Jude 1:6

I address your attention to the book of Jude once again this evening. I want to read verses 5 to 7 here in the book of Jude. Our focus tonight is going to be on verse 6, verses 5 to 7. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward, destroyed them that believed not. And the angels, which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved an everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom Gimorra, the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to their own. of fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Thank God bless to us His sacred and holy word this evening. Jude has been warning his fellow believers about departing from the faith. The faith, one, delivered unto the saints, as he mentions in verse 3. The issue, of course, is that there were false teachers who would try to pull them away from the truth. And the same type of problem certainly faces the church today. Verse 4 talks about false teachers who crept in unawares to corrupt the word. of God. Now we have three examples that Jude gives us historical examples of departing or defection, if you would. One is Israel’s unbelief, verse 5. Secondly, we have the angels who sinned in verse 6. And in verse 7, we have Solomon Gomor. In each case, Jude demonstrated, that there are serious consequences involved. Sinful choices result in severe judgment in each case. I want to speak about the sin of rebellion tonight from verse 6. Now angels are spoken of throughout the word of God, but very little is told us about them. Here, we are spoken of throughout the word of God. We have a very most interesting verse concerning angels that certainly deserves our attention. Now, let me begin by saying this. You should ponder the rebellion of the angels. Now, you need an understanding of angels in general. He speaks about the angels first here, and he doesn’t, as we go along, we’ll see that he has a specific kind of angel in mind. But he starts out with the angels. Now, an angel is a heavenly being, non-corporal, does not have a body, such as we have. But the scripture says in Psalm 104, verse 4, he maketh his angels’ spirits. They’re created to serve God and his people, because Hebrews tells us that they’re ministering spirits, the holy ones, to the people of God. They certainly minister all. also for God’s purposes. And angels are supernatural beings. They’re lower than God, but higher than man. Psalm 8 tells us that man is made a little lower than the angels. Now, hopefully you realize when you die, you don’t become an angel. That’s not how angels come into existence. So we have to realize that angels are created beings separate from human beings. There are an innumerable number of angelic beings. It’s interesting in the book of Revelation in chapter 5 and verse 11. We read about 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands. A hundred million with millions left over. They’re like pennies. There are a lot of angels, a vast army of them. The creation account does not specify exactly when angels were created. However, the Bible says in Genesis 2-1, thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them. I suggest to you, since Luke 2 calls the angels a heavenly host, that when God created the heavens, he created the angels. That seems like the, I think, the simplest and logical conclusion to draw. So they were created. Now, we don’t know on which day they were created, but evidently early. But the angels were created, and it’s most likely that it was on the first day when the heavens were made, because in Job 38 in verses 1 to 7 it gives us an indication that the angels, the sons of God, the stars of God, witnesses. They shouted for joy when God created. So they must have been witnesses of the creation of the earth and the things associated. When God laid the foundations of the earth, God says, where were you? when the sons of the morning rejoiced and so forth, when I laid the foundations of the earth. You asked Job that question. The host of heaven is organized into various levels of authority, it seems. They’re sort of like ranks in an army, I guess we could say. There are those who are classified as archangels. We would say perhaps they’re the generals. There are the seraphim and the cherubim, which are more higher ranked, it seems. than the PFC angels, the, you know, just the private ones. So we have all these different levels of angels. Angels don’t reproduce. There are no baby angels. Despite man’s artwork and man’s paintings and so forth, they foolishly portray angels sometimes in a baby condition. But the truth of the matter is, As far as we see in Scripture, they’re all laid out for us as males. Whenever there is a name given, it’s a male name when it comes to angels. They don’t reproduce according to Matthew 2230. They don’t die either. They live on from age to age to age. And it’s interesting when you read the book of Daniel and chapter 9, for example, you read about Gabriel coming and visiting Daniel and giving him the 70 weeks prophecy. That same Daniel, like 600 years later, shows up and visits Mary and announces the birth of Christ. It’s still the same angel, and he’s still serving the Lord God. They’re eternally the same. Originally, all the angels were created in a holy and perfect state, the first estate. state that’s mentioned here in our text of Scripture, the original created state. They worshipped and praised God in heaven. They carried out his purposes on earth. They were his messengers. So you need an understanding of angels in general. Now, you’re reminded here, though, of the rebellion of the angels. For he says, there were some who kept not their first estate. Now, you should realize there are elect angels and there are non-elect angels. The first estate of the angels was being holy, just, and good. As