Jude 1:18 kjv

How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Jude 1:18 nkjv

how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.

Jude 1:18 niv

They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."

Jude 1:18 esv

They said to you, "In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions."

Jude 1:18 nlt

They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.

Jude 1 verses

Jude 1 18 Meaning

Jude 1:18 conveys a vital warning by reminding the readers that the apostles had previously prophesied the emergence of scoffers in the final era. These individuals would be characterized by a lifestyle driven by their own impious desires, thereby fulfilling those prophecies and affirming the need for the believers to be vigilant and adhere to the true faith.

Jude 1 18 Context

Jude's epistle serves as an urgent plea to contending for the faith against individuals who have subtly infiltrated the Christian community. These ungodly persons distort grace into licentiousness and deny Christ's Lordship. Jude reminds his readers that this troubling situation is not unforeseen. He builds upon earlier warnings found in apostolic teachings, framing the current apostasy as the fulfillment of prophecy. Verse 18 directly refers back to the apostles' specific predictions, validating Jude's warning and highlighting the consistent nature of the threat from within the church. The historical backdrop for Jude's letter includes growing moral laxity and false doctrines that blurred the lines between Christian liberty and worldly indulgence, likely stemming from a nascent Gnostic-like thought that detached spiritual freedom from moral responsibility.

Jude 1 18 Word analysis

• how that they told you (οὕτως ἔλεγον ὑμῖν - houtōs elegon hymin):
  • "they": Refers directly to the apostles mentioned in Jude 1:17 ("But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ"). This anchors Jude's warning firmly in authoritative, foundational Christian teaching. It emphasizes the continuity of prophetic revelation concerning end-time dangers.
  • "told you": Signifies that these warnings were not new or novel to Jude's audience, but rather had been previously communicated as part of apostolic instruction, reinforcing the reliability of the message.
• there should be (ἔσονται - esontai):
  • Translates as "there shall be" or "there will be," indicating a definite future event or state. It's a prophetic prediction, not merely a possibility.
• mockers (ἐμπαῖκται - empaiktai):
  • Denotes those who are contemptuous, derisive, or scoff. More than just unbelievers, these individuals actively ridicule and scorn divine truth, the return of Christ, or the concept of future judgment (as elaborated in 2 Pet 3:3). Their mocking stems from a position of rebellious ungodliness. This term echoes similar expressions found in the Old Testament referring to those who scorn God's warnings.
• in the last time (ἐσχάτου χρόνου - eschatou chronou):
  • Refers to the eschatological period, often understood as the entire duration from Christ's first advent until His return and the consummation of His kingdom. The New Testament writers generally believed themselves to be living within these "last days," signaling an urgency in recognizing prophetic fulfillment in their contemporary circumstances.
• who should walk after (οἱ πορευόμενοι - hoi poreuomenoi):
  • "Who" functions as a present active participle, describing the scoffers as characterized by a continuous action or way of life.
  • "Walk after" (from poreuomai) signifies their lifestyle, conduct, or consistent pattern of behavior. It describes how they choose to live their lives, following a specific inclination or impulse.
• their own (τῶν ἰδίων - tōn idiōn):
  • Emphasizes the self-centered, autonomous nature of these individuals' motivations. Their desires originate from themselves, rather than from God or His revealed will, highlighting their rebellion against divine authority.
• ungodly lusts (ἀσεβειῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν - asebeiōn epithymiōn):
  • "ungodly" (ἀσεβειῶν - asebeiōn): Signifies impiety, irreverence, a lack of reverence for God. It describes a deep-seated antagonism to God and His standards, contrasting sharply with true piety (eusebeia). It's not just error, but an active rebellion.
  • "lusts" (ἐπιθυμιῶν - epithymiōn): Refers to strong desires or cravings. In the New Testament, especially when coupled with negative modifiers like "ungodly," it consistently refers to sinful passions, illicit cravings, or corrupt inclinations of the fallen human nature that stand in opposition to God's will.
• who should walk after their own ungodly lusts: This phrase connects their scoffing directly to their moral conduct. Their skepticism is not intellectual honesty but rooted in a desire to justify a sinful lifestyle. Their ungodly lusts are the driving force behind their scoffing behavior, serving as a powerful warning that doctrine and life are intrinsically linked. Their lifestyle confirms their ungodliness and mocks righteous living.

Jude 1 18 Bonus section

The linkage between an individual's "ungodly lusts" and their public "scoffing" demonstrates that genuine faith impacts moral conduct. Those who reject God's standards often find intellectual reasons to justify their immorality, rather than the immorality being a consequence of a genuinely held intellectual position. This serves as a significant discernment tool for believers to identify false teachers and apostates—not only by what they teach, but by how they live and what desires drive their lives. The term "last time" here encompasses the entire church age, implying that believers throughout history will encounter similar challenges, serving as a constant reminder for vigilance.

Jude 1 18 Commentary

Jude 1:18 is a pivotal verse within this short but forceful epistle, acting as both an affirmation and an alert. It assures Jude's beleaguered readers that the moral and doctrinal decay they witnessed was not a unique or unexpected crisis but rather a predicted characteristic of the "last time" by the very apostles who established their faith. This underscores the foreknowledge of God and the veracity of apostolic warnings. The scoffers are clearly identified not just by their mockery of divine truth and the future return of Christ but, more fundamentally, by the root of their scoffing: "their own ungodly lusts." This highlights that false doctrine and overt impiety often spring from a desire to indulge in personal sinful inclinations without the constraints of divine accountability. It reveals a common pattern where those who scoff at spiritual truth do so because such truth condemns their cherished sinful desires. Therefore, Jude calls the faithful not to be dismayed but to remember, remain vigilant, and actively contend for the faith that was once for all delivered.