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-gather; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,
To those who, having received the Call, have been loved by God the Father and protected by Jesus Christ, From Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James.
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 he the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?
So, while Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came up to him privately and said: "Tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your Coming, and of the close of the age." Jesus replied to them as follows: "See that no one leads you astray; read more. for, many will take my name, and come saying 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray.
for, many will take my name, and come saying 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; take care not to be alarmed, for such things must occur; but the end is not yet here. read more. For 'nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,' and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All this, however, will be but the beginning of the birth pangs! When that time comes, they will give you up to persecution, and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations on account of my Name. And then many will fall away, and will betray one another, and hate one another. Many false Prophets, also, will appear and lead many astray;
Many false Prophets, also, will appear and lead many astray; and, owing to the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
and, owing to the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. Yet the man that endures to the end shall be saved. read more. And this Good News of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed throughout the world as a witness to all nations; and then will come the end. As soon, then, as you see 'the Foul Desecration,' mentioned by the Prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place," (the reader must consider what this means) "then those of you who are in Judea must take refuge in the mountains; and a man on the housetop must not go down to get the things that are in his house; nor must one who is on his farm turn back to get his cloak. And alas for the women that are with child, and for those that are nursing infants in those days! Pray, too, that your flight may not take place in winter, nor on a Sabbath; for that will be 'a time of great distress, the like of which has not occurred from the beginning of the world down to the present time'--no, nor ever will again. And had not those days been limited, not a single soul would escape; but for the sake of 'God's People' a limit will be put to them. And, at that time, if any one should say to you 'Look! here is the Christ!' or 'Here he is!', do not believe it; For false Christs and false Prophets will arise, and will display great signs and marvels, so that, were it possible, even God's People would be led astray. Remember, I have told you beforehand.
Is not he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? And are not his sisters, too, living here among us?" This proved a hindrance to their believing in him;
The first account which I drew up, Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus did and taught from the very first,
When they reached Jerusalem, they went to the upstairs room, where they were staying. There were there Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
There was staying in the city a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic there and mystifying the Samaritan people, giving himself out to be some great Being. Every one, high and low, paid attention to him. 'This man,' they used to say, 'must be that Power of God which men call "The Great Power."' read more. And they paid attention to him because they had for a long time been mystified by his magic arts. However, when they came to believe Philip, as he told them the Good News about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon believed, and after his baptism attached himself to Philip, and was in his turn mystified at seeing signs and great miracles constantly occurring. When the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had welcomed God's Message, they sent Peter and John to them; And they, on their arrival, prayed that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit. (As yet the Spirit had not descended upon any of them; they had only been baptized into the Faith of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that it was through the placing of the Apostles' hands on them that the Spirit was given, he brought them a sum of money and said: "Give me also this power of yours, so that, if I place my hands upon any one, he may receive the Holy Spirit." "A curse upon you and upon your money," Peter exclaimed, "for thinking that God's free gift can be bought with gold! You have no share or part in our Message, for your 'heart is not right with God.' Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, that, if possible, you may be forgiven for such a thought; For I see that you have fallen into the 'bitterness of envy' and the 'fetters of sin.'" "Pray to the Lord for me, all of you," Simon answered, "so that none of the things you have spoken of may befall me."
After passing through the whole island, they reached Paphos, where they found an astrologer who pretended to be a Prophet--a Jew by birth, whose name was Barjoshua. He was at the court of the Governor, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who sent for Barnabas and Saul and asked to be told God's Message. read more. But Elymas, the astrologer (for that is the meaning of the word), opposed them, eager to divert the Governor's attention from the Faith. However, Saul (who is the same as Paul), full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on him and said: "You incarnation of deceit and all fraud! You son of the Devil! You opponent of all that is good! Will you never cease to divert 'the straight paths of the Lord'? Listen! The hand of the Lord is upon you even now, and you will be blind for a time and unable to see the sun." Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went feeling about for some one to guide him. When the Governor saw what had happened, he became a believer in Christ, being greatly impressed by the teaching about the Lord.
On hearing this, they were baptized into the faith of the Lord Jesus, And, after Paul had placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit descended upon them, and they began to speak with 'tongues' and to preach. read more. There were about twelve of them in all.
Many, too, of those who had become believers in Christ came with a full confession of their practices; While a number of people, who had practiced magic, collected their books and burnt them publicly; and on reckoning up the price of these, they found it amounted to five thousand pounds.
And that 'hope never disappoints.' For the love of God has filled our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given us;
So, also, the Spirit supports us in our weakness. We do not even know how to pray as we should; but the Spirit himself pleads for us in sighs that can find no utterance.
Now to him who is able to strengthen you, as promised in the Good News entrusted to me and in the proclamation of Jesus Christ, in accordance with the revelation of that hidden purpose, which in past ages was kept secret but now has been revealed And, in obedience to the command of the Immortal God, made known through the writings of the Prophets to all nations, to secure submission to the Faith-- read more. To him, I say, the wise and only God, be ascribed, through Jesus Christ, all glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The merely intellectual man rejects the teaching of the Spirit of God; for to him it is mere folly; he cannot grasp it, because it is to be understood only by spiritual insight.
