Apostate Blasphemy

Jude 1:8-16

Jude 1:8-16, Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in

an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” The truth wars. Terrorism in the World. Suicide Terrorism. Spiritual Terrorism.

How to identify them? We as believers have been called by Jude to earnestly contend for the faith, to get our focus on fighting the battle to protect the church from the deceivers who attack the truth.

Jude 1:3, Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

Where are they? V 4, For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord [b]God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Like the suicide bomber crept in unnoticed. We don’t know who they are at first. V 12, These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; They are hidden reefs in your love feasts.

They feast with you without fear. They are headed for black darkness. V 13, raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. They are headed for the punishment of eternal fire. It doesn’t seem to bother them.

V 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.

Very parallel to 2 Peter chapter 2.

Apostasy, meaning to defect, to depart, to abandon. Apostasy is hearing of the faith, knowing of the faith, knowing the true gospel, hearing the true gospel, maybe professing even to believe the true gospel, and then abandoning it. It is the most terrible of evils for which the hottest hell is reserved.

To be exposed to the gospel truth and to reject it is to put yourself in the most severe place of eternal torment. Three past judgments God has made on apostates.

1. Apostate of Jews

2. Apostate of Angels

3. Apostate of Gentiles

V 5, apostate Jews. V 6, apostate angels. V 7, apostate Gentiles. V 8, Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Three characteristics of apostate nature. 1. Immorality,

2. Insubordination, (Disobedience) and

3. Irreverence. (Blasphemy)

Israel engaged in immorality. They engaged in insubordination. They engaged in irreverence. The fallen angels engaged in immorality. The fallen angel’s insubordinate. The fallen angel’s irreverence. Sodom and Gomorrah they engaged in immorality.

Sodom and Gomorrah they engaged in insubordination. Sodom and Gomorrah they engaged in irreverence. Apostates do the very same thing.

• They defile the flesh that is immorality.
• They reject authority that is insubordination.
• They revile angelic majesties that is irreverence. 1. Immoral

2. Insubordination, (Disobedience) and

3. Blasphemy

They revile angelic majesties. Different translators translate that differently.

The word “revile” means to blaspheme, to speak evil of. They are blasphemers, these apostates. When you look more closely at them, no matter what they claim they rather are blasphemers. “They blaspheme doxas. Doxas, that’s the word translated as angelic majesties.

The word doxas from which we get the word “doxology.” Doxas means glories, and it could refer to the glories of God and the glory of Christ. We could interpret it they revile, or they blaspheme glories, namely the glory of God and the glory of Christ.

Why are angels introduced into this? Certainly, angels are glorious. Why does the translator here take the liberty to insert “angelic majesties?”

2 Peter 2:10-11, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

They take the liberty to blaspheme angels. That is what Sodom and Gomorrah did blaspheme holy angels. Evil angels do that. Holy angels fight against evil angels, as we see in Daniel 10, when demons fight against the purposes of God, the work of His holy angels. They try to stop that work.

How do false teachers blaspheme angels? There is a very particular ministry that angels have had for a long time that is outlined in Scripture. Moses is reiterating something of the history of Israel. He, of course, is about ready to die, and he calls the sons of Israel together before his death.

Deuteronomy 33:1-3, Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2 And he said: The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them. 3 Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words.

What do we remember that happened at Mount Sinai?

What was given at Mount Sinai? The law. For the first time, the angels are associated with the giving of the law.

Psalm 68:17, The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.

Revelation 5:11-12, Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honour and glory and blessing!”

The Lord is among them as at Sinai in holiness. When God came down at Sinai to give the law, the angels were there, and they were there in massive force. Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands – it is as if the whole of heaven’s holy angels came down at Sinai in this monumental event of giving the law.

The numbers are the same as the numbers used to describe how many angels surround the throne of God in heaven.

Acts 7:53, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

We learn from all these passages is that the angels played a very special role in the dispensing of the law of God at Sinai.

Galatians 3:19, What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

The angels played a particular role in the giving and ordaining of the law of God.

Hebrews 2:1-3, Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

The law was spoken through angels.

Angels have a very special role in the moral order in the world.

