Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 3 * PART 3 * BOOK 58
JUDE
Okay, let’s come back to where we were in Jude, chapter one and we were in verse 7, and again I ran out of time as usual. And so we’ll finish up our thoughts for a little bit before we go on into verse 8. But verse 7 again. I don’t like to run this thing into the ground but on the other hand since it’s something that we’re up against today, like no other time in our national history, we have to see what the Word of God says. It doesn’t matter what I think or what any other group thinks, it’s what does the Word of God say about it.
Jude 1:7a
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, (now everybody I trust knows the story of Lot and Sodom) and the cities about them (in other words the suburbs. Little small villages out around them, who also were living) in like manner, (of course) giving themselves over to fornication, (that is into the grosser means of immorality) and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example,…”
The only point I’m making is that all these things were written, as Paul says in Romans 15, “for our – (what?) learning.” They won’t necessarily show you salvation, they won’t present the Gospel of salvation, but they’re back there for our learning, to know how God has dealt with these things in the past. Alright and so they were:
Jude 1:7b
“…set forth for an example, (and as such they) suffered the vengeance of eternal fire.”
Of course we know that Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed with fire and brimstone, but that was only the here and the now. It also sent them into their eternal punishment, which of course, will be consummated at the Great White Throne. In our last lesson we were going to II Peter in the last half minute of our last half hour, so let’s go back and finish that verse before we move on into verse 8. II Peter chapter 2 and again, the Scriptures find it necessary to repeat this and repeat it and repeat it, then who am I to ignore it. We just cannot do it. All we want people to know is what does the Word of God say about it?
I’m not going to judge them, God is. I’m not going to tell them one thing or another. All I can say is that God will save to the uttermost anyone who comes unto Him and accepts these things by faith. Paul makes the graphic statement that where sin abounds, what’s always greater? The grace of God! So we never call these people hopelessly lost, but, we have to show them that in the view and mind of God they are in a gross situation.
II Peter 2:6a
“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes, (as a result of fire and brimstone. So He turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes,) condemned them (in other words condemned their guilt) with an overthrow, making them (a what?) an example…”
An example that would teach coming generations how God feels about this kind of immorality. Alright and He’s going to make them an example:
II Peter 2:6b-9
“… unto those that after should live ungodly; (or that kind of lifestyle) 7. And delivered Lot, the just man, who was vexed, (knowing better) with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8. For that righteous man (Lot, who had the same faith that Abraham had evidently) dwelling among them, (that is the Sodom and Gomorrhaites) in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds; (or their lifestyle. And so) 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, (as He did Lot) and to reserve the unjust (those who stayed in Sodom) to reserve them unto the day of judgment to be punished.”
Well, that’s what the Word of God says about it. It’s not what I say, it’s what the Word says, and we’d better be ready to stand for it.
Now, let’s go back to Jude and we’ll move on. And this whole little book of Jude now is dealing with examples of unbelief and God’s judgment, simply to show us that God hasn’t changed. And what He’s judged in the past, He will judge again. And so any nation that falls under this kind of an influence, is ripe for judgment. Alright now verse 8:
Jude 1:8a
“Likewise (in other words on the same level) these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion…”
Now doesn’t that ring a bell? What have we just seen? Just exactly that. They don’t care what the law says. They don’t care what government decrees. They’ll do what they want to do. Alright and so they:
Jude 1:8b
“…despised dominion and they speak evil of dignities.”
Now you know the Scripture in other places says that one of the signs of the end times is when they will call right wrong and wrong right, when they will call black white and will call white black, and we’re there, and that’s what makes me feel that we’re so close to the end. All these things that have been prophesied are now rolling in all over the planet.
Now verse 9, here we shift gears again and we go into something totally removed from the Sodom and Gomorrha environment. Now we jump up to Michael the archangel,
Jude 1:9
“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil (there’s that old Satan again. That constant adversary) he disputed about the body of Moses, and dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
Now there’s always been a lot of controversy and a lot of questions – who is or what is this controversy between Michael and this body of Moses. Well goodness, we know that there was no controversy over Moses’ physical body. That was buried up there on Mt. Nebo, so it has to be something else. Alright, now let’s just take a different take than what I know you’re use to seeing. Go back with me to I Corinthians chapter 10, verse 1, and I’m going to try and do this in a way that maybe you can come to the conclusion yourself of what it’s talking about, so be thinking. Don’t just be reading, be thinking. That’s the name of the game.
I Corinthians 10:1a
“Moreover brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant,…”
Now you know Paul is always trying to bring people out of ignorance and into the knowledge. Now ignorance is not a lack of brain cells, you’ve heard me say that a hundred times if I’ve said it once. Ignorance is a simply a lack of having been taught. We are all ignorant of a lot of things.
