THE TEMPTATION AND THE FALL
GENESIS 3
1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made.

• Adam was made ruler over the animals but in this instance became subject to the animals.

He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”

• Satan is already twisting the Word of God.
• Genesis 2:16-17 - And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”[1]

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”

• We tend to distort the Word of God ourselves when we try to quote it.
• We can add more rules to it… which is legalism or
• We can make it less vague to establish our own truth.

4 “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman.

• There is a big difference between physical death and spiritual death.
• Death had never occurred at this point.
• Satan has always proclaimed that God would not punish sin.

5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

• God’s intent was for the welfare of Adam & Eve, but Satan insisted it was God’s welfare at their expense.

6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom.

• 1.      Eve saw that the tree was "good for food" (the lust of the flesh: the desire to do something contrary to God's will, i.e., eat the tasty fruit).
• 2.      It was "delightful to look at" (the lust of the eyes: the desire to have something apart from God's will, i.e., possess the attractive fruit).
• 3.      It was "desirable for obtaining wisdom" (the pride of life: the desire to be something apart from God's will).

So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

• Temptations are not sins until we respond by giving in to them.
• Eve was not more susceptible to sin (that is not Biblical).
• But she was also not the one who was given the command directly.
• The last person Eve talked to before succumbing to temptation was who? Satan.
• Couldn’t she have confirmed the Truth with God before she made her decision?
• What was the look they gave to each other right before the first bite?
• We don’t know what kind of fruit it was.
• The root of sin should be understood.
• The foundation of all sin lies in man's desire of self-assertion and his determination to be independent of God.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
 - With the Fall came a tragic loss of innocence (together with resulting shame).
 - God has given us an inner judge called “conscience” that accuses when we do wrong and approves when we do right (Rom. 2:12–16).[2]
 - Non-believers have a conscience of right and wrong.
 - Believers have a Spirit to determine things of the Spirit and things of the flesh.
 
SIN’S CONSEQUENCES
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

• Did God not already know where they are?

10 And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

• “Who told you that you were naked?”
• “Who is feeding you all these lies?”

12 The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”

• The fact that Adam viewed God's good gift to him (Eve) as the source of his trouble, shows how far he fell (v. 12).
• He virtually accused God of causing him to fall, by giving him what he now regarded as a bad gift.

13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

• The text records several effects of the Fall on Adam and Eve.
• 1.      They felt guilt and shame (v. 7)
• 2.      They tried to change these conditions by their own efforts (v. 7).
• 3.      They fled from God's presence out of fear of Him (vv. 8, 10).
• 4.      They tried to blame their sin on another rather than confessing their personal responsibility (vv. 12, 13).

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
Because you have done this,
you are cursed more than any livestock
and more than any wild animal.
You will move on your belly
and eat dust all the days of your life.

• As the result of man's disobedience to God, the creation suffered a curse and began to deteriorate.
• Evolution teaches that man is improving his condition through self-effort.
• Eating dust is an expression used in other ancient Near Eastern writings to describe the lowest of all forms of life.
• The snake is a natural symbol of sin. It comes spontaneously to the mind; for sin,

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.

• Most interpreters have recognized this verse as the first biblical promise and prophecy of the provision of salvation from sin.
• The woman being Mary and Jesus being her offspring (the Messiah to come).
• Some interpreters have believed that this is the first prediction of the virgin birth of Messiah, since it is specifically the seed of "the woman" and not the man that would crush the serpent.
• Jesus will strike the head of Satan.
• Satan will strike the heel of Jesus.
• One blow leaves a bruise and the other is fatal.

16 He said to the woman:
I will intensify your labor pains;
you will bear children with painful effort.
Your desire will be for your husband,
yet he will rule over you.

•  The woman will desire to dominate the relationship with her husband.
• This is where the battle of the sexes began.

17 And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’:
The ground is cursed because of you.
You will eat from it by means of painful labor
all the days of your life.

• Adam was previously working in the garden, but now he must toil in the garden… he’s gonna sweat.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow
until you return to the ground,
since you were taken from it.
For you are dust,
and you will return to dust.”