Isaiah 6:1-2, In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” immoral people who defile the flesh by their corruption. Immoral people, then, who rebel against divine lordship. Then, blaspheme the holy angels who have a special guardianship over the law of God. Whether they recognize it or not, apostates, in their immorality, and in their insubordination blaspheme not only God, blaspheme not only Christ, blaspheme not only the Holy Spirit, but they blaspheme holy angels as well as the one the angels serve.

Jude 1:14-15, Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of

all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” When the Lord comes back to judge all the ungodly of the world, He is going to come with the holy angels who have also been blasphemed by the violations of the law which they have been given a guardianship of.

Many apostate false teachers claim special insight and special association and special relationship with angels. When you study the cults and the false religion, and you will find that they inevitably claim some connection with angels.

Mormon Tabernacle, in Salt Lake, and you will see one massive golden angel on the top of that temple. His name is Moroni. It is purported that Joseph Smith had a special relationship with that angel. The truth is he blasphemed angelic majesties, just as he blasphemed God by denying that He is a Trinity, just as he blasphemed Christ by denying that He is God, so he blasphemes angels, the true guardians of God’s holy law and His holy Word.

They really do deal with demons and blaspheme holy angels, because demons are always the supernatural authors of false doctrine.

1 Timothy 4:1, Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, Doctrines of demons. All error is demonic as to its source, satanic as to its source. All these false religions very often mystics, Gnostics, and these who have the elevated knowledge. These who get the visions, revelations, and dreams. They claim all these is coming from angels, when in fact they are blaspheming the holy angels, who are the guardians of the sacred Word of God, and they are really in connection with demons. Because the point is so unusual, Jude gives a further consideration, by way of contrast, into the seriousness of this sin. Jude is helping us to get a sort of a consummate perspective on the horror of apostasy.

It defiles the flesh. It is corrupt morally. It denies authority. It therefore denies lordship, and

It even blasphemes not just God and Christ, but the holy angels who are the guardians of God’s holy law.

Jude 1:9, Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. False teachers do not hesitate to indulge their flesh, reject lordship, and revile holy angels. Reviling holy angels is something you better be careful about. Blaspheming holy angels by rejecting the law, of which they are the guardians, is serious. It is a serious thing to revile holy angels. Jude says Michael, who is himself a holy angel, would not even revile Satan who is a fallen angel. Michael, who is himself a holy angel, would not himself blaspheme a fallen angel. Yet these false teachers will blaspheme holy angels. Michael the archangel!

His name means “Who is like God?” Of course, the answer is no one. His very name is a reminder that no one is like God. As an archangel, he is a chief leader among the angelic spirits. So, now we are coming to the highest level of angelic order.

He is mentioned in Daniel 10 and 12.

Daniel 10:10-14, Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

Daniel 12:1, “At that time Michael shall stand up,

The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was

since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. Michael was God’s particularly powerful angel for the purpose of protecting Israel and defeating Satan’s purposes against Israel, against the people of God.

That’s why he is called “Michael your prince,” the prince of Israel, the protector of Israel.

Revelation 12:7-9, And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Michael and his angels defeat Satan and his angels and throw them out of heaven and throw them down to earth. A powerful heavenly, holy angel. Michael knew Lucifer. He knew him when he was the Son of the Morning, when he was the anointed cherub, when he was around the throne, and when he was the heavenly choir director.

He knew the other demons, all of them being created together at once. When they fell, he knew they fell, and he did battle with them and was part of the force that threw them out of heaven. He knows he has power over Satan then and he knows Satan is fallen. Yet, he has respect for those angelic enemies of God.

Even though he is a powerful holy angel, he knows that there are limits to his power, and there are limits to his knowledge. He is not omniscient, nor is he omnipotent. His power as a holy angel is delegated, and his function to do whatever God tells him to do and not act independently on his own.

He will not assume divine authority. He will not exercise his own will over Satan. He will not, on his own, blaspheme even Satan. God has his plans for Satan, and God knows what they are, and Michael will carry them out, but he will not act independently.

He will not intrude. He will not do things on his own.

One of the things he will not do is he will not bring against the Devil a railing judgment, but rather he will say to the Devil, “The Lord rebuke you!” He knows that there are even limits to his own power. For Michael, on his own, to rebuke the Devil would just to be engaged in a battle such as we see in the tenth chapter of Daniel where God sends him to answer Daniel’s prayer and a demon spirit holds him up and engages him in battle. Even Michael is neither omniscient, nor is he omnipotent.

