PT-1 Characteristics of the Apostate’s Nature” (Jude 8-10)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/27/2025 8:20 PM

My Worship Time                                     Focus:  PT-1 Characteristics of the Apostate’s Nature”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  Jude 8-10

            Message of the verses:  “8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. 9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.”

            “8 In the same way, these people — who claim authority from their dreams — live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. 9 But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) 10 But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction” (NLT).

 

            Now as one looks at these verses in both the NASB95, and the NLT, they will see that they begin a new paragraph, and these words “Yet in the same way,” also means that this is an important transition, which further unlocks the significance of the previous passage, and that passage we looked at three days ago.  It is true that apostates typically exhibit ungodly character traits, just like the apostate Israelites, the fallen angels, and the debauched population of Sodom and Gomorrah.  And so as one looks at this list they can see that apostates have always been around, and let me give you my opinion as to why they have always been around.  I think that all men and women are looking for some kind of religion, and what the apostates offer many times fills their appetites for this religion, but here is one of the differences between religion and Christianity, and that is “religion” people are trying to work their way to heaven, while in Christianity, people realize that there is nothing they can do in order to be saved, but then realize that Jesus Christ did it all for them and so they accept what Christ did for them on the cross, paying entirely for their sins, and then after that the Holy Spirit of God gives them gifts in order for them to do work for the cause of Christ.  Every believer is given at least one gift in order to do this work for the cause of Christ and as they do this work for the cause of Christ through the gifts that they are given they will receive rewards in heaven because they allowed the Holy Spirit to fill them in order to do what they are called to do for the cause of Christ.

 

            John MacArthur writes “The wicked behavior of these men often derives from their dreaming, a term that Jude used to identify the apostates a phony visionaries.  The New Testament normally uses the noun onar to refer to dreams (Matt. 1:20; 2:12, 13, 19:22; 27:19), but here Jude chose a form of the verb enuphiazo, which is used only one other place in the New Testament, Acts 2:17.  In that passage, Peter (preaching on the Da of Pentecost) declared, ‘But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in that last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams’ (2:16-17).

 

            “Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28-32) and its affirmation in Peter’s sermon show that the dreams in question may refer to revelatory dreams 9rather than normal dreams).  During the tribulation, prophecies, revelations, and visions that have now ceased will return, along with divine revelation.  God will speak to people through dreams, just as He did earlier in biblical history (e. g., Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, and others.”

 

            Now let me add to this thought as the tribulation period is mentioned here and that period comes from the prophecy given in the ninth chapter of Daniel, one of the greatest, if not the greatest prophecy in all the Word of God.  Now the church age begin on the day of Pentecost as seen in the second chapter of Acts, and will end at the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51 and following).  The prophecy in Daniel lasts for 490 years, but when Jesus came into Jerusalem on what is called Palm Sunday He offered Himself as the Jewish Messiah, and was turned down and so that meant that Daniel’s prophecy of 490 years had seven years left on it.  Daniel’s prophecy begins in Daniel 9:24-27, and spans the time when Israel was in captivity which began in 605 B.C.  Let me quote from the time that it began from the book of Nehemiah chapter two.  1 And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?" 4 Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it." 6 Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time.”  Now I want to look at a portion of the prophecy in Daniel chapter nine to show that what I just quoted in Nehemiah is actually the beginning of Daniel’s prophecy.  “25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.” Now notice the highlighted portion of verse 25 and then as you look at Nehemiah chapter two you can see that the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem began in Nehemiah chapter two.  There is an old book written by Sir Robert Anderson who goes through this prophecy and gives the actual dates as to when it began and then the date is given when Jesus came into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday.  I want to quote one more set of verses which comes from the book of Luke which speaks of when Jesus came into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. “37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, 38  shouting: "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" 41 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, and “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes (Luke 19:37-42).

 

            Let me say that from the time this prophecy began until it was stopped with seven years left on it was 137880 days, and in the book “The Coming Prince” Sir. Robert explains these numbers so it is easy to understand them.  The important thing is that there are seven years left, and the years are 360 day years.  Now I want to end by talking about the different highlighted verses in this passage from Luke 19. 

