Jude 8-13
“False Teachers”
• Vs. 8 “in the same way” these false teachers were acting with the same heart as the previous 3 examples: they were untrusting, disobedient, chasing after there own desires.
• “Dreaming” can be interpreted in a couple ways.
o These false teachers were claiming to receive revelation through dreams or visions.
o Or it could be referring to the subject matter they were teaching as dreams or fantasy.
o However the Greek word translated “dreaming” is only found here and in Acts 2:17, where it is talking about a means in which revelation is received.
Nature of these false teachers:
1. Defile the flesh or lit. polluting the physical body.
a. 1 Corinthians 6:16-20
2. Despise dominion (authority)
a. Despise God’s authority over their lives.
b. What does God want of our lives?
3. Speak evil of dignities (revile (blaspheme) angelic majesties).
a. They not only rejected God’s authority, they rejected God’s appointed authority, here speaking of the angelic realm, but also the human realm.
b. Romans 13:1-2
• Vs. 9 Important: Jude includes this by way of illustration, so we need not make more out of it than we should.
• Most believe this was a well know story from Jewish literature that came out of the Assumption of Moses.
2 Interpretations
1. Deuteronomy 34:5-6
2. Zechariah 3:1-3
a. Body of Moses is representative of God’s people.
• Even the archangel Michael, as powerful as he was, understood and respected God’s authority.
• God alone has the power to rebuke Satan, not Michael and certainly not these false prophets.
• Vs. 10 The warning here is not to speak out about things we don not understand (lit. comprehend which has the idea that they will never be able to understand); spiritual things.
1 Corinthians 2:11-13 (NASB)
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by
human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
• These false teachers’ reasoning was not spiritual at all, but very much the thinking of a natural man.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NASB)
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
• Vs. 11 3 Examples from the OT
1. Way of Cain
a. What was Cain guilty of?
b. He worshipped God on his own terms.
c. Are we ever guilty of this?
2. Error of Balaam
a. What was Balaam’s error?
b. Used his position as a prophet of God for monetary gain.
c. Sound familiar?
3. Rebellion(sin) of Korah
a. Numbers 16, he disputed that God had given authority to Moses and Aaron (namely because he wanted to be a priest) and tried to lead a rebellion against them.
• Vv. 12-13 Comparisons to 5 Natural Events
1. Spots hidden dangers (hidden reefs-NASB)
a. They show up and look like everyone else, but the danger is lurking out of sight, just below the surface.
2. Clouds without water
a. It looks promising, like it can deliver life giving rain, but it produces only drought.
3. Tree without fruit
Matthew 7:15-17" “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit."
Matthew 15:13"But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted."
4. Raging waves of the Sea
a. Ephesians 4:14
5. Wandering Stars
a. Shooting star, which is a meteor, which appears brightly for a short time and then quickly burns up.