• A physical death is looming.

20 The man named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.

• This was the first animal sacrifice made.
• Blood was shed due to their sin.

22 The Lord God said, “Since the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove the man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.[3]

• This was an act of grace.
• Man realized they needed to be saved from the effects of their sin.

They need a Messiah… a Savior.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ge 2:16–17.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Basic, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1998), 64.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ge 3:1–24.

Enter the room in darkness

• Greece Trip

 
THE CREATION
GENESIS 1
1 In the beginning

• Trinity -
• Angels? Sons of God?
• Job 38:4-7 - 4 Where were you when I established the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
• Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
• What supports its foundations? Or who laid its cornerstone 7 while the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?[1] He not only gave us personality—minds to think with, emotions to feel with, and wills for making decisions—but He also gave us an inner spiritual nature that enables us to know Him and worship Him.[2]

• John 1:1-3 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.[3]
• John 1:14 -  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.[4]
• Colossians 1:16-17 - For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him.
• He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.[5]

God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

• Blank slide

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,”

• One flashlight

and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

• Turn on the lights

 
5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day.

• Flashlight Slide
• Sistine Chapel Slide

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above the expanse. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” Evening came and then morning: the second day.

• 2 Waters Slide

9 Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of the water he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

• Earth Slide

11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 Evening came and then morning: the third day.

• 3 Trees Slide

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for seasons and for days and years. 15 They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night—as well as the stars. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, 18 to rule the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 Evening came and then morning: the fourth day.

• 4 Sun, Moon & Stars Slide

20 Then God said, “Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds. He also created every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them: “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.

• 5 Creatures Slide

24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image;
he created him in the image of God;
he created them male and female.

• He not only gave us personality—minds to think with, emotions to feel with, and wills for making decisions—but He also gave us an inner spiritual nature that enables us to know Him and worship Him.[6]
• To be one with God, the Father, Jesus, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

• 6 Adam and Wildlife

2 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. 2 On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.[7]

• God rested
• How can God be resting and yet still at work today
• Sovereignty

 
 

• Creation - Genesis 1-2:3
• - Day 1: Light/Darkness - Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream, Oreos, Ice Cream Sandwiches
• - Day 2: Sky & Water - Blue Gatorade or Blue Jello
• - Day 3: Dry Ground & Seed-Bearing Plants - Fruit Salad
• - Day 4: Sun, Moon & Stars - Chicken & Stars Soup - Star Food
• - Day 5: Birds & Sea Creatures - Goldfish, Shrimp, Fish Sticks
• - Day 6: Land Animals & Humans - Chick Fil-A Nuggets, Animal Crackers
• - Day 7: The Sabbath Rest - Served by adults

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Job 38:4–7.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Basic, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1998), 30.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jn 1:1–3.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jn 1:14.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Col 1:16–17.
[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Basic, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1998), 30.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ge 1:1–2:3.

JUNE 29, 67 AD - Paul and Peter Are Martyred

• According to early church tradition, this is the day that Paul is beheaded.
• MAP – Paul Beheaded

December 69 AD

• Vespasian is officially proclaimed Emperor of Rome.

70 AD

• Vespasian is occupied in Alexandria.
• MAP – Vespasian in Alexandria
• While he is away from Rome, he puts his elder son, Titus, in charge of military affairs.
• His younger son, Domitian, is given authority to act as Ceasar to the Empire.
• Domitian exiles John, the apostle, to the Isle of Patmos for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
• MAP – John on Patmos
• Because church tradition says that Domitian exiled John to the Island of Patmos, many scholars have dated the Book of Revelation to be during Domitian’s reign as Roman Emperor in the 90s.
• However, Domitian served temporarily as Emperor in A.D. 70 when his father was away from Rome.
• The little known fact of Domitian’s temporary reign complicates the dating of Revelation.
• John is sentenced to labor in the mines of the island. (The Island of Patmos is eight miles long and five miles wide and sits 50 miles southwest of Ephesus.)
• MAP - Ephesus

