In November we spent a lovely day driving through the mountains of the Taunus, a gentle mountain range east of the Rhine and northwest of Wiesbaden, Germany, through fog and mist and green forest, to a castle on a hill, the Marksburg.
After a lovely tour we decided to return to our friends via the Rhine river. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey and watch the advertisements for Viking Cruises you will see footage of what we visited.
http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/rivers/rhine-main-danube/
We made our way southeast along the eastern bank of the river until we came to "the Lorelei." We decided to drive up and walk around the top of the cliff overlooking the ships navigating the wretched curve below us.
Legend abounds. There was a siren who, sitting upon the cliff, lured ship captains to their death in a frightening whirlpool below by singing a high "song."
We didn't hear anything that day in November, but we were the only humans walking around the cliff, and the whirlpool has long since disappeared due to modern river civil engineering. We did see the "Viking Cruises" ship masterfully negotiate the river bend up a powerful stream. Other barges followed, up and down this spectacular geography. The cool wind drove us back to our warm little VW Toureg before long, but the scene was worth the day trip.
Sirens have long been feared, and though mythological, a type exists today as well. Sometimes I think we should now heed the warnings more than ever.
There seems to be an attitude of lazy indifference toward the moral decline in our world. That we should rub shoulders with apostasy in our Christian churches and book stores and witness the gelatinous mess of the conservative political structure seems beyond our belief, but just look! It's happening before our eyes! The call of the post-modernism siren is proving so alluring!
What can this mean?
Either we will witness the demise of our values in the cesspool of progressivism or a clarion cry will arise from the forces of Good.
Mind the ship. Batten the hatches. Trust the Captain who stops his ears to the evil lure. Stop the screeching of the harpies from reaching the ears of our progeny.
And start the cry of realism, the true message of peace and salvation from the Creator of the universe.
When you have the answer, it solves everything. Let the world know.
Last year my goal was to read a chapter in Revelation every day. Believe me, I really got to know that book, and CLEARLY was blessed! Two years ago the book was Micah. This year my goal is to MEMORIZE Jude. What a message for today.
Did you ever look up this article?
http://www.eternalvalue.com/adownload/EVR_10_2011.pdf
Here is a taste of it. I copied what I could from the PDF, but please go to the actual newsletter for a complete picture. This is from Wilfred Hahn's October 2011 newsletter:
Jude: Conditions Revealed for
Last-day Christians
The book of Jude is small—one chapter
25 verses long—tucked in just before
the Revelation. Just as Genesis is the
first book of the Bible and Revelation the
last, the position of Jude is equally
significant. It holds a spot that parallels
Esther in the Old Testament. The Book of
Esther is the last of the historical books for
the Hebrews in the Old Testament. It was
meant to be a prophetic foreshadowing of the
future history of the Jewish people, largely
taking place over the “times of the Gentiles.”
Immediately following is the Wisdom
Literature, and then the prophets.
The book of Jude holds a similar anchor
in the New Testament, providing the last
instructions for the Church Age. Prophetic in
character, it foreshadows the fate of the
Church and Christians for the period between
the epistles and the 3rd chapter of Revelation.
Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote this
epistle with one main objective in view: “[…]
That ye should earnestly contend for the faith
which was once delivered unto the
saints” (Jude 1:3).
Why? Because: “[…] There are certain
men crept in unawares, who were before of
old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly
men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord
God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 4,
KJV).
Jude is writing expressly to prepare the
Church against teachers of falsehoods,
corruptions and the fleshly philosophies of
mankind. “Contending for the faith” is the
very line of defense that falls when the gospel
is distorted and corrupt doctrine is adopted.
We can see here that the Church was
attacked very early by false teachers who had
“slipped” into its ranks even while the apostles were still alive. These false teachers are sneaky and
devious … not going in unto the sheep by the front gate.
Jesus warned: “I tell you the truth, the man who does not
enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other
way, is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1). Because of their
slipperiness and subtle encroachments upon the Church,
Jude then lays out a list of diagnostic characteristics by
which to recognize them, lest the Christian be caught
unawares.
But while Jude is responding to what he sees in his day,
he is certainly also covering the conditions of the very last
days. He says: “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’” (verses 17-18, NIV).
Following Jude’s introduction which ends in verse 5,
two structures are then carried throughout the rest of this
book:
1. The direct actions of 10 persons, entities or groups
are named, besides the false, corrupt teachers that play a
role in the battle for the truth of the gospel. Each of
these factors mentioned, we can view as being
prophetically significant.
2. 18 characteristics that help to identify false teachers
that “[…] deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and
Lord” (verse 4).
