JUDE 16: FIVE MORE TRAITS OF APOSTATES

 Verse 16: These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

 

Jude continues by outlining the methods and motives of these men—these apostates. He provides us with five of their characteristics which continue to be the vital information that we need to recognize and identify the false teachers of our day.

First, these men are grumblers, no different than the Exodus generation that God disciplined because they ‘grumbled’ against Moses and Aaron, His duly appointed leaders. This is a demonstration of those who are “dissatisfied with their lot and therefore with God.”1 Today, they grumble and complain against those who teach and believe the infallibility of God’s Word as absolute truth.

Second, they are described as fault finders—but not necessarily against individual believers. This characteristic emanates from their being discontent with God as manifested by their continually finding fault with God’s wisdom and His standards. This grumbling and finding fault is evidenced today by those who have twisted God’s Word and contend that the Christian Church needs to harmonize its beliefs with the shifting cultural norms. The Biblical views of marriage, sexuality and local church administration are all being challanged by apostates.

Third, the next phrase provides the basis for what drives them in finding fault: they are following a course wherever their lusts lead them. Their lusts are diverse, ranging from satifying their carnal appitites, like those of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, to their inordinate craving for power to rule over believers and overule God’s established authorities in the Church (Ephesians 4:11-12).

 Fourth, another distinctive trait of theirs is “they speak arrogantly.” This phrase is literally: their mouth speaks arrogantly. The word mouth does not appear in the translation but an emphasis of it can be made, for Our Lord once made an issue about this when disputing with the Pharisees about His disciples neglecting to wash their hands before eating.

“It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles...But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.” (Matthew 15:11, 18–20a)

Jude has already described the defilement of these false teachers, having spoken about their the denial of Jesus Christ as Master and Lord (v. 4) and the reviling of “the things which they do not understand,” particularly, the future glories of the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 10). This is ‘arrogantly’ expressed by them with excessive boasting, essentially meaning, “words too big for what one is talking about.”2 We can safely state that the arrogance of the apostates is rooted in the defilement of their hearts.

Fifth, these apostates are resorting to flattery, by exhibiting admiration towards people in a deceitful manner. They seek to uncover and seize upon someone’s character flaws, appealing to their vanity, either by their good looks or their intelligence. This is what con artists do when they target someone to swindle money or to coax them to do something for them. Jude states that they flatter in order to gain an advantage over believers. And their easiest targets are Christians that are not well-founded in Biblical truth.

So what advantage do they seek from those who have believed in Jesus Christ? This word advantage implicates that they somehow profit by their flattery. It is interesting to note that this is not answered by any of those who have written commentaries on this epistle. But Jude has already suggested what profit they get from their infiltration of false teaching when he characterized them as ungodly doing ungodly deeds in an ungodly manner (v.15). This is the opposite of what the Apostle Paul stated to Timothy, that “godliness is profitable for all things” (1 Timothy 4:8). Paul also proclaimed Scripture to be the utmost profit for believers:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

The objective of these apostates is to make converts of believers by using their false doctrine and securing an inroad into the local churches and denominations. Power over their new followers is what they profit. This is exactly what Paul had forewarned Timothy:

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron. (1 Timothy 4:1–2)

In our day, the apostates are still at work teaching their doctrines of demons—not doctrines about demons—but doctrines that originate from deceitful demonic spirits, the minions of Satan. What is popular today is the discrediting of every Biblical doctrine of Christianity, including the unique person of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture and the very existence of the Creator.

The apostates of our age have instigated the false notion that is coming from seminaries and pulpits that those in the pews are “simple folk.” They are endlessly taught the milk of the Word, assuming that they are not able to understand solid doctrinal truth (1 Corinthians 3:2). The writer to the Hebrews warned of this deficiency among believers:

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:13–14)

This false concept that simple folk cannot understand solid doctrine is a direct contradiction of Scripture. Whereas the unbeliever is not able to understand spiritual truth, the Apostle Paul wrote that the spiritual believer is able to accurately examine (appraise) spiritual truths (1 Corinthians 2:14-15). He further affirmed that all believers (saints) may be able to comprehend solid doctrine:

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17–19) [emphasis added]

Are we being distracted by the false teachers of our day? Are we being pushed to integrate with cultural dictates or engaged in political activism? Then it is time to consider pursuing the “solid food” of Bible doctrine, to achieve spiritual maturity and impede the apostasy of our times.

---

[1] Rengstorf, K. H. (1964–). γογγυστής. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1.737.

