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Jude Commentary
I. Content of the Chapter
To Be Defenders of
the Most Holy Faith
A. Opening words ---- know oneself (v.1-3);
1. The identity of the defenders ---- those who
are called and beloved and preserved (v.1);
2. The provision for the defenders ---- mercy
and peace and love be multiplied to them (v.2);
3. The mission of the defenders ---- who
contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints
(v.3);
B. Let us distinguish the enemies ---- the
apostates (v.4-16);
1. Characteristics of the apostates (v.4);
2. The historical examples of the apostates
(v.5-7);
a.The unbelieving people of Israel are
destroyed (v.5);
b.The angels who did not keep their proper domain were reserved (v.6);
c. Sodom and Gomorrah that committed sexual immorality were burnt (v.7);
3. The apostates do not what (v.8-10);
a.Defile the flesh
(v.8a);
b.Reject authority
and speak evil
of dignitaries (v.8b-10a);
c. Like brute beasts (v.10b);
4. Three historical examples of the apostates
(v.11);
a.The way of Cain (v.11a);
b.Run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit (v.11b);
c. Perish in
the rebellion of Korah (v.11c);
5. Six descriptions of the apostates (v.12-13);
a.Spots in your love feasts (v.12a);
b.Serve only themselves (v.12b);
c. They are clouds without
water
carried about by the winds
(v.12b);
d.Late autumn trees without fruit (v.12c);
e.Rage waves of the sea (v.13a);
f. Wandering stars (v.13b);
6. Enoch prophecies the apostates will be
finally judged (v.14-16);
a.The Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints (v.14);
b.To convict all who are ungodly among them of all their
ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way (v.15a);
c. And of all the harsh things which
ungodly sinners have spoken against Him (v.15b-16);
C. Equip oneself;
1. Remember the words which were spoken before
by the apostles of our Lord (v.17-19);
2. Equip oneself in three things (v.20-21):
a.Build yourselves up on your most
holy faith (v.20a);
b.Pray in the Holy Spirit (v.20b);
c. Keep yourselves in the love of God (v.21);
3. Three attitudes that three sorts of men
should have (v.22-23);
a.On some have compassion
making a distinction (v.22);
b.Pull them out of the fire (v.23a);
c. Others save with fear (v.23b);
D. Closing words ---- praise (v.24-25);
1. The only God our Savior who is able to keep you
from stumbling (v.24);
2. Be glory and majesty
dominion and power to Him (v.25);
II. Verse by Verse Commentary
Jude 1
“Jude
a bondservant of Jesus Christ
and brother of James
To those who are
called
sanctified by God the Father
and preserved in Jesus Christ:”
YLT: “Judas
of Jesus Christ a servant
and brother of James
to those
sanctified in God the Father
and in Jesus Christ kept -- called
”
Meaning of Words:
“bondservant”: bondman; “Jude”: praise; “be called”: be appointed; “be preserved”: be kept
be
guarded;
Literal Meaning:
“a bondservant of Jesus
Christ”
“bondservant”: a
slave who has sold himself into slavery; the writer Jude did not call himself
the brother of the Lord Jesus in the flesh but His bondservant
indicating that
the corporeal relationship in the past has been sublimated to heavenly
relationship in the new life and Jude would no longer live for himself but live
for serving the Lord.
“And
brother of James”
most of the Bible
expositors believe this “James” was the famous “pillar of the church” (see Gal.
2:9) in the early church time
the brother of the Lord Jesus in the flesh (see
Matt. 13:55). If it was so
Jude the writer of this book was his younger
brother of the Lord Jesus.
“To
those who are called”
“to…”
this epistle
is an official letter. We do not know where the recipients were but know their
identity. “Those who…”: here it refers to a particular group of people. “Who
are called”
we are not saved because of our pursuit
but the call of God (see
Gal. 1:15) and inspiration of the Spirit. God has called us out of the world
and sanctified us unto Him (see 1Pet. 2:9).
“Sanctified
by God the Father”
all those who are
called by God have been sanctified by God (see 1Cor. 1:2 “called saints”).
Note: the word
“call” in the original carries three meanings: 1) “call” somebody to attend a
banquet
which is a kind of privilege and enjoyment; 2) “call” somebody to
fulfill a mission
which is a kind of duty and responsibility; 3) “call”
somebody to receive judgments
which is a kind of appointment and destination. Christians
are called to lead a life of being called today and to be rewarded on that day
according to our response to the calling now.
“And
preserved in Jesus Christ”
it contains two meanings: 1) we believers
are preserved in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the premise and power of our
being preserved. 2) We are preserved for the sake of Jesus Christ and Jesus
Christ is the goal and purpose of our being preserved.
Note: one
characteristic of this book is “triangular combinations”. There are three
combinations in verse one: 1) Jesus Christ
James and Jude; 2) master
bondservant and brother; 3) be called and be sanctified and be preserved.
Christians are now called to follow God and will be called to be rewarded or
punished in the future. To be rewarded or not
it is decided by our present
response to the calling of God today.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) As the physical brother of the Lord Jesus
Jude hides this identity and calls him “the bondservant of Jesus Christ”. He
humbles himself and has the image of Christ Jesus (see Phil. 2:7).
2) The greatest glory of Christians is to be
“bondservants of Jesus Christ” and be used by the Lord.
3) Jude had another famous brother James who
was the overseer of the church of Jerusalem (see Acts 12:17). Jude was willing
to remain in the background
seeking no power but serving silently. Let us also
seek not to be at the top but live to the Lord (Rom. 14:8).
4) All believers are those who are called and
sanctified and preserved by God
which shows us that our present position and
condition are of God and He has His purpose on us. Therefore
let us ask:
“Lord
what shall I do?” (Acts 22:10).
5) Christians are called and remained in the
world to be messengers of Christ here and speak for Him and be witnesses of Him
by our life. What an honorable mission!
6) He has loved his own who were in the world
loved them to the end (see John 13:1). Let us know whom we have believed
and
be persuaded that He is able to “keep” for that day the deposit we have
entrusted to him (see 2Tim. 1:12).
7) Christians are never alone all our life
for
Jesus Christ “keeps” us. He is the out-sentry as well as the defender who never
leaves us but abides with us forever.
8) Once a Christian is saved
he has been
living under God’s attendance. Our weakness and failure and offence are not
purposed by God
but caused by our own reliance and pursuit outside of God.
9) There is an apparent paradox in
Christianity: the more liberal we pursue
the more we are bound. The more we
are willing to give up all
the more perfect freedom we will obtain. The key
problem is: do you want to be your own master or let God govern you all?