creatures, angels were also subjected, subjects of God’s eternal decrees. And so we see here, just like me in. The Bible records, if you look at 1 Timothy 521 tonight, it’s the only passage in scripture that mentions this, but as someone has keenly observed, you only need one, right? God’s word is truth. Verse 21 of chapter 6 of 1 Timothy, I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that. observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. So here we have the indication to us that there are elect angels. These angels had to be chosen from a pure mass in order to be preserved in a pure state. Obviously, some angels were not elected. that they were rejected and were not granted sustaining grace, and therefore they fell. By the way, this one passage here, along with the fact that Christ’s human nature is also chosen by God. He’s the Lord’s chosen indicate to us that election seems to be taken place from a pure mass. Thus, we look at men also chosen from a pure mass as well. In faction involved preserving some in a state of holiness. So they did not fall when Lucifer fell and they’re kept holy. So here we have the fact that they are subject to the decrees of God. And you are made aware of the mutable nature here of angels. For we read here that some kept not. They lost the previously good state that they enjoyed. As creatures, they were mutable. They were subject to change. And if not assisted by grace, they were subjected to sinning against God, which is exactly what we find happening. How and by what means they came to fall into sin as unknown. This is hidden from us. There was no tempted to deceive and to confuse them like Adam and Eve had. God tempts none, neither angels or men, to sin, as James I, would indicate to us. Evidently, some of these angels were left to their own mutable will, which was capable of sinning, and because they were not preserved by election, they did sin. God, for his own wise ends, purposed the fall of angels. But he did not participate in any act of temptation. From the little we know, it appears that Satan, who was a glorious prince among the angels, according to Isaiah and Ezekiel, led a rebellion. He gathered followers among the angels. And Jesus, declared, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven, suddenly, swiftly, irresistibly. And along with this leader, all the other rebellious angels were cast out, and we find that they, as the fallen angels, are known as demons and devils in the New Testament. Now you have a hint about the cause. of rebellion. If you look with me at 1 Timothy, chapter 3 in verse 6, we have a statement here. A statement in an odd place in some ways, you wouldn’t expect to perhaps find it here, but when he’s talking about the qualifications of an elder, he mentions something here in verse 6 of chapter 3 of 1st Timothy. he says when you’re electing an elder don’t choose a novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil which seems to indicate to us that the reason for Satan’s fall was pride an arrogance with regard to his place and position and so forth and his striving to be higher to be like God. Look at Isaiah, you would with me. Chapter 14, verses 12, How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground which did weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stone. stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation and the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high. And so there are those who did not keep their own habitation, as Jude says. Their proper station and office in heaven, which God had set for them. They despised it. They wanted more. They tried to ascend higher, even to the point. of receiving divine worship. Proverbs tells us that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Evidently, Satan was envious of God’s place and authority and power, and so he wished to have it, and he cast off allegiance to God. Satan desired worship, having revolted against God. himself as the God of this world. It’s interesting that early on Satan introduces the worship of idols, which the scripture says is really the worship of demonic spirits. And so we have the idea of them desiring this worship. And I think there’s nothing that demonstrates Satan’s pride more than the arrogance of of his proposal to the Lord Jesus Christ when Christ was tempted in the wilderness, that if Jesus Christ would but fall down and worship him, Satan would give our Lord all the kingdoms of the earth in Matthew 4.9. We read about that. Now you have an idea about the time of the rebellion. If you look carefully at Scripture, it must be concluded that the angels did not fall until after the sixth day of creation. It’s probable that they were created, as I said on the first day, when the heavens, their habitation were made. So they continued in their first estate during the first six days of creation, and I say that because on the sixth day, when all the creatures of God were made, God makes a pronouncement in chapter 1 in verse 31, God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. So at this point, everything was good. There was no fall at this point. This couldn’t be said if the angels had sinned before. And yet they must have fallen before Adam was tempted in the garden in Genesis chapter 3. Besides, Jesus called the devil a murderer from the beginning. He said, destroyer of mankind, which implies an early fall, perhaps shortly after man’s creation. You don’t know how many angels rebelled. And here, no one can know this. We just don’t have any biblical data on it. Some say it just as many fell as remained faithful, but that’s conjecture. Others appeal to Revelation Chapter 12, which we looked at recently in our Bible study. In verse 4, where the dragon drew a third part of the stars of heaven after him. And that’s