Jude 1:12-13, Part 2

[Hidden In Him]

Expect Tares Among The Wheat In The End-Times, Part 2

     To quote again the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew:

     He set before [the disciples] another parable, saying, "The kingdom of God is likened unto a man having sown good seed in his field. But after the workmen went to sleep, his enemy came and sowed tares in the midst of the wheat and went away. And when the blade sprouted and produced fruit, then appeared the tares also. And the housemaster's servants, having come to him, said, "Sir, was it not good seed you were sowing in your field? From where, then, have the tares come?" But he said to them, "An enemy did this." And the servants said to him, "Then do you want us to go forth and gather them up?" But he said, "No, lest in gathering the tares you should uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "Gather first the tares and bind them into bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat together into my barn." (Matthew 13:24-30)

     As covered in Part 1, the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares was a prophecy about the coming of the Gnostics. By deceit, they portrayed themselves as "wheat" i.e. as Christians on the outside, but the seed growing within them would be something altogether different. Rather than bringing spiritual life and health to those who heard it, the teachings of the Gnostics were instead highly detrimental to the spiritual health of those who "consumed" them, and potentially lethal if consumed in large enough quantities.
     Referred to as darnel today, tares were known to produce dim-sightedness, confused perception, hallucinations, and even damage to the nervous system if a common fungus was present: 

     Darnel comes from the French language, meaning "drunkenness," having earned this name as a result of its intoxicating effect when consumed. When darnel is ground into flour, baked in bread, and consumed while hot, the eater may experience symptoms similar to drunkenness, including trembling, followed by an inability to walk, hindered speech, and vomiting. In addition, darnel is commonly infected by the ergot fungus, which can cause hallucinations when consumed in small doses, but in large doses can do heavy damage to the central nervous system. The Greeks and Romans supposed the darnel and the fungus to cause blindness. The Romans even crafted an insult from darnel, lolio victitare, "to live on darnel," a phrase applied to a dim-sighted or shortsighted person. (Bible Tools.org, Darnel)

     As for how these heretics could readily be identified amongst the congregations of God, the analogies Jude used drew attention to what they were failing to produce from their mouths when they were supposed to. The insinuation was that they were uttering nothing of value for the edification of the church. They were "waterless clouds" and "unfruitful autumn trees," meaning that while they held out the promise of offering something good to believers through the manifestation of spiritual gifts, the gifts they boasted of were actually false ones, and would therefore do nothing to promote the increase of revelation within the churches.
     But now Jude turned his attention to what was coming out of their mouths instead: Reproaches against God, and teachings that scoffed at the Old Testament prophecies which predicted the Day of the Lord was coming; a Day in which judgment would be executed against the ungodly.   


Wild Waves Of The Sea, Frothing Up Their Reproaches

     These are... waterless clouds, being carried away by winds; unfruitful autumn trees having died twice over, having been uprooted; wild waves of the sea, frothing up their reproaches; wayward stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:12-13)

                                           

     Jude borrowed this analogy from Isaiah 57:14-21. The passage predicted how God would rebuild the temple in Jerusalem after the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity. But the latter half of the prophecy stretched beyond this time. It became a famous passage quoted by the New Testament writers that predicted how the Spirit of God would be poured out upon both Jews and Gentiles alike, and how the church would become the true temple of the Living God in the latter days:

     And [God] shall say, "Lift! Lift! Clear the way! Remove every stumbling block from the way of My people." For so says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity and whose name is holy, "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit, to enliven the spirit of the lowly, and revive the heart of the contrite. For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry [with the transgressor]… I have seen his ways, but I will heal him and lead him, and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips. Peace! Peace to the ones afar off, and those who are near," says Jehovah, "and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the driven sea which cannot be quiet, and its waves cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace to the wicked," says my God. (Isaiah 57:14-21, Masoretic)

     Paul quoted this passage in reference to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, encouraging the Ephesians that this outpouring was proof that a state of peace now existed between themselves and God through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ:

     You were at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel… but now in Christ Jesus, you who were once afar off were brought near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that He might make in Himself the two into one new man, making peace, and might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it. And having come, He preached the gospel of peace to you who were afar off, and to those who were near, in that through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. (Ephesians 2:12a, 13-18)