Jude 2 “Mercy
peace
and love be multiplied
to you.”
YLT: “kindness to you
and peace
and love
be multiplied!”
Meaning
of Words: “mercy”: compassion; “peace”: harmony
rest; “love”:
kindness
“agape”; “multiplied”:
increase;
Literal
Meaning: “mercy” means compassion
and sympathy
which indicates us that we shall come to the throne of grace with
boldness for seasonable help in spite of our own spiritual condition (see Heb.
4:16)
“peace”
the divine peace guards our hearts and minds (see
Phil. 4:7) beyond the present environment and knowledge so that we have peace
and rest toward God and others and ourselves and everything. “Love” refers to the ever unconditional and sacrificial
love of God. Such divine love can be bound by nothing and poured out into our
hearts (see Rom. 5:5). “Be
multiplied”: be fully given;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Facing the attacks of heresies
we
Christians cannot stand firm by our own strength
but by the divine mercy and
peace and love.
2) “Mercy” enables us to overcome our weakness. “Peace” helps us to overcome the difficult
environments. “Love” makes us overcome rebellion of others.
3) Helps from God are “multiplied” according to
our specific needs.
Jude 3 “Beloved
while I was very diligent
to write to you concerning our common salvation
I found it necessary to write
to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all
delivered to the saints.”
YLT: “Beloved
all diligence using
to write to you concerning the common salvation
I had necessity to write to
you
exhorting to agonize for the faith once delivered to the saints
”
Meaning
of Words: “diligent”: earnest
zealous; “common”: shared by all or
several; “salvation”: saving
deliverance; “necessary”: constraint
needful; “delivered”: commit
give
entrust; “faith”: belief; “contend”: struggle for;
Literal
Meaning: “beloved
while I was very diligent to write
to you”
it suggests that the original purpose of Jude is to write a
comparatively long and complete epistle concerning “the common salvation” with
diligence.
“Concerning our common salvation”
the common salvation was supposed to
be the original theme of Jude’s epistle. However
he was moved by the Spirit
and found the truth of salvation was facing crisis. Therefore
he began to
first expose the true face of heretical false teachers and then exhorted
believers to contend for the truth of salvation.
“I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you”
“necessary to”:
have to; it shows that actions should be immediately taken to prevent
deterioration.
“To contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to
the saints”
“once for all delivered to…”
the faith was given once for all
which
means nothing shall be added to the faith and no part of the faith shall be
taken away (see Rev. 22:18-19). “Faith”: the fundamental truth of the faith;
“contend earnestly”
the word in the original describes the athletes in the
sports of Olympic Games contend at full blast to win.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Christians shall do everything with
“diligence”. Perfunctoriness is not only an evil habit of the common people but
also the mistake of common believers.
2) On one hand
“salvation” is very personal
that no one can replace others. On the other hand
“salvation” is open to all.
As long as anyone is willing
he can obtain and enjoy the salvation.
3) Many times
the burden from God forces us to
obey. Just as Paul says
a necessity is laid upon me
for it is woe to me if I
should not announce the glad tidings (1Cor. 9:16).
4) The truth of faith (namely
the truth of
salvation) was delivered to us once for all. We shall in no wise add or cut
down the conditions of salvation. Any addition or cutting down has varied the
gospel of Christ (see Gal. 1:6-9).
5) “Faith delivered to the saints”
it shows
that every believer has his responsibility to fulfill
namely
keep the truth
that has been delivered to us.
6) Every believer is responsible to do his best
to keep the truth of faith ---- concerning the truth of “the holy Trinity” and
“redemption of the cross”. Concerning the interpretations of the details of the
truth (e.g. the Rapture
the Great Tribulation
etc.)
differences shall be
allowed. Otherwise
we should grasp the shadow and let go the substance.
7) Christians shall not compromise with or
yield to heresies
but shall be tolerant of extremity. Heresies have changed
the truth of salvation. And extremity is concerned with the truth of “victory”
not “salvation”.
Jude 4 “For certain men have crept in
unnoticed
who long ago were marked out for this condemnation
ungodly men
who
turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
YLT: “for there did come in
unobserved certain men
long ago having been written beforehand to this
judgment
impious
the grace of our God perverting to lasciviousness
and our
only Master
God
and Lord -- Jesus Christ -- denying
”
Meaning
of Words: “creep”: slip; “long age”: of old; “be marked out”: be
prescribed
be evidently set forth; “condemnation”: judgment; “ungodly”:
impious; “grace”: graciousness
pleasure; “turn”: change
vary; “lewdness”:
unbridled lusts
filthiness; “Lord”: master;
Literal
Meaning: “for certain men have crept in unnoticed”
“certain men” refer
to false believers and false teachers
especially the latter one
namely
the
heretical false teachers; “have crept”: slip in secretly under the cloak of
hypocrisy;
“Who long ago were marked out for this condemnation”
it indicates that
their end was doomed. Note that here it is not that they were appointed to be
heretical false teachers
but were destined to be judged and condemned.
“Ungodly men”
the rebellious attitude toward God; not fear God in
teachings and conversations;
“Who turn the grace of our God into lewdness”
“the grace of God”:
the liberty to men in the gracious promise of God; “lewdness”: lasciviousness
and lack of morality; here it shows that they misuse the liberty of Christians
do just as they desire in spite of moral standards (see Gal. 5:13).
“And deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ”
“the only Lord”: the true God who governs
all things; “our Lord Jesus Christ”: the incarnated Son of God; there is only
one definite article of the two names
so both of them refer to the same one.
Jesus Christ we believe is the true God. Here the writer emphasizes the
governing power of the Lord Jesus on His believers to correct the fault of the
heretical teachers that they confess the humanity of Jesus but deny His
divinity.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Heretical false teachers are deceitful and
transform themselves into the apostles of Christ (see 2Cor. 11:13) to deceive
true believers that their thoughts should be corrupted from simplicity as to
the Christ (see 2Cor. 11:3).
2) Whoever follows Satan will enter into
eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels (see Matt. 25:41). Whoever
follows heretical false teachers were marked out ungodly men for this
condemnation.
3) Faults of heretical false teachers can be divided
into three sorts: a) to God: ungodly; b) to oneself: turn the grace of God into
sins; c) to men: teach wrong doctrines.
4) Sometimes
mistakes we Christians have
committed are even quite similar to what heretical false teachers have done: a)
be ungodly to fear men instead of God to know one’s faults; b) ignore feelings
of conscience after sins with excuse of God’s abundant grace; c) call Jesus
Lord by mouth but disobey Him in heart and conduct
denying His sovereignty.
