JUDE 6: THE DEGENERACY IN NOAH'S GENERATION

Verse 6: And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day

In this verse Jude continues his demonstration of God’s action against the evil of degeneracy, ensuring the inevitability of God’s judgment upon the certain persons of verse 4 who practice the same.

The Degeneracy in Noah’s Generation—Genesis 6:1-13

The Greek construction of the word angels refers to the quality of these angels. They are part of the order of “all things” created by God, specifically, that which is invisible (Colossians 1:16). Scriptures teach that angels are “a class of created beings above man”1 (cf. Hebrews 2:7). Their own domain refers to their original sphere of influence as messengers of God, “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Dr. C.I. Scofield maintains that “this ministry has reference largely to the physical safety and well-being of believers” [his emphasis],2 (cf. Psalm 91:11; Daniel 6:22)—from which the concept of guardian angels has been derived.

Understanding the true identity of these particular angels is important for comprehending this passage. They are part of the group known as “fallen angels” that followed Satan in rebellion against God. However, they do not comprise the entirety of all fallen angels. The remaining fallen angels are under the command of Satan and are still active and interfering in the lives of mankind. Paul instructs us that our spiritual “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). And Peter warns us:

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

These specific angels that Jude mentions, not only failed to keep their own domain but they abandoned their proper abode. In other words, they deserted their “glorious habitation”3 around the throne of the God of the universe (Revelation 5:11; 7:11). Dr. Ryrie explains precisely who they are and what they did:

These are the fallen angels who sinned grievously by cohabiting with women, as described in Gen. 6:1–4 and who were confined immediately because of the gross nature of that sin.4

This is a strongly contested verse among many Bible scholars involving two theological views. First, some scholars hold to the view as Ryrie that certain fallen angels—sons of God (Genesis 6:2 & 4)—took wives of mortal women and produced the “mighty men” of Genesis 6:4. The second view holds that Jude is referring to the initial fall of Satan and the angels who rebelled along with him. However, this second view has a flaw: if the angels that Jude mentions are presently kept in eternal bonds and Peter says they have been cast "into hell and committed to pits of darkness" (2 Peter 2:4), then there would be no need of Paul’s warning of the evil forces of darkness today; nor of Peter’s warning of Satan prowling about seeking to devour—for all fallen angels and Satan would now be in confinement until the day of judgment.

The first view hinges on the use of the phrase sons of God in Genesis 6:2 & 4. Ryrie rightly maintains that this phrase “is used in the Old Testament almost exclusively of angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7).”5 But this presents two problems to be considered: First, how can angels acquire the physical functionality to propagate offspring with the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:2)? If this were possible (and there is no way of knowing this for certain), then it would easily explain this passage of Jude and the parallel passage of 2 Peter. If this were accomplished by supernatural means, Jude, Peter and Moses (the author of the Genesis 6) fail to provide the specific evidence.

Secondly, Jude and Peter both insinuate, without any details, that these fallen angels did something that caused them to be judged and incarcerated. Did they withhold the specifics of this infraction because their readers already had knowledge of what these angels did? By considering Jude 5 and 7, we see that Jude provided two examples of Divine discipline that were well known to his readers. It follows that they had knowledge of this specific instance when certain fallen angels, apart from the rest of the fallen angels, had committed a transgression that necessitated God to take immediate action and to confine them until the judgment of the great day.

Notice that the parallel passage in 2 Peter 2:4 is a prelude to Noah and the flood which God brought “upon the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5). The Genesis 6 account insinuates that the ungodly were the Nephilim, the offspring of the demonic angels.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4)

Merrill Unger’s comment on the Nephilim is most instructive. He notes that the origin of the Hebrew word comes from the word “to fall” concluding:

That the connotation is “the fallen ones,” clearly meaning the unnatural offspring that were on the earth in the years before the Flood, “and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them” (Genesis 6:4)...They were exceedingly wicked and violent so that “every intent” of the thoughts of men’s hearts “was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5)6