     Until the moment Christ died, a perpetual state of enmity existed between God and man because of sin. The Shekinah Glory of God resided in the Holy of Holies within the temple at Jerusalem, but no one was allowed to enter this inner sanctum of the temple except the High Priest once a year, or they would die. The Gentiles were not even allowed to enter the inner court. A wall separated it from the outer court, or "court of the Gentiles," and on this wall was an inscription which read: "No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death."
      But at the moment Christ died on the cross, the rending of the veil within the temple - a huge curtain separating the Most Holy Place from the inner court - signaled that peace with God was now possible, i.e. the Shekinah glory of God could now dwell among men because the spotless Lamb of God had now been offered. And it was by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that God would now "create the fruit of the lips," i.e. the gifts of the Holy Spirit would now flow from the mouths of the lowly and contrite of heart, who joyfully recognized the great grace being bestowed upon them.
     The wicked, however, would enjoy no peace with God, i.e. not have the Holy Spirit poured out upon them, and specifically because they were not contrite of heart but were remaining defiantly unrepentant over their sins. As a result, rather than the spiritual gifts flowing from their lips, they would "cast up mire and mud." This expression speaks of their uttering reproaches, murmurings, complaints and accusations against the Living God. Later in the letter, Jude will specifically mention that they were "scoffers," a reference to their scoffing at the notion of the Old Testament God bringing vengeance upon others on the Day of the Lord.
 
 
Scoffing At Prophecies About A Day Of Judgment

     To quote Irenaeus again, the following were the teachings of Simon on how "those angels who made the worlds" (the Old Testament God and His angels) gave laws to the Israelites only to subjugate and enslave them, making sure they obeyed by brainwashing them into fearing divine retribution. But Simon the magician taught that the power to destroy the world rested in his hands alone: 

     Since the angels ruled the world wickedly because each one of them coveted the principle power for himself, [Simon] had come to amend matters… Moreover, the prophets uttered their predictions under the inspiration of those angels who formed the worlds, for which reason those who place their trust in him and Helena no longer regarded them, but, as being free, live as they please; for men are saved through his grace, and not on account of their own righteous actions. For such deeds are righteous, not in the nature of things, but [only] … as those angels who made the world have thought fit to constitute them, seeking, by means of such precepts, to bring men into bondage. On this account, he pledged himself that the world should be dissolved, and that those who are his should be freed from the rule of those who made the world. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, XXIII, 3)

     Jude and Peter, therefore, rightly identified these heretics as "scoffers" who would discredit the notion of a coming Day of the Lord by advising others that such prophecies were given only to frighten mankind into submission:

     But you, beloved, remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, for they were saying to you that in the end time there would be scoffers, walking in accordance with their own lusts of ungodliness. (Jude 1:17-18)

     Be mindful of the words having been spoken beforehand by the prophets, and the commandment of us the apostles of [our] Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that in the last days there will come scoffers, walking in accordance with their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, everything has continued this way from the dawn of creation." (2 Peter 3:2-4)

     The question "Where is the promise of His coming?" was a reference to the coming promised Day of the Lord, and "everything has continued this way from the dawn of creation" was a way of insinuating it had all just been an empty threat. So what words spoken beforehand by the prophets did Peter want his readers to remain mindful of? The following prophecy in Isaiah is a clear example, which New Testament saints still placed full faith in and believed was soon coming to pass:

     Wail, for the Day of the Lord is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty... all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.
     See, the Day of the Lord is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger — to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. I will make men scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the Day of His burning anger. (Isaiah 13:4-13)

     The scoffers, however, were essentially saying, "If the God of the Jews actually had the power to carry out such threats, why hasn't he done so by now? Repeatedly he has vowed that a great and fearful Day is coming, and yet life has continued on as normal since the dawn of creation." Peter's response, however, was that they were willfully ignoring the fact that the world had not continued on as normal since the dawn of creation. They were forgetting that God nearly destroyed everything on the planet during Noah's time, and that just as He destroyed the earth by water last time, next time it would be by fire. And although this judgment was still being delayed it was coming, nevertheless the prophecies of God in scripture were not empty threats like Simon's followers were saying. God was simply providing additional time for sinners to repent: 

     For, willing it so, this is concealed from them… [that] the world that then was, having been deluged by water, perished. And the heavens and earth which now are, having been stored up by the same word, are being reserved for fire until the Day of the judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But let not this one thing be concealed from you, beloved, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow concerning His promise as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not desiring for anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance.
     But the Day of the Lord shall come like a thief, in which the heavens shall pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with burning heat, and the earth and all the works in it shall be burned up. Seeing then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of person ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, anticipating and hastening the coming of the Day of God by reason of which the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements, burning with heat, shall melt? (2 Peter 3:5-12)


Saints And Angels: "Stars" Revealing The Mysteries Of God

     What, then, did Jude mean by also describing them as "wayward stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever"? In ancient times, stars were thought to reveal the mysteries of God through heavenly signs, not only supernatural signs in the heavens but also the signs of the zodiac. Pagan cultures each created mythologies to try and explain these signs, but there is a tradition that it was actually the descendants of Seth who first understood the meanings of the constellations (Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, 2:67-71). Certainly the signs of the zodiac were honored in scripture, once by righteous Job (Job 9:9), once by the prophet Amos (Amos 5:8 ), and once by the Lord Himself (Job 38:31). Scripture also states that God named all the stars Himself (Psalm 147:4), and as numerous studies have shown, the ancient Aramaic and Hebrew names for the stars match the signs of the zodiac in their meaning.
     The Seed of the woman (i.e. Christ) would be born of a virgin (Virgo), and do battle against the serpent (Orphiuchus and Serpens). The serpent would strike His heal, yet He would crush its head (Hercules and Draco, Orphiuchus and Scorpio). He would die as a sacrificial Lamb (Hebrew and Aramaic names for the stars in Aries depict it as a Lamb, not a ram), balance the scales of justice (Libra), and in so doing deliver the church from bondage (Andromeda). All authority would then be given to Him (Cepheus), and He would pour out rivers of living water upon believers (Aquarius and Pisces Australis), until His church was eventually raised up and seated with Him on His throne (Cassiopeia), to reign with Him forevermore. (For more on this subject, see list of source materials provided at bottom of study).
     It is because stars revealed the mysteries of God that the angels were likened to them. They too revealed the mysteries of God to men. For instance, in desiring to know when the Messiah was coming, the prophet Daniel pleaded with God to reveal to him this mystery. As a result, God sent him the angel Gabriel to reveal to him the answer to his question:

     While I was yet speaking and praying and confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel, making my case to the Lord my God concerning His holy mountain - yea while I was still speaking in prayer, behold the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at first, came flying, and touched me about the time of the evening sacrifice. And he instructed me, and spoke with me, saying, “Daniel, I am now come forth to impart unto you understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are a man highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the matter, and understand the vision: Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and your holy city, to put an end to sin, and seal up transgressions, and blot out iniquities, and make atonement for wickedness, and bring in everlasting righteousness, and seal the vision and the prophet, and anoint the Most Holy." (Daniel 9:20-24, LXX)

     During New Testament times, angels continued to reveal the mysteries of God, such as during John's visions in the Book of Revelation:

     And the angel said to me, "Why did you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast carrying her, the one having seven heads and the ten horns. The beast which you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss, and go into destruction... (Revelation 17:7-8)

      But God's plan all along was that the saints of God eventually begin revealing great mysteries as well after His crucifixion, mysteries hidden from mankind since the foundations of the world:

     But we speak wisdom among the mature, only not the wisdom of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are being deposed. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery which has been hidden, which God preordained before time for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age had known, for if they had known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:6-8)

     I became a servant [to the church], according to the administration of God which has been given to me to fulfill the word of God, the mystery having been hidden from ages and from generations but which was made manifest to His saints... which is Christ within you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:25-27)


Wayward Stars, For Whom Darkness Was Reserved Forever

     But just as the saints paralleled the angels of God in giving genuine revelation to men, the Gnostics paralleled the angels who transgressed before the flood in granting men "revelations" which brought only darkness and death the earth rather than light. According to the Book of Enoch, they were the ones who revealed to men the use of weapons and enchantments. They also revealed false interpretations of the signs in the heavens. Specifically in regard to this, God commanded Enoch to inform them that their "revelations" regarding the signs were inaccurate, because they comprehended only a "rejected mystery."
     The passages, taken together, read as follows:

     Semyaza taught enchantments and root-cuttings, Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqiyal taught astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to Heaven.   
     And now, as for the Watchers…, [say unto them], "You have been in Heaven, but not all the mysteries had been revealed to you yet, and you know only a rejected mystery. And this in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through this mystery men and women multiply evil deeds upon the earth. Therefore," tell them, "you shall have no peace." (1 Enoch 8:3-4, 16:2-3)

     The mysteries being referred to here was the gospel in the stars, but a false interpretation of it which they "revealed to the women." This was the means by which they seduced the daughters of men. In realty, the signs depicted a spiritual war that would take place between the Seed of the woman and the serpent. The angels, however, falsely interpreted the heavenly signs as meaning that the prophesied Seed would engage in fleshly battles with the beasts of the earth, and promised the women they were seducing that they would be the ones to give birth to such supermen, or "men of reknown." (Genesis 6:4). Indeed, the Book of Enoch goes on to state that they sinned greatly against the beasts of the earth (1 Enoch 7:5). It would explain why God made a point of having these angels witness the death of their sons, who eventually killed each other off. Though they lived as great men of renown, they would die in great infamy (see Study #3).
     But the driving point is that these angels revealed a "rejected mystery" to mankind. For this, they were likened to wayward stars that deviated from their assigned courses, and no longer appeared at their appointed times. As a result of this they were cast into outer darkness, as a just punishment for no longer giving true light to mankind:

     And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no heavenly firmament above it nor earthly foundation underneath it - no water on it, and no birds - but was a desolate and terrible place. There I saw seven stars burning like great mountains, and when I inquired concerning them, the angel said, "This place is the end of heaven and earth. This has become a prison for the stars and the host of heaven… which transgressed the commandment of the Lord in the beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times." (1 Enoch 18:12-15)

