A Question Regarding False Teachers In Jude
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesA querist asks, “In Jude 1:12-13, what does the symbolism refer to in these verses with reference to the false teachers mentioned in Jude 1:4?”
The text in Jude 1:12-13 reads:
“These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves; they are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.“
A good Bible commentary to the above text would be 2 Peter 2:1-22, which further describe the characteristics of false teachers. With this thought in mind, the following are four descriptions of false teachers that Jude documents along with comments:
1) Clouds without water — Please note a similar phrase in 2 Peter 2:17, again referring to false teachers:
“These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, to whom the gloom of darkness is reserved forever.“
These false teachers were similar to clouds that contained the promise of rain, but no rain was in them (cf. Proverbs 25:14). They were like the folks who were “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).
2) Trees without fruit — Autumn is the season in which trees should begin bearing expected fruit — these trees were not bearing any fruit at all. These false teachers were similar in nature because they were promoting doctrines that would never bear spiritual fruit. Their doctrines would only bring spiritual death (Romans 6:23; cf. Romans 5:12; James 1:15).
3) Raging waves of the sea — Compare “raging waves of the sea” with James 1:6 and Isaiah 57:20. Isaiah uses the figure of the foaming sea waves as an illustration of the wicked. As the foaming sea waves bring up mire and refuse, so does the false teacher, spiritually speaking. This is a person who has no spiritual foundation (cf. Matthew 7:24-27), thus he is not dependable nor is he a reliable source for spiritual instruction – only for spiritual destruction (2 Peter 2:18-19; cf. Romans 6:16).
4) Wandering stars — These stars were obviously without direction or orbit. True teachers of God’s word will be stable, reliable, and dependable while false teachers will not possess these characteristics. Stars are often used symbolically as religious teachers in the Scriptures (cf. Numbers 24:17; 2 Peter 1:19; Revelation 1:16; Revelation 2:1; Revelation 22:16).