Jude 1:17

‘But, dear friends’ signals a pleasant change of tone. The false teachers are no longer Jude’s immediate subject.

Jude now turns from his collection of *Old Testament references (verses 5-16). There are more recent people that warned about the *unwelcome arrival of false teachers in the church.

• Jesus himself had warned his friends that wicked people were sure to try to turn other people away from God (Mark 13:5-6 and Mark 13:21-22).

• *Disciples too had declared the same message (Acts 20:29; Acts 20:1 Timothy chapter 1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5). And the *disciples (‘learners’) speak with authority. They had been continuously in the Master’s company (Matthew 9:9; Mark 6:45; John 1:35). They had heard what the Master taught (Matthew 5:1; Mark 2:18). They had watched the Master’s manner of life. And their Master, of course, was Christ himself.