Listen
to Jude:
Jude,
a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To
those who have been called,
Who
are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:
Mercy,
peace and love be yours in abundance.
Dear
friends, although I was very eager to write to you
About
the Salvation we share,
I
felt I had to write and urge you TO CONTEND FOR THE FAITH
That
was once for all entrusted to the saints.
For
certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago
Have
secretly slipped in among you.
They
are godless men,
Who
change the grace of our God into a license for immorality
And
deny Jesus Christ or only Sovereign and Lord.
Though
you already know all this,
I
want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt,
But
later destroyed those who did not believe.
And
the angels who did not keep their positions of authority
But
abandoned their own home--
These
He has kept in darkness, bound with Everlasting Chains
For
judgment on The Great Day.
In
a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns
Gave
themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.
They
serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of Eternal
Fire.
In
the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies,
Reject
authority and slander celestial beings.
But
even the archangel Michael,
When
he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses,
Did
not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him,
But
said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'
Yet
these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand;
And
what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning
animals--
These
are the very things that destroy them.
Woe
to them! They have taken the way of Cain,
They
have rushed FOR PROFIT into Balaam's error;
They
have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.
These
men are blemishes at your love feasts,
Eating
with you without the slightest qualm--
Shepherds
who feed only themselves.
They
are clouds without rain, trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice
dead.
They
are wild waves or the sea, foaming up their shame;
Wandering
stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Enoch,
the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men:
'See,
the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His Holy ones
To
judge everyone,
And
to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done
In
the ungodly way,
And
of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.'
These
men are grumblers and faultfinders;
They
follow their own evil desires;
They
boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
But
dear friends,
Remember
what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
They
said to you,
'In
the Last Times there will be scoffers
Who
will follow their own ungodly desires.'
These
are the men who divide you,
Who
follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
But
you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy Faith
And
pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep
yourselves in God's love
As
you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
To
bring you to Eternal LIFE.
Be
merciful to those who doubt;
Snatch
others from the fire and save them;
To
others show mercy, mixed with fear--
Hating
even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
To
Him Who is able to keep you from falling
And
to present you before His Glorious Presence
Without
fault and with great joy--
To
the only God our Savior be Glory, Majesty, Power and Authority,
Through
Jesus Christ our Lord,
Before
all ages, now and forever more! Amen (Jude NIV)
[I
have written out the whole Book of Jude
Because
of its direct application to our situation today.
Read
it and let the Lord speak to your heart.
Today,
many who claim the Name of Christ do not belong to Christ.]
Today,
the world is raging against God, rushing toward oblivion. (Psalm 2)
America
is being ground to powder because of her SIN against God.
Save
yourself from this Corrupt Generation! (Acts 2:40)
As
God has written, so shall it be! Hallelujah! Maranatha!
Father, Your Kingdom
come, Your will be done, on earth as in Heaven!
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