[2] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.). New York: United Bible Societies, 1.431.

 

© 2023 David M. Rossi

JUDE 14-15: ENOCH'S PROPHESY

Verses 14-15: It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Jude supports his characterizing of these men with a quotation from Enoch, a notable Old Testament figure.1 At the outset, two things need to be clarified concerning this quote. First, as mentioned in the introductory material, the apocryphal Book of Enoch was not included in the canon of Scripture. A.R. Faussett rightly states that Jude’s “quotation of a passage from it gives an inspired sanction only to the truth of that passage, not to the whole book” [his emphasis].2

Secondly, Scripture states that Enoch was indeed seventh in line from Adam and the father of Methuselah and that “Enoch walked with God” for three hundred and sixty-five years (Genesis 5:18-24). The amazing detail about Enoch is that he did not die, but was taken by God directly to heaven. The writer to the Hebrews stated the reason for this: that “he was pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5). Dr. Ryrie surmises that “the original prophecy was uttered by the Enoch of the Bible and was later expanded and incorporated in the book of Enoch.”3

 The Prophesy

Enoch foretold that “the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones.” The word ‘came’ seems to convey that the event had already occurred. However, this is a rare usage in the Greek, employing a tense that stresses the certainty of a future event as if it had already occurred.4 This event refers to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:11-16). The Apostle Paul relates it to His promised return when He avenges His believers and judges those who had troubled them.

For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:6–8)

These holy ones, His mighty angels are referring to what John saw in Revelation 19:14, “the armies which are in heaven” that followed Him as He descended from heaven on a white horse (19:11; cf. Daniel 7:9-10). Jesus Christ will come as Jude established its certainty with the phrase “the Lord came.” His purpose for coming is to judge and convict all the ungodly and to end the rule of evil upon His creation.

Note the word ‘ungodly’ used four times in verse 15. The cognates of this Greek word are variously used, but they have the same meaning: “‘without reverence for God,’ not merely irreligious, but acting in contravention [violation] of God’s demands.”5 God’s demands are His universal laws intended for all mankind to safeguard freedom and restrain evil. These sinners are ungodly not only because they are violators of God’s laws but their deeds and the manner in which they performed their evil deeds are ungodly. Jude has already indicated the specific deeds of these men, ungodly persons (v. 4): false teachings, licentiousness and denial of the deity of Jesus Christ.

However, the Apostle Paul further reveals the intended purpose of God’s law:

But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. (1 Timothy 1:8–11)

I’m certain this may step on the toes of some progressive thinking Christians, but this is the authoritative Word of God. To think and proclaim otherwise is exactly what these ungodly sinners were guilty of doing.

Jude concludes that they have spoken harsh things against the Lord. The word harsh expresses unkind speech—words that convey reproach and are indicative of inhumane and uncivil characteristics.6 The underlying cause of their words is a disposition that is inflexible, obstinate and fiercely reluctant to respond to God.7 These harsh things are tantamount to blasphemous speech against God. There are examples of such in Scripture:

During Our Lord’s Passion, Luke wrote of those who beat and mocked Him:

And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming. (Luke 22:65)

And also while He hung on the cross:

One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)

Of the impending judgement of all the ungodly to which Jude refers, the Apostle John saw this in his vision:

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds...And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:12, 15)

These are possibly the saddest verses in the New Testament. To think that all those who were not found written in the book of life had rejected the free gift of eternal life. We believers in Jesus Christ must do our part, individually and collectively, to maintain the truth of God’s Word and to live our lives in such a persuasive manner that those about us will see Christ in us and believe in Him for eternal life (Acts 16:31).

---

[1] The quote is virtually word for word from the Book of Enoch 1:9.

[2] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2.541.

[3] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 update (Expanded ed.). Chicago: Moody Press, p. 2007 note.

[4] Wallace, D. B. (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics—Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Zondervan Publishing House and Galaxie Software, pp. 563-564.

[5] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.651.

[6] Trench, Richard (1975). Synonyms of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, p. 48.

[7] Beetham, Christopher A. (Ed.) (2021). Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, p. 840-841.

 

© 2023 David M. Rossi

JUDE 12-13: THE INFILTRATING APOSTATES

Verses 12-13: These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

Jude now continues with a five-fold illustration of the characteristics of these men—these false teachers. The phrase “these are” is a statement of absolute fact. This means that each of the following five traits attributed to these apostates is undeniably true and not simply Jude’s personal opinion.