possible that that could be one-third of the angels of heaven. That’s a possibility. But the only thing we can say with any certainty is that a great many angels did fall, enough to form a kingdom with a prince over them. In fact, a king. legion of these evil spirits in dwelt one man. When we talk about a Roman legion, we’re talking to 4,000 to 5,000 people. And so if they could possess a man, that’s a lot of evil spirits. That’s a lot of fallen angels. So I should ponder the rebellion of the angels. We have at least some idea from Scripture, if we can sort of glean these things from what we know. The second thing is you should. ponder the punishment of the angels because that is what Jude is focusing your attention upon. Now you find them reserved, he says here, an everlasting chains. What chains can hold angels? What spirits can be bound by iron chains? Well, these are not materialistic change. They have to be some type of spiritual chains, not literal ones. God’s power and providence bridles these fallen angels so that they cannot do as they please. You know, if you put a dog on a chain, it can only go so far. As far as that chain will let him, he’ll go. But he’s stuck with that chain holding him back. Well, that’s the way it is with angels, these fallen angels. They can only do so much as God’s control over them keeps them from doing more. In Revelation 20, verse 2, we read about Satan being bound for a thousand years with divine change. So he’s unable to deceive the nations for a period of time. The demons had to ask permission of Jesus Christ. Remember to enter into a herd of swine in the Gospels. Satan, finds God’s hedges about Job when he tries to attack Job and he can’t get at him. Guilt of conscience could also be likened to a chain. A sure chain links the fallen angels to God’s justice and judgment. It is inevitable that they will come to that end. Remember how we read in Psalm 51 where David says my sin is ever before me. And we could say the angels always know that that is before them and what’s going to happen because of that. Guilty sinners are compared to prisoners who are entrapped by their sins, imprisoned by the chain here could be God’s eternal decree, an unbreakable chain of reprobation. Which means that the damnation of these angels is certain and sure there’s no escaping the end. for which they have been purposed. Hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels. Lasting change because they stand guilty forever. There’s no hope of recovery. You find fallen angels are under darkness, he says. Now, light in scripture is often used for knowledge, holiness, and happiness. Darkness implies ignorance, sin, and misery. It would appear here that Jude has specifically in mind the darkness associated with sin and misery. It’s interesting, the abyss, the bottomless pit in the book of Revelation when it gets opened up. All this dark smoke comes out of it. That’s where the angels have been confined in darkness. These angels have been cast down from the light and the glory of the high heavens. They no longer are in the favor of God here. They are no longer in a position where they see God’s face like they did and enjoy his presence like they did, the light of his countenance because in thy presence is fullness of joy and they’re banished from it. They are fitly said to be in darkness. Their great loss leads to terror and discomfort. Fallen angels are hideously evil beings. We find that they’re overwhelmed with the darkness of sin. They’re unclean spirits. As we read through the Gospels, we find them involved in causing people all sorts of problems, you know, where you have the young boy gets cast into the fire by the demon. We have the the scripture talking about those who are demon possessed and are like wild men living among the tombs and cutting themselves and things of this nature. There’s a woman who is bent over having this spirit of paralyization. She’s bent over all these years and Jesus has to heal her. We have those who are mute. and blind and lame. It seems like because of some type of demonic activity sometimes that this is the case. Some engage in sexual sin and because of the demonic urgings that they’re drawn to it. So sin controls them and their sinfulness drives them on in their wickedness and opposition to God. They are a kingdom of darkness, as the scripture says. And as these these foolish creatures add sin to sin, as they harden themselves in the evil that they do, they are further ripened for the eternal destruction that is coming. And you find fallen angels must face the great day of judgment. That’s what he ends this verse talking about. We recall how the demons complain to Christ aren’t I’ll come to torment us before our time in Matthew 829, which indicates to us that they know there is a time coming when the judgment of God is going to fall upon them. The present consequences of their sin is not all that the angels will have to endure. There’s coming a day when God’s wrath against them will be increased. that will be on the day of judgment. In the future, in the last judgment, when men and fallen angels appear before God and have to give an account, there is no doubt, I think, that Paul references this when he talks about believers or shall judge angels in 1 Corinthians 6.3, I think he’s talking about fallen angels in that passage. A day is fixed by God, unknown to men and angels, when he is going to execute the strictest justice and judging humans and angels by his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. For all judgment has been reserved for the Son of God himself. It’s a great day. There’ll be a great judge, the Lord Jesus. Christ who will appear in great glory. Great things will be done. The resurrection of the dead, the gathering of all the created creatures, the rational and