Jude 1:12-13

Apostasy Illustrated from the Natural Realm

Like rocks hidden in the water, false teachers were unrecognized trouble ready to sink the unprepared Christian. They acted as if they were shepherds of the flock so they could feed themselves. In the dry climate of Palestine, their personalities were best represented as clouds that would seem to promise a much wanted rain but only leave the land dry and disappointed. They were like barren fruit trees in autumn. They should have had fruit but it was as if they had been plucked up by the roots. They were dead in the realm of fruit bearing and devoid of any life (Judges 1:12).

The wave illustration was used in Isaiah 57:20. It simply says the false teachers are like the foamy waves which promised much but carried nothing of real value. The star idea may refer to shooting comets or falling meteors leaving only darkness in their trail. Thus, the ultimate end of the false teachers was set forth (Judges 1:13).