Christendom’s End Under the Judgment of God
(Vss. 14-16)
Jude then brings in Enoch’s prophecy to show that the Lord will not allow this corruption associated with His name (testimonially) to go on indefinitely. Christ will intervene in judgment in the most decided way. Thus, the Christian testimony will not see restoration, but rather, its end will be judgment. He says: “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 [convict] 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. 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.” Had we the Old Testament only, we would never have known of this earliest of all prophecies, for there is no mention of it there (Gen. 5:21-2321And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: (Genesis 5:21‑23)). All we would have known of Enoch is that he was a man who walked with God and that this pleased God, and he was thereupon taken to heaven without seeing death (Heb. 11:55By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)). But from this epistle, we learn that he was also a prophet. Jude identifies him as “the seventh (generation) from Adam” to distinguish him from the ungodly Enoch in Cain’s family (Gen. 4:17-1817And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. (Genesis 4:17‑18)).
Enoch uttered this prophecy some 4500 years ago! The central point of it is the coming of the Lord—His Appearing. Many other prophets have spoken of this event as well (Isa. 30:27-2827Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: 28And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err. (Isaiah 30:27‑28); Zech. 14:55And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah 14:5); Matt. 16:27; 24:27-3027For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Matthew 16:27)
27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:27‑30); 1 Thess. 3:13; 4:14; 5:2; 213To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (1 Thessalonians 4:14)
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2)
2But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. (1 Thessalonians 2:2) Thess. 1:7-9; 2:8; 2 Tim. 4:11I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (2 Timothy 4:1); Rev. 1:7; 19:11-217Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:11‑21)). What is so solemn in connection with Christ’s coming to judge the mass of apostates in Christendom is that since the Christian profession has been privileged by having the highest truth committed to it (the truth of the Mystery), those who will apostatize from it will have the greatest judgment! (Luke 12:46-4846The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:46‑48))
The Lord taught that those false professors who are alive on earth when He appears will be taken by the angels and cast alive into the lake of fire! (Matt. 13:37-42; 22:13; 24:37-4137He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:37‑42)
13Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 22:13)
37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Matthew 24:37‑41)) They will not be killed, and therefore, will not come before the great white throne, which is a judgment of the wicked dead (Rev. 20:11-1511And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15)). These will come face to face with the Judge Himself when He appears and will not need further examination or proof of their wickedness. His all-seeing eye has seen all their ungodly “deeds” and His ears have heard their evil “speeches.” Hence, not only will the true Church on earth be snatched away from the earth at the Rapture without seeing death, but the false Church (those alive at His Appearing) will also be taken away from the earth without seeing physical death. But how great will be the difference—that of Heaven and Hell!
Jude uses the word “convince [convict]” here in connection with the judgment of these ungodly people. J. N. Darby said that it is a difficult word (elenko) to translate (John 3:2020For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (John 3:20) – footnote). It has the thought of reproof by showing or exposing a person’s fault. W. E. Vine suggests that it has to do with putting the convicted person to shame. Such will be the case in this judgment. These apostates (the religious leaders particularly) have spoken hard and injurious things about Christ as to His Person and work in their theological teachings, but in that day, they will be publicly shamed and judged in the most humiliating way—they will be taken by the angels as scoundrels and cast alive into Hell.
(Vs. 16)
These men (particularly the leaders) are exposed as being driven by fleshly motivations and self-seeking. They speak “great swelling words” of flattery to stroke the ego of persons of wealth and of high status in society with a view to gaining from them some personal “advantage” for themselves. Such is the way of the man of the world, but it will all come to a sudden halt when the Lord intervenes in judgment.
Christendom Judged in Three Stages
In fact, the judgment of Christendom will be executed in three stages:
Firstly, at the Rapture
Firstly, at the Rapture, the Lord will “spue” the merely professing mass of so-called Christians out of His mouth by leaving them behind on earth, and thus, He will formally disassociate Himself from them (Rev. 3:1616So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16)).