accountable creatures, men and angels before Christ, and great things will be revealed because the book of works will be opened. And men and evidently angels will be exposed for all the things that they have done, and great sentences will be pronounced on that day. This is the final judgment, which demons know will be torment, and they know will be worse than it is now. Hell is prepared for the devil and his angels, as we mentioned, and it’ll be a torment that’s suitable to punish them when that occurs. So as you ponder the punishment of angels, They’re everlasting chains. They’re under darkness, and they await the judgment of the great day. Thirdly, you should ponder the lessons here of angelic rebellion. Now, the Holy Spirit has purposed to reveal this information to us about angels. We don’t know a lot about angels, but he’s revealed this to us, for the purpose of angels. teaching us something. In other words, it is edifying for us. It’s profitable that we know these matters about the angels. Even though we’re not angels, it’s profitable to know something about these angels. And one of the things you may learn from this is the danger of pride. Satan’s pride caused his downfall in that of those who followed him in rebellion. Pride always leads to. a fall. That’s a biblical principle. The angels lost their holiness out of a desire to be great, to exalt themselves, and they desire to rule over all and be subject to no one, and it cost them dearly. They lost the estate that they once had, which was a glorious place to be. You as a believer are called to be clothed with humility. you know, put humility on 1 Peter 5.5. Only those who are adorned with this grace are suitable to serve the king of glory. If heaven will not keep a proud angel, you can be sure it will keep out a proud sinner. Can be sure of that. God spared not the angels which sin. The more knowledge, the more ability, the more gifts you should be sure of that. The God spared not the angels, the angels, which sin. The more you have the more dangerous it may be for you to be lift up with pride and think, I am somebody, and not realize that God has given you those gifts and not give him the credit for that. And we be filled with pride. You may be tempted to rebel against God’s established authority. It’s interesting in verse 11, we’re going to be looking at the fact that Quora is mentioned here. they rebelled against God’s established authority, Moses, as they went through the wilderness. And so we see this is one of the problems. There’s a grave danger in desiring to be exalted above others. It would inevitably lead to disaster. It’s one of the sins of the false teachers that he has mentioned. In other words, he’s going to tie this all in now with the teachers. that he mentioned. One of the things we should note about them, that they’re full of pride. They desire to have the preeminence over the church, over people, and so forth. They want that position. They want that authority. But like the angels, it will lead to their downfall. They’ll lead to judgment by God. We’ll look at that as he draws these things together. But that’s where he’s headed with this message about the danger of prime. You learn secondly here that sin enslaves you. When the angels sinned, well, they were put in everlasting chains of darkness. Now, you may know how perverse Hollywood is. There’s a movie made of the classic, the scarlet letter. And it’s said to have a different ending than the book. I never saw the movie, but it said, I read about it, it supposedly had a different ending than the book. Evidently, Hollywood felt that the modern audiences could not relate to a man slowly destroying himself with guilt, as the adulterous minister did in Hawthorne’s story. And they gave the movie a happier ending. Why is this? Because the secular world really doesn’t understand the enslavement of sin. and the damage it does, and they deny it every chance they get. But the Bible says that a person whose sins is taken captive by the devil. Sin is bondage. Sin is being put in the prison house. Sin is being in chains of darkness. In the fall of the angels, you’re given a picture of the evil sin, how it enslaves you, how it enslaves you, how it covers you with menaces. with misery. And we were reminded that the way of transgressors is hard. If you have a mind to be like the demons, to exalt yourself, to enjoy and pursue every wicked purpose you can, then, of course, your soul is captivated by every base desire, and you will suffer the consequences. Like so many chains about you. you. It will bind you. It will capture you. It will bind you over to an eternal and just damnation. Remember this when you’re convicted of sin and when you struggled to give up sin, how dangerous it is. The third thing you learn here is you learn there’s a great day of judgment coming. Presently, the wicked who have died suffer in hell. That suffering will be increased after the final judgment because then they will have a body that’s been resurrected and added to their soul and body and soul will be cast into the lake of fire and so the suffering will increase. The suffering of the wicked that they endure in this life is only the beginning of sorrows. And the world to come is going to get much worse. and after the judgment, it will be the most severe possible. Fallen angels fear the torment that awaits them. But sadly, fallen men are foolishly oblivious at times to what awaits them. The last judgment will be the final act of Christ’s royal office as king. He will be the last judgment will be the final act of Christ’s royal office as king. reward his people, he will punish all his enemies. An eternal separation from Jesus Christ is the greatest loss you can suffer, for he is the source of joy and happiness. Let us close with a word of prayer tonight.