The Difficult Name in Jude

Wow! The claims some translations make about Jesus!

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Transcript

The Difficult Name in Jude

by Eric Engelmann

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When are we?

I think we’re about 68 AD, according to BibleHub.com ‘s timeline.

WHERE ARE WE? 

Not sure. Somewhere within about a thousand miles of Jerusalem?

WHY ARE WE HERE NOW? 

I want to underline the impact of Jude 5-7 in some translations.

When I look at translations of a verse using BibleGateway.com, about one in every seven translations uses the name "Jesus". Most of the other translations say, "LORD". Jude 5 is such a mind-boggling verse that 6 out of 7 translations back away from using the name "Jesus" when it's in a lot of the oldest Greek manuscripts. That's partly because there are some slightly younger Greek manuscripts that use a Greek word for "LORD" instead.

I'm going to read the first verses of the letter of Jude. I'm going to use one of the translations with the name "Jesus" and make some comments along the way.

WE DON"T KNOW EXACTLY WHO THE ORIGINAL LETTER IS ADDRESSED TO. It looks like the early verses talk about people who share in a common salvation given by Jesus.

SCRIPTURE (ESV)

Verse 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

NOTE: It's a greeting extened to those who are called and loved. It's not confined to one geographic area.

Verse 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

NOTE: This greeting contains references to the fruit of the Holy Spirit that is given in Jesus Christ.

Verse 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

NOTE: I think Jude is agreeing that denying Jesus as Master and Lord stops the grace of God and the life that comes through Jesus. He also says there are some very bad habits and pursuits that collide with Jesus being our Master and LORD.

Here comes Verse 5 

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that *Jesus*, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

NOTE: One mind-boggling part of this verse? It says Jesus saved people out of Egypt. And it doesn't mention Moses, just Jesus. But the only personality who could claim to have led people out of Egypt besides Moses is the Most High Himself. Yahweh. Jehovah. His voice came from cloud, from fire, and at times quietly to Moses so that no one else could hear.

Another mind-boggling part of Jude 5 is the destruction of those who did not believe. Numbers -- a book of Moses -- chapter 14 -- talks about how some people had put the LORD to the test ten times and had not obeyed His voice.

Jude will now reference Genesis 6 with details in the ancient book of 1 Enoch. His verses use the word "he" to refer to whoever saved the people out of Egypt. 

Verse 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 

NOTE: Another mind-boggling claim: Jude is saying Jesus has already put angels in prison for thousands of years.

Verse 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Jude 5-7 (ESV)

That's the end of the passage.

The last mind-boggling claim -- in verse 7 -- is that Jesus was responsible for the fire falling from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 19)

SO WHAT?

Jude said that in the Future we'll find out that Jesus is ultimately not someone we want to mess with. He's destroyed cities with fire from heaven. And we should treat Him with respect.

Further in the future, many will read the book of Jude and take its advice to humbly serve Jesus.

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