Warning About False Teaching
October 6, 2020
Commentary
Enoch appears only three times in the Word of God:
In Genesis chapter 5:21-24, we are told of his birth, that he walked with God, that he gave birth to a son, and that he was raptured into heaven.In Hebrews 11:5, we read that he pleased God and that he was translated into heaven.In this passage (vv. 14-15), we learn that he preached to the ungodly of his day and warned them of the coming of the Lord in judgment. In these two short verses, Jude refers to what Enoch saw concerning the Second Coming of Jesus in the Book of Genesis, and 6,000 years later, what he saw about the Lord Coming with ten thousands of His saints to bring judgment upon this wicked world.Warning is given about false teachers in this passage (vv. 16-19). Unfortunately these are things we tend to have problems with today and need to make sure we are not doing. They include grumbling, fault finding, following our own desires, bragging and flattering others to gain advantage for ourselves (v. 16). The apostles also gave warning that there would be mockers in the last days who would walk around according to their own ungodly lusts (vv. 17-18). It is obvious that these mockers did not have the Holy Spirit and thus were not born again (v. 19).
Application
It is very important for me to be able to recognize who false teachers are, the error of their teaching and be able to warn others about their false teaching.
Jude 1:12– 19 (NET)
12 These men are dangerous reefs at your love feasts, feasting without reverence, feeding only themselves. They are waterless clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit —twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild sea waves, spewing out the foam of their shame; wayward stars for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness have been reserved.
14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, even prophesied of them, saying, “Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict every person of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds that they have committed, and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These people are grumblers and fault-finders who go wherever their desires lead them, and they give bombastic speeches, enchanting folks for their own gain.
17 But you, dear friends—recall the predictions foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 For they said to you, “At the end of time there will come scoffers, propelled by their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people are divisive, worldly, devoid of the Spirit.
Illustration: The Day Mount St Helen’s Blew
Many residents of the state of Washington remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on the morning Mount St. Helen’s blew wide-open. The shock wave rattled windows for hundreds of miles around. Prior to the eruption, scientists monitoring the peak didn’t know when it would go off or how big the blast would be. But all the signs of a live volcano were evident. It was just a matter of time. Local media issued warnings and faithfully reported St. Helen’s vital signs. But as time elapsed and the big eruption did not occur, people became less wary and more bold. Campers, photographers, and others moved in to get a closer look. Then on May 18, 1980, the mountain that had been dormant since 1857 spewed ash skyward and killed at least thirty people. They had failed to heed warnings, and they died needlessly. (Christine Dallman, The Quiet Hour, February, 1998, p. 77).