To think Jude may have written a different letter makes me all the more grateful for him having the courage to write like he does. This is relevant for 2023 and the Church needs to read this much ignored letter.
Jude is not letting up, he doesn’t back down, he continues to give illustrations to show how these leaders are ungodly and spottable.
“These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude 12-13)
- They attend the love feasts. The early Church practiced Agape feasts where people brought food to share.
These ungodly leaders are attending the events but they are consumers of the church, they have a spirit of entitlement, they are there not to share and give but to take and grab for themselves. The only people they look after is themselves.
- They are clouds without rain.
They give long speeches of their intent, they proclaim new ideas and promise that the best is yet to come because they are carrying something. People get excited. They look for what is promised. But these ungodly leaders have the appearance but do not deliver. They are all talk.
- They are blown along by the wind.
They change their mind constantly. They take whatever is being said by others and make it sound like they have thought of it but it lasts only until they hear a new thing. They don’t have a purpose for their life just a performance.
- They are autumn trees without fruit.
They have not produced anything. When the Bible is denied as the Word of God and the Lordship of Jesus is ignored then all that is left is death. In fact there is death twice because they are dead from not believing and teaching what they should and therefore God will remove their anointing and ministry, the second death.
- They are wild waves of the sea.
For the people at the time the sea was chaotic, confusing and something to be feared. These people are busy but they are unmanageable, unaccountable and uncontrollable.
- They are wandering stars.
Shooting across the sky they try and dazzle but it is a fleeting moment, they soon pass away, here today gone tomorrow.
The result? A forever blackest darkness. An eternal loss. Gone forever.
Missions Paul 