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 1:10-13 ESV
Warrior
Did you read that? These are some bad people! Are you getting how bad “these people are”. Let me share with you the MSG Bible paraphrase: “But these people sneer at anything they can’t understand, and by doing whatever they feel like doing—living by animal instinct only—they participate in their own destruction. I’m fed up with them! They’ve gone down Cain’s Road; they’ve been sucked into Balaam’s error by greed; they’re canceled out in Korah’s rebellion. These people are eyesores at your love feasts as you worship and eat together. They’re giving you a black eye—carousing shamelessly, grabbing anything that isn’t nailed down. They’re—Puffs of smoke pushed by gusts of wind; late autumn trees stripped clean of leaf and fruit, Doubly dead, pulled up by the roots; wild ocean waves leaving nothing on the beach but the foam of their shame; Lost stars in outer space on their way to the black hole.” “These People” are those who are in Apostasy. The Bible is clear in the end, there will be a great ‘Falling Away’. GotQuestions.org has this to say on the subject; “The Bible indicates that there will be a great apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,” while the NIV and ESV call it “the rebellion.” And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion, an abandonment of the truth. The end times will include a wholesale rejection of God’s revelation, a further “falling away” of an already fallen world.” Today the world looks very similar to the church, there isn’t much noticeable difference. It is because of Apostasy, and Apostates. People who come in through the “side doors” as Dr. J Vernon McGee used to say. They come aside, the word used here has “para’ in it, they come ‘alongside’, and then they move people away from the Faith. The church has always struggled more from within, than without. Today God’s love is determined by the Social Justice warriors telling us their OPINION, of what they believe is kind and compassion, remember no Justice, no Peace. We must consider ‘Who’s Justice’ are we fighting for? “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Leader, Judah uses specific examples of God dealing with those who “Fall Away”. Jesus said “If you love me, you will keep my commandments in one instance. (John 14:15) In another, He questioned them, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) The brother of James uses three groups of people and then a “specific’ person- he is leaving little to question. It is very clear, there should be no confusion. The term apostasy is used by sociologists to mean renunciation and criticism of, or opposition to, a person’s former religion, in a technical sense, not being mean or judgmental. In today’s Progressive America, people who follow and believe in the Bible, as the inspired Word of God, and desire to live a good Christian life, are treated like enemies of the state, even by some professing to share the title, “Christian”. So they are pressured, labeled, attacked, maybe even CANCELED. And we all want to fit in…so we… adjust our BELIEFS and our BEHAVIORS. Let’s look to the definition of an APOSTATE: One who has forsaken the faith, principles, or party, to which he before adhered; especially one who has forsaken his religion for another; a PERVERT; a RENEGADE. To pervert something is to “twist” it. “A person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable, changes the inherent purpose or function of something, MISUSE, ABUSE”. Let’s look at Judah’s examples of ‘WHO THESE’ people are associated with, based on HOW THEY BEHAVED.
Conduit, Jude gives us 3 reasons for resisting false teachers. FIRST, because they lead others astray. Many are still on “baby food”, even though they have been “Christians for years”. See the LOVE CHAPTER, 1 Corinthians 13:11. So someone comes in that makes things “SOUND” like the Bible, and they interpret things improperly, to create doubt about what we believe…and we haven’t studied the WORD for ourselves… so we CREATE GOD in OUR IMAGE- if God was a LOVING GOD…. Again, it is written: Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:1, 4-7) Jude refers to three groups who were unfaithful: 1) the Israelites who failed to believe after they were delivered from Egypt, 2) the angels who rebelled against God’s authority, and 3) the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah who gave themselves over to sexual immorality. Many were killed, by what started with a few grumblers, who lead people astray with their version of what is RIGHT and what is JUSTICE. Jude gives a SECOND reason for resisting false teachers: they speak with cynicism about all that Christians hold dear. And in vs. 11, he associates false teachers with three Old Testament characters: “the way of Cain” – the way of pride. “Balaam’s error” – the error of greed. “Korah’s rebellion – the rebellion against authority. Jude’s THIRD reason to battle apostasy is covered in verses 12 and 13: These men are hidden reefs [elements of great danger to others] in your love feasts when they feast together with you without fear, looking after [only] themselves; [they are like] clouds without water, swept along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted and lifeless; wild waves of the sea, flinging up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of deep darkness has been reserved forever. If we are not CONNECTED to the source then the wiles of the devil, and the deception of the world, might get us off of the NARROW path, and we find ourselves on the WIDE PATH, leading to an eternal separation from our FIRST LOVE. That falling away is what makes us, “TWICE DEAD, UPROOTED and LIFELESS!” Beware these are perilous times, you will be under attack if you are on the right path. Heed Paul’s exhortation: And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:12-15) Only by knowing the WORD of God, can you stay connected to the SON OF GOD. Otherwise you might be following other angelic beings!
Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional 