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THE BOOK OF
JUDE
For some time we studied
together on the "Bible Nuggets" Page the brief Epistle of Jude.
In that time we covered every
verse in the Book. There are only twenty five!
I have here on this "Jude"
Page reproduced each of those studies. Therefore we have
here a "commentary" on the General Epistle of Jude.
If this material proves to be
a help to someone's spiritual growth ... it will be worth all
the effort involved.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
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Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth.
II Timothy 2:15
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JUDE, VERSE 1:
May I briefly mention
something to you today from the book of Jude. (Next to
last Book of the Bible) It's found in verse 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 1) Now there
are several "nuggets" in this verse alone! Let's take them
one at a time.
First, the
name "Jude" jumps out at us! It is a shortened form of the
name "Judas!" It is believed that this Jude is one who was
raised in the same home as Jesus. (Mark 6:3) After
Mary and Joseph were married (and after Jesus was born ... for
His Birth was a Virgin Birth) they apparently had other
children. One of these was Jude (another was James).
What I'm telling you is common well-known doctrine in
fundamental circles. With such a background, this child
still had to carry the name Jude (Judas)! Judas is the disciple who
betrayed Jesus! Do you know any children today named
Judas? Yet .. somehow Jude did not let his name (with all
its "baggage") get him down! He overcame all that and went
on to be a godly man for Christ! (Friend, with the Lord's
help, you can do the same! Forget what's behind you!
Put it under the Blood of Jesus! Go spiritually forward
and live for God!)
Secondly,
notice that Jude calls himself simply a "servant" (doulos) of
Jesus Christ! He could have taken credit here for being
the brother (half brother, really! same mother but NOT the
same daddy) of Jesus Christ! He could have said that he
ate every meal with the young Jesus ... or that he worked with
Him in the carpenter shop ... but he just said that he was a
SLAVE (what doulos means) of Jesus Christ! Talk about
elevating servanthood! Let's forget about "status" and get
busy working for our Lord!
Thirdly,
observe what Jude says we are because of our salvation! (3
things) We are sanctified, preserved and called!
"Sanctified" (hagiazo) means "set apart!" "Preserved" (tereo)
means protected or guarded! And "called" (kletos) means
summoned or invited! When God saved you He picked you up
out of the miry clay and set you upon a rock! He brought
you out of sin and set you on the road to heaven! He
sanctified you and is sanctifying you! Furthermore when He
saved you, He also put you in His safety protection program!
He guards you every minute of every day! You are safe in
Jesus! And to get you to this place ... He called you!
He apprehended you! (Not only did He do so in the past ... but
is still doing so! Every day He nudges us to closer and
closer fellowship with Him!) Glory to God!
Lastly, did
you understand Who did the sanctifying, preserving and calling?
Each Member of the Trinity is involved! God the Father
sanctified us! God the Son preserved us! Who
"called" us, preacher? Only One Member is left! God
the Holy Spirit called us ... convicted us and drew us to Jesus
... and lives within us to daily call us to godly living!
How blessed
the Believer is! And all that is from just one verse in
Jude's great epistle! Think about these things today (and
try not to shout too loudly on the job.) You may disturb
someone!
That's
today's "nugget!" Really, I think we got into a whole
patch of nuggets, don't you!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 2:
"Mercy unto you, and
peace, and love, be multiplied." That's Jude, verse
2!
What a verse!
One could make a good case that this is a
prayer! The mood of the verb "be multiplied" is in Greek an "optative."
That means it expresses a wish or desire (here to God)! Jude
(the Pastor) prays for his people to grow in Grace! (He
particularizes his longing in a threefold manner. He desires to
see the believers advance in mercy, peace and love!) Preacher, why not stop right now and pray for
someone in your church (or everyone in your church) and ask God
to develop them further in these graces! Notice that Jude did
not pray for their bank accounts or their gall bladders! The
most fruitful (and most mature) prayers deal with spiritual
things! Also remember (from verse 1) that these people are
already saved (called, preserved and called) ... but yet need
more mercy, peace and love!
Mercy is the word "eleos" and means
compassion (actively so). It is the outward manifestation of
pity! It assumes need on the part of the recipient! (Vines
Dictionary) I once heard a preacher put it this way: "Mercy is
for the miserable. Grace is for the guilty. Grace addresses
legal issues while mercy addresses feelings.) God KNOWS just how
you feel ... how you suffer ... what you’re going through! The
old timers called mercy "the darling attribute of Deity!" God
has plenty of Mercy! He uses the word (in the singular) 276
times in the Bible! (40 more if you add "mercies) In Ephesians
2:4 God is rich in mercy! In Psalm 103 His mercy endureth
forever! In 1 Peter 1:3 God has abundant
mercy! In 2 Corinthians 1:3 God is called the "Father
of mercies!" (Glory!) Micah 7:18 says that
God delights in mercy! (As bread
takes away hunger ... and water quenches thirst ... so does
mercy relieve misery! Man can’t do that for you!) In the Old
Testament mercy is often translated by the word "chesed." It has
the idea of covenant love! (Marriage is an example. The husband
stands by the wife because He has vowed to do so. He loves her
unconditionally! So with God’s "chesed" to us!) That Hebrew noun
also means compassion from the GREATER to the lesser! God (the
GREAT One) to me the nobody ... offers His great mercy!
Peace is Jude’s second prayer request!
It comes (Greek) from the word eirene (the English name "Irene"
is the very Greek word for peace). It means "to join." (Two
things that were at enmity ... now put together as one!) The
Hebrew word for peace is "shalom" ... and we don’t have time or
space to discuss that! Let’s just say it means blessing,
prosperity, goodness, absence of war, wholeness, etc.! There is
only one place where you can get the peace of God! That is from
the God of peace! (Philippians 4:9)
One writer called this peace the "undisturbableness" of God! D.
L. Moody once wrote in the margin of his Bible: "Worry about
nothing. Pray about everything. Thank God for anything!" Pretty
good advice! (Have you ever thought about praying for the
"peace" of others?) Jude did! But ... this peace is costly (to
God)! It cost Him His very Son! Isaiah 53:5
"The chastisement of our peace was upon
Him!" If we enjoy God’s peace today ... He can make
everything else be at peace with us as well! Proverbs 16:7 says:
"When a man's ways please the Lord, He
maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." God can
calm our very enemies if He so chooses! Our Lord is the
peacemaker!
Then comes love! The word is "agape"
and I’m sure you know what that means! It’s God’s love. It is a
love that gives ...not a selfish love that only "gets." (John
3:16) Where does that love come from? From the same Source as
every good and perfect gift! (James 1:17) Love such as this
comes from God Himself! Romans 5:5 says that when God saved us,
He: "shed abroad His love in our hearts by
the Holy Ghost." (That verb "shed abroad" is ekcheo and
means to "pour out!" God opened us up and via the Spirit poured
a big dose of His love down into our hearts!) Jude is just
asking for more and more and more! How does one get more love?
Apparently by prayer! Also Paul says in Ephesians
3:19 that this love "passeth knowledge!"
Now, if one loves God he will love other things rightly! The
believer will consequently love the Word of God (Psalm 119:47)!
He will also love the saints of God (Psalm 16:3)! He will love
mankind (John 3:16)! Also ... let me quickly add that there are
some proofs of Godly love! Psalm 97:10 says:
"Ye that love the Lord, hate evil!"
(How about that?) 1 John 5:3 thunders:
"This is love, that we KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS!" And Paul
in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 talks about the "labour
of love!" Love works for the Lord!
Remember that these 3 attributes are sought
for God’s people by Jude in a time of apostasy and backsliding.
Perhaps of all the godly virtues ... these three are paramount
in times of spiritual declension. How we ought to be praying for
these today in our lives!
Lastly, Jude seeks that these graces be "multiplied!"
The Greek verb is "plethuno." It means to abound ... to overflow
... to get out of the banks (as a river in flood stage)! To
increase, spread or grow! Artificial flowers do not grow.
Neither do artificial saints! One sure sign of salvation is
growth in these graces. If Jesus grew in
"wisdom and stature" (Luke 2:52) we surely had better do
so as well! One sign of the world is their covetousness. More
money ...more possessions ... more everything! One sign of the
growing Believer should be a holy "covetousness!" God give us
MORE mercy and peace and love! Remember, God is the only One who
can give this growth! It is said plants grow best when watered
by the DEW than by man-treated water! God’s graces also flourish
best when God’s DEW (SPIRIT) falls upon them!
Let me close with this. Samuel Gordon in his
great book "Jewels from Jude" (Buy one if you can find it!) says
that mercy relates properly to God! Peace concerns
our inner man! And love extends to our fellow Brethren!
He adds that mercy is the inflow. Peace is
the downflow. And love is the outflow!
The upward look of mercy, the inward look of
peace, and the outward look of love characterize this great
salutation of Jude!
By the way, it looks to me like the same
three virtues (mercy, peace and love) reappear at the closing of
this epistle of Jude. He "brackets" his whole letter with them.
This is called "inclusio" and is one way the Holy Spirit shows
us what He is emphasizing in a body of Scripture! (Without God’s
good mercy, peace and love NO ONE could survive in days of
darkness and apostasy!)
This is today's "nugget." (Or is it
more of a sermon? Do you think it's too long for this
column? It is useful in your Bible study? Could it
help your prayer life in any way?) Our website is new ...
and your advice is appreciated!
I have now (under the
Lord's leading, I believe) written on 2 verses from Jude!
Tomorrow (Lord willing) I shall write of Jude verse 3!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 3:
Today's "Bible Nugget" looks
at one complete verse ...! It's a little longer than
usual. Stay with me! You'll learn the PURPOSE for
the Book of Jude!
Jude (verse 3) says:
"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." What a verse!
The word "beloved" is a derivative of Greek
"agape." It means God’s love! It is the deepest, most mature
love known in the Bible! Jude loves his people not with
emotional fickle fleshly love ... but with the very love God has
"shed abroad" in his heart by the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:5) This
love is first in line as an aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit!
(Galatians 5:22-23)
The verb "gave" is a use of the Greek verb "poieo."
It means "to make or to do." It is a present participle which
just means that Jude kept on constantly trying to hold
"salvation" in front of his people! This verb actually gives us
our English words poem and poet! Jude beautifully tries to be
diligent in portraying the salvation God has so graciously given
us! Don’t ever forget that HE saved you!
"Diligence" is a neat word! It’s "spoude." It
means eagerness, or speed, zeal, effort or even earnestness.
(The "root" idea is "speed.") The modifier "all" ("pas") is in
the text also! Jude summoned ALL the speed he could to preach
the beauties of salvation to his hearers! Jude is really
exerting himself to be a good minister of Jesus Christ!
(Brethren, can we do any less?)
"To write" is Greek "grapho." It means to
engrave or to write. As a present infinitive Jude means to keep
on writing a while. Perhaps he believed his "sermon" would be
much longer than it became (only 25 verses). Maybe the great
"need" that developed (of contending for the Faith) overwhelmed
him. He HAD to fight apostasy! (And WE better do so too!) For
some reason Jude is not with his people physically at that very
moment. He has to use the medium of writing to convey the
message. (Paul did this too! In fact, without their writings we
would lack a New Testament!) This very internet ministry is the
result of sitting at a keyboard and writing to unknown (and
unseen) brothers and sisters.
His intended subject was the "common
salvation." Greek = koinos soteria! The word "common" means
"shared." (belonging equally to several) By the way anyone in
the true church who is saved ... is just as saved as anyone
else! The newest convert is just as "saved" as the oldest
believer! Brethren, we do have some things in common! We read
the same Bible (or should). We worship the same Savior! We enjoy
the same salvation! That what Jude means here. And the word
"salvation" means to "deliver" or to "rescue!" (I have been
rescued!) It’s a word picture! To save (sozo) carries these
ideas: VICTORY AFTER BATTLE! (I was under siege from the devil.
Captain Jesus came and brought me victory!) HEALTH AFTER
SICKNESS! (I was dying with an incurable sin disease ... Dr.
JESUS came and healed me!) UNITY/HARMONY AFTER SEPARATION! (I
was separated from God because of my low-down wickedness ... but
Jesus came and via His Blood brought reconciliation with the
Father in Heaven! Now, instead of being at enmity with God ...