These “mighty men” were half man and half angelic beings. Many scholars believe these individuals form the basis for the Greek and Roman mythological gods. Francis Schaeffer makes an interesting observation:

More and more we are finding that mythology in general, though greatly contorted, very often has some historic base. And the interesting thing is that one myth that one finds over and over again in many parts of the world is that somewhere a long time ago supernatural beings had sexual intercourse with natural women and produced a special breed of people.7

Therefore, what Jude wants to emphasize is that God does punish degeneracy and these angels are presently incarcerated in darkness and their final judgment will be dispensed decisively when Satan is cast into Hell (Revelation 20:10) “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

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[1] Gaebelein, A.C. (1975). What the Bible Says About Angels, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, p.14.

[2] Scofield, C. I. (1945). The Scofield Study Bible, New York: Oxford University Press, p. 1292, note.

[3] Lenski, R.C.H. (2001). Commentary on the New Testament, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 11.618.

[4] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1986, note.

[5] Ryrie, p. 13 note.

[6] Unger, Merrill F. (1988). The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., Eds.), Chicago,IL: Moody Press, p. 471.

[7] Schaeffer, Francis A. (1985). The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2.89.

  

© 2023 David M. Rossi

DO ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG?

If only the good die young—then, why am I still alive? Does this mean I’m wicked and bad?

But I do jest. For the saying is not even true, it is merely a cliché designed to ease and soften the loss of a loved one or to venerate the memory of someone who has died at a “young” age.

This adage dates back to the 5^th Century B.C. Greek historian, Herodotus. He purportedly wrote in his Histories the phrase “whom the gods love dies young” regarding this touching story:

Two especially favored youths who, replacing two missing oxen, hitched themselves to a cart and carried their mother to a festival for the goddess Hera. At the temple, the grateful mother asked Hera to reward her sons with the greatest gift anyone might receive, whereupon her sons lay down to sleep and never woke again.1

The phrase was also used by the 4^th Century B.C. dramatist, Meander, in his comedy The Double Deceiver.2

In popular music, the phrase has been used by a number of artists. Most notably is the Billy Joel tune “Only the Good Die Young”, about a young Catholic girl being seduced sexually with the proposition that by not giving up her virginity she will die young and that submitting to his seduction she would benefit by living a long life. Here is a sample section:

  They say there's a heaven for those who will wait

Some say it’s better but I say it ain't

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints

The sinners are much more fun...

You know that only the good die young3

Biblical Truth

However, there is no Biblical evidence that only the good die young or the converse that the wicked live long years and wonderful lives. The human viewpoint concerning this myth is totally subjective and has no basis in absolute truth. Belief and acceptance as fact of this cliché that only the good die young is another example of man’s rejection of their Creator and His absolute truth.

So, what is the Biblical truth about living, death and dying?

First, living refers to the “routine conduct or maintenance of life.”4 Biblically, it is mankind breathing and existing in God’s universe. God breathed into the nostrils of the first man, Adam, “the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). Job affirmed this when he stated that “The breath of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3) and “The breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).

All that lives, mankind or animals, possess the breath of life (Genesis 6:17; 7:22). God is inclusive for He provides the breath of life to everyone, whether they believe in Him or not. For the righteous as well as the unrighteous, all share in common the benefits of God’s provision of life as explained by Our Lord:

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:44–45)

Secondly, dying is the end of living for all man and animal that possesses the breath of life. For mankind death is the “separation of soul and spirit from the body”5 which constitutes the end of physical human life. God did not create mankind with the intention that they should die; it is the consequence of Adam and Eve’s disobeying God in the Garden of Eden, an event known as The Fall of Man:

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16–17)

Dr. Chafer explained that the phrase ‘surely die’ is literally from the Hebrew means ‘dying you will die’,6 denoting two deaths—dying referring to spiritual separation from God and die referring to physical death. He goes on to explain the theological implications:

