False Teachers Judged, Part 2 Jude 8-10

False Teachers Judged, Part 2

Introduction

We have entered a part of Jude where judgment is predicted against false teachers who have come into the Church. Verses 5-7 have established the fact that God will judge those who challenge what He has proclaimed to be true. Using the examples of the nation of Israel in the wilderness, rebellious angels, and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Jude shows that God has judged in the past, and therefore He will judge again.

In verses 8-10 Jude becomes more specific in what the false teachers have done to deserve judgment. In introducing the behaviors that have earned God’s judgment, Jude refers to them as dreamers. The emphasis on that word is not on dreaming whyile you sleep, but having visions. The false teachers believed the things they were teaching were true and that the way they were living was okay because they had visions! So in these verses we ask this question: What are the actions that bring judgment against false teachers? Jude gives us three statements of fact to to show that they deserve the judgment they will receive from God. All of these actions were a consistent part of their daily lives.

No Purity

The first statement of fact is that the false teachers have defiled the flesh. These false teachers have used their bodies in an impure way. It probably refers to sexual purity, but perhaps the application can be applied further to luxurious and selfish lifestyles that are often associated with such people. They are not too concerned about what is happening to their listeners or followers. They just want to fulfill their own desires. They are in the work for themselves. And it shows.

No Submission

The second statement of fact is that the false teachers have rejected authority. The authority they have refused to follow is the authority of God (and His Word). Their “visions” were not consistent with what God has said. They had received new visions that had more authority. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is not openly denied, but neither is it openly practiced. They have become an authority in themselves.

No Reverence

The third statement of fact is that these false teachers have reviled angelic majesties. That sounds rather confusing, does it not? What does it mean. It is one of the more difficult statements in the New Testament. A more literal way of translating this statement is to say they have blasphemed the glories” or as the ESV has translated it, “blaspheme the glorious ones”. The word “angels” that appears in many translations is not actually used in the verse, but this is probably the best understanding of the phrase that is used. So what Jude is saying here and then explaining in the following verses is that these false teachers do not have any reverence for those angels who God uses to accomplish His will.

As a contrasting example, Jude mentions Michael the archangel who did not even believe he had authority to pronounce judgement on Satan when he was doing battle with him over the body of Moses. This incident must have been familiar to Jude’s readers, though we have no biblical evidence of such a battle ever taking place. But the point is well-taken: angels deserve respect because they are servants of God. These false teachers had no such respect for them, and therefore they had no respect or reverence for God Himself who empowers those angels.

Conclusion

So the false teachers have acted in such a way that they deserve to receive God’s judgment. No purity, no submission, and no reverence for God are worthy of the extreme judgment that God will hand out. These verses are speaking of false teachers who are not true believers, it should be a warning to every Christian to evaluate their life and the way that they are living.

Application

How is your battle going with letting Jesus be Lord in your life? When is it hardest? When is it easiest?