He is my Friend!) AND FREEDOM AFTER PRISON! (I was locked up to
my sins and passions and fleshly desires ... JESUS came and via
Calvary led a jail break and set me free!) Glory to God for
these pictures all involved in the Greek word "salvation!" No
wonder Jude wanted to preach of the common SALVATION!
BUT, there was a greater need that day! God
didn’t allow the preacher (Jude) to preach his message. God lead
him to another text! He needed to encourage the believers to
fight for the Faith! (What preacher has not had that happen? God
can change our message, can’t He?) Jude says that something was
more "needful!" It "was needful" equals Greek "echo anagke." The
verb "was" is indicative aorist. Something has happened at that
moment in time that demanded a sermon! The saints MUST be
exhorted to fight for the very Faith they believed! (Something
like that happens in America every day now!) Echo (the verb
"was") means to have or to hold. Today preachers have been told
not to preach to people needs ... but to their desires, their
wants! (today’s modern philosophy) Men of God are being
encouraged to preach to folk’s "feelings and aspirations." JUDE
DID NOT GET ALL THAT. HE STILL BELIEVED HE HAD TO PRACH TO
PEOPLE’S NEEDS! That’s what we had better do also!) "Needful" (anagke)
means distresses, pressures and troubles. Jude means on a
spiritual level too! Man may not "feel" it ... but his real need
is to live godly! That Greek word gives us our English word
"ache" says Strong’s Concordance. Preach to their spiritual
hurts. Here we see a pristine example of NEEDS being used of God
to direct a preacher in his preaching! (If your people need
messages on worry ... go for it! Preach to them on the great
peace that is ours in Christ Jesus!) At least that’s how God led
Jude here.
Next we see that Jude plans to "exhort" his
people to do something! Now, that’s a great word! "Parakaleo" is
the Greek verb here. It means to call alongside. (kaleo = to
call and "para" = beside) It’s the word paraclete ("Comforter")
as used by Jesus of the Holy Spirit! He is called alongside us
to help! To exhort is to encourage! (to beseech or to intreat)
It also can mean to beg or encourage or request! It can carry
the idea ... "to stir to action!" It’s a KEY New Testament word!
Preachers, at times in our preaching we are to REBUKE, at times
TEACH, and even at times MILK FEED, but here we are to ENCOURAGE
God’s dear people! (Also here the verb is a present participle
meaning that Jude plans to continually encourage them in this
way! Hebrews 3:13 tells us to "exhort one another daily!")
"Should earnestly contend for" is all one
word in Greek. It’s "epagonizomai." If you will look into that
little verb you’ll see the letters "agoni." That’s our little
English word "agony!" The "ep" at the front of it intensifies
the meaning. It is to vigorously AGONIZE (wrestle) for the Faith
God has given unto us! It’s worth fighting for! This verb is in
infinitive form and is present middle in tense and voice. That
all means that it must be an ongoing activity (no rest)! It also
means that we must each get involved (active voice)! The
preacher can’t do it all. The middle voice means as you do so
(agonize, fight for the Faith) ... you yourself will be
impacted! It will HELP you to struggle for the FAITH against its
enemies!
Also notice that Jude says "the faith!" (Not
a faith or not even my faith or your faith ... but THE FAITH)
That means something. When THE FAITH is in view, usually the
WORD OF GOD is the subject! That’s where we get faith anyway
(Romans 10:17). To contend for the faith is to STAND UP for the
Scriptures! To fight for the revealed WORD OF GOD!
But notice something about that faith. It is
"once" delivered to the saints! The word is "hapax" and means
once and for all! The Bible is a completed project! The 66 books
are final! (There will be no 67th book of Scripture.) It has
been once and for all given to us by God! (You can quit looking
for extra-biblical revelations. There are none!) Preachers, it
would be interesting to look through the New Testament and see
what else with God is "hapax!"
"Delivered" is obviously a verb. It’s Greek "paradidomi."
It literally means to give beside! God placed the Scriptures
beside me to help me live for Him! (You can also put them "in
your heart!") It has the idea ... "to entrust!" One source says
"to hand over or to give over!" What a GIFT we have in the Bible
itself! God’s written, living Word! The time action of our verb
here is: aorist participle, passive voice. The giving of the
Word is past action and is completed ... not to happen again!
The passive voice means that man didn’t write or deliver the
Bible. That was done for him ... by an Almighty God! That proves
inspiration, doesn’t it?)
To whom was the Bible given? Primarily to the
"saints.’ The noun is Greek "hagios" and means holy ones ... set
apart ones ... sanctified ones ... dedicated, consecrated ones.
I realize that through the Word sinners can be (and are being)
saved ... but PRIMARILY the Bible is written to help the saints
live to God! (There are relatively few verses in Scripture that
tell a sinner how to get saved. With that you HAVE to agree. But
there are thousands upon thousands of verses telling Christians
how to live in this old wicked world and how to grow in Christ
and how to be faithful until we all get to Heaven!) Dear saints
(those are just believers to Jude ... and Paul and all the new
Testament writers), treat that old Bible reverently ... obey it
... and earnestly defend it in these last days!
That’s today’s "nugget." (Or is it nearly a
whole gold mine?) Its value is NOT in my comments ... but in the
fact THAT IT IS THE LIVING POWERFUL WORD OF GOD!)
If you finish this
article ... you're either a real reader or have a passion for
verse-by-verse Bible study. Is it too long? I want
the preachers to enjoy (and feed) from this verse ... but also I
want it to help everyone who chooses to visit this page!
Those of you who complete the verse, quickly drop me an e-mail
and evaluate this for me. We now have studied every word
in the first 3 verses of Jude!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 4:
Here is today's "Bible Nugget." We've
been spending time in the great book of Jude this week.
This fourth verse describes those who come into our churches who
are in reality "enemies" to the good grace of God!
Here Jude tells us how to
identify that crowd! This verse should prove to be
exceedingly "profitable" to us in these last days! Jude, verse 4
"For there are certain
mean 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."
"ENEMIES OF
GOD'S GRACE!"
That's what they are! And Jude insinuates
that they may be within our ranks even now! He basically talks
about this crowd and the problems they create for the rest of
his epistle!
"Certain men" are identified here. Not all
the men, praise God! (And even these "certain men" are needed
and used by God! They will help prove who in the church is TRUE
AND LOYAL AND GENUINE! Read 1 Corinthians 11:19 ---
"For there must be also heresies among
you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among
you.") Watch out for this crowd. In these last days they
seem to be especially present!
How did they come "in?" They "crept in
unawares." This Greek verb (pareisduno) is a hapax legomenon!
(That means a word used only once in the whole Bible!) It is
unique and rare. We must study it. It is really three words
fused together! Para + eis + duo! Duo is the verb that means "to
go down into." To slide into! Even as one slides into his coat!
(To be "endued" is an example!) The prefix "eis" means "into"
and just intensifies the word. And "para" means alongside! This
group of certain men slid in (deeply within) alongside us
perhaps without our even realizing what had happened! (They are
sneaky!) It is an aorist verb ... meaning the action occurred at
a point in the past. It is not going to happen ... Jude says it
has already happened! They are likely already there! (Maybe even
in your church fellowship there is one or two who deep within
their hearts will exhibit some of the traits Jude is about to
give us!) By the way, in the Greek text (textus receptus) this
verb is the first word in the sentence! That means it gets top
priority in emphasis! Notice who has slithered into the
assembly! (Birds do lodge in the branches, you know! Snakes in
the grass!)
These men did not take God by surprise
either! He knew they were coming! "Before ordained" is a verb (prographo)
which means "written of before hand!" God has described them
long ago! He wrote of them in His Word! That's a perfect
participle! It means it was written in the past ... but that
writing still has influence and impact yet today! It is true of
all the Word of God! (Usually this is the sense of time all the
verbs have when referencing Scripture! God's Word just does not
lose its power! And is it completely written. There's no more to
be added! We are enjoying doctrinal truth based upon Bible
grammar!) Way back in Moses' day: old Korah (written of a long
time ago) is a forerunner of today's apostates! (So were Balaam
and the false prophets and Judas and many more!) The verb has a
synonym in English: to "prescribe." God wrote the prescription
for these boys a long time ago!
"Condemnation" is Greek "krima" from "krino"
and means to pass sentence. The sentence of a judge or even
"penal judgment" is the idea here. One source says "to punish"
would be the force of this semantic field. This crowd of
compromisers will meet God some day. Then they will have their
just rewards!
They are "ungodly" men. The word ("asebes")
means not reverent! (no adoration) They have no reverence for
God, no Fear of the Lord! This is not yet a description of their
deeds (that's coming though) ... it's a description of their
attitudes! (No reverence for the church or the preacher or the
Bible or the God of all!) Is this ringing any bells for anyone?
Are any lights flashing? The word is only used 9 times in the
New Testament!
"Turning" is Greek "metatithemi" which means
to taanspose or to transfer. The root verb means "to place" and
the prefex (a preposition) means initially amidst or
accompaniment. They have not necessarily replaced God's grace as
such ... but have mixed in with it the lax teaching of
permissiveness towards sin! (Wow!) Watered down Grace of God! A
"cheapened" Grace! And that's exactly what's preached in many
places today! The verb is a present participle which indicates
that the action is still ongoing! (You know. That old attitude
that is soft on sin. It says, "God is soooo loving! He knows
you're human! Go ahead and sin a little. It'll be all right! God
is not a tyrant!) Church dances on Saturday nights. Hollywood
movies on Wednesday nights. Immodest dress anytime ... just come
as you are! Pulpit "cussing" allowed as well! Fornicators
welcome! No more preaching against drinking, either! Any of
that sound familiar?
Grace is God's unmerited favor! (charis) What
Jesus accomplished for us on the Cross of Calvary! It is God's
grace that brought Jesus to earth to die for our sins! It is His
grace that gives us victory over sin! (not complacency with
sin!)
But wait until you see the word
"lasciviousness." It is Greek "aselgeia" and means not (the "a"
part) plus controlled (continent) "selges." NOT ABLE TO CONTROL
ONESELF IN REGARD TO SIN! (Absence of restraint ... says Vine's
word dictionary.) Shameless conduct! Living without moral rules!
It is exactly where American society is today, isn't it? And ...
the sad thing ... it is infiltrating our churches! And where did
it come from? Certain men (it can be women as well) who have
slid in without our knowledge!
Denying is "arneimai" and means NOT (the "a")
TO SPEAK OR SAY (rheo). It isn't their standing up and blasting
the grace of God or the Name of our Lord! They just refuse to
say some things that they need to say! Like "Crucify the flesh!"
Or "Jesus is Lord!" Or Search me, O God!" (LEARN TO READ PEOPLE
NOT JUST FOR WHAT THEY SAY ... BUT ALSO FOR WHAT THEY DON'T
SAY!!!) "To contradict, to disavow, to reject or to abnegate"
are further definitions given by Strong's concordance. The time
sense of the verb is present participle in middle voice! They
constantly deny the Lord and in so doing damage themselves
irreparably. (Middle voice means the verb's actions boomerang on
the subject!)
Note Whom they deny! The Lord God ... that's
God the Father! AND our Lord Jesus Christ ... that's the Son!
And they deny the precious Holy Spirit by the way they live!
Notice that the Father and the Son are linked with a conjunction
"and." That coordinating conjunction means that the Two are
equal! (as is the Spirit also!) There is no rank One over
Another in the Godhead! God is co-eternal and co-equal in His
Persons! That first use of the word "Lord" in reference to "God"
is the word "despotes." The Greek is transliterated into English
... despot! (des = house plus potes = husband! according to the
etymology in my Miriam Webster dictionary) The Father is our
sweet heavenly DESPOT! He is my Husband of the House! He is my
LORD!
Watch that crowd of "sneaks" who want to come
in and ruin your church! They are dangerous! Ultimately, they
are "enemies of God's Grace!"
I pray you find a "nugget" or two in this
study today. Something that will help you live for our dear
LORD!
--
Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 5:
Today we get back to our Jude verses!
It's time for Jude 5. Our prayer is
that the verse will be a blessing to you. Jude is warning
us to not stray from the faith!
"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, verse 5)
I'll have to admit that this has always been a
hard verse for me. I've asked the Lord to help me as we study it
today.
In the
paragraph we now begin (verses 5-7) Jude uses three
illustrations of those who have departed from the faith! Today
we shall only study the first one.
I don't want to go into too much detail, but
the verb "I will" gives us vital information. It's "boulomai" in
Greek and means "to desire, wish, intend or plan." W. E. Vine
says that it is the "deliberate exercise of the will." The verb
is also indicative (mood) and present (tense) and middle
(voice). That means Jude stays willing to illustrate with Bible
accounts. It also means that in the relating of this Old
Testament Bible story Jude himself is impacted (as well as his
hearers)! It will become obvious that Jude knows his Bible very
well. (So did his half-brother Jesus! It ran in that family, I
think! James knew the Scriptures, didn't he? Of course their
Mother Mary was a capable Bible student too! Read her "magnificat"
in Luke 1:46-56!)
To "put in remembrance" is a combination word
(hupo + mnaomai) meaning to call to memory or bear in mind + the
preposition "under." The preposition intensifies the word. The
picture given here is to lift up someone's memory and slide
another chapter underneath! (to reinforce) This verb is aorist.
Jude does not intend to have to preach this over and over again.
He will remind them this time ... and they should GET IT! God
would have his preachers to put folks "in remembrance" of His
truths! Paul told Timothy that if he "put
the brethren in remembrance of these things" he would be
"a good minister of Jesus Christ!"
(1 Timothy 4:6)
"Once" is "hapax." It is supposed to mean
"once and for all!" Perhaps Jude is being a bit sharp here! He
says, "You were supposed to know this forever." Oh, how
forgetful we are!
"Knew" is the Greek verb "eido" from "oida."
It means to know in a special sense. It is not necessarily book
knowledge. It is "intuitive" knowledge! What's that? It is
knowledge (for the Christian) that God has given you via the
Holy Spirit. They learned of the Israelites in the wilderness
through spiritual means. (They had no New Testaments yet.) They
learned it via godly prophets and priests who taught them the
Bible. The old Scripture scroll down at the synagogue perhaps
enlightened them as well.
The noun "Lord" is Greek kurios. It means one
with supreme authority! To Jude there is no doubt that God (and
Jesus) is LORD! It's just another name for Deity. The word LORD
in the Old Testament is the Name of God JEHOVAH! When New
Testament writers began calling Jesus LORD ... they were saying
that Jesus is Jehovah! (Glory! He is indeed!)
"Having saved" is an aorist participle of the
verb "sozo." It means to deliver or to rescue! Remember that
night in Egypt? The Blood of the Lamb? The death angel? The
passover? The "exodus" across the sea? The miracle of safety?
That's what Jude has in mind here. The aorist sense of time
means it is a once and for all event. It is locked in time past.
They are SAVED and nothing can be done about that. It is a fact!
(And notice Who did the saving! The LORD did! He still does!)
They were saved OUT of Egypt and INTO Canaan! You were saved OUT
of hell and INTO heaven!
"Afterward" is an interesting word. It is "deuteros."
It means "second." It comes from the word that means "two." God
had to visit this grumbling, unbelieving crowd a second time ...
this time to punish them! (I don't ever want to get over His
first visit ... the time He saved me!)
"Destroyed" is "apollumi" and means to
"kill." (indicative, aorist, active) God literally took the
lives of His people who had turned on Him and were complaining
in unbelief! (Christians can be unbelieving in reference to the
further promises of God!) Elsewhere in Scripture this is called
"the sin unto death." (1 John 5:16-17)
Here is a clear example of a group of saved
people who turned their backs on God. The result was their
destruction. (And it happened quickly!)
What a warning! Let us all (as believers) be
SURE we don't fall into a pattern of unbelief (or apostasy) as
detailed in this book of Jude. Doing such has dire consequences!
Those consequences may not any longer be immediate death ... but
they are severe just them same.
(In Scripture God killed Ananias and Sapphira
for lying to the Holy Spirit! He made Zacharias dumb for his
unbelief! He ended Moses' life prematurely for a few unadvised
words. He turned Lot's wife into a pillar of salt! And He's
still the same God today!)
Now in this age of grace God's judgments seem
to have taken a different form. Instead of immediate judgment,
God works more slowly ... but every bit as surely. He killed
Korah ... but someone today might have their spiritual
sensitivities dulled! He removed Moses .. but today one might
lose his power in prayer! He dealt strictly with Lot's wife ...
but today he might just remove His restraints on a man's heart!)
There's a sermon hidden in this part of our verse!
The primary "sin" in question here is
described in Numbers 14. It happened at Kadesh-Barnea. A whole
generation of Jews perished because of their unbelief in
entering the land! (All except 2 ... Joshua and Caleb!)
The reason I believe this crowd WAS saved is
found in 1 Corinthians 10:1-11. What a sermon it is! There Paul
plainly says that this crowd of folks had ALL eat spiritual Meat
and drank spiritual water (from the Rock) and That was CHRIST!
They were saved! But saved folks can turn on God and drift away
into doubt. At times God has then taken them on to heaven
(prematurely)! Again, I believe that is the "sin unto death"
which 1 John 5 mentions! (You don't have to agree with me here.
But this preacher believes in eternal security! I do not
believe they lost their salvation ... just their physical lives.
They got a "quick" trip to heaven!)
(That crowd in the wilderness who doubted and
grumbled "would God we had died in Egypt
... or this wilderness!" God simply heard their wish ...
and granted their request! He just let them die in that old
desert!) We better be careful what we say ... especially when we
are discouraged!
Are some of you having trouble seeing that
believers can be guilty of "unbelief?" Zacharias the priest
(father of John the Baptist) did! (Luke 1:20) The disciples also
had problems with unbelief! ((Luke 24:25) Paul in Hebrews spoke
to Jewish Christians who were on the verge of unbelief! (Hebrews
3:12)
In Scripture only 2 things made Jesus
"marvel." Great faith (Matthew 8:10) made Jesus wonder in
admiration! And great unbelief (Mark 6:6) did the same! He just
can't comprehend unbelief with all the evidence of God available
today!
Mark 9:24 states:
"Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." Maybe that
should be the prayer of us all!
Oh, how we need our faith to grow! The BIBLE
way for faith to be increased is found in Romans 10:17
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of
God."
I surely trust that in this rather unfamiliar
verse you have found some "nuggets" to help you live for the
Lord today! I believe I've found a number of them!
I'll let you go for now. I want to go "chew"
on some of these truths a while!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE,VERSE 6:
Our "Bible Nugget" today
centers on what one Bible teacher called "the most difficult
verse in the whole Book of Jude and one of the most
difficult in the whole Bible." Read with me carefully and
get Jude's message: DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE FAITH!
BE STEADFAST AND UNMOVEABLE! Jude, verse 6
"And the angels which
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he
hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto judgment
of the great day."
Jude is illustrating the fact that some have
departed from the faith. He does so in three ways. He uses three
groups to make his point. The Israelites of old (verse 5), the
angels who fell (verse 6) and Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 7) are
his specific Bible examples. All were guilty of rebellion
against God!
Today we study the middle group. There are
different "ranks" of angels! There are Seraphim. Mentioned only
in Isaiah 6, they have a name that means "to set on fire" or "to
burn!" Then remember the "Cherubim." The meaning of the name is
unknown. (That alone may tell us something.) They are found
numerous times in the Old Testament and are likely described in
the New Testament as well.
Then there are just "regular" angels. Untold
numbers of them exist. Their name implies that they are the
"messengers" of God! Hebrews 12:22 tells us that there are "an
innumerable company of angels."
And we have not yet considered the "named"
angels such as Michael, Gabriel and even Lucifer (before his
sin).
Yet our verse indicates another
group! This is a group of angels who have fallen from their
original position! The verb "kept" is Greek "tereo" and means
"to warch or to guard." It seems all these problems begin when
people (or angels) forgot some key things! They let some things
"slip" that are crucial!
The term "first estate" is Greek "arche" and
means " a commencement!" (First in order of time) It is often
translated "beginning" in the King James Version. (Some just
aren’t satisfied with what God gives them!) These angels were
not satisfied with Heaven! and serving God Himself! and eternal
Peace! and glorious Joy! (I wonder if dissatisfaction is at the
heart of all apostasy?)
The verb "left" is Greek "apoleipo" and means
to leave (leipo) away from (apo). It is active voice. No one
made them abandon their "first estate." They themselves departed
from it! They were no longer content with God’s perfect will.
Habitation is Greek "oiketerion" and comes
from the word "oikos" which means "house." If their habitation
was heaven (which we assume it was), they left the very abode of
God! What could possibly entice an angel to forsake Heaven
itself?
"Hath reserved" is a verb "tereo" which we
studied earlier in the verse. It means to guard or to watch.
(What they did to God ... God did in turn to them! That’s called
reaping what you sow!) God Himself is guarding this crowd!
"Everlasting" is "aidios" and means always!
These wicked angels are chained until the day of judgment. (And
after the judgment they will be tormented forevermore!)
"Chains" is an interesting word. It is "desmon"
or "desmos" and means to bind! (Or a "band" if used as a noun)
God has them in confinement. Now, remember that most demons are
free and roam the earth performing their wicked schemes.
It is believed that the word for "darkness"
("zophos") comes from a word that means gloom. Its "root" word
means cloud! According to the Englishman’s Concordance it is
only used 5 times in the whole New Testament! (All but one in
the context of the darkness of eternal punishment!)
"Judgment" is Greek "krisis" from "krino."
The meaning is "decision made by court." Except here God is the
Judge and He controls all.
"Great" as an adjective is the Greek word "megas."
It means BIG! The awful coming day of judgment is the greatest
day yet (next to the Day Jesus died on the Cross and the Day of
His Resurrection).
Now let’s see if we can piece together what
has happened here. I believe that this event with these angels
has some specific Old Testament reference in mind. (As does
verse 5 with the wilderness wonderings. Or verse 7 with Sodom
and Gomorrah) Where could that incident be located, preacher?
It looks to me like there is only one place
it can be! Genesis 6 describes some kind of sin that occurred in
that day. The "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" cohabited
and giants were the offspring of that union! (Many believe that
this is what led to the world-wide flood of Noah’s day!) Who are
these "sons of God" whose children by the daughters of men
became such mammoth giants? When one investigates that term
"sons of God" carefully, he comes to the conclusion that it well
may have been a band of angels! (That "string" of words, "sons
of God," as used in the Old Testament always or nearly always
refers to angels.) If so, it is likely that it’s the very
same angels described here in Jude verse 6!
So ... that may be the answer to an earlier
question I had! WHY? Why would these angels be willing to
forsake heaven, turn their backs on God, deny the Faith, and
face certain Judgment? The answer: Women! Sex! Lust! Wild wanton
abandon! (Sounds a lot like the sensual spirit of our day,
doesn’t it?)
By the way, the verse in which Jesus says
that there is neither marrying or giving in marriage in heaven
DOES NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE OF SEX AND
ANGELS! (Matthew 22:30)
Whatever you believe about the Genesis 6
situation ... you must believe that Jude 6 speaks of some angels
who apostasized (departed from the faith) and are incarcerated
by Almighty God until their dreaded day of judgment!
All I know for sure is this. IF EVEN ANGELS
became unfaithful ... I KNOW I HAD BETTER BE CAREFUL!
Lord, help us all to be always strong!
The real thrust of the book of Jude is this:
"earnestly contend for the faith!" If certain backslidden
Christians attack the faith (as in verse 5), WE ARE TO DEFEND
IT!
If even the angels of God forsake the faith
(verse 6 here), WE ARE TO STAND WITH IT!
If godless reprobates flaunt their immoral
behavior in the face of Almighty God, WE ARE TO LIVE HOLY, JUST
LIVES IN OBEDIENCE TO THE VERY FAITH THEY MOCK! (Verse 7)
I don’t know about you, dear friend, but
these Jude verses are giving me more determination than ever
before to live for God.
Thank God for The Faith!
I do pray that those of you who read the
"nuggets" page today will find truth embedded in these
paragraphs. Truth to make you stronger in your stand (and
in your walk) for our Lord!
---
Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 7:
Here's another Jude "nugget." Those
of you who read this Bible study page will just have to let me
know if I go too long ... or if the series in Jude becomes
too technical or even a bit tiring. You know, the Bible
has many subjects with thousands of verses! What variety!
Jude, verse 7
"Even as Sodom and
Gomorrah, 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." What a verse of Scripture! How very sobering!
