Another Bible Commentary: Jude

This is a letter to Jewish Christians to warn them about the false teachers that Peter predicted in 2 Peter 2. The flavor of their heresy based on what we see in 2 Timothy 2, 1 Corinthians 15, and 2 Peter 3 is that they were saying, more or less, “the General Resurrection either already happened or isn’t going to happen, so swap wives with us and pay us money instead of the Church so we can party.” John wrote to a Jewish Christian audience, too, and looking ahead to Revelation we can hypothesize that false teachers predicted in 2 Peter 2 (that were or were similar to “Jezebel” and the Nicolaitans) were encouraging their congregations to get Roman jobs by agreeing to worship the Emperor and participating in pagan activities with the trade guilds. Guild feasts were like labor union fraternity parties including activities like drinking blood to become like false gods, worshiping idols, and having sex with temple prostitutes (Acts 15:20). Jude is a brother of James the Just, a son of Joseph, and a half-brother of Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3), but remember that Jesus’ spiritual family members are superior to fleshly family members (2 Corinthians 5:16, Mark 3:31-35, Luke 11:27-28). Jesus’ real family is the faithful.

1 See the above introduction for Jude’s background. We are called, loved, and kept for Jesus.

2 Amen, thanks to what Jesus did for us.

3 Jude was all set to write a classic of systematic theology like Romans or Hebrews, but instead, all we have of his writings is a reiteration of Peter’s warnings as the events came to pass. The important thing God has for you to do might not look like what you think it does.

4 This verse is in the present tense. Peter’s warnings came true. Many things come to mind when we read words like “immorality”, and Galatians 5 includes the easily-forgotten out-of-bounds anger and divisiveness. The “ungodly” people are godless unbelievers. Jesus is everyone’s Lord, whether they kneel to Him or not. The false teachers Peter warned of are Christ deniers (2 John 7-9), they say He’s not coming back (2 Peter 3:3-4), they don’t believe in resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12,32), etc. They interpreted Christ’s grace in delaying the end of all things and allowing more time for evangelism (2 Peter 3:9) as proof they could do anything they wanted (as in Jeremiah 23:14-24). I know this is the context, because the next few verses are about God not failing to act.

5 in Numbers 14 and Psalm 95. Believing in Jesus is the key; not everyone who ate manna in the wilderness made it to the Promised Land, but all who eat the Bread of Heaven are saved (John 6:54-58).

6 This section about sources outside the Bible is offered in the spirit of understanding what was on the reading list of Jude’s audience and not an endorsement of the non-canonical books as a whole. The Book of Enoch (quoted by Jude and considered canonical in the Ethiopian Church) says the fallen angels or Watchers that mated with human women (a boundary crossing “strange flesh” pairing like bestiality) in Genesis 6 also taught humanity skills like making weapons, cosmetics, written communication, meteorology, astrology, etc. The Book of Enoch says that these angels are imprisoned until the end of the world for their crimes. The gods and monsters of mythology are acknowledged as having existed, but they were nephilim (offspring of angels and humans). These hybrid children drowned in the Flood and allegedly became the possessing demons seen in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. In the non-canonical Book of Jubilees, 90% of the fallen Watchers were locked up due to a prayer by the righteous Noah. We were divided into 70 “nations” or people-groups with ancestors listed in Genesis 10 under the watchful gaze of angels (Deuteronomy 32:8), elsewhere called Watchers. The remaining allegedly 10% of free Watchers remained in service to Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4), accounting for the spirit prince that Michael (the not-fallen angel that represents God’s people in the heavenly court) fights in Daniel 10:13. These Watchers are the focus of Ephesians 3:10-11 and Ephesians 6:12. I just described the angelic “government” to help this make sense; Christ is above all of that (Colossians 1:16-17, Matthew 28:18).

7 in Genesis 19.

8-9 See Jeremiah 23:25-32. There is no shortage even now of “mystics” claiming to hear audible whispers from the Holy Spirit that they claim should supersede Scripture, but even dreaming of better jobs from collaborating with the Romans would work here. The dreamers here are false teachers, not Paul (2 Peter 3:15). Several scenarios about the abusers of celestial beings were covered in the 2 Peter 2:10-11 note. Back in Amos 2:1-3, Moab’s listed crime was disrespectfully burning the bones of another ruler under God’s judgment of fire (Amos 1:11-12) and they were promised more fire, so let God judge even the devils. Since Michael refrained from disrespecting or rebuking the devil in his own name (from a Jewish book, the Testament of Moses), then no one should mock Christ’s “late” return. For a similar rebuke, see Zechariah 3:1-2. Some traditions identify Michael as Jesus, but Jesus is able to rebuke evil beings on His own authority. Jude quoting part of a non-canonical book does not mean that the rest of that book is guaranteed to be inspired, much like Paul quoting Gentile poets (Acts 17:28, 1 Corinthians 15:33), or a Cretan philosopher (Titus 1:12-13), or a recontextualized quote from one of Job’s “friends” (1 Corinthians 3:19, Job 5:13).

10 Sounds like Judges 21:25 and the logical product of Acts 23:8. Epicureanism and/or proto-Gnosticism via Hellenization didn’t have to add much.

11 Cain killed his brother (Genesis 4), Balaam led the Hebrews into idolatry and sexual immorality (Numbers 23 through Numbers 25, Numbers 31:16), and Korah tried to usurp God’s chosen leadership (Numbers 16). Murder, idolatry, and sexual immorality are the three big pikuach nefesh exceptions. Korah was a Levite but not of Aaronic descent. Be what you are called to be. Seems an odd mix, right? What would doing as you please to obtain greater status in that society (collaborating with those who were killing Christians, worshiping false gods, engaging in ritual sex, and drinking blood) look like portrayed with a pile of Old Testament references, though? It all comes together.

12 Notice that they eat with believers but they are not believers. They’re happy to profit from the flock like 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. They lack the Holy Spirit (Jude 19). See Proverbs 25:14 and Isaiah 32:6.

13-14 in the non-canonical Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 1:9 through 1 Enoch 2). Again, Jude quoting part of a non-canonical book does not mean that the rest of that book is guaranteed to be inspired. See also Zechariah 14:5.

15 “everyone” is all humanity, living and dead, but believers are done being judged (John 5:24, 1 John 2:1, Hebrews 7:25). He convicts “them”, the ungodly sinners.

16 Korah was a grumbler and a fault-finder. See also 2 Timothy 4:3-4. There are some who will say that this is what I’m doing (by pointing directly at the Scriptures), but in context these were proto-Gnostics proud of their secret knowledge that puffed people up with talk of “Christ consciousness”, a humanistic self-worth as a substitute for the new birth allegedly available through their own secret teachings rather than humbly admitting being an undeserving sinner in need of grace. Keep praying to guard believers from heresy.

17-18 in 2 Peter 3:3.

19 They lack the Holy Spirit, which means they lack belief in Christ (Galatians 3:2,5).

20-21 Focus on being totally loved by God as proven in the sacrifice of Jesus and wait for Him to bring you to Heaven, which He will definitely do, instead of trying to get there with Gnosticism or compromising with Rome.

22-23 See the “doubters” and the “others” and the other “others”. The “doubters” aren’t damned; many believers go through some bad seasons, but He is still the Savior (2 Timothy 2:13). The first “others” are garden variety unbelievers in need of Jesus; they’re the only ones with a fire problem. The last “others” are believers who have been confused by heresy that Jude advises us to bring back, being careful not to contract proto-Gnosticism. This goes for restoring any sinner gently; it’s hard not to be judgmental of the judgmental, for instance.

24-25 You are blameless in God’s presence because of the finished work of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:22). You are sealed with the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22), He will make you stand (Romans 14:4), He will finish what He started (Philippians 1:6), He helps you do what you should do and also want to do what you should do (Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 13:20-21), and it is promised that those that love Him will keep His commands (John 14:15). Do you feel safe yet?