Jude 1:18
“How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The apostles had foretold that in the last time scoffers would come, living according to their own ungodly desires.
What Does Jude 1:18 Mean?
Jude now repeats what the apostles foretold. They had said that in the last time there would be mockers, people who treat sacred things with scorn, and that such mockers would walk after their own ungodly lusts. The pattern Jude has described throughout the letter was no surprise; it was predicted.
This is meant to steady the readers. When truth is mocked and self-indulgence parades as wisdom, it can feel as though something has gone terribly wrong. Jude shows that it is, in a sense, exactly what was expected. The apostles saw it coming. Forewarned, believers need not be shaken; instead they can recognize the mockers for what they are and hold their ground. The same Lord who let his witnesses foretell the danger remains faithful to carry his people safely through it.
In the Original Language
empaiktai (ἐμπαῖκται), "mockers" — scoffers who make a sport of mocking what is holy.