The Roman Siege of Jerusalem May-August 70

• The population of Jerusalem is now 600,000.
• MAP - Jerusalem
• Titus, the son of Emperor Vespasian, marches into Jerusalem with his troops and overtakes the city.
• The Roman army breaches the first and second walls of Jerusalem.
• Mass execution of the escapees begins.
• There are up to 500 crucifixions per day outside the city.
• According to Josephus, The Romans chopped down so many trees to make crosses that they completely stripped the hills of Jerusalem of the woods that covered them.
• Famine begins within Jerusalem.
• As the famine takes its toll, some of the Jews resort to infanticide and cannibalism to survive.
• The Romans destroy the Tower of Antonia and are shocked at the conditions inside the city, including the cannibalism.
• The Romans take the temple and the city.
• They enter the temple and set it afire by a reckless Roman torch.
• The temple is desecrated and utterly destroyed.
• Remembering Jesus’ warning in Luke 21:20-24, the Christians have already fled the city.
• Eusebius, the church historian wrote how the Christians were supernaturally warned by the Lord to flee Jerusalem before the bloodbath began.
• Many of them moved to the Greek city of Pella in the region of Perea, east of the Jordan River (the Transjordan).
• MAP – Pella in Perea
• No less than one million perish in the seige and over 90,000 are led into captivity.
• The Jerusalem church is dispersed again.
• The Jewish Christians are now forced to sit down and eat with their “unclean,” Law-free Gentile brethren in the Gentile churches that Paul and his coworkers have planted all throughout the Roman Empire.
• A few stubborn ones founded the Ebionite heresy, which rejected Paul’s writings, the virgin birth, Christ’s Divinity, and espoused that all followers of Jesus must follow the Law of Moses.

 
The Church After 70 AD

• John, the apostle, is released from his banishment on the Island of Patmos.
• He moves back to Ephesus where he lives out the rest of his life.
• John dies of natural causes in A.D. 98 at the age of 100.
• The apostasy that Paul and Peter prophecied about continues to flourish.
• Silas brings the gospel to the Island of Rhodes.
• MAP – Island of Rhodes
• He later moves to Northern Greece where he dies.
• Philip, one of the Twelve apostles, has a powerful ministry in Carthage, North Africa.
• MAP - Carthage
• He then travels to Asia Minor where he converts the wife of a Roman governor (proconsul).
• In retaliation, the governor has Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.
• Matthew (also called Levi), one of the Twelve, opens doors to the gospel in Persia, Egypt, and Ethiopia.
• MAP – Persia & Ethiopia
• He is killed with a spear in Nadabah, Ethiopia.
• Matthias, the apostle who replaced Judas Iscariot, preaches Christ in Asia Minor and Syria.
• MAP - Syria
• He is burned to death in Syria.
• Other traditions say he was stoned to death and beheaded in Jerusalem by the Jews, he was killed with a lance or axe by the Jews, or he was crucified by the Romans.
• Thomas (also called Didymus), one of the Twelve, brings the gospel to Syria and India.
• MAP - India
• He preaches to Parthians, Medes, and Persians.
• Thomas is stabbed to death by Brahman priests in Mylapore, India in A.D. 72.
• MAP – Parthians & Medes
• Barnabas is martyred in Salamis, Cyprus in 73 AD.
• MAP - Salamis
• Simon the Zealot and Judas (also called Thaddeus), two of the twelve apostles, bring the gospel to Great Britain.
• MAP – Great Britain
• They then go to Persia to proclaim Christ where they are torn apart by a Persian mob in 79 AD.
• James, the apostle and son of Alphaeus, also preaches the gospel in Persia where he is beaten and stoned to death by the Jews at the age of 94.
• In 96 AD, Titus dies on the Island of Crete.
• MAP - Crete
• Timothy dies a year later in Ephesus.
• He is stoned to death after protesting the festivities in honor of the pagan goddess Diana (Artemis).
• Following the death of the apostles and their coworkers, the light and glow of the first-century church begins to fade.
• Man-made systems and humanly-devised traditions slowly evolve to replace her glory and dim her light.
• Yet God does not give up on His eternal purpose.
• Throughout the centuries, the Lord progressively works toward restoring her pristine simplicity and glory… until the time that she—the ekklesia—the community of the King—the Bride of Christ, has made herself ready for her Bridegroom.[1]

[1] Viola, Frank. The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Guide to Understanding the New Testament. Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.

