Woe to them! …they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
In this unique passage, Jude does two things at once. He tells us one more thing about the ungodly people who pervert the grace of God. Then, in the same stroke of the pen, he tells us about their fate.
To put this story into context we need to look at a bit of Israel’s history.
Abraham’s early descendants end up in Egypt as honored guests. But at the end of four hundred years, they had been reduced to slaves. Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery.
God displays his power through Moses. Some signs are directly from God, but for the most part, God is content to show his glory through the man, Moses. The Israelites often seem to make the mistake of thinking Moses controls this power instead of being a servant of the Power.
God set aside the Levites to take care of the Tabernacle. They would not inherit territory like the other clans. Instead, they would be scattered among the clans to teach God’s law. Taken from the Levites were the sons of Aaron. They were the priests. Only the priests could serve in the Tabernacle.
All of this resulted in a distinct division of authority. God communicated directly with Moses. Moses communicated with Aaron, his brother. Aaron directed his sons and the Levites in their work at the Tabernacle. The priests and Levites were responsible for the many things that the people depended on. They were the equivalent of today’s doctors, lawyers, teachers, and priests.
When Moses brought Israel to the southern border of Canaan they sent spies into the land to see what it was like. When the spies returned they confirmed that the land was indeed very good, just like God had promised. However, they also frightened the people of Israel with stories of how scary the inhabitants of Canaan were.
The people rebelled. They refused to trust God and would not go up into Canaan. This angered the Lord and He sent the entire nation of Israel back into the desert until all the men who grumbled against Him had died (Number 14: 26-35).
Korah was a Levite. With him stood 250 men who were leaders of the Nation of Israel. All these men had been told that they would never enter the Promised Land. They decide that by removing Moses from leadership they will be able to have control of the power.
“They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?’” (Numbers 16: 3)
You can read the entire story in Number 16, but for now, it is enough to know that the earth opened up and swallowed the entire family and belongings of Korah and two other men, Dathan and Abiram. Korah himself, and the 250 men who stood with him were destroyed by the fire of God. They were, quite literally, toast.
More than rebelling against God, these people wanted to take command. In a sense, they wanted to push God aside so that they could get their way.
Application: God is too big to be pushed out of the way. Only by submitting to His will can we find peace.
Food for Thought: It appears God was making a point of Korah’s rebellion. Why does he do that in the Old Testament but not the New?
On rare occasions He does do this in the New Testament. In Acts 5, we have the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Their lives were taken by God for lying to the Holy Spirit in the first noted public sin after Pentecost. God was making a point to His people. We have Jesus Himself warning some of the churches in Revelation with some serious consequences in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. I think it is rare in the New Testament because we are in an unconditional New Covenant based on the work of Jesus and not based on any covenant promises of our own. Nevertheless, God is the same. He has always been a God of mercy, compassion and loving-kindness (Exodus 34: 6 – 7 is quoted some 20 times in the Old Testament). He is a holy God. While His patience and kindness are highlighted in the New Testament due to the New Covenant, His goal has always been repentance and relationship. Romans 2: 4: Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Rich,
I appreciate your response. I especially appreciate the contrast between the old and new covenants. You help me realize how thankful I am to be living under the new covenant!
What Rich said. We are in the age of grace which will end someday as John witnessed in Revelation.
Thank you, JEC.
Nice summation!
Hmmmm….
I like toast.
Not your toast.
LOL!
Thanks, Feather! I’ll keep that in mind. 🙂
Looks like you have to start early in the morning for this crowd. Comments are spot on. the Bible shows some people are removed before they can cause any more trouble, however we live today in Gods grace.
In John 16:8-11, Jesus clearly explains the ministry of the Holy Spirit during this time, “there will be no excuse”, and in the following passages, Jesus gives notice of judgement to come. Matthew 10:33, 24:10-12, Mark 8:38, Luke 8:13, 12:9, 13:26-27, John 15:6.
Ron,
Thanks for joining in! You have provided a GREAT collection of verses! They add an excellent perspective. Thank you!