This is the third of Jude’s string of
examples of "apostates." Those who have departed from the truth
(the faith)!
I would first like to discuss some of the
main words in the verse.
"Even as" seems to compare these cities with
some previous point Jude has made. It is likely there is a
connection between Sodom and the fallen angels of the sixth
verse of Jude. With both there is a sexual connotation. (Further
indication that we may have got it "right" about those angels in
yesterday’s "nugget!")
"Sodom" according to the Strong’s concordance
has behind it the root idea "to lower!" One can’t get much lower
morally than Sodom had gone! The Hebrew here literally gives us
our word "chasm!" Isn’t a "chasm" a "pit?" (Wow!)
"Gomorrah" comes from an Arabic word meaning
"to overwhelm with water!" This definition is from the
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Scientists believe
today that the sites of ancient Sodom and "Gomorrah" are covered
with water (!!!) at the south edge of the Dead Sea! (Is God
amazing, or what?) In fact, (talk about being covered with
water) this whole crowd of sinners will be doomed to the "Lake
of Fire" forever according to Revelation 20:11-15.
The word in Greek for cities is "polis.’ (As
in metropolis!) It may come from a word meaning "many," an
indication of the fact that a city’s population is manifold!
"Like" is a word that means "the same." See
here how the sins of the big cities influenced the little
cities! A little leaven (or sin) leavens the whole lump! I
wonder if Hollywood has any influence on America today? (YES!
Coast to coast!)
"Manner" means (tropos) a manner or style.
Literally to be "turned!" These little cities and their people
were "turned" on the same wheel that made the sodomites! (Talk
about "impact" or "impression!")
"Giving themselves over to fornication" is
basically one Greek term. It is "ekporneuo." To fornicate (porn)
plus out of (ek). Porneuo means "to act like a harlot" or "to
indulge unlawful lust!" (This gives us our word pornography!)
Generally speaking in Scripture "fornication" is sexual
relations between unmarried people. Adultery is illicit sex
between married folks (but not married to each other)! So in
God’s eyes it is fornication to "play around" with the opposite
sex ... or with the same sex!
"Going after" is Greek "aperchomai" which
means to go away after! They pursued their same sex lovers! This
is aggressive lovemaking!
And the adjective "strange" is Greek "heteros."
It means another of a different kind! How’s that? For
generations man had been loving woman ... marrying woman ...
bearing children by the women (the wife)! Now things have
changed dramatically! Men are doing something different. (Not a
little differently ... but totally differently!) Another type of
"partnering." Something that is of a different kind than ever
before!
The noun "flesh" is "sarx" and simply means
(here) bodies! This is physical sensual love making and God is
against it.
"Set forth" is an amazing verb! It’s Greek "prokeimai"
and combines 2 words. "Pro" means before ... (here) open to
public view. "Keimai" is the verb meaning "to lie outstretched!"
This may be some of God’s Holy Humor! (Divine Irony!) I don’t
know if you see it or not ... but I’m not going to elaborate on
it. God says that HE WILL STRETCH THEM OUT IN PLAIN VIEW FOR ALL
TO BEHOLD THEIR SIN! (No sins remain secret for long!) But with
this crowd ... they are eager to stretch themselves out for
public view! Talk about rebellion in the Face of God! (Go read
about their behavior in Genesis chapter 19! GOD HAS SET THEM
FORTH AS AN EXAMPLE OF HIS JUDGMENT UPON SIN!)
"Example" is Greek "deigma" and means a
"specimen," or a "public display." The verb means to advertise!
What God did to Sodom and the surrounding area was meant to be
such a fearful example that others would be deterred from such
wickedness!
"Suffering" is another picturesque verb. It
is "hupecho" and again combines 2 words. "Hupo" means under.
"Echo" means "to hold!" The verb suffer here is a picture of God
holding them under the eternal flames of punishment ... that’s
hell itself! (I believe in hell as taught by Jesus! Don’t you?)
"Vengeance" is "dike" (pronounced die - kay),
a Greek noun meaning "making things right!" Some day when Jesus
returns He will make some things right! The Day of His Wrath
(Vengeance) will come! Then ... the whole social order of this
wicked world will be rewritten! And Strong’s Concordance even
says that "dike" comes from the root verb that means "to show!"
When God judges this crowd, He will put it on display for the
whole universe to see!
"Eternal" is Greek "aionios" and means
perpetual or through the "ages." (eons)
And, of course, "fire" means ... FIRE! I
strongly suggest you take that word literally and accept Jesus
today! That’s the way to miss the fires of judgment!
While Lot was in Sodom, Abraham was in
Hebron. Hebron means "communion" or fellowship" and in type
speaks of walking in harmony with God! The first mention of
"Sodom" in Scripture is in Genesis 10:19 where we are told that
it was on the "border" of the Canaanites! (Abraham lives with
GOD! Lot lives on the border with the filth of the heathen
world!)
Jude here says, "Remember Sodom!" Jesus
earlier said, "Remember Lot’s wife!" (She turned back too!) Both
these preachers (raised in the same home) knew the dangers of
departing from the faith!
We have here in today’s verse another example
of the crowd who rebels against God Almighty! Rejecting the
Faith once delivered to the Saints! What a price it cost them!
The groups in verses 5, 6 and 7 all paid dearly, didn’t they?
What should these verses do for us? Encourage
us to live faithfully for God. Help us NOT to depart from the
faith! May they do just that is my prayer!
I add to that prayer my desire that God will
give you some "nuggets" out of today’s meditation on this single
verse of Jude!
A single "nugget?" Why, I personally feel
like I’m in a gold mine! (Or is it a cave of diamonds? Have we
struck a vein of silver?)
God’s Word is rich!
Thank you for studying with me today!
It’s about time to ask some of you (if any
are left reading this material) to e-mail me with some comments.
Again, are the articles getting too long?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 8:
Here is this Thursday's "Bible Nugget."
We are in a series on the Book of Jude. Here are the 3
traits of those who have departed from the faith. If your
church is "average," there are some in it who fit these
categories!
Jude, verse 8
"Likewise these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise
dominion, and speak evil of dignities."
Here Jude gives us the three "major" traits of this crowd of
apostates! And here is the amazing thing. The Israelites that
died in the wilderness (verse 5) spoke evil of dignities (Moses
and Aaron)! The angels that sinned and fell (verse 6) despised
dominion (God Himself)! And the people of the Sodom metroplex
defiled the flesh (sexual preferences)! Wow!
By the way, now that we can look back on verses 5-7, we see an
outline of what Jude is saying: (#1) The sins of the CHILDREN of
Israel in verse 5. (#2) The sins of the CELESTIAL beings,
angels. And (#3) The sins of the CITIES in the plain of Sodom!
These groups are so skillfully chosen to preach to today's
sinful society! (Another one of the beauties of inspiration!)
"Likewise" serves well to tie this verse to the previous
discussion. It means that which is "similar." (Homos = same
place or same time)
"Filthy dreamers" translates one Greek noun. "Enupnaizomai"
means in one's sleep! (en which means in or into! PLUS ...
hupnos which means sleep! The word may even derive from "hupo"
which means under!) The word is only used twice in the New
Testament. These folks live in a world of dreams! I think the
word today for this kind of "dreaming" is "fantasizing."
Imagining a world of filth and iniquity and jumping right in the
middle of it! I suspect this crowd of filthy dreamers would love
the dirty side of the internet too! God's children are also
warned about the things of the "mind." Paul in Philippians 4:8
just plainly tells us what to think! Also we are urged to wear
the "helmet of salvation." That's got to involve our thoughts
somehow!
Preachers, some of you who alliterate your messages might enjoy
this little thought. It comes from a writer named Samuel Gordon.
He says that our verse here describes the deeds of these
"apostates." They DREAM! They DEFILE! They DESPISE! And they
DECRY (which means to belittle someone)!
Simon Peter in describing these same men says in 2 Peter 2:14
that they "have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from
sin!" Their thoughts are on sexual filth constantly! Wicked
imaginations!
Note that they do three things: Defile the flesh! Despise
dominion! And speak evil of dignities! We should briefly look at
these. It's the heart of Jude's sermon in this verse!
What is it to defile the flesh? It's the verb "miaino" which
means to "soil" or "dirty!" The word picture describes
something that happens to one who works in the sewer! (This
verb is used 5 times in the New
Testament) These people are guilty of sexual sins galore! They
fornicate or commit adultery constantly! They are even proud of
their immorality! Again "flesh" means the physical body here.
Usually when a person rebels against God vehemently ... there is
some form of sexual sin behind that rebellion! (Belief and
behavior always go hand in hand!)
Next they "despise dominion." To "despise" (atheteo) is to NOT
(that's the "a" prefix) plus TO PUT OR PLACE (tithemi)! It means
not to put them in their place (of respect or honor)! To think
down upon! Rebels like these always have trouble with authority
figures! The noun "dominion" means mastery or lordship or
authority or control! It comes from the Greek word for lord (kurios).
Where Paul says to give "double honor" to the man of God, this
crowd would strongly disagree! See 1 Timothy 5:17. These
apostates in recent American history were often involved in
subversive activities and communist front organizations! (Today
they side with the feminists and abortionists, etc.!) To me some
of the big denominations and world-wide church councils fit into
this mold perfectly!
Lastly they "speak evil of dignities." To speak evil is the
Greek verb "blasphemeo!" You know that word. It comes from a
verb that means to speak and a noun that means injury (or
injurious ... as an adjective). To speak with the desire to hurt
someone! Sharp tongues! My mind goes back over the years to
certain (but rare) church situations! I've met some of these
apostates fact to face! Their target? "Dignities!" That's Greek
"doxa!" It really means glory ... or glorious ones! This is
almost certainly a reference to church leaders! Godly preachers,
evangelists, pastors, missionaries, Bible teachers ... all are
hated by these reprobates! And, of course, the Highest of the
Glorious One is God! Have you noticed in recent years how the
liberal attacks on Jesus have increased and become more bitter?
Now days, the Bible is questioned. Isaiah and David and Jonah
are even denied their historical existence. Jesus is
reinterpreted! And the crowd doing all that is going to hell!
I hope I'm not being too plain. But the verses we are studying
are pretty bold too! Let's all ask God to help us stand faithful
and true in these last days!
There's today's "Bible Nugget."
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 9:
Here's today's "Bible Nugget."
Jude, verse 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."
There’s more in this verse than first meets
the eye! As with all Scripture, its depths will never be plumbed
until we get to heaven! The verse happens to
tell us something heretofore unrevealed in all the Bible! Read
of the life and death of Moses in the Old Testament. You’ll
never come across the event discussed in Jude 9! (Other examples
of previously unrevealed Bible facts surfacing at a later time
...Acts 20:35 and 2 Timothy 3:8.) Read
everything the Bible says about the devil. In no other verse
(except Jude 9) will you come to anything like this battle
between Michael and Lucifer over Moses’ body! (There is a
confrontation between them in Daniel 10 ... but no mention of
Moses’ body!)
But little "Jude," one of the shortest books
of the whole Bible, gives us singular information we could get
nowhere else! (Wow!) Truly, it takes ALL Scripture!
"Michael" has a name that means "who is like
God!" He obviously spends a lot of time directly in God’s
presence ... a few thousand years by now ... and He is LIKE HIS
CREATOR! (I’ve got good news for you, Christian friend, when you
go to be with Him ... you also shall be like Him! 1 John 3:2)
Michael lived (and still lives) up to His name! Lucifer did (and
does) NOT! (The name Lucifer deals with the concept of "light!")
Notice that Michael is the archangel. Greek "archo"
means "to be first!" And "aggelos" means messenger! This alone
proves that there is rank among the heavenly beings. And within
that angelic rank, Michael is the chief! (But do note that the
archangel is still UNDER the command of Almighty God!)
Contending is not a real strong word. It is "diakrino"
and combines "dia" (through) with "krino" (to judge, to discern,
to distinguish). In the form we have here (middle voice) it can
mean "to separate oneself from" or "to contend." It involves the
idea of "a differing opinion." (I guess there would be a vast
difference of opinion between "one who is like God" and the
deceiver himself!)
"Devil" is that picturesque Greek noun "diabolos!"
