In verse 7 Jude continues, “As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who in like manner with these gave themselves over to fornication and went after other flesh, are set forth as an example, undergoing the penalty of eternal fire.” The word “as” here is important and means in the same manner as. This word proves that the angels in the preceding verse are the sons of God in Genesis 6:2, who committed fornication with strange flesh and were condemned by God for the judgment of the great day, for immediately following that was the judgment on Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities around them. The relative pronoun “who” in verse 7 refers to Sodom, Gomorrah, and the cities around them.
The phrase “in like manner” means in the manner of committing fornication with strange flesh, as the fallen angels did. The fallen angels committed fornication with another race, which to them was strange flesh. The Sodomites indulged their lusts with males (Rom. 1:27; Lev. 18:22), with flesh different from and strange to what God ordained by the nature of His creation for human marriage (Gen. 2:18-24). In verse 7 “other flesh” denotes flesh that is strange or different, and “these” refers to the fornicating angels in the preceding verse.
If we compare Jude with 2 Peter, we shall see that these two Epistles cover many of the same points. This indicates that the apostles and early teachers must have had fellowship regarding these matters. Otherwise, how could Peter and Jude have written in a way that is so similar? These two brothers, both of whom had a Jewish background and bore the responsibility to sound the trumpet for the New Testament truths, condemned the same things and emphasized the fact that anyone who takes the way of apostasy will suffer God’s judgment.
It is extremely serious to deny the Lord’s Person and His redemptive work. Certain modernists who deny the Lord in this way have suffered God’s judgment even in their lifetime. When the Oxford movement, or Buchmanism, was active in China, some modernists were so bold as to say that Jesus Christ was not the Son of God born of a virgin, but was the illegitimate son of Mary. This is not only heretical; it is blasphemous. What blasphemy it is to claim that our Lord Jesus Christ was the illegitimate son of Mary! Eventually, some of those who taught such heretical and blasphemous things did not have a good end in life. Not only will they be judged by God in the future—they were judged by God during their lifetime. As a result, the ending of their life was not at all good.
We need to learn from the books of Jude and 2 Peter to fear God and to be very careful concerning the Lord’s Person and His redemptive work. Because we live in a perverted age, the young people especially need to be on the alert. We all must have a basic understanding of the Word of God. This will protect us. As Peter says, the Word will be a lamp shining within us (2 Pet. 1:19). Then if we come in contact with apostates and heretics, we will know that their teaching concerning the Person of Christ and His redemptive work is false and blasphemous, and we will not listen to them. Because we fought against modernism when we were in China, the Christians there were protected. Of course, other Christians were also faithful to fight against heretical teachings. Today we all need to be faithful to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.