Background of Jude

Jude 1–25 NKJV

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

Last of general epistles

Date

between 40 AD - 80 ad

likely mid 60s

Who Wrote it?

Likely written by the hal bro of Jesus (like the book of James)

Only other refernce to him in Bible is in

Mark 6:3 NKJV

Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.

& kinda in

1 Corinthians 9:5 NKJV

Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?

likely infleunced by Peter

Parallels Between Jude and 2 Peter

Jude 4 / 2 Peter 2:3

the false teachers’ “condemnation” from the past

Jude 4

2 Peter 2:1

they “deny” the “Sovereign [and] Lord”

Jude 6

2 Peter 2:4

angels confined for judgment; “gloomy” (2 Peter) and “darkness” (Jude) translate the same Greek word (zophos)

Jude 7

2 Peter 2:6

Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of judgment of gross evil

Jude 8

2 Peter 2:10

they “reject [Jude]/despise [2 Peter] authority” they “slander celestial beings”

Jude 9

2 Peter 2:11

angels do not bring “slanderous accusation[s]”

Jude 12

; 2 Peter 2:13

the false teachers are “blemishes”

Jude 12

2 Peter 2:17

Jude: “clouds without rain, blown along by the wind”Peter: “springs without water and mists driven by a storm”

Jude 18

2 Peter 3:3

“scoffers” following “their own evil [Peter]/ungodly [Jude] desires”

Many 3’s

possibly 18 Triads:

“Jude … servant … brother” (v. 1);

his address: “to those … called … loved … kept” (v. 1);

his greetings: “mercy, peace, and love” (v. 2);

his description of the apostates: “godless men … change the grace of our Lord … deny Jesus Christ” (v. 4);

his examples of other apostates who were judged: “people out of Egypt … angels … Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns” (vv. 5–7);

his description of these heretical “dreamers”: “pollute their own bodies … reject authority … slander celestial beings” (v. 8);

his description elaborated: “taken the way of Cain … rushed for profit into Balaam’s error … destroyed in Korah’s rebellion” (v. 11).

In other trilogies Jude said these “grumblers and fault-finders” “follow their own evil desires … boast about themselves … and flatter others” (v. 16)

“divide you … follow mere natural instincts … do not have the Spirit” (v. 19).

Jude’s readers were to “be merciful … snatch others from the fire … to others show mercy” (vv. 22–23).

Who was it for?

Possibly Christians Jews due to the references to the OT

Old Testament

referred to the Old Testament. He spoke of the Exodus (v. 5), the death of many Israelites in the wilderness (v. 5), Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7), Moses’ body (v. 9), Cain (v. 11), Balaam (v. 11), Korah (v. 11), Enoch (v. 14), and Adam (v. 14).

Many figures of speech

shepherds, clouds, and trees, v. 12;

waves and stars, v. 13).

OUTLINE

I. Salutation (vv. 1–2)

II. Warnings concerning Apostates (vv. 3–4)

III. Warnings concerning the Peril of Apostasy (vv. 5–16)

A. Examples of apostates in the past (vv. 5–7)

1. Egypt (v. 5)

2. Angels (v. 6)

3. Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7)

B. Actions of apostates in the present (vv. 8–16)

1. Rejecting authority (vv. 8–10)

2. Walking in error (v. 11)

3. Leading falsely (vv. 12–13)

4. Pleasing self (vv. 14–16)

IV. Guidelines for Avoiding Apostasy (vv. 17–23)

A. Remembering the teaching of the apostles (vv. 17–19)

B. Nurturing themselves (vv. 20–21)

C. Being merciful to others (vv. 22–23)

V. Victory over Apostasy (vv. 24–25)

Theme

Jude 3 NKJV

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

the salvation we share

to content for the faith.