Precept Ministries
Precept Ministries
Lesson 5
Jude
Judgment is coming. Do you know how certain it is and are you prepared? Are you ready to defend the faith and rescue the perishing? In the book of Jude we’ve been looking at the ungodly. Jude’s emphasis has been on the ungodly so that we can understand first of all that their judgment is absolutely certain. The ungodly have gone the way of Cain.
Jude 11 Woe to them (the ungodly)! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
1. The way of Cain: Cain brought an offering to God that was not acceptable to God. Cain thought he could come up with his own style of religion—one of works and not of faith.
2. For pay they rushed headlong into the error of Balaam: In 2 Peter 2:14-16 Peter talks about false prophets who have gone the way of Balaam because they loved the wages of unrighteousness. There’s another dimension in “rushing headlong into the error of Balaam for pay,” which is that the ungodly do what they know is not pleasing to the Lord but think they can escape. This is the dimension Kay sees here. The answer is absolutely “no”.
Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. This is a different dimension. Balaam found out that he could not curse the children of Israel because every time he opened his mouth tremendous blessings came out. Instead, he showed Balak how to seduce the children of Israel by sending the daughters of the Moabites into the Israelite camps to call them, to party with them, to worship their idols and even to sleep with them. See Numbers 25:6-15 where a Moabite woman comes into camp and an Israelite takes her into his tent to know her sexually but a Levite takes a sword [spear] into the tent and stabs the woman and the man. God applauds the Levite for what he did because he was zealous for the holiness of God.
The way of Balaam, the error of Balaam, and the teaching of Balaam are all terms used in these three passages. They’ve gone the way of Cain, they’ve rushed headlong into the error of Balaam…
3. They have perished in the rebellion of Korah.
Numbers 16:1-3 Korah is part of the Levite tribe. They work in the temple but are not part of the priestly tribe that goes in and offers the sacrifices. Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, and they rose up before Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown. And they assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” He’s saying that everybody in the congregation is holy. Is that true? No. This is the congregation God is going to kill in the wilderness. Korah says, “Everyone is holy. You aren’t the only one, Aaron, who can walk into that tabernacle. You aren’t the only one who can offer those sacrifices. We can do that too, so get out of our way.” They’re going distinctly against the word of God.
So many times people say, “There’s a call of God in my life,” because they want their own ministry. They begin setting themselves up instead of putting themselves under authority. Sometimes in the process, they break what the Scriptures have to say. Kay believes that before a woman moves in to take the role of an elder or a pastor, she’d better examine the Scriptures because it is not Biblical. So many times we put ourselves in positions that are against the word of God and that’s what Korah is doing. You’ve got to watch these ungodly men because they have crept in unnoticed and are going the way of Cain, and are rushing headlong into the error of Balaam, and they are going to perish in the rebellion of Korah. They are going be involved in rebellion.
What does Moses do? He calls on God who opens up the earth to swallow them up and devour them. People are told to get back, then these men and their families fall down into fire when the earth splits open as in an earthquake.
Numbers 16:9-10, 30 Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking for the priesthood also? But if the Lord brings about an entirely new things and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord.”
That’s what the ungodly are doing: spurning the Lord. When this happens the congregation turns around and comes against Moses and Aaron. Understand that when we take our stand and do what God has called us to do, you must expect that people will turn on you. That’s part of leadership.
This is not to say that we should be on a theological witch hunt making sure that people dot every i and cross every t, because people are in the process of growing spiritually. But these are ungodly people. If you start talking to them and go below the surface you can understand their theology and you can look at their behavior and know that these are the ungodly.