It means to throw (ballo ... in fact, it gives us our word
"ball") and the preposition through (dia)! The devil is one who
throws (accusations) through you! He’s the "accuser of the
brethren." (Rev. 12:10) He goes to God and tells bad things
about you! (Of course in heaven you have defense counsel! An
"Advocate!" Jesus Christ the Righteous! 1 John 2:1)
The verb "durst" is Greek "tolmao." It means
"to venture" or (probably) "to be courageous!" Vines assigns the
meaning "to dare to do!" Michael refused to attack satan but put
him in the Lord’s Hands! (Now it seems obvious that Michael has
the POWER to defeat satan! In fact in Revelation 12 he does! Why
does he not fight Lucifer? BECAUSE MICHAEL REFUSES TO ACT LIKE
THE APOSTATES! HE WILL NOT ACCUSE (EVEN FORMER) ANGELS
(DOMINIONS, DIGNITIES)! He lets the Lord do that! How
un-apostate of Michael! (I wish some long tongued Baptist would
read that verse!)
Even the words "bring against" have
significance here! Greek "epiphero" is a compound verb. "Epi"
means upon (superimposition). While "phero" means to bear or to
carry! Michael would not carry against the devil an accusation!
(active voice) Do you remember how Paul never spoke evil of the
Emperors ... even Nero!
Michael seems to especially have the job of
the protection of the Jewish people and their heritage. All 5
times he is mentioned in Scripture, he is seen in the context of
God’s people Israel! Especially see Daniel 12:1. Perhaps in this
capacity Michael was to guard the body of Moses! (Of course the
BIG question is why satan wanted the body? Maybe he would have
had people worshipping it if it could have been located.
Read Deut. 34:5-6. God buried Moses and that’s all we know about
it!) Remember people did worship Moses’ brazen serpent! 2 Kings
18:4!
"Railing" is blasphemia. Michael would not do
to the devil even what the devil does to everyone else! Some
things this "godly" angel would not do! (Even less should we
believers do them! These in our context must include gossip,
slander, lying, and like sins.)
"Accusation" is Greek "krisis" which means
judgment! (Literally, a decision) The LORD is The Judge! Now
Michael is not a coward or any such thing. He (again in
Revelation 12) fights a WAR against satan at God’s command! A
war in which Michael conquers the devil!
"Rebuke" is the Greek verb "epitiamo" which
is obviously compounded. "Epi" means upon. "Timao" means to
prize, to revere, to evaluate! Michael will simply let the Lord
weigh the matter and act accordingly!
What lessons are here! Lessons on keeping our
mouths shut! And valuable truths about letting God handle
matters concerning His dignitaries. Also here be taught to turn
your battles over to the Lord. There’s a pretty good lesson in
how to talk to the devil, too! (Say very little! "The Lord
rebuke thee" will do just fine!) Here is a pretty good text for
preaching against "relics" also! Here Michael contended but not
to the point of a "railing accusation!" (What a sermon on
contending without being contentious! Titus 3:2
"Speak evil of no man.")
Now there ought to be a "nugget" or two in
these meditations. Happy hunting!
Warning: I picked up a Bible "nugget" the
other day and it got Holy Spirit conviction all over me! Be
careful please! These "nuggets" ... while beautiful ... have the
power to be life changing!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE
10:
Today we shall study
the little Epistle of Jude. We are in the tenth verse.
Let's look at it together. (We have been looking at Jude
for several days now.) May God give you some real Bible thoughts
(upon which you can meditate this Monday) as you read the
material.
Jude, verse 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."
Jude now further describes this crowd of
"apostates." The word just means those who have departed from
the faith! Now, remember (based upon Jude’s three illustrations
found in verses 5-7) one can depart from the faith verbally.
This is what the Israelites of verse 5 did! The grumbled and
complained against God doubting His ability to provide their
needs. They doubted so much that God that they spoke unadvisedly
saying, "We wish we would just die in this wilderness!" (Numbers
14:2) God heard them and granted their request! He just killed
those ingrates over the next 40 years! None of the doubters
(un-believers) entered the promised land! They "apostasized!"
The angels in verse 6 also departed from
their "first estate" or the faith! It seems they got wrapped up
in some kind of sexual escapade with the daughters of men (Be
sure about it. There ARE demons of lust and perversion!) These
departed from the faith lustfully! (In their desires!) God has
locked them up in darkness until judgment day! This is a second
example of how to apostasize! (For us it's an example of ... how
NOT to apostasize!)
And the third case is that of the people of
the Sodom-Gomorrah metroplex. They went after "strange flesh."
That in context means same-sex love affairs! (Of course,
EVERYBODY didn’t do this. But the society as a whole accepted
this practice and condoned it.) That is another example of
departing from the faith (via "politically correct" behavior).
But behavior is just an indication of belief! Our deeds reveal
our doctrine! Our actions reveal our faith!
In each of the 3 above cases ... God focuses
on the behavior that is indicative of their belief. But ... in
each case (as in every case yet today) the first thing to "go"
is the FAITH! (Little wonder Jesus prayed for Peter "that his
faith fail not!" Luke 22:32)
Let me tell you something about sin. A
specific level of sin never satisfies for long. One must go
"deeper" into iniquity to keep content! Just ONE grade of sin
gets boring after a while! For example if a man becomes
unfaithful to his wife and commits adultery with another woman
... the affair may be "exciting" ... for some time. But
(I promise you) soon he will tire of this new girlfriend and go
on to another. Until the thrill of being with the new one dies
away. (And it will die away!) Then on to a third, etc. It
becomes a habit. But soon one at a time will not be enough!
He’ll have 3 or 4 women on the side! Then maybe group sex is
next! But soon that will grow old. Next he’ll probably start
looking at the guys (or is it the "boys")? And even after some
time the boys will become a little tiring. Then it’s on to ...
(Get the picture?) Bestiality, etc. and other unmentionables
follow because God has given that old sinner over to a reprobate
mind! All restraint is removed and he sins like a snowball
rolling downhill! Hear me! YOU HAD BETTER PUT THE BRAKES ON THAT
SIN TODAY! IT WILL GET OUT OF CONTROL AND YOU WILL BE DOOMED! Go
read Romans 1 where Paul describes this "slippery slope of sin!"
Paul further says that: "Evil men and seducers will wax (become)
worse and worse!" (2 Timothy 3:13)
Notice the first verb in verse 10. "Speak
evil" translates the Greek verb "blasphemeo." To blaspheme is to
speak injuriously of someone. To talk about them in order to
hurt them. (Intentionally or not! Some "gossips" may just be
repeating tidbits of private information ... but if it’s hurtful
to someone ... it is blasphemy! At least it is by the Greek
definition!) These apostates speak evil of Jesus, of the
preacher, of Christian brothers and sisters, of the church and
of many other people and things! (This is one of their
trademarks! Remember verse 8!)
"Know" is eido ( from a root verb that gives
us our word "optician!"). It means to discern or see or know ...
but in a special sense. It is an intuitive knowledge. That means
a knowledge (not that is given via book learning or lectures)
that comes via the touch of inspiration. You just KNOW it
instinctively! (We Christians know What that Inspiration is,
don’t we? It is the precious Holy Spirit of God!) These
reprobates do NOT have the Holy Spirit. They therefore have no
idea the of the seriousness of their blasphemy! They ONCE knew.
They could have stayed sensitive to the Spirit of God! But they
quenched Him and grieved Him and ignored Him and He has long
since quit dealing with them!
Then our verse turns right around and uses
another word for "know!" It says: "What they do KNOW ..." This
verb is "epistamai" and obviously is a compound term. "Epi" men
upon and serves to intensify the action. "Histemi" means to
stand upon! Their lifestyles prove what they’re standing upon!
Grumbling! Sexual promiscuity! Sensual perversion! Popularity
that spits in the face of God! (Here their knowledge is
illustrated by their skill at sin!) Everybody’s good at
something!
The adverb "naturally" is a classic! It is
Greek "phusikos" and is derived from the word "physical!" In
every case Jude has used thus far ... apostates have committed
physical sins of rebellion! Use of the tongue is physical! Love
for pretty women (not your wife) is physical! Love for same sex
individuals is physical! These people live in the "flesh." All
the world to them is only a PHYSICAL realm. They do not see or
appreciate (or some even believe) in the spiritual or the Godly!
The word "beasts" is the Greek noun that
gives us the word "zoo." It means animals! This crowd lives like
animals! (By the way, if you teach a man long enough that he is
just an evolved animal ... he will soon believe you and begin
acting like an animal! That’s what has happened today!) The
apostates act upon their physical desires only! ("If it feels
good ... do it!" That’s their motto.)
The word "brute" is "alogos." It means "a" =
no, not! And "logos" is our word "thought" ... or "logic!"
They live like not logical (that means stupid) beasts! (Wow!)
And, lastly, the verb "corrupt themselves"
(both words come from one Greek term) is "phtheiro." The verb
means "to shrivel! To pine or waste away! To spoil, to ruin!
(Isn’t a good Bible dictionary a wonderful tool! And a pretty
good "preacher!")
The implication is that this crowd of
apostates via their own sins have implanted within themselves
the seeds of their own destruction! Sin has within itself a
ticking time bomb that will explode one day and destroy the
sinner! (This preacher has no doubt whatsoever that certain sins
... once committed ... plant deadly "mines" of mental and moral
explosives within the psyche. It’s just a matter of time.)
Notice that after people commit certain sins ... they become
suicidal or depressed or violent, etc. (Of course today we have
psychiatrists who can dope folks up and cover the symptoms until
they finally die off!)
There is only one solution to the sin issue.
That is the Blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son! He (and He alone)
can wash away sin and its guilt! (That’s the whole idea behind
the great Bible words of Atonement, Propitiation, Redemption,
Regeneration, etc.) Glory to God!
Last year I did a study of "parasites." They
are a perfect picture of the devil! There are parasites that
scientists have studied who invade a host animal and (That’s
what sin does. It invades the sinner and makes a "host" out of
him or her! It "eats" at you until you’re gone!) ... kills off
various aspects of the "host’s" life systems SO THAT THE
PARASITE ITSELF CAN COMMANDEER THE CREATURE FOR SELFISH
PURPOSES! Sin shrivels the sinner away as far as his being a
whole person is concerned! Sin will kill you ... all for satan’s
purposes. And his goal for you is ... DEATH! DEATH IN HELL IF
YOU ARE LOST! AND IF YOU’RE SAVED THE DEVIL JUST WANTS TO ROB
YOU OF ALL JOY, VICTORY AND FRUIT FOR JESUS’ SAKE! He will
shrivel you spiritually!
What a verse we’ve "discovered" today!
Let me go think on some "nuggets."
This is going to take a while!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE
11:
I believe Jude 11 is one of the KEY verses
in this whole book of Jude! See if you agree:
"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."
If ever a verse could stand on its own, this
is the one! What a sermon! It describes the pack of apostates
that Jude has been describing for his last 7 verses! It is placed
in the middle of Jude’s startling epistle!
"Woe" is the Greek term "ouia" and is usually
expresses denunciation. At times it also expresses grief. It is
an interjection. Bad things are ahead for this crowd! In fact
this "woe" may indicate that these people have gone so far down
the road of apostasy that there is no recovery available! (Their
coming "judgment" is already pronounced and sealed!)
"Have gone" is the verb "poreuomai" which
means to travel. (Root = to pierce from one side to the other!
Therefore we have the picture of a trip ... from beginning to
end!) Just as a Christian is on a journey to the heavenly city
... so are these rebels on a journey. But there is a big
difference! We are following Christ Jesus. They are following
Cain! (and Balaam and Korah!)
"Way" is the noun "hodos" and means road!
Here’s further evidence of the "trip" metaphor.
Cain has a name that means either "spear" or
"smith." Whatever that may signify, it is exactly a description
of what Cain’s descendants became! (manufacturers of brass and
iron products) Genesis 5:22 This was a departure from the work
God gave Cain’s father Adam. He was to originally to tend a
garden. So we already see some drifting from God’s plan! (Cain’s
children nearly started from day one falling away from the
faith!) Furthermore, Cain refused to worship the way God taught
man to worship. (He brought no Blood sacrifice ... he brought
the fruit of his own hands!) Cain was also a man of great temper
(anger)! Cain became the first murderer. And Cain raised ungodly
children! Catalog these wicked traits ... sum them up in a word
or two ... and you have a picture of the troublemakers in
today’s religious world! (Perhaps even in your own local
church!) The primary story of Cain is found in Genesis chapter
4.
