Jude 4b-The Second Description of the Jewish Zealots
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday April 30, 2022
Jude Series: Jude 4b-The Second Description of the Jewish Zealots
Lesson # 17
Jude 3 Beloved, although I have prepared myself with utter diligence to communicate in writing for the benefit of each one of you regarding our common salvation, I have entered into the state of experiencing compulsion to communicate in writing for the purpose of exhorting and encouraging each and every one of you at this particular time to make it your habit of exerting intense effort for your own benefit on behalf of the faith, which has been delivered once and never again for the benefit of the saints. 4 For certain people have joined all of you surreptitiously with evil intent. Specifically, those who long ago are written about beforehand with regards to the same type of judgment I am about to describe, who are ungodly who are exchanging experiencing the grace of our God for practicing criminal behavior. Consequently, they are refusing to follow the one and only Master, namely our Lord Jesus Christ. (Lecturer’s translation)
As we noted, Jude 4 asserts that certain people have surreptitiously joined the meetings of the Christian communities in Judaea with evil intent and then it goes on to describe these individuals as having been written about long ago beforehand with regards to the same type of judgment which is described in Jude 5-16.
In this second description, the verb prographō means “to write beforehand or previously, to write in advance or in anticipation of” and it is modified by the adverb of time palai (πάλαι), which means “long ago” since the word pertains to the distant or comparatively distant past.
Therefore, the verb prographō and the adverb of time palai in Jude 4 are expressing the idea that certain people who had joined the Christian community in Judaea surreptitiously with evil intent were “long ago were written about beforehand.”
The noun krima (κρίμα) “judgment” pertains to a legal decision of guilty in a criminal case often with ensuing punishment and the articular construction of this word is employed with the demonstrative pronoun houtos (οὗτος), which is kataphoric, which means that it is pointing forward to the statements to follow.
I believe that it is pointing ahead to Jude 5-16 since Jude 4 speaks of God’s judgment and Jude 5-13 provide examples from the past in which God judged those who rebelled against Him.
Also, Jude 14-16 provides a prophetic example of those who will be judged in the future by the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Advent for rebelling against Him.
These examples are now recorded in both the Old Testament Scriptures and a non-canonical work, namely 1 Enoch.
In other words, in these verses, Jude provides examples from both the Old Testament Scriptures and the non-canonical work, 1 Enoch of people who were judged by God for rebelling against Him.
Secondly, Jude 14-16 predicts that Jesus Christ at His Second Advent will judge every unrepentant, unregenerate person on the earth at His Second Advent for rebelling against Him.
This prophecy is also recorded in both the Old Testament Scriptures and the non-canonical work, 1 Enoch.
In other words, in these verses, Jude provides a prophetic example from both the Old Testament Scriptures and the non-canonical work, 1 Enoch of people who in the future will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Advent for rebelling against Him.
Therefore, the demonstrative pronoun houtos in Jude 4 is pointing forward to Jude 5-16 because Jude 4 speaks of God’s judgment and these verses provide examples from the past of God judging those who rebelled against Him and examples in prophecy in which the Lord Jesus Christ in the future will judge at His Second Advent those who rebel against Him.
Now, there is still a problem with interpreting this second description of these Jewish Zealots in Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D. because these Jewish Zealots obviously did not live during Old Testament times.
Thus, they were not judged in the ancient past along with the Old Testament examples Jude provides in Jude 5-11 of individuals who were judged by God in Old Testament times for rebelling against Him.
Secondly, these Jewish Zealots would not live to see the events which will take place at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ when He will judge every unrepentant, unregenerate human being on the earth for their rebellion against Him, which is mentioned in Jude 14-16.
They all died in the first century.
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit, who inspired Jude to write these statements in Jude 14-16, would through His omniscience know that these Jewish Zealots would not live long enough to experience the events connected to the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, I believe that the expression touto to krima (τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα) should be translated “the same type of judgment I am about to describe” (in Jude 5-16).
It also should be interpreted as asserting that these Jewish Zealots long ago were written about beforehand in both the Old Testament Scriptures and the non-canonical work, 1 Enoch with regards to the same type of judgement that is described in Jude 5-16.
In other words, these Jewish Zealots would be judged for their rebellion against God “just like” those who rebelled against God in the past as recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures and the non-canonical work, 1 Enoch.
Correspondingly, they would be judged for their rebellion against the Lord “just like” those who will be judged in the future by Jesus Christ at His Second Advent for rebelling against Him as recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures and the non-canonical work, 1 Enoch.
Thus, all these individuals from the past and those who will rebel against God in the future are just like the Jewish Zealots in Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D.
Therefore, the statements in Jude 5-11 would indicate that these Jewish Zealots are “like” those who were judged for their rebellion against God as recorded in the Old Testament and in 1 Enoch.
In other words, these Jewish Zealots living in Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D. “belonged to the same category of individuals” who were judged by God in the ancient past for rebelling against Him.
Correspondingly, the statements in Jude 14-16 would indicate that the judgment of these Jewish Zealots would be “like” those who will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Advent for their rebellion against Him as recorded in the Old Testament and in 1 Enoch.
In other words, these Jewish Zealots “belonged to the same category of individuals” who will be judged by Jesus Christ at His Second Advent for rebelling against Him.
Consequently, in Jude 4, the preposition eis (εἰς), whose object is the noun krima should be interpreted as functioning as a marker of reference rather than a marker of purpose.
Most translations and commentators translate the prepositional phrase eis touto to krima (εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα), “for this condemnation” (LEB, ESV, NRSV) or “for the condemnation” (NET) because they interpret the preposition eis as a marker of purpose.
This would be expressing the idea that these Jewish Zealots were long ago written about beforehand “for the purpose of” judgment or condemnation.
However, as we noted, the contents of Jude 5-16 indicates that the judgment of these Jewish Zealots will be “like” those God judged in the past for rebelling against Him (Jude 5-13) and “like” those who will be judged in the future by Jesus Christ at His Second Advent for rebelling against Him (Jude 14-16).
Therefore, the purpose of these Jewish Zealots being written about long ago in the past in both the Old Testament and 1 Enoch is not in view because their judgement is not being described in Jude 5-16 but rather the judgment of those who rebelled against the Lord in the past as well as the judgment of those who will rebel against Him in the future.
Thus, it is better to interpret the preposition eis as a marker of reference since the implication is that the judgment of these Zealots will be “like” those judged by God in the past and “like” those who will be judged by Him in the future.
Thus, the prepositional phrase eis touto to krima (εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα) should be translated “with regards to the same type of judgment I am about to describe” (in Jude 5-16).
Therefore, even though Jude does not explicitly say that these Jewish Zealots were “like” those who rebelled against God in the past as well as those who will be judged by the Lord at His Second Advent, it is clearly implied.
Again, the Holy Spirit would not have Jude write that these Jewish Zealots would be judged by Jesus Christ at His Second Advent when He knows through His omniscience that this will not be the case.
Like every unrepentant, unregenerate person in human history, they will ultimately experience eternal condemnation at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).