JUDE
I’m reading from the book of Jude and v. 9.
This Jude happens to be one of Jesus’ brothers.
I don’t know if you knew that.
I’ve always wondered if he (Jude is Judas in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3) got all this stuff in the book he wrote from Jesus Himself because there’s some pretty unusual stuff in this little book of Jude here including v. 9 that I want you to look at with me now.
Notice Jude 9 says…
“But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.'”
The Contemporary English Version has it…
“Even Michael, the chief angel, didn’t dare to insult the devil, when the two of them were arguing about the body of Moses. All Michael said was, ‘The Lord will punish you!'”
And now the “Believe It Or Not” point here is: The devil once argued with an angel over Moses’ body.
And this is quite fascinating for at least a couple of reasons.
FASCINATING REASON ONE
The first reason is it’s a look into the supernatural behind the scenes as regards Moses after his death.
Of course, we can only conjecture further about the specifics of this exchange in Jude 9.
And I’m leaning on John Gill’s Commentary to do it.
But some understand this instance pitting the devil and the archangel Michael (the angel of war, by the way, versus the angel Gabriel, the messenger angel) – but some understand this episode with Satan and Michael and have them literally contesting over the natural and fleshly body of Moses.
Which, by the way, did you know how Moses was buried?
This could be another “Believe It Or Not” in itself.
It was the Lord who buried Moses personally.
Dueteronomy 34:6 records…
“The Lord buried [Moses] in a valley near the town of Beth-Peor, but even today no one knows exactly where.” (CEV)
Gill’s Commentary goes on “partly out of respect [for Moses, God buried him]; [and then secondly,] as some think, lest the Israelites should be tempted to [worship Moses and fall into idolatry].”
But the devil is wanting Israel to sin and to lead them into sin and so he wants Moses’ body.
Whether or not it’s exactly true, it’s still fun to wonder.
And as this is the first reason why this verse – Jude 9 – and the story here is fascinating.
It’s a look into the supernatural behind the scenes as regards Moses after his death.
I don’t know if you’ve ever taken the time to consider it.
FASCINATING REASON TWO
And the second reason now why this story is fascinating (from “When Critics Ask by Geisler & How; pg 549) – and what I want to talk about next has everything to do with something you probably have never heard or read. (Or if you did, you forgot it!)
But this Jude 9 is a reference to what’s referred to as an uninspired work entitled: “The Assumption Of Moses.”
“The Assumption Of Moses” (or “Ascension Of Moses” as others dub it) is a book.
It’s a book that is categorized as pseudepigraphal – which is just a big word for false writing.
The book, “The Assumption Of Moses,” is considered pseudepigraphal.
It’s a false writing.
It’s not to be considered biblical.
But this is what Jude v. 9 is based on – a non biblical, false writing.
And so the question is: How can you possibly include a story in the Bible that comes from a dishonest source?
How am I gonna squeeze our of this one?
Well, here comes the “squeeze.”
And let me just give you an example.
How many of you read the National Enquirer?
You heathens. (That was supposed to be a joke.)
But you’ve done it.
Yes, you have.
You’ve stood there in the line at the checkout counter in the grocery store.
And the National Enquirer is right there.
Right?
And you’ve peered over at it.
And the headlines this week are (I got the following from http://www.nationalenquirer.com as of August 26th, 2016):
1. SHOCKING PHOTOS! Steve Irwin Autopsy Shocker – High On Magic Mushrooms!
2. ‘DAMAGED GOODS!’ Caitlyn Jenner: Transgendered Beauty’s Suicide Hell – On the brink as reality show gets cancelled!
3. EXCLUSIVE VIDEO! Dick Morris: How Donald Still Trumps The Polls – The D.C. insider adds up the losers who had the lead in elections!
4. SHOCKING PHOTOS! Manson Family’s Sick Scheme To ‘Honor’ Sharon Tate
5. TREASONOUS SECRETS! Hillary’s ISIS Connection: Her Blood-Money Deals – Crooked pay-for-play scandal in State Department had a violent cost
6. REPEAT OFFENDER! Diana Ross — Diva Takes Handicap Parking Spot – Friend’s drug fears don’t count for privileged parking!
7. DEATH HOUSE! Mom Accused Of Freezing Her Infant Son Solid – 4-day-old child put in freezer for three hours!
And the point I wanted to make with these is this: Some things even in the National Enquirer ARE true.
For example, Caitlyn “Bruce” Jenner’s show “I Am Cait” was scheduled to be cancelled as of March 2016 according to the New York Daily News online and according to Caitlyn her – him? – self.
After 2 amazing seasons of @IAmCait, it's time for the next adventure. Thank you E! & thank you to the best girlfriends I could ask for!
— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) August 16, 2016
And so just because it’s in a magazine or on the internet or even in a book entitled: “The Assumption Of Moses” which is considered to overall be a non biblical, false writing, there still can be some true things in it.
And there still are some true things written in questionable material.
And so the story of the devil arguing with an angel over Moses’ body is a true story whether or not you find it in “The Assumption Of Moses” the National Enquirer or the Bible.
“All truth is God’s truth,” the saying goes, no matter where you find it.
All truth is God’s truth.
Watch for “Believe It Or Not – The Israelites Once Drank Water Filled With Gold” to come soon.
(Guido Reni’s Michael (in Santa Maria della Concezione church, Rome, 1636) tramples Satan. A mosaic of the same painting decorates St. Michael’s Altar in St. Peter’s Basilica via wikipedia)
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