     The so-called "mysteries" now being revealed by the Gnostics were just as carnal. As Jude stated from the outset, they were "translating the grace of God into sexual licentiousness." In other words, they were teaching that the right to practice sexual immorality was a grace given to them from "God" which ought to be commemorated often. For just as it had been practiced among the "mystery religions" of ancient antiquity, Simon and Helena had now re-instituted it among men, and revealed it to their initiates:

     Simon Magus, who taught that his prostitute Helena was the Holy Spirit, instituted certain foul and infamous mysteries inexpressibly filthy, and had assemblies equally filthy to celebrate them, these being the Mysteries of Life, and of the most perfect "knowledge" (i.e. gnosis).... And to aggravate their wickedness, [the Valentinians, a later Gnostic sect] esteemed copulation as a most sacred mystery, known only to themselves, which the profane were not allowed to put into practice, what was abominable in others being highly virtuous in themselves. (Queenborough, Occult Theocracy, P.119, 121)


Reproving The Ungodly For Their Ungodly Works

     Modern Gnostics are now introducing similar "revelations" which likewise qualify as "inexpressibly filthy." For the sake of going to point, however, I will cite a few here to show how Jude's description of them as "ungodly," i.e. impious and incredibly irreverent towards God, is truly fitting.
     For starters, in television documentaries and in books, it is now being taught that Jesus engaged in homoerotic sexual rites. Speaking of what supposedly took place when Lazarus was raised from the dead, one television documentary in citing "the Secret Gospel of Mark" stated as follows:

     "Jesus… stretched forth his hand and raised him, seizing his hand. But the youth, looking upon him, loved him and began to beseech him that he might be with him. When it was late, the young man went to him. He had put a linen around his naked body, and he remained with him through that night. For Jesus taught him the mystery of the kingdom of God." What is this secret of the kingdom of God that Jesus reveals to this young man? What kind of relationship did Jesus have with this young man? Of course, it gets very controversial. He goes to Jesus wearing nothing but a linen cloak, and they spend the night together. This text does seem to have some homoerotic undertones. (Banned From The Bible II, Secret Gospel of Mark, A History Channel DVD Series)

     Dr. Morton Smith, the discoverer of this supposed document while serving as a Professor of Ancient History at Columbia University in 1958, was apparently certain that Jesus did indeed practice "homoerotic" sexual rites, not just with Lazarus but with all His disciples as well:

     … Professor Smith himself had no doubts about Jesus' "libertine circle," and the possibility that his followers were admitted "singly [i.e. one at a time] and by night, to the mystery of the kingdom, by certain ceremonies derived from ancient erotic magic"… presumably masturbation, possibly prior to other sexual rituals… Professor Smith surmised that "Freedom from the [Jewish] law may have resulted in completion of the spiritual union by physical union." (Picknett, Secret History of Lucifer, P.70)

     After quoting the above source, Picknett then adds that the woman who broke the alabaster jar to pour ointment on Jesus' head (see Mark 14:3) also did so in preparation for engaging with Him in a sexual rite:

     Spikenard, the ruinously expensive perfume that she used to Christ-en Jesus, was used extensively in the sacred marriages and other sexual rites of the ancient Oriental systems… In the traditional form of sacred marriage, the hieros games, the priestess/queen/goddess also anoints the priest/king/god with oil on the genitals as preparation for ritual horasis [i.e. sex]. Behind the male disciples' concern for the wasted money and the plight of the poor, was there another reason for their distaste at this ritual? Clearly the anointing of Jesus' feet… took place in front of them, but the climax of the ceremony might have been a matter for closed doors, and a great deal of muttered conjecture. (Picknett, Secret History of Lucifer, P.74-76)

     So there you have it! Jesus was engaging in "homoerotic rites" with His disciples, but after He likewise did so with Mary Magdalene the disciples got jealous. Believe it or not, I could have provided quotes even more disgusting and repulsive, but these suffice to prove what sort of "revelations" we are now seeing emerge about "Christ" in the end-times. And it is destined to get even worse. No wonder they will suffer judgment for their "ungodly works," and for the hard words they spoke against the True and Living God.

     But Enoch, the seventh-generation descendant from Adam, also prophesied unto these men, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy angels to execute judgment against all, and to reprove all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly works which they committed in ungodliness, and concerning all the hard words ungodly sinners spoke against Him." (Jude 1:14-15)




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Source material on the gospel in the stars: The Witness of the Stars, by E.W. Bullinger, and The Gospel in the Stars, by Joseph A Seiss, both available on MP3 download. Also see God's Voice in the Stars, by Kenneth C. Flemming.

Link to Darnel info:
http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/5075/Darnel.htm