Study of the Letter of Jude Part 4 - Verses 8-16

Last week, we heard Jude telling of Old Testament examples where God clearly did care about wrongdoing that was being done and brought judgment on those wrongdoers - some of the children of Israel, who kept rebelling against God; angels who became evil and opposed God; and Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns, where much immorality and other evils were happening (Jude, v.5-7).

Jude went on to write, then, in Jude, v.8, that some people in churches to whom he wrote were acting in evil ways “in like manner.” First, they were “dreaming” dreams and visions and seemed to be relying upon them, and therefore were willing to “reject authority” that God Himself had established in His Word, the Scriptures. Certainly, God had sometimes spoken to His prophets and apostles and some others, through dreams and visions. These divinely inspired people spoke, though, with a united message about the one true God and His Word and will, revealed by the Holy Spirit.

There were many warnings, in contrast, about false dreamers. See the strong message from the Lord in Deuteronomy 13:1-6 about “a dreamer of dreams” who tries to lead people away from the one true God. Verse six also warns that such people often try to “entice you away secretly,” just as those false teachers “crept in unnoticed” into the churches about whom Jude is so concerned and created such trouble (Jude, v. 4). See the warnings God gave through Jeremiah about false “dreamers” in Jeremiah 23:25-32,29:8-9 and Ezekiel 13:1-7 and Zechariah 10:2. Jesus Himself said about such false prophets, “You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 6:16).

Such false “dreamers” were rejecting the “authority” of God and “denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ,” and much of what He said, Jude wrote (Jude, v.8). The word for “authority” here means “lordship,” and it is the Lordship of Christ Jesus and His Word that was being ultimately being rejected. This was also evidenced by the way these people were “defiling the flesh” by their gross sexual immorality, against the Word of God, and by blasphemy. The Greek literally says that they “blaspheme the glories.” Some think that means the glorious ones, the angels, who are spoken of in verses following. Others think this refers, above all, to the Most Glorious One, our Lord Jesus. And the word “blaspheme” means to speak, most especially, against God (Jude, v.8).

Skip ahead for a moment to Jude, v.10. Jude gave another description of these false people. “These people blaspheme all that they do not understand.” And why do they not understand? They are living “instinctively,” by personal feeling and emotion, like “unreasoning (irrational) animals.” They are not being guided by God and His Word in Christ above all, and not even by common-sense human reason. “Woe to them!” Jude said. Such a life and lifestyle will lead them to being “destroyed” (Jude, v.10-11).

Skip ahead again, to another description of these false people in Jude, v.16. Jude simply said that these were people actually “following their own sinful desires,” ignoring Christ the Lord and His will for them and the blessings and guidance He could give them as their Savior. They were “grumblers” and “malcontents,” not able to see the blessings coming to them if they would only trust Christ. Instead, they thought they had to build themselves up, as “loud-mouthed boasters” in themselves, and by “showing favoritism” to some, only for the sake of personal gain and advantage for themselves, and not with genuine care for others.

All this could obviously be dangerous for and harmful to the faithful believers in Christ in these churches to whom Jude wrote. Skip back now to Jude, v.12-13. Jude piled up the words about these false people. “They are hidden reefs at your love feasts.” Scholars have argued over the meaning of the word translated “hidden reefs." Some think it means a rock, hidden in water, which a boat could hit and be harmed or sunk. Others think the word means a “filthy spot” or “blemish” which makes something look bad and pollutes it..

Either way, the false people were corrupting the “love (Greek word- “agape”) feasts,” the fellowship meals and then the worship and Lord’s Supper in early Christian churches. The false people were participating “without fear” - apparently without concern for the true believers who were there and their needs, or for proper preparation for Communion, themselves, through repentance and trust in the Real Presence of Christ in that Holy Meal. Some were pretending to be “shepherds” (pastors) for the church, the flock, but were only interested in “feeding themselves” and their self-interest and desires. (Paul wrote about this particular troubled situation in the churches in Corinth, too, in his first letter to the Corinthians. Read 1 Corinthians 10:15-17 and 11:17-32.)

As far as helping others and serving others within the churches, these false people were useless. They were like “waterless clouds,” swept by the wind and providing no water, no nourishment for anyone. They were like “fruitless trees in late autumn,” with no leaves to shade or fruit to give to anyone. They were “twice dead” with no life to give to anyone and “uprooted,” with no means by which to receive nourishment and new life themselves (Jude, v.12). They were like “wild waves of the sea,” very destructive and only dragging up and dumping the pollution of their own “shameful” lives. They were like lost, “wandering stars,” headed for “the gloom of utter darkness… forever” (Jude, v.13).

What a gloomy picture Jude painted. And he had more to say that we skipped over, as far as how other Scriptures and other writings speak of the judgment coming for such evil. We will look at that next week and then begin to hear, “What were God’s faithful people to do in a world and even in churches with so much trouble and evil?” We need to keep asking, too, “Do we face such problems today - even in our churches? What are we to do? We will eventually hear some great Gospel promises, too. There is always hope in Christ, even for the churches described here!