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