JUNE 29, 67 AD - Paul and Peter Are Martyred

• According to early church tradition, this is the day that Paul is beheaded in Rome during Nero’s reign.
• Around the same time, Peter is found confounding the magic of Simon Magus, who is favored by Nero.
• Peter is imprisoned and leads a captain of the guard to Christ, along with many others.
• Peter is scourged, then crucified upside down because he does not feel worthy to die as did his Lord.
• Aristarchus from Thessalonica, Erastus from Corinth, Trophimus from Ephesus, Joseph Barsabbas from Jerusalem, and Ananias of Damascus, along with many other Christians, are all martyred under Nero’s reign in A.D. 68
• Andrew, the apostle and brother of Peter, is crucified in Patras, Greece on an x-shaped cross.49
• Luke is crucified with him.
• After preaching the gospel in India, Armenia, Southern Arabia, and Ethiopia, Bartholomew (also called Nathanael) one of the Twelve, is beaten and crucified in Albanopolis, Armenia.
• John Mark brings the gospel to Alexandria, Egypt.
• While there, he enrages a mob by telling them that the pagan god, Serapis, is worthless.
• Mark is dragged with a rope around his neck through the streets by horses and then imprisoned for the night.
• The following morning, the same ordeal is repeated until his death.

 
Nero and Vespasian June 9, 68

• After fourteen years of Nero’s reign, the Roman people can no longer tolerate their cruel and embarrassing emperor.
• So they revolt against Nero.
• The Senate declares him to be a public enemy of the State, and soldiers pursue him.
• Upon hearing this, Nero hides at the home of one of his freedmen in a villa outside of Rome where he commits suicide.
• His famous last words are: “What an artist the world is losing in me.”

 
Crisis in the Churches of the Dispersion

• False teachers have subtly infiltrated the dispersed Jewish churches and are spreading a false doctrine that perverts God’s grace to be license to sin.
• These false brethren have successfully disguised themselves as true believers and have managed to partake of the Lord’s Supper with the church.
• These false teachers can be described as follows: They are distorting the gospel by advocating sexual license under the banner of God’s grace.
• They are “dreamers,” seeing visions that originate from themselves and not from the Lord.
• They slander angels, which means they despise the Law of Moses that was delivered by angels.
• They indulge their own needs when eating the Lord’s Supper.
• They are grumblers and malcontents, pursuing their own will rather than God’s.
• They are arrogant and use flattery to take advantage of God’s people.
• They are scoffers, laughing at moral purity and Divine judgment.
• They are devoid of the Spirit of God and provoke divisions in the church.
• Jude possesses a copy of Peter’s second letter.
• In it, he sees the fulfillment of Peter’s prediction about the coming of false teachers coming to pass before his eyes.54
• Jude, the half-brother of Jesus and brother of “James the Just,” is burdened about this problem.

 
JUDE WRITES THE LETTER OF JUDE Year: A.D. 68

• To: The dispersed Jewish Christians in and outside of Palestine Provocation: Jude exposes and announces condemnation on the false teachers who have infiltrated the churches.
• He also reminds and exhorts the believers to return to and contend for the original faith that the apostles delivered to them.… [1]

 
GREETING
JUDE
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James:

• Jude reveals himself to be a bond-servant of God, or a willing servant of God, because of His mercy and grace.
• Jude, being the brother of James, was likely also the brother of Jesus.

To those who are the called, loved, by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.

• God the Father is keeping all of His children for Jesus Christ.
• This is a passage that speaks very clearly of eternal security.
• Believers are kept by God and offered as a gift to Jesus.

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

• A true knowledge of God results in mercy and grace from God, which breeds peace and contentment within the lives of believers.
• We are dearly loved by God who has done everything we need for a safe and secure salvation.

 
JUDE’S PURPOSE IN WRITING
3 Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.

