Exposition Of JudeShembull

Verses five through sixteen of Jude go on to cover three critical topics: the judgment of false teachers, the false teacher's rejection of authority and the selfishness of false teachers. Three scriptural examples of judgment (with the implication of certain judgment on these false teachers) is given as an example. First it is the Israelites in the wilderness (Jude 5). Next, Jude speaks of fallen angels (Jude 6). Lastly, Jude looks at Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7). With regard to the false teachers’ rejection of authority, for Jude this is one of the clear signs of their apostasy. The fact that they reject the authority of the apostles and teachers (and even “angelic authorities,” Jude 8) who have handed down “the faith once for all delivered to the saints," sets them apart as "false." Jude draws on numerous examples from Scripture and Jewish apocalyptic works to prove this point, the first being the dispute of Michael the archangel with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 9-10), Cain, Balaam, and Korah’s rebellion (Jude 11), and the prophecy of Enoch (Jude 14-16). Jude then closes out this section by employing several poetic and artistic images to illustrate the false teachers’ desires to serve their own interests: hidden reefs, clouds without water, trees without fruit, crashing waves and wandering stars (Jude 12-13).