Jude Chapter 1 Vs. 12

 

Judgment on False Teachers

Verses 12-13: Both verses use vivid, picturesque language to depict the degeneracy of those who have crept into the church (verse 4).

“These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;” Jude 1:12

feasts of charity... Love feasts of Christians which were held until about the fourth century when they were prohibited to be held in churches (1Cor. 11:20).

clouds they are... Five comparisons of lascivious teachers:

1. Spots (Greek: spilas, hidden rocks) in your love feasts on which many shipwrecks are made (1Tim. 1:19)

2. Clouds without the true refreshing showers of truth (Deut. 32:2); carried away by their passions and licentiousness (2Pet. 2:17)

3. Trees that are diseased and fruitless (Mat. 7:15)

4. Raging waves of the sea; foaming out the wickedness and shame like a troubled sea (Jude 1:13; Isa. 57:20)

5. Wandering stars or meteors floating about without direction and guidance (Jude 1:13; 2Pet. 2:14-17)

Apostates promise spiritual life but are empty clouds which bring the hope of rain, but deliver nothing but dryness and death (Prov. 25:14). They preach a false gospel that leads only to hell.

Clouds without water are a disappointment to those who need their fields watered. They are not fit to have anything happen to them, but to be destroyed.

trees whose fruit... Apostates hold out the claim of providing a spiritual feast, but instead deliver famine (Luke 13:6-9). Doubly dead trees will never yield fruit and, regardless of what they say, will always be barren because they are uprooted (Mat. 7:17-20).

fruit, twice dead... Does this refer to backsliding and becoming dead again in trespasses and sins, as in Luke 22:32; Gal. 1:6-8; 4:19; 5:4; 6:1; Jas. 5:19-20; etc? How could they be "twice dead" if they had not been revived from death, had lived a while and then died again? (Cp. Luke 8:13.)

These love feasts have to do with the early church having love-feasts, where they sat with rich and poor. In some places, this was called the Lord’s Supper. The thing intended to be beautiful had turned into something evil. They were not out to help others, but to feed themselves.

These apostates were dirt spots, filth on the garment of the church. Or more likely, what God intended for the church as smooth sailing, they turned into a potential shipwreck through their presence. These “feasts” were the regular gathering of the early church to partake of the bread and cup, plus share a common meal.

Leading Falsely

Jude pointed out how craftily the apostates had moved into the church. They had made their way into the love feasts — which were the closest celebrations of believers — meals (indicated by the words eating with you), which were probably followed by the Lord’s Supper. Yet these false teachers, though participating outwardly, were inwardly denying the Lord (Jude 1:4). This is the most outrageous blasphemy possible. Such men were thus blemishes that marred the inner beauty of the church. Furthermore they were intruding (cf. “secretly slipped in among you,” Jude 1:4) without the slightest qualm or inhibition. “Blemishes” is spilades (“stains”); cf. the verb form espilōmenon (“stained”) in Jude 1:23. In staining others (Jude 1:12) they stained themselves (Jude 1:23).

In addition these unbelievers had taken a shepherding role, but did not function as shepherds. Instead of feeding the flock of God, they selfishly would feed only themselves. How unthinkable for a shepherd not to feed his sheep — which was his major responsibility! Their leadership was false, for it was deceptive, hardened, and selfish.

As leaders, these apostates were clouds without rain, blown along by the wind. This is the first of four vivid comparisons from nature in Jude 1:12-13. These men had no water for thirsty souls; they only pretended that they did. And they were soon gone, unstable as wind-driven clouds.

As leaders these apostates were spiritually dead. A tree in the autumn (the time of gathering fruit from fruit trees) without fruit appears (or is) dead, and a fruitless tree that is uprooted is dead forever — thus it is twice dead. The dead condition of apostate leaders was indicated by two things: (a) they did not bear spiritual fruit in others, and (b) they were without spiritual roots themselves, and thus faced judgment.