Jude 1:18 by Precept Austin Commentary

Jude 1:18 that they were saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.": hoti elegon (3PIAI) humin hoti Ep eschatou tou chronou esontai (3PFMI) empaiktai kata tas heauton epithumias poreuomenoi (PMPMPN) ton asebeion there = Acts 20:29; 1Ti 4:1,2; 2Ti 3:1-5,13; 4:3; 2Pe 2:1; 3:3 who = Jude 1:16; Ps 14:1,2 Amplified - They told you beforehand, In the last days (in the end time) there will be scoffers [who seek to gratify their own unholy desires], following after their own ungodly passions. Barclay "In the last time there will be mockers, whose conduct is governed by their own impious desires." NET For they said to you, "In the end time there will come scoffers, propelled by their own ungodly desires." TLB - that in the last times there would come these scoffers whose whole purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every evil way imaginable. Wuest - In the last time there shall be mockers ordering their course of conduct in accordance with their own passionate cravings which are destitute of reverential awe towards God. Young's Literal that they said to you, that in the last time there shall be scoffers, after their own desires of impieties going on, JUDE ECHOES PETER'S WARNING That they were saying to you - Saying is imperfect tense picturing this as a repeated action - over and over they were saying the following words (as an aside, repetition is one of the keys to memorization of what God is saying in His Word. Are you actively memorizing His Word?) Jude may be quoting the apostle Peter's words spoken beforehand... Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts (2Pe 3:3-note) What were the mockers mocking? Read on - 2Pe 3:4 makes it clear that these individuals ridicule and treat with contempt the Bible's repeated promise of Jesus' Second Coming, asking “Where is the promise of His coming?" Hiebert - We accept the priority of 2 Peter and suggest that Jude had read that epistle shortly before he felt constrained to write this letter; as he wrote, Peter’s prediction of the coming “mockers” was vividly recalled. (Second Peter-Jude: An Expositional Commentary) In the last (eschatos) time - Peter has in the last days. The writer of Hebrews said "in these last days (God) has spoken to us in His Son." (Heb 1:2-see more detailed discussion of last days) To summarize the discussion of Hebrews 1:2, the last days are the time period between the First and Second Comings of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf Acts 2:17; Gal. 4:4; 2Ti 3:1; Heb 1:2; 1Pe 1:5, 20; 1Jn 2:18-19; James 5:3). This time period overlaps with the period most theologians refer to as the "church age." Kistemaker on the last times - Scripture teaches that during this period, the forces of evil will become increasingly visible and audible. (Ed: cf Mt 24:6-12) Constable - The "last time" refers to the end of the historical period that encompasses the church age and the Tribulation. After this "last time" God will rule directly over humankind, first during the Millennium and then in the new heavens and new earth (cf. 1Timothy 4:1; 2Timothy 3:1; et al.). It is the last time in relation to Jesus Christ's return to reign on earth. (Jude - Expository Notes) There will be mockers - A prophecy that is being fulfilled even in our day (2014)! Mockers have to have something to mock so the implication is that these men are not totally ignorant of what the Bible says (assuming they mock God's promises and God's people who hold to those promises, especially of Christ's return). Wiersbe - Before Satan can substitute his own lies, he must get rid of the truth of God’s Word. If he cannot argue it away, he will laugh it away, and he can usually find somebody to laugh with him. (Be Alert 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, Jude- Beware of the Religious Impostors) Guzik - Perhaps Jude had in mind those who mock the idea of Jesus’ return. Or he may mean the kind of men who mock those who don’t go along the same path of destruction they travel on...Those who live according to their own ungodly lusts love to mock those who want to please God. Jude wants Christians to expect this kind of mocking, so they won’t be surprised by it. (Jude - David Guzik's Commentary) Mockers (1703)(empaiktes from empaizo = to play, dance, mock, deride, scoff <> from en = in + paizo = to play as a child) describes those who make fun of another. They scorn and scoff. They "play like children" (Thayer). They treat with contempt and ridicule things of vital importance. The root verb empaizo is used 13 times in the NT (Mt 2:16; 20:19; 27:29, 31" class="scriptRef">31, 41; Mk 10:34; 15:20, 31; Lk 14:29; 18:32; 22:63; 23:11, 36) and all refer to the mocking of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is therefore little surprise that if evil men mocked Him at His first coming, they would mock His prophetic promise of His Second Coming (2Pe 3:3Jn 14:3). These individuals "trifle" with the things of God dealing with them as if they are of no temporal or eternal import. They show their contempt for Christ's return