In our last study, Jude said that God will judge the ungodly (false teachers). These false teachers “crept in, unnoticed”. Jude used 3 Old Testament examples of God’s judgment for the Ungodly:
- Exodus – His chosen people in the wilderness, their disbelief, and ultimate judgement
- The fallen Angels – their rebellion against God and God’s judgement upon them
- Sodom & Gammorah – sexual immorality and unnatural desires serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire (the city was destroyed
The above examples include those who experienced God’s grace but don’t fully believe and they are then judged and cast out. See 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.
Blue text is the questions
Red text is answers
Green text is scripture
Black text is comments
Now we pick back up in Verse 10
10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
What is it that these men don’t understand?
- Things of God
What is their response?
- Revile….. criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.
How do we get the knowledge of God?
- Holy Spirit
- God’s Scriptures (the Word)
- Seeing living examples of others
- Communion with God. (Us aligning our will with the Fathers will)
“The things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals….. “ Our nature is sinful and unGodly. Without the Holy Spirit, we don’t understand God, why we need salvation, what our purpose is or how we should live. These UnGodly false teachers have experienced enough of God’s grace but rejected it.
v. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
What do we know about Cain?
- he was a murderer
- He worked the ground (gardener)
- His offering was not accepted by God because his heart was not right) and Cain became angry. (contempt, envy, jealousy, pride)
Gen 4:2 – And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to theLord of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.
Jesus spoke of Cain as belonging to the evil one who murdered his brother (1 John 3:12 ), And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
and for pay, they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam,……
Who is Balaam?
- He is a diviner or medium who was hired to curse by king Balak of Moab (Moabites) (motivated by greed) to curse the Israelites. God confronted Balaam and told him not to curse. God caused Balaam to actually give a blessing instead of a curse.
What was his error?
- In numbers 31:16 and in Revelation 2:14, we learn that Balaam sabotaged Israel as they entered the promised land by informing King Balak how to get the Israelites to curse themselves by enticing them with prostitutes and unclean food sacrificed to idols (BAAL WORSHIP) see Numbers 31:16
Before the Hebrews entered the Promised Land, the Lord God warned against worshiping Canaan’s gods (Deuteronomy 6:14-15), but Israel turned to idolatry anyway. Those of Korah challenged Moses’ Authority (ultimately God’s authority) the ground opened up and swallowed all who rebelled. Their sin was pride, challenging God’s authority and not obeying God.
12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
Jude is saying that these same men mentioned as hidden reefs, love feasts, wild waves, wandering stars are just like the examples of Korah. These false teachers are like:above are just likeThese are the men…….. The same type of people just mentioned above……
- Reefs destroy ships, swallowing the people and ship into the deep emptiness of the sea
- Love feast ……. Communion without fear or reverence for God, acting like they are Christians
- Selfishly caring only for themselves, not the ones they lead
- Clouds without water…. no purpose, empty hope, promising life-giving rain that never comes
- carried along by the winds (no direction in life, aimless and purposeless
- Autumn trees without fruit, dead cause of no fruit and dead at the roots (there is no life and can offer no benefit of its life)
- waves of the sea casting up their own shame – their actions in life are visible for everyone to see and they are proud of it
- Wandering stars…. stars were used to help people navigate. a wandering star would be misleading guidance for people.
- for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever – This is their eternal fate
14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with
Enoch is referenced, Jude was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about the reference to Enoch he was familiar with so we must believe at least that portion of Enoch is accurate.
“the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” ……… Jude is concluding his thought about “These People” (Not Christians) and states that God will Judge them for their Blaspheme against God. “the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
Jude begins to describe what the false teachers “these people” are like.
16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts;[q]they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
Goes along with our sin list….. more reasons for judgment.
Keep Yourselves in the Love of God
17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, [r]worldly-minded, [s]devoid of the Spirit.
Words spoken beforehand by the Apostles…… talking about “these people”
Acts 20:29-30
1 Timothy 4:1-5
2 Timothy 3:1-5
These people are led astray by their subjective feelings, their instincts, their ungodly passions, opposed to the Word of God.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Build yourselves up (on the word of God , contending earnestly for the faith…. (the essentials of the Christian doctrine)
Keep yourselves in the love of God
Waiting for the mercy of the Lord Jesus to eternal life
Be merciful to those who are doubting
Save others
hating even the garment…… hating the sin and everything connected to it.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and [t]forever. Amen.