According to Jude the ungodly will perish and suffer eternal judgment. He gives you a description:
Jude 12-13 These men are those who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, A cloud is there to hold water but here’s a cloud without water.. carried along by winds; just here, there, here, there… If:
• you’re always looking for some new doctrine or some new vision or revelation,
• you get more excited when someone stands up and says,
o “I have a new prophecy,”
o “I have a revelation,”
o “I have a dream,”
o “I have this new insight into the Word of God”
than you get excited about studying the book of Romans or Hebrews,
then there’s something terribly wrong somewhere… autumn trees without fruit, during fruit-bearing season, doubly dead—twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, They don’t sit down or anchor or stay. They’re here—they’re there… for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. The black darkness is judgment—eternal fire, eternal judgment. There is a black darkness. Living where you don’t see the sun is depressing because the sun lifts your spirits.
Jude gives you this insight about the ungodly through this description then lets you know that these men who have crept unnoticed into your church and are sitting there, have been prophesied about long ago.
Go way back to the very beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. Follow along to the seventh generation from Adam to a man named Enoch. In Genesis, Enoch walked with God and was not. There was a time when Enoch probably was not a believer. He had a son Methuselah, whose name means “When he’s dead, it’s going to come.” We know how long Methuselah lived. After Methuselah was born, Enoch walked with God and then one day “he was not”. In other words, he didn’t die. He walked so intimately with God that one night God just said, “Enoch, it’s closer to My house than yours so come on.” There are two men in the Scriptures who never died, Enoch and Elijah. It’s appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment. That’s why Kay believes that the two witnesses in the book of Revelation (chapter 11) are Enoch and Elijah.
Jude 14 And about these also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, “Behold the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, The Lord came on that white horse. He did not come alone but with thousands of His saints. They are called, beloved, kept, have a common salvation, and are saints or “the holy ones”.
Jude 15 To execute judgment upon all (none is going to escape), and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. All these people using the Lord’s name in vain, blaspheming God, taking His name and using it in another way (other than worship to honor God as He is), are going to be judged. Those who take His name in vain God will not hold guiltless. Kay has told this to people who talk that way. More and more we should stop people, graciously and prayerfully, from saying such terrible things.
God says through Enoch that this is what’s going to happen. But you say, “That’s not in the Bible.” Well, you’re right—these two verses are not in the Bible in the Old Testament—but they are in the New Testament. Thus, they are in the Bible. Are they recorded anywhere else in the Bible? No, but they don’t need to be because the Bible is a God-inspired book. Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. If He created the Old Testament that way, then he did it with the New. There is the book of Enoch in the Apocrypha which you can learn about in the International Inductive Study Bible. It explains how the canon of Scripture was put together. Jude may have been quoting from the book of Enoch, which wouldn’t make the whole book of Enoch true, but that quote would be true since Jude wrote under the inspiration of God.
Jude says that the Lord is coming with all His holy ones to execute judgment on the earth.
Draw a timeline with the Garden of Eden (creation) at the beginning, then Jesus’s birth in the middle of the timeline, born of a Virgin and without sin, then draw the cross with the death of Jesus who knew no sin but was made to be sin for you and me. Moses with the Ten Commandments would be placed closer to the Garden end of the timeline than to Jesus’s birth.
Jesus says in Hebrews 10:4, 5b, 7b: For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore…a body Thou hast prepared for me. Behold, I have come to do Thy will O God.” He takes away the first, an old covenant of the law, and establishes the second, a new covenant of grace. Draw a vertical line just after His death to separate the two covenants. (Old = Law, New = Grace.) When Jesus took away the old, He didn’t mean the old was bad. In Jesus’s life, from His birth through His death up to His resurrection, He was fulfilling the Law. In Matthew 5, He says, “Don’t think I came to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill. Not one thing will pass away until this shall be fulfilled.” Jesus came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. God took all our sins and those of the whole world and put them on Jesus Christ. He was buried in a tomb, raised from the dead, ascended to the Father where now He lives to make intercession for us. But Revelation talks about a time when Jesus is coming back to earth.
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened; and behold a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True and in righteousness He judges and wages war. So when Jesus comes to judge, He does it in righteousness.