by ridiculing and deriding that certainty, their derision motivated by their insolence, disrespect, incredulity and desire to justify their ungodly behavior. If you are not looking for Him, you will hardly be motivated to be living for Him! Jude points out that nothing that has been observed about the false teachers should have taken the believers by surprise. The apostles had given warning (v17) that in the end times evil deceivers would come among them. The description of the heretics as mockers indicates that one of their main tactics to gain credibility was to tear down godly leaders. Constable - The object of the "mockers" mocking seems to be the revealed will of God (cf. Psalms 35:16; Proverbs 14:6; Proverbs 19:25; et al.). (Jude - Expository Notes) Following (walking) after their own ungodly lusts (cf Jude 1:16 - "following after their own lusts") - This passage brings to mind a slave in chains being led about by a harsh master! Jude had alluded to their ungodly lusts as the driving force of their lives in Jude 1:4, 8, 10, 15, 16, 18-19. By following after their own ungodly lusts, the mockers are making a choice to deliberately reject God's warning word of judgment and opt for a godless lifestyle of sin (one things of the flagrant attack of God's Word regarding marriage of one man and one woman, not to mention the open acceptance of abortion, oft times these babies being the fruit of their ungodly lusts. Remember, God is not mocked and whatever evil seeds individuals and nations sow, they will eventually reap, later and greater! cf Gal 6:7-8-note, Pr 14:34-note) Wiersbe - The phrase “walking after their own lusts” appears in 2Peter 3:3 and Jude 1:16 and Jude 1:18, and it explains why the apostates deny God’s truth: they do not want God to tell them how to live. They want to satisfy their own sinful desires, and the Word of God condemns their selfish way of life. When a person says, “I have intellectual problems with the Bible,” he probably has moral problems because the Bible contradicts what he is doing. The only sure way to know the truth of the Bible is by obeying it (John 7:17). (Be Alert 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, Jude- Beware of the Religious Impostors) Following (4198)(poreuomai used in Jude 1:11, 16, 18) means literally going from one place to another, in this case from one passion to another (chasing, journeying). It speaks of their predominant way of conduct, the prevalent course of their life. What a vivid picture of their blatant disregard of God's holy word and His righteous judgment. Present tense marks their action as habitual (as their lifestyle) and middle voice conveys a reflexive sense (they themselves following after) = pictures these apostates as initiating this "journey" and participating in the (rotten) fruits thereof. Having rejected the knowledge of God (and right fear of God), they fearlessly seek to indulge their fleshly appetites, advocating permissiveness with total disregard of any impending judgment. Both Jude and Peter emphasize that the ungodly in the last days, will be almost entirely motivated by self-interest (2Timothy 3:1-note) and will be unconcerned about God's purposes (which is a good working definition of "ungodliness"). Ungodly (plural - more literally "ungodlinesses")(763)(asebeia from a = w/o + sébomai = worship, venerate) means want or lack of reverence or piety toward God (which speaks of one's heart attitude) speaks of a want of reverence and as used in the NT describes those living without regard for God. They conduct themselves in such a way as to effectively deny God's existence and right as Supreme Ruler and Authority. Ungodly is "at the very end of the statement, underlines the fact that irreverent ungodliness was an inseparable characteristic of these mockers." (Hiebert) Kistemaker - "For believers the impiety (ungodliness) of these godless people is a sign that the end of the world is near." Hiebert - The genitive plural (ungodly - asebeia), standing rather awkwardly at the very end of the statement, underlines the fact that irreverent ungodliness was an inseparable characteristic of these mockers. The genitive may be understood as descriptive of their personal lusts, characterized as linked with ungodliness. Or the genitive may be subjective, meaning that their ungodliness was the source that gave rise to their lusts or evil cravings. Thus Williams remarks, “From ungodliness as bad soil grew lusts which were a legitimate product of such soil.” It is equally possible that the genitive is objective, meaning that these mockers are guided by “their own lusts for different manifestations of ungodliness.” The Jerusalem Bible represents this view, “and follow nothing but their own desires for wickedness.” Each of these views of the genitive makes good sense, but the last seems most plausible in view of the plural, “the ungodlinesses.” The view that these mockers are ever intent on experiencing the thrills of new forms of ungodliness is in agreement with Jude’s portrait of them. (Second Peter-Jude: An Expositional Commentary) Lusts (1939) (epithumia