Jude - Acts of the Apostates

183 Pages·2012·2 MB·English

by  Arlen L. Chitwood

Jude
Acts of the Apostates
A Study about the Prophesied
Spiritual Condition of the Church
at the Time of Christ’s Return
Arlen L. Chitwood
Jude is a book dealing with apostasy. More specifically, Jude is
a book dealing with Christians caught up in apostasy, detailing the
course and nature of this apostasy, along with the end result.
We’re living very near the close of the present dispensation, dur-
ing the time when the Laodicean period of Church history is rapidly
nearing completion.
Throughout the remainder of this dispensation, according to Scrip-
ture, there can ONLY be a further deterioration of existing conditions.
And the ONLY recourse which Christians have to avoid being engulfed,
to some degree, in this departure from the faith is a knowledge of the
Word of God.
There will be NO great awakening, great revival, in Christendom
during days ahead. Rather, deteriorating conditions will only intensify
during the closing days of the dispensation.
And the end result of this deterioration — COMPLETE apostasy,
resulting from the working of the leaven which the woman placed
in the three measures of meal (Matt. 13:33) — will mark conditions
throughout Christendom as the dispensation is brought to a close.
Jude, as all of the other New Testament epistles, deals with the
salvation of the soul. And the special and particular emphasis in Jude
is upon an ever-intensifying deterioration — apostasy — relative to
correct Biblical teaching pertaining to THIS proffered salvation, NOT
relative to salvation by grace or relative to Biblical doctrine in general.
And correctly understanding Jude 3, in the preceding respect, is
foundational to a correct understanding of the book as a whole:
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the com-
mon salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you
that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered
unto the saints.”
Go wrong here, and you will be wrong the rest of the way; BUT,
correctly understand this verse, and…
Introduction i
Jude
Acts of the Apostates
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Introduction iii
Jude
Acts of the Apostates
by
Arlen L. Chitwood
The
Lamp Broadcast, Inc.
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First Printing 1984
Second Printing 1999
Revised 2012, 2019
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“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the
beginning of the creation of God;
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would
that thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and
have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou
mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,
and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint
thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous there-
fore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with
him and he with me.
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my
Father in his throne.”
— Rev. 3:14-21
Cover Photograph: Sunset on South Carolina Coast, Spring, 2005
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Introduction v
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
I. THE GREAT APOSTASY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
AMONG THE SAVED, NOT THE UNSAVED
II. CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A SPECIFIC FAITH AND EXHORTATION
III. FALLING AWAY FROM THE FAITH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
A SPECIFIC FAITH AND DEPARTURE
IV. SAVED, BUT AFTERWARD DESTROYED . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
END RESULT OF A SPECIFIC DEPARTURE
V. IN THOSE DAYS…ALSO AFTER THAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
THE SONS OF GOD, THE DAUGHTERS OF MEN
VI. IN LIKE MANNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
SEXUAL PERVERSION, ANGELS, MEN, WOMEN
VII. DEFILING ONE’S HIGH CALLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
EXAMPLES, OLD TESTAMENT, NEW TESTAMENT
VIII. WOE UNTO THEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
TEACHINGS DRAWN FROM CAIN, BALAAM, KORAH
IX. BEHOLD, THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
EVENTS SURROUNDING CHRIST’S RETURN
X. MOCKERS IN THE LAST TIME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
DIVISIVE, SENSUAL, WILLINGLY IGNORANT
XI. “BUT YE BELOVED…” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
BUILDING, KEEPING, LOOKING FOR…
APPENDIX
IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
THE WILFUL SIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
SCRIPTURE INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
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By the Same Author —
RUTH
ESTHER
BY FAITH
RUN TO WIN
LET US GO ON
END OF THE DAYS
MOSES AND JOHN
IN THE LORD’S DAY
DISTANT HOOFBEATS
SO GREAT SALVATION
THE BRIDE IN GENESIS
GOD’S FIRSTBORN SONS
SEARCH FOR THE BRIDE
WE ARE ALMOST THERE
SIGNS IN JOHN’S GOSPEL
SALVATION OF THE SOUL
THE MOST HIGH RULETH
THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE
HAD YE BELIEVED MOSES
THE STUDY OF SCRIPTURE
COMING IN HIS KINGDOM
FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN
MYSTERY OF THE WOMAN
SEVEN, TEN GENERATIONS
REDEEMED FOR A PURPOSE
JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST
THE RAPTURE AND BEYOND
FROM ACTS TO THE EPISTLES
MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM
PROPHECY ON MOUNT OLIVET
NEVER AGAIN! OR YES, AGAIN!
THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE
BROUGHT FORTH FROM ABOVE
ISRAEL — FROM DEATH TO LIFE
O SLEEPER! ARISE, CALL…! (JONAH)
THE TIME OF THE END (REVELATION)
MIDDLE EAST PEACE — HOW? WHEN?
SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
MESSAGE IN THE GOSPELS, ACTS, EPISTLES
ISRAEL — WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
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Introduction vii
FOREWORD
Apostasy is a major subject of Scripture, beginning among the
Israelites in the Old Testament and continuing among Christians in
the New Testament.
There were false prophets among the Israelites during and follow-
ing Moses’ day, “even as” there have been and are false teachers in
Christendom during the present day. And the message of the false
teachers in Christendom is described by the words, “damnable her-
esies,” which had its counterpart in the message previously proclaimed
by the false prophets in Israel (II Peter 2:1).
Over “the space of three years,” Paul, “night and day with tears,”
had warned the Christians in Ephesus concerning individuals who
would arise within the Church and lead many astray.
These individuals were described as “grievous [‘savage,’ ‘violent’]
wolves” who would proclaim “perverse things [distorting, twisting the
truth],” and “draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-31).
Paul warned Timothy concerning apostasy “in the latter times.”
Many at that time would “depart [‘apostatize’] from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons” (I Tim. 4:1-3).
That is, Christians would cease listening to those proclaiming the
truth, the deep things of God; and, instead, they would listen to those
proclaiming that which was false — truth which had been twisted,
perverted — called, the deep things of Satan (I Cor. 2:10; Rev. 2:24).
Central Subject of the New Testament Epistles
The 2,000-Year History of the Church
Of the twenty-one New Testament epistles, ALL center around
ONE subject: the salvation of the soul, with everything dealt with in
the epistles inseparably related to this central subject.
And two of these epistles, II Peter and Jude, center specifically
around ONE particular aspect of the salvation of the soul — apostasy
in relation to this salvation.
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Then, two accounts are given in the New Testament showing the
complete history of the Church throughout the dispensation.
The first was given during Christ’s earthly ministry before the Church
was ever brought into existence (Matt. 13:3-33); and the second was
given through the apostle John, following Christ’s ascension (Rev. 2, 3).
Both accounts, written from two different perspectives, show EX-
ACTLY the same thing. They both show the Church, throughout the
dispensation, progressively DEPARTING from ALL sound teaching
concerning the salvation of the soul, referred to as “the word of the
kingdom” in Matthew chapter thirteen.
And both accounts show EXACTLY the same outcome for the
Church in days immediately preceding the end of the dispensation,
days during which Christendom presently finds itself.
Both accounts show the Church ultimately so far removed from
any sound teaching pertaining to the Word of the Kingdom that, at
the time of Christ’s return, He will NOT find “faith [lit., ‘the faith,’ an
expression peculiarly related to this message in the N.T.] on the earth.”
That is, at the time of Christ’s return, He will NOT find the Word
of the Kingdom being proclaimed in the Churches of the land (Luke
18:8). The Church, throughout 2,000 years of history, will have moved
180 degrees out of phase in relation to this message.
The Progressive Deterioration, Apostasy — Why?
At the beginning of the dispensation, the Word of the Kingdom was
the CENTRAL message known and taught throughout Christendom
(Col. 1:5, 6, 23).
However, at the end of the dispensation, Scripture states that con-
ditions will be EXACTLY the opposite. At the end of the dispensation,
this message will NOT be taught in the Churches at all.
HOW did this occur?
WHY did this occur?
As long as a person remains with what Scripture reveals about
the matter, the answer is very clear and simple.
A woman placed leaven in three measures of meal very early in
the dispensation. And the leaven, working in the meal throughout the
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