Christ in Jude -- The Lord Who is Coming with 10,000 of His Saints

Jude, the brother of James and half-brother of Jesus, was the leader of the church in Jerusalem.  He wrote his letter to them late in the first century A.D.  By his own words, we know that he had wanted to write to them about salvation, but he felt that it was more urgent at that time to write about false prophets.  Remember, in those days, paper and ink were not as commonplace as they are today.  And a letter may have taken weeks to reach its destination.  We take letter writing for granted, and even more so, we type out an e-mail without giving it a second thought.  But Jude was not so fortunate.  He had to use his assets wisely, so he opted to save his message about salvation for another time and write this letter about false teachers.  He was obviously disturbed by the infiltration of false doctrine into the church in Jerusalem.  We need to be careful of false teachers and their false doctrine today, perhaps even more so than the first century church.  Jesus himself warned about false teachers, saying that they would be even more numerous in the time approaching His second coming:

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:17-19, NLT).”

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves (Matthew 7:15, NLT).”

And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many (Matthew 24:4-5, NASB).”

Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many (Matthew 24:11, NASB).

Jude began his warning by reminding his beloved friends of three lessons from the past.  The people at the church in Jerusalem would have been very familiar with these old stories, since they were Jewish and had been taught the history of the Jewish people from childhood:

1.  In verse 5, Jude compared the false teachers to the Israelites who were rescued from slavery in Egypt and promised a homeland of their very own.  They refused to trust God with their future, so God allowed an entire generation to die in the wilderness, denying them a future with Him in His Promised Land:

After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the Lord was giving them . . . The Lord was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the Lord’s sight had died (Numbers 32:9, 13, NLT).

2.  In verse 6, we read about how some of God’s angels were not content with their position in Heaven. They wanted to be like God.  They opposed the limitations God had placed on them even though they lived in the glorious light of God, so God cast them out of heaven and, at the judgment, they will be cast into eternal fire, forever bound in darkness:

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:9, NKJV).

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41, NASB);’”

3.  And in verse 7, Jude reminds us of the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns.  The people there burned with an ungodly lust, so the cities and every single person in the cities were burned with fire:

But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!” . . . Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation (Genesis 19:4-5, 24-25).

In verse 8, Jude wrote that the false teachers he was writing about are just the same as his three examples.  He said that they are dreamers, they create their own form of godliness, and they revile what they don’t understand.  I like to say that they create gods in their own image instead of confessing that God created us in His image.  Jude said that they live by animal instinct rather than by obedience to God.  The distorted, perverted use of sex was well known in the early church (see 1 Corinthians 5:1, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 12:21).  They ridicule God’s authority and insult His messengers, the angels and religious leaders (see Acts 7:38-39, Acts 7:53, Hebrews 2:2).  False teachers copy the behavior of Cain, Balaam, and Korah.  Cain murdered his brother, and false teachers destroy life – just think of the abortion industry! (See Genesis 4:8, 10).  Balaam was a “prophet for hire.”  For the right amount of money, he would bless or curse anyone.  The enemies of God’s people wanted him to curse Israel, and even though Balaam knew it was wrong, he was hoping that God would change his mind so that he could receive a reward.  Think about the nations today that are turning their backs on Israel for economic reasons, because of the oil in the other nations of the middle east. (See Numbers 22).  Korah refused to accept the authority God had given Moses and Aaron.  Think of all those today who refuse to accept God’s authority, who think they will never have to answer to a Holy God!  (See Numbers 16).

In verses 12 and 13, Jude used five examples from nature to describe false teachers:

1.  Hidden reefs could destroy a ship.  False teachers can cause believers to doubt their faith and destroy their relationships with God.

2.  Clouds without water are only a deception, a promise without a result.  False doctrine may sound good, but it is as dry as a wind-blown cloud that does not produce rain.

3.  Autumn trees without fruit have had since the spring to produce a worthwhile crop.  A tree that does not produce fruit will be uprooted by the grower to make room for a good tree.  Thus, the tree is twice dead – first in that it was barren, and second because it was uprooted.  A false prophet is the same in that he cannot produce holy fruit.  He will be uprooted at the judgment, thus twice dead.

4.  Wild waves of the sea churn up all the trash in the ocean.  Have you ever seen a beach after a storm, littered with trash, driftwood, dead fish, and seaweed?  False prophets stir up division in the church.  They leave a trail of broken promises and destroyed lives.