5) The false conditions mentioned in this verse
are ever worse: first they do not respect God and then distort the grace of God
and finally deny the Son of God
namely
God Himself.
Jude 5 “But I want to remind you
though you
once knew this
that the Lord
having saved the people out of the land of
Egypt
afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”
YLT: “and to remind you I intend
you knowing once this
that the Lord
a people out of the land of Egypt having
saved
again those who did not believe did destroy;”
Meaning
of Words: “afterward”: later; “destroy”: annul; “know”: see
understand; “remind”:
recall;
Literal
Meaning: “that the Lord
having saved the people out
of the land of Egypt”
“the Lord” refers to Jehovah God; “the people”: the
people of Israel; “out of the land of Egypt”: be brought out of the land of
Egypt (see Ex. 3:7-8);
“Afterward destroyed those who did not believe”
“afterward”: they came
to another place later
namely
the wilderness of Sinai (see Num. 14:29
35-37); “those who did not believe”: those who complained and disbelieved that
God enabled them to overcome the Canaanites;
“Though you once knew this”
all Christians who have read the Old Scriptures
are familiar with this history; “this”: things the people of Israel had
experienced in the past;
“But I want
to remind you”
“remind”: it is
because we often forget the history;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Faith is the source of being favored and
blessed. God regards “unfaithfulness” as serious sin
but many Christians even
ignore it.
2) Believers shall keep the faith from the
beginning until we see the Lord. The Lord had said
“But when the Son of man
comes
shall he indeed find faith on the earth” (Luke 18:8)?
3) Preachers shall never tire of repeating the
well-known teachings to “remind” all believers
for believers are easy to
forget the biblical examples that are not supposed to be forgotten (see 1Cor.
10:11). The Lord Jesus also set the bread and cup himself to let us remember
His death (see 1Cor. 11:23-26).
Jude 6 “And the angels who did not keep
their proper domain
but left their own abode
He has reserved in everlasting
chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;”
YLT: “messengers also
those who
did not keep their own principality
but did leave their proper dwelling
to a
judgment of a great day
in bonds everlasting
under darkness He hath kept
”
Meaning
of Words: “not keep”: not
preserve; “proper
domain”: first and primary domain; “left”: leave; “abode”: dwelling-place; “chains”: bands; “reserve”: hold
keep; “great
day”: large day;
Literal
Meaning: “and the angels who did not keep their proper domain
but
left their own abode”
“and…”
here it will raise another example of
ungodliness concerning the angels in the heavens. “Did not keep their proper domain”: fail to be faithful; “left
their own abode”: leave the
ministry appointed by God; “the angels”: the fallen angels followed Satan and
rebelled against God. “Their”: that of the angels who had committed the
particular sins
not all the rebellious angels who followed Satan
for there is
still the spiritual of wickedness in the heavenlies (see Eph. 6:12)
namely
the evil spirits.
Here it suggests that God had ever appointed different duties and
authorities and positions to the angels.
“He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness”
“”
(see Eph. 6:12); “has reserved in
everlasting…”
the angels will not be reserved in darkness forever
but until
the day of judgment to receive the eternal judgment; “darkness”
it refers to
the place where the angels who had sinned
the deepest pit of gloom which is
lower than the hell (see 2Pet. 2:4).
“For the judgment of the great day”
“the judgment of the great day”: very probably it is the judgment before the
great white throne (see Rev. 20:10-12).
Referring to other verses
we can infer the
conditions of the angels’ sins and end: 1) there were spiritual in the heaven
without distinction of sexuality (see Matt. 22:30); 2) they followed Satan and
rebelled against God and rejected their proper domain in the heaven (see Jude
v.6; Rev. 12:4
9); 3) some of the rebellious angels came to the earth and came
into men’s bodies and had sexual relationship with men and beget abnormal seeds
so that God would destroy the earth by flood (see Gen. 6:4-7); 4) their
spiritual bodies were kept in the dark pit to be judged (see 2Pet. 2:4); 5) the
poison of fornication still remained in the world and was imitated by the
Sodomites and became a kind of manner of life (see Jude v.7).
Some Bible expositors believed that “the
sons of God” (Gen. 6:4) did not refer to the angels but the children of Seth
and “the children of man” referred to the children of Cain. Such inference is
somewhat unexplainable: 1) If God desired to hinder such mixed intercourse
he
would remove Cain and his children early and did not wait until one thousand
years later; 2) why could the children of Seth and that of Cain born beget
“Anak”? 3) God commanded the Israel to destroy the Canaanites
for there were
“sons of Anak” in the Canaanites (see Num. 13:33).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The fallen angels “were reserved” in
darkness because of not keeping in their domain. He who “does not keep” his
proper domain will “be reserved” in the worst position
having only himself to
blame.
2) He who rejects the realm appointed by God
will be finally limited in a smaller and worse and less free realm and be under
greater judgment. How terrible!
3) The fallen angels were cast down from the
heaven to the deepest pit of darkness because of pride and rebellion. And the
Lord Jesus was willing to be humbled to the lowest position because of
humiliation and finally was exalted by God highly (see Phil. 2:6-9). Whoever
shall exalt himself shall be humbled
and whoever shall humble himself shall be
exalted (Matt. 23:12). The Lord’s word is truly faithful.
Jude 7 “as Sodom and Gomorrah
and the
cities around them in a similar manner to these
having given themselves over
to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh
are set forth as an example
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
YLT: “as Sodom and Gomorrah
and
the cities around them
in like manner to these
having given themselves to
whoredom
and gone after other flesh
have been set before -- an example
of
fire age-during
justice suffering.”
Meaning
of Words: “around”: concerning; “cities”: towns; “as”: like; “sexual immorality”: sexual sin; “after”: behind; “flesh”: carnal; “eternal fire”: everlasting fire; “example”:
case;
Literal
Meaning: “as Sodom and Gomorrah
and the cities around them”
“as…” it mentions another case; “Sodom and Gomorrah”
the two cities were judged by God in the
ancient times because of grievous sins and then God destroyed the cities by
fire (see Gen. 18:20; 19:24-25; 2Pet. 2:6). “Cities around them”: all the
cities in the plain (see Gen. 19:25
28).
“In a similar manner to these”
“in a similar manner”: they lived in the
same manner;
“Having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone
after strange flesh”
“strange flesh”: that is against nature
namely
homosexuality (see Rom. 1:26-27); men of Sodom and Gomorrah were famous for
their homosexual deeds
so the word “sodomy” stems from “Sodom”.