 

            Above the first highlighted section is a quote from Psalm 118:26 which was only suppose to be read when the Messiah came, and that is why the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke His disciples.  You can read Jesus answer in the next highlighted portion.  Next highlighted section Jesus is saying that if the Pharisees’ had known this date, which again was 137,880 days after Nehemiah answer came from the king to go and rebuild Jerusalem. 

 

            Ok I know that this was not really a part from Jude but it fit in.  After the Rapture of the church there will arise what the Bible calls the Antichrist and once he makes a covenant with Israel that will set off the Tribulation period which will last for seven years, which is Daniel’s last week and once those days end, which is when Armageddon is going on the Jesus will return to earth to begin to set up the Millennial Kingdom, and all the raptured saints will come back with Him. 

 

7/27/2025 9:37 PM

 

 

PT-4 “The Past: The Course, In Which He was Faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/27/2025 8:31 AM

My Worship Time                      Focus: PT-4 “The Past:  The Course, In Which He was Faithful”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  2 Timothy 4:7

Message of the verse:  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;”

            Today we begin to look at the third of five principles which are expressed or implied in this verse that were foundational to Paul’s life and service.  Third, Paul recognized the need to avoid wandering, to have self-discipline to stay on his divinely appointed course until it was finished.  Now this is also true of all believers as from our spiritual birth until the time God calls us into His divine presence, that is our divine mission.  Now we know that we are in the church age and there are two possible ways of being called into His divine presence, on through death, or two through the rapture of the church.

            John MacArthur writes the following about baseball great Ted Williams:  Ted Williams, the famed baseball player, reportedly had such powers of concentration that, when he was standing at bat, he could not be distracted even by firecrackers thrown at his feet.  He allowed nothing to interfere with his unusual concentration at that moment.  That is the degree of self-discipline for which every child of God should yearn in serving Him.  The writer of Proverbs wisely admonishes: Let your eyes look directly ahead, and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.  Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established.  Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil’ (Prov. 4:25-27).

            “Course is from dromos, which literally refers to the running of a race and metaphorically was used of fulfilling a lifetime career, occupation, or military service.  During his first sermon in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, Paul spoke of John the Baptist, saying, ‘And while John was completing his course [dromos], he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am?  I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me they sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie’’ (Acts 13:25).  Using the same word to describe his own calling, the apostle some years later assured the elders from Ephesus, ‘I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course [dromos], and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God’ (Acts 20:24).”

            I really hate to stop here but due to time I have to stop, and Lord willing in tomorrow’s SD I will look at what the writer of the Hebrews has to say as he warns of the two major hindrances that relentlessly threaten to deflect believers from what the Lord has called them to do.  I think that this sounds very interesting.

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  I have mentioned many times that I believe my calling from the Lord is to study the Bible with helps from different commentators and then use what I have learned to put onto my Spiritual Diaries.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting that the Holy Spirit of God will use what I have written to bring glory to my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

7/27/2025 8:54 AM

           

 

PT-2 Introduction to “Apostates Illustrated” (Jude 8-13)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/26/2025 6:36 PM

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  PT-2 Introduction to “Apostates Illustrated”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  Jude 8-13

            Message of the verses:  “8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. 9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; 13  wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

 

            Before I begin to look at the rest of this introduction to Jude 8-13 notice the eight times that I have highlighted different things in these verses, as the first three identify people and in the last five Jude uses metaphors to help describe these apostates that he has been writing about.

 

            Now in the last SD on this introduction I quoted from John MacArthur’s commentary and he was writing about terrorism, and then came to a halt about terrorism which leads him into the following:  “The same features that make political terrorists so dangerous in the world make apostate teachers even more dangerous in the church.”  I suppose that the reason it makes it much more difficult in the church is because that the church is only make up of a few people compared to how many that are in a country.  MacArthur then goes on to write “Because they often come disguised as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:14) or wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15), apostates are difficult to identify.  And, because of their own self-deception, they willingly (albeit unwittingly) embrace their own eternal ruin for the sake of their poisonous lies.  In destroying souls, they themselves commit spiritual suicide.”  Now committing suicide I think that he is talking about not only the apostates ending up in hell but those who follow them also end up in hell.

 

            “Since it is important for freedom-loving nations to fight ideological terrorists, it is infinitely more crucial for believers to expose and reject spiritual terrorists.  Political terrorists can inflict material damage and physical death, but apostates disguised as genuine teachers can subvert God’s truth and entice people to believe damning lies.

