Hey Jude

“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” (Jude 8:17-21 ESV)

Jude writes of the prophecies of the “last time,” or as others have written, “the last days.” It was the incarnation of Jesus that inaugurated the last days; they began when He was born. We have to go back to Paul as he told Timothy to expect the ever-increasing self-centeredness of those who mock God. Timothy was to expect self-indulgence, the hypocrisy of others, and the false teachers.

I think about false teachers all the time. The only thing I can imagine is that they must not believe in God, or they believe that they have been saved and the continual sinning they commit will go unpunished. One, while I cannot judge as God judges, I find it hard to believe they are saved. There is no fruit other than the rotten fruit they spread for Satan. The money alone, the greed, and the premeditated plan to take it from lost souls are horrendous. Anyone who spreads the word of God knows they will be held responsible for what they teach. Therefore, I can only assume they do not believe in the wrath of God.

Jude writes that those without the Spirit led and continue to lead this division. This is another check mark against the false teachers and those who attempt to divide the body of Christ. The scoffers mock the moral law of God. A huge section of the population falls into this category of scoffers, and we must pray for them, all of them.

The apostles dealt with divisions within the church due to false teachers. The trend continues today. On the pulpit, in ministries, and in blogs, preaching continues against false teachers and division within the church. Satan is one thing; he is consistent. These false teachers embody and embrace the bondage of sin. They must not be true believers.

So, what does this mean for us? Well, we are in the Spirit, and the Spirit lives in us. So, following the writings of Jude, we must pray. My brothers and sisters, we must pray for each other and for those who are lost. We must build ourselves up in the love of Christ. We must rely on our assurances to help us as we await the coming mercy of the Lord. Paul Washer said something to the effect of, “Right now, God holds back our sins with one hand and beckons us to come to Him with the other. At some point, the Lord will drop both hands.” The Lord will drop both hands, and it will be too late. All the scoffers, evildoers, and false teachers will be cast into hell. All of the ungodly will be eliminated because their mere presence would contaminate the new Jerusalem, the new heaven on earth, the kingdom of God. When this happens, all of creation will rejoice.

Brothers and sisters, we are in Christ. Listen to Jude and pray. Pray for everyone you know who is outside of Christ. Pray for all those you do not know who are outside of Christ that they will turn their faces back to Him. Lastly, pray for the return of our Savior so that we may be plucked out of this devastation.

Peace and Grace!