Jude 8-Three More Descriptions of the Unregenerate Jewish Zealots (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)
Doctrinal Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday August 28, 2022
Jude Series: Jude 8-Three More Descriptions of the Unregenerate Jewish Zealots
Lesson # 15
Jude 8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. (NIV)
Like Jude 4, Jude 8 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.
In Jude 8, “these ungodly people” is referring to the nearest antecedent in the author’s mind rather than the nearest antecedent in the context since the referent of this word are the unregenerate Jewish Zealots who were last mentioned and described in Jude 4.
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 and 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.
The contents of Jude 8 are presenting the similarity between the rebellion of these Zealots and the rebellions of the Exodus generation, the fallen angels of the antediluvian period and the citizens of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim.
Jude 8 serves to affirm these three Old Testament examples of those who were judged by the Lord for their rebellion against Him.
It also serves to mark a contrast between these three examples and the unregenerate Jewish Zealots who are described in Jude 8.
Like the citizens of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim and the fallen angels of antediluvian period, these Jewish Zealots defiled their flesh.
However, the citizens of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim defiled the flesh through the practice of homosexuality.
The fallen angels of the antediluvian period defiled the flesh by possessing the bodies of unregenerate men in order to have sex with unregenerate women in order to procreate with them.
The unregenerate Jewish Zealots of Jude’s day and age in the first century A.D. defiled the flesh by means of their criminal behavior.
Like the Exodus generation, the citizens of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim and the fallen angels of antediluvian period, these Zealots rejected governmental authority.
The Exodus generation rejected the authority of Moses whose authority over Israel was delegated to him by God.
The fallen angels of the antediluvian period rejected the authority of the Lord.
These unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude’s day and age rejected the governmental authority of the Roman Empire over Judaea and which authority was delegated to Rome by God (cf. Rom. 13:1-7).
Like the Exodus generation, the citizens of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim and the fallen angels of antediluvian period, these unregenerate Jewish Zealots disrespected angelic beings.
The Exodus generation disrespected angelic beings by rejecting the Law given to Moses, which was given through angels, which manifested their rebellion against the Lord.
The citizens of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim disrespected angelic beings by attempting to have sex with them when they were in Lot’s home (cf. Gen. 19).
The fallen angels of antediluvian period disrespected the elect angels by leaving the angelic realm by possessing the bodies of unregenerate men in order to have sex with unregenerate women in order to procreate with them.
These four declarative statements, which compose Jude 8 are also affirming by way of contrast the content of Jude 5-7.
Therefore, the idea expressed in Jude 8 is that despite these three examples from history that the Lord judges those who rebel against Him, these Jewish Zealots nevertheless were rebelling against the Lord by defiling the flesh, rejecting authority and insulting angelic authorities because they were delusional.