Jude 1:8-13

Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.  But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”  But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.  Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion.  These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude describes the characteristics that identify false prophets.  The sins of rebellion, disrespect, pride, and deceit are just a few examples of the descriptions of these people.  They represent a constant threat to the body of Christ and are a danger for which we must be prepared.  We must also be warned against allowing these things to be true of our own lives.

THEY REJECT ALL AUTHORITY: The only authority these false teachers recognize is their own.  They don’t appeal to the authority of Scripture but to their own dreams.  They follow their own fleshly desires and justify their sinfulness by claiming to have received a vision from God.  They reject the authority of the apostles and claim to have special powers even over the spiritual world.  The pretend to be more powerful and exercise authority over fallen and angels.  They are presumptive and elevate themselves over even the most powerful of the holy angels.  This means of assuming power that does not belong to them is a form of blasphemy.  Jude uses a dispute over the body of Moses as an example of how Michael, one of the most powerful angels, only rebuked the devil in the name of the Lord.  These apostates claim to possess their own authority to rebuke the devil.  Apostates will lift themselves up as the ultimate authorities.

THEY NEGLECT ALL RESPONSIBILITY: Jude compares these apostates to Cain, Balaam, and Korah.  These three Old Testament figures represent men who did not fulfill their God-given responsibilities.  They were rebellious and judged for their disobedience.  Jude refers to them as hidden reefs meaning that they are clandestine in their efforts to destroy the church.  They participate in the fellowship of the church and even take advantage of the resources of the church to feed themselves.  They exploit the church for their own good but never give anything of value back to the church.  They are like fruit trees that should be laden with fruit in the Fall but they are completely barren.  They are like the foam of the ocean that just rides the waves but never produces anything of value.  They are in a position where they should be providing direction and guidance to the church.  Instead, they are like wandering stars that provide no reliable point of reference.  They will be judged by God in eternal darkness and torment.

APPLICATION: Beware of those who claim to have visions and direction from God but don’t have any respect for Scripture and other authority.  We are called to serve one another in obedience to the Lord and His Word. Guard against the flesh and desires for financial gain.