Now, I always use the example of electricity. I’m ignorant of it, I haven’t learned that much about it. I can flip a light switch and that’s probably about the limit of it. But you see, for people who study it, they’re knowledgeable, they know exactly what’s going on, on those light wires. Now it’s the same way with spiritual things. Most people are untaught.They’ve never heard these things before, and I think that’s part of my ministry – is to open up the Scriptures so that people can be taught, and understand and not remain ignorant.
I Corinthians 10:1a
“I would that you should be ignorant, (untaught) how that our fathers (speaking of the fathers of the nation of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and now we’re all the way up to Moses, of course, in Egypt) were under the cloud,…”
We all remember the story of Israel coming out of Egypt, how the cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night. Alright and so all our fathers, all the Israelites coming out of Egypt .were under the cloud:
I Corinthians 10:1b-2a
“…and all passed through the sea; (en masse. I don’t think a single one lost. Now read on) 2. They were all baptized unto Moses…”
Not with water, but with an act of God. They were placed into Moses’ leadership. They were under Moses’ protective care. You remember when they needed water, who did they go running to? “Moses, we need water. Our people are thirsty. Our livestock are thirsty.” Then Moses, in turn goes to God and God tells him what to do. But they were literally placed by an act of God under Moses’ leadership and control.
I Corinthians 10:2b-4
“…in the cloud and in the sea; 3. And did all eat the same spiritual meat. 4. And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
Alright now let’s compare scripture with scripture. Now I want you thinking. Who is the body of Moses that we’re dealing with in the Book of Jude? Now turn over to I Corinthians, a page or two more, chapter 12 and this should help you put it together, and begin with verse 12. And remember now this is the Apostle Paul and he’s talking to you and I as Gentiles in this Age of Grace,
I Corinthians 12:12
“For as the body (the human body) is one, and it hath many members, (in other words all our extremities and all of our organs, they’re all part of one body) and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (the Body of Christ Now keep your mind on what he said about Moses) 13. . “For by one (Holy) Spirit we (as believers) are all baptized into one (what?) body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; we have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14. For the body is not one member, but many.”
Alright, so what do you suppose was the body of Moses that Satan was deliberating over? The nation of Israel! Come back and read it again, come back to I Corinthians chapter 10 again. Put this all together. The Gentiles have all been baptized into the Body of Christ as this functional organism, universal in it’s breadth, but we’re all there by virtue of our saving faith and an act of the Spirit and we are all one in Christ regardless of who or what we are. Now jump back to the Exodus.
I Corinthians 10:1a-2
“…how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2. And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;”
Not with water – the Red Sea was what? Dry! They didn’t get wet, so what kind a baptism was it? An act of God that placed them into what? Moses’ leadership. And so what did they become? They became a body, a spiritual body, the body of Moses, because he was the one who was their leader by God’s sovereign grace. Whereas today We believers today are baptized or placed in the Body of Christ with that same sovereign God accomplishing it!
Now with what I said a program or two ago, remember, why are the Jewish people so hated and detested and tried to be obliterated from the human experience? Satan! The devil wants to get rid of them. Now, let’s go back to Deuteronomy chapter 32, and use a verse, I think, that just nails that down, that Israel is at the heart of all of God’s dealing with the human race.
And don’t forget this verse. Be ready to share it at every chance. Deuteronomy chapter 32, I wish I could just give the page in my Bible and you’d all have it. Verse 8:
Deuteronomy 32:8
“When the most High (well, that’s a term of Deity. It’s a term of the Old Testament Creator, God Himself.) divided to the nations (that is to the world) their inheritance, when he separated (by Divine decree, they all went into their separate areas of the planet) the sons of Adam, he set the bounds (or the boundaries) of the people (of these various nations and peoples) according to (what?) the number of the children of Israel.”
Now what does that tell you? Everything that God determines for the human race rested on the nation of Israel. Geographically. Geographically what is the absolute center of the world – the earth? Jerusalem! It’s the center of everything.
Now stop and think as I said a program or two back. If Satan can succeed in getting rid of the nation of Israel, then there’s no way end time prophecy can be fulfilled, because Israel has to be in the land. Israel has to be there to have the King. Now let me show you what I’m talking about. Come back with me to Matthew chapter 19. This is just one little instance. I could sit here from now until next week and show you these same kinds of proofs that Israel has to be in the land for the return of Christ and their King.
This is so plainly put. You don’t have to be a degreed theologian to understand this. You know I said it on one of the past programs, you know what old Tyndale said back in his days, they were burning him at the stake? He wanted every plowboy in England to have a copy of the Word. And I like that because what does that tell you? You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand this Book. If you’ve got the leading of the Holy Spirit, you can understand it as well as 10 PhDs. That’s what it amounts to.
Alright now here it is as plain as day. Why does Israel have to be in the land for the return of their King? Matthew 19 and verse 17, this is during His earthly ministry, toward the end of it. And of course the Twelve have been with Him and they’ve given up all of their good things of life, you might say, their occupations, their family life, to follow the Lord.
Matthew 19:27
“Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”
Now do you get what he’s saying? They turned their back on the life style they had enjoyed. They lost a good portion of their family life because they were with Him. And so now Peter says, “Well, what are we going to get for all this?” And the Lord doesn’t scold him, not at all. And he says: “what shall we have therefore?” And I always make the point, he’s not talking about salvation. He’s got that.
That’s evident back there in John’s gospel when Jesus was washing their feet, I think it’s chapter 13. And you remember Peter didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet, kind of stuck them back under him, I imagine, and Jesus said, “If I can’t wash your feet, you can have no part with me.” And you know old Peter had a way of sticking his foot in his mouth and what did he say next? “Well then give me a bath!” And what did the Lord tell him? “Peter, you don’t need a bath, you’ve been (what’s the word the Lord used?) washed!” You’ve been washed, you’re saved, you’re secure. But we’re walking in this old filthy world and so what do you need, symbolically? Our feet washed.
Okay, but here Peter isn’t talking about that. He’s talking about reward. “What are we going to have therefore.” Now look at the answer and see if this could ever happen if the Jews were obliterated.
Matthew 19:28a
“And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, (now that will be eleven of the Twelve, remember) in the regeneration (in other words, when He puts the earth to it’s original Edenic state, beautiful, without the curse, it’s going to be heaven on earth, alright) when the Son of man (speaking of Himself, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of God) shall sit in the throne of His glory…”.
Now what does throne speak of? Kingdom and King. So when the Son of Man has returned and He sets up His kingdom, and Christ is seated on the major throne in Jerusalem, I think on David’s throne on Mount Zion, now look what the rest of the verse says:
Matthew 19:28b
“…ye also (the Twelve. Now it’s not going to be Judas, it’s going the Mathias. But the Twelve) shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging (or ruling) the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Could that be fulfilled if the Jews are obliterated? Well, of course not. That would end it all. There could be no kingdom. There would be no reason for Christ to return. The whole thing falls apart if Israel disappears.
Now, I’m thinking of another verse. Jump all the way back again to the Old Testament. I told you one time somebody wrote and said I missed naming my program. It should be “Back and Forth in the Bible”. Well, that’s all right with me. Where was I going? I almost lost my thought. But let’s go to Jeremiah. You know I share with people so often, I can do this on the program, because I think you all feel like you know me as well as you do your own family. Years ago, I was teaching down in McAlester, and the dear man has gone on to be with the Lord and he had a unique grin and he’d always sit right about over here where Gordon is sitting, and whenever I did something like that or if I dropped something, he’d look up and grin and he’d say, “Ain’t going to get any better!” And I’m finding that out. It just doesn’t get better, those things keep compounding as we get older.
Ok, Jeremiah chapter 31. Now we’re on the whole idea that Israel cannot, – dare not disappear, because if they did everything would fall apart. The Word of God would become moot, we could just as well throw it in the trash can and go home, it’d be worthless. But they’re not because the Word of God is true!
Now look what it says: Jeremiah 31, dropping down to verse 35, and be ready to show this people when they get anti-Israel with you. When they get anti-Semetic and they try to prove that they shouldn’t be there in the Holy Land. Yes they have to be, they have to be or God’s Word could never be fulfilled.
Jeremiah 31:35-36
“Thus saith the LORD, (this is the Word of God) which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, (this is the Creator speaking) which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: 36. If those ordinances (that is of the sun, and the moon, and the stars, in they’re orbits) depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever”
You think the sun’s ever going to fall out of its place? You think the stars are going to fall out of orbit? Uh-huh. And as long as they don’t then the promise is secure, the nation of Israel is going to stay in place, it has to!
Jeremiah 31:37
“Thus saith the LORD; If (there it is again, it’s conditional) heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off this seed of Israel (but that’s never going to happen. Man can’t do it) for all that they have done, saith the LORD.”
And so we have this promise of God’s Word, that the nation of Israel will never disappear even though Satan thinks he’s still going to succeed. And like I said in an earlier program, I don’t know where he’s got his intellect, but he can’t get it through his head that he’s not going to succeed, but he keeps trying.
Now back to Jude. I thought I’d have a hard time getting through the afternoon without going someplace else and we’re not even half way through Jude yet. Okay, that’s what makes it fun, isn’t it? This is fun. Let’s read verse 9 again, now that you see what I’m talking about.
Jude 1:9
“Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, (over Israel. Michael has to do his part to protect the nation of Israel.) durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
Cause after all, the Lord is the one who has the power. Now then verse 10:
Jude 1:10
“But these (these filthy dreamers, these horrible false teachers that are coming upon the world) speak evil of those thing which they know not; but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.”
Now what’s it telling you? Well again, these people who know nothing of the truth of the Word of God, these people who have nothing of the Holy Spirit’s teaching and instruction, they spew out this stuff that is nothing but a foul ball concerning spiritual things. And they cannot, they cannot teach the truth because they just don’t know what it is.