First, he states they are hidden reefs. A reef is a chain of rocks in a large body of water often hidden from the sight of those who navigate ships. When the hull of a vessel comes in contact with a reef the ship either stops dead in the water or is damaged causing a shipwreck. But whereas reefs are inanimate objects, these men are fully aware of what they are doing in their attempt to make a ‘shipwreck’ of the believer’s faith.

Note that they do this boldly, without fear posing as fellow believer’s right in the middle of “your love feasts”—the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Their arrogance is stated by the phrase “caring for themselves.” This may be a reference to the abuse of the Lord’s Supper that Apostle Paul mentioned:

For in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. (1 Corinthians 11:21)

Dr. C.C. Ryrie concludes that those who are led to partake of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner “may result in judgment, even sickness or physical death”1 (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:30).

Secondly, they are depicted as clouds without water. This phrase presents a contradiction, for the very make-up of clouds is water. The significance being that Jude’s readers understood the vital importance of rainwater from clouds which provided water for crop renewal and growth. Scripture often refers water to spiritual renewal and empowerment. Most notably, Our Lord stated to the Samaritan woman that He would give her living water, and that “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14; cf. John 7:37-38)

Therefore, these waterless clouds contain no spiritual nourishment whatsoever. This is substantiated by the next phrase: carried along by winds. It is exactly what the Apostle Paul was referring to when he advised his readers:

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming. (Ephesians 4:14)

Dr. Marvin Vincent observed how this relates even to us in our day:

The different teachings of philosophers or of religious quacks are represented as winds, blowing the unstable soul in every direction.2

Thirdly, they are described as autumn trees. The Greek word for autumn is a compound word that refers to late autumn and more precisely to being past harvest. For where trees at harvest time should have produced fruit, these men are without fruit, doubly dead [completely dead], uprooted.

In comparing these apostates with fruitless trees, the noted lexicographers, Arndt & Gingrich astutely asserts that:

The point of the comparison is probably that trees which have no fruit at the time of harvest have not fulfilled the purpose for which they exist, any more than waterless clouds.3

Fourthly, they are portrayed as wild waves of the sea. What Jude intends for us to envision is the untamed, ungoverned and furious raging and roaring of waves smashing into the rocks. This depicts the apostates operating in a frenzied state in the midst of the assembly of believers. Jude states that they are “casting up their own shame.”4 The word ‘casting up’ in the Greek is foaming up. Jude must have been equating this to Isaiah’s prophesy:

             But the wicked are like the tossing sea,

For it cannot be quiet,

            And its waters toss up refuse and mud. (Isaiah 57:20)

J.B. Mayor emphasizes that,

It refers to the seaweed and other refuse borne on the crest of the waves and thrown up on the beach, to which are compared the overflowings of ungodliness.5

It follows that the quality of false doctrine these men produce is to be considered nothing more than the foamy debris and mud tossed up by the sea—and shame being the essence of their false teachings. W.E. Vine states that this ‘shame’ is what “disgraces”6 them. But only mature believers will be able to distinguish their disgraceful false teachings from true doctrine.

Fifthly, they are characterized as wandering stars. From the beginning of creation, God set the sun, moon and stars in the heavens (Genesis 1:16–18) and that they have fixed and regular orbits. This is not just a scientific fact but one established by God, for the constellation of stars have been fixed and known for centuries (Job 9:9; 38:31; Amos 5:8) and used for navigation on land and sea. Stars with their regular movements were designed for light and direction but these false teachers “became the means of deceit by irregular movements.”7 So by their deceitful teachings they intend to provide false spiritual guidance leading believers astray. The Apostle Peter warned of this:

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness. (2 Peter 3:17)

Jude continues by describing the due judgement of these unprincipled men: “For whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.” Our Lord described this as “the outer darkness; in that place will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12; cf. 22:13; 25:30).

We need to take Our Lord’s warning seriously:

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15; cf. Acts 20:29)

For believers, the only means for discerning the nature of these men is if we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18a).

---

[1] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update (Expanded ed.). Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1834 note.

[2] Vincent, Marvin R. (n/d). Word Studies in the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 3.391.

[3] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1957). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 865.

[4] The English Standard Version correctly translates this: “Casting up the foam of their own shame.”

[5] Mayor, J.B. (1990). The Expositor’s Greek Testament (W. Robertson Nicoll, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 5.269-270.

[6] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.39.

[7] Vine, 2.598.

 

© 2023 David M. Rossi