In the instance of physical death all men partake of the penalty, because of the fact that in the divine reckoning all men shared as participants in Adam’s first sin by being, as they were, represented in his natural headship.7

The Apostle Paul corroborates and establishes how this affected the entire human race:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)

Therefore, on the basis of the Fall of Man, Adam’s sin curse is perpetuated to all successive generations, credited to all mankind at birth. Thus, Solomon stated with certainty that there is “a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:2b). The writer of Hebrews reaffirmed this conclusively:

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

 The Afterlife

Scripture declares that there is an afterlife, that physical death is not merely a coffin in a cold grave marked by a stone “where all human activities cease.”8 Dr. C.I. Scofield further asserts that “physical death affects the body only, and is neither cessation of life nor of consciousness’9 (cf. Jonah 2:2; Isaiah 14:9-17; Ezekiel 32:21).

After death there will be a judgment for those who have believed in Jesus Christ and for those who have rejected Him as their savior. Believers’ works will be judged to determine if their quality is worthy of reward (1 Corinthians 2:12-15). Those who reject Jesus Christ, God’s provision for eternal life, will be judged on the “evil deeds” that they believed would make them acceptable to God. Our Lord spoke of this while He was on the earth:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:25–29; cf. Matthew 25:31–46)

All mankind "will meet Christ as Judge as Jesus Himself graphically pictures."10 Death is not the end of human existence. There is a final destination after physical death for all: believers to the reward of eternal life with their Creator; unbelievers to the eternal penalty of Hell, the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

With this in mind, consider the deceptive assumption in the Billy Joel lyrics: I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. For the exact opposite is the truth. There will be no saints crying in heaven:

And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4; cf. Revelation 7:17)

And there will be no sinners laughing in Hell:

“And will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:42)

The frivolous notion that “only the good die young” is dangerously self-deceptive. It only leads to an afterlife of endless suffering. Those who embrace this notion did not elude King Solomon’s wisdom. He recommended that they eat, drink and be cheerful and enjoy the spouse they have loved “all the days of your fleeting life” (Ecclesiastes 9:7-9). His meaning being that this will be the only enjoyment they will every experience during their entire existence.

Solomon’s ominous conclusion to the unbeliever should motivate believers to proclaim the gospel to warn and prevent the eternal ruin of those who have not believed in Jesus Christ as Savior:

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol [Hell] where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

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[1] https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/19/messages/351.html [Retrieved May 18, 2023]

[2] https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Menander [Retrieved June 8, 2023]

[3] Lyrics by Billy Joel © Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. 

[4] The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th Ed., s.v. “living”, p.810.

[5] Chafer, Lewis Sperry (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 7.112.

[6] Chafer, 7.112.

[7] Chafer, 7.113.

[8] Scofield, C. I. (1945). The Scofield Study Bible (Habakkuk 2:5). New York: Oxford University Press, p. 956 note #3.

[9] Scofield, p. 1299 note.

[10] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, Heb 9:27.

© 2023 David M. Rossi

JUDE 5: GOD VS. APOSTASY

Verse 5: Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. 

 

In verses 5-7 Jude demonstrates that God takes action against the evils of apostasy, degeneracy and decadence, ensuring the inevitability of God’s judgment upon the certain persons of verse 4, who teach falsely about the grace of God. Scripture assures us that “The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9b); and that “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy” (James 4:12). Therefore these false teachers will receive fair judgment for their divisive deception in the Church.

Jude begins by expressing his desire that they remember their history—particular events in the history of the nation of Israel. He assures them that they already know all things pertaining to their historical roots. The Greek word he uses for the phrase “once for all” infers that they already know these things he is about to state and they have no need to learn anything new. In this verse he cites the apostasy of the Exodus generation; in next verse, the degeneracy of Noah’s generation; in verse 7, the decadence of Abraham’s generation.

The Apostasy of the Exodus Generation

The Exodus event focuses on the liberation of the nation of Israel out of Egypt. The nation had been enslaved for 430 years (1875 B.C – 1445 B.C.) before the Lord saved them from Egyptian servitude through the negotiations of His servant Moses (Numbers 12:7; Joshua 1:2).