5.  Wandering stars cannot be relied on for navigation.  Most people in Jude’s time didn’t know anything about the planets – they called them wandering stars since they were in a different position in the sky every night.  The stars, on the other hand, were constant and could be used for navigation.  False prophets are also unreliable.  Their doctrine changes with the societal wind.  Their philosophies change based upon political pressure and financial influence.

But God will judge all these false teachers and all those who follow them.  Their judgment has been prophesied ever since Enoch, the seventh generation of man:

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 (Jude 14-15, KJV).

Notice the use of the word, “ungodly,” in verse 15.  Jude repeated that word 5 times in verse 15 alone!  Remember, when we study God’s word, we should always take note of repeated words and phrases.  They are used to emphasize a point.  Verse 16 tells us that these ungodly people are:

Grumblers
Fault-finders
Lustful
Arrogant
Flatterers

Then in verse 17 Jude turned his attention back to his beloved church, his dear friends.  He reminds them, and us, that these false teachers should come as no surprise.  He tells us how to recognize them in verse 19:

They cause divisions
They are worldly-minded
They are devoid of the Holy Spirit

He also tells us how to be protected from their influence in verses 20 - 23:

Build on your faith
Pray in the Spirit
Love as God loves
Wait anxiously for the mercy of Jesus
Have mercy on those who doubt (who have been led astray)
Share the true gospel with the lost
Be careful not to be influenced by those polluted by fleshly living

Nowhere in that list are we told to be judgmental or hateful.  Remember that Jesus never condemned anyone, but He loves everyone.  He died for you and for me while we were still in our sin.  And your sin and my sin is no less sinful than anyone else's.  We have no right to judge.  Jesus is the only Judge.

My prayer this week is Jude’s benediction, his prayer of praise that we read in verses 24 & 25 (KJV):

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.

NASB = New American Standard Bible
KJV = King James Version
NLT = New Living Translation

Christ in 3 John -- The Name

The book of 3 John is the shortest book of the Bible (by word count, with only 219 words).  It was written about the same time as John’s first two letters, around 85 – 95 A.D.  It was a personal letter to a man named Gaius, not a letter to the church as a whole.  However, the message it contained was an important encouragement to the church, as well as to Gaius.  As we learned in last week’s study of 2 John, the gospel was being spread throughout the land by travelling missionaries.  In this letter, John was commending Gaius for receiving those travelers into his home and providing for their needs:

Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth. I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you (3 John 3-5).

As faithful as Gaius was to show hospitality to his travelling brothers, a man named Diotrephes was equally inhospitable.  He is typical of some people who have the gift of leadership but who are unable to submit to those who are in positions of authority over them.  He refused to acknowledge John’s authority, and John made it very clear that he would straighten him out on his next visit!  I would not have liked to have been in Diotrephes’ position during that visit!

I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us. When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church. Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you (3 John 9-11).

The main lesson we can learn from this short epistle is that of submission to authority.  John had walked with Jesus.  As a matter of fact, he was one of those who had been closest to Jesus during his three years of earthly ministry.  So John had reason to be in a position of authority.  But John was always submissive to the authority of the name of Jesus.  When he spoke about the traveling missionaries, he said that they were working for the Lord, just as John was working for the Lord:

For they are traveling for the Lord, and they accept nothing from people who are not believers (3 John 7).

 

The original Greek translation of the above verse reads, “They went out on behalf of the Name.”  The name of Jesus demands submission to His authority:

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names (Philippians 2:9).

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent (Luke 24:47).’

He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name (Acts 10:43).

But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name (John 20:31).

John builds on his lesson about authority by reiterating what he said in his first two letters – children of God will be known by their obedience to Him, and in this case, submission to His authority:

Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God (3 John 11).

My prayer for you and for me this week is adapted from 3 John 2, 5 & 6:

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that all is well with my friends all over the world who are reading this and that they are healthy in body and strong in spirit.  I pray that we will continue to be faithful to You and that we will remember to care for Your missionaries as they spread Your Name throughout the world today, just like the missionaries that John wrote about so many years ago.  Help us to provide for these teachers in a manner that pleases You.
Amen.

All scripture references are from the New Living Translation.

