Introduction to Jude
There are twenty-seven books in the New Testament. The first four books are Gospel records—the gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Following the gospel records we come to the book of Acts, sometimes referred to was the Acs of the Apostles. The book of Acts deals with the continuing Christ in the Person of the Holy Spirit working through the lives of the apostles another followers of the Lamb.
If we view the book of Acts as the book that deals with the beginning of the church age and the work of the apostles as they we empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit, let us view the book of Jude as the book dealing with the end of the church age and the work of the apostates, those who are empowered by the devil, turning from revealed truth, yet maintaining an appearance of belief. This book of Jude concerns itself with the acts of the apostates.
Notice some of the powerful statements given to us in the book of Jude that demand special consideration.
Verse 1 — “the servant of Jesus Christ”
Verse 3 —“the common salvation”
Verse 3 — “earnestly contend for the faith”
Verse 3 — “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints Verse 6 — “the judgement of the great day”
Verse 11 — “the way of Cain”
Verse 11 — “the error of Balaam”
Verse 11 — “the gainsaying of Core”
Verse 13 — “the blackness of darkness for ever”
Verse 16 — “having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage”
Verse 18 — “should be mockers in the last time”
Verse 20 — “praying in the Holy Ghost”
Verse 21 — “Keep yourselves in the love of God”
Verse 22 — “And of some have compassion, making a difference”
Verse 23 — “puling them out of the fire”
Verse 24 — “him that is able to keep you from falling”
Verse 25 — “the only wise God our Saviour”
The book of Jude will help us come to an understanding of the term apostate.
Declaring that I am a Christian means I have asked the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive my sin and by faith asked the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive my sin and by faith received Jesus Christ as Saviour.
Salvation is “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:21). I am seeking to live my life by the truth of God’s Word.
An apostate is someone who has turned from revealed truth. An apostate stands back from the truth. Apostasy is a subtle rejection of essentials while maintaining the outward form of belief. An apostate is not a Christian. An apostate is not someone who is saved and then loses his salvation, because that is an impossibility. The Lord saves us and keeps us saved. An apostate looks at revealed truth; he is not acting in ignorance. He sees the truth, he knows the message of the truth, and he turns from it.
The book of Jude forms a vestibule or hallway leading into the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ. When we come to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we know that, according to Revelation 1:19, we are dealing with things past, things present, and things to come.
We are not to look for signs, but rather for the Saviour. Christ is coming again. Our hope is not in the Second Coming of Christ, but in the Christ of the Second Coming. We believe it, teach, it and preach it. His return is imminent; it is at hand. He could come at any moment.
The book of Jude, this hallway leading into the Revelation of Jesus Christ, is God’s way of leading us to the teaching of “last things” we find in the Bible.
The church age had a beginning. The church started with Christ and His disciples and was empowered on Pentecost. The church age had a beginning, and it also has an ending. As we read thorough the twenty-five verses of the Book of Jude, we see that God
deals with a duty and a danger. The duty we learn about in verse three, “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.” It is our duty to “earnestly contend for the faith.”
The great danger we face is found in verse four, “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.”
We are living in days of darkness, saturated with doctrines of demons. This is a time of apostasy. May God help us to proclaim the truth.
There is coming a great falling away. We read about his falling away in 1 Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” The Bible says in 2 Timothy 4:1-4, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty” — 2 Peter 2:16