Jude 1:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”

NIV: They said to you, 'In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.'

NASB: that they were saying to you, 'In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.'

CSB: They told you, "In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires."

NLT: They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.

KJV: How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

NKJV: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.

Jude reminds his readers what the apostles predicted. The false teachers are described as emerging in the "last time." As used in the Bible, this refers to the period of church history which began with the formation of the church in Jerusalem, 50 days after Jesus' resurrection. Other New Testament writers refer to the last days in the present tense (Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 John 2:18). This time will continue until the return of Christ, and the completion of God's ultimate plan for our redemption.

These false teachers are "scoffers." They ridicule the truth and morality, preferring to cater to their sinful passions. This echoes an earlier statement made by Jude, indicating that apostates and other false teachers laugh at the things they don't understand (Jude 1:10). The quotation given here comes directly from Peter (2 Peter 3:3), demonstrating that the warnings Jude has given are the same as those heard from the apostles themselves.

Jude 1:17–23 lays out Jude's plan of action for recognizing, resisting, and defeating apostates. Prior verses were devoted to explaining how, and why, these false teachers were dangerous. Those who followed their examples were bound for eternal judgment. Here, Jude provides a means to avoid these liars, as well as their fate.

Jude's brief letter describes men at their worst and God at His best. Believers are already on the victorious side! Those who mock God's truth and who follow their own desires all while claiming to be Christians, are the most dangerous kind of unbelievers. These persons pose a danger to themselves and to any Christians they might influence. In response, Christians need to focus on understanding the truth of God's written Word and submitting to His will.

Jude is a single-chapter letter which reflects earlier warnings about apostates and their false teachings. Other passages of Scripture describe evil men who taught that Jesus was not fully human or fully God (1 John 2:22; 4:1–3), that God's grace allowed them to live immorally (2 Peter 2; Romans 6:1, 15), that Jesus blood was not an adequate sacrifice (Galatians 1:6–9; Hebrews 3:12–19; 10:19), and sinners gain a right standing in God's sight by keeping the law of Moses (Galatians 5:4, 7–9). Jude's letter combats false teaching and exhorts readers to remain faithful to the Lord.

The book of Jude is a letter written by a half-brother of Jesus, likely later than AD 66–67, which was after 2 Peter was written. Its placement immediately before the book of Revelation is appropriate. This letter warns about false religion and evil men, whom Revelation describes as maliciously affecting political and religious conditions.

Accessed 5/2/2024 6:18:40 PM