“Are set forth as an example
suffering the vengeance of
eternal fire”
“eternal fire”: the punishment of the lake of fire and
brimstone (see Rev. 20:10
14-15). Places around Sodom and Gomorrah were
punished by the brimstone and fire out of heaven (see Gen. 19:24) and then
disappeared from the world
which had become the examples of the vengeance of eternal fire. “Example”
those who
committed the same sexual
immorality would also be punished
as Sodom and Gomorrah.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) At the end of the world
homosexuality is
popular all over the world and the gay persons are allowed to marry and adopt
children. And even in the church
the homosexual men are approved to fulfill
the holy ministries and there are many homosexual elders and godfathers. How
lamentable it is!
2) He who declares that he knows God justifies
what God condemns the church even rebuilds what is burned the heavenly fire of
God
which proves that the heretical false teachers now have played the bully
in the church and hold the Bible with senseless words.
Jude 8 “Likewise also these dreamers defile
the flesh
reject authority
and speak evil of dignitaries.”
YLT: “In like manner
nevertheless
those dreaming also the flesh indeed do defile
and lordship they
put away
and dignities they speak evil of
”
Meaning
of Words: “dreamer”: he who dreams; “likewise”: as; “defile”: contaminate; “reject”: despise; “authority”:
dominion
government; “speak
evil of”: defame
revile
blaspheme; “dignitary”: glory;
Literal
Meaning: “likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh”
“dream”: it is
untrue; “dreamers”: the heretical false teachers; “likewise also”: the three
sorts of the rebellious ones from verse five to seven
including the
unbelieving people
the fallen angels and the Sodomites who have given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after
strange flesh; “defile the
flesh”: sin against one’s body (see 1Cor. 6:18).
“Reject authority”
“reject”: despise
see lightly; “authority”: the
angel who has authority; here it means despising the word of the Lord and
rejecting all restrictions and rebelling against the authority of God (see 2Pet. 2:10).
“And speak evil of dignitaries”
“speak of”: blaspheme; he who speaks of the one
who represents God’s authority has spoken evil of God; “dignitaries”: the angel
who has authority and power (see 2Pet. 2:10);
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The one who is used by the false gods to
gain profits has only “today” in heart without “yesterday”
just like a
dreamer.
2) He who walks according to the instinct of
flesh and acts presumptuously is mostly characterized by indifference to the
laws (see Acts 7:53).
Jude 9 “Yet Michael the archangel
in
contending with the devil
when he disputed about the body of Moses
dared not
bring against him a reviling accusation
but said
"The Lord rebuke
you!"”
YLT: “yet Michael
the chief
messenger
when
with the devil contending
he was disputing about the body of
Moses
did not dare to bring up an evil-speaking judgment
but said
`The Lord
rebuke thee!'”
Meaning
of Words: “archangel”: the
chief of the angels; “Michael”:
who is like God? “body”:
corpse; “devil”:
the accuser
the opponent; “contend”:
argue
fight
struggle; “dare
not”: be not brave; “accusation”:
condemnation; “rebuke”: charge
forbid;
Literal
Meaning: “yet Michael the archangel
in contending with the devil
when he disputed about the body of Moses”
“Michael the
archangel”
who is appointed to protect the elect of God (Dan. 10:13; 12:1; Rev.
12:7); “the
body of Moses”
Moses was buried
by God and no one knew his sepulcher (Deut. 34:5-6); “the devil” is Satan; it
seems that he has the might of death (see Heb. 2:14-15) and knows where the
body of Moses is and schemes to rob it. “In contending with”: the present tense
indicates that he contends with the devil for a long time
which is not
recorded in the Scriptures.
“Dared not bring against him a reviling accusation”
here it suggests
that the devil was the archangel and higher than Michael in position (see Is.
14:12-14).
“But said
"The Lord rebuke you!” It shows that he does not go beyond the
authority of God and condemns the devil by himself. It does not mean believers
should not rebuke others or things (see Eph. 5:11
13)
but that one has to
realize the authority of God when rebuking others (see Titus 2:15) and thus
brings others to obey the authority of God.
Note the thing mentioned in this verse is
quoted from the Assumption of Moses written by a Pharisee from 7 AD to 30 AD.
Most of its content is anecdotes that the Jews are familiar with and yet it is
scant of authenticity. Here Jude does not quote this tale to prove its
authenticity
but shows that man shall not be arrogant by a well-known story.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The devil rebels against God and desires to
ascend and be like God (see is. 14:14) and entices men to seek “to be like God”
(see Gen. 3:5). Today
the heretical teaching that “man becomes God” deceives
man to fall into the trap of the devil.
2) The name of Michael means “who is like God?”
The more we are humbled and honor the authority of God
the more will we be
like God (see Phil. 2:3-5). The more one is pride
the more one is like the
devil.
3) The best way for believers to resist the
devil is obedience to God (James 4:7) and to His reigning power on us.
Jude 10 “But these speak evil of whatever
they do not know; and whatever they know naturally
like brute beasts
in these
things they corrupt themselves.”
YLT: “and these
as many things
indeed as they have not known
they speak evil of; and as many things as
naturally (as the irrational beasts) they understand
in these they are
corrupted;”
Meaning
of Words: “not know”: not see
not be aware of; “naturally”:
instinctively; “know”:
understand; “brute”:
irrational
unreasonable; “beasts”:
animals; “corrupt”:
destroy;
Literal
Meaning: “but these speak evil of whatever they do
not know”
“these”: the heretical false teachers; “speak evil of whatever they
do not know”: they criticize and judge the spiritual things they do not
understand (see 1Cor. 2:14; 2Pet. 2:12).
“And whatever they know naturally
like brute beasts”
“whatever they
know naturally”
it can be seen from their words and deeds that they are
ignorant and lack understanding. “Like brute beasts”
they speak and act like
brute beasts without any thinking.
“In these things they corrupt themselves”
“these things”: they speak
evil of whatever they do not know; “corrupt themselves”: he who hurts others
corrupts himself (see 2Pet. 2:12).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Things of the Spirit are spiritual discerned
(see 1Cor. 2:14). The heretical false teachers are ignorant and deceive the
hearts of the unsuspecting by good words only (see Rom. 16:18). And they do not
know spiritual things.
2) Let us not judge flippantly things that we
are ignorant of
lest we fall into sin.
3) Let us look before we leap. Believers have
to think more before speaking and acting rather than do impulsively.
Jude 11 “Woe to them! For they
have gone in the way of Cain
have run greedily in the error of Balaam for
profit
and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”
YLT: “wo to them! because in the
way of Cain they did go on
and to the deceit of Balaam for reward they did
rush
and in the gainsaying of Korah they did perish.”