Revelation 19:12-15 And His eyes are a flame of fire, (this is described in Revelation 1) and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
Revelation 17:14 This verse takes on new significance—watch how they are described: These will wage war against the Lamb, “these” refers to the kings of the earth, the beast and the followers, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful. The CBK! Remember continuance in the faith is the evidence of your salvation.
Revelation 19:19-21 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. When Jesus comes to earth, he’s with all His saints—the called, the beloved, and the kept. The beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:1-7 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceived the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time and I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. “Thousand years” is a repeated key word. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, What do you see? A time frame of a thousand years. When Christ comes, He sets up His kingdom and it will last for a thousand years. It’s a kingdom here on earth. A lot of people like to allegorize this, assuming that it doesn’t mean “a thousand” but how do you get around it because the phrase “a thousand years” is used six times in seven verses. What happens after the thousand years are completed?
Revelation 20:11-12a And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead… “The dead” here means the twice dead, the doubly dead. This does not mean everybody who dies because we have died, we have gone to heaven, but we are now coming back to earth with Jesus Christ. Kay believes that the rapture has already happened before this event (see 1 Thessalonians 4), thus we have already been caught up and are in heaven with Him and that we are coming with him to earth. Therefore we have had to have gotten up to heaven before this and are not the dead spoken of in these verses. We’re never called or referred to as “the dead”. The Bible says that when we die we are absent from the body and present with the Lord. The Bible calls us “just having gone to sleep” and waking up in the presence of Christ. But here with the great white throne, you have God upon the throne and the dead—small and great—standing before Him. Where did these small and great come from?
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. All this shame that they’ve cast up like foam. All these words they have said against the Holy One. All this money that they have gone after. All of this is being recorded in a book. The deeds are recorded in the book and they are going to be judged according to their deeds.
Revelation 20:13-14 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, When a man dies who does not know Jesus Christ, there is no second chance. He goes to a place called Hades, described in Luke 16, where the rich man and Lazarus went when they died. One side was hot and one side was great. The people on the hot side were in flames and torment. Kay believes that Hades was the holding place for all the dead: The cool side was for those who, in faith, looked forward to and believed in the coming of Messiah. But the others had a hot time in the old town. When they died, they were in flames and torment.
When Jesus Christ died on that cross, was buried and ascended to the Father, He was the first born from the dead and Kay believes that He cleaned out the cool side because nobody until Jesus went to heaven could die and go to heaven except Enoch and Elijah because they had never died. So Jesus brings them out, brings them to heaven. They are with Him and are going to come again with Jesus Christ. But the hot side is still getting fuller and fuller and having to enlarge itself. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. These people come out of Hades to stand before the great white throne. They’re judged for their deeds and they are cast into the lake of fire. Death and Hades are also cast into the lake of fire. Hades is not eternal but the lake of fire is.
Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. This is the eternal judgment. This is the eternal fire that is waiting for everyone whose name is not in the book of life.
Do your own study on this; don’t believe Kay just because she says it. Don’t quote Kay, quote the Bible. Who cares what Kay thinks, what does the word of God say? If you study it, though, you’ll see that everyone who is born has their name written in the book of life. When they do not get saved their names are erased out of it. Therefore when the books are opened, the book of life does not have their names. There are other books that record their deeds. In the Scriptures, it says, “Woe unto you Corazin, Capernaum. If the works that were done in you had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have repented. It’s going to be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than it is for Capernaum and Corazin and Bethsaida. Why? Because they have the Christ right in their presence. This is the justice of God. Kay believes there are degrees of punishment in the lake of fire. You haven’t studied that so you need to study it to form your own opinion because this is just Kay’s opinion.
Mark 9:43 And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. Here the word “hell” is “Gehenna” which is a reference to the lake of fire and he describes it as the unquenchable fire.