Next this group runs! On the WAY of Cain they
walked. Now, they are running! (See the progression of sin!)
Next, they "fall" ... into the pit! The words "ran greedily
after" translate one Greek verb. It is "ekcheo." It means (ek =
out of! cheo = to pour or to pour forth) to bestow or to shed
abroad. They just "oozed" the error of Balaam! They overflowed
with Balaam’s very sins! (What a picturesque verb!) "Error" is
Greek "plane" from "planos" which gives us our word planet!
(Something out there in the blackness of darkness wondering
around!) It means roving aimlessly. (When planets were first
observed it was not known that they had orbits. They were
thought to travel pointlessly.) And how appropriate is the
meaning of Balaam’s name: "devourer!" (That’s the International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia definition.) And just in case we
still miss the point, Jude adds "for reward." Reward is "misthos"
and means $$$, pay, financial gain! These apostates do what they
do for money! Balaam was literally for sale! He would change his
message for gold or silver! Or for political correctness! (He
worked for the king!) Or for popularity! Today I fear many
professors of religion will change any belief they have for the
same reasons! They have given in to the abortionists, feminists,
homosexuals, liberals, rationalists and even atheists! (When God
would not allow Balaam to "curse" Israel, he just reasserted
himself and taught the Moabites how to seduce Israel to sin!)
Anyone with a "soft" view of sin must be watched! Things that
used to be wrong ... ARE STILL WRONG IN GOD’S EYES! Balaam can
be studied in Numbers chapters 22 through 24.
Lastly note that these who have denied the
faith "perished." The root of the verb means ruin, death, or
punishment! They died in their rebellion. The Bible illustration
given is that of Core (Korah is the Old Testament spelling.).
See Numbers 16! He was a prince in Israel and he led a rebellion
against God’s man Moses! "Gainsaying" is "antilogia." It means
literally "against the word!" The contradicted both the Word of
God and the words of Moses! For this the earth opened her mouth
and swallowed them alive into the pit! They died! (Korah was a
cousin of Moses ... and no doubt his rebellion was fueled by
some kind of jealousy!) Ever know anybody to be "jealous" of the
preacher? This was a "power struggle" and they still occur in
churches today!
All I know to tell you is to stay away from
the sins of Cain, Balaam and Korah. They indicate the tendencies
of apostasy! Don’t be a judge, but learn to watch for these
"signs" in others around you at church! Help protect your pastor
and pray for him daily!
Notice this apostasy thing in our single
verse happened to people (Cain), prophets (Balaam),
and princes (Korah)!
Cain got on the wrong WAY! Balaam ignored the
TRUTH! And Korah lost his LIFE! (Get it?) The verse is a
reversal of the WAY, TRUTH, LIFE principle found in our Lord
Jesus Christ! See John 14:6!
I sincerely pray that you will find a
"nugget" somewhere in this great verse today!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSES
12 AND 13:
Our "Bible Nugget" today is found in the
book of Jude! May it feed your soul!
Jude, verses 12 and 13
"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 withered, 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." I am placing verses 12 and 13 together
because they seem to form one thought in the mind of Jude. He is
using a set of word pictures to further describe these false
believers. (Preachers, here is a good lesson on HOW to use
word pictures in our preaching!)
He first calls the "apostates" (those who
have departed from the faith) "spots in your feasts of charity!"
The word "spots" is "spilas" which originally meant rocks!
Another meaning it has acquired is that of "spots." This
rendering of the word is in keeping with Peter’s parallel text
"spots they are and blemishes." (2 Peter 2:13) The term "feasts
of charity" is "agape!" The great Greek noun for love! The early
church had common meals where they came together for fellowship
and everyone brought food. That was especially helpful and
"loving" for the slaves among them as well as other poor
members. Apparently these apostates attended the church services
and came to the "love feasts" also. There they ate well! They
"feasted" ("suneuecho") which means with + well or good + to
have or hold! What is that? It means to fare well! It means to
eat heartily! "Feeding" is the verb form of the noun for
shepherd! This crowd is taking good care of themselves. (They
probably brought no food! But ... they sure could eat it!)
"Without fear" is Greek "aphobos." It means with no phobias!
Fearlessly! Sometimes the word phobos means reverence. These
false professors have no reverence or respect for the things of
God! The "shepherding" image here may suggest that some of these
apostates are pastors or preachers! Paul describes some of the
problems at these feasts (which concluded with the Lord’s
Supper) in his epistle to 1st Corinthians. Apostasy is
characterized by selfishness!
Next they are "clouds without water."
"Clouds" is the common word for clouds, and "without water" is
Greek "without" (a) plus hudor (water). "Hudor" gives us words
such as hydrant! This is a simple illustration from the world of
weather. Their being "carried about of winds" (para + phero = to
bear or carry plus alongside) implies aimlessness. (However the
winds blow!) Paul talked of those who were blown about by every
wind of doctrine! (Eph. 4:14 where he used the verb peri + phero!)
Clouds promise water to a dry and thirsty land! But when the
clouds come ... and don’t deliver that precious commodity ...
they are hypocritical! By the way, clouds prevent the sun from
shining! (The sun being a picture of Jesus.)
The "trees" metaphor is rather lengthy. The
Greek for "trees" is "dendron." Their word for "oak" is drus. So
likely Jude has big trees in mind! "Fruit withered" is an
unusual word. It is "phthinoporinos" and means autumn ("late
hour") and a verb meaning to wither or wane. Note the
implication here that at some time they HAD fruit! "Without
fruit" is Greek a + karpos. (no fruit) It means having nothing
"to seize or pick!" Truly in their spiritual lives ... they have
nothing to be desired! "Twice" is from duo, meaning two. Dead is
the normal word for death, specifically meaning "killed off!"
(The fruit is dead. And the root is dead too!) "Plucked up by
the roots" is one Greek verb! It is the word for root plus the
prefix "ek" meaning out of! Rooted out! (In the hands of the
Gardener!)
Then they are compared to "raging waves of
the sea." Remember that the sea in Scripture is often used as a
picture of the masses of humanity without God! (Isaiah 57:20)
Raging is agros and means of the "field" or country. (not tamed
or domestic!) Waves is the noun kuma ... meaning to swell or
bend or curve. (As the waves do!) "Foaming out" means to
slobber! (to froth) One source says it means to "to exhibit vile
passions." And "shame" is the word that means disgrace! It
actually ties in with the idea of confusion! This word is
translated "dishonesty" once in the King James Bible! (2 Cor.
4:2) These descriptions should help us spot (identify) any
"enemies" of God's Grace. Jude says they may have
"slipped" into our churches!
Next they are like "wandering stars." Stars
is "aster" from which we get the word astronomy (or the Houston
"Astros!") Wandering is Greek "planetes" meaning to rove about!
It was a word they used for an erroneous teacher also!
"Reserved" is the verb "tereo" and means kept or guarded." God
has a place set aside just for these apostates! "Blackness"
comes from the word that gives the noun for "cloud." (God can
hide your sin behind the dark clouds ... or He can put you in
the dark clouds! Isa. 44:22) "Darkness" is the Greek term
meaning shade or shadow. Hell is a place of "outer darkness."
For "ever" uses the word "aion" meaning age or eon! Eternally in
darkness! (A "wandering star" could surely throw a ship off
course, couldn’t it?)
Jude has used one social word picture and
four nature scenes! He is quite an artist!
One Bible teacher sees in their descriptions
a downward spiral! Love feasts ... clouds blown by wind ...
trees with no fruit ... waves foaming out shame ... and
(finally) stars in blackness forever! (Wow!) And think about
this. The true saints of God are the very OPPOSITES of each of
these word pictures Jude has used! (Non-spotted ones! Possessors
of Water of Life! Trees planted by rivers of water! No shame or
confusion but glory to God! Stars shining forever!)
Well, there are some "nuggets!" (Praise the
Lord!)
Take your pick!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSES 14 AND 15:
Here is today's Bible Nugget lesson:
Jude, verses 14 and 15
"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." Look at this! In reality we have more about
the preaching of Enoch here than we are told anywhere in
the whole Old Testament! However, the Old Testament does give us
more about the LIFE of Enoch than Jude. (Still this little
epistle of Jude excels in many ways!) Jude, the half-brother of
our Lord (Mark 6:3), believed on Jesus later in life (after
Jesus’ Death and Resurrection)... but he grew in Grace rather
rapidly I would say!
The Bible dictionaries say that the name
Enoch means "initiated" or dedicated!" I would say that when you
got saved you were "initiated" pretty good! You were born again!
You were placed in a rather "prestigious" group (the Church of
the Living God! the Bride of Christ!). You were given
"information" that can save the lost! You even know the
"secrets" of how this age is going to end! And you are also
"dedicated" or consecrated to the Lord. He has sanctified (set
apart) you to the glory of God! It is amazing that old Enoch had
the same type "reputation" in the long ago.
The Old Testament tells us of this great man
Enoch. You can read of him in Genesis chapter 5.
Notice that Jude tells us something of the
genealogy of Enoch. He was the "seventh" from Adam! Now I am
interested in those 7 names! They were: Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan,
Mahalaleel, Jared, then Enoch! Adam means "red" or of the earth!
Seth means "compensation," the idea of money or pay! Enos means
"man," just plain lost man! Cainan means "possession," a symbol
of materialism, not a symbol of godliness! BUT thankfully
Mahalaleel means "praise of God!" Jared means "descending," or
going down! Finally, Enoch means "dedicated!" Here in context
this is dedication to God Almighty! Here’s my point. Apart from
God’s saving Grace upon Adam and Mahalaleel (praise of Jehovah
God), old Enoch would have been all alone in his godliness (for
seven generations)! This genealogy is a "pattern." Most of the
men are lost ... only a few are "saved." (This is true yet today
... and always will be Jesus said.) Also notice that the Grace
of God can’t be predicted! It follows no pattern. It just
"appears" in individual lives according to God’s great Wisdom!
Then see that most men are preoccupied with things worldly! (Is
it not still so?) And one of the men illustrates (Jared) what is
the truth of human development! It flies in the face of
evolution ... but man is spiraling downward on his race to hell!
It says Enoch "prophesied." The verb means to
tell before or to tell forth! Both ideas are included in Bible
prophecy! (Prophets tell what has not yet happened! And they
also speak forth the truth of God as revealed to them by the
Spirit!) Prophecy does these 2 things: FORE-TELLS and FORTH
TELLS! (predicts and declares) Enoch was a preacher!
"Ten thousands" is the Greek noun "murios."
It gives us our word myriads and means an innumerable company!
This group no doubt includes the saved multitudes in heaven plus
the angels of God as well!
Do recall that the word "saints" means set
apart ones! Holy ones!
Here is Enoch, an Old Testament preacher,
talking not of the Lord’s first coming (yet thousands of years
in the future) ... but declaring the SECOND COMING even further
into the prophetic future!
But he preaches of the second coming in the
context of these wicked false teachers known now as apostates!
"To execute judgment" is a neat expression!
The word "execute" is Greek for "to do or to make." It is the
verb that gives us our word poem! Even God’s wrath will be
beautifully poetic and His children will declare His glory and
righteousness as they behold it! (Judgment is a "verdict!")
The verb "to convince" is a strong word
meaning "to prove to be wrong!" There will be no talking back to
God by wise-guy sinners on judgment day! As they are consigned
to hell ... all they can say is "God is right!"
The word so repeated here is "ungodly" and in
Greek is "asebes." It has the idea of being irreverent. Some
dictionaries say it means "NOT TO ADORE!" This crowd reveres no
one but themselves!
"Hard speeches" further amplifies their
character. The Greek is "skleros" and means harsh, rough, stiff
... with the root idea being perhaps that of leanness! What they
say is ugly and mean ... but it really has no substance!
(Listened to any democratic party debates lately?)
Lastly, notice against Whom they have been
talking. AGAINST GOD HIMSELF! (A United Methodist "preacher"
recently wrote a nearly 200 page book in which he says one thing
... that Jesus was a homosexual!) THAT AUTHOR IS AN APOSTATE BY
THIS DEFINITION!
By combining some Old Testament mathematical
facts, one realizes that Enoch walked with God for over 300
years! Now ... that is faithfulness!
That’s today "Bible Nugget" information.
