1:5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
1:6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
1:7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Now, John wants to remind his readers, ( that would include us today of course ) just as Peter did.
It is interesting to note, that so often we find stories and different doctrinal truths, repeated, over and over again. God uses those who wrote the Bible to specifically bring things out, that both the writer and the readers were very familiar with. It's simply bringing to mind that which we already know. God have given us the ability to retain truth in our mind, and also has given us the ability to remember what we know, and thereby benefit in our walk with God, and such is the case here.
So, Jude now focuses on what happened to those who had been saved out of Egypt, and afterward did not believe. The Lord both saved them out of Egypt, and the Lord destroyed them as well.
And, concerning some of the angels, ( the ones who did not keep their proper domain ) which refers to the ones who followed Satan in his rebellion against God, have been reserved by God in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgement of the great day.
And, the Lord then gives us the example of what He did to Sodom and Gomorrah and some other cities around them. They had given themselves over to sexual immorality, and were also going after strange flesh, ( probably referencing their homosexual and lesbian lifestyles ) they suffered the vengeance of eternal fire from God.
Jude is building the case by what he says in 5-7, about the Judgement of God upon the ungodly men in the days ahead. God has already brought judgement in many cases as has been listed in these verses, and commented on.
God judged the unbelieving who had been saved out of Egypt.
God judged some of the angels who followed Satan.
( God will judge the evil angels who work for satan at this time )
God has judged a number of cities that gave themselves over to immorality and strange flesh.
So, this epistle of Jude, in addition to reminding us of how important it is to keep the truth that God has delivered to us, ( in light of the satanic efforts to remove it from the body of Christ ) reminds us that ultimately God will judge those who oppose His work in Christ.
Holding onto the truth, and not letting it go. And remembering what God has done in the past with those who did not believe and lived lives of immorality and homosexuality and lesbianism.
These are the things for us to consider.
Jude will in the next section of the letter continue his expose of those who work against the work of God and explain what will happen to them, and when it will happen, and what we should be doing in the meantime.
In closing, may I say to you, to thank God for those men and women in various churches who do teach the Bible, who are remaining in the Word of God, and seek to preach it, to teach it, to proclaim it, to make it available to the children and youth in your churches. It's no small thing to be thankful for.
Also to recognize how real and important all these matters are. These references in Jude are about real people, and about real angels. ( These angels by the way, were created by God, they lived in His visible sight. They saw Him as we will one day see Him. But, they decided to rebel, and now some are already in a prison waiting for their final judgment, and the others are on the loose, following the orders of Satan, and coming against you as a christian. ) What a tragic choice they made, and what a tragic future awaits them.
Finally, we can thank God for the fact, that by His grace, you as a believing follower of Jesus Christ are not only in Christ, but are on your way to eternal glory with God. There is no better future to be had, then the one that God has promised to His children.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
