who teach improperly the Word of God and lead others astray.

That last line of verse 7 points to this...

“...serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Jude 7b

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Three Historical Examples of God’s Judgment (5–7)

Sexual sin was not the only sin for which Sodom and Gomorrah were punished. Ezekiel said they were also punished for their pride and lack of concern for the poor (Ezek 16:49).

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Three Historical Examples of God’s Judgment (5–7)

Jude also said that the Lord “destroyed” (apōlesen) those who disbelieved, and the Lord threatens destruction (apolō) in Num 14:12.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude (1) Three Historical Examples of God’s Judgment (5–7)

Two words in particular link this verse to Numbers 14. Jude said that Israel “did not believe” (pisteuō), and the same term is used to depict Israel’s unbelief in Num 14:11 (ou pisteuousin).

Jude 5–17 ESV

5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 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— 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. 8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. 14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. 17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude

Jude 1 ESV

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

Jude