 

            “Jude realized the immense danger that apostates pose to divine truth.  Therefore, he exhorted his readers to ‘contend earnestly for the faith” (v. 3), to keep battling for the pure doctrine of ‘our common salvation’ against those who would undermine the gospel.  But because the false teachers had ‘crept in unnoticed’ (v. 4), the challenge came in recognizing and exposing them before they inflicted harm.

 

            “With that in view, this passage continues to depict the true face of the apostates.  They were so ungodly and so spiritually dangerous that Jude used the most stinging and condemnatory language to describe them.  In so doing, he presented three characteristics of the apostates’ nature, three correlations to past apostates, and five comparisons to natural phenomena.”

 

            Let me just say that I am begging to understand why it took John MacArthur fifteen sermons to go through this letter with only 25 verses in it, and let me also say that this book, to me goes along with what John wrote in the third chapter of Revelation as he described the Laodicean church, which I believe that in this world today what is found in the majority of churches in the world. 

 

7/26/2025 7:03 PM    

 

PT-3 “The Past: The Course, In Which He was Faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/26/2025 9:51 AM

My Worship Time                      Focus: PT-3 “The Past:  The Course, In Which He was Faithful”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  2 Timothy 4:7

Message of the verse:  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;”

            Today we begin to look at the second of five principles which are expressed or implied in this verse that were foundational to Paul’s life and service.  Second, Paul recognized that the cause he pursued was noble.

            I have read in the past from different commentaries that Paul was the greatest believer that has ever lived, and as I study, and re-study things that Paul wrote and also from the last half of the book of Acts, I surely do agree with that statement.  I suppose that the thing that stands out in his life is how he endured all of the suffering that he went through for the cause of Christ, and I believe that because He was so close to the Lord in his life that he was able to endure suffering for the cause of Christ. 

            Now we move on to some commentary that John MacArthur wrote as he began to write about this second of five principles:  “He had a tremendously elevated sense of dedication to the divine cause in which he was engaged.  He was fighting the good fifth. Kalos (good) refers to that which is intrinsically good, good in itself, without any qualification.  It also was used of that which is inherently and genuinely beautiful and of things that fully conform to their basic nature and purpose.  Elsewhere in the New Testament it is used of many such things.  In Matthew it is used of good fruit (3:10), of a good tree (12:33), of good ground (13:8), and of good fish (13:48).  Paul uses it of God’s law (Rom. 7:16) and of all His creatures (1 Tim. 4:4).”

            This section is not as long as the previous one, but that is all that I am going to cover this morning.  I like what is written here about the Apostle Paul as I can learn from it and then try to put these things into practice in my life.  He is such a wonderful example of a person who was filled with God’s Spirit and thus doing His work for the cause of Christ.

            “The apostle was extremely perplexed that so many believers were seeking ‘after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 2:21).  To complete contrary, he considered his own impressive religious credentials to be rubbish (Phil. 3:4-7) and, in fact, counted ‘all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ’ (v. 8).  Nothing mattered but the cause of Christ.

            “It was a great satisfaction for the apostle to be able to say that Timothy ‘is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am’ (1 Cor. 16:10).  Despite his limitations, this younger co-laborer was following the apostle’s footsteps, selflessly serving, expending himself in the cause of Christ, faithfully proclaiming the divine ‘word of reconciliation’ (2 Cor. 5:19).

            “Christians are not saved simply or even primarily for their own sakes.  We are first of all saved for the glory of God and to fulfill His holy calling to be His witnesses to an unsaved world (Matt. 28:19-20; 2 Tim. 1:9; Heb. 3:1).  That noblest of all callings to the noblest of all causes should inspire every believer to ‘seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, every hour and opportunity, ever resource and all of our energy to lifelong service in the will and power of our Lord.”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is my desire to do the things that God has called me to do for the cause of Christ, and to be ready to tell those that the Lord brings onto my path how they too can be saved, and then also how to grow in their faith.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to have my wife do the things she needs to do to keep any more cancer out of her body.

