The Fate of False Teachers

Jude 5-15, “The Fate of False Teachers”
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We left off with a bit of a cliffhanger last week. Jude had written to the Church exhorting them to “contend earnestly for the faith” because of the influx of false/apostate teachers… [VSS 3-4] It would be easy (even natural) to hear that kind of news & start wringing our hands, worrying about every person that walks through the doors: “Is THAT an apostate teacher? Will we be fooled? How can we know?!” Good news: God doesn’t want us to be paranoid. God is still God – our King of Kings is still King. He’s on the throne & firmly in control. There are practical things we can do to rely on the Lord’s protection (which we’ll get to next week) – but we also need to know that none of this escapes the Lord’s attention. God knows about the apostate teachers, and there’s no doubt that God will judge them.

As Jude takes a moment for a brief history lesson, he tells us three things about God’s judgment: it’s thorough – it’s deserved – it’s assured. We do need to be aware of apostates, but we need not fear them; God WILL judge them.

Jude 5-16 (NKJV)
- God’s judgment is thorough…
5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

A. Referring to the Exodus from Egypt & the death march in the desert… [Num 14]
B. The point? God judged His own people! Even after they had experienced the deliverance of God from Egypt & saw with their own eyes what God could do – even after they had heard the voice of God give the 10 Commandments & witnessed His mighty miraculous power – when it came time to demonstrate their faith by crossing over into the promised land, they balked. As a result, an entire generation died by the will of God in the desert.

6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

A. There’s a bit of debate on this reference. It could be referring to the Satanic rebellion & the fall of 1/3 of the angels [] – or it could be referring to Genesis 6 when the so-called “Sons of God” had unnatural relations with the “Daughters of men” (which is a debated passage all by itself!). [] When Peter uses almost the exact same words (2 Pet 2:4), he immediately links it with Noah & the flood – giving a lot of credence to the side of Genesis 6. Jude is a bit more vague (though he does link the act with another famous sexual sin: Sodom & Gomorrah). Either way, the results are the same. The angels (later demons) had a proper place before God & left it due to great rebellious sin.
B. The point? God judged the angels/demons. Previously, they had a proper domain, but they abandoned it in their rebellion against Almighty God. As a result, they face everlasting judgment because the ones imprisoned are confined by “everlasting chains” & the rest will be judged on Judgment Day & cast into Hell.

a. The demons had something else in common with the Israelites: they were witnesses of the magnificent glory of God, and yet they still rejected Him. Israel had seen the Passover & the parting of the Red Sea (among others – they saw a visible representation of the Shekinah glory of God every single day!); the fallen angels had originally been in the very presence of God. Lucifer (Satan) is thought by some to have been the Heavenly worship leader. Yet none of it was enough to stave off sinful rebellion against God.
b. People sometimes think, “We’ve experienced the blessings of God, so obviously we’re saved!” Or “I’ve sung songs of worship & sat through wonderful times in church, so of course I’m saved!” None of that is what saves you. There are many through history that have experienced marvelous things of God & have witnessed miracles – but yet are still doomed for all eternity. What saves us are not happy experiences or good feelings thinking we’ve been in the presence of God; what saves us is faith in the work of God through the Son of God, Christ Jesus.

7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

A. Sodom & Gomorrah know something of the demon’s punishment – they had a small taste of “eternal fire” themselves when divine fire & brimstone fell in destruction… [Genesis 19]
B. The point? God judged the pagans. Due to Sodom’s lewdness (vs. 4) (i.e. their “sexual immorality”), they suffered terrible punishment. It’s worth noting that sexual immorality wasn’t their only sin – Ezekiel writes of their pride & lack of compassion upon the poor (Eze 16:49)…but their sexual immorality was at the forefront of the rest of their sin. As a result, God judged them as an example to the rest of the world.

a. It’s interesting that our own nation has much in common with Sodom. We also can see a lack of compassion on the poor – an overabundance of ungodly pride – a prevalence of sexual immorality & all sorts of sin not only tolerated, but endorsed by many in our culture. Like Abraham who pleaded with God for mercy (Gen 18), so ought we to intercede for our nation & ask God for revival in our land!