Christ in 2 John -- The Truth

John wrote this, his second letter, or epistle, around the same time as the first, probably 85 – 95 A.D.  This was a time when Christian missionaries traveled all over the region, planting and growing churches, just like Peter and Paul had done earlier.  Most of those churches met in homes.  At the same time, there was a rise in a philosophy known as Gnosticism.  The Gnostics believed that the material world was evil, or at least worthless.  They embraced advanced knowledge, philanthropy, and spiritualism.  They believed that by devoting themselves to these practices they could become one with god.  (I am not capitalizing “god” here, because the god they worshiped was not the One True God.)  They believed that they could, in fact, be gods.  This philosophy presented itself in several forms, and is still very present in our world today.  Some Gnostics believed that Jesus was god and that He came to bring us a higher knowledge and life-style through which we could become like Him, but they denied sin and His sacrifice for our sin; others adamantly denied that Jesus was god, but believed that He was just a man who had attained a higher knowledge to which we should all aspire; still others called Jesus a “false messiah” who perverted the teachings of the prophets.  Just like the missionaries of Jesus Christ, the Gnostics had missionaries who travelled the world teaching their various philosophies, some of which sounded very convincing to immature Christians who were anxious to know more about Christ and His teachings.  At the same time in history, the persecution of Christians was becoming more and more commonplace, and more and more severe.  Beginning with Nero in 64 A.D. and continuing during the reign of Domitian in 89 – 96 A.D., Christians were persecuted because of their “strange” religion and for not worshipping the Roman emperor or his gods.  That, I believe, is why John addressed this letter in the way he did:

This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth (2 John 1).

This “chosen lady” is the leader of the church to whom John was writing, and “her children” were the members.  This idea is reinforced by the closing words of John’s letter:

Greetings from the children of your sister, chosen by God (2 John 13).

“Your sister” refers to the church where John ministered, a sister church.  I believe these clouded references to the church were meant to shield both himself and the people around him, and the people who worshipped in the home of the person to whom he wrote.  When we read John’s second letter from that viewpoint, it is very easy to apply John’s teachings to our own lives, since we are brothers and sisters in Christ with John and believers through the ages from all over the world.

When, in his introductory remarks, John said, “whom I love in the truth – as does everyone else who knows the truth,” he not only meant that “the truth” was “fact,” but he was also referring to Jesus.  Remember what Jesus said about Himself:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me (John 14:6)”

Before John began instructing the church, he mentioned having met some of the members of their church and commended them for staying true to what they had been taught:

How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded (2 John 4).

So, what did John teach us in this, his second letter?  And what did the Father command?  He instructed them about love and truth.  First of all, we are to love one another.  Just as he wrote in his first letter, this is one way that we can know that we are children of God:

I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning (2 John 5-6).

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8).

Secondly, John taught that we are to do what God commanded:

Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning (2 John 6).

And thirdly, he taught that we are to beware of deceivers, like the Gnostics, who deny that Jesus is Christ, The Son of God, and that He came in a real, human, flesh and blood body.  He warned us about those who stray from The Truth:

I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. .  . Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son (2 John 7, 9).

John taught that these deceivers, who might at first appear to be Christian missionaries, should not be allowed to come into the Christians’ homes.  This is referring to the homes that are being used as a place for the church to meet, and John meant that these deceivers should not be allowed to speak or argue their points of view when the church was gathered to worship and teach.  The purpose of this admonition was to prevent the deceiver from having a platform from which to teach false doctrine to the church.  I do not believe that this is telling us today that we should not allow a Jehovah’s Witness or a Mormon into our homes.  Yes, we must be very careful about allowing false teachers into our homes, and we must rely on the Holy Spirit to direct us and to speak through us if we ever have a discussion about spiritual things with false teachers.  Certainly we should be prepared to share the Good News with anyone at any time.  But unless we are firmly grounded in scripture and totally submitted to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, I believe we should also apply John’s warning to our personal homes, not just our churches:

If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work (2 John 10-11).

How do we know when we encounter a “false teacher?”  Jesus Himself showed us how we could know the truth when He questioned Peter:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being (Matthew 16:13-17).

So what do YOU say about Jesus?  Was He just a prophet, a mad man, or was He The Christ, The Son of God, The Messiah?  If He was not who He said, then He was either a liar or a fool.  When Caiaphas, the High Priest, asked Jesus if He was the Messiah, Jesus answered:

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64).”

This is what is written about the conversation between Pilate and Jesus:

Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him. Jesus replied, “You have said it (Matthew 27:11).”

And twice, God spoke from Heaven about Jesus – at His baptism and at His transfiguration:

After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy (Matthew 3:16-17).”

But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him (Matthew 17:5).”

My prayer today is a prayer of praise.  I hope that you will join me as we praise God for sending His Son, Jesus, The Way, The Truth, and The Life, who gave His life for us so that we can have an everlasting relationship with Him:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17).”

All scripture references are from the New Living Translation.