Meaning
of Words: “woe”: alas; “have gone”: have
walked; “way”:
path; “profit”:
gain
payment; “error”:
delusion; “run
greedily”: gush out
shed forth; “rebellion”: disobedience
dispute; “perish”:
destroy
lose;
Literal
Meaning: “woe to them! For they have gone in the way
of Cain”
“the way of Cain”
Cain was indifferent to the way of salvation God
had revealed by the coats of skin to Adam and Eve (see Gen. 3:21) ---- without
blood-shedding there is no remission (Heb. 9:22)
but desired to please God by
the sacrifice of his own labor (see Gen. 4:3-5) and was finally rejected by
God. Therefore
the way of Cain was a type of religious self-righteousness
drawing near to God by good works.
“Have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit”
“the error of
Balaam”
he disregarded the warning of God
and received the invitation of
Balak by money and went to curse the people of Israel. However
he failed
because God hindered him (see Num. 22-24)
and taught Balak how to offend the
people of Israel (see Rev. 2:14)
so it became the example of “holding gain to
be piety” (1Tim. 6:5; 2Pet. 2:15-16) to later generations.
“And perished in the rebellion of Korah”
“the rebellion of Korah”
Korah and his followers denied the authority of Moses
and were against that he was above the people of God. However
finally the
ground opened its mouth (see Num. 16). Therefore
he was an example of
perishing because of rebellion against the appointed authority to later
generations.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We are saved by grace
through faith. And it
is not of our good works (see Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 11:6).
2) There are three reasons why the heretical
false teachers are condemned: a) despise the gospel truth of justification by
faith (see Gal. 3:24); b) covetousness for money; c) resist the authority appointed
by God in the church.
3) The love of money is a root of all kinds of
evil
which some having aspired after
have wandered from the faith
and
pierced themselves with many sorrows (1Tim. 6:14).
4) It is a very serious thing of revisiting the
authority appointed by God in the church. However
we shall also not obey the
authority appointed by man himself lest we run greedily in his error. The right
attitude is ---- do not despise prophesying but prove all things (1Thess.
5:20-21).
Jude 12 “These are spots in your
love feasts
while they feast with you without fear
serving only themselves.
They are clouds without water
carried about by the winds; late autumn trees
without fruit
twice dead
pulled up by the roots;”
YLT: “These are in your
love-feasts craggy rocks; feasting together with you
without fear shepherding
themselves; clouds without water
by winds carried about; trees autumnal
without fruit
twice dead
rooted up;”
Meaning
of Words: “love
feasts”: love “agape”; “feast”: entertain sumptuously; “spots”: rocky reefs; “serve”: feed; “without fear”: with boldness; “without water”:
without rain; “cloud”:
cloudiness; “carry”:
convey around
bear about; “without
fruit”: fruitless; “pull
up by the roots”: root up
uproot;
Literal
Meaning: “these are spots in your love feasts”
“these”: the
heretical false teachers; “in your love feasts”: they take advantage of the
love of the saints and profit themselves at another’s expense secretly;
“spots”: hidden difficulty
it shows that they hurt others secretly;
“While they feast with you without fear
serving only
themselves”
“they feast”: the
proclaim they are pastures and preachers; “serving themselves”
they care for
their own need (see Phil. 2:4); “without fear”: they fear neither men nor God;
“They are clouds without water
carried about by the winds”
“clouds without water”: it means that
they have no spiritual reality; “carried about by the winds”: they are tossed
and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men (see Eph.
4:14);
“Late autumn trees without fruit”
“autumn”
it is the season of harvest;
“without fruit”: there is no provision when it is in need;
“Twice dead
pulled up by the roots”
“twice dead”
there are two explanations: a)
they are dead completely from the root to branches; b) their end is the second
death (see Rev. 20:14). “Pulled
up by the roots”
there is no
chance of regeneration.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The heretical false teachers have no
spiritual reality and are unable to give anyone real provision and are even
harmful to others. And yet those who are harmed can only realize what has
happened after they have already been deceived.
2) Though Christians know it is vain of the
apparent hypocrisy and beautiful wording and gentle manner and sweet words
there are still numerous Christians falling into the trap wave after wave.
Since the fake goods sell well
there must be a gush of fake-goods-makers and
thus the false spiritual salesmen (the heretical false teachers) are in the
ascendant.
3) There is an important truth: the promise
that cannot be fulfilled profits nothing.
Jude 13 “raging waves of the sea
foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness
of darkness forever.”
YLT: “wild waves of a sea
foaming
out their own shames; stars going astray
to whom the gloom of the darkness to
the age hath been kept.”
Meaning
of Words: “raging waves”:
swelling billows; “foam
up”: foam upon
foam out; “shame”:
disgrace
dishonesty; “wander”:
rover; “blackness”:
gloom; “darkness”:
obscurity
shadiness; “reserve”:
keep
preserve;
Literal
Meaning: “raging waves of the sea
foaming up their own shame”
“raging waves of the sea”
it means that they make waves everywhere
they go and stir up great troubles in the churches. “Foaming up their own shame”
they leave everything in confusion and make men desolate.
“Wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of
darkness forever”
“wandering
stars”: there is no trail of their walking; “the blackness of darkness
forever”
it shows that their future is black and hopeless
only worthy of the
eternal punishment in the dark hell (see 2Pet. 2:17).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Someone always walks capriciously as the
waves of the sea. And someone walks without keeping any rule as stars in the
sky. The word of God is the principle of believers’ conversation. We have to
keep the word of God rather than act presumptuously.
2) It is sky-rocking and earth-shaking when the
great waves surge forward. However
it is in utter chaos when the waves rage
itself out. When the meteor flashes across the sky
it is shining and
beautiful. Later it is still full of darkness in the sky
leaving nothing.
Christians shall not seek transient performance in conversation
but permanent
effect.
3) Preachers shall not think of his own gratification
to talk volubly (like waves) and speak wildly (like meteor) and finally leave
irretrievable situation. And it will be too late to be regretful.
Jude 14 “Now Enoch
the seventh
from Adam
prophesied about these men also
saying
"Behold
the Lord
comes with ten thousands of His saints
”
YLT: “And prophesy also to these
did the seventh from Adam -- Enoch -- saying
`Lo
the Lord did come in His
saintly myriads
”
Meaning
of Words: “seventh”: the seventh generation; “prophesy”: exercise
the prophetic office
foretell events; “ten thousands of”: myriads of;
Literal
Meaning: “Enoch
the seventh from Adam
prophesied about these men
also
saying”
“Enoch
the seventh from Adam”
it is the Enoch who walked with God three hundred
years (see Gen. 5:22); “prophesied about”: this prophecy cannot be found in the
Old Scriptures
and there are two probable sources: a) it is quoted from the
Apocrypha
I Enoch. Please refer to the following annotation; b) it is quoted
from unknown legend or material; no matter which source it is
we believe this
material is totally accurate. “These men” refer to the heretical false
teachers.
