A few months ago, I worked through the book of Jude and started writing this blog post... But mom life happened and I never got to finish it. This past weekend I paged through my Bible and read through my notes on the book of Jude and remembered about this post. Better late than never they say!
In December 2023, I studied the book of Jude. I had just finished a book in the Old Testament and for some reason decided to "quickly" read the Jude. I mean it's literally only one chapter with 25 verses. Quick quick before I dive back into another Old Testament book...
Because let's be honest - if your back story is anything similar to mine - reading through the New Testament is considered to be way more entertaining (and understandable) than the Old Testament.
Anyway... so here I find myself in the book of Jude for a quick refreshing read... verse 1 came... verse 2 came... And then verse 3 came... I was stopped in my tracks (insert shocked eyes)!
My "quick read" real soon turned into an incredible dive into a new dimension! We've all read through the New Testament books sometime or another throughout our lives. But as we grow in our spiritual walk, we can read the same book again and then suddenly it's like a whole new world that opens up and you are mindblown verse after verse, wondering how you never SAW it before. That was me with the book of Jude in December.
Oh the beauty of walking in a intimate relationship with the King of Kings! He ALWAYS has more instore and more to reveal to us, deeper places that He wants to take us! It's honestly the best love story ever!
Jude might be a short little book in the Bible, but do not for one second think that it's not jam-packed with important things for the modern day Christian!
This book is just another example proving that we are not called to merely read through the Bible; we are called to study it!
Let me share my "little" findings!
So the book of Jude was written to Jewish Christians who were at that time living in Jerusalem. In other words, they were Jews by descent (blood) who believed that Yeshua has already died on the cross and rose again. In today's terms we'd refer to them as Messianic Jews. They thus don't follow Judaism but believe like you and I do in the full Bible from Genesis to Revelations.
In verse 3 we read:
"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
When I dove deeper into the original text it gave me this insight:
Jude initially wanted to write a letter about the salvation of Yeshua our Messiah, which they all (as believers) shared. But as he wrote, he felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to tell these believers that they should stand up for their faith. He warned the people against the falling away from the truth and against false teachers. He encouraged them to hold nothing back and to fight for their beliefs! The letter is just as valid to us today as it was back in the time that Jude wrote it! We should be all in for YHVH (God)! The good news of Yeshua's Salvation was made available to ALL. It means that we have a responsibility to share the gospel with others.
We (including myself, please I'm not judging) have made the gospel of Yeshua's Salvation cheap ("common" as the Scripture refers) because we don't fully grasp what He has done one the cross for us. Anyone who truly grasps the true extent of Yeshua's complete work on the cross cannot help themselves but to start spreading the gospel!
Jude tells them to "earnestly contend" for their faith. The original Greek word which was used was the word "epagonizomai" which means "to struggle fore; to strive for; to endeavor to accomplish something; to fight for; to strive with extreme intensity."
Now I don't know about you... but that word and lukewarm Christianity does not sit in the same boat. Earnestly contending for something requires effort and action! It's not something that simply comes naturally - it will require sacrifice and something from our side. Jude called the believers of those times (and us as well still to this very day) to not be complacent but to stand up firmly for our beliefs!
Scripture to study on your own: John 14:26 | John 16:12-13 | Gal 1:6-9 | 2 Cor 11:3-4 | 1 Thess 2:13 | Heb 1:2
In verse 4 Jude continues with his urgent plead:
"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
During Yeshua's time on earth, He warned those around Him (also applicable to us to this day), to not pervert the gospel with new and different teachings that goes against His Word.
In verse 4 above, Jude also refers to people who have "slipped" in amogst believers (NOT amongst unbelievers). Those who have slipped in, secretly have perverted the grace of God. The misunderstanding / misrepresentation of the grace of God has unknowingly become a "license" for immorality amongst believers. Again, take note: believers were (are) the ones who have made God's grace cheap through our ignorance and lack of discernment!
The faith we have as Christians is soley grounded in Yeshua. Without Him, there is no Salvation. If we live or teach ANYTHING contrary to His Word - we are busy with false teachings - not representing Him for Who He truely Is!