• Jude wants his readers to fight for truth because it is the very message from God to the world.
• This Gospel of grace is what God has handed down to the saints for delivery to the world.
• Jude is concerned about the message of God’s grace being perverted and leading people to deception.

4 For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago,, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.

• The false teachers encouraged a life of celebration of sin and also had some form of denial of Jesus’s identity.
• All false teachings, as defined by the Bible, deny some aspect of Jesus, and encourage godless behavior.
• In this context the godless behavior is abusing grace through sinful behavior.
• The false teachers were likely appealing to eternal security as a reason to sin all-the-more.
• Such teachings are often the result of having heard the truth about God’s grace in Christ.
• If God’s grace is truly free, then it can naturally be twisted to encourage sin.
• A legalistic Gospel would never yield false teachings.

 
APOSTATES: PAST AND PRESENT
5 Now I want to remind you, although you came to know all these things once and for all, that Jesus saved a people out of Egypt and later destroyed those who did not believe;

• The believers knew the Gospel and knew God at the core of their beings.
• Jude is appealing to this reality as he reminds God’s children about the truth.
• The Gospel of grace is indeed free, according to James, but it will never lead to sinful behavior.
• God is not a fan of sin which is precisely why Jude recounts the Old Testament story of the Exodus.

6 and the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day. 7 Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns committed sexual immorality and perversions, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

• Sodom and Gomorrah have been personified as the epitome of sexual immorality.
• These two cities are an example of what happens to those who reject the Gospel in general, and the false teachers encouraging sin in particular.
• There is an eternal punishment which awaits all who are not in Christ through faith.

8 In the same way these people—relying on their dreams—defile their flesh, reject authority, and slander glorious ones. 9 Yet when Michael the archangel

• The false teachers seem fascinated by communication with angelic beings.
• Yet these teachers know nothing of true angels or demons.

was disputing with the devil in an argument about Moses’s body,

• No Old Testament data, or New Testament data, testifies to the argument mentioned in this passage.
• We do know that Moses died and was buried, so perhaps Satan accused Moses after his death.
• Satan may have been arguing that Moses was not deserving of resurrection.

he did not dare utter a slanderous condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

• Michael did not appeal to his position as an archangel to rebuke Satan.
• Instead, Michael appealed to the Lord’s power to fight the devil.

10 But these people blaspheme anything they do not understand. And what they do understand by instinct—like irrational animals—by these things they are destroyed.

• The false teachers are acting as authoritative representatives of God, but they actually do not know anything.
• If one invests in their message, they will find only immorality and discontent.

11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, have plunged into Balaam’s error for profit, and have perished in Korah’s rebellion.

• The “way of Balaam” is merchandising one’s gifts and ministry just for the purpose of making money.
• It is using the spiritual to gain the material.[2]
• The story of Core (Korah) is found in Numbers 16, and it too centers on rebellion against authority.
• Korah and his followers resented the leadership of Moses and dared God to do anything about their rebellion.[3]
• All 3… the tragedy of rejecting authority.

 
THE APOSTATES’ DOOM
12 These people are dangerous reefs at your love feasts as they eat with you without reverence. They are shepherds who only look after themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead and uprooted.

• Jude is clearly not speaking about Christians.
• This presents an important factor in who the Bible labels as false teachers.
• True biblical false teachers are never true Christians.

13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever.
14 It was about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him.”

• All that we know about Enoch from Scripture is found in Genesis 5:18–24; Hebrews 11:5; and these two verses in Jude.
• He is called “the seventh from Adam” to identify him as the godly Enoch, since Cain had a son of the same name (Gen. 4:17).[4]
• Bible scholars tell us that this quotation is from an apocryphal book called The Book of Enoch.
• The fact that Jude quoted from this nonbiblical book does not mean the book is inspired and trustworthy, any more than Paul’s quotations from the Greek poets put God’s “seal of approval” on everything they wrote.
• The Spirit of God led Jude to use this quotation and make it a part of the inspired Scriptures.[5]
• All who reject Christ will experience judgment and conviction.
• Jude, therefore, believes these false teachers to be under condemnation and awaiting an everlasting darkness.

