Jude—Contend for the Faith
Jesus Christ Himself prophesied of seven eras of God’s true Church (Revelation 2 and 3). We are currently in the last era, the Laodicean era, known for the lukewarm spiritual state of most of God’s people.
The book of Jude is a prophecy specifically for those of us living during the Laodicean era. Jude wrote his message around a.d. 68-69 before the a.d. 70 destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, which is a type of the punishment coming upon the modern-day nations of Israel very soon.
Jude warns us to remember what we have been taught (verses 5-17). He saw members of God’s Church falling away in his day. Ninety-five percent of God’s own people have done the same in this end time.
The book of Jude is so powerful that it can actually save people from the fire of the Tribulation that ends physical life, and from the lake of fire that destroys eternal life (verse 23). A little remnant of God’s loyal people today is delivering this life-saving message.
“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” (verse 3). “Contend” is a military word meaning “war.” God has called us to be soldiers for Jesus Christ. Once you receive God’s truth, cling to it with everything you have!
In the Revised Standard Version, this verse reads: “… I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” In other words, we can only receive this truth once! Fight for it!
The end-time Elijah has come and gone already, signaling the end of the sixth era of God’s Church and the start of the seventh era (Matthew 17:10-11). In this seventh era, God spews most of His people out of His mouth! (Revelation 3:16). He is utterly disgusted by their lack of passion and zeal for the truth.
Jude was the brother of Jesus Christ. He told the brethren that he was the servant, or slave, of Christ (Jude 1). He knew that Christ was formally the Logos, or Spokesman of the Godhead, and had existed for all eternity. Do we have the same perspective that Jude had? Christ gave His life so that we might inherit eternal life. He bought us for a dear price.
“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” (verse 4). Jude condemned lawless ministers who had become “lascivious,” meaning they lacked restraint. Without restraint, there can be no freedom! It leads to enslavement to Satan’s way of life.
“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” (verse 5). God delivered ancient Israel from slavery in Egypt, yet every adult except Joshua and Caleb ended up dying in the wilderness. Because of their rebellion, they were denied access to the Promised Land. God endeavors to rescue us from spiritual Egypt, a type of sin, today.
“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” (verse 6). Satan caused the rebellion of a third of the angels under his rule on Earth. They became “wandering stars” (verse 13). They are spiritually out of God’s orbit, no longer free to roam the universe because God has confined them to Earth (Revelation 12:9). That’s the rotten fruit of rebellion! Most people today are all too familiar with this fruit.
The demons are miserable due to their rebellion (Jude 6). God hates rebellion so much that He devoured the abominable cities of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from heaven (verse 7). America today is the leading exporter of pornography and depraved music, following in the footsteps of those lawless cities.
The ancient Israelites died in the wilderness. The rebellious angels are destined to be bound in chains forever. Sodom and Gomorrah don’t exist anymore. The lukewarm Laodiceans no longer dwell with God. These are warnings to us! Cling to God’s truth, or suffer a similar fate!
“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” (verse 11). Jude crammed a vast span of history into his little book. Cain killed his brother Abel; God’s rebellious people today refuse to deliver the warning message, so the blood of all who die is on their heads (Ezekiel 33:8). Balaam wanted to sell out God’s people; the Laodiceans are obsessed with physical things (Revelation 3:17). Korah divided Israel when he tried to lead a revolt against Moses; America is horribly divided today.
“These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 12). “Spots” is rendered in the Interpreter’s Bible as “hidden rocks.” If we aren’t careful, our faith can become shipwrecked. Half of God’s rebellious people will soon be “twice dead”—they will lose their physical and eternal lives.
Jude wrote a sobering message about spiritual warfare. His warning is dire. We possess dangerous knowledge, yet we will succeed in our battles against Satan when we give the glory to God.