“Behold
the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints”
“His saints” refer to believers (see Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1)
but
here the saints also include the angels (see Matt. 25:31; 2Thess. 1:10).
“Come”
it is the past tense in the original (did come)
stressing on its
certainty that the Lord’s second coming is fact that must be fulfilled.
Note: the prophecy of Enoch (v.14-15) is
quoted form the Apocrypha
The First Book of Enoch. This book was written by
some Pharisees who collected some fragmentary materials
from 163 BC to 63 BC.
The First Book of Enoch consists of five books of the final judgment
parables
astronomy
exhortations
curses
etc.
providing materials of the thoughts and
histories and transformations of the Jews at that time. Here the quotation is
not for the purpose of proving the orthodox of this book
but showing the
authenticity of the impending judgment.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Enoch walked with God
so he prophesied
things that would happen. If we believers desire to know the will of God
we
have to always be with and walk with God.
2) The Lord’s second coming is quite definite.
Therefore
God prophesies it again and again in different generations and by
different persons to call our attention to it.
Jude 15 “to execute judgment on
all
to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which
they have committed in an ungodly way
and of all the harsh things which
ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."”
YLT: “to do judgment against all
and to convict all their impious ones
concerning all their works of impiety
that they did impiously
and concerning all the stiff things that speak against
Him did impious sinners.'”
Meaning
of Words: “all”: all the
people; “convict”:
reprove
expose; “ungodly”:
impious; “deeds”:
works
acts; “spoken
against”: oppose against
resist against; “harsh”: hard
tough;
Literal
Meaning: “to execute judgment on all”
“all”: all those who are ungodly
namely
the heretical false teachers;
“To convict all who are ungodly among them”
“convict”: condemn; “ungodly”: do not
honor God and live in a condition of resisting against the will of God;
“Of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an
ungodly way”
“ungodly”: one’s conversation is always not
restricted by God.
“And of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have
spoken against Him
“harsh things …have spoken against Him
“harsh things”: they speak rudely and
fearlessly to God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) A man’s ungodliness can be manifested in two
aspects: one is ungodly deeds
and the other is ungodly words.
2) The Lord’s judgment is also according to two
points: one is according to the works of everyone (see 1Pet. 1:17)
and the
other is according to the words of everyone (see Matt. 12:36).
3) The tongues and divine healings of someone
are clearly man-made tongues and human healings
but they declare they are
gifts of the spirits. Obviously
these are harsh words against God.
Jude 16 “These are grumblers
complainers
walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great
swelling words
flattering people to gain advantage.”
YLT: “These are murmurers
repiners; according to their desires walking
and their mouth doth speak great
swellings
giving admiration to persons for the sake of profit;”
Meaning
of Words: “grumbler”: murmurer
malcontent; “complainers”: he who is discontented; “according
to”: following; “lusts”: desires
concupiscence; “swelling”: proud
insolent; “advantage”: profit; “flattering”: admiring;
Literal
Meaning: “these are grumblers
complainers”
“these”: the heretical
false teachers; “grumblers”: he who murmurs because of discontent; “complainers”: he who likes to complain others;
“Walking according to their own lusts”: lack of temperance and godliness in
conversation;
“And they mouth great swelling words
flattering people to
gain advantage”
“swelling words”: bombastic words; “gain advantage”: speak for the purpose of gaining profit
“flattering
people”: fawn on others;
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Out of abundance of the heart his mouth
speaks (Luke 6:45). If one’s heart is not governed by the truth faith
his
mouth will speak for his own profit ---- either grumbling because of dissatisfaction
or flattering for one’s own profit;
2) The heretical false teachers like to “utter
swelling works” ---- they stir men’s hearts by eloquent words. However
their
words turn out to be great swelling words of vanity (see 2Pet. 2:18)
heightening the atmosphere swiftly but having no spiritual value.
Jude 17 “But you
beloved
remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ:”
YLT: “and ye
beloved
remember ye
the sayings spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Meaning
of Words: “remember”: recall
remind; “apostle”:
the one who is sent; “spoken
before”: that have been said;
Literal
Meaning: “remember”
it is not thinking of something
occasionally
but bearing it always in mind; “the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ”
the twelve apostles the Lord Jesus set
Himself (see Matt. 10:1-4; Acts 1:26)
including the apostle Paul (see Acts
9:15); “the words which were spoken before”: teachings that were handed down
(see Acts 2:42). Then the words had been compiled into the New Scriptures
which was the foundation of the building of the church (see Eph. 2:20).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Old and New Scriptures are the only
books that believers keep as the standard of faith
which are the words God had
written by the apostles and prophets in the inspiration of the Spirit. Let us
often reach and search the Scriptures and keep them in heart abundantly (see
Col. 3:16).
2) The normal attitude of believers toward the
Scriptures should be reading them and keeping them in heart (see Deut. 6:6-9).
Jude 18 “how they told you that
there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own
ungodly lusts.”
YLT: “that they said to you
that
in the last time there shall be scoffers
after their own desires of impieties
going on
”
Meaning
of Words: “the last time”: the
end of days; “mocker”:
scoffer; “according
to”: according as
after; “ungodly”:
impious; “lusts”:
desires; “walk”:
go
follow;
Literal
Meaning: “how they told you that”: what the apostles
had said and been written in the epistles (see 2Pet. 3:3); the similar warning
words have also been written in other books (see 1Tim. 4:1-3; 2Tim. 3:1-13;
1John 2:18-23; 4:1-6).
“There would be mockers in the last time”
“in the last time”
broadly
it refers to the gracious times of the New Testament. And narrowly
it refers
to the last period of the gracious times of the New Testament
namely
the
period of time before the end of days; “there would be...”
it shows that such
mockers must appear. “Mockers”: those who like to sneer at those who have the
faith of the truth;
“Who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts”
“their own
ungodly lusts”: they disregard the ethical codes set in men by God
but seek to
satisfy their own lusts of the flesh.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) All those who think it difficult to receive
and keep the words of the Scriptures must have problems in morality
for the
Scriptures prevent them from acting presumptuously.