C. Put it all together, if God judged His own people, if He judged the demons, if He judged the pagans at Sodom – then surely He will also judge the apostate teachers. None of the people in the other categories escaped His attention; certainly nothing that would corrupt the church escapes His attention either. Sodom & Gomorrah set forth an example of the punishment reserved for imposters who attempt to lead the Church astray, or those who present a false gospel. As Jesus said, it’d be better for a millstone to be hung around their neck & be thrown into the sea than to cause one of His children to sin (Mt 18:6)

- God’s judgment is deserved…
8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.

A. Reason #1: arrogance. Apostate teachers show forth arrogant rebellion, thinking they themselves are the final authority, rather than submitting to the authority of God alone. They call Jesus “Lord” in name, but don’t relate to Jesus as “Lord” in reality.
B. How is this manifested? They “dream” this up for themselves. This could be a reference to general confusion – but most likely a reference to false claims of prophetic visions. They’d tell people, “The Lord said to me in a dream _____,” justifying their own heresy through so-called ‘prophetic revelation.” In reality it was religious bunk made up in his own mind. [] Not uncommon today. One famous supposed “healer” speaks of an angel that tells him to stand in a specific spot to have the glory of the Lord poured out on him – or that God specifically told him to kick a man in the stomach for healing. Undoubtedly, the false teachers Jude referenced had the same type of “dreams” & “visions.” Specifically, they:

a. “defile the flesh”: Like those at Sodom & Gomorrah, they engage in perversions & lustful sin. It’s extremely common to find false teachers caught up in affairs or sexual manipulation. At the very least, they lead others to engage in carnality. For the Christian, God has already sanctified us – set us apart as holy (vs. 1); the apostate false teacher works directly against that.
b. “reject authority”: Whether this is authority in the local church, authority in the civil government, or the authority of God Himself, the apostate despises authority & rejects it. They will not be ruled by the word of God; they arrogantly set themselves up as the final authority over their own life.
c. “speak evil of dignitaries”: ESV (and others) translate “glorious ones” – a bit more literal to the text. There are different thoughts as to what this refers to – most scholars believe Jude (and Peter in 2 Pet 2:10) refer to angels. Keep in mind there are two basic types of angels: those who are still servants of the Most High God & those that are fallen. We’re not told which angels the apostate false teachers spoke evil of, but apparently they did not hesitate to mock them or speak of things of which they had absolutely no understanding.

C. It’s this last point that Jude illustrates – showing the difference between an apostate teacher & an archangel of God (who is still submitted to God).

9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

A. Michael doesn’t even assume the sort of authority that the apostate teachers do. Apparently, the apostate teachers would speak evil of any supernatural being, thinking that they could command the angels & demons at will (not unlike some teachers today!). The archangel Michael was disputing with the devil himself, and even HE doesn’t assume that kind of authority…
B. Why? Because all judgment belongs to God alone! It wasn’t Michael that could rebuke or condemn Satan; it is God alone who can… In the Psalms, David writes of a time in which he was being lied about & betrayed. Instead of rising up in defiant self-defense, David waits silently upon the Lord. Psalm 62:11-12 (11) God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. (12) Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work. [] The Bible makes it clear that vengeance belongs to the Lord (Rom 12:19) – God is the one who judges, and we can be sure that God will judge rightly.

a. It’s been well-observed here that this is a crucial distinction in the Bible between Jesus & Michael. Some cults claim that Jesus = Michael, but obviously it couldn’t be the case. Michael is a created angel of God; Jesus is the Creator God, the eternally begotten Son of the Father. Michael has no authority to rebuke Satan (who is essentially his equal); Jesus had all authority to rebuke the devil during His temptation (Mt 4:10).

C. BTW – if you’re searching the OT looking for the story of how Satan & Michael debated about the deceased body of Moses for burial, you won’t find it. Jude references extra-biblical literature for this: “The Assumption of Moses,” a book obviously in existence in the time of Jude, but not today (scholars have seen it referenced by other ancient authors & found a fragment, but no extant copy exists). Question: does this mean that “The Assumption of Moses” is a lost book of the Bible, or otherwise inspired? No. It simply means that although this story is not mentioned in Exodus, Leviticus, or Deuteronomy, that it is true.

a. Jude doesn’t set forth a pattern for us to follow. He doesn’t give us an example about how we can go to legends & extra-biblical sources to add to the Scripture. We are filled with the Holy Spirit & taught by the Holy Spirit, but we’re not inspired to write Scripture by the Holy Spirit as Jude was.