Verse 4 says that those people who live as such are actually "denying the only Lord God (YHVH) and our Lord Jesus Christ (Yeshua)." The Greek word which is translated as "deny" is the word "arneomai" which means "to refuse, deny, contradict, disavow, reject, renounce / abnegate."
May I remind you again that Jude wrote this to believers, not unbelievers. The believers were (still applicable today) the ones who contradicted the true gospel / held forth / represented a false grace. All of this as a result of ignorance and false doctrine amongst believers.
Scripture to study on your own: Matt 16:16 | Matt 1:23 | John 1:1-18 | Lev 20:7 | 1 Pet 1:16 | Rom 6:1-14 | Rom 12:1 | Gal 2:4 | 2 Pet 2:1
Jude continues in verse 5 to say that he will stay committed to his faith. He will do what's expected of us as believers; which includes that we should hold one another accountable. He says that he would "put them in rememberance" - in other words according to the original Greek: he would be their voice of reason, he would refresh their memory and use his letter as a gentle reminder.
He then says "though you once knew this"... which I find so sad. We ALL have access to the truth if we have access to the Word of God - which we in South Africa have no excuse for.
Jude reminded the Jewish Christians that God saved the Israelites from Egypt and afterwards destroyed (Greek: apollymi = to perish, to be lost, destroyed) them "that believed not."
The words translated as "believed not" is the Greek word "pisteo" which means "those who were uncommitted." In other words God allowed them to be lost/perish because they were not commited to their faith!
Did you grasp that??? God allowed / permitted them to be lost/perish because they were not commited to their faith. God destroyed the disobedient ones after they left Egypt, He will do it again. He changes not!
When we are not committed to our faith God will allow us to perish as well. We can't then turn back and question God why bad things happen in our lives. We have His Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us. We don't have an excuse to say that we didn't know.
Just like Jude told them "though you once knew this" - we also know the truth. If we don't know the truth it means we don't know the Word. No one can impart the Word in our hearts -each one of us has to study it for ourselves.
I think part of the reason why we don't hear sermons coming from Jude often is because it would upset too many lukewarm Christians these days...
Jude also reminds them in verse 6 that the angels who did not keep their "first estate" and left their habitation - referring to the angels who were cast out of heaven with Lucifer (Satan) and are now known as demons.
Scripture to study on your own: Isa 14:12 | Rev 12:7-9 | Ezek 28:17 | 1 Pet 5:8
If God did not spare the angels who rejected (Greek "arneomai" from verse 4) God and cast them into hell, what makes us think that our final destination would be different?
Jude wrote that God reserved those angels in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgement of the Great Day. In revelations we read about the restrainer. God is the One Who holds them there. The "great day" we know from understanding the Biblical feasts refers to Yom Kippur / the Day of Atonement / Judgement Day. A friendly reminder that we are in the New Testament, the last book before Revelations, and here the Biblical feasts of God are still important, relevant and applicable.
Jude tells them (us) that what happened to Sodom & Gomorrha (who drifted away from God's instructions) is an example of what will happen to us when we drift away from God.
In verse 8 & 9, we again read about Lucifer and the angels that were cast out of heaven. When the archangel Michael contended with Satan, Michael followed Yeshua's example to not accuse Satan and get into an argument with him; he simply left it over to God and said "the Lord rebuke you."
In verse 10 we read that they (those the letter was addressed to) speak evil of the things they know / understand not and only speak of the things they know naturally in their carnal fleshly minds. As a result of not knowing & being rooted the in truth, they (we) corrupt themselves!
The Greek word translated as "corrupt" is the word "phtheirō" which means "to defile, ruin, deprave, destroy."
When we are caught up in the flesh, living carnal driven lives instead of being spirit-led we cause our own destruction and downfall.
Jude links such behaviour to other figures we read about in the Bible such as Cain. Cain was Adam & Eve's eldest son. He brought offerings to God that were not according to God's instructions. God rejected his offerings (and accepted Abel's offering because it was according to His instructions). Cain killed his brother Abel (Cain's brother) and lied to God about it (Genesis 4). Jude also likens this behaviour to following after Balaam. Balaam was a false prophet and diviner / soothsayer who tried to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22-24 & Joshua 13). The third correlation Jude made was to Korach. Korach rebelled against Moses and Aaron's God-given authority and God caused the earth to literally swallow them up (Numbers 16).
Jude warns them (us) that the same would happen to us that happened to Cain, Balaam and Korach when we are disobedient and fail to stand up for our faith the way we are supposed to.
In verse 12-13 we read:
"These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever."
The Greek word translated as "spots" are "spilas" which means "to spot by confusion, of men who by their conduct damage others morally, wreck them as it were."
In other words, the feasts of charity, a.k.a the feasts / gatherings / events of love / charity/ goodwill / goodwill (not the Biblical feasts) - meant to do good and have a good impact - they damage (wreck) others around them when they are not rooted in God's truth.
Mixing with such people defiles others. Jude compares it with clouds without water tossed by the wind; trees of which the fruit wither (meaning they actually had fruit); raging waves that foam and wandering stars... these things are all "busy" but without purpose.
Sometimes it might look like we are busy with the right things on surface level, but in fact it's defiled. If we are not busy with the things which God called us to be busy with (which is to earnestly contend for our faith - verse 3) - we might be busy but it's without purpose!
Jude then refers to a prophecy of Enoch in verse 14-15, who said that God would come back "to execute judgment upon all, and to convince (a.k.a prove to be wrong / convict) all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
The word translated (poorly) in this verse to "convince" is the Greek word 'exelegcho" which means "to convict fully; to punish; or to convince." How convenient and soft on the ears does convince sound opposed to the other two definitions. Yet, sadly unknowingly we miss the intensity of the verse!
In verse 16 we read:
"These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage."
In other words, these people whom Jude warns them (us) against are people who would be admired by believers. But because of our lack of commitment and understanding they (we) would not even realise that these people are walking contrary to Abba's Word!
Jude concludes his letter from verse 17 onwards, when he reminds the believers (and us) to remember the words that were spoken before. How it was propechied that Yeshua would come and that He would come and redeem us. How Yeshua came and fulfilled that. But also to remember that it was prophecied that people's hearts would grow cold and their faith would become lukewarm, that people would mock true faith and walk after their own fleshly desires. Jude refers to believers that seemingly walks a faith journey and who think that they are living set-apart, but in fact, they are without the Spirit!
He warns them (us) to not be like those people -like those who appear to be holy but they are actually not worshipping in spirit and in truth. He calls them (us) to rather stand up boldly and truly content for our faith like Abba called us to do.
In verse 21 Jude calls and encourages them (us) to keep ourselves in the "love of of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."
The Greek word translated to "keep" in this verse is the word "tereo" which means "to attend carefully, to guard, to observe." In other words, this is something we have to actively pursue, it won't simply come naturally from our fleshly nature.
Loving God we know means living according to His instructions, His Word is VERY clear on that - despite the false teachings about grace which attempts to nullify the importance of His instructions.
Scripture to study on your own: Ex 20:3-6 | Deut 5:8-10 | Deut 7:9-11 | Deut 10:12-13 | Deut 11:1, 13-14 & 22-23 | Deut 19:8-9 | Deut 30:16 | Jos 22:5 | Dan 9:4 | Neh 1:5-6 | Matt 5:17-19| Matt 19:17 | Matt 22:37-40 | John 14:15 & 21 | 1 John 2:3-4 | 1 John 5:2-3 | 2 John 1:6
Jude warns the believers (and us) to have discernment to identify false believers and teachers so that they (we) won't walk after them and follow their ways. But in verse 22-23 he also takes it further where he reminds them (us) to also live in such a way / pursue our faith through walking in the Love and Truth of Yeshua - that the way we live might draw people to Him. In verse 23 he calls them (us) to live in such a way that our lives would be "pulling them (others) out of the fire." The mere way we are living our daily lives should be pulling / setting free other's from hell! Wow! Are we doing that?
In verse 24-25 Jude finishes off his letter by giving all glory and honour to YHVH - "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."
We are not placed here on earth to simply go through the motions until we die. We are placed on earth with a very specific purpose and for a very specific time. It's up to each one of us to decide whether we would take up the call and step into that purpose or not. The choice is in our hands. But we often fail to realise that we will one day have to give account for the choice we have made when Yeshua comes back to fetch us.
Have you ever thought how many people might miss heaven because you have failed to take up your calling?
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