It should make all God’s children want to
live for Him more fervently ... and fight the devil more
zealously than ever before!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 16:
Here is today's "Bible Nugget."
Jude, verse 16
"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."
Several more key characteristics of these
"apostates" are given. We shall examine them one by one.
They are "murmurers." The verb is from a
Greek root "gogguzo" which means to grumble. It has the idea of
"habitual grumbling." As a noun the word is here only in the New
Testament. As a verb (or a verbal): John 7:12 "murmuring" and
Acts 6:1 "murmuring" both provide examples. While they grumble
about everything, this word may especially refer to grumbling
about the things of God. (Of course, all things that come into
our lives are at least "allowed" by God.) "Complainers" is a noun that means "blaming
fate!" It actually contains the verb "to blame" and the noun
"fate." It also is found only here in the entire New Testament
corpus. This crowd is not satisfied with much at all!
"Walking (present participle)" means (again)
that this has become a habit! "Lusts" is a pretty strong word (epi
+ thumos) for passion! (Usually for something forbidden) Their
life is driven (controlled) by very strong sensual physical
desires. They are slaves to their desires! (If it feels good ...
do it! That’s their attitude!)
Here is an interesting side light. The word
for "mouth" is Greek "stoma." It became our English word
stomach! (Our mouths lead food to our stomachs!) "Speaketh" is
the Greek verb "laleo," meaning to talk, with the emphasis being
on the sounds and words ... not on the logic and thought behind
those words! It can be just "chatter" or "jabber." The term
"great swelling" words is interesting. It is one word, "huperogkos."
It means "over" (hyper) plus "a mass or burden." It is
superabundant mess of words! They are "talkers!" I believe this
is a lot like the politicians' speeches of nothingness today!
"Men’s persons" is a compound word with the
idea of "toward the face" of someone. Speaking to flatter or
impress! ("prosopon") They sure know how to "butter someone up."
"Admiration" comes from the Greek verb that means "to wonder!"
(to be amazed) They not only praise these men with their words
... they are actually overwhelmed by their personalities or
positions! These apostates are the kind who would admire folks
who are wicked and reprobate! And the noun "advantage" comes
from a Greek word that means "benefit" or help! These apostates
want something from the men they flatter!
They surely are presented here in Holy
Scripture in a bad light!
They have rotten attitudes and sticky
fingers!
When you spot one of these ... stay away from
them. And just to think that a crowd like this eased into the
New Testament church of first century Christianity! Then it
should NOT surprise us today who (or what) might be in our
churches in 2003!
Christians, count these wicked traits.
Memorize them. Then reverse them! (Do not murmur!
Do not complain! Do not lust! Do not flatter!
Do not covet!) This would be acting very UN-apostate!
It would be behaving like a real Christian!
There’s another "nugget."
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSES 17 AND 18:
Here is today's "Bible
Nugget." Jude remembers what the Apostles of our Lord
Jesus said when they were on earth. May the Lord today
speak to our hearts through these verses is my prayer.
Jude, verses 17 and 18
"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." Here is a simple reminder from Jude. He
appeals to the great men of God (Apostles) who had gone before
him. What those Apostles wrote is part of the inspired Word of
God! (Look at 2 Peter 2 when you have opportunity!)
He calls his brethren "beloved," from the
Greek noun "agape." It does mean "loved ones." It does NOT mean
that there was homosexuality rife among Jesus and his followers
(as one Methodist preacher said just the other day)! If you
doubt me I can supply with his name, his position and his book!
The verb "remember" is in the imperative mood. It is a command!
"Words" is Greek "rhema," meaning to utter or pour forth
(speech). The slight difference between rhema and logos
(according to Vines’ Greek Dictionary) is that rhema is the more
specific term. Rhema is a slice of Logos. Logos is the whole pie
... rhema is the piece of it you will eat right now! "Spoken
before" is a compound word meaning to speak beforehand (to utter
before). They prophesied that these wicked men would come on the
scene! Here Jude, Jesus’ half brother (Mark 6:3), admires and
respects the Disciples (perhaps by now including Paul)!
Notice that in every case in this little
epistle, when Jude refers to "Jesus" ... he never calls Him that
alone! He always includes the Divine Title along with Jesus!
Here in our verse it is "our Lord Jesus Christ!" Lord =
Sovereign! Jesus = Saviour! Christ =
Sanctifier! (See John 17:19 for proof!)
They "told" you! The verb is "lego" (to
speak, say or even preach!). It has an imperfect sense of
timing, which means it was done ... with ongoing impact. They
told us ... it is written in Scripture ... and their message has
lived and empowered us ever since! Written Scripture, although
now complete in volume, still does its work yet today!
"Mockers" is just too critical a word to
skip. It derives from "empaizo," a Greek verb meaning to sport
... to make fun of ... (hence) to mock! It is only used twice in
the Bible. Its other location: 2 Peter 3:3. (In the book of
Proverbs we meet the "scorner." Much is said there about
him! One meaning of "scorn" is to mock!)
"Last" is "eschatos." I want you to learn
this Greek word. It means final or ending! (farthest in time or
place) The reason it is significant is that the Bible study of
prophecy is called "eschatology!" It comes from our very word
here and means the doctrine of LAST things! (The Second Coming,
etc.)
"Walk," the verb is in the present tense,
middle voice. They pursue this lifestyle (walk) perpetually,
habitually! The middle voice means that the lifestyle they have
chosen impacts them greatly! In fact, it aids in their eternal
damnation!
"Ungodly" is that little adjective that means
irreverent or disrespectful. It seems to apply to all areas of
life ... especially to the things of God!
And "lusts" is again "epithumos," meaning
strong passions! (Like brute beasts, remember?)
Jude seems to "layer" the truth throughout
this Epistle. He tactfully repeats these traits of the ungodly
to teach us learn to spot them ... then to avoid them ... partly
by removing them from our assemblies!
Let me summarize. Jude has taught us
perhaps the TWO KEY TRAITS of false believers. (Other
traits follow in the next few verses.) Number one ... they
are "mockers!" Ever hear anyone "mock" the preacher?
Or the Bible? Or some godly brother or sister?
Someone on C-SPAN recently was mocking our President.
Makes you think of Jude 18! Number two ... they are
consumed with their own irreverent "lusts" or (very) strong
passions! In church they are going to have THEIR WAY or no
way! They couldn't care less about the will of the Lord of
the desire of the whole church family! They fully intend
to "run" things their way! (That's what's got the
"liberals" so enraged in American politics today! They're
not controlling things as much as they would like right now!
And if they can't RUN it ... obviously they intend to tear it up
so the other crowd, the conservatives, can't either!)
Another "nugget" I pray might have been
revealed today. Isn’t the Bible an amazing Book?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSE 19:
Here is Tuesday's "Bible
Nugget." It describes this crowd of people who have
"departed from the Faith!" Jude tells us of three traits
that they all have. This verse (I guarantee you) will
remind you of someone you've known through the years! Jude, verse 19 "These be they
who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit."
The verb "separate themselves" is a tough one
to explain. It comes from quite a "combination" of Greek words.
It is spelled "apodiorizo." It combines "apo" and "alektor" and
"aner" and "horizo!" Four different word "colors" are here!
Let’s see if I can "paint" for you the word picture Jude uses. "Apo"
is a preposition and just means from. Often these prefixes
intensify the meaning of the verb! "Alektor" has the meaning "to
ward off!" It came to mean a male fowl (a rooster, for example)!
"Aner" means a man, but in the sense of the "male" of the
species. And "horozo" means "to mark out or to appoint or decree
(to specify)". Strong’s Concordance quoted in the PC Study
Bible says the whole word means "to disjoin." The idea is that
of separating into groups or little cliques! It is a present
participle. That suggests that these rascals are constantly
causing little "clubs" to form. They are constantly making
distinctions between people.
Now to give you Bible students just a "taste"
of the variations you get during research: the Vines Expository
Dictionary says the word derives from : "apo" and "dia" and
horizo." You can see there’s a slight difference of opinion
here. (Nothing major!) With these "colors" we still get the same
basic "picture" and definition! Here it is: "apo" = from! "dia"
= asunder! and "horozo" = to limit! (Horizo" gives us the noun
"horizon!") Basically we still come up with THIS DEFINITION: "TO
MAKE SEPARATIONS! TO MAKE DIVISIONS!" (This is the spirit of
sectarianism.)
They draw borderlines and make limits thereby
creating new "groups." Of course, they then want to lead those
new groups in some sort of rebellion (against the Pastor, etc.).
They "worm" their way to the top and attack leadership! They
create "factions" and "schisms" within the church itself.
(Here's the beginning of church "cliques!")
Naturally they will not take the blame for
creating such divisions! They will blame the Pastor by saying (I
should say "lying.") such things as this: Pastor overstayed his
time here! That’s caused all the problems! It's his hard
preaching (against sin) that has caused people to leave! Let’s
have some meetings and try to get rid of that old fundamental
preacher!
Another viable possibility is that the word "horizo"
(borders, limits) suggests these apostates have gone way beyond
the limits God has set for His people! For example, condoning
homosexuality! Permitting infidels (people of "no faith") to
join the church or even speak from the pulpit! Denying the
infallibility of Scripture! (See how this would create splits
and divisions? True believers would have to LEAVE such a church
because it no longer took a godly stand on the issues of life!)
By the way, though I do not have the time to
go into it right now, 1 Corinthians 11:19 gives us the theology
behind such divisions. God has a REASON for allowing them. Read
the verse! In the little epistle of 3 John (verses 9 and 10) we
are told of a man who loved to be first place in the church!
Diotrephes was like these apostates in his behavior. Watch out
for this crowd. They are "trouble!"
Next this crowd of apostates are described as
"sensual!" This adjective is the Greek word "psuchikos." (Really
it is kin to our word "physical.") This word is found six times
in the New Testament. Four times it is translated "natural."
Twice it is rendered "sensual." It means sensitive or natural.
It comes from the word "psuche" which means breath. It means the
"merely biological life within." It indicates one who is
"limited to the realm of the senses!" (The "natural" man of 1
Corinthians 2:14.) The earthly life (the worldly) was vastly
more dominant in them than the spiritual life! (If these men
were teaching the false belief system known as Gnosticism, Jude
surely did burst their little bubble! They would have prided
themselves in being "spiritual." Jude just called them
spiritually bankrupt ... and only men of natural inclinations!
Just body and soul! NOT body and soul and spirit! He just told
them they were spiritually DEAD!) They live only for the
physical, sensual dimensions of life!
Lastly Jude turns his implications into
declarations! He just plainly tells us that these folks have not
the "Spirit!" The verbal here is "having not," and it is a
present participle. They do not have the Spirit now and that’s
an ongoing condition with them! (continually without the Spirit)
That’s sad! The word "Spirit" is the Greek "pneuma" and
when capitalized our KJV translators believed it referred to the
Holy Spirit of God! "Pneuma" literally means "wind or air!"
(Remember Jesus’ illustration of the Spirit as the wind blowing
where it desires in John 3:8?) These particular men are NOT
saved! (One preacher says, "This is the difference between
synthetic saints and sincere saints.")
I have good news for you! If you are saved
... you DO HAVE THE SPIRIT! ("Now if any
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
Romans 8:9)
I almost feel like we should take off our
shoes! We are standing on holy ground!
And all around on this ground are placed
golden "nuggets" for our benefit. Go ahead. Pick up one or two
of them. Use them today to help you live for God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE,
VERSES 20 AND 21:
I
believe today's "nuggets" article may be a real encouragement to
someone! Let me know.
Jude, verses 20 and 21
" 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." Now Jude turns his attention from the false
believers back to the true believers! Notice he calls them
"beloved," meaning loved ones. They are in the Family!
"Building up" is a verb consisting of three
words! "Epi" means on or upon. "Oikos" means house. And "doma"
is from demo and means to build! (especially to build a roof)
Therefore "epoikodomeo" is to build a house! It is in the
imperative mood signifying that it is a command! It is a present
participle meaning that the building is a process! It will take
a while! Keep at it! It is also active voice meaning that the
Christians there must do some things themselves in regard to
this building! (You can’t lay back and just let the Pastor,
etc., do it all for you!) Upon what foundation are they to
build? Their "most holy faith" "Most holy" is an adjective (hagios)
in the superlative degree. Every bit as wicked and vile as these
apostates are ... in like measure these Christians are holy and
pure and consecrated unto God! (That’s what the precious Holy
Spirit can do! He is the Sanctifier!) Remember in 2 Peter 1 we
are told to "add" some things to our Christian lives! Add to
your FAITH virtue and knowledge and temperance and patience,
etc. The FOUNDATION (as here in Jude) is FAITH!
