Jude#9 Who is your Preacher?

Verses 17, 18 and 19 is Jude telling us that the Apostles have spoken:

17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

It is not popular today, but the Apostles are our 'ground zero' for God's truth.  In Acts the people devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching and the Lord added to their number (Acts 42-47).  Yet today we look to the one on the platform to deliver 'God's word.'  It is my observation that God's word has been spoken and authenticated and it is that word we must deliver.

Jude repeats several times in his epistle that the false brethren / teachers follow their own natural desires.  They are divisive and don't have the Spirit of God.  When a person has really come to the Lord in contrition and genuinely given themselves over to his hand, they are led by the Spirit.  Of course everyone falls, trips and stumbles along the way but if a person has a continual intent to serve their flesh and follow their own instincts I would question their true position in Christ.

Its happening now!

To me the vital component of these verses is the phrase 'in the last days.'  Jude, like Jesus and the other contributors of the New Testament cite 'the last days' as being a concentrated time of this phenomena.   The lighter application is usually cited followed by 'but in the last days...'  a 'heavier' application.  This way of speaking or writing was a Rabbinical component first recorded by Rabbi Hillel, the grandfather of Rabbi Gamaliel, Paul's tutor.  To unpack 'Kal Vachomer' would take us from this subject but even for a novice in Hebrew like myself it is useful to identify repeated devices used in the Bible.  What we do find is that there is a phenomena where the Apostles all has a sense of the last days being full of false teachers and the like.

'Follow my leader...'

We all have some Bible teachers that we admire and feel their ministry is of use. One additional phenomena in the last days is chasing after preachers who only speak what you want to hear.  2 Tim 4:3 is clear that people will desire to be facilitated by the false teachers.  So the onus is not just on the false teachers but also those who swallow and follow their doctrine.   The hearers are also predisposed towards entertainment, novelty, words that make them feel good instead of the Gospel that challenges to the core.

'It's ok... their hearts are right!'

Jude tells us in no uncertain terms that false teachers hearts are NOT right.  God does look at the heart but sometimes He finds a heart not right.  If we speak out of the abundance of the heart and it is not scriptural then ipso facto, their hearts are not right.  Beware compromising over false teachers because 'some' of what they say is right.  Jude has absolutely slammed the preachers you may be hooked into.

Who is your Preacher?



Gary Ward