Saturday – February 24, 2024, Adar Aleph 15, 5784
Greetings precious saints of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel and welcome back to this enlightening and thought-provoking study of the Book of Jude. Please take a moment and share this teaching as widely as possible by every means available to you. Thank you so much for sharing. You are a blessing to this Ministry and Donna and me as well. It blesses us to see that you value these teaching enough to share.
This Bible Book of Jude speaks to faith and disbelief, even the controversial topic of backsliding (going from unsaved to saved then by choice back to unsaved). Unfortunately, this idea of changing kingdoms is intertwined often with the idea of predestination. Of course, we see this all the time in the natural. A person marries and divorces, or one disavows their American citizenship and becomes a citizen of another country. My use of the term “backsliding” above is referring to a person who was saved and is now not saved having renounced Jesus as Savior and Lord. I believe we have established the Truth of this in this very Book but it is obvious in many other places. Our God is a wonderfully good God and gives multiple warnings in multiple ways.
Another way to think of a backslider is someone who remains saved continuing to declare Jesus as their Savior, but is well off the abundant path with Christ. Obviously, He is not Lord in their life. What about you and me? An example of this might be someone who goes back to smoking, attending Church irregularly, and have significantly reduced their giving (tithes and freewill). Now, having said all of this, let me be clear that none of us know the heart of other people, and none of us are qualified to declare the consequences of anyone’s actions.
When one has faith in something or someone, they trust, rely upon and have an assurance of the thing or person. On the other hand, disbelief has to do with doubt, distrust, skepticism, and suspicion. Faith is the indispensable factor in pleasing God. Unbelief or disbelief is an anathema (abhorrence, abomination, loathing, curse) to God. He (God) doesn’t like it anymore when people don’t believe Him, then you and I like it when people don’t believe us.
Now, let’s turn to our primary Bible text continuing to read out loud, yes, out loud, you know why.
Jude 1:5-7 (KJV)
5 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.
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.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Now the Holy Spirit speaking to all through Jude gives us yet another example, that of the angels. Angels are created being and they were created in the angel class, not in the God class as are people. Angels were created to praise and serve God as well as serve man (Hebrews 1:14). People when they die do not become angels, that would be a significant demotion. The angels left doing what they were first appointed to do and followed another, Lucifer. As a result, these fallen angels were put in chains awaiting final judgment. Just as sinners, the heathen, the unbelieving, and the fearful go to Hell upon death but they will stand at the White Throne Judgment for a final disposition. The angels changed kingdoms.
As we move into verse seven before ending for today let’s consider Sodom and Gomorrah. In my thinking the phrase “giving themselves over to” implies that they were not always that way and perhaps were a Godly people. It is like one of us being tempted to do evil (anything not of God) and we give ourselves over to it. In any event, fornication and sexual perversions of all kinds are not ok and evil in the sight of the Lord and those who persist suffer “the vengeance of eternal fire”. God ordained sex, sex in the marriage bed. So, there is no confusion, this is a marriage before God of a biological at birth male person and a biological at birth female person.
Lord willing, I will pick up right here next week. The Lord is good and He cannot lie!
By: Dr. David R. Wood, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
2 Chronicles 20:20 b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. (Bold added)
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (KJV)
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Bold added)
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
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