Reference: Jude, Epistle Of
Easton
The author was "Judas, the brother of James" the Less (Jude 1:1), called also Lebbaeus (Mt 10:3) and Thaddaeus (Mr 3:18). The genuineness of this epistle was early questioned, and doubts regarding it were revived at the time of the Reformation; but the evidences in support of its claims are complete. It has all the marks of having proceeded from the writer whose name it bears.
There is nothing very definite to determine the time and place at which it was written. It was apparently written in the later period of the apostolic age, for when it was written there were persons still alive who had heard the apostles preach (ver. 17). It may thus have been written about A.D. 66 or 70, and apparently in Palestine.
The epistle is addressed to Christians in general (ver. 1), and its design is to put them on their guard against the misleading efforts of a certain class of errorists to which they were exposed. The style of the epistle is that of an "impassioned invective, in the impetuous whirlwind of which the writer is hurried along, collecting example after example of divine vengeance on the ungodly; heaping epithet upon epithet, and piling image upon image, and, as it were, labouring for words and images strong enough to depict the polluted character of the licentious apostates against whom he is warning the Church; returning again and again to the subject, as though all language was insufficient to give an adequate idea of their profligacy, and to express his burning hatred of their perversion of the doctrines of the gospel."
The striking resemblance this epistle bears to 2PE suggests the idea that the author of the one had seen the epistle of the other.
The doxology with which the epistle concludes is regarded as the finest in the New Testament.
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Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector, James the son of Alpheus and Thaddeus,
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot,
Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James, to those who have been called, who are dear to God the Father and have been kept through union with Jesus Christ;
Hastings
This short epistle is an earnest warning and appeal, couched in vivid and picturesque language, addressed to a church or a circle of churches which have become suddenly exposed to a mischievous attack of false teaching.
1. Contents
(1) Text.
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Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary, and are not his brothers named James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to him by themselves, and said to him, "Tell us when this is to happen, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the close of the age." Jesus answered, "Take care that no one misleads you about this. read more. For many will come under my name, and say, 'I am the Christ,' and many will be misled by them.
For many will come under my name, and say, 'I am the Christ,' and many will be misled by them. You will hear of wars and rumors of war; do not let yourselves be alarmed. They have to come, but that is not the end. read more. For nation will rise in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes here and there. All this is only the beginning of the sufferings. Then they will hand you over to persecution and they will put you to death, and you will be hated by all the heathen because you bear my name. Then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will appear, and many will be misled by them,
Many false prophets will appear, and many will be misled by them, and because of the increase of wickedness, most men's love will grow cold.
and because of the increase of wickedness, most men's love will grow cold. But he who holds out to the end will be saved. read more. And this good news of the kingdom will be preached all over the world, to testify to all the heathen, and then the end will come. "So when you see the dreadful desecration, of which the prophet Daniel spoke, set up in the Holy Place"??he reader must take note of this??16 "then those who are in Judea must fly to the hills;
a man on the roof of his house must not go down to get things out of it, and a man in the field must not turn back to get his coat. read more. But alas for women who are with child at that time or who have babies! And pray that you may not have to fly in winter or on the Sabbath, for there will be greater misery then than there has ever been from the beginning of creation until now, or ever will be again. If those days had not been cut short, nobody would have escaped, but for the sake of God's people those days will be cut short. "If anyone says to you at that time, 'Look! here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it, for false Christs and false prophets will appear, and they will show great signs and wonders to mislead God's chosen people if they can. Here I have told you beforehand.
Is he not the carpenter, Mary's son, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And do not his sisters live here among us?"
In my first volume, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning
When they entered the city they went to the upstairs room where they were staying. There were Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, the son of Alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas, the son of James.
There was a man named Simon in the town, who had been amazing the Samaritan people by practicing magic there, and who made great pretensions. Everyone there, high and low, made much of him, and said, "He must be what is known as the Great Power of God!" read more. They made much of him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip's message of the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, men and women alike accepted baptism. Even Simon himself believed and after his baptism devoted himself to Philip, and he was amazed at seeing such signs and great wonders taking place. When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted God's message, they sent Peter and John there. When they came, they prayed that the Samaritans might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the holy Spirit. But when Simon saw that the holy Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power to communicate the holy Spirit to anyone I place my hands upon." But Peter said to him, "Go to destruction with your money, for thinking you could buy God's gift with it! You have no share or part in this movement, for your heart is not honest in the sight of God. So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, to see if you may not be forgiven for thinking of such a thing. For I see that you are a bitter poison and a bundle of iniquity!" Simon answered, "You must pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things you have said may happen to me!"
They went through the whole island as far as Paphos, and there they came across a Jewish magician and false prophet named Barjesus. He was attached to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. He sent for Barnabas and Saul and asked them to let him hear God's message. read more. But Elymas the magician??or that is the meaning of his name??pposed them, and tried to keep the governor from accepting the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, was filled with the holy Spirit, and looked at him and said, "You monster of underhandedness and cunning! You son of the devil! You enemy of all that is right! Will you never stop trying to make the Lord's straight paths crooked? The Lord's hand is right upon you, and you will be blind and unable even to see the sun for a time." Instantly a mist of darkness fell upon him, and he groped about for someone to lead him by the hand. Then the governor, seeing what had happened, believed, and was thunderstruck at the Lord's teaching.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul laid his hands on them, the holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in foreign tongues and with prophetic inspiration. read more. There were about twelve of them in all.
Many who became believers would come and openly confess their former practices. A number of people who had practiced magic brought out their books and burned them publicly. The value of these was estimated and found to be ten thousand dollars.
and hope will not disappoint us. For, through the holy Spirit that has been given us, God's love has flooded our hearts.
In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit itself pleads for us with inexpressible yearnings,
To him who can make you strong by the good news I bring and the preaching about Jesus Christ, through the disclosure of the secret kept back for long ages but now revealed, and at the command of the eternal God made known through the writings of the prophets to all the heathen, to lead them to obedience and faith??27 to the one wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.
A material man will not accept what the Spirit of God offers. It seems mere folly to him, and he cannot understand it, because it takes spiritual insight to see its true value.
But while I am on this subject, I cannot approve of your meetings, because they are doing you more harm than good.
Then, fourteen years later, I went up to Jerusalem again, with Barnabas, and took Titus also with me.
For until some people came from James, he used to eat with the heathen, but after they came, he began to draw back and hold aloof, for fear of the party of circumcision.
through dying in his human body) in holiness, and free from reproach or blame, into God's presence??23 if at least you continue firm and steadfast in the exercise of faith, and never shift from the hope held out in the good news to which you listened, which has been preached all over the world, and for which I, Paul, became a worker.
You must be rooted and built up in him and made strong in faith, just as you were taught to be, overflowing with it in your gratitude.
For we know, brothers whom God so loves, that he has chosen you,
You must not let anyone deceive you at all. For that is not until the rebellion takes place and the embodiment of disobedience makes his appearance??e who is doomed to destruction,
As I asked you to do when I was on my way to Macedonia, stay on in Ephesus in order to warn certain people there not to teach strange views
To the eternal King, immortal and invisible, the one God, be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.
Some men's sins are perfectly evident, and lead them right on to judgment, but there are others whose sins only dog their steps.
and mutual irritation between people of depraved minds, who are lost to the truth and think of religion only as a means of gain.
For a time will come when they will not listen to wholesome instruction, but will overwhelm themselves with teachers to suit their whims and tickle their fancies,
Do your best to come to me soon,
Remind men to accept and obey the constituted authorities, to be ready for any useful service,
which he has poured out upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
This is a trustworthy teaching, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who believe in God may make it their business to do good. All this is right and beneficial to mankind.
Do all you can to help Zenas the expert in the Law and Apollos on with their journey, and see that they have everything they need.
Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James, to those who have been called, who are dear to God the Father and have been kept through union with Jesus Christ;
Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James, to those who have been called, who are dear to God the Father and have been kept through union with Jesus Christ; may mercy, peace, and love be granted you in abundance. read more. Dear friends, I was just on the point of writing to you about our common salvation, when it became necessary for me to write and appeal to you to come to the defense of the faith that has once for all been intrusted to God's people. For some people have sneaked in among us??heir doom was foretold long ago??odless persons, who turn the mercy of our God into an excuse for immorality, and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, though you know it all already, that he who brought the people safely out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed the ones who did not believe,
Now I want to remind you, though you know it all already, that he who brought the people safely out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed the ones who did not believe,
But these people deride anything they do not understand, and the things they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, they use for their own destruction.
These are the men who create division; they are animal and devoid of the Spirit. But you, dear friends, must build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith and pray in the holy Spirit, read more. and keep in the love of God, and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to bring you to eternal life. Those whom you pity in their uncertainty,
Those whom you pity in their uncertainty, save, snatching them out of the fire, and look on others with pity mixed with fear, loathing even the clothes their animal nature has stained.
save, snatching them out of the fire, and look on others with pity mixed with fear, loathing even the clothes their animal nature has stained. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in his presence irreproachable and triumphant??25 to the one God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever and ever. Amen.
I know what you have done; your hard work and your endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, and that you have tested those who claimed to be apostles when they were not, and have found them to be impostors.
But it is in your favor that you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, as I do.
Yet I hold it somewhat against you that you have among you some adherents of the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entrap the children of Israel into eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, and into immoral practices. So you also have among you some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Morish
Written by Jude the brother of James, and apparently the same person as the apostle JUDAS, q.v. The Epistle is addressed to "the called ones, beloved in God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ." Apostasy had set in, and the saints are exhorted to contend for the faith divinely delivered. Ungodly ones had crept in, who abused the grace of God, and denied their only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.
Three instances are produced to show how apostasy had been punished:
1. Some of those saved out of Egypt were yet destroyed.
2. Fallen angels are kept in eternal chains for judgement.
3. Sodom and Gomorrha, which lie under the abiding effect of the judgement on them. Then the railers are put to shame by the conduct of Michael the archangel, who when rightly contending with Satan about the body of Moses did not rail against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke thee."
Three stages of departure from the way of truth are mentioned, with a woe upon those who are found in them:
1. The way of Cain
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We must not be like Cain who was a child of the evil one, and butchered his brother. And why did he butcher him? Because his own actions were wicked and his brother's upright.
Smith
Jude, Epistle of.
Its author was probably Jude, one of the brethren of Jesus, the subject of the preceding article. There are no data from which to determine its date or place of writing, but it is placed about A.D.
65. The object of the epistle is plainly enough announced ver. 3; the reason for this exhortation is given ver.
4. The remainder of the epistle is almost entirely occupied by a minute depiction of the adversaries of the faith. The epistle closes by briefly reminding the readers of the oft-repeated prediction of the apostles --among whom the writer seems not to rank himself --that the faith would be assailed by such enemies as he has depicted, vs.
exhorting them to maintain their own steadfastness in the faith, vs.
while they earnestly sought to rescue others from the corrupt example of those licentious livers, vs.
and commending them to the power of God in language which forcibly recalls the closing benediction of the epistle to the Romans. vs.
cf. Roma 16:25-27 This epistle presents one peculiarity, which, as we learn from St. Jerome, caused its authority to be impugned in very early times --the supposed citation of apocryphal writings. vs.
The larger portion of this epistle, vs.
is almost identical in language and subject with a part of the Second Epistle of Peter.
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There were false prophets too among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive sects and deny the Master who has bought them, thus bringing on themselves swift destruction. Many people will follow their immoral ways, and they will cause the true way to be maligned. read more. In their greed they will exploit you with pretended arguments. From of old their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not slumbered. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but plunged them into Tartarus, and committed them to dark dungeons to await their doom, and if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood upon the godless world; and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and overwhelmed them with ashes, as a warning to ungodly men of what was to come, and saved the upright Lot who was so distressed by the immoral conduct of unprincipled men??8 for as long as that upright man lived among them, day after day his upright soul was tormented by what he saw and heard of their lawless actions??9 then the Lord knows how to rescue God-fearing people from trial and to punish wrongdoers while they are being kept for the Day of Judgment,
especially those who yield to their physical nature and indulge in passions that defile them, and despise authority. Rash, headstrong men! They stand in no awe of majesty, but deride beings against whom even angels far superior to these beings in strength and power bring no abusive charge before the Lord. read more. These men, like unreasoning animals, mere creatures of instinct created to be caught and killed, abuse what they do not understand and will be destroyed like animals, suffering wrong as the reward for their wrongdoing. They find pleasure in the indulgence of the moment; they are a stain and a disgrace, and they revel in their deceit while they join in your religious meals. They have eyes for nobody but adulterous women??yes insatiable in sin. They lure unsteadfast souls. Their hearts are trained in greed. They are accursed! They have left the straight path and gone astray. They have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Beor, who set his heart on dishonest gain, but he was rebuked for his offense; a dumb animal spoke with a human voice and checked the prophet's madness. Such men are dried-up springs, clouds driven before the storm, and they are doomed to utter darkness. They utter arrogant nonsense and use physical cravings to lure into immorality men who are just escaping from among those who live in error; promising them freedom when they are themselves slaves of destruction; for a man is the slave of whatever overcomes him.
Dear friends, I was just on the point of writing to you about our common salvation, when it became necessary for me to write and appeal to you to come to the defense of the faith that has once for all been intrusted to God's people. For some people have sneaked in among us??heir doom was foretold long ago??odless persons, who turn the mercy of our God into an excuse for immorality, and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. read more. Now I want to remind you, though you know it all already, that he who brought the people safely out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed the ones who did not believe, and the angels who neglected their responsibilities and abandoned their homes he has put in everlasting chains to be kept in darkness for the judgment of the great Day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns which like them indulged in immorality and unnatural vice stand as a warning, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. In that same way these dreamers defile the body, make light of authority, and deride majesty. The archangel Michael himself, when he had the dispute with the devil about Moses' body, did not venture to condemn him for blasphemy; he only said, "May the Lord rebuke you!"
The archangel Michael himself, when he had the dispute with the devil about Moses' body, did not venture to condemn him for blasphemy; he only said, "May the Lord rebuke you!" But these people deride anything they do not understand, and the things they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, they use for their own destruction. read more. Alas for them, for they follow Cain's path, they plunge into Balaam's error for gain, and they perish in rebelliousness like Korah's. They are stains on your religious meals, where they carouse together, boldly attending to no one but themselves; rainless clouds driven before the wind; leafless trees without fruit, doubly dead, and uprooted; wild sea waves foaming up their own shame; wandering stars doomed forever to utter darkness. Of them also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, when he said, "See! The Lord comes with his holy myriads
Of them also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, when he said, "See! The Lord comes with his holy myriads to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the godless of all the godless deeds they have done, and of all the harsh things that godless sinners have said against him."
to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the godless of all the godless deeds they have done, and of all the harsh things that godless sinners have said against him." These men are grumblers, dissatisfied with life. They go where their passions lead, their talk is arrogant and they cultivate people in the hope of gain. read more. But you, dear friends, must remember what was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, for they said to you, "In the last times there will be mockers who will go where their own godless passions lead." These are the men who create division; they are animal and devoid of the Spirit. But you, dear friends, must build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith and pray in the holy Spirit, and keep in the love of God, and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to bring you to eternal life. Those whom you pity in their uncertainty, save, snatching them out of the fire, and look on others with pity mixed with fear, loathing even the clothes their animal nature has stained. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in his presence irreproachable and triumphant??25 to the one God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever and ever. Amen.