Mark 9:48 Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. In other words, this is a fire that does not consume you, does not burn you up so that you are no more therefore you don’t die. This is the destiny of every single person who does not know Jesus Christ. This is the judgment that was written beforehand that will come upon these ungodly men. This is the judgment that Enoch is talking about where all the ungodly will be judged for all their ungodly deeds done in all their ungodly ways and all the ungodly words they spoke. It is eternal, lasting, absolutely certain. If you say, “I don’t believe a loving God would do that,” you are deluded. You do not know the word of God and you do not listen to Jesus Christ because He spoke about hell more than He ever spoke about heaven. There is a judgment coming and He came to save you from that judgment and He will save you by grace, by unmerited favor, and all you need to do is to acknowledge that He is God, that He has complete authority over you and that He died for your sins and receive Him as your Lord and Savior and He will do the rest. He will transform you, move you from darkness into light, give you forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified. He will remember your sins no more. You will not be condemned. But otherwise, apart from Christ, he is the only ticket to heaven.
Isaiah 66:15-16 It’s hard to comprehend but you must remember that you will be with Jesus. You’ll have the mind and heart and understanding of God and therefore you will see that this is just and this is right. For behold, the LORD will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For the LORD will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by the LORD will be many. He’s talking about the coming of the Lord mentioned above in the Revelation 19.
Isaiah 66:22-24 For just as the new heavens and the new earth… After this great white throne judgment in Revelation 20, Revelation 21 tells you about a new heaven and a new earth. 2 Peter tells you that this present heaven and earth is destroyed by fire or that it is renovated or cleansed by fire and there is a brand new heaven and a brand new earth. In that new heaven and new earth, “For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me,” declares the LORD, “So your offspring (He’s speaking about Israel) and your name will endure. They are God’s chosen people. And the promises of God are “yea” and “amen”. “And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind (this is the saved now) will come to bow down before Me” says the LORD. “Then they shall go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind.” They will suffer eternal punishment.
Matthew 25:30, 41, 46 Here he talks about eternal life and eternal judgment—eternal fire. You not only have an everlasting life but an everlasting death. In one case you have one that’s wonderful and God wipes away every tear and there’s no more sorrow or tears or pain or death and the former things have all passed away. It’s all brand new, it’s all glorious. But then you have this eternal lake of fire. Everyone needs to know that everyone is eternal. Everyone is going to live eternally either eternally with life or eternally with death, eternally with bliss or eternally with hell and torment and judgment where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. And we and the mystery of God will be able to go and look at you—to see you.
Jude 16 Gives us more insight into these people with a detailed description: These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
Psalm 12:1-4 Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things; God’s going to cut off every flattering lip. who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our won; who is lord over us?” In other words, they manipulate with their words. This is what these ungodly men are like. Watch them—they are flatterers, but they are also grumblers and will stir up strife within the church. They will turn you against a godly pastor if you’re not careful, or they will turn you against godly people. They will align people to the side of evil.
After this, Jude finally turns to the beloved. In Jude 17-23 are these who are headed for eternal judgment—the ungodly—these who are fault-finders, grumblers, following after their own lusts, who have gone the way of Cain, who have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and seemingly gotten away with it but have perished in the rebellion of Korah. People who rebel against God always perish.
Jude 17-18 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” Jude has cited all these Old Testament illustrations but now he is pulling up New Testament reality. Not the Gnostics—it doesn’t matter what the Gnostics are saying. Listen to the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. What do the apostles say? Judgment is coming. Paul warned the elders about this. Paul is an apostle and calls himself such.
Acts 20:29-31 He’s talking to the Ephesian elders here. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among, you not sparing the flock. Where are they going to come in? Among you—they’re not going to spare the flock. And from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
1 Timothy 4:1 Paul warned his disciple: But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.
2 Timothy 3:1, 4:3 Paul warns Timothy again in these verses. But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; This is an apostle warning them about the mockers and deceitful people. John warned them in his epistle.
1 John 4:1, 5-6 John warned them that they were to try the spirits Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets had gone out into the world and he tells them in verses 5-6 that they are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. This is a good word to you: By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. When you preach the word and they don’t listen, you can know they are not from God.
Why does Jude turn to the beloved and why does he tell them to remember these warnings?
