Jude Series: Jude 7-The Structure of Jude 7 and Its Relationship with Jude 6

Jude 5 Now, I am prompted to desire to cause each and every one of you to be reminded (even though each of you are possessing a thorough knowledge about each of these examples) that Jesus, sometime after having delivered the people out from the land that is Egypt, destroyed those who would not believe. 6 Correspondingly, He is keeping by means of eternal chains under the control of total supernatural darkness for the purpose of executing the judgment during the great day of those who entered into the state of not keeping their own sphere of activity but in fact abandoned their own place of habitation. 7 Similarly, in a manner like these angels, the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them caused themselves to be publicly set forth as an example. Namely, because they are experiencing a righteous punishment, which is experiencing eternal fire because they committed immorality, specifically, because they pursued after homosexual activity. (Lecturer’s translation)

As we noted in our study of Jude 5, this verse marks a transition in the body of this letter.

Specifically, it is marking a transition from the identification of the purpose of the epistle in Jude 3-4 to Jude 5-7, which presents three examples of a group of individuals that God judged in the Old Testament for their rebellion against Him.

The first of these examples appears in Jude 5 which speaks of the Lord disciplining unrepentant, apostate members of the Exodus generation who rebelled against Him by not trusting Him even after He delivered them from the bondage of slavery in the land of Egypt.

The second is found in Jude 6 and is the fallen angels of the antediluvian period who rebelled against the Lord by possessing the bodies of men in order to have sex with unregenerate women.

This resulted in the birth of the Nephilim and the resultant proliferation of evil in the world as a result of these individuals.

The third and final example appears in Jude 7 and is the Lord judging the unrepentant, unregenerate citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah who rebelled against Him by their immoral and unethical behavior.

The contents of Jude 6 are closely related to the concept taught in Jude 5, which we noted asserts that sometime after He delivered the Exodus generation out from the land of Egypt, the Lord Jesus Christ destroyed them as a result of their unrepentant unbelief, which manifested their rebellion against Him.

Jude 6 asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ is keeping by means of eternal chains under the control of total supernatural darkness for the purpose of executing the judgement during the great day against those angels who entered into the state of not keeping their own sphere of activity but rather in fact abandoned their own place of habitation.

A comparison of Genesis 6:2 and 4 with 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 2 Peter 2:4-5 indicates that Jude 6 is describing some of the fallen angels of Satan rebelling against God during the antediluvian period by possessing the bodies of men in order to have sex with women.

The purpose of which was to so corrupt the behavior of the human race through this offspring of the sexual union between these demon possessed men and unregenerate women, and which offspring were called “the Nephilim.”

The purpose of corrupting the behavior of the human race was to cause God to judge the entire human race.

Thus, this would prevent God from fulfilling His promise to Adam and Eve to provide them an offspring who would deliver them from sin and Satan.

In other words, it would prevent the incarnation of the Son of God who would destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

Therefore, the concept, which is taught in both Jude 5 and 6 is that the Lord judges those who unrepentantly rebel against Him and therefore, this is the correspondence between these two verses.

Jude 7 is composed of three assertions.

The first asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them in a manner like the fallen angels mentioned in Jude 6 caused themselves to be publicly set forth as an example.

The second presents the reason for the first and asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them are experiencing a righteous punishment, namely, they are experiencing eternal fire.

The third also presents the reason for the first and asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them committed immorality and specifically, they pursued after homosexual activity.

Now, we come to our study of Jude 7, which presents the third example of a group of individuals that God judged in the Old Testament for their rebellion against Him.

This is the third triad or triplet we have come across in our study of the epistle of Jude.

The first two appear in Jude 1-2.

Jude 7 is built around the first assertion, which is a declarative statement which we noted asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them in a similar manner like the fallen angels mentioned in Jude 6 caused themselves to be publicly set forth as an example.

This declarative statement is modified by two causal participial clauses, which present two assertions.

Two of these causal participles form the figure of hendiadys, which means that they are expressing one idea, with one advancing upon and intensifying the other.

Thus, two of these causal participial clauses are expressing one idea and thus one assertion and one reason.

The first states that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them are experiencing a righteous punishment, namely, they are experiencing eternal fire.

The second expressed by two of these causal participial clauses asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them committed immorality and specifically, they pursued after homosexual activity.

These three causal participial clauses also present two reasons why the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them in a manner like the fallen angels mentioned in Jude 6 caused themselves to be publicly set forth as an example.

Therefore, the first reason is that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them are experiencing a righteous punishment, namely, they are experiencing eternal fire.

The second reason is that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them committed immorality and specifically, they pursued after homosexual activity.

Now, these three causal participial clauses are also presenting two reasons why the rebellion of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them is similar to the rebellion of the fallen angels during the antediluvian period.

The first reason is that both groups are experiencing eternal condemnation in Hades, which of course the consequence of their rebellions.

The fallen angels are experiencing it in Tartarus while the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah and the citizens of the cities around them are experiencing it in Torments.

Eventually, both will experience eternal condemnation in the eternal lake of fire (cf. Rev. 20:10-15).

The second reason is that both groups committed gross sexual immorality.

The fallen angels possessed the bodies of unregenerate men in order to have sex and procreate with unregenerate women in order to prevent the incarnation of the Son of God.

On the other hand, the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah and the citizens of the cities around them were pursuing homosexual relations with each other.

Jude 7 is a comparative clause because it is presenting a comparison with the previous assertion in Jude 6, which speaks of the fallen angels who rebelled against God by possessing the bodies of unregenerate men in order to have sex and procreate with unregenerate women during the antediluvian period.

Therefore, the comparison is between the rebellion of these fallen angels during the antediluvian period and the rebellion of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah during the days of Abraham because both groups rebelled against God by committing sexual immorality.

Consequently, both groups are presently experiencing eternal condemnation in Hades and eventually, they will both experience it in the eternal lake of fire.