"But I want to remind you..."
Text: Jude 5
A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING
It is never easy to deal with false teachers. Several problems must be addressed. Three things must be considered.
1. False teaching
The content of the false teaching must be exposed.
2. False teacher
The identity of the false teachers must be made known.
3. The victims
They need to know the truth that it might make them free.
AN IMPORTANT REMINDER
Jude wrote candidly to deal with the problem at hand. This was something that he felt he must deal with for the problem would not go away by itself.
“But I want to remind you, though you once knew this,
that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt,
afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”
Jude 5
1. “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this”
a) Jude was writing this word as a reminder.
b) His readers had some knowledge of the history of ancient Israel.
2. “That the Lord”
a) The NKJV text has “the Lord”.
b) The NU text has “Jesus”.
c) The NKJV text is preferred because of the reference to the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
3. “Having saved the people out of the land of Egypt”
a) This is an obvious reference to the time when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt.
b) This is well recorded in the Book of Exodus.
4. “Afterward destroyed those who did not believe”
a) A mixed multitude came out of Egypt.
b) On the surface it would appear that all who came out of Egypt had believed in the Lord.
c) This was not a fact.
d) There were many who were dissenters and idolatrous worshippers.
e) They had not believed in the Lord.
f) These were destroyed by the Lord because of their persistent rank unbelief.