Not, of course, meaning men of the world who are in immoral, or who are covetous and grasping, or who worship idols; for then you would have to leave the world altogether.
In giving directions on the next subject, I cannot praise you; because your meetings do more harm than good.
Fourteen years afterwards I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, and I took Titus also with me.
Recognizing the charge entrusted to me, James, Peter, and John, who were regarded as pillars of the Church, openly acknowledged Barnabas and me as fellow-workers, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.
Before certain persons came from James, he had been in the habit of eating with the Gentile converts; but, when they came, he began to withdraw and hold aloof, for fear of offending those who still held to circumcision.
But now he has reconciled you to himself by the sacrifice of Christ's earthly body in death--it has pleased God that you should stand in his presence holy, pure, and blameless,
Rooted in him, building up your characters through union with him, growing stronger through your faith, as you were taught, overflowing with faith and thanksgiving.
Brothers, whom God loves, we know that he has chosen you,
Do not let any one deceive you, whatever he may do. For it will not come until after the Great Apostasy, and the appearing of that Incarnation of Wickedness, that the Lost soul,
I beg you, as I did when I was on my way into Macedonia, to remain at Ephesus; that you may instruct certain people there not to teach new and strange doctrines,
To the Immortal King, ever-living, invisible, the one God, be ascribed honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
There are some men whose sins are conspicuous and lead on to judgment, while there are others whose sins dog their steps.
and incessant wrangling on the part of these corrupt-minded people who have lost all hold on the Truth, and who think of religion only as a source of gain.
For a time will come when people will not tolerate sound teaching. They will follow their own wishes, and, in their itching for novelty, procure themselves a crowd of teachers.
Do your utmost to come to me soon;
Remind your hearers to respect and obey the Powers that be, to be ready for every kind of good work, to speak ill of no one, to avoid quarreling,
which he poured out upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;
How true that saying is! And it is on these subjects that I desire you to lay especial stress, so that those who have learned to trust in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing good. Such subjects are excellent in themselves, and of real use to mankind.
Do your best to help Zenas, the Teacher of the Law, and Apollos, on their way, and see that they want for nothing.
To those who, having received the Call, have been loved by God the Father and protected by Jesus Christ, From Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James.
To those who, having received the Call, have been loved by God the Father and protected by Jesus Christ, From Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James. May mercy, peace, and love be yours in ever-increasing measure. read more. Dear friends, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common Salvation, I felt that I must write to you at once to urge you to fight in defense of the Faith that has once for all been entrusted to the keeping of Christ's People. For there have crept in among you certain godless people, whose sentence has long since been pronounced, and who make the mercy of God an excuse for profligacy, and disown our only lord and master, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you--but you already know it all--that, though the Lord delivered the People from Egypt, yet he afterwards destroyed those who refused to believe in him;
Now I want to remind you--but you already know it all--that, though the Lord delivered the People from Egypt, yet he afterwards destroyed those who refused to believe in him;
But these men malign whatever they do not understand; while they use such things as they know by instinct (like the animals that have no reason) for their own corruption.
These are the people--animal and unspiritual--who cause divisions. But do you, dear friends, build up your characters on the foundation of your most holy Faith, pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, read more. and keep within the love of God, while waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to bring you to Immortal Life. To some show pity, because they are in doubt. 'Drag them out of the fire,' and save them.
To some show pity, because they are in doubt. 'Drag them out of the fire,' and save them. To others show pity, but with caution, hating the very clothing polluted by their touch.
To others show pity, but with caution, hating the very clothing polluted by their touch. To him who is able to guard you from falling, and to bring you into his glorious presence, blameless and rejoicing- read more. to the one God, our Saviour, be ascribed, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, glory, majesty, power, and dominion, as it was before time began, is now, and shall be for all time to come. Amen.
I know your life, your toil and endurance, and I know that you cannot tolerate evil-doers. I know, too, how you tested those who declare that they are Apostles, though they are not, and how you proved them false.
But this is in your favor--You hate the life lived by the Nikolaitans, and I also hate it.
Yet I have a few things against you--You have among you those who hold to the Teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put temptations in the way of the Israelites, so that they should eat idol-offerings and commit licentious acts. Again you have among you those who hold in the same way to the Teaching of the Nikolaitans.
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 belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? It was because his life was bad while his brother's was good.
