Jude Series: Jude 8-The Unregenerate Jewish Zealots Rebelling Against Rome Were Delusional

Jude 8 Nevertheless, despite this, in a similar manner, these also on the one hand, are defiling their bodies, while on other hand, they are rejecting human governmental authority, and on the other hand, they are disrespecting angelic beings because they are delusional to their own detriment. (Lecturer’s translation)

Now, Jude 8 contains four declarative statements.

The first asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D. and were rebelling against Rome were defiling their bodies.

The second asserts that they were also rejecting human governmental authority.

The third asserts that they were disrespecting angelic beings.

These three declarative statements form a correlative clause.

The fourth declarative statement presents the reason for this correlative clause and asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots were delusional.

As we noted, the first three declarative statements which appear in Jude 8 form a correlative clause unite the concepts of defiling the flesh, rejecting human governmental authority and disrespecting angelic beings.

This correlative clause presents three more descriptions of the unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D. who were rebelling against Rome in order to bring the kingdom of God on earth.

The first description presented in Jude 8 of these unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D. is that they are defiling their human bodies by their criminal behavior.

This interpretation is indicated by the statement in Jude 4 that these individuals were exchanging the grace of God for practicing criminal behavior.

The second description asserts that these Jewish Zealots are rejecting human government authority, and which authority would refer to the Roman Empire since in Jude’s day and age Rome occupied Judaea.

The noun kuriotēs (κυριότης) pertains to the state of possessing majestic dominion or ownership through legal authority including both human and preternatural dominance.

Here it speaks of the governmental authority of the Roman Empire which ruled Judaea in the first century A.D. and which authority was given to Rome by God (cf. Rom. 13:1-7).

This rebellion against Rome was the head of the list of sins that the Zealots were committing according to the contents of the epistle of Jude.

The Zealots were attempting to establish the kingdom of God on earth without Jesus Christ.

The apostles and Jesus taught that He would personally establish the kingdom of God on earth by force (cf. Matt. 24-25; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 19:11-20:3).

Therefore, the epistle of Jude discusses the results of rejecting the governmental, angelic authority, apostolic authority and ultimately the sovereign rulership of Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures teach that God has delegated authority to certain people to govern the affairs of certain members of the human race and to carry out capital punishment of those individuals who commit capital crimes.

These people are servants of God according to Romans 13:1-7.

The third and final description of these unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude 8 asserts that they were disrespecting the fallen angels of Satan.

They did this by rejecting the authority of Rome over Judaea since Satan and these angels have received delegated authority from God to rule over the nations of the earth with exception of Israel (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19).

These fallen angels led by Satan temporarily possess delegated authority over the human race as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve.

However, this authority will come to an end at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ who at that time will establish His millennial reign on the earth.

So therefore, these Jewish Zealots disrespected the delegated authority of angelic beings and which authority they had received from God.

The immediate context supports this interpretation of the third description of the Zealots in Jude 8 since Jude 9-10 presents the elect angel Michael as an example to follow in regard to the temporary delegated authority of Satan over the nations of the earth.

Jude 9 But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 1:10 But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively comprehend. (NET)

Now, as we noted, the fourth declarative statement which appears in Jude 8 is a causal clause, which presents the reason for the correlative clause in this verse, which we noted is composed of the first three declarative statements.

This causal clause is expressing the idea that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D. defile the flesh, reject authority and disrespect angelic beings “because” they were delusional.

The verb enypniazomai (ἐνυπνιάζομαι) does not refer to literal dreaming or to experiencing visions from dreams but rather is used in a figurative or metaphorical sense of being out of touch with reality.

Thus, it speaks of being delusional since the word here implies in the inability to distinguish between what is real and what only seems to be real.

It speaks of having a persistent false psychotic belief regarding oneself or persons outside oneself that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary.

This interpretation of the verb enypniazomai is indicated by the fact that nowhere in the contents of the epistle is there any evidence that these Jewish Zealots were receiving visions through dreams which served as the basis for their rebellion against Rome.

Furthermore, the three declarative statements, which this verb serves to modify, describe three different ways or manifestations in which these Zealots rebelled against the Lord Jesus Christ.

The implication with the metaphorical meaning of this verb enypniazomai (ἐνυπνιάζομαι) is that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots were not living according to the truth of the Word of God and in their case the Old Testament Scriptures and teaching of Jesus Christ and His apostles.

Truth is that which corresponds to reality and this verb indicates that these individuals were not living according to reality and thus truth.

God is “the God of truth” (Isa 65:16).

The psalmist declared, “Your law is truth” (119:142), “all Your commandments are truth” (119:151), and “the entirety of Your word is truth” (119:160).

The truth of God is revealed to man in three ways: (1) By nature or creation (Psalm 19:1-6; Rom. 1:19-20). (2) The Living Word, i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:16). (3) The Bible in its original languages (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the truth of God since He is the Word of God incarnate (John 1:14).

All Jesus said was true, because He told the truth which He heard from God (John 8:40).

He promised His disciples that He would send “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13)-a Mentor and Teacher who would abide in them forever (John 14:16), testify about Jesus (John 15:26), guide them into all truth (John 16:13), and glorify Jesus (John 16:14).

Jesus and the revelation, which the Spirit of truth gave through His apostles, are the final, ultimate revelation and definition of truth about God, man, redemption, history, and the world. God and truth tied together just as sinful man is characterized by living a lie (Rm. 3:3-7).

This attribute of truth is expressed in the Word of God and is manifested in history through the fulfillment of prophecy both in the Person and Work of Christ and the church and Israel.

The unbeliever lives a lie because he is enslaved to the father of lies, Satan.

The believer has been delivered from the power of the lie at the moment he exercises faith alone in Christ alone who is the way, the truth and the life (Jn. 14:6).

God’s truth is found in His revelation of Himself in the Person of Christ and the mind of Christ, which is the Word of God.

The believer’s sanctification is accomplished by means of truth (John 17:17) and they are to let the Word of Christ, which is truth, richly dwell in their soul (Colossians 3:16).

They are therefore to diligently study the Word of truth to enrich their fellowship with the Lord and their worship of Him (2 Timothy 2:15).

The believer is also commanded to speak the truth to his fellow believer by means of God’s love (Ephesians 4:15).

Truth will set the believer free from sin and Satan (John 8:31).

Believers are to love each other according to the Word of truth (1 John 3:18).

They are to worship the Father by means of truth (John 4:23-24).