Jude: False Teachers and the True Faith

Judah shifts gears in his letter and begins to address the needs of the believers. He has exposed the false teachers and their false doctrines, now he seeks to encourage the believers in their struggle against evil as they await the Messiah’s return.

A terrorist is a person, group, or organization that uses violent action, or the threat of violent action, to further political or religious goals; frequently in an attempt to coerce either a more powerful opponent, or a weaker opponent, to yield to their wishes or their desires . They are usually organized in small groups or cells, and they often use religion as a cover for their terrorist activities. Judah is exposing these false teachers as spiritual terrorists. The doctrines they teach are certainly contrary to God‘s truth, and as we saw last week, will always lead to destruction and ruin in a person‘s life. They are very subtle, secretive, and will use manipulation , especially spiritual manipulation, sometimes coupled with fear, to move people to yield to their false teachings and embrace their doctrines as a way of life. They usually operate like terrorist in small cells just a few at a time. But it only takes one to poison the spiritual water in a local fellowship.

Rebellion will always lead to ruin. Without repentance, the deception and sin of rebellion will destroy the lives of these false teachers. But even in the midst of this passage, we see the amazing grace of God displayed in the death of His servant Moses. A grace so great, that the enemy could lay no claim to him!

Genesis 6 records one of the most bizarre events in Scripture. That rebellious incursion by the angels, created monsters that the world had never seen before…the Nephilim! What were they? How long were they around? Is there presence revealed throughout history in myths and legends? Will we see them again? The answers may surprise you!

Judah shares three separate events from the Torah that illustrate the rebellion of the false teachers and God’s sure judgment that will come to them. These illustrations share a common theme and something bizarre connects them all!

The battle for truth and sound doctrine continues today. The evil one still has his emissaries sneaking into the body of Messiah, and teaching error that results in people being led away from their intimacy with and devotion to Christ. The fruit of these teachers lives, exposes them for who they truly are, and God has promised that they will not escape His judgment! They are like a cancer, that if not found and dealt with, will produce death everywhere it spreads!

Judah quotes several apocalyptic works in his short letter that his readers would have been very familiar with. Why? What is apocalyptic literature? What was its purpose? How do these works impact not only the originals recipients of his letter, but us today? You may be surprised to find out…A GREAT DEAL!

The call to follow Jesus is costly. Not only in terms of us forsaking all to follow Him, but also in the fact that we are not only called TO Someone, but also FROM a life lived in sin, death and darkness. Every relationship in life is impacted by our decision to follow the Messiah. And many will not understand and may ever turn against us for that choice. We must be prepared for that and count the cost.

The letter of Jude is a vigorous letter of exposure and rebuke against false teachers and their dangerous and destructive teachings. It is as applicable today, if not more so than when he wrote it.