10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

A. Reason for deserved judgment #2: ignorance. Apostate teachers act in willful ignorance… What they DON’T know, they speak wrongly of & evil; what they DO know, they corrupt. They claim to be spiritual themselves, but in reality they act on base fleshly desires & continually engage in destructive sin.

a. There’s quite a bit of arrogance at the root of this practice as well. It’s one thing to get facts wrong simply because we’re ignorant about the truth. It’s another to assume evil of something that we KNOW we know nothing about.

B. Beware of teachers that use the Bible as a book of “proof-texts.” [] As has often been said, “A text without a context is a pre-text.” We’ve been given the word of God to look at with our own eyes. Whatever a pastor or teacher says to you about the word – how will we know if they speak in ignorance or in evil? By looking into the Bible for ourselves! Be Bereans (Acts 17)…
C. Notice who it is they corrupt, when they speak in willful ignorance? Themselves. Other translations make the intent clear: when these people rush forward in their judgments & arrogance & heresies, the people that they ultimately destroy are themselves. Like an almost road-kill animal staring at the car about to run them down, they are destroyed by the very actions they think are good for them.

11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

A. Reason for deserved judgment #3: Error. Apostate teachers follow in the footsteps of historical false teachers… Instead of following the Lord Jesus Christ, they show who their true master is, by following those who did evil against the people of God. What are the works that they show? Look at who they follow:

i. Cain: [Gen 4] Murder/hatred & works-righteousness (heresy)… The book of Hebrews makes it plain that Abel offered his sacrifice in faith – implying that Cain’s sacrifice was without faith. Apostate teachers take away from grace & the work of Christ, and place burdens upon people to make themselves righteous. IOW, they present a false gospel.
ii. Balaam: [Num 22-24] Greed & selfishness… Paul warned of teachers who attempt to use godliness as a means for gain (1 Tim 6:5) – our culture is absolutely brimming with people who fit this description today. ‘Evangelists’ who rake in millions of dollars while deceiving the poor & hurting, offering promises they have no ability to keep.
iii. Korah: [Num 16] Arrogance & rebellion against God’s will. Obviously we don’t have a Moses or Aaron today in the Church where someone would want to supplant their authority – but God has given us our High Priest in Christ Jesus & we are all under His authority (Jesus is the Head of the Church). Like Korah who rejected God’s choice & tried to set himself up as the authority, so apostate teachers attempt to claim authority for themselves, disregarding the clear will of God.

12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. …

A. Reason for deserved judgment #4: Danger/defilement. Apostate teachers defile the rest of the church. What ought to be holy & without blemish is now blemished with them in the midst… NASB, ESV, “hidden reefs” – like a ship unaware of running around on rocks, the apostate teachers pose dangers to the Church simply by their presence.
B. The implication here is simple: as the Church (the bride of Christ), we need to be willing to expose & separate ourselves from those who would defile Christ’s bride. Jude notes how the false teachers were able to feast with the church “without fear” – they had no fear about being exposed or cast out…they’d just continue infecting the rest of the congregation with their heresy as long as they could. They certainly weren’t going to stop on their own – they were selfish (“serving only themselves”). It is up to the Church to disassociate from them.

…They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

A. Reason for deserved judgment #5: Hopeless teaching. Apostate teachers have nothing to offer but emptiness & disappointment. Whereas the Good News ought to be wonderfully good news, fully of joy & hope, the false teachers can offer nothing of it. They just offer a shadow of what ought to be – a false gospel with no substance. … In a drought, what good are “clouds without water”? In times of harvest, what good are dead, fruitless, dried-up trees? What does sea foam offer to anyone? How can a shooting star help a ship find its way at night? These things are all useless…
B. Jude’s fear isn’t so much that those who are truly born-again will be carried off with the apostates (he’ll write later of the protecting power of God) – but rather that the Church (and thus Jesus Christ) is misrepresented by these apostate teachers. How many people will be deceived away from the true gospel in the meantime?

a. It’s a good question we still need to ask ourselves today! The marketplace is full of people who soundly & willfully misrepresent the gospel of Jesus Christ. How many people will be deceived by a false gospel when the Church is not willing to stand up for the true gospel?

