heaven undefiled and unfading.  In like manner Jude refers to the 'preserved'

in Jesus Christ.  On the other hand Peter uses tereo four times in his second

Epistle in connection with both evil and judgment:

'Reserved unto judgment', 'reserve the unjust ... to be punished'.

'The mist of darkness is reserved for ever', 'reserved unto fire

against the day of judgment' (2 Pet. 2:4,9,17; 3:7).

So also in Jude 6 the angels that fell He hath 'reserved in everlasting

chains ... unto the judgment of the great day'; while for those who have gone

the way of Cain, Balaam and Korah 'is reserved the blackness of darkness for

ever' (11 -13).  The angels that fell 'kept not' their own habitation, the

believer is exhorted to 'keep himself' in the love of God, and may find in

this doxology assurance of God's protecting care.

Phulake, the substantive form of phulasso is translated 'prison' in 1

Peter 3:19, another most pointed contrast.  These were 'guarded' as a

punishment, but you, said Jude, will be as effectually 'guarded' even from

falling.  The intensive form, diaphulasso, is found in Luke, chapter 4, where

we read:

'It is written, He shall give His angels charge over Thee, to keep

Thee' (4:10).

From this word phulasso has come the 'phylactery' used by the Jew as a

'guard' or 'charm'; 'that evil spirits may not have power to hurt us'

(Rabbinical Targum on the Song of Solomon).  This is a false trust, a mere

superstition, resorted to by those who had lost their way and wandered from

the truth.  May this knowledge of the usage of phulasso, enable us to join

thankfully and intelligently in the doxology of Jude, ascribing glory unto

Him that is able to guard us.  We need guarding, protecting and keeping in

many ways, and in connection with many things, but that singled out by Jude

is 'from falling'.  The English word 'fall' should be reserved to translate

the Greek word pipto (Romans 11:11,12), the word by Jude here being

aptaistos.  Jude is not concerned with the possibility that the saints would

'fall', he is concerned that they should not even 'stumble', as the word

ptaio is translated in Romans 11:11 where 'stumbling' may indeed lead to a

'fall' although it is not the fall itself.

In James 2:10 and 3:2 the word is translated 'offend' and such is human

nature that James admits, 'In many things we offend all'.  Consequently we

must remember that Peter does not really say in his second Epistle, 'If ye do

these things ye shall never fall', but 'ye shall never stumble or trip up' (2

Pet. 1:10).  'Standing' is not so much in view as 'state'.  To guard

believers from stumbling is a negative proposition, but 'To present them

faultless in the presence of His glory with exceeding joy' is positive, and

blessed beyond comprehension.  The work of redeeming love will not be fully

accomplished until believers who were once lost in sin are not only forgiven,

justified and sanctified, but are 'presented faultless' before the presence

of the Lord.  It may be remembered that at the opening of this study we

acknowledged the dispensational difference of the callings of Jude and of the

apostle Paul, but said that the character of unsaved men, their opposition

and the saint's reaction, remained much the same toward the end of the age,

whatever difference there might be in the individual believer's calling and

standing.  We observe one of these dispensational differences with this word

'present' (Jude 24).  The believer, addressed by Jude, and those to whom Paul

wrote in Ephesians and in Colossians, are to be 'presented blameless'.  So