Podcast 118, Jude, Pt A

Podcast 118, Jude, Pt A

Jude (also called Judah or Judas) introduces himself as the brother of James (also known as James the Just). 

Jude 1:1-2

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: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

It is assumed that they were the brothers of Jesus. 

Matthew 13:55

Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

We have only one epistle of Jude, but his scope is very broad. He begins with exhorting us to earnestly contend for the faith.” Following that, He alludes to the War in Heaven where Michael and his angels fought against Lucifer and his angels. He alludes to Sodom and Gomorrah a symbol, like Egypt and Babylon, of the destruction of the world in the last days. He alludes to Enoch, a great post diluvian prophet, and he alludes to mockers in the last days just prior to Christ’s Second Coming. So effectively Jude covers from the premortal existence to the end of the world as we know it.

Therefore, let’s take each concept in turn to share Jude’s grand vision. I have divided the podcast into parts A & B. This is Part A, verses 1-6.

Jude 1:3-5

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. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 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 reminds the saints of how Christ delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt. He also reminded them of the curse that fell upon those Children of Israel who did not remember the Savior. In addition, he reminds them that Satan is working overtime in the early church to destroy the faith. There have always been those, under the influence of Satan, who want to destroy Christ and his church. One can tell by the urgent language of Jude that the problem is very severe. Jude is asking the saints to stand firm and defend the faith. Notice how serious the matter is, “turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.” Does that not sound more like the behavior of those who worship idols than those who worship Christ? Lasciviousness was part of idol worship. Satan also influenced them to deny Christ. In other words, to deny their own testimony. James introduces a very interesting term that perhaps some of us tend to overlook.

Jude 1:6

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

What does James mean by “first estate? And what angels did not keep their first estate. To understand Jude, we must review the War in Heaven. For that let’s first go to John the Revelator.

In vision John also saw the early apostasy in the church.

Revelation 12:1-2

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

The twelve stars are the twelve apostles. The woman clothed with the sun is an allusion to Christ. “Being with child” is a reference to the birth of the church. “Pain to be delivered’ refers to the persecution of the church from the day it was organized.  It becomes clear as we continue. 

Revelation 12:3-4

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

“The angels which kept not their first estate” refers to Lucifer and those angels who followed him. Our First Estate is our premortal life with God as spirits in heaven. Those who fought with Lucifer did not keep their First Estate. Those who fought against Lucifer did keep their First Estate. 

What is the Second Estate? That would be life on earth. This is our Second Estate and once again we are at war with Satan and his Angels. Those who kept their first estate came to earth to gain a body. Those who keep their Second Estate shall return to heaven to live forever with Christ.

John refers to the fact that Lucifer, who became Satan, was cast out of heaven and continued his war against Christ on earth. Just as he tried to tempt Christ in the wilderness, he tried to destroy the true church of Christ on earth. The crown of twelve stars, referring to the twelve apostles, differs from the ‘seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns” upon Satan’s head. That speaks of great power, but it is a diabolical power. “His tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven.” “Stars” refers to spirit children of God in heaven, or the First Estate, before the earth was created. We were all among those stars. We too lived in heaven as spirit children of God before coming to earth. That was our First Estate.

A third part of those stars followed the dragon, which is Lucifer who rebelled against God and Christ. None of those kept their First Estate. Those who followed Lucifer and did not keep their First Estate were cast out of heaven with him. The rest of those stars, beginning with Adam and Eve, who kept their First Estate chose to follow Christ, to come to earth and to gain a physical body, and to prove themselves worthy to return to heaven to live with Christ forever.  Satan continues that war that he started in heaven on earth as stated above, “and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child (the church) as soon as it was born.” That is what Jude is talking about. John the Revelator continues,

Revelation 12:5

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

The man child is Christ. The “rod of iron” is the word of God. It was Christ who was caught up unto God, and to his throne, but the church remained on earth led by the apostles.  Lucifer, now called Satan, immediately attempted to destroy the church. He begins by trying to destroy the Christ child before he could begin his ministry.

Revelation 12:6

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

We know that Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to escape the evil Herod who wanted to murder the Christ Child. Herod, as with many who are led by Satan, was unaware that he was under the power of Satan. Herod was a politician who wanted to maintain his throne. 

John harkens back to Lucifer and the War in Heaven.

Revelation 12:7-9

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Michael, of course, is the archangel who led the battle against Lucifer in the War in Heaven and the rebelling angels who followed him. As stated earlier, Lucifer and all those who followed him were once “stars” in heaven. They were children of God just as all the other spirits in heaven were children of God; however, they rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven thus being forever denied the privilege of obtaining a body of flesh and bones. They will forever remain spirits. That is part of their curse. One of the greatest gifts God has ever given to us is a physical body. One of the next greatest gifts will be a resurrected body that will never taste death. Satan and his angels are the only ones who will never experience physical birth, physical death, and physical resurrection. Jude spoke of the days of Christ, but he also spoke of the days just preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The writing of Jude is definitely meant for our day, and Jude’s prophesy is coming to pass. We are living in the last days. Satan is working overtime. 

In heaven Lucifer was defeated because of the power of Christ. Those who followed Michael were doing so in the name of Christ whom they knew even in the premortal existence would come to earth and save them from their sins. The plan of salvation did not begin on earth with the birth of Christ. The plan of salvation began in the spirit world in heaven. Job understood that.