2) “Their own ungodly lusts”
it is the main
factor of one’s apostasy. If we obey the ungodly lusts
we may become the
sympathizers of heresies.
Jude 19 “These are sensual persons
who cause
divisions
not having the Spirit.”
YLT: “these are those setting
themselves apart
natural men
the Spirit not having.”
Meaning
of Words: “cause divisions”:
dividing apart
separate; “sensual”:
animate
natural ; “the
Spirit”: breath;
Literal
Meaning: “these are sensual persons”
those who are
natural
and such men are opposite to those who are spiritual (see 2Cor. 2:14).
The mind and affection and will of one’s soul have become the forcing power of
one’s walking
and thus all his thoughts and deeds are for the purpose of
satisfying his soul life.
“Cause divisions”
it means drawing some sympathizers because of similar
views and hobbies and interests and manners of life and thus establishing some
particular fellowships
thus dividing the church.
“Not having the Spirit”
actually they do not totally have not the
Spirit at all
for all men have spirits (see Gen. 2:7; Zech. 12:1). However
men’s spirits are very slim in function and are even dead (see Eph. 2:1).
Therefore
it makes no difference from having no Spirit. And therefore they
will walk according to their soul life.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) A normal preacher leads men to Christ.
However
the extreme and heretical preachers lead men into themselves and cause
divisions in the church.
2) Christians do not ignore “the power of
soul”
but the power of soul of the normal Christians are governed by the
Spirit. Such Christians are spiritual.
3) Though those who are natural serve God
they
present “strange fire” (Lev. 10:1) and do not please God.
4) In the present Christianity
many people
talk about “returning to God” or “living in Spirit”. However
the majority of
them just stir up their soul and mistake soul activities as spiritual
activities
and finally they remain still natural rather than spiritual. The
key problem is the neglect of the word of the cross and failure of dealing the
soul.
Jude 20 “But you
beloved
building
yourselves up on your most holy faith
praying in the Holy Spirit
”
YLT: “And ye
beloved
on your
most holy faith building yourselves up
in the Holy Spirit praying
”
Meaning
of Words: “holy”: separated; “faith”: belief; “build”: edify; “pray”: supplicate;
Literal
Meaning: “beloved
building yourselves up on your
most holy faith”
“most holy”: it is separated by God and different from human
words; “holy faith”: the objective gospel truth
namely
the common faith of
Christians; “build yourselves”: continue to build up on the right foundation of
faith and not allow any heretical words to destroy our faith;
“Praying in the Holy Spirit”
we shall pray according to the guidance
and enlightenment of the Spirit and by the cleaning of the Spirit and cooperate
with the Spirit and appropriate the power of the Spirit in prayers
because the
Spirit intercedes for saints according to God (see Rom. 8:26-27) and the Spirit
is the best help for our battle against the enemies of God by prayer (see Eph.
6:18).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Neither is there salvation in any other but
Jesus (Acts 4:12). The Lord Jesus Christ we believe on and His redemption of
the cross are the way of being saved in the most holy faith.
2) The faith of truth through which we are saved
and the Spirit who helps us to resist heresies by prayer are both “holy” and
are of God and are appointed by God. They are needed in both building and
fighting.
3) “The most holy faith” shows that the faith
we believe is: a) absolutely true and faithful; b) completely holy and
precious; c) utterly complete; all that scheme to vary the faith are heresies.
Jude 21 “keep yourselves in the love of God
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
YLT: “yourselves in the love of
God keep ye
waiting for the kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ -- to life
age-during;”
Meaning
of Words: “keep”: preserve; “love”:
loving-kindness (agape); “look
for”: rely on
except; “mercy”:
compassion; “eternal
life”: the everlasting life;
Literal
Meaning: “keep yourselves in the love of God”
“keep
yourselves”
one has to be responsible to himself. Here it is different from
verse one. There it is Jesus Christ that keeps us. And here it is we ourselves
that keep us. “In the love of God”
it means that the love of God is the
fortress and refuge that keep us and is the best way for us to deal with the
heretical false teachers.
“Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus unto eternal life”
“looking
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus”
as long as we try our best to keep ourselves
what we have done is still limited. We are unable to satisfy God perfectly
so
we have to look for the Lord’s mercy to supply us. “Unto eternal life”
we look
for the mercy of the Lord until we see Him.
In the commands of exhorting believers how to actively resist the
heretical false teachers in verse 20 and 21
there are four things that we
shall do: building
praying
keep and looking for. “Keep” is a verb
and
“building and praying and looking for” are participles to modify verbs. In other
words
the main condition of resisting the heretical false teachers is to keep
oneself in the love of God. We believers shall be best kept in the love of God.
If we turn aside from the love of God
we will lose.
And if we want to keep ourselves in the love of God
we have three
things to do: a) build yourselves on your most holy thing; b) pray in the Holy
Spirit; c) look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus unto eternal life; the first
two things are our duties and the last one is our necessary attitude.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We shall love in truth (see Eph. 4:15). If
we lack the love of God in the battle concerning the truth
we can in no wise
gain men’s hearts. However
if we keep the love of God
we will not lose.
2) Building oneself in the most holy faith (see
v.20) is building “faith”. Keeping oneself in the love of God is being filled
with “love”. Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life
is holding fast the “hope”. Now abide faith
hope
love
these three; but the
greatest of these is love (1Cor. 13:13).
3) He who holds fast the truth of Christ has to
exalt the truth diligently and explain the truth clearly and preach the truth
in love.
4) God
the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy
Spirit (v.20) ---- the Holy Trinity helps us. As long as we cooperate with the
divine works
we will be enabled to strive earnestly the good conflict of
faith.
Jud 22 “And on some have compassion
making
a distinction;”
YLT: “and to some be kind
judging
thoroughly
”
Meaning
of Words: “have compassion”:
have mercy; “distinction”:
difference;
Literal
Meaning: “have compassion”
“compassion” refers to
mercy. To those deceiving heretical false teachers
we have to steadfastly
oppose them. However
to believers who are ignorant and easily deceived
we
have to show mercy to them.
“Making a distinction”
the young believers are easily to be tossed to
and fro and carried by every wind of doctrine (see Eph. 4:14);
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) He who “should be made a distinction” is not
the ungodly one “who has crept in unnoticed” (see v.4). The former one is he
who is deceived
and we shall have compassion on him. And the latter one is
deceiver
and we shall resist against him.
2) The immature believers are characterized by
self-arrogance and rebellion against their leaders. Therefore
it is more
suitable for their leaders to treat with believers with mercy and patience
rather than prevent them from drawing near the heretical false teachers in a
reproachful way.
