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 publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, otherwise called Thaddeus;
And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon of Canaan,
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, the brother of James. To them which are called and sanctified in God the father, and preserved in Christ Jesus.
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 not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren be called, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
And as he sat upon the mount Olivet, his disciples came unto him secretly, saying, "Tell us, when these things shall be: and what sign shall be of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" And Jesus answered, and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you; read more. For many shall come in my name saying, 'I am Christ': and shall deceive many.
For many shall come in my name saying, 'I am Christ': and shall deceive many. Ye shall hear of wars, and of the fame of wars, but see that ye be not troubled, for all must come to pass; but the end is not yet. read more. For nation shall rise against nation, and realm against realm: and there shall be pestilence, and hunger, and earthquakes in all quarters. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they put you to trouble, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake: And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one the other. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many.
And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall have the upper hand, the love of many shall abate.
And because iniquity shall have the upper hand, the love of many shall abate. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be safe. read more. And this glad tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come. When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination that betokeneth desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place: let him that readeth it, understand it: Then let them which be in Jewry fly into the mountains. And let him which is on the housetop, not come down to fetch anything out of his house. Neither let him which is in the field, return back to fetch his clothes. Woe shall be in those days to them that are with child, and to them that give suck. But pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world to this time, nor shall be. Yea, and except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: But for the chosens' sake, those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, 'Lo, here is Christ,' or 'There is Christ': believe it not: for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets and shall do great miracles and wonders. Insomuch that if it were possible, even the very elect should be deceived. Take heed: I have told you before.
Is not this that carpenter: Mary's son, the brother of James, and Joseph and of Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they were offended by the reason of him.
In the former treatise, Dear friend Theophilus, I have written of all that Jesus began to do and teach,
And when they were come in, they went up into a parlour, where abode both Peter and James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zealotes, and Judas James' son.
And there was a certain man called Simon, which beforetime in the same city, used witchcraft and bewitched the people of Samaria, saying that he was a man that could do great things. Whom they regarded, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This fellow is the great power of God." read more. And him they set much by, because of long time with sorcery he had mocked their wits. But as soon as they believed Philip's preaching of the kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised: both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also, and was baptised. And continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were showed. When the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard say that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: which, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the holy ghost. For as yet he was come on none of them: But they were baptised only in the name of Christ Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the holy ghost. When Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands on them, the holy ghost was given: he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I put the hands, he may receive the holy ghost." Then said Peter unto him, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou wenest that the gift of God may be obtained with money. Thou hast neither part nor fellowship in this business. For thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness, and pray God that the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art full of bitter gall, and wrapped in iniquity." Then answered Simon, and said, "Pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which ye have spoken fall on me."
When they had gone throughout the Isle unto the city of Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer: a false prophet, which was a Jew, named Barjesus: which was with the ruler of the country, one Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. The same ruler called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. read more. But the sorcerer Elymas - for so was his name by interpretation - withstood them, and sought to turn away the ruler from the faith. Then Saul, which also is called Paul, being full of the holy ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, "O full of all subtlety and deceitfulness, and child of the devil, and the enemy of all righteousness: thou ceasest not to pervert the straight ways of the Lord. And now behold the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind and not see the sun for a season." And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; And he went about, seeking them that should lead him by the hand. Then the ruler, when he saw what had happened, believed: and wondered at the doctrine of the Lord.
When they heard that, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. And Paul laid his hands upon them: and the holy ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied; read more. and all the men were about twelve.
And many that believed came, and confessed and showed their works. Many of them which used curious crafts, brought their books and burned them before all men, and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand silverlings.
and hope maketh not ashamed: for the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the holy ghost, which is given unto us.
Likewise, the spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not, what to desire as we ought: but the spirit maketh intercession mightily for us with groanings which cannot be expressed with tongue.
To him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ, in uttering of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now is opened at this time and declared opened by the scriptures of prophecy, at the commandment of the everlasting God, to stir up obedience to the faith published among all nations: read more. To the same God, which alone is wise, be praise through Jesus Christ for ever Amen. {To the Romans. Sent from Corinth by Phoebe, she that was the minister unto the congregation at Cenchreae}
For the natural man perceiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are but foolishness unto him: Neither can he perceive them, because he is spiritually examined.
And I meant not at all of the fornicators of this world, either of the covetous, or of extortioners, either of the idolaters - for then must ye needs have gone out of the world -
This I warn you of, and commend not that ye come together: not after a better manner but after a worse.
Then fourteen years thereafter, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took with me Titus also.
and therefore when James, Cephas, and John, which seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the righthands, and agreed with us that we should preach among the heathen, and they among the Jews:
For yer that certain came from James, he ate with the gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision,
in the body of his flesh through death, to make you holy, unblameable, and without fault in his own sight,
and steadfast in the faith, as ye have learned: and therein be plenteous in giving thanks.
because we know brethren beloved of God, how that ye are elect.
Let no man deceive you by any means, for the Lord cometh not, except there come a departing first, and that that sinful man be opened, the son of perdition;
As I besought thee to abide still in Ephesus when I departed into Macedonia; even so, do: that thou command some that they teach no other wise,
So then unto God, King everlasting, immortal, invisible, and wise only, be honour and praise for ever and ever. Amen.
Some men's sins are open beforehand and go before unto judgement: some men's sins follow after.
and vain disputations of men with corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, which think that lucre is godliness. From such, separate thyself.
For the time will come, when they will not suffer wholesome doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they whose ears itch get them a heap of teachers,
Make speed to come unto me at once.
Warn them, that they submit themselves to rule and power, to obey the officers, that they be ready unto all good works,
which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our saviour;
This is a true saying. Of these things I would thou shouldest certify, that they which believe God, might be diligent to go forward in good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Bring Zenas the lawyer, and Apollos, on their journey diligently, that nothing be lacking unto them.
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, the brother of James. To them which are called and sanctified in God the father, and preserved in Christ Jesus.
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, the brother of James. To them which are called and sanctified in God the father, and preserved in Christ Jesus. Mercy unto you, and peace and love be multiplied. read more. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, to exhort you, that ye should continually labour in the faith, which was once given unto the saints. For there are certain craftily crept in, of which it was written aforetime unto such judgement. They are ungodly, and turn the grace of our Lord God unto wantonness; And deny God the only Lord, and our Lord Jesus Christ. My mind is therefore to put you in remembrance, forasmuch as ye once know this, how that the Lord - after that he had delivered the people out of Egypt - destroyed them which afterward believed not:
My mind is therefore to put you in remembrance, forasmuch as ye once know this, how that the Lord - after that he had delivered the people out of Egypt - destroyed them which afterward believed not:
But these speak evil of those things which they know not. In those things which they know naturally - as beasts which are without reason - they corrupt themselves.
These are makers of sects, fleshly, having no spirit. But ye, dearly beloved, edify yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the holy ghost, read more. and keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto eternal life. And have compassion on some, separating them:
And have compassion on some, separating them: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, and hate the filthy vesture of the flesh.
and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, and hate the filthy vesture of the flesh. Unto him that is able to keep you, that ye fall not, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with joy, read more. that is to say, to God our saviour which only is wise; be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen. {Here ends the General Epistle of Jude}
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not forbear them which are evil: and examinedst them which say they are apostles, and are not: and hast found them liars.
But this thou hast, because thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans; which deeds I also hate.
But I have a few things against thee: that thou hast, there, they that maintain the doctrine of Balaam, which taught in Balak to put occasion of sin before the children of Israel, that they should eat of meat dedicated unto idols, and to commit fornication. Even so hast thou them that maintain the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
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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and not be as Cain, which was of the devil and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? For his own deeds were evil, and his brother's righteous.
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 among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you: which privily shall bring in damnable sects, even denying the Lord that hath bought them, and bring upon themselves swift damnation. And many shall follow their damnable ways, by which the way of truth shall be evil spoken of; read more. and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment is not far off, and their damnation sleepeth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell, and delivered them in chains of darkness, to be kept unto judgement; neither spared the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth preacher of righteousness, and brought in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, overthrew them, damned them, and made of them an example unto all that after should live ungodly; And just Lot, vexed with the uncleanly conversation of the wicked, delivered he - For he being righteous and dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds - The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and how to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment for to be punished: namely, them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise the rulers. Presumptuous are they, and stubborn, and fear not to speak evil of them that are in authority; when the angels, which are greater both in power and might, receive not of the Lord railing judgment against them. But these, as brute beasts, naturally made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of that they know not, and shall perish through their own destruction, and receive the reward of unrighteousness. They count it pleasure to live deliciously for a season. Spots they are, and filthiness, living at pleasure, and in deceitful ways feasting with you: having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease to sin, beguiling unstable souls. Hearts they have exercised with covetousness. They are cursed children, and have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, which loved the reward of unrighteousness: but was rebuked of his iniquity. The tame and dumb beast, speaking with man's voice forbade the foolishness of the prophet. These are wells without water, and clouds carried about of a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. For when they have spoken the swelling words of vanity, they beguile with wantonness through the lusts of the flesh them that were clean escaped: but now are wrapped in errors. They promise them liberty, and are themselves the bondservants of corruption. For of whomsoever a man is overcome, unto the same is he in bondage.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, to exhort you, that ye should continually labour in the faith, which was once given unto the saints. For there are certain craftily crept in, of which it was written aforetime unto such judgement. They are ungodly, and turn the grace of our Lord God unto wantonness; And deny God the only Lord, and our Lord Jesus Christ. read more. My mind is therefore to put you in remembrance, forasmuch as ye once know this, how that the Lord - after that he had delivered the people out of Egypt - destroyed them which afterward believed not: The angels also, which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day: even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them - which in like manner defiled themselves, with fornication, and followed strange flesh - are set forth for an example, and suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise these dreamers defile the flesh, despise rulers, and speak evil of them that are in authority. Yet Michael the archangel, when he strove against the devil, and disputed the body of Moses, durst not give railing sentence, but said, "The Lord rebuke thee."
Yet Michael the archangel, when he strove against the devil, and disputed the body of Moses, durst not give railing sentence, but said, "The Lord rebuke thee." But these speak evil of those things which they know not. In those things which they know naturally - as beasts which are without reason - they corrupt themselves. read more. Woe be unto them, for they have followed the way of Cain, and are utterly given to the error of Balaam for lucre's sake, and are cast away in the treason of Korah. These are spots which of your kindness feast together, without fear, feeding themselves. Clouds they are without water, carried about of winds: and trees without fruit at gathering time, twice dead, and plucked up by the roots. They are raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. They are wandering stars, to whom is reserved the mist of darkness forever. Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied before of such saying, "Behold, the Lord shall come with thousands of saints,
Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied before of such saying, "Behold, the Lord shall come with thousands of saints, to give judgment against all men, and to rebuke all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their cruel speakings, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
to give judgment against all men, and to rebuke all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their cruel speakings, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, whose mouths speak proud things. They have men in great reverence because of advantage. read more. But ye, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that they told you that there should be beguilers in the last time, which should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These are makers of sects, fleshly, having no spirit. But ye, dearly beloved, edify yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the holy ghost, and keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto eternal life. And have compassion on some, separating them: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, and hate the filthy vesture of the flesh. Unto him that is able to keep you, that ye fall not, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with joy, that is to say, to God our saviour which only is wise; be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen. {Here ends the General Epistle of Jude}