Secondly, in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel
Secondly, in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel, which will be some 3½ years later, at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (Dan. 9:27; 12:1127And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)
11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Daniel 12:11); Matt. 24:15-2215When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: 17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:15‑22)), the Beast, the leader of the western confederation of nations will destroy the great Harlot (Christendom under the control of Catholicism), and thus, will bring its idolatrous practices to an end. This will be done to make way for the worship of the Beast and his image by all in the West (Rev. 17:16-1716And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (Revelation 17:16‑17)). The merely professing mass will abandon their empty Christian profession and will worship the Beast, which the man of sin (the Antichrist) will promote (2 Thess. 2:3-43Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3‑4)).
Thirdly, after the Great Tribulation
Thirdly, after the Great Tribulation, the Lord will appear out of heaven to judge the apostates who will have abandoned the profession of Christianity, by taking them and casting them into the lake of fire (Rev. 3:33Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (Revelation 3:3)). This last phase is what Enoch prophesied about.
Counsel for the Remnant of True Believers
(Vss. 17-25)
Being apprised of all this evil in the Christian testimony, we might wonder what we should do. Jude anticipates that this question would be on our minds, and thus in this last series of verses, he gives us his godly counsel. He shows that the answer is not to give up in despair, nor is it to go off into seclusion to try to protect ourselves from the evil influences of apostasy. Note also, Jude does not tell us that we should attempt to set disordered Christendom right. The Lord has not laid that “burden” upon His people (Matt. 13:27-3027So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:27‑30); Rev. 2:2424But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. (Revelation 2:24)). Rather, he shows that we are to go on in the grace that God supplies, with the resources that He has given, and to wait for the Lord to come and take us home to the Father’s house above.
In this last section of the epistle, Jude addresses the true believers amidst the lifeless, professing mass, saying, “But beloved ... .” He identifies them with the first and second person pronouns: “ye,” “your,” and “our.” His words of grace and comfort are a real encouragement to us. They are:
Remember the Words of the Apostles
(Vss. 17-19)
Firstly, Jude would have us to remember what the apostles have said concerning the ruin of the Christian testimony. He says: “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.” God has foreseen the ruin and has had the apostles forewarn the saints of its coming (Acts 20:29-3129For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. (Acts 20:29‑31); 1 Tim. 4:1; 21Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1)
1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; (1 Timothy 2:1) Tim. 3:1-9; 4:3-4; 2 Peter 2:1-2; 11But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (2 Peter 2:1‑2)
1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (2 Peter 1:1‑2) John 2:18-1918Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (John 2:18‑19), etc.). It should, therefore, be no surprise to us. We have been apprised of it all beforehand, so that, while being grieved about it, we wouldn’t be overcome with despair. The Lord knows that we wouldn’t be able to carry out the following exhortations that Jude gives with any kind of conviction if we were in a distraught state of mind. The soul must first be at rest, and undisturbed—and this is what the Lord has done by telling us of it beforehand. There is something reassuring in knowing that He knows all about it.
Hence, he tells us that there will be “mockers” who will scoff at the truth, and thus we should ready ourselves (2 Peter 3:3-43Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:3‑4)). J. N. Darby remarked on this kind of bold opposition to the truth, stating: “Ignorance is generally confident because it is ignorant” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Loizeaux edition, vol. 1, p. 11). Thus, we can expect opposition, but we’re not to be dismayed by it. They can mock the truth, and attack it, and seek to undermine it, but it doesn’t change the truth.
(Vs 19)
Jude says that these mockers are the perpetrators of many of the sects and divisions that have developed in Christendom. He says: “These are they that make separations, natural [soulish] men, not having the Spirit” (W. Kelly Trans.). W. Kelly remarked, “They break loose from fellowship and form some new thing which has not the sanction of the Word of God. That is what, in Scripture, is called a heresy” (Lectures on the Epistle of Jude, p. 142). Compare 2 Peter 2:11But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1). “Not having the Spirit” makes it clear that they have never been saved (Gal. 3:22This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:2); Eph. 1:1313In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13)).