C. Jude has made clear that their judgment is deserved – and he transitions into the fact that their judgment is assured as well. These apostate teachers have an eternal reservation: “the blackness of darkness.” Jude wrote about darkness earlier in vs. 6 regarding the punishment of demons – the same fate seems to await those who would deceive people away from the true gospel.
D. The Bible uses all sorts of pictures to refer to Hell. Darkness… Lake of fire… The place where the worm never dies & the fire is never quenched… The place where there is weeping & gnashing of teeth… As awful as it is to think about, we need to face the reality that Hell is a very real place, which will be populated by very real people & demons. The idea of Hell ought to make our minds cringe, but the reality of Hell ought to make our hearts cry. Don’t misunderstand – those who go to Hell fully deserve to be there (Jude has given just a partial listing of reasons why false apostate teachers absolutely deserve their judgment) – but we need to understand that WE deserve the same fate, too. If given justice, there’s not a single person on the planet who would deserve to live in Heaven experiencing the glory of God – every single one of us would rightfully suffer in Hell for all eternity. If for no other reason, simply because of our rebellion against an infinite, eternal, Creator God. We bear the weight of infinite sin, and an infinite punishment is nothing short of appropriate… Yet we DON’T experience that punishment because of the GRACE shown us by the Lord Jesus Christ!

a. As wonderful as it is for every born-again Christian to realize that we are not going to Hell, we need to remember that there are people who are. We wouldn’t wish it on our worst enemy (or ought not to – if we do, we haven’t fully realized the vastness of Hell) – yet people die every day without Christ. Every day 150,000 people die – if that’s not enough reason for you to share Christ with someone, not much else will do.

- God’s judgment is assured…
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

A. Not only is the blackness of darkness reserved for the apostate false teachers, but their fate has been spoken of through prophecy since the time of Enoch. Who’s Enoch? Genesis has only the briefest mention of him (Gen 5:22-24), but he made quite an impression! Hebrews 11:5-6 (5) By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (6) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. [] Apparently Enoch was a prophet that serves an example to us of a faith that is pleasing to God.

a. As with the statement of Michael & the Devil regarding Moses, we ought to take the same point of view with Enoch. Neither the Church Fathers nor the Hebrew forefathers recognized the book of Enoch as inspired (though the book was certainly respected by the Fathers) – but we know at least this one statement is. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jude is fully capable of looking at one inspired line of an otherwise doubtful text.

B. The point? God IS coming to judge the ungodly. “Ungodly” = “impious” ~ no devotion…irreverence. Repeated often in Enoch’s prophecy!

a. They are ungodly in character: Their general disposition is impious towards God. They may claim to be spiritual, but when fully revealed in truth at the coming of the Lord, they are shown to be imposters they really were.
b. They are ungodly in action: Their “deeds” are irreverent – their outward actions show forth the unregenerate state of their inward heart.
c. They are ungodly in method: Not only are their deeds ungodly, but they go about it in an even more ungodly way. Speaks of thorough corruption.
d. They are ungodly in speech: “harsh things” literally “hard/rigid” – to speak roughly against other people is bad enough. To speak rough ungodly things against the Creator God is even worse.

C. Not only is God coming for them in judgment, we will be witnesses of that fact. “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints” – that’s US! Revelation gives a description of this event: Revelation 19:11-14 (11) Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. (12) His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. (13) He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. [] When the Lord Jesus comes back in His glory, His Church will accompany Him. By this point we would have seen the glory of God in Heaven as we worship Him; at that time we will witness the glory of God revealed in judgment.

Conclusion:
So are there false apostate teachers within the Church? Yes. It’s been that way since the time of Jude & it’s still that way today. Do we as born-again Christians need to fear them & their deception? Will they commit the crime of the ages & “get away with it”? Absolutely not. God will judge them in righteous, holy judgment.

God’s judgment is thorough…
God’s judgment is deserved…
God’s judgment is assured…

That’s what God will do. What are we to do as the Church? Simple: (1) Trust God in perseverance… (2) Speak for truth… We must be willing to contend for the faith…

If you haven’t yet surrendered your life to Jesus Christ as Lord & God – if you haven’t yet asked Him for forgiveness of sin & personally asked Him to be your Lord & Savior, then you’re smack-dab in the same place as the false apostate teachers: facing the judgment of God. That’s not something you have to face! The very reason the Lord Jesus died on the cross was to take the wrath of God YOU deserved upon Himself, pay the penalty for your sin, and offer you forgiveness & new life through His resurrection. But you must respond to that offer of grace! Salvation is not received by osmosis – it’s received by grace through faith. Believe upon the Lord Jesus today & receive His grace.

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