by Gary L. Evans
(revised 8/2/2023)
Epistle of Jude — Part 1
Jud 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
Jude, the author of this letter, was also called Judas. His brother was named, James, who later became converted to Christ and worked with The Apostles, but was not the same as the Lord’s Disciple, James.
The word “sanctified” in Jude 1:1 is from the Greek “hag-ee-ad’-zo” which means “to make holy, that is, (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate.”
The word “preserved” is from “tay-reh’-o” which means “to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfil a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried).”
Jude is writing this letter to those who have been called out of this world and made holy or set apart by God The Father and preserved in their obedience to Christ Jesus. Using Paul’s frequent analogy, our Lord’s protection guards us from becoming married, since we are to remain as chaste virgins while waiting for our Husband to return, such that we do not allow ourselves to be seduced by That Old Serpent, Satan, The Devil.
Jud 1:2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
The word “mercy” is from “el’-eh-os” which means “compassion (human or divine, especially active).”
The word “peace” is from “i-rah’-nay” which means “peace (literally or figuratively); by implication prosperity.”
The word “love” is from “ag-ah’-pay” which means “love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast.”
Jude offers Divine Compassion, Peace and Prosperity, and Loving Affection for us from our Lord.
Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
The word “salvation” is from “so-tay-ree’-ah” which means “rescue or safety (physically or morally).”
The word “contend” is from “ep-ag-o-nid’-zom-ahee” which means “to struggle for.”
The word “faith” is from “pis’-tis” which means “persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction.”
The word “saints” is from “hag’-ee-os” which means “sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated).”
In writing about our rescue and subsequent safety in Christ, Jude found it necessary to warn us that we must struggle for our persuasion and conviction of the things we believe which our Lord taught to His disciples, who were those He set-aside from all other people in this world during those days.
Jud 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The word “lasciviousness” is from “as-elg’-i-a” which means “licentiousness (sometimes including other vices),” in other words contempt of the just restraints of law, morality and decorum. Such behavior was historically an integral part of all of the various pagan idolatries.
The word “denying” is from “ar-neh’-om-ahee” which means “to contradict, that is, disavow, reject, abnegate.”
Jude’s warning is about men who sneak into assemblies without notice, who were predestined to teach such ungodly foolishness since before the destruction of The First Earth Age. Unbelievers would not be a threat for Christians but in the context these men pretend to be Christians also, while teaching contradictions to The Word of God. So such men are a very serious threat to any Christian who might be deceived by them.
Jude is warning us about The First Seal and those many antichrists that Jesus said would come deceiving many in His Name.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Epistle of Jude — Part 2
Jud 1:5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
Jude is referring to when The Lord led the children of Israel out of Egypt and how they became afraid after their spies returned from searching The Promised Land.
Num 14:1-3 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
Some were trying to stir up a mob against Moses and Aaron.
Num 14:4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Some wanted to lead a rebellion against Moses and select a new leader to take them back into slavery in Egypt.
Num 14:5-7 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
But Joshua and Caleb, who were among the scouts that had searched the land, tried to encourage the people to keep their faith in The Lord that He would prepare the way for them.
Num 14:8-9 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
They gave a good report that the pagans in those lands would be easy to conquer with The Lord on their side.
Num 14:10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
Some then tried to stir up a mob to stone Joshua and Caleb, which caused The Lord to become angry.
Num 14:11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
Then The Lord complained to Moses that He had lost His patience with those people who refused to believe, even after being witnesses of all of the miracles He had performed in Egypt.
Num 14:22-23 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
The Lord passed judgment on all of the unfaithful people, that they would not be allowed to enter into The Promised Land.
Num 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
But Caleb (and Joshua) would go into The Land because they had given good reports and tried to encourage the people.
Num 14:26-29 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
All of the unbelieving adults would die in the wilderness.
Num 14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Jude wants us to remember what happened to the children of Israel who had no faith and rebelled against The Lord in the wilderness. There is an important lesson for us today in what happened to them. They all died without receiving The Promise.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Epistle of Jude — Part 3
Jud 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
The “angels who left their own habitation” are The Fallen Angels. They have been imprisoned in never ending restraints for what they have done. What did they do? The “chains” that hold them are “under darkness.” Darkness symbolizes Satan’s deception, therefore those angels are captivated by Satan’s deception and cannot escape. They cannot ever inherit Eternal Life, but instead wait for The Judgment on The Day of The Lord, which is The Millennial Reign of Christ. Note that angels are sons of God.
Gen 6:1-2 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Those “sons of God” came to earth and took the female descendants of The Man Adam as wives, because they thought they were very pretty. That is how they left their “first condition” and their “own habitations” which were in Heaven with The Father. There is another reason they did that, to prevent the birth of The Promised Messiah, since it would be impossible for Him to come if all of Adam’s offspring were defiled.
Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
And the results of their marriages with flesh women were the giants of ancient times before The Flood of Noah. And those giants became very famous all over the world, founding the historic reality behind the old traditions passed down from generations about the ancient “gods,” even the “gods” of Greece and Rome, all of which were worshiped by pagans for thousands of years before as “gods.” That is what The Fallen Angels did and why they are condemned to Satan’s deception without escape.
Num 13:25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
The scouts returned from searching The Promised Land.
Num 13:26-28 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
The name “Anak” is best understood from Smith’s Bible Dictionary.
