Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is the Epistle of
Jude, as well as the second epistle of Peter,
chapters 1 to 3. The Epistle of Jude Jude, a
bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,
to those who are called, sanctified by God the
Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, mercy,
peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved,
while I was very diligent to write to you concerning
our common salvation, I found it necessary to
write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly
for the faith which was once for all delivered
to the saints. For certain men have crept in
unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this
condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace
of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord
God and our Lord Jesus Christ. 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, and the angels who did not keep their
proper domain, but left their own abode, he has
reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness
for the judgment of the great day. As Sodom and
Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar
manner to these, having given themselves over
to sexual immorality, and gone after strange
flesh, are set forth as an example. suffering
the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also
these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority,
and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the
archangel, in contending with the devil, when
he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not
bring against him a reviling accusation, but
said, The Lord rebuke you. But these speak evil
of whatever they do not know. and whatever they
know naturally, like brood beasts, in these things
they corrupt themselves. Woe to them, for they
have gone in the way of Cain, having run greedily
the error of Balaam for profit, and perished
in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in
your love feasts, while they feast with you without
fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds
without water, carried about by the winds, late
autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled
up by the roots. raging waves of the sea foaming
up their own shame wandering stars for whom is
reserved the blackness of darkness forever now
enoch the seventh from adam prophesied about
these men also saying behold the lord comes with
ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment
on all to convict all who are ungodly among them
of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed
in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things
which ungodly sinners have spoken against them.
These are grumblers, complainers, walking according
to their own lusts, and they mouth great swelling
words. flattering people to gain advantage. But
you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken
before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
how they told you that there would be mockers
in the last time who would walk according to
their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons
who cause divisions not having the Spirit. But
you, beloved, building yourselves up on your
most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life. And on some, have compassion, making a
distinction, but others, save with fear, pulling
them out of the fire, hating even the garment
defiled by the flesh. Now to Him who is able
to keep you from stumbling, and to present you
faultless, before the presence of His glory with
exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is
wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 1 Simon Peter,
a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ. To
those who have obtained, like precious faith,
with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior,
Jesus Christ, grace and peace be multiplied to
you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our
Lord, as His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through
the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and
virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly
great and precious promises, that through these
you may be partakers of the divine nature. having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust, but also for this very reason giving all
diligence at your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
to knowledge self -control, to self -control
perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness
brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness
love. For if these things are yours and abound,
you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he
who lacks these things is short -sighted, even
to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed
from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even
more diligent to make your call and election
sure. For if you do these things, you will never
stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied
to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For this
reason, I will not be negligent to remind you
always of these things, though you know and are
established in the present truth. Yes, I think
it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to
stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly
I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus
Christ showed me. Moreover, I will be careful
to ensure that you always have a reminder of
these things after my decease. For we did not
follow cunningly devised fables when we made
known to you the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received from God the Father honor and
glory, when such a voice came to him from the
excellent glory, This is my beloved Son. in whom
I am well pleased. And we heard this voice which
came from heaven, when we were with him on the
holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word
confirmed, which you do well to heed, as a light
that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns
and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing
this first, that no prophecy of scripture is
of any private interpretation. For prophecy never
came by the will of man, but holy men of God
spoke as they were moved. by the Holy Spirit.
By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive
words. For a long time their judgment has not
been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned,
but cast them down to hell and delivered them
into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment,
and did not spare the ancient world, but saved
Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.
and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making
them an example to those who afterward would
live ungodly, and delivered righteous Lot, who
was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked.
For that righteous man dwelling among them tormented
his righteous soul from day to day by seeing
and hearing their lawless deeds. Then the Lord
knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations
and to reserve the unjust under punishment for
the day of judgment. and especially those who
walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness
and despise authority. They are presumptuous,
self -willed. They are not afraid to speak evil
of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater
in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation
against them before the Lord. But these, like
natural brute beasts, made to be caught and destroyed,
speak evil of the things they do not understand,
and will utterly perish in their own corruption,
and will receive the wages of unrighteousness
as those who counted pleasure to carouse in the
daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing
in their own deceptions while they feast with
you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot
cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They
have a heart trained in covetous practices, and
are accursed children. They have forsaken the
right way and gone astray, following the way
of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages
of unrighteousness, but he was rebuked for his
iniquity. A dumb donkey, speaking with a man's
voice, restrained the madness of the prophet.
These are wells without water, clouds carried
by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness
of darkness forever. For when they speak great
swelling words of emptiness, they allure through
the lusts of the flesh. through lewdness, the
ones who have actually escaped from those who
live in error. While they promise them liberty,
they themselves are slaves of corruption. For
by whom a person is overcome, by him also he
is brought into bondage. For if after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world through the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
they are again entangled in them and overcome,
The latter end is worse for them than the beginning,
for it would have been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness than having
known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered
to them. But it has happened to them according
to the true proverb, a dog returns to his own
vomit, and a sow, having washed, to her wallowing
in the mire. in both of which I stir up your
pure minds by way of reminder, that you may be
mindful of the words which were spoken before
by the holy prophets and of the commandment of
us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour, knowing
this first, that scoffers will come in the last
days, walking according to their own lusts, and
saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue
as they were from the beginning of creation.
For this they will fully forget. that by the
word of God the heavens were of old, and earth
standing out of water and in the water, by which
the world that then existed perished, being flooded
with water. But the heavens and the earth, which
are now preserved by the same word, are reserved
for fire until the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this
one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
as some count slackness, but is longsuffering
toward us, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance. But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,
in which the heavens will pass away with a great
noise, and the elements will melt with fervent
heat. Both the earth and the works that are in
it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these
things will be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
looking for and hastening the coming of the day
of God, because of which the heavens will be
dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will
melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according
to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore,
beloved, looking forward to these things, Be
diligent to be found by him in peace, without
spot and blameless. And consider that the longsuffering
of our Lord is salvation, as also our beloved
brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to
him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles,
speaking in them of these things, in which are
some things hard to understand. which untaught
and unstable people twist to their own destruction,
as they do also the rest of scriptures. You therefore,
beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware
lest you also fall from your own steadfastness,
being led away with the error of the wicked,
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory,
both now and forever. Amen. I hope you enjoyed
today's reading as much as I did and I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.