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Jude used three examples from the Old Testament to show that these false teachers are not to be trusted or followed. In Genesis 4:1-16, we find the first murder in the Bible when Cain kills his brother Abel. If these false teachers are leading folks back to their former state – being unsaved – then we can equate what they were doing to murder. Next, we come back to Balaam, not the talking donkey. This time, the motive is greed. Back in the 1st century, there were traveling teachers who taught for money. There is nothing wrong with this, but who would they tend to gravitate toward? Yup, rich folks. They also had a reputation for telling folks what they wanted to hear. There is a warning about this in 2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.”

The final example from the Old Testament is found in Numbers 16. Korah and two other Levites enlisted 250 leaders to oppose Moses. Since Moses is speaking for God, they are really opposing God. Here’s what happened to these folks: Numbers 16:31-35 “31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. 33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!”

35 And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.”

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