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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But there were false prophets also in the nation, just as there will be false teachers among you, men who will secretly introduce ruinous divisions, disowning even the Lord who bought them, and bringing speedy Ruin upon themselves. There will be many, too, who will follow their licentious courses, and cause the Way of the Truth to be maligned. read more. In their covetousness they will try to make you a source of profit by their fabrications; but for a long time past their Sentence has not been standing idle, nor their Ruin slumbering. Remember, God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them down to Tartarus, and committed them to caverns of darkness, to be kept under guard for judgment. Nor did he spare the world of old; though he preserved Noah, the Preacher of Righteousness, and seven others, when he brought a flood upon the godless world. He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and reduced them to ashes, holding them up as a warning to the godless of what was in store for them; but he rescued righteous Lot, whose heart was vexed by the wanton licentiousness of his neighbors; for, seeing and hearing what he did, as he lived his righteous life among them, day after day, Lot's righteous soul was tortured by their wicked doings. The Lord, therefore, knows how to deliver the pious from temptation, and to keep the wicked, who are even now suffering punishment, in readiness for 'the Day of Judgment'-- especially those who, following the promptings of their lower nature, indulge their polluting passions and despise all control. Audacious and self-willed, they feel no awe of the Mighty, maligning them, even where angels, though excelling them in strength and power, do not bring against them a malignant charge before the Lord. These men, however, like animals without reason, intended by nature to be caught and killed--these men, I say, malign those of whom they know nothing, and will assuredly perish through their own corruption, suffering themselves, as the penalty for the suffering that they have inflicted. They think that pleasure consists in the self-indulgence of the moment. They are a stain and a disgrace, indulging, as they do, in their wanton revelry, even while joining you at your feasts. They have eyes only for adulteresses, eyes never tired of sin; they entice weak souls; their minds are trained to covet; they live under a curse. Leaving the straight road, they have gone astray and followed in the steps of Balaam, the son of Beor, who set his heart on the reward for wrong-doing, but was rebuked for his offense. A dumb animal spoke with the voice of a man, and checked the prophet's madness. These men are like springs without water, or mists driven before a gale; and for them the blackest darkness has been reserved. With boastful and foolish talk, they appeal to the passions of man's lower nature, and, by their profligacy, entice those who are just escaping from the men who live such misguided lives. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to corrupt habits; for a man is the slave of anything to which he gives way.
Dear friends, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common Salvation, I felt that I must write to you at once to urge you to fight in defense of the Faith that has once for all been entrusted to the keeping of Christ's People. For there have crept in among you certain godless people, whose sentence has long since been pronounced, and who make the mercy of God an excuse for profligacy, and disown our only lord and master, Jesus Christ. read more. Now I want to remind you--but you already know it all--that, though the Lord delivered the People from Egypt, yet he afterwards destroyed those who refused to believe in him; and that even those angels, who did not keep to their appointed spheres, but left their proper homes, have been kept by him for the judgment of the Great Day in everlasting chains and black darkness. Like Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns near them, which gave themselves up to fornication, and fell into unnatural vice, these angels now stand out as a warning, undergoing, as they are, the punishment of aeonian fire. Yet in the very same way these men, too, cherishing vain dreams, pollute our human nature, reject control, and malign the Mighty. Yet even Michael, the Archangel, when, in his dispute with the Devil, he was arguing about the body of Moses, did not venture to charge him with maligning, but said merely 'The Lord rebuke you!'
Yet even Michael, the Archangel, when, in his dispute with the Devil, he was arguing about the body of Moses, did not venture to charge him with maligning, but said merely 'The Lord rebuke you!' But these men malign whatever they do not understand; while they use such things as they know by instinct (like the animals that have no reason) for their own corruption. read more. Alas for them! They walk in the steps of Cain; led astray by Balaam's love of gain, they plunge into sin, and meet their ruin through rebellion like that of Korah. These are the men who are blots upon your 'Love-feasts,' when they feast together and provide without scruple for themselves alone. They are clouds without rain, driven before the winds; they are leafless trees without a vestige of fruit, dead through and through, torn up by the roots; They are wild sea waves, foaming with their own shame; they are 'wandering stars,' for which the blackest darkness has been reserved for ever. To these men, as to others, Enoch, the seventh in descent from Adam, declared-- 'See! the Lord has come with his hosts of holy ones around him,
To these men, as to others, Enoch, the seventh in descent from Adam, declared-- 'See! the Lord has come with his hosts of holy ones around him, to execute judgment upon all men, and to convict all godless people of all their godless acts, which in their ungodliness they have committed, and of all the harsh words which they have spoken against him, godless sinners that they are!'
to execute judgment upon all men, and to convict all godless people of all their godless acts, which in their ungodliness they have committed, and of all the harsh words which they have spoken against him, godless sinners that they are!' These men are always murmuring, and complaining of their lot; they follow where their passions lead them; they have arrogant words upon their lips; and they flatter men for the sake of what they can get from them. read more. But do you, dear friends, recall what was foretold by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how they used to say to you-- 'As time draws to an end, there will be scoffers, who will be led by their godless passions.' These are the people--animal and unspiritual--who cause divisions. But do you, dear friends, build up your characters on the foundation of your most holy Faith, pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and keep within the love of God, while waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to bring you to Immortal Life. To some show pity, because they are in doubt. 'Drag them out of the fire,' and save them. To others show pity, but with caution, hating the very clothing polluted by their touch. To him who is able to guard you from falling, and to bring you into his glorious presence, blameless and rejoicing- to the one God, our Saviour, be ascribed, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, glory, majesty, power, and dominion, as it was before time began, is now, and shall be for all time to come. Amen.