Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
…they follow their own evil desires…
Jude is almost done with his description of those who pollute and dilute the Body of Christ. It is as if Jude is looking into the face of Jesus himself, and in that face he sees the purity that Jesus wants for his church.
Let’s join Jude and imagine what the Body of Christ could be like.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 16b — The Face of Jesus”
These people are grumblers and faultfinders…
With deft strokes, Jude is painting a picture of what the ungodly look like. I find it interesting that he does not call out specific people he might be thinking of. Yet, I can also see a reason for this. From God’s perspective, Jude is not being asked to write to a specific church or even a specific age of the church. Instead, the Holy Spirit has commissioned him to write a description for all time.
Jude’s letter is a fitting penultimate chapter for God’s love letter to his people. From beginning to end, the entire Bible is about two things; Jesus Christ and the difference between what is godly and what is ungodly. Jude’s letter paints a picture of what to look for.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 16a — On Guard”
See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
I am a little out of my depth when we get the End Times Prophecy department. Pr. Rich is the expert in that area as far as I am concerned. So outside of taking a contextual look at Enoch’s prophecy, let’s take a specific look at this passage and see what we can learn.
First, Jude is using a source of information on this topic that is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. This is new information about Enoch.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 14b — Enoch’s Prophecy”
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them…
One of the most amazing aspects of the Bible is the amount of detail it contains about the past. Of course, whether or not you believe this information depends on your view of the Bible.
As I have mentioned before, my personal view is that God exists. God created everything there is, and if God wanted to get a book published He could. If he did, it would be exactly the way He wanted to it be.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 14a — A Faithful Walk”
These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—
What is a “love feast?” Who eats there? Why should anyone have qualms about it?
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, is a great resource on this question. He describes in detail what the love feast is, who and how to eat it, and why it should be taken very seriously.
What is it?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 12A — Food”
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.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 11c — Toast”
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
There is a danger here.
Jude is teaching us how to identify those who are walking in darkness. What he is NOT telling us to do is pass judgment on their souls. He tells us what God has in store for such people, but nowhere does it say we are to be the ones who condemn them. To illustrate this point, Jude reminds us of the archangel, Michael.
The archangel is understood to be over all the other angels. This angel is unique in relation to God and other angels. The text refers to another angel called “the devil.” This angel would have been known as Lucifer, or Satan. Satan’s power and influence were rivaled only by God in the heavens.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 9 — Discerning Darkness”
They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
As Jude dives into the topic of his letter, we immediately understand that there are three groups of people involved.
The first group, the group that James is part of, are “loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.”
The second group, not mentioned by name but implied, are the people of the world who do not know Jesus but need Him. These people are not “lost” to Christ, but neither are they yet “found.” The one thing about this group that applies to all of them is that none of them claim to be Christians.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 7b — The Third Group”
For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.
To put this passage into context, let’s ask two questions:
Who is Jude? Answer: A servant of Jesus Christ.
Who is Jude writing to? Answer: Those who belong to (are “kept for”) Jesus Christ.
To summarize: Jude, called by Jesus, is writing to people who are also called by Jesus. The common name for a group of people who gather together to worship and honor Jesus is a church.
So let’s review: “certain individuals… have secretly slipped in among you.”
Is Jude being overly dramatic? He almost sounds as if he is describing a spy thriller. Who would want to secretly slip into a church group anyway?
Continue reading “Jude 1: 4a — The Tares Among Us”
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
There are three things I stand on as essential beliefs regarding the Bible:
These are my personal beliefs. They are based on a lifetime of searching for God. I see no contradiction between what I believe and the Bible as it has come down to us through the ages.
Continue reading “Jude 1: 3 — Battle Call”