The Epistle of Jude

• Who Wrote: Jesus’ Half Brother Jude
• Where Written: Palestine (?)
• When Written: c. 65 C.E.

Greeting

1 Jude,[1] a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: ² May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

Contend for the Faith

³ Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the holy ones. ⁴ Certain men have crept in among you who were long ago appointed for this judgment, ungodly men[2] who change[3] the grace of our God into an excuse for licentiousness[4] and who prove false to our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Past and Present Apostates

⁵ Now I want to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord,[5] after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And the angels who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling place, he has kept in eternal bonds under deep darkness for the judgment of the great day, ⁷ just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross sexual immorality and having gone after other flesh,[6] are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

Michael’s Dispute with the Devil

⁸ Despite this, in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and speaking abusively of glorious ones. ⁹ But Michael the archangel,[7] when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a judgment against him in abusive terms, but said, “The Lord[8] rebuke you!” ¹⁰ But these men speak evil of the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are corrupting themselves.[9] ¹¹ Woe to them! because in the way of Cain they went, and to the error of Balaam for profit they rushed, and in the rebellious talk of Korah they perished. ¹² These are the men who are hidden rocks in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, carried along by winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted; ¹³ wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever.

Prophecy of Enoch

¹⁴ It was also about these men that Enoch, the seventh one in line from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Look, the Lord came with tens of thousands of his holy ones, ¹⁵ to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly deeds that they did in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners[10] have spoken against him.” ¹⁶ These men are murmurers, finding fault, following their own desires, and their mouths make excessive boasts, flattering people[11] for their own advantage.

Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

¹⁷ But you, beloved ones, call to mind the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, soulical men,[12] devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Ascribing Glory to God

²⁴ Now to the one who is able to guard you from stumbling and to set you in the presence of his glory unblemished, with great joy, ²⁵ to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.[13] Amen.

[1] Gr (Ἰούδας Ioudas) meaning Lauded

[2] Lit irreverential (ones)

[3] Or turn

[4] Or loose conduct; shameless conduct (ἀσέλγεια aselgeia) behavior completely lacking in moral restraint, usually with the implication of sexual licentiousness – ‘licentious behavior, extreme immorality.’

[5] That is, the Father; Exodus 12:51 (UASV) And on that same day Jehovah brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.

[6] Gr (σαρκός ἕτερος sarkos heteros); Lit went after different or other flesh, i.e., pursued unnatural fleshly desires

[7] Archangel: (ἀρχάγγελος archaggelos) Michael is the only spirit named as an archangel in the Bible. Nevertheless, some Bible scholars believe that ‘it is possible that there is other’ archangels. However, the prefix “arch,” meaning “chief” or “principal,” indicates that there is only one archangel, the chief angel. Yes, Gabriel is enormously powerful, but no Scripture ever refers to him as an archangel. If there were multiple archangels, how could they even be described as an arch (chief or principal) angel? In the Scriptures, “archangel” is never found in the plural. Clearly, Michael is the only archangel and as the highest-ranking angel, like the highest-ranking general in the army, Michael stands directly under the authority of God, as he commands the other angels, including Gabriel, according to the Father’s will and purposes. Michael, the Archangel, whose name means, “Who is like God?”); he disputed with Satan over Moses body. (Jude 9) Michael with Gabriel stood guard over the sons of Israel and fought for Israel against demons. (Dan. 10:13, 21) He cast Satan and the demons out of heaven. (Rev. 12:7-9) He will defeat the kings of the earth and their armies at Armageddon, and he will be the one given the privilege of abyssing Satan, the archenemy of God.–Rev. 18:1-2; 19:11-21.

[8] That is, the Father; Zechariah 3:2 (UASV) Then Jehovah said to Satan, “rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, Jehovah, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

[9] Or they are destroyed

[10] Sinner: (ἁμαρτωλός hamartōlos) In the Scriptures “sinners” is generally used in a more specific way, that is, referring to those willfully living in sin, practicing sin, or have a reputation of sinning.–Matt. 9:10; Mark 2:15; Luke 5:30; 7:37-39; John 9:16; Rom. 3:7; Gal. 2:15; 1 Tim. 1:15; Heb. 7:26; Jam. 4:8; 1 Pet 4:18; Jude 1:15.

[11] The Greek (πρόσωπον prosōpon) literally means wondering at faces, which is an idiom, meaning to admire the face, to praise someone, generally exaggeratedly or falsely and with insincere purpose, to flatter.

[12] The Greek adjective (ψυχικός psuchikos) refers to physical men (1Co 15:44), natural men or animalistic men; worldly-minded. (1Co 2:14; Jas 3:15; Jude 19) A third meaning is worldly, which pertains to behavior characteristic of fallen human nature (1Co 2:14).

[13] Lit to all the ages