As Rich has shared, Ananias and Sapphira were the first example to surface for me as well. And Romans 2:4 has been a powerful revelation for me in how this is the same God working under both covenants. That fiery judgment we see put more on display in the O.C. is now stored up for a specific day, and the mercy we now have to repent under God’s long-suffering is the same mercy that attributed their faith under the O.C. unto righteousness (and not from works via covenant law).
It is the same God moving throughout history as he sees fit. I am grateful, however, that we are under this N.C. as Jeff has shared, yea! I hear you brother! But I can see how many Christians, myself included, have taken such a grace for granted, sadly. Hence, I’m glad for all the warnings and it makes his mercy that much sweeter in comparison. I would have been struck dead long ago under the O.C.
Though they are fewer, God still does show in some examples that he is willing to execute judgment here and now at times he deems appropriate. And of course it is always appropriate for God to move as he wills, but I think even this is done out of mercy, it is love that motivates it.
I’ve always been curious if everyone God removed from the earth in judgment throughout the O.C. was eternally damned as well? It would seem in the N.T. that this is at times a tool used among believers who have gone astray, so I would think not? Be very curious to hear your guys’ thoughts on this.
Referencing 1st Corinthians 11:29-32:
“For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
I am not quite sure how to interpret this exactly because damnation is a really strong word, but then we see the part about “that we should not be condemned with the world.” Is this only linked in the sense that those on whom this judgment have fallen are examples unto us so that we do not partake of such a fate, or is it that God has removed these individuals in the flesh to prevent them from personally stumbling further? Are they in glory? Or is this judgment on them to be seen as a judgment on that particular local body/practice as a whole while the individuals were never saved in the first place? Some combination?
NMOP3PISdn
In response to your question, “I’ve always been curious if everyone God removed from the earth in judgment throughout the O.C. was eternally damned as well?”
My take on this is that God is not bound by time in the same way we, His creation, are. Thus the saving sacrifice of the Alpha and Omega is not constrained to a specific time period.
You got a pretty well versed group here Jeff.
They’re pretty good. Could be verse.
🙂
lol
Oh no, not the puns! In response to your reply Jeff, I see where you are coming from and I would agree. However, that’s not the distinction that is unclear. It’s not a matter of the timing, or efficacy of God’s grace. He can dispense this across time as an eternal being. Certainly those under the O.C. fall under the dispensation of Christ and his blood. What I was curious about has more to do with the fact that when God judges someone in the flesh, is this a mirror or forerunner of their ultimate damnation-destination. Or, are there some people, both in the O.C. and the New that are smitten in this world in the form of temporal judgment, but called home via that judgment to be with the Lord? I would like to find some sound Biblical teaching on this and especially to make sense of 1st Corinthians Chapter 11.
Wow, I checked in later to see some great input here. Thank you to you all. As for your question NMOP3PISdn, obviously we can experience God’s discipline and still be saved as He disciplines His children – sometimes severely. However, wrath is a different idea. Ananias and Sapphira, from what I can see in Scripture, were likely ushered into God’s presence when they died. Of course, only God knows for sure. An OT example that is intriguing is found in 1 Kings 13. There a man of God who is a prophet makes a sinful error of judgment. He is clearly a man of God but ends up being killed by a lion for his disobedience. The clear indication is that he was truly a man of God and a real prophet, yet he paid a high price for his momentary disobedience. Sad yes. Damned to hell, I doubt it. Great question and one I will have to think on more. Of course, only God can ultimately judge.
Rich,
Thank you for chiming in on this. NMOP3PISdn asks a challenging question and I think you have provided an excellent answer. What I read in your answer is that there is a difference between the temporal consequences in this life and the eternal consequences of God’s Judgment.
One thing that stands out to me in favor of your reasoning is the sense I get from reading Scripture that God reserves his Judgment for Himself. For example Jude is quite clear on what the Judgment of the ungodly will entail for punishment. But when it comes to actually calling judgment down on someone he points to Michael the Archangel (v 9). Even he, with all of his power and access to God’s throne, deferred to God’s judgment instead of his own.
👍🏻
As Rich said I’m glad I checked in here later you guys have some really good input that I never even thought about. I’m still praying for wisdom and your all helping me with that prayer request.