The Great Wall of China was only penetrated three times. Each time it was because guards were bribed. Do you realize that you are to be set for the defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ? You have been set as a watchman on the wall. The defense of the land does not rest solely on one’s weapons but it rests on the faithfulness of the people within that kingdom—on the zeal, the determination, the willingness to martyr themselves for the kingdom that they want to preserve. You are on the wall and you need to know that mockers are coming in the last days.
2 Peter 2; 3:3-4 Peter warns them about the false prophets. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” “You’ve been hearing about the second coming of Jesus Christ all this time but it’s not going to happen. Where’s the promise of His coming? It’s not here, is it? You’ve been waiting and the church has been waiting. Forget it—it’s not coming. Just make this earth better. Just get a higher knowledge and live this way.” So they warned and after this warning:
2 Peter 3:10-12 The day of the Lord will come like a thief… You don’t know when it’s coming, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! So what does he say to them?
2 Peter 3:17-18 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men… Those ungodly men that have come in. you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. He says to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Now Jude gives one more brief description of the ungodly ones:
Jude 19 Now what are they to do? He gives another description of the ungodly ones: These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. They don’t have the Spirit of God inside them. Then Jude turns to the beloved again and says, “But you, beloved, remember the apostles said that mockers are coming.”
Jude 20-21 But, you, beloved, (a contrast again) building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. Jude is telling them to keep (the main verb) themselves in the love of God. Now that’s an aorist, active, imperative. It’s a command. You say, “How do I keep myself in the love of God?” You do it by building yourself up in your most holy faith as it says in 2 Peter, growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why we’re studying the word of God together and spending this time to discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. These are present, active participles Jude uses when he says: Praying (a present, middle participle) in the Spirit. You must give yourself to two things:
1. The word of God, and
2. Prayer.
The word of God and prayer. A dog can do without a leg. So can a cat. They can get around on three. But a bird can’t fly without two wings and you need two wings: prayer and the word of God. So you build yourselves up: You’re praying in the Holy Spirit, then you’re waiting for Him. Think of a bird soaring with its two wings—soaring on prayer and looking to the heavens and waiting on the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s what he calls us to do. Why? Because it is a purifying hope. We don’t know what we will be like but we know that when we see Him we shall be like Him and everyone who has this hope within himself purifies himself even as He is pure. So “called, beloved, kept of God”. What does he want you to do? He wants you to keep yourself in the love of God. To build yourself up in your most holy faith. To keep on praying in the Holy Spirit, letting the Holy Spirit make intercession for you while you wait anxiously for that eternal life that is going to come by the mercy of God. He has one more task for you and that is to rescue those in danger—those who are perishing.
Jude 22-23 Have mercy on some, who are doubting. Jude uses present tense. Save others. Snatch them out of the fire. The doubting could be those sitting in church who are being led astray by the ungodly. Those that you are snatching out of the fire are those who are headed for hell. You’re warning them to flee from the wrath to come. You’re giving them the gospel and letting them know the alternative, which is the judgment of God. Have mercy on some, who are doubting; and save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. These people are in deep sin and you must be careful when you have mercy on them that they don’t draw you into that sin. You therefore must make sure that you hate, absolutely hate, sin but that you love the sinner. You need to keep having mercy. Why? Because you are looking, waiting anxiously, for the mercy of God. What brought you to God? It’s mercy, and you’re to have mercy on them.
There’s a series called Let’s Ask God that you can use to rescue the perishing. Just write to Precepts Ministries and ask about it. Jude closes this book with this awesome benediction:
Jude 24-25 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority,… He wants to make sure you don’t miss it: It’s authority. True salvation is coming under the authority of Jesus Christ—authority before all time, forever and ever. There is judgment coming for the ungodly but not for you. Instead you have this God-breathed benediction. This God-breathed promise. Don’t you want others to have it also? Don’t you want others to know God? Then do your work. Appeal earnestly—contend earnestly—for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. And rescue the perishing.
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