Jude Series: Jude 13-The Fourth and Fifth Metaphors to Describe Jewish Zealots

Jude 13 These are like violent waves, which are produced by the sea, which are foaming out their own selfish shameful actions. These are like wandering stars. The gloom produced by the darkness, which is unique to that which is experienced throughout eternity, is kept for the judgment of these individuals. (Lecturer’s translation)

Like Jude 4, 8, 10, 11, and 12, Jude 13 is describing 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 in the kingdom of God on earth.

As we noted in our study of Jude 12, this verse is composed of three metaphors, which presents another three-fold description of these unregenerate Jewish Zealots.

It also contains five assertions, which contain nine more descriptions of these unregenerate Jewish Zealots and as we noted, three metaphors which describe them.

Jude 13 contains not only two more metaphors, which describe these unregenerate Jewish Zealots but also four more assertions, which present four more descriptions of them.

The first assertion presents the first of these metaphors and describes these individuals as being kymata agria thalassēs (κύματα ἄγρια θαλάσσης), “like violent waves, which are produced by the sea.”

The second assertion develops the first metaphor and assertion and describes them as those epaphrizonta tas heautōn aischynas (ἐπαφρίζοντα τὰς ἑαυτῶν αἰσχύνας), “which are foaming out their own selfish shameful actions.”

In other words, it describes their selfish shameful actions as being like the foam produced by the violent action of these waves.

The third assertion presents the second metaphor and describes them as being asteres planētai (ἀστέρες πλανῆται), “like wandering stars.”

The fourth and final assertion develops the third assertion and second metaphor.

It describes the judgment of these unregenerate Jewish Zealots with the relative pronoun clause hois ho zophos tou skotous eis aiōna tetērētai (οἷς ὁ ζόφος τοῦ σκότους εἰς αἰῶνα τετήρηται), “The gloom produced by the darkness, which is unique to that which is experienced throughout eternity, is kept for the judgment of these individuals.”

Each of these five metaphors and thirteen descriptions of these unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude 12-13 serve as a solemn warning to the Christian community in Judaea regarding these people.

Specifically, each is a solemn warning to the Christian community in Judaea to avoid these individuals who were attempting to persuade them into joining their revolt, which is against the will of God.

Their rebellion against Rome was against the will of the Father because by rebelling against Satan’s authority over human governmental authority, they were rebelling against the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is indicated by that that the Lord temporarily delegated authority to the devil and his angels to rule over unregenerate humanity with the exception of Israel until He establishes His sovereign authority over all the nations of the earth at His Second Advent.

Furthermore, their rebellion was against the will of the Father because they were attempting to establish the kingdom of God on earth apart from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Also, they were bringing judgment upon themselves because both the Old and New Testament teach that the nation of Israel is to be subjugated to Gentile nations until the Second Advent of Jesus Christ (cf. Dan. 9:24-27; 11:36-40; Lk. 20:20-24; Rev. 13;).

As we noted, the first description of these unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude 13 presents the first of two metaphors and asserts that they are like violent waves, which are produced by the sea.

Therefore, this metaphor describes them as powerful, violent individuals without self-control.

The second description of these individuals, which we noted develops the first metaphor and description, assets that their selfish, shameful actions are like the vast amounts of foam which come to the surface of the sea as a result of the violent action of the waves produced by the sea.

Therefore, they are described as selfish individuals who are governed by their old Adamic sin nature, which is manifested by their unrepentant ungodly behavior.

More than likely, Jude has in the mind Isaiah 54:7 when he employs this metaphor and two descriptions of these rebellious ungodly individuals.

Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like a surging sea that is unable to be quiet; its waves toss up mud and sand. (NET)

Here in Jude 13, the unregenerate Jewish Zealots are described as violent waves which are produced by the sea because they are powerful, violent and uncontrolled in their behavior.

Their shameful actions are like the vast amounts of foam which spring up to the surface of the ocean as a result of the violent action of the waves produced by the sea.

The second metaphor and third description of these individuals asserts that they are like wandering stars.

Jude appears to have in mind the imagery which appears in 1 Enoch 80 and 82.

These unregenerate Jewish Zealots are described as wandering stars here in Jude 13 because they wander from the path of obedience to God in order to rebel against the divinely ordained civil authorities and to persuade others to follow them in their rebellion.

In the ancient world, stars were thought to be guided by angels, however, modern science has demonstrated that stars do not in fact “wander” in their courses but rather remain in them.

In fact, the Bible employs the star metaphor to describe angels (Job 38:7; Isa. 14:13; Rev. 12:4).

Thus, by employing this metaphor Jude was describing these unregenerate Jewish Zealots to be following the example of the fallen angels who rebelled against God in eternity past.

Like the fallen angels, these individuals rebelled against the law of God as manifested by their rebellion against authority ordained by God.

The fourth description develops the second metaphor and asserts that the gloom produced by the darkness is being kept for the judgment of these individuals.

Therefore, this description asserts that these unregenerate Jewish Zealots will experience eternal condemnation in the lake of fire if they do not repent by trusting in Jesus Christ as their Savior and King.

The Lord Jesus Christ also uses the term “darkness” in Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30 to describe the punishment of eternal condemnation.

The question is whether or not this “darkness” is literal or figurative or metaphorical reference to experiencing eternal condemnation in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

Every unrepentant, unregenerate sinner will experience eternal condemnation in the lake of fire forever, which means that they will experience the wrath or righteous indignation of God forever in the lake of fire.

The Scriptures clearly teach that there are degrees of suffering this wrath (cf. Matt. 11:21-24).

They also teach that when Jesus Christ experienced the wrath of God as a substitute for all of sinful humanity in order that all of sinful humanity would not experience this wrath in the lake of fire forever, His cross and all of Jerusalem was enshrouded in literal darkness.

Matthew 27:45 Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land. 46 At about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NET Bible)

Therefore, it would appear that when the unrepentant, unregenerate sinner experiences the wrath of God in the eternal lake of fire, they will experience literal darkness because when Jesus Christ suffered the wrath of God as a substitute for them, He was experiencing it in literal darkness.

Though this reference to “darkness” in Jude 13 appears in context in the midst of two metaphors and three which preceded it in Jude 12, which strongly suggests this “darkness” is figurative, the Lord Jesus Christ’s experience on the cross would seem to indicate that the unrepentant, unregenerate sinner will indeed experience the wrath of God in literal darkness.

In fact, the “eternal” nature of this darkness is literal which further supports this literal interpretation of this darkness.