16 These people are discontented grumblers, living according to their desires; their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage.
17 But you, dear friends, remember what was predicted by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Notice that Jude differentiates between those false teachers and believers.
• Jude has not been addressing believers in a condemning way.
• Instead, he recognizes their holiness in the midst of the false teachers and insists that they were even warned of such teachers.

18 They told you, “In the end time there will be scoffers living according to their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people create divisions and are worldly, not having the Spirit.

• The false teachers did not have the Spirit of God within them.
• Therefore, they were not Christians, nor were they led by the Spirit.
• This would have been critical for the early church to grasp so they did not embrace the lies being taught.

 
EXHORTATION AND BENEDICTION
20 But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith,

• The Gospel builds up God’s children.
• Whereas it condemns all who reject Christ, it continuously encourages and matures Christians.

praying in the Holy Spirit,

• This is not speaking of talking in some sort of mystical tongue.
• Instead, Jude is describing the location of the Christian in Christ and calling Christians to pray to God with their location in mind.

21 keep yourselves in the love of God,

• Jude encourages Christians to remind themselves constantly of God’s love.
• It is God’s love that will always lead us into a deeper understanding of the truth.

waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. 22 Have mercy on those who waver; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

• Jude is making it clear that there are different types of people.
• Some, likely believers, doubt aspects of God’s truth.
• These people are to be encouraged through gentleness and patience.
• Others, who do not know God, are to be loved to Christ that they may be rescued from the fire.

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.[6]

• Jude ends with an encouragement to Christians.
• Our salvation and security are God’s problem and agenda.
• It is God’s job to keep us spiritually safe and to help us persevere in the Spirit.
• God is able to make us stand in the midst of any attack of the world, and also at the final judgment.
• Christians will stand proudly in the love of Christ as God judges all who have rejected His Son.
• This includes the false teachers mentioned in this letter.[7]

[1] Viola, Frank. The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Guide to Understanding the New Testament. Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 554.
[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 555.
[4] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 557.
[5] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 557.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jud 1–25.
[7] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. Jude.

Day of the Lord

• I don’t know…

THE DAY OF THE LORD
2 PETER 3
1 Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to stir up your sincere understanding by way of reminder, 2 so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles.

• Peter is reminding them of the good news in the midst of the false teaching.
• This is how we can find encouragement and power to endure the trials of the world.
• As long as our thoughts are fixed on Jesus we will not become distracted by lies. 

3 Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, 4 saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.”

• There existed then, as today, unbelievers who are critical of the Christian belief of Christ’s Second Coming.
• But Peter is quick to explain why Christ is waiting: The repentance of the world.
• The same authoritative word of God that brought about creation and the flood, will bring about the return of Christ after the world has had an adequate time to repent.
• After the time of salvation, Jesus will return, and there will be a day of reckoning. 

5 They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water.

• God is eternal, without beginning or ending, and He dwells in eternity.
• Eternity is not just “extended time.”
• Rather, it is existence above and apart from time.[1]

6 Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. 7 By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

• In contrast to humans who live but a little while, God invented time as we know it.
• Time is nothing to God.
• So, it is not difficult for God to wait for the right time for Christ’s return.
• He waits so that all people will believe.
• He wants all people to come to repentance, and all who are in Christ escape the impending judgment.

9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.

• In a moment, God destroys the heavens and the earth.
• This means that humans do not ultimately destroy the world.
• Rather, Christ returns to whatever state humans leave the world in and creates a new heavens and earth. 

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness

• God hates sinfulness and fallenness because it is not of His eternal nature.
• Because this reality is passing away, Christians ought to live righteously and not flirt with their old way of living in sin.
• Because we are godly by nature, we can live righteously.

12 as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat.

• This is a glimpse of the manner in which Jesus will remake the heavens and the earth.
• Apparently, there is a one-time intense event that Jesus uses to bring about a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
• Notice that this is not God making this current earth better.
• This is a completely new earth.

13 But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
 
CONCLUSION
14 Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.