Building up Ourselves on the Most Holy Faith
(Vs. 20a)
Next, Jude speaks of the need of being built up on the solid foundation of the truth. He says, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith.” The “most holy faith” is the Christian revelation of truth. It has been delivered to the saints by the apostles (vs. 3) and can be found in the 21 epistles of the New Testament. However, having the truth delivered into our hands is one thing and being built up on it is another. We might ask, “How exactly do we build ourselves up on the most holy faith?” The Apostle Paul answers this, stating: “The Word of His grace (the Scriptures), which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified.” Thus, it is through having a thorough acquaintance with the Word of God (particularly the epistles). Let us, therefore, give due diligence to this (1 Tim. 4:6, 16; 26If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. (1 Timothy 4:6)
16Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (1 Timothy 4:16)
1This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. (1 Timothy 3:1) Tim. 2:15); it will keep us from being “carried about with every wind of doctrine” that comes along (Eph. 4:1414That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:14)). What a contrast this is to what we have seen in the earlier part of the epistle. While false teachers are seen tearing down the foundations of the faith in the hearts of those who listen to them, true believers are to be building themselves up in the most holy faith.
Note: Jude does not say, “Build up the faith.” That would imply that the deposit of truth is not a completed thing, and thus, there are supplements to be added—but that is a false notion. The Apostle Paul said that with the giving of the revelation of the Mystery, the deposit of truth was “complete” (Col. 1:25-2725Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:25‑27)). There were epistles written by others after Paul said that, but they do not add to the truth of the Mystery.
Praying in the Holy Spirit
(Vs. 20b)
Coupled with the study of God’s Word, there should be intelligent prayer. Hence, Jude adds, “Praying in the Holy Spirit.” These two things go together “like a hand in a glove” (Luke 10:3939And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. (Luke 10:39)–11:13, etc.). We need a balance of both. This is important because studying the Word of God without prayer can lead to legalism, and prayer without the study of the Word can lead to fanaticism. Praying “in” the Spirit is praying according to the mind of the Spirit. This comes from having a knowledge of the truth and having personal communion with the Lord.
Note: Jude says, praying in the Spirit, not praying for the Spirit to come. There will not be another Pentecost and another baptism of the Holy Spirit. Hence, we are not to look for a recovery of the public testimony of the Church. The Spirit of God has come, and since He is now resident in the Church on earth, we are to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:1616This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)) and pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:1818Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:18)).
Keep Yourselves in the Love of God
(Vs. 21a)
Jude passes on to another thing that we should be doing in view of the apostasy—we should be found living in the enjoyment of God’s love. He doesn’t say, “Keep on loving God.” Nor does he say, “Keep God loving you.” But rather, “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” He is not speaking of our love for God, but of His love for us! It is like the sunshine shining in the street; one side of the road may be in the shade and the other side in the sunshine. On which side do we walk? God loves all of His children equally, but they don’t all enjoy His love to the same degree. We keep ourselves in the enjoyment of the sunshine of His love by judging ourselves and maintaining our communion with Him.
Looking for the Mercy of Our Lord Jesus
(Vs. 21b)
Next, Jude addresses our outlook, which should be upward to the Lord’s coming (the Rapture). He says, “Looking for [awaiting] the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” The tendency in these last days is to become occupied with the corruptions in Christendom and in the world, but that is not to be our focus. Let us remember that those who are occupied with failure become a failure! Noah’s ark had a window “above,” out of which he and his family could look. This speaks of having a heavenward outlook. The window was not in the side of the ark. Had it been there, they may have become occupied with the scene of death around them, and that would have been disheartening.
This is the only place in Scripture where the Lord’s coming is spoken of as being a “mercy.” Wanting to be taken out of this corrupt world is not the highest reason for wanting the Lord to come, but what a mercy it will be! “Eternal life” is viewed here as being at the end of our path when we are glorified and in our proper sphere where fellowship with the Father and the Son will be our undistracted delight.