from epi = at, toward {the preposition "epi-" in the compound is directive conveying the picture of "having one’s passion toward" } + thumos = passion; epithumeo = set heart upon) is a neutral term denoting the presence of strong desires or impulses, longings or passionate craving (whether it is good or evil is determined by the context) directed toward an object. Most NT uses of epithumia are like this use in Jude and describe strong desires which are perverted and unrestrained and which originate from our SIN (flesh) nature, which is corrupt and fallen. Hiebert has an interesting note on epithumia writing that the "degeneration in the meaning of the term (epithumia from God given desires to perverted desires) is a revealing commentary on human nature. Left to himself, instead of gaining mastery over his base desires and steadfastly adhering to the good, the individual is characteristically overcome by his evil cravings, so that they become the dominating force of his life." (Hiebert, D. Edmond: 1 Peter. Page 94. Moody) Barclay - They mock at goodness and their conduct is governed by their own evil desires. The two things go together. These opponents of Jude had two characteristics, as we have already seen. They believed the body, being matter, was evil; and that, therefore, it made no difference if a man sated its desires. Further, they argued that, since grace could forgive any sin, sin did not matter. These heretics had a third characteristic. They believed that they were the advanced thinkers; and they regarded those who observed the old moral standards as old-fashioned and out of date. That point of view is by no means dead. There are still those who believe that the once--accepted standards of morality and fidelity, especially in matters of sex, are quite out of date. There is a terrible text in the Old Testament: "The fool says in his heart, There is no God" (Ps 53:1). In that text fool does not mean the brainless man; it means the man who is playing the fool. And the fact that he says there is no God is entirely due to wishful thinking. He knows that, if there is a God, he is wrong and can look for judgment; therefore, he eliminates him. In the last analysis those who eliminate the moral law and give free rein to their passions and desires, do so because they want to do as they like. They listen to themselves instead of listening to God--and they forget that there will come a day when they will be compelled to listen to him. Spurgeon observed that this is "A prophecy which has been abundantly fulfilled. You need not go far to find them; they come in the form of living men, and they swarm in the form of their books. They are to be met with almost everywhere; like the locusts, they fill the air, and hide the light of the sun: “There shall come in the last days scoffers” Every time a blasphemer opens his mouth to deny the truth of revelation, he will help to confirm us in our conviction of the very truth which he denies. The Holy Ghost told us by the pen of Peter that it would be so." Ulrich Zwingli - Jude foresaw the coming of mockers in the last time who would walk after their own lusts and godlessness, and having the Spirit. And by their deeds we see clearly that they have no hope, for they rage furiously and live shamelessly and desire inordinately and persecute arrogantly and seize and grasp everything that they can plunder or steal or gain. All these things are tokens of their godlessness and despair. Like their father the devil, they are harsh toward everybody, refuse the joy and consolation of salvation, and despise every warning that might turn them from error. They will not retain God in their knowledge. So they begin to experience already that eternal perdition that in the world to come they will fulfill eternally. William Culbertson...In the last days mockers will come - Sometimes those of us who hold that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again are spoken of as pessimists. I think it can be truly said that we are really the only ones who have any right to be optimistic. (William Culbertson) Scoffers - A recent cartoon depicts a man at his desk looking at a computer screen, while outside his open office window another man is flying past, having just jumped from the top of the building. The man at the desk says to the jumper, “Tough luck, Conners. The market has gone up 1,200 points since you jumped.” So much for assuming that things will always be the way they are right now. As the saying goes, the only constant in life is change, and you would think that people would know better than to risk their eternal future on the assumption that nothing is going to change. But that’s exactly what doubters and skeptics have been doing since the earliest days of Christianity. “Scoffers” choose to forget or ignore the fact that God has kept His word in history and will do so again. God judged the world in the flood of Noah, and the world is scheduled for judgment again when Christ returns.

Be the first to react on this!

Jude 1:18

Precept Austin Commentary

Precept Austin Commentary ( - )

Group of Brands