• Peter is speaking of the active part of Christianity.
• We are saved by grace but empowered by grace to be active in the kingdom.
• Christians are built to live righteously and express the Spirit moment-by-moment and celebrate truth in all that we do.
• Peter encourages this kind of diligence so that we live according to our new natures and make the best of our time when Christ returns.
• He is not threatening Christians with divine judgment.
• We are spotless and blameless in Christ.
• But our behavior can be judged by people.
• By our behavior and demeanor, people will know who we are as Christians.  

15 Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him.

• Peter again highlights God’s patience in waiting for the end.
• The reason for this slowness is God’s desire and willingness for all people to repent and believe in His Son. 

16 He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some things hard to understand in them. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.

• Peter regarded Paul’s writings as Scripture despite his often-confusing language.
• This is encouraging because it shows that Peter regarded Paul’s letters as Scriptures.
• The apostles had a special understanding of the Holy Spirit’s movement within one another. 

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stable position.

• The false teachers were encouraging an abuse of Christian freedom by sinful lifestyles.
• Peter is warning the Christians to protect themselves from believing in such nonsense.
• Instead…

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.[2]

• Christians are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• Remembering the true Gospel of grace is the key to standing firm against false teachings.[3]

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 464.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Pe 3:1–18.
[3] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. 2 Peter 1

Judgment

• Deception - This theme runs throughout the entire chapter.
• To begin with, these teachers’ message is false; Peter called what they taught “destructive heresies.”
• The word heresy originally meant simply “to make a choice,” but then it came to mean “a sect, a party.”
• Promoting a party spirit in a church is one of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21 - Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.[1]).[2]
• When we hear the thought of judgment on false teachers, we have a tendency to start thinking locally and personally.
• We start judging pastors and teachers in our community or who we group up hearing.
• James 3:1 - Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.[3]
• Well… stop! You are not the judge.
• And don’t ask me what I think… I am not the judge.
• Stay focused on the Truth.
• It is good for you to be a critical thinker and judge the message you are hearing.
• Trust what you know and let God be God.
• We are definitely not the judge of people’s eternity.

THE JUDGMENT OF FALSE TEACHERS
2 PETER 2
1 There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

• Peter is comparing Old Testament false prophets to New Testament false teachers.
• Both are types of teachers that are intentionally leading people astray with false teaching.
• False teaching is always destructive because wrong spiritual beliefs can destroy people.
• These heresies always deny the identity of Jesus.
• Heresy in Scripture is almost always connected to this denial while encouraging sinful living.

They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them.

• The false teachers were likely using the name of Jesus to exploit others to deceive the masses for money.
• In modern times, we see this type of heresy in prosperity theology.
• This theology argues that Christ accomplished health and wealth on the cross for believers.
• Yet this heresy focuses too much on monetary gain and distorts the work of Christ.
• Teachers will use the Word of God to gather their audience/followers.
• They will earn their trust.
• Trust has magnificent value.
• Then, they will enter into their teachings, their own beliefs, values, and agendas.
• Our society today calls this “grooming”.

3 They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep. 4 For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment;

• The first example is that of fallen angels.
• This refers either to their fall with Satan in his rebellion against God (Ezek. 28:15) or to the sin of angels in Genesis 6:1–4.
• Since Peter’s other two illustrations in this section are from Genesis (chaps. 7; 19), perhaps this one is too, though it is difficult to be sure.
• If God in His justice punished angels, surely He would not hesitate to punish people.
• He plunged the angels into hell, literally, “tartarus” apparently a prison of custody (gloomy dungeons) between the time of the judgment and their ultimate consignment to the eternal lake of fire.
• There will be no future trial for their doom is already sealed.
• False prophets, Peter argued, will taste the same judgment as the rebellious angels.[4]

5 and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly;

• The flood was a very real historical event, according to Peter.
• The story of Noah and the flood is used here to illustrate the coming divine judgment upon unbelievers.
• But Noah, who was righteous, was spared.
• This is significant because Peter argues for the Christian’s safety in Christ throughout his letter.
• Christians all possess righteousness through faith in Jesus.
• Therefore, we have no reason to fear judgment.