Be Engaged in Service
(Vss. 22-23)
Lastly, we are to be engaged in active service for the Lord, reaching out to those confused and entangled in the errors of Christendom. Jude says, “And some convict when contending. Others save, pulling them out of the fire. And others pity with fear, hating even the garment spotted with the flesh” (W. Kelly Trans.). Mr. Kelly remarked: “Our version—the Authorized [KJV] so-called—looks at two cases only. ‘And of some have compassion, making a difference’—that is one class; ‘and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted with the flesh’—this is the second class. Now I believe there are three classes, and not two only” (Lectures on the Epistle of Jude, p. 152).
Jude’s words here show that reaching out to help people requires discernment, for not all cases are the same. In times of departure, we must distinguish between the leaders and the led. Some are willful and headstrong teachers; others are mere followers who have been stumbled by the erroneous teachers (Rom. 16:17-1817Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. (Romans 16:17‑18)). Note also, there is a moral order in this passage. It is only after Jude has spoken of being built up on the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, enjoying the love of God through communion, and having the imminence of the Lord’s coming before our souls, that he encourages us to reach out to help others. Our effectiveness in serving the Lord will be greatly hindered if these other things are not in place in our lives.
Three Classes of Persons—Discernment Required
The First Class
The first class of people are the leaders entrenched in their evil doctrines. We are not to try to save these, for they are apostates who cannot be brought to repentance and recovered (Heb. 6:4-64For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4‑6)). Rather, we are to “convict” them with the truth. (This is the same word used in verse 15, having to do with a convicted person being put to shame so that their guilt is evident to all.) Mr. Kelly pointed out that the phrase “making a difference” (KJV) in verse 22, should be translated, “when they dispute.” It is clear that these men do not want the truth; they want to dispute it. The word used in verse 9, in connection with the devil disputing with Michael the archangel, is also the same word used here. Hence, these disputers of the truth are doing their master’s work!
The Second Class
The second class of persons can be saved by “pulling them out of the fire.” These are not deceivers, but those deceived by the deceivers. They have been ensnared unawares in the evil doctrines and need deliverance from those false notions. Being built up on the most holy faith and instructed in the truth, as Jude enjoins, we should be well able to guide these people out of those erroneous doctrines, if their wills are not at work. Note: it is “pulling,” not “pushing” them out of the spiritual confusion and mess that they are in. Pushing implies getting into the ditch with them, but in doing that we could get entangled in the evil ourselves. No, we are to stay separate from the corruption, remaining on solid ground, and pull them out. The saving that Jude speaks of here is not the eternal salvation of the soul; that is something that only the Lord can do through faith in His work on the cross. This is a practical salvation from the doctrinal errors in Christendom (1 Tim. 4:1616Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (1 Timothy 4:16)).
The Third Class
The third class are those of whom Jude says, “And others pity” (have “compassion”). These are people who have become so morally and spiritually corrupted, that, in reaching out to them, we have to be extra careful not to get defiled by the circumstances in which we find them. Hence, Jude adds, “Hating even the garment spotted with the flesh.” A “garment” is something that surrounds a person when it is worn and is often used figuratively in Scripture to indicate the circumstances in which one lives (Lev. 13:47-5947The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment; 48Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin; 49And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be showed unto the priest: 50And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days: 51And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. 52He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire. 53And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; 54Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: 55And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his color, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without. 56And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof: 57And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire. 58And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. 59This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean. (Leviticus 13:47‑59); Mark 10:5050And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. (Mark 10:50), etc.). We must hate their garment because their circumstances are defiling. Thus, we are to love the person, but hate his sins—and this hatred must be kept up at all times. Being conscious of the defiling situations these people are in, we are to labour with a “fear” of becoming defiled by such contact, and therefore, we should proceed with caution. It is not a question of being tolerant of the evil that they are in, but of being cognizant of it and remaining morally separate from it while we seek to deliver them.