7/26/2025 10:26 AM

 

 

PT-1 Introduction to “Apostates Illustrated” (Jude 8-13)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/25/2025 10:45 PM

My Worship Time                                                    Focus: Introduction to “Apostates Illustrated”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  Jude 8-13

            Message of the verses:  “8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. 9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; 13  wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

 

            I can say one thing as I read over these verses and that is that Jude gives a lot of metaphors in describing these apostates.  Now this evening I begin looking at the introduction to these six verses, verses that I have to say that I enjoy reading over, for there is so much truth in them, so many things that really interest me, something I am looking forward to look at.

           

            Now before I begin looking at these verses I have to say that I listened to an older sermon from John MacArthur as he did a series of sermons on heaven, and those in charge of his website, actually the churches website thought it was appropriate for people to listen to what John MacArthur preached about heaven because two weeks ago he entered into the presence of the Lord in heaven.  They were asking people to write into there and give an example of how John MacArthur had affected their lives.  I can say that since I have been studying the New Testament a while ago that John MacArthur has truly effected what I write on my Spiritual Diaries which then the Holy Spirit of God sends around the world doing with it things that I can hardly believe as the number of these Spiritual Diaries have reached over 950,000 views, and as I look at the numbers each day I know that it is the Holy Spirit who is using them to bring glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

            I will begin looking at the introduction to these verses by quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary:  “Terrorism has always existed in various forms.  From political assassinations to high-profile kidnappings to guerrilla warfare, history is full of men who have tried to enact change through violent means.  But on the watershed date of September 11, 2001, terrorism reached a new level, when mercenaries from the Al Qaeda terrorist network hijacked four jetliners and used them as missiles.  The resulting destruction of the World Trade Center in New Your City and damage to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. (along with the crash of the fourth plane in rural Pennsylvania), killed more than three thousand people and dealt a severe blow to the American economy, raising the threat of international terrorism to an unprecedented height.  In response, strict security precautions were put in place, especially for airplane travel, vital industries, and high-profile public events.  Prior to September 11, the United States seemed blissfully immune to terrorist attack.  But after the incredible collapse of the twin towers, Americans gained firsthand knowledge of terrorism’s deadly tactics.

 

            “In contrast to conventional warfare, terrorism presents a uniquely serious threat for two primary reasons.  First, terrorists operate clandestinely.  They are relatively few in number, remain hidden, and certainly do not wear uniforms.  Their plans stay secret until after they strike, making their attacks very difficult to counteract.  Second, terrorists are usually willing to die for their cause (often by suicide as they carry out their objectives).  They are eager to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their mission.  Thus the prospect of even the severest human punishment, such as the death penalty, does not deter them.  If they are to be thwarted, they must unmask and apprehend before they act.  Otherwise it will be too late.”

 

            I have to say that Lord willing I will finish this introduction in tomorrow evenings SD, and also there are times when I began to read through MacArthur’s introduction to chapters in his commentaries that I don’t know where he is going until I see what I describe as a “punch line,” and that is the case this evening.

 

7/25/2025 11:14 PM   

The Past: The Course, In Which He was Faithful” (2 Tim. 4:7)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/25/2025 19:37 AM

My Worship Time                              Focus:  The Past:  The Course, In Which He was Faithful”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  2 Timothy 4:7

Message of the verse:  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;”

            In today’s SD I will begin by writing about five principles which are expressed or implied in this verse that were foundational to Paul’s life and his service.  The first one is that he recognized that he was in a spiritual struggle.  We read from this verse “have fought” is from the verb agonizomai and fight is from the related noun agon. Now as on would probably guess, they are the source of our English word “agonizing” and “agony.”  Now in the New Testament times both words were commonly used in reference to athletic contests, in particular public games such as the famous Greed Olympics, which had originated several centuries earlier, and in recent times this games have come back, but they are not totally like those games when Greece was more in the spotlight.  The words also were used of other types of struggles that involve great effort and energy, whether physical or spiritual.

            John MacArthur writes “Paul had used the same basic phrase in his first letter to Timothy, admonishing him to ‘fight the good fight of faith’ (6:12).  He reminded Corinthian believers that ‘everyone who competes [agonizomai] in the games exercises self-control in all things.  They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable’ (1 Cor. 9:25).  The same verb (italicized in the following references) was used by Jesus in calling men to ‘strive to enter by the narrow door’ (Luke 13:24).  In his letter to the church at Colossae, Paul testified that ‘for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me’ (1:29) and praised Epaphras, ‘one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, [who] sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God’ (4:12).  We are to labor and strive,’ he says, ‘because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially believers’ (1 Tim. 4:10).