To no surprise—as Scripture always corroborates itself
in various ways—the numbers of “10” and “18” are aptly
symbolic. “18” is the sum of three “6’s.” Three times the
number of man signifies the peak significance of an
apostate, human religion or system (i. e. 666). In the Bible,
the number “3” often signifies spiritual or religious
significance. In the case of a humanist apostasy, the number
“18” then would represent its fullest perversion. Apostle
Paul, when listing the characteristics of ungodly people
during the apostate “perilous times” in 2 Timothy 3, also
mentions exactly 18 characteristics.
The number “10” is also significant in the Bible. It implications they may foreshadow for the “last days.”
1. “[…] The Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but
later destroyed those who did not believe” (verse 5).
Prophetic Parallel: Israel is returned to its land in the last
days—delivered from out of the world, as from Egypt—yet
most do not believe in their Jehovah and many will be
destroyed in the coming Tribulation (Jacob’s Trouble).
2. Angels (in their fallen state, demons) are mention next
in verse 6. “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.”
Prophetic Parallel: Disobedient angels (demons) who
originally took unto them “the daughters of men” (Genesis
6:2, KJV) and corrupted mankind in the age of Noah (and
then were bound up), foreshadow another demonic attack
upon humanity in forms of deceiving demons and possibly
in manifested physical form during the Tribulation. In
Revelation 12, we read that “[…] Satan, which deceiveth
the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him” (verse 9). While that event
specifically takes place in the Tribulation Period, several
New Testament authors (including Jude) warned that in the
last days many deceiving doctrines, taught by demons,
would make their way into the Church. We see the “stealth”
of these conditions today. Many Christians are not able to
recognize these false teachers for what they are.
3. Sodom and Gomorrah: “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” (verse 7).
Prophetic Parallel: In the last days, that there would be a
prevalence of immorality to the point demonstrated even in
Sodom and Gomorrah. There, sexual perversion was
publicly endorsed to the extreme of flaunting and aggressive
militancy. We already see such conditions today.
4. Archangel Michael is mentioned next: “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 […]” (verse 9).
Prophetic Parallel: Michael, who is the Archangel of the
Jews, is disputing with the world run by the Devil over the
right of Israel to exist. Michael serves a special role for the
Jews, as is confirmed by the prophet Daniel. “At that time
Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will
arise” (Daniel 12:1). Even though the Devil wants a dead
race of Israelites, Michael does not slander him, but leaves
this task to the Lord. Indeed today, there can be no doubt
that Satan is working very hard to make Israel a dead body,
both physically and spiritually. To this point, Israel is
spiritually dead, awaiting the event described in Ezekiel 37
when they would be filled with the Spirit.
5. “Woe to them! They have taken the way of
Cain” (verse 11). What is the way of Cain? It is the path of
Jude: Conditions Revealed for Last-day Christians … from page 1
motivations behind economic actions), self interest, and
the pursuit of “false gods” have been the culprits.
We are living in unprecedented times, in which the
“raw emotions” of materialistic people and the desperate
"strong arm tactics” of the world’s policymakers can lead to
some very extreme outcomes. The span of outcomes range
from a broad collapse of financial economies to new, and
perhaps sudden, power structures.
PAGE 4 man doing what is right in his own eyes. It also signifies the
attempts of man to create his own righteousness through his
own achievement and toil. It is the opposite of grace, which
is salvation freely given and undeserved.
Prophetic Parallel: Today, the entire globalized world is
represented by Cain. Humanism reigns. Systems and
agencies such as the United Nations, the International
Criminal Court, the World Health Organization and so on,
believe that by virtue of mankind’s toil, a society of peace
and goodness can be created (so humanists think). Jesus
said otherwise, “There is none good but one, that is, God:
but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments” (Matthew 19:17, KJV). Even so-called
Christian churches have endorsed or joined similar
movements. The rapidly increasing influence of
Reconstructionism (Dominion Theology) tangentially falls
into this category.
6. “[…] They have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error
[…]” (verse 11). This is one of the greatest errors being
perpetuated today that most people do not see. I have called
it the “Babylon Occlusion” (See Midnight Call magazine,
July 2007). Balaam was guilty of prophesying for a price.
He oriented his sights to money and materialism, mixing it
with the precepts of his religion. Money had the upper hand.
Prophetic Parallel: Without a doubt, money is the
highest god in the systems of globalized man. The merging
of faith and money is nearly complete. There are various
indications of this also in the so-called Christian church,
including a prevalent Prosperity Gospel. The world is
already far advanced on the road to the final ecumenicism
shown in Revelation 17-18, where world polity, economics
and a substitute Christian faith will be merged into one.
7. “[…] They have been destroyed in Korah’s
rebellion” (verse 11). Korah, a Levite, and some 250
eminent Israelite leaders were guilty of trying to set
themselves up as being equal to the station of priest. They
challenged the God-elected leadership of Moses and Aaron.
They judged themselves to be holy and worthy. It was a
power struggle and represented total disregard for spiritual
authority. They effectively were appointing themselves to a
position of power.
Prophetic Parallel: Today we have the condition of
Korah in its most extreme form, more blatant than perhaps
ever in the Church Age. For one, the largest religious
organization in the world, widely considered to be
Christian, has set itself up as the very vicar of Christ. The
Roman Catholic Church has appointed itself as the
necessary intermediary to salvation, also presuming to set
up His kingdom on earth. It has challenged the very
position of Christ. This is Korah’s rebellion at its most
extreme. Similar rebellions are also witnessed in Protestant
sects. Various self-appointed prophets and apostles presume
to speak on a level equal in authority to Christ and the Holy
Scriptures.
8. “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about
these men: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon
OCTOBER 2011
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’” (verses 14-15).
Prophetic Parallel: Enoch was the first example in the
Bible of someone being “snatched away” … in other words,
raptured. Here, he is shown as not only foreshadowing the
pre-tribulation Rapture, but also the post-tribulation return
of Christ with the saints, as the next two points confirm.
9. “[…] Thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to
judge everyone […]” (verses 14-15).
Prophetic Parallel: These are the saints of old as well as
those raptured, who come back with Christ to vanquish the
ungodly, meeting them on the plains of Megiddo.
10. “[…] The Lord […]” (verse 14).
Prophetic Parallel: This is Jesus Christ, God Himself,
“the One who is good,” returning to set up the Millennial
Reign.
Having reviewed the list of persons and/or groups, we
note the oft occurring 6-3-1 distribution noted earlier,
whose sum is the number 10. There are six names
representative of man and his relations—“his people out of
Egypt” (Israelites), Enoch, Cain, Balaam, Korah, and the
people of “Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns.”
The group of spiritual, non-physical or of non-human
origin are the “thousands upon thousands” of saints (they
have already been translated to incorruptible bodies at this
point), Archangel Michael, and the “angels that left their
estate.” The Lord Himself here represents the single unity of
perfection.
The Objective: Identifying the False Teachers
Now, we list the characteristics of the false teachers,
their identification being the very objective of Jude’s
writing.
1. “[…] These dreamers pollute their own bodies” (v8).
2. “[…] reject authority” (v8).
3. “[…] slander celestial beings” (v8).
4. “[…] These men speak abusively against whatever
they do not understand […]” (v10).
5. “These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating
with you without the slightest qualm” (v12).
6. “[…] shepherds who feed only themselves” (v12).
7. “They are clouds without rain […]” (v12).
8. “[…] blown along by the wind” (v12).
9. “Autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice
dead” (v12).
10. “They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their
shame” (v13).
11. “These men are grumblers […]” (v16).
12. “[…] and faultfinders” (v16).
13. “They follow their own evil desires” (v16).
14. “They boast about themselves […]” (v16).
15. “[…] and flatter others for their own
advantage” (v16).
16. “These are the men who divide you […]” (v19).
... continued on page
symbolizes a type of “systematic” or “program”
completeness. This number breaks down to a sum of 6, 3
and 1. The symbolism of the first two numbers has already
been reviewed. The “1” signifies the perfect finality or
Person. You will see this when we list the 10 constituents of
this group.
Let’s then first turn our attention to this collection of 10
persons (or groups) and attempt to glean any prophetic 17. “[…] who follow mere natural instincts […]” (v19).
18. “[…] and do not have the Spirit” (v19).
Numbered here are 18 characteristics with which to
identify false teachers and purveyors of the doctrines of
demons. No Christian should ever be deceived by them.
Points to Ponder
Jude is a remarkable book of prophetic foreshadowing,
serving as a useful alert to endtime Christians. Given the
prophetic parallels that we have considered, we must
conclude that it is already very late … very near the
Midnight Call. We are on the threshold of the occurrence
associated with the eighth name mentioned—Enoch—the
new beginning for the saints when they will be raptured.
The number “8” stands for exactly that—a new beginning.
Eight people were on Noah’s ark.
All prophetic parallels are in clear sight today. Our
identification of the season of the last days should be
obvious.
Once the “thousands upon thousands” of saints return
with Christ, the next occurrence is the judging of the
ungodly. They come “[…] 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” (verse 15).
Described by Jude are very difficult times (“perilous
times” as mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:1) for true Christians.
However, Jude comes to our aid and outlines a course of
action for us … a list of seven (which is a divine number).
“But you, dear friends,” he says:
1. “[…] Build yourselves up in your most holy
faith“ (verse 20);
2. “[…] and pray in the Holy Spirit” (verse 20);
3. “Keep yourselves in God's love […]” (verse 21);
4. “[…] as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ to bring you to eternal life” (verse 21);
5. “Be merciful to those who doubt” (verse 22);
6. “[…] Snatch others from the fire and save
them” (verse 23);
7. “[…] To others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating
even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh” (verse 23).
In closing, let us join Jude in his Doxology:
“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 forevermore! Amen” (Jude 24-25).
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