“How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”
My Notes
What Does Jude 1:18 Mean?
Jude reminds his readers of what the apostles predicted: in the last time, mockers would appear who walk according to their own ungodly lusts. The mockers aren't outsiders attacking the church. They're insiders walking among believers — mocking the faith from within while living for their own desires.
The word "mockers" (empaiktai) means scoffers — people who ridicule. They don't just disagree. They mock. They treat the faith with contempt, turning sacred things into jokes. And the mockery is connected to their lifestyle: they mock because they walk after their own lusts. The ridicule of truth makes their disobedience feel justified.
"The last time" — the period between Christ's first and second coming. The apostles warned that this entire era would be characterized by internal mockery. The scoffers aren't a future surprise. They're a predicted feature of the age we live in.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are there mockers in your circle — people who ridicule your faith to justify their own choices?
- 2.How does the connection between mockery and lust (ridiculing truth to protect disobedience) show up in your culture?
- 3.Does knowing the apostles predicted internal mockers help you handle them without being shaken?
- 4.Where has mockery (from others or from your own internal voice) eroded your willingness to take faith seriously?
Devotional
The apostles warned you: mockers are coming. In the last days. Walking after their own desires. And mocking the faith from inside.
Jude reminds his readers that this was always the prediction. The apostles didn't promise a smooth church age followed by trouble at the end. They said: trouble inside the church, throughout the last days. Mockers. Scoffers. People who walk among you, eat at your table, and ridicule what you hold sacred.
The connection between mockery and lust is the key. They mock because they lust. The ridicule of truth is the defense mechanism that protects their disobedience. If you can laugh at holiness, you don't have to submit to it. If you can mock the standards, you can live however you want without guilt.
Mockery is always cheaper than obedience. It's easier to ridicule a standard than to meet it. And the mockers Jude describes have chosen the easy path: dismiss the faith, follow your desires, and make fun of anyone serious enough to try living differently.
"In the last time" — you're in the last time. And the mockers are here. They might be in your circle. They might be in your feed. They might be in your head — the voice that ridicules your faith when you try to take it seriously.
The apostles predicted them. Don't be surprised by them. And don't let their mockery rewrite your convictions. They walk after their own lusts and mock to justify it. You walk after Christ and endure the mockery because you know what's true.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
How that they told you that there should be mockers in the last time,.... See Gill on Pe2 3:3.
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Jude 1:19
jde…
But, beloved, remember ye ... - There is a striking similarity between these two verses and 2Pe 3:1-3. It occurs in the…
Mockers in the last time - See the notes on Ti1 4:1; Ti2 3:1 (note), etc.; and particularly Pe2 3:2 , Pe2 3:3 (note),…
Here, I. The apostle enlarges further on the character of these evil men and seducers: they are murmurers, complainers,…
there should be mockers in the last time The word for "mockers" is found in 2Pe 3:3, but the general character of those…
Cross References
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