6 and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the depraved behavior of the immoral 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day by day, his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)--

• Peter is speaking of spiritual DNA.
• When God saves a person, they are righteous to the core.
• This new righteous nature grates against the ways of the world.

9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

• Peter is speaking of godliness as a nature, not as a spiritual track record.
• When we believe in Jesus, we are made godly to the core of our beings.

10 especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold, arrogant people! They are not afraid to slander the glorious ones; 11 however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord. 12 But these people, like irrational animals—creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed—slander what they do not understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed.

• Peter is speaking of the destruction of these false teachers trying to mislead the church.
• This is a clear presentation of eternal judgement that awaits all who reject the Gospel.
• Peter leaves no room for a theology of universalism in his letter.

13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight.

• The false teachers were encouraging a celebration of sin that was unfitting for Christians and incompatible with the righteous nature of the Christian.
• False teaching, as defined by the New Testament, is almost always characterized by licentiousness and immorality.
• Believers cannot continue in sin in this way and, therefore, can never be considered false teachers according to the New Testament definition of the term.
• Those teachers who are compatible with sin, in this context, are considered stains and blemishes.

They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery that never stop looking for sin. They seduce unstable people and have hearts trained in greed. Children under a curse!

• Accursed brood (NIV)
• Dead souls (Message)
• Our souls can be influenced by all types of beliefs even though our spirit is righteous and new.

15 They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness 16 but received a rebuke for his lawlessness: A speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

• Peter knew his Old Testament Scriptures.
• He had already used Noah and Lot to illustrate his words, and now, he used the Prophet Balaam.
• The story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22–25.
• Balaam is a mysterious character, a Gentile prophet who tried to curse the Jews.[5]

17 These people are springs without water, mists driven by a storm.

• Peter speaks of the impending judgment and destruction upon all who reject the Gospel.
• In the specific context, the false teachers are in focus but all who reject Jesus will be judged.

The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them.

• False teachers are destined for eternal judgment if they remain unrepentant.
• This is because genuine false teachers are not born again.

18 For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error.

• The false teachers live in error inherently.
• Those young believers whom they mislead are barely escaping the false teaching because they are saved but immature and consequently influenced by the lies being promoted.

19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.

• Christians are not slaves of sin and corruption.
• Rather, we are slaves of righteousness and of the Holy Spirit.
• Therefore, this is another label for the false teachers.
• These teachers were evidently spreading false beliefs and causing corruption in the community.

20 For if, having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first.

• The “they” spoken of here is likely Christians because this particular group is said to have escaped the world.
• However, their Christian maturity is suspect because they are influenced by false teachings, at least to some degree, and need to remember the gospel of grace, which saved them.
• If they continue to be deceived, they will continue to be miserable because their behavior is incompatible with the new heart given to them by God.
• This is why their last state is worse than before, they believed.
• Unbelievers are compatible with sin and can participate in it freely.
• Christians who participate in sin are miserable.

21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them.]

• Peter is not speaking of the law of Moses but rather loving one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34; 1 John 3:23).
• These are the New Covenant laws of God.[6]
• There is no indication that the false teachers had ever experienced the new birth.
• They had knowledge of salvation and could use the language of the church, but they lacked that true saving experience with the Lord.
• At one time they had even received the Word of God (2 Peter 2:21), but then they turned away from it. They never trusted Christ and became His sheep.[7]

22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.”[8]

• Proverbs 26:11
• The Jews called the Gentiles “dogs” because a dog was nothing but a filthy scavenger who lived on garbage!
• It was hardly a title of respect and endearment![9]
• The pig was washed on the outside, but remained a pig; the dog was “cleaned up” on the inside, but remained a dog.
• The pig looked better and the dog felt better, but neither one had been changed.
• They each had the same old nature, not a new one.[10]

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ga 5:19–21.
[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 447.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jas 3:1.
[4] Kenneth O. Gangel, “2 Peter,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 870.
[5] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 455.
[6] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. 2 Peter 1
[7] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 460.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Pe 2:1–22.
[9] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 460.
[10] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 460.