What does Jude 1:5-7 mean?

⁵ I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. ⁶ And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. ⁷ Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 1:5-7 KJV)

Old and New Apostates

The apostle warns, in Christ’s name, those who fall away after professing faith (Jude 1:5). God’s past judgments serve as warnings to others—not necessarily signs of special wrath against those punished. “I want to remind you, though you know all these things” (Jude 1:5). Preaching is meant to remind and stir us—to affect our emotions and firm our resolve, so our lives match our beliefs. Even truths we know must be freshly remembered, for we often forget.

We are reminded of:

1. The destruction of unbelieving Israelites in the wilderness (Jude 1:5). Paul also reminds the Corinthians of this (1 Corinthians 10:1-10). Though they saw miracles daily, they perished through unbelief. We, having even greater blessings, should take warning. “Do not be arrogant, but fear” (Romans 11:20). “Let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short” (Hebrews 4:1).
2. The fall of the angels (Jude 1:6). A great number rebelled, unhappy with the roles God assigned them. Pride led to their fall—they abandoned their place and were cast down to hell. Now they are “kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains” (Jude 1:6). Once angels of light, they now live in defiant darkness, still opposing God. Their judgment is certain—reserved for the great day. If angels will be judged, how can fallen humans expect to escape? Their chains are “everlasting” because they cannot break free. God’s justice holds them fast. Let sinners take heed.
3. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 1:7). Their judgment is a picture of eternal punishment—“suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Their sins, especially sexual immorality, should warn us to flee “fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Their ruin calls us to holiness. Can momentary pleasures justify risking eternal punishment? No. “Stand in awe, and do not sin.”