Notice a fine point which Jude makes: the Lord saved “a people.” The Greek construction refers to the special quality of these people. Not just any common garden-variety type of people, not the people of the heathen nations—but Israel, the chosen nation He called out from amongst the heathen nations of the world to represent Him. This He proclaimed to the prophet Jeremiah:

“At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”

Thus says the Lord,

“The people who survived the sword

Found grace in the wilderness—

Israel, when it went to find its rest.”

   The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,

  “I have loved you with an everlasting love;

  Therefore I have drawn1 you with lovingkindness.”

          (Jeremiah 31:1–3; cf. Psalm 135:4; Isaiah 41:8)

Jude aspires that his readers understand that just as the Lord had a plan for His people, Israel, to represent Him to the heathen nations, that same Lord has a plan for them to represent Him to a lost generation and that His message, His Word cannot be corrupted as these false teachers were doing.

He further reveals to us that some who were liberated from Egypt by the Lord’s grace provision did not believe and assures us that the Lord is diligent in exacting penalties upon transgressors. Jude is referring to the series of provocations of the Jewish people in their 40 years wilderness journey. The writer of the epistle of Hebrews explains:

And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:17–19)

  The specifics of their unbelief are found in the book of Numbers: not believing in the report of God’s Promised Land (Numbers 13 & 14); the Korah Rebellion (16:1-3; 31-35); the idolatry of the god Baal at Peor (25:1-3). An entire generation perished in the wilderness as a result of their unbelief.2 None entered the Promised Land except for Joshua and Caleb.

The Apostle Paul provides an account in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 of God’s wonderful provision to Israel during their wilderness journey and their demise, which was anything but pleasant. They all passed through the parted waters of the Red Sea under the cloud (the same pillar of cloud that guided them in the daytime in the wilderness, Exodus 13:21); they ate the same spiritual food, manna (Exodus 16:35); they drank the spiritual water from a spiritual rock (Exodus 17:6), “the rock was Christ.”

But then Paul writes that “with most of them God was not well-pleased” prompting God’s judgment upon them on a number of occasions (vv. 5-10): those grumbling against Him and Moses were destroyed by fiery serpents (Numbers 21:6); the rebellious Korah and his whole family were swallowed up by the earth and cast into Sheol (Numbers 16:30-32) along with the 14,700 who grumbled against Moses and Aaron concerning the judgment of Korah, they died by a plague (Numbers 16:41-49); the 24,000 Baal idolaters also died by a plague (Numbers 25:9).

Paul explains why he mentions these things:

Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)

Paul’s statement, “the ends of the ages” is a significant in that it coincides with Jude’s warning of the apostasy in the Church “in the last time” (Jude 18). The propagation of the false teachings of these “certain persons” is clear evidence indicating the last days of the Church age. But I know what you may be thinking: If these things were written 1900 years ago, how long are the “last time/end of the ages”?

The phrases last time, end of the ages and last days as cited in Scripture denote “the entire gospel dispensation extending from the first to the second advent of Christ.”3 To be more precise, MacArthur explains its prophetic implication:

The fulfillment of the messianic prophecies commenced with the advent of the Messiah. Since He came, it has been the “last days” (cf. 1Corinthians 10:11; James 5:3; 1Peter 1:20; 4:7; 1 John 2:18).4

How does this example of Jewish unbelief apply to us today? To remind us how important it is for us to “know all things” pertaining to the sound doctrines of our faith. By believing God’s Word and availing ourselves of His grace provisions we will avoid the pitfalls of false teachers and the condemnation that comes with unbelief.

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[1] “Be in front in guiding or directing,” Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament), Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, GK5432.

[2] Pentecost, E. C. (1985). Jude. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 2.920.

[3] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 update (Expanded ed.). Chicago: Moody Press, p.1945 note.

[4] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Hebrews 1:2 note.

 

 © 2023 David M. Rossi