Jude 1:12-13

Jude has compared the false teachers with certain *Old Testament men who refused to obey God’s laws. Now Jude repeats his attack on the false teachers in colourful language. His word-pictures include the four regions of the physical world: clouds in the air, trees on the earth, waves of the sea, stars in the sky. Human activities, good and bad, affect all that God has created (Isaiah 24:5; Jeremiah 12:4; Romans 8:22).

• The original word for ‘rocks’ also has a second meaning, ‘spot, stain’. Either meaning would suit Jude’s word picture. The false teachers are like rocks that can destroy a ship. In other words, what the false teachers say can destroy a person’s trust in God. Or, the false teachers are like a dirty cloth. The fact that the false teachers are present at the special meal spoils the whole occasion. They are like the stain that ruins the cloth.

The ‘love meal’ was called the ‘agape’. It was a special meal for all church members, whatever their class. Wealthy and poor members all ate together. Each person brought some food to share.

Paul knew that the standard of behaviour at the ‘agape’ was sometimes not good (1 Corinthians 11:17-20). This was certainly true about the church of Jude’s readers. It seems that the church had a great many loyal members. They would not have noticed the secret arrival of the false teachers. So Jude’s powerful words were necessary to warn the believers.

The false teachers are trying to use what should be an occasion for real Christian love. False words will ruin it.

The behaviour of the false teachers is clearly in their self-interest. In other words, they care only about themselves. They have only come to feed themselves (1 Corinthians 11:21-22).

The practice was not uncommon. Another early Christian record called the Didache also refers to it. That book says that a genuine *prophet never pretends to speak in the Spirit in order to get a meal! (Didache 11:9).

• False teachers are like clouds without rain. They seem to offer good things. But they never in fact do anything good. All that such clouds do is to hide the light. And all that the false teachers do is to lead people away from the true knowledge of God.

Even as a wind blows clouds along, so the many words of the false teachers carry themselves along. In other words, their own ideas are too powerful for them to control. They simply continue with their speeches, which are totally without value.

The spirit of the false teachers is dead. So are their impressive words and loud voices. They cannot give real *spiritual life to anybody.

• The false teachers are like certain trees in autumn. These trees have had a complete season to grow. By now much fruit should be making the branches heavy. But the trees have no fruit whatever. So the farmer destroys those trees (Matthew 7:19).

• The stormy waves are out of control. The stormy waves throw clouds of water into the air. And in those clouds is rubbish of every kind. Heaps of rubbish drop onto the beach. It is never a pretty sight (Isaiah 57:20).

The waters of the Dead Sea are so dense with salt that they strip the *bark off any wood. On the shore such wood is white. The wood seems more like a pile of dead bones than a branch from a living tree.

• The false teachers are like stars that have wandered. The *Greek word for ‘stars that have wandered’ shows that the meaning is probably ‘*planets’. People in ancient times did not understand the strange movements of the *planets in the sky. Sailors cannot use ‘stars that wander’ to fix the ship’s direction. That would be of no value and in fact dangerous.

The false teachers are like travellers who have wandered away from the right path. So the false teachers are not doing the things that God intended for them. The false teachers refuse to obey God. They want to do whatever pleases them.

The pair of words, ‘blackest darkness’, emphasises that the awful fate of the false teachers will never end. The false teachers will be in the most hopeless situation possible.

The *Lord is coming

v14 Enoch lived in ancient times. In fact, he was the seventh (7th) from the family of Adam. Listen! Enoch had the false teachers in mind when he spoke about the *Lord’s return. Enoch said, ‘The *Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy *angels! v15 He is coming to give judgement against all the wicked people for all their wicked deeds. And against all their wicked activities. And against all their terrible words when they cursed and insulted God.’ v16 These people are always complaining about something. They curse their bad luck. They blame other people when things go wrong. They desire to have what they do not possess. They praise themselves with proud words and loud voices. They pretend to respect someone’s importance merely to gain a favourable advantage for themselves.