how they told you
that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their
own ungodly lusts.
Jude 18
Dear Heavenly
Father, please hear my prayer. As our
nation recovers from the hurricanes, help us to serve sacrificially, help us be
uncomfortable. Convict us to see the
world through Your eyes. Please be with
my children as they progress to adulthood.
Help them to be focused on You and rely on You. Direct them, show them Your will in their
lives. Help me to focus on Your Word and
apply it it to my life. In Jesus' name I
pray, Amen.
Jude reminds us that
we've been told about these false teacher before they ever appeared. To bring deeper understanding to today's
text, let's examine some key words and their companion or similar verses.
"Told" in
the Greek is lego which means denoting
speech in progress, mean, mention, tell, laying an argument to rest, moving it
to conclusion, bringing to closure, narrate, describe. "They" in this text are the
apostles, God's delegates. The apostles
will close God's argument by reminding us that we've already been told about these
false teachers.
"Mockers"
in the Greek is empiaktes which means
scoffer, a false teacher, derider.
Someone who "scoffs" speaks, taunts, ridicules in a scornfully
way. They express contempt for God. They tease or laugh in a contemptuous
manner. They feel that God is beneath their consideration and is worthless. This
word only appears twice in the Bible, here in Jude and in 2 Peter. 2 Peter 3:3 states "knowing this first:
that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own
lusts."
King Solomon
describes scoffers in various ways in Proverbs.
Proverbs 21:24 states "A proud and haughty man— 'Scoffer' is his
name; He acts with arrogant pride."
Proverbs 24:9 states "The devising of foolishness is sin, and the
scoffer is an abomination to men."
Proverbs 29:8 states "Scoffers set a city aflame, but wise men turn
away wrath." These false teachers
are arrogant, haughty, proud, foolish, and cause disgust and hatred.
"Last" in
the Greek is eschatos which means
finally, to the end, at the last, final, extreme end, furthest, last day,
nearest to the return of Christ and consummation of His divine kingdom. "Time" in the Greek is chrono which means season, particular time,
succession of moments. "The last
time" is a succession of moments that lead to the return of Jesus Christ
and His eventual victory.
"Walk" in
the Greek is poreuomai which means
travel, journey, go, transport, moving something from one destination to
another, reaching a destination that has personal meaning. "Ungodly" in the Greek is asebeia which means impiety, irreverence,
wickedness, lack of respect, refusing to give honor where it is due, deep
desire to do ungodly deeds.
"Lusts" in the Greek is epithumia
is made of two words: Epi which means focus on and thymos which means a passionate desire. Therefore, epithumia
means eagerness for, excited desire, excessive
lust, passion built on strong desires, impulses, coveting, focus on passionate desire.
God's envoys
concluded that there would be arrogant false teachers who ridicule and taunt
God in ways that show their belief that God is worthless. In the days before Christ's return, these
mockers will live without respect for God and passionately
following uncontrollable urges.
In calling out the
scoffers, Jude reminds us not to be haughty, full of ourselves, prideful. We need to stay grounded in the Word and
serving Christ. Jude also reminds us to
not act on urges pressed into us by the world.
We need to focus on Christ and obey the Holy Spirit and not the
world.
They used to say to
you, “In the last days there will be scoffers, following after their own
ungodly passions.”
Amplified Bible
No comments:
Post a Comment