3) Ministers in the church shall not serve the
saints in an inflexible way
but serve according to their respective conditions
and help them to deal with problems with proper words and in a flexible manner.
Jude 23 “but others save with fear
pulling
them out of the fire
hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”
YLT: “and some in fear save ye
out of the fire snatching
hating even the coat from the flesh spotted.”
Meaning
of Words: “pull ...out of”:
snatch
pull
take by force
pluck; “save”: heal
deliver; “defile”: defect
stain; “garment”: robe; “hate”: detest;
Literal
Meaning: “but others save with fear”
“others”: those
who are in fire; since they have fallen into the fire
the most urgent task is
not trying to teach or correct them
but “pull them out of fire” immediately
just like the angels laid hold upon Lot’s hand to deliver him out of Sodom (see
Gen. 19:16). “With fear”
we have to watch when we help them
lest we should be
dragged into it.
“Hating even the garment defiled by the flesh”
it indicates that our
attitude toward men and things are different. Let us have compassion on men and
yet hate things of lusts. Compassion means showing mercy on man’s weakness
and
hating means not bearing sins.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We ourselves had also been in deep distress
and were unable to escape from it. However
God came to saved us
and we were
as a brand plucked out of the burning (see Amos 4:11; Zech. 3:2). Therefore
we
shall also have compassion on others and try to pluck them out.
2) When we help others
we have to sure our own
safety. We shall not make ourselves involved and suffer the loss of ourselves.
3) We shall have clear distinction between
sinners and sins. Let us love sinners but not their sins
and let us have
compassions on sinners but bear not their sins.
Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you
from stumbling
And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy
”
YLT: “And to Him who is able to
guard you not stumbling
and to set in the presence of His glory unblemished
in gladness
”
Meaning
of Words: “keep”: preserve; “stumble”: offend; “faultless”: without
blemish
spotless; “exceeding
joy”: gladness
exultation;
Literal
Meaning: “Him who is able keep you from stumbling”
verse 21 tells us that we have to keep carefully and this verse shows us God is
able to keep us. “Stumbling”
stumble because of false knowledge and deeds
not
the heretical false teachers; “keep you from stumbling”
it does not mean we
will never make mistakes
but that He is able to keep for that day the deposit
I have entrusted to Him (see 2Tim. 1:12). As long as we are willing to repent
and renew our devotion constantly
we will be kept in Him as we have never
stumbled.
“And to present you faultless”
it means that He is able to make us
attain to perfection.
“Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy”
“Exceeding joy”:
be filled with exultations; “glory”: the condition of His second coming (see
Matt. 25:31); “before the presence of His glory”
it means passing His judgment
and not leaving His presence and being cast out into the outer darkness of the
weeping and the gnashing of teeth (see Matt. 25:30).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Everyman shall try his best to keep himself
(see v.21) and help to keep others (see v.22-23). However
it is only our
Savior that has the preserving power. (Heb. 7:25). He is able to save
completely those who approach by Him to God (Heb. 7:25).
2) The more we see ourselves
the more will we
find we are unworthy of standing before the glory of God. However
since the
Lord’s word is “to present you faultless”
He will surely make us perfect
for
nothing shall be impossible with God (Luke 1:37) and no word has failed (see
Jos. 23:14).
Jude 25 “To God our Savior
Who alone is
wise
Be glory and majesty
Dominion and power
Both now and forever. Amen.”
YLT: “to the only wise God our
Saviour
glory and greatness
power and authority
both now and to all the
ages! Amen.”
Meaning
of Words: “majesty”: divinity; “forever”: all the
ages; “amen”:
firm
surely;
Literal
Meaning: “to God our Savior
Who alone is wise”
“our Savior”
the Savior is not only the
Savior of all but also our personal Savior. “God ... who alone”
He is the only
true God (see Zech. 14:9; John 17:3). There is no savior besides God (see Hos.
13:4).
“Be glory
and majesty
Dominion and power”
“glory”: the
manifestation of God; “majesty”: the honor of God; “dominion”: the works of
God; “power”: the position of God (see Heb. 1:2-3; John 14:6).
“Both now and forever. Amen”
He is the Almighty
who was
and who is
and who is to come and lives for ever and ever (see Rev. 4:8-9). Only He is
worthy of eternal worship (see Rev. 5:13-14).
III. Outlines of the Spiritual
Lessons
Preservations and Reservations (The Same
Word or Words in the Same Meaning in the Original)
A. Positive preservation:
1. Be preserved by Jesus Christ (v.1);
2. “Keep” oneself (v.21);
3. God who is able to “Keep” (v.24);
B. Passive reservation:
1. The angels who did not keep their proper domain has been “reserved” in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment (v.6);
2. Wandering stars for whom is “reserved” the blackness of darkness forever (v.13);
Works of the Heretical False Teachers
A. Who have crept in
unnoticed (v.4);
B. Who commit
lewdness(v.4) and walk according to their own lusts (v.16) and walk according to their own
ungodly lusts (v.18);
C. Who defile the
flesh (v.8);
D. Who reject authority (v.8);
E. Who committed in an ungodly
way (v.15);
F.
Who cause divisions (v.19);
Historical Examples Imitated by the
Heretical False Teachers
A. The unbelieving
people of Israel (v.5);
B. The angels who did
not keep their proper domain (v.6);
C. Sodom and
Gomorrah
having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after
strange flesh (v.7);
D. The way of Cain
(v.11a);
E. The way of Balaam running for the error of profit (v.11b);
F. The rebellion of
Korah (v.11c);
Words of the Heretical False Teachers
A. Who speak evil of dignitaries (v.8);
B. Who speak evil of whatever they do not
know (v.10);
C. Who have spoken against the Lord (v.15);
D. Who are grumblers and complainers (v.16a);
E. Who mouth great swelling words (v.16b);
F. Who flatter people
to gain advantage (v.16c);
Parables Concerning the Heretical False
Teachers
A. Dreamers (v.8);
B. Brute beasts (v.10);
C. Spots in your love feasts (v.12a);
D. Serving only themselves (v.12b);
E. Clouds without water (v.12b);
F. Late autumn trees without fruit (v.12c);
G. Raging waves of the sea (v.13a);
H. Wandering stars (v.13b);
Ways of Defending the Word
A. Distinguish the
enemies through reading the Bible (v.17-19);
B. Keeping oneself
through praying (v.20-21);
C. Saving others
through compassion (v.22-23);
Keep Oneself in the Love of God
A. Build yourselves up on your most holy faith (v.20a);
B. Pray in the Holy Spirit (v.20b);
C. Look for our Lord
(v.21);
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou