Jude

DAYS OF APOSTASY

Now the days of apostasy are in full swing. Please be cheered by the fact that the gates of Hell will not prevail against those who are the gathering, known commonly as the church. I suspect that upwards of 5 to 25 people may read this, but that is not the point. My hope is that one person will read some of what I write and understand well enough to find out more and pass the fact that a full frontal assault upon the Faith of those who follow Jesus Christ is in earnest in the world. 135 million people were eradicated in the 20^th century because secular humanists thought the world would be better off without traces of Judaism and Christianity. Now it is upon our shores here in the United States. I do not know if the kind of persecution that is going on right now across the planet will touch people here that follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I include Jews in this observation because of three things. Jews believe in the God Yahweh and He gave the direct revelation of Himself to mankind through the Jews. The second reason is that prophecy says that Jews will be persecuted. The third reason is that it has started in Europe in earnest with personal and property damage and the assaults and accusations have begun here in the United States. I know that the falling away may stall and revival may stall it. If this is the case, then the coming persecution may be delayed.

By the way, this is not a matter of blaming secularists or humanists. The indictment is against those who say that they follow Jesus Christ, against those who say that they are Jews. The judgment is against us, not the secularists or humanists. I am of the opinion that those who oppose God will be used as an instrument of judgment against us all until we are snatched up in the clouds by the Lord Jesus in conformance with His plan of Salvation as promised in the Old and New Testaments. My great hope is Jesus and His forgiveness. I am not looking for forgiveness from secularists and humanists. The virulent hatred of Christians and Jews by pagans and those opposed to God is expected both from a scriptural standpoint of record and an historical record. I find it interesting that some pagans claim that the Bible is all lies and that Christians are enemies. I have noticed that just speaking the truth incenses some of them.

Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Jude 8-25 (KJV)

The Enoch of Genesis 5:24 is seventh from Adam if Adam is counted as first. In vv. 14, 15, Jude quotes almost verbatim from a popular apocryphal work, the Book of Enoch or 1 Enoch. In doing so Jude does not imply that 1 Enoch is divinely inspired or that it was written by Enoch himself (Genesis 5:24). The source he uses was familiar to his readers and would be useful for confirming his theme of coming divine judgment on the ungodly. The quotation from 1 Enoch, in agreement with a host of Old Testament prophecies such as Daniel 7:9, 10 and Zechariah 14:3–5, teaches that God will come with His heavenly hosts to judge the wicked, and Jude is justified in applying this biblical idea to his specific situation.¹

We live in days of apostasy. These are the last days that were spoken of by Jude and Enoch. J. Vernon McGee delineates what we must do in these last days.

WHAT BELIEVERS MUST DO IN DAYS OF APOSTASY

Now having described the apostasy that was coming and the apostates who would come into the church, Jude mentions seven things which believers can do in days like these in which you and I are living.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.

Jude 20

"But ye beloved"—he is talking to believers, those beloved of God. What can we do today?

1. "Building up yourselves on your most holy faith." What does he mean by that? Well, building up yourselves on your most holy faith means that you study the Word of God. It is my conviction that since God gave to us sixty-six books, He meant that we are to study all sixty-six of them—not just John 3 or John 14 and other favorite passages. Oh, how many Bible classes go over and over the same books: John, Romans, maybe Ephesians, and they don’t miss Revelation. Do not misunderstand me, all those books are very important, but what about the other sixty-two books? Why don’t we study all of them? My friend, if you are going to build up yourself on your most holy faith, you must have the total Word of God. You cannot build a house without a foundation; then you will need to put up some timbers that will hold the roof; then you are going to need a roof on it and siding and plaster on the inside. And this is what the total Word of God will do for you. This is what we are to do in days of apostasy.

Both Peter and Paul urged believers to study the Word of God in days like these. Paul wrote in his swan song: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed …" (II Timothy 2:15). Then in the next chapter Paul said that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. My friend, the recourse that you and I have as children of God in these days is the Word of God.

The reason many folk fall by the wayside is because the seed (which is the Word of God) fell among stones. It didn’t get deeply rooted. Unless you study all of the Word of God, get down in the good, rich soil, you are not going to become a sturdy, healthy plant. It won’t be long until you will be stepped on and the sun will burn you out. You will not be able to stand in days like these.

Peter in his second epistle, writing of the apostasy, says, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation" (II Peter 1:19–20). You cannot just pull out one or two little verses and think you have a good knowledge of the Bible. It is a tragedy to build a system of doctrine based on a few isolated verses drawn out of the Scriptures.

This reminds me of the story of President Lincoln having his portrait painted. The artist kept shifting Lincoln around trying to get him at an angle so the wart on his face wouldn’t show. Finally, after he had him adjusted to his satisfaction, he said, "Mr. Lincoln, how do you want me to paint you?" Lincoln said, "Paint me just as I am—wart and all."

My friend, certainly there are parts of the Word of God that you will not enjoy reading. There are sections that will step on your toes, and you would like to avoid that. But today it is necessary to build up ourselves on our most holy faith because these are days of apostasy.

"Your most holy faith" does not refer to your own personal faith. Rather, it is the faith, the body of truth which has been given to us in the Word of God. When the church first came into existence, this was called the apostles’ doctrine. Of this Mayor says:

The faith here is called ‘most holy’ because it comes to us from God, and reveals God to us, and because it is by its means that man is made righteous, and enabled to overcome the world.

2."Praying in the Holy Ghost." Jude mentions the second thing we are to do in days of apostasy. The word Ghost is the Greek pneuma, more frequently translated "Spirit." "Praying in the Holy Spirit" is an unusual phrase, occurring at only one other place in the Scriptures. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul mentions putting on the whole armor of God, and each piece of armor is for defense with the exception of two items. One offensive weapon is "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Ephesians 6:18). The second offensive weapon was mentioned in verse 17, "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." This is precisely what Jude writes. First, we are to build up ourselves on our most holy faith; then we need to pray in the Spirit.

Many years ago in Dallas, Texas, there was a very fine man, Mr. Will Hawkins, who had a radio program which he called "The Radio Revival." I do not know of any program during the Depression and afterwards that influenced people more than his program did. One of the features of his radio broadcast was what he called a sword drill, a test of the knowledge of the Word of God, and I thought it was about the best way it could be used. My friend, you and I need a sword drill; that is, we need to listen to God first before He has to listen to us, because we could say a lot of foolish things. We are to take the sword of the Spirit, because we need to build up ourselves in the faith—we should learn to use that sword.

Praying in the Holy Spirit is a little different from handing God a grocery list of "Gimme, gimme, gimme." Don’t misunderstand me, petition, as it is called in theology, is a part of prayer. But how about praise and how about worship? Our prayer should include adoration and praise to almighty God. Dr. Earl Radmacher once told me about directing a prayer meeting in a church he pastored. The prayer meetings had been pretty dead, as most church prayer meetings are, unfortunately. They should be the real powerhouse of the church body, but they usually are not. One night Dr. Radmacher announced that they were not going to have any requests but only praise and thanksgiving to God for what He had done for them. Dr. Radmacher said that it turned out to be the briefest prayer meeting they had ever had! It is amazing how few things we thank God for and how little praise goes up to Him. However, petition is certainly important, and prayer that includes that is a real ministry. When Paul asked the Christians in Rome to pray for him, he wrote: "Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me" (Romans 15:30). The word for "strive" is agonize. We are to pray like that.

Praying in the Holy Spirit means that we pray by means of the Holy Spirit; we are dependent upon Him. Paul wrote in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." You and I actually do not know what to pray for. We are like little children. When I take my little grandson to the store, he wants everything he sees. He asks for things that he shouldn’t even have because they would not be good for him. Then I think, That’s just the way we pray. We are like little children: "Lord, I want this—Lord, give me that." God doesn’t always give us what we want. Why doesn’t He? Because when we pray like that, we are not praying in the Spirit. We need to learn to let the Holy Spirit make intercession for us.

Years ago a missionary in Venezuela sent me a little cross on which was printed a definition of prayer: "Prayer is the Holy Spirit speaking in the believer, through Christ, to the Father." That is a very good definition of prayer.

My friend, we need to learn to pray. No wonder the disciples, having heard the Lord Jesus pray and thinking of their own little paltry prayers, said, "Lord, teach us to pray" (see Luke 11:1). Many of us need that, but there is very little instruction today about learning to pray. Yet we need to learn to really pray in these days of apostasy.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life [Jude 21].

This verse gives us two more things we as believers are to do in days of apostasy.

3. "Keep yourselves in the love of God." We need to recognize that God loves the believer. We have seen that Jude addresses the believers as "beloved." Let me repeat—this does not imply that he loves them or that they love him but that they are beloved of God. Again, let me say that you cannot keep God from loving you, although you can put up an umbrella or a roof so that you will not feel the warmth of God’s love. Jude is saying, "Keep yourselves out there in the sunshine of God’s love." Let His love flood your heart and life. This is needed in days of apostasy.

4. "Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." There was a man here in Southern California, a professor in a seminary, whom I had asked to preach in the church I served, and someone questioned that he really believed in the rapture of the church. So I had lunch with him and asked him this specific question: "Do you believe in the imminent coming of Christ?"

"I do."

"On what basis do you believe that He will take the church out? That is, on what grounds do you and I expect to be taken out at the time of the Rapture?"

He said very definitely, "I was saved because God extended mercy to me, and when He takes me out of the world at the time of the Rapture, it still will be by the mercy of God."

That is a good answer, and it cleared up all doubts of his position on the rapture of the church.

My friend, as we have seen, the mercy of God is the fact that God has a concern and care for you today. And He has an abundance—He is rich in mercy. He was so concerned about you that He extended His mercy to you and saved you by His grace.

Notice that Jude says, "Looking for the mercy." The word looking is the Greek word prosdechomai, meaning "to expect, to wait for." The Lord Jesus wants us to live in an attitude of expectation for His return. At the time of the Rapture, I am expecting to leave this world, and I hope it will happen during my lifetime. But I will be going out because of His mercy, not because of who I am. If it depended upon who I am, I wouldn’t make it.

When I first went to Nashville, Tennessee, there was a very fine Bible class there that had been taught the theory of a partial rapture; that is, that only the super-duper saints would go out at the Rapture. They were a wonderful group of folk, and they supported my ministry in Nashville. I even had the privilege of teaching the class several times. However, in talking with some of them, especially the leaders, they made it clear that they expected to go out at the time of the Rapture because they were the super-duper saints, but I had the feeling that they weren’t sure about me. Well, I want them and everyone else to know that when the Lord takes the church out, I’m going along—whether you like it or not—because I am looking for that mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now notice Dr. Wuest’s translation of verse 21:

With watchful care keep yourselves within the sphere of God’s love, expectantly looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ resulting in life eternal.

And of some have compassion, making a difference.

Jude 22

5. "Of some have compassion." There is some question among Greek scholars as to the correct translation of this verse. Instead of "making a difference," I prefer the rendering "who are in doubt." There are a great many good, sincere folk today who are in doubt. They do have honest doubts, and we need to be patient with them. Being in the ministry I have had some difficulty in being patient with some folk. I remember a woman who came to our midweek Bible study in a church I served many years ago. Every week for six weeks she came to me with some question. I had the feeling that she was trying to trap me or trick me with her questions, and one night I answered her so sharply that she turned and walked out. The woman who always came with her was a member of my church, and she came to me afterward and said, "Dr. McGee, be patient with her. She is a very brilliant woman. In fact, she is listed in Who’s Who. But she has been in practically every cult here in Southern California, and she is really mixed up. Now she is trying to find her way out. Will you be patient with her?" Well, knowing her background, of course, I was patient after that and answered her questions the best I could. About three months later she accepted Christ as her Savior. I had a wonderful letter after she had returned to Ohio in which she told how the Lord was leading her.

My friend, we are living in days when there is so much doubt cast upon the Word of God that those who really want to believe it have problems in doing so. We do well to be patient with them—they are honest doubters.

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Jude 23

6. "And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire" refers to sinners whom we consider hopeless. It seems impossible that they will ever be saved. And yet I have seen some of these folk come to know Christ by hearing God’s Word by radio. Jude admonishes us not to give them up—"others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire." What a tremendous statement!

In Zechariah 3:2 we read this: "And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" When God intended to save Jerusalem, He said, "I am just taking a brand out of the fire." Apparently there is no one who is beyond redemption, if they want to be saved.

7. "Hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." The word flesh refers to the psychological part of man, the part of man that can go only so far. It can, for example, appreciate good music, but it cannot be acceptable to God. There have been attempts to come up with the right word for this psychological part of man. The word soul is not adequate because it doesn’t express what it should. Some call it the selfish part of man. That is not a good definition because some psychological people are very generous although they are not Christian. Others speak of it as the animal, which is even worse. Although these people generally attempt to satisfy the lower nature, animal is not the proper word. Still others call them intellectual, which is the worst one of all. Lange, in his Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, attempts to adequately describe these folk:

He is becoming flesh, wholly carnal or animal. If allowed to continue he will become utterly dehumanized, or that worst of all creatures, an animal with a reason, but wholly fleshly in its ends and exercises, or with a reason which is but the servant of the flesh, making him worse than the most ferocious wild beast—a very demon—a brutal nature with a fiend’s subtlety only employed to gratify such brutality. Man has the supernatural, and this makes the awful peril of his state. By losing it, or rather by its becoming degraded to be a servant instead of a lord, he falls wholly into nature, where he cannot remain stationary, like the animal who does not "leave the habitation to which God first appointed him." The higher being, thus utterly fallen, must sink into the demonic, where evil becomes his god, if not, as Milton says, his good.

The fact is that the child of God should hate "even the garment spotted by the flesh." God cannot use anything that the flesh produces. Everything that Vernon McGee does in the flesh is repulsive to God; He hates it. And we should learn to hate it.

This little Epistle of Jude closes with a glorious benediction.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Jude 24–25

Let me give you a literal translation:

Now unto him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you (make you stand) before the presence of his glory blameless with great rejoicing, to the only wise God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and majesty and might and authority, before all time both now and forever. Amen.

If you want to know the place that Jesus Christ should have in your life, especially in these days of apostasy, here it is in this marvelous benediction.

"Through Jesus Christ our Lord"—He is God. And He is our Lord; He should be the Lord of our lives. Glory should be given to Him. We should glorify Him, tell how great He is, how wonderful He is, how mighty He is and mighty to save. He is majestic, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is mighty—all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth. This universe has not slipped from under His control. All authority belongs to Him, and whether you like it or not, you are going to bow the knee to Him someday.

In these days of apostasy, God’s children need to bring glory to the name of Jesus Christ and to try to hold Him up before a gainsaying world.²

References

(KJV) The Holy Bible, The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

¹Luder Whitlock, Jr., executive director; R. C. Sproul, general editor, New Geneva study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ^©1995 by Foundation for Reformation.