Jude reverses the reader’s expectation to prove the point of verse 8. Apostates blaspheme holy angels by their disregard of God’s holy law, which the angels ordain and protect and guard. Apostates have the gall to blaspheme holy agents by their disregard of God’s law. Holy angels don’t even blaspheme demons.

Michael, in a sense, does what Jesus did. Jesus said he only did what the Father commanded Him to do. Jesus only said what the Father told Him to say in His incarnation. Jesus did that only as part of His humiliation for the time He was on earth. But the holy angels only do that and do it eternally. They only do what God tells them to do. Since they are not omniscient and they are not omnipotent, they are

under divine authority. Demonstration of their holiness is their utter commitment to do only that which God tells them to do. I am always profoundly disturbed, especially in the charismatic movement, when I hear people pronouncing judgment on Satan, when I hear people telling Satan what to do and where to go and binding him and binding demons.

This is not for us to do. We don’t have the authority to do it. We don’t have the insight to do it. They don’t respond to us. If they will battle Michael, then who do you think you are?

Acts 19:15-16, And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

God sent Satan to Job. The best guess would have been to chase the Devil away, except that God had sent him. God turned Peter over to Satan.

The best guess would be to send Satan away, but God sent Satan. God sent a messenger from Satan to put a thorn through Paul’s flesh. He best guess would have been to send that messenger away, except that God had sent him.

You don’t know what God is doing with Satan who is His servant. You don’t know what He is doing with demons who do His will and accomplish His purposes. Apostate false teachers are defiled in the flesh. They reject lordship, and they want to operate on their own.

They blaspheme God not only by rejecting His holy law in their immorality, not only by denying His divine authority, but being so irreverent as to assume privileges that belong only to God. They don’t even belong to Michael.

People running around telling Satan what to do. Michael doesn’t even do that. You have way overstepped your bounds. You have assumed for yourself some knowledge you do not have and a power you do not have. The demonstration of the holiness of Michael is that he knew his place. Yes, he was the protector of God’s people, but all judgments as to how he protected God’s people were made by God.

V 9, Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” “The Lord rebuke you!” Pretty different than what we hear today.

You can’t even blaspheme a fallen angelic majesty. You wouldn’t think to tell holy angels what to do, I hope. I would hope you’re not in some illusion that you can command the holy angels. Michael knew the Bible. Zechariah is shown Joshua the high priest.

This is a vision of Joshua the high priest and he was the son of Jehozadak and, along with Zerubbabel, led the first group of Jews back from Babylonian captivity. Joshua was a real high priest, but he really represents Israel in this vision. He sort of stands there as the representative of the nation.

Zechariah sees in this vision Joshua the high priest, and he’s standing before the angel of the Lord. This is the pre-incarnate Christ.

This is God the Son before His incarnation often designated the angel of the Lord.

Zechariah 3:1, Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. Satan goes into heaven, and he comes to God. Satan starts accusing. Satan is standing at the right hand of Christ, accusing Joshua or better, accusing the nation he represents, namely Israel.

What is Satan trying to do? He is trying to get God to break His covenant with Israel. He is trying to get God to deny His promises to sinful Israel.

Zechariah 3:2, And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

The Lord Himself said to the Lord said to Satan “‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan!’” This is almost a preview of how Jesus would act when He was on earth, He defers to His Father, and the Lord – the angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ – in a picture of what he would be like in His incarnation, instead of rebuking Satan says to Satan, “‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan!’”

The Son calls on the Father to rebuke Satan. “‘Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’” – language which Jude also uses.

Zechariah 3:3-5, Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. 4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by. Instead of God breaking His promise, God gave a picture of justification, a picture of the day when He would clothe Israel with His own righteousness. Michael was there. Michael knows that text, knew that scene. Michael did just what the pre-incarnate Son did. He didn’t say, “I rebuke you, Satan.” He said, “That’s up to the Lord to do.” V 9, Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring

against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” The occasion was when Michael was disputing with the Devil and arguing about the body of Moses. Do we ever read anywhere about God arguing about anything with anybody?

No. This is another indication of the powers of Michael being limited. He is having an argument with the Devil, and they are arguing about the body of Moses. The only way to end the argument was basically to say, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Michael struggled with the demon in Daniel for many days to finally overcome him. However, the debate seems to end very quickly with an appeal to the Lord. What is this argument about the body of Moses? If you are reading with us through Scripture, in the 34th chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses died.