An’akim. (long-necked). A race of giants, descendants of Arba, Jos_15:13; Jos_21:11, dwelling in the southern part of Canaan, and particularly at Hebron, which from their progenitor received the name of “city of Arba.” Anak was the name of the race rather than that of an individual. Jos_14:15.
The race appears to have been divided into three tribes or families, bearing the names Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. Though the war-like appearance of the Anakim had struck the Israelites with terror in the time of Moses, Num_13:28; Deu_9:2, they were nevertheless dispossessed by Joshua, Jos_11:21-22, and their chief city, Hebron, became the possession of Caleb. Jos_15:14; Jdg_1:20. After this time, they vanish from history.
The Fallen Angels came to earth again later in an attempt to stop The Children of Israel from entering into The Promised Land. The evidence of their intervention was the giants of those lands.
1Sa 17:4-7 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
Now we are given a close-up of one of these giants. David, while only in his youth, killed the giant named Goliath with a sling shot. That giant was one of the last recorded in The Scripture. However secular history records sightings of giants among various races of mankind all over the world, including North America among the American Indians.
So it seems that The Fallen Angels busied themselves attempting to defile all races of man. They literally tried to stop God’s Plan of Salvation for His children.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Epistle of Jude — Part 4
Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
The word “fornication” is from the Greek “ek-porn-yoo’-o” which means “to be utterly unchaste.” The phrase “going after strange flesh” refers to sexual perversion, homosexuality and bestiality. Such perverse behaviors defile the Image of God.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Sexual perversion has always been an integral component of Satanism in all of its idolatrous forms. Once instilled if not restrained, a society gradually degenerates into all forms of lawlessness, such that normal men and women suffer oppression while trying to make an honest living and raise their families. Such was the case in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Gen 18:20-22 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
Two angels had visited Abraham to speak to him about The Promises that The Lord had made to him. And The Lord also explained about the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah and how it was so terrible that He would need to intervene.
Gen 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
These two angels had been sent by The Lord to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness.
Gen 19:2-3 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
Lot was a righteous man, and the nephew of Abraham, and brought the angels into his house for the night because it was too dangerous in the streets at night.
Gen 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
Both old men and young men from all over the city gathered around Lot’s house. They were up to no good.
Gen 19:5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
The word “know” in context is used euphemistically to mean “have sex with.” So the mob of men demanded that Lot send out the two strangers that had just come into town so that they could gang rape them. Note that angels look just like men, in fact, our flesh bodies are made in the image of our angelic bodies. So the men of Sodom did not know that these men were angels.
Gen 19:6-8 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
The custom of ancient times was that when one invited guests into his house, his protection covered them from harm, even to the loss of his own family and his own life if necessary. This was called a “covenant of salt,” sealed by breaking bread together.
Gen 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
The men of Sodom were in such a demonic frenzy that they tried to break down the door to Lot’s house to get to those men.
Gen 19:10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
The angels pulled Lot back into the house and closed the door.
Gen 19:11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
The angels blinded the men of Sodom, but even after that they became even more inflamed with sexual passion for the two strangers and continued trying to get through the door. The next morning, they managed to send Lot and his family out of the city and to a nearby town.
Gen 19:23-25 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
So The Lord destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone such that nothing remained.
Jude is making a point using this historic event as an example for us. Our Lord’s Judgment against sin is final.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.
Epistle of Jude — Part 5
Jud 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
The word “defile” is from the Greek “me-ah’ee-no” which means “to sully or taint, that is, contaminate (ceremonially or morally).”
The word “dominion” is from “koo-ree-ot’-ace” which means “mastery, that is, (concretely and collectively) rulers.”
The word “dignities” is from “dox’-ah” which means “glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literally or figuratively, objectively or subjectively).”
The antichrists that have managed to get into the assemblies without notice are filthy minded, and despise those who have mastered the understanding of God’s Word, and speak against people that magnify The Lord’s Glory through their service.
Jud 1:9 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.
Even Michael the archangel did not accuse Satan when they argued about the body of Moses. So if Michael is careful not to make any accusation, how should we be quick to accuse? But antichrists make false accusations against God’s Elect.
Jud 1:10 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.
The antichrists speak against things they do not understand, which is to be expected because they do not understand God’s Word even though they falsely claim to be experts.
The word “corrupt” is from “fthi’-ro” which means “properly to shrivel or wither, that is, to spoil (by any process) or (genitive) to ruin (especially figuratively by moral influences, to deprave).”
And in the things which they can barely understand their minds become ruined with depravity.
Jud 1:11 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.
There is Eternal punishment awaiting them, because they are following in the murderous ways of Cain and have dedicated their lives to making profits from their religious speaking and think it a small thing to exalt themselves above The Elect of God.
Gen 4:3-5 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Whatever Cain brought to The Lord as an offering, it was not good. But Abel, his brother, brought an offering that pleased God, and because of that, Cain became angry and hated his brother.
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And Cain killed his brother, because his brother’s works were good, while his were of unacceptable quality.
Num 22:4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
The Children of Israel were moving through The Promised Land and conquering one city after another. Nothing could stop them.
Num 22:5-6 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
So Balak, the king of Moab, sent to the prophet Balaam to prophesy against Israel so that they would not be a threat to him. Note that in his apostate mind, he imagined that all prophesy was based on divination of demonic spirits, and therefore was merely a form of witchcraft that could have power over enemies.
Num 22:7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
So the messengers brought the proposal to Balaam that he pronounce curses against Israel. And they carried with them money to pay him for his services if he accepted.
Jude implies that what Balaam decided to do is like what many antichrists do to make money.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.