            “The faithful and productive Christian life is nothing less than a fierce and relentless struggle ‘against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places’ (Eph. 6:12). Commenting on that verse, William Hendrickson writes,

It had been a fight against Satan; against the principalities and powers, the world-ruler of this darkness in the heavenlies; against Jewish and pagan vice and violence; against Judaism among the Galatians; against fanaticism among the Thessalonians; against contention, fornication, and litigation among the Corinthians; against incipient Gnosticism among the Ephesians and Colossians, against fightings without fears within; and last but not least, against the law of sin and death operating within his own heart. (New Testament Commentary; Expositions of the Pastoral Epistles [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1965], 315)

            “The faithful Christian constantly battles his own flesh, his own sin, his own ignorance and laziness.  He even has to battle temptation to do things that are perfectly good in themselves in place of other things that are immeasurably more important.  Every day there are new fronts on which the struggle continues.”

            In tomorrow’s SD, Lord willing, we will look at the second principle in this verse that are foundational to Paul’s life, and because they were in Paul’s life then they should also be in believer’s lives as well.

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  I have to agree with the things that other believer’s battle with as mentioned in this section, that I too battle with them also.  I have the Holy Spirit of God in my life, and the Word of God to aid me in my walk with the Lord, and so I know that because of that that if and when I fall I have the greatest resources to help me in my walk with the Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to give me strength as I walk with the Lord to do His will in my life.

7/25/2025 10:12 AM

 

PT-2 “The Apostate Gentiles” (Jude 7)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/24/2025 11:59 PM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  PT-2 “The Apostate Gentiles”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference:  Jude 7

            Message of the verse: “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

            The time is actually 12:42 A.M. as our house and our neighborhood had a power outage for at least 5 hours and so I did not get to this “Evening Spiritual Diary” until now as I had to get my generator out to help with keeping things pretty good as I waited for the power to come back on, and then I had to clean up around the house getting things back in order, so I think that this “mornings” SD will have a great deal of quotations from John MacArthur’s commentary.

            He begins by writing “Somewhat like the perverted angels before them, the Sodomites in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh.  They too perverted God’s intended design for them by soliciting sexual favors from His holy messengers.  Gross immorality translates a compound word (ekporneuo), which suggests that their homosexual behavior and attempted fornication was especially deviant from the God-ordained design for human sexuality (cf. Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:9-10).  That they went after strange flesh indicates that, like the apostate angels, the men of Sodom pursued creatures (angels) outside of what was proper for them.”  Now when we get to 2 Peter which will be after Jude is finished then there will be more things about this.

            “The people of Sodom and Gomorrah are exhibited as an example that God will certainly and severely punish apostates (Matt. 11:23; Rom. 9:29; 2 Peter 2:6; cf. Isa. 1:9-10).  That will finally be sentenced to the punishment of eternal fire, the burning hell of horrific torment, where punishment lasts forever (Matt. 3:12; 13:42, 50; 25:46).  It is God’s final, permanent judgment on the unregenerate, especially on those who scorn His truth or defect from it (cf. Rev. 19:20).  The apostle John described hell this way:  ‘The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lade of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and the will be tormented day and night forever and ever’ (Rev. 20:10; cf. Isa. 30:33).

            “This powerful passage, with its three dramatic illustrations of apostasy, is a sobering reminder of the ultimate fate that awaits those who defect from the faith.  As such, it provides a fitting motivation for believers as they continue to contend for the truth.  And it also serves as a solemn warning to anyone who knows the truth but, for whatever reason, is inclined to walk away from the gospel (Heb. 6:4-8).  After all, if Jude’s admonition is ignored, the consequences are terrifying:

“29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

 

            “Thus the severest eternal suffering will belong to those who know and reject the truth.  Even more terrible will judgment be to those who, having done that, go on to teach demonic lies as if they are true (cf. James 3:1).”  “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

 

            Now in tomorrow’s Evening SD I will begin looking at “Apostates Illustrated” from Jude 8-13).  It is my prayer that all who have been keeping up with this study in Jude are enjoying it as much as I am.

 

7/25/2025 1:10 AM

 

 

"The Past: The Course, In Which He was Faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/24/2025 11:05 AM

My Worship Time                              Focus:  "The Past:  The Course, In Which He was Faithful”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  2 Timothy 4:7

Message of the verse:  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;”

            Paul first reflected on the present, which we have been looking at for a few days, and not he will reflect on the past, and Paul after he became a believer has a great past to reflect on, consisting of his life and service to the Lord since he became a believer, which is seen in the 9^th chapter of the book of Acts.  His life was a life in “which he breathed every breath and lived every moment in service of his Lord, a life in which no sacrifice was too great and no commitment to demanding” (MacArthur Commentary).

            MacArthur writes “Perhaps Theodore Roosevelt had that verse in mind when he wrote.

            It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually try to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

            Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even through checked by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in a gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.  (From speech on the strenuous life, Hamilton Club, Chicago, April 10, 1899).

            I have read over this quote a couple of times and then posted it on my Facebook page, and I can see why John MacArthur wrote this quotation in his commentary reflecting on the Apostle Paul’s life. 

            As one reads through the New Testament one surely can see that Paul lived his life doing great things in the power of God, and that truly is the key in doing great things, for if one does things on their own people may think that they are doing good, but if not through the power of the Holy Spirit doing what the Lord desires for them to do, then it is not going to last, but one can see that Paul’s life was filled with the Holy Spirit, and then things that he did have lasted.  MacArthur writes “As reflected in the English, have fought, have finished, and have kept (like ‘has come’ at the end of v. 6) translated intensive perfect verbs, indicating completed action that hs continuing results.  Paul had no regret, no sense of unfulfillment or incompleteness. After the Lord took control, he truly had lived life to the fullest.  Everything God had called and enabled him to do, he did.  He left no unfinished symphony.  There can be no greater satisfaction—and certainly no more glorious way to end the Christian life—than to know, as he did, that you have fully accomplished all that the Lord has called you to do.  That is precisely what he was asking Timothy to do: ‘fulfill your ministry’ (v. 5).  Now let me take a moment to say that John MacArthur’s hero in the faith, after of course the Lord Jesus Christ, was Paul as I have listened to hundreds of his sermons, and read many of his commentaries, I know that Paul was his hero in the faith, and as I am studying 2 Timothy, the last letter Paul ever wrote that is in the Bible, I can help but think that John MacArthur’s life had a lot to do with what Paul’s life was about.  He is now with His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ awaiting the resurrection that will take place at the rapture.

            “We cannot help wondering how we too can live our lives in that way.  How was Paul able to make such a claim?  What was the motive of his astounding spiritual faithfulness and achievement?  He himself gives the answer in the three short clauses of verse 7.”

            Well we will have to wait unto tomorrow’s SD to get those answers, and perhaps it will take us a couple of days to do so, but Lord willing I will keep writing until we get those answers.

            Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  It is my desire to fight the good fight even though I know that Satan many times is tempting me to stop doing what I believe the Lord is calling me to do for the cause of Christ.

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT.

7/24/2025 11:42 AM  

 

PT-1 “The Apostate Gentiles” (Jude 7)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2025 8:46 PM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  PT-1 “The Apostate Gentiles”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference:  Jude 7

            Message of the verse: “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

            In this evenings SD we will be looking at the third illustration of past divine judgments on apostates, as Jude reminded his readers about Sodom and Gomorrah.  Now the wicked people who lived in those cities, “and the cities around them.” engaged in sins equally as shocking and horrific as those of the angels.  Here are the accounts from Genesis as they are found in Genesis 8:16-19:29 as that recounts the sordid details, with also 19:1-11 giving particular focus to the debauched actions of their unrepentant residents.  We will now look at this passage:

“1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 And he said, "Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." They said however, "No, but we shall spend the night in the square." 3 Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 5 and they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them." 6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7 and said, "Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 8 “Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof." 9 But they said, "Stand aside." Furthermore, they said, "This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them." So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.”

 

            As you read over the highlighted portion of verse 11 you will find out that this is not the worst thing that will happen to these men, as in the morning fire will come down on Sodom and Gomorrah and both cities will be completely destroyed.  I have read from some commentators that they think that these cities are located at the bottom of the Dead Sea.

            That is as far as I am going to go with this section this evening, as Lord willing I will finish this section and the chapter in tomorrow evening’s SD.

 

7/23/2025 7:39 PM