Nothing in Deuteronomy is said about this. This is the only place this is every said in the whole Bible. If you read Deuteronomy, you don’t know there was an argument about his body. But we do know that Moses went away and died. Nobody knew where he was buried.

Why? Because they didn’t want them digging up the body and making an idol out of him. You know what they do in the Catholic Church these days, you know, with Mary’s milk and Peter’s bones supposedly, and all those kinds of things that pass down as religious artifacts.

God wanted the body of Moses buried in an unknown place, in an unmarked grave, and no one would ever know, and no one would ever venerate it. Satan wanted that body. What did Satan want to do with it?” I have the same Bible you have. I don’t know what he wanted to do with it.

But my guess is that maybe he wanted to parade it around, to somehow desecrate it.

Or maybe he wanted to turn it into something to be worshipped. But Michael was given the responsibility to bury that body. The way Michael dealt with Satan was the only way you can deal with him. Michael said, “The Lord rebuke you!” That is the way you deal with him.

Apostates not only rebuke Satan with amazing presumption, but they teach other immature believers to do it as well. Addition they also blaspheme holy angels by their sinful lives which show disdain for the holy law of God which is so precious and so sacred to the angels.

Wherever these false teachers are characterized by materialism, wherever they are characterized by pride, wherever they are characterized by insubordination to the Word of God, wherever they are characterized by anger or power hunger or whatever it is, they are violating the holy law of God. They are, then, in the truest sense, blaspheming angelic majesties.

V 10, But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

V 12, “These men.” V 14, “These.” V 16, “These.” V 19, “These.” V 4, These, V 8, These V 10, These These they do this thing because they are spiritually ignorant.

2 Peter 2:12, But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,

They do not understand the Word of God because their minds are darkened since they are not converted. They are in spiritual death. They blaspheme because they are spiritually ignorant.

1 Corinthians 1:20, Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God

through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 2:11, For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. All these apostates, all these liberals, all these cultists, all these false preachers and false teachers operate out of abysmal ignorance. They blaspheme out of ignorance. V 10, But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

They do not listen. They do not function on true knowledge.

2 Peter 2:12, “They blaspheme where they have no knowledge.”

They are always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. They function on the things which they know by instinct like unreasoning animals. They operate out of their own intuition. They operate out of their own instinct.

You watch some of the TV programs the so-called preachers. They have no knowledge of the truth, and so they function like irrational, unreasoning animals on pure instinct.

Where does instinct come from? It comes from inside of them. They are void of the truth. No matter how academic or how philosophical or how highly educated they are, no matter how many visions and dreams and insights and intuitions they have claimed, they are not profound.

They are not wise. They know nothing, and They operate like dumb animals.

Romans 1:22, Professing to be wise, they became fools,

They are driven by insubordinate rebellion. They are driven by irreverence towards God’s law and toward God’s character, and they are dead in trespasses and sins. They are natural men who cannot understand the things of God. They can no more be educated than an animal can go to a university.

They claim to have reached the divine realm.

They claim to have the true knowledge. They claim to have received revelation, visions, and dreams. They think they are the highest. They are as ignorant as a donkey. Their ignorance is so deep, so in their nature that they can only instinctively go for the food in the trap, without reason or revelation.

“Da Vinci Code” book, which is blasphemy upon blasphemy. It is a new run at old Gnosticism, and it purports to have profound esoteric, mystical insights into the real Jesus, and it is without reason, without truth, without knowledge, as ignorant as a dumb animal.

Like the suicide bombers, they blow themselves up in representing Satan by following their own instincts. The judgment of God gets them in the end. V 3, “You have to earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints against those people who have crept in unnoticed who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation.”

V 5, “Apostates in Israel were subsequently destroyed.”

V 6, “Apostates in heaven received the judgment of that great day” until then kept in eternal bonds under darkness. V 7, “In Sodom and Gomorrah, they undergo punishment of eternal fire.” V 10, the end, they are destroyed.

Three cases of apostate action in history and its judgment. Israel, Angels, and Gentiles. Three characteristics of apostate nature. Immoral, Disobedience, and Blasphemy. There are three illustrations in verse 11. We will look at in the next study.