Next Jude asks that they be "praying in the
Holy Ghost!" The verb to "pray" ("proseuchomai") means to
express a desire or wish! Added to that stem is a prefix meaning
"to the face" or "toward." Put it all together! To go before the
Face of Someone (the Lord God Almighty in Jesus’ Name) and share
one’s needs! That is a BIBLE definition of prayer if I’ve ever
seen one! It is imperative mood ... meaning a command is here
given! It is a present participle ... meaning that it is to be
habitual action! And it is in the middle voice ... meaning that
the action will IMPACT the doer (the subject)! You cannot pray
without being "changed" in the process! (True prayer is not
designed to change God ... but to change you and me!) The "Holy
Ghost" is the One Who motivates and encourages our prayers
according to Paul in Romans 8:26. The word "Ghost" implied to
the old English folks (KJV days) that someone who had died had
returned in spirit! That returned spirit was known as a ghost!
That’s exactly WHY they often translated the Spirit a the Holy
Ghost! They knew that Jesus had returned through His Spirit to
minister to His children! (Pentecost!) Of course this is not the
literal second coming of our Lord. That yet (as of this writing)
lies in the future.
"Keep" is a verb meaning to ("tereo") guard
or watch! It is an aorist imperative. This shows us it is
another command from God through Jude to the beloved ones. The
aorist tense is a little puzzling. It indicates that the keeping
has already been done! It is a completed task. (action finished
in the past) Glory to God! Do you see it? There is not a thing I
can do today to keep myself saved. My safety is based upon a
finished transaction! The Blood has been shed at Calvary. The
Saviour is literally raised from the dead! He sits at the
Father’s Right Hand interceding for me. I am already a citizen
of Heaven! I am already now seated in heavenly places with
Christ Jesus. I am secure! I am "kept!" It is a done deal! (And
even Jude’s grammar proves that point!) "Love" is "agape," that
brand of love that is unselfish and unconditional and of God!
The preposition is "en" and means in, on or at! We have jumped
right in the middle of the overwhelming Love of God! Praise His
Name!
Jude here suggests that the antidote to
apostasy may be the LOVE of God! (Matthew 24:12 says that love
becomes cold because iniquity abounds! In other words, love and
iniquity are deadly enemies! 1 John 2:15 tells us that if the
love of the world is in a man ... then the love of the Father is
NOT in him!)
"Looking" is Greek "prosdechomai." This means
"to receive" (dechomai) with an added prefix (preposition)
"pros" which is "to, toward, to the face!" We are going one day
to see Jesus and gladly embrace Him face to face! It is another
present participle. We are to keep looking until He comes!
(continual action) The verb is also middle voice. When we see
Him ... it will change us! In fact, grammatically here ... even
the LOOKING will CHANGE us! (Wow!) "Mercy" is "eleos" and means
compassion or even pity (and it is a very active concept)! Mercy
that does something! (Like die on the Cross!) Jude loves to use
the full Name of our Saviour! (Lord Jesus Christ) "Unto" (Greek
= "eis") as a preposition (with the accusative case as here)
means ... into the sphere of! The channel God used to get me
into Jesus via His shed Blood is the channel of Grace/Mercy! The
open area at the Tabernacle in the wilderness (by the brass
altar of sacrifice) was 20 cubits wide! (That’s 30 feet wide!)
If that’s not a picture of mercy and grace I don’t know what is!
And what kind of "life" is it? Eternal means ("aionios" = from
eons = ages) never ending! Age upon age! Also the very word
chosen for life ("zoe" from the verb "zao" = to live") indicates
life on the highest plane! This is not just biological life with
cells and tissue ("bios") but life abundant and delightful! See
John 10:10!
Can you find any "nuggets" in today’s study?
I surely pray so! Happy hunting! I sometimes feel like a
spiritual prospector!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSES
22 AND 23:
Can you believe that we
have nearly completed the Book of Jude, one "nugget" at a time? Today notice with me Jude 22
and 23:
"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." Here it seems that Jude is telling us how we
might help some of these who are departing from the faith! Among
Jude’s closing words will be an admonition to "reach others!"
The last words of Jesus on earth also included this desire to
see the lost saved!
"Having compassion" is a verb ("eleao") which
contains the very Greek word for mercy! To show mercy means
having a real feeling for the "misery" of others. We are to be
touched with their feelings. This verb is imperfect present
indicating that the action (giving mercy) once started ... is to
continue indefinitely! We are not to hate sinners ... but feel
for them in their misguided walk of life. A walk which is going
to lead them to many a hurt and sorrow and ultimately plunge
them into hell fire itself!
The next part of the verse is "making a
difference." It’s a participle (present tense middle voice)
combining the Greek words "dia" and "krino." It literally means
"to judge through." One of its meanings is "to doubt." Perhaps
it suggests that of these who are departing from the faith some
are not so sure they’re doing the right thing! They are doubling
their decision. THEY might be helped by the discerning mature
Christian! Jude says go get them!
However, it is possible that "diakrino"
(making a difference) could modify the Christian himself.
Another of the verb’s quite valid meanings is "to distinguish"
or "to evaluate" or "to judge through!" Maybe Jude is teaching
us believers that some of the apostates can be helped while
others cannot! We need to be careful and discerning to help
those who might respond and stay away from those who would be
dangerous to our faith! That sense also fits perfectly with our
context. Expositors are divided on which way to apply this
"making a difference" clause.
Others (There must be "levels" of apostasy
then!) we are to "save with fear." Sozo (to save) is an
imperfect present verb. It represents ongoing action (once
started). We are to be busy trying to deliver (a meaning for
"saving") or rescue lost souls ... including some of this crowd
Jude has been describing! We are to seek to reach them
fearfully! There are dangers in reaching out to save a drowning
man! (Throw out the life line!)
"Pulling" is "harpazo," meaning to catch up,
snatch away, pluck! It is an imperfect present participle. We
are to be "harpooners" of lost souls! The root idea is to seize
or take to oneself! Notice where they are: in the fire! That’s
as close to hell as one can be without being eternally lost!
This is true "rescue" work ... but on a spiritual level! Lot and
his daughters were truly pulled from the fire!
Hating is the normal verb implying: "to
detest." Garment is the word ("chilton") meaning undergarment or
inner clothing. It is the tunic or shirt worn under an outer
robe or coat. This would show that the filth of sin stains not
only the outer clothing ... but seeps into the undergarments as
well! (The penetrating dirty influence of sin!) "Spotted" means
stained or soiled. It is a perfect participle of "spiloo." Once
sin stains ... the stain stays ... until and unless the Blood of
Jesus washes it away.
It in a way surprises me that Jude (after
describing this crowd in such a precise and "final" manner)
suggests that they should be compassionately led to the Saviour!
I guess the lesson is: never give up unless
the danger of reaching someone is so great that personal
spiritual welfare is threatened.
There’s another "nugget" from Jude!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
JUDE, VERSES 24 AND 25:
Here is the last "nugget" article from the
Epistle of Jude! If there was a good way to do it, I'd
give all of you that have studied Jude with us a "test," and
upon your completing it (with a passing "grade") I would send
you a certificate of Bible Study!
There is just nothing as
exciting as getting into the Word of God! There's no other
book like it on earth! Jude, verses 24 and 25
"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."
Here is Jude’s great benediction.
(benediction = 2 Latin words meaning "saying something good")
It contains much truth to encourage us!
He (our Lord) is "able" to keep us. The word
"able" is a translation of the Greek term that transliterated
into English as "dynamite!" ("dunamis") When it comes to God
protecting us from the pit into which these apostates have
fallen ... don’t worry! Our Lord is fully capable! He has the
power!
"Keep" is the verb "tereo" meaning to guard,
protect, or defend! What have I to fear with the Almighty God
being my Shield? It is an aorist infinitive. This keeping is a
decision already made in the past. Our "keeping" somehow is
linked to our "salvation!" If you are saved ... then you are
(already) kept! (That is taught us here by the grammar alone!)
"Falling" is a word with a beautiful
heritage. The Greek form is spelled "aptaistos." Ptaio is the
verb "to trip." It is here prefixed with "a" --- which negates
the whole word. It says: NOT TO TRIP! God can keep you and me
from even tripping! If you have been faithful for years and have
avoided major sin ... DO NOT BRAG UPON YOURSELF! It is the LORD
Who has prevented your tripping!
"To present" is the word "to stand." Jesus
will pick you up and cause you to stand in the Father’s Presence
some day spotless! This also is an aorist verb ... this in God’s
eyes is a accomplished fact! You are already there! (Glory!)
"Faultless" is "anomos," which means no +
flaw or blot! Without flaw! It is only used 7 times in the New
Testament. It’s translated in the KJV as unblameable, without
spot, without rebuke, etc. What a position is ours!
"Presence" is "katenopion," an unusual word
here. It literally means "before the face of!" As believers we
shall be before His Face ... and He will see no stain! (Oh! The
Power of the Blood of Jesus!)
"Glory" is "doxa," meaning splendor or
grandeur! As humans we could not handle this. It would kill us.
But we shall in that wonderful day be in our glorified bodies
... fully equipped to enjoy His ineffable Glory!
"Exceeding joy" is another great word! (Jude
is ending with a grand finale!) It has as its root ("hallomai")
a word meaning "to jump (for joy)! Its prefix is "agan" meaning
MUCH! It means exultation ... especially at a time of welcome!
(right out of the dictionaries!) We are going to have a "time"
when we see Him!
The "only wise God" is, of course, our Lord
Jesus Christ! Only is Greek "monos," meaning one and only! (sole
or single) Wise is "sophos," which comes apparently from a stem
that means "clear." In God’s eyes education is NOT what makes
one wise. Purity does! God is "theos," from which we get such
words as theology or theism, etc. (The Latin word for God is
Deus.)
Jude now further qualifies the only wise God.
He is our "Saviour!" (This, again, is Jesus!) The noun is "soter,"
which comes from the verb "sozo." It has several word pictures!
To win a war and be proclaimed victor! To set free from a jail
cell! To make well from a dreadful sickness. To counsel bitterly
alienated parties until they come together in reconciliation! To
declare acquitted (justified) in a court of law! Wow! What
pictures of our salvation! Pastors, this would preach!
Jude ascribes to our Lord four things.
(Notice how in the Book of Revelation particularly the
benedictions grow! Early in the book Jesus is given a couple of
praises. In the middle this has grown to a 3-fold or 4-fold
adoration. But by the end of the book it’s a 7-fold benediction!
Amen!)
First is Glory ("doxa’). Now understand, God
already has all GLORY! We can’t give Him one ounce more! But we
can mention His glory! We can point it out to others (or to one
another)! Some preacher said that God’s glory is the GLO of God!
(Get it? Glo! glory!) He is a God of majesty. Glory may be the
sum total of all His attributes also!
Then comes "Majesty." "Megalousune" is "mega"
majesty. That means BIG majesty. A restaurant I know has a
MEGA-bar where they serve all kinds of food! It means real big!
God is a MEGA God! (Greatness belongs unto Him!) Tell Him so
often!
He then has "dominion." The noun is "kratos."
meaning vigor, strength, power! Particularly (Vines Dictionary
says) it speaks of "manifested power!" Visible strength!
Lastly is "power." The word is Greek "exousia."
It means authority! It is thought to come from "ek" and "eimi."
Put together it means "I am" plus "out of." He is the great I
AM! He has all power (Matthew 28:18). A giant wrestler has
strength and power. A 100 pound police lady with a badge on has
authority!
Both "now" and "ever" give time dimensions to
the adoration. Now ("nun") means for the present! Every minute a
believer lives on this earth ... praise of some kind is being
lifted to our Father and His Son in Heaven! He receives (and
deserves) constantly present praise. But when we all get in His
Presence ... the praise will not end. It goes on for "ever." Get
this: "eis pantas tous aionas!" It translates: into all the
ages! (Glory to God!)
What a way to end an epistle!
Excuse me, I’m too busy picking up "nuggets"
to say good-bye.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
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