What is the meaning of Jude 1:8? Yet in the same way Jude picks up from verses 5–7, where he reminded believers that the unbelieving Israelites, the fallen angels, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah all suffered judgment because they refused God’s rule. • “In the same way” means the people he now describes follow the very pattern of rebellion already judged. • 1 Corinthians 10:6 warns that past judgments “took place as examples for us,” and 2 Peter 2:10 echoes that God “especially” reserves judgment for “those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.” The message: what God condemned before, He will condemn again. these dreamers Jude calls the false teachers “dreamers,” not to applaud spiritual vision but to expose their self-generated fantasies. • They claim private revelation that contradicts the apostolic faith (v. 3). • Jeremiah 23:25-32 shows how counterfeit dreams lead people away from God’s word. • Their imaginations, not Scripture, guide them—just as Acts 2:17 foretells, there will be dreams given by God, but there will also be counterfeit claims. defile their bodies The first outward fruit of their inward fantasy is sexual immorality. • Jude ties them to Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7), notorious for “sexual-deviancy”. • Romans 1:24 says that when people exchange God’s truth for a lie, He “gave them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity.” • 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 reminds believers that the body is “a temple of the Holy Spirit” and must not be defiled. False teaching and moral collapse walk hand-in-hand. reject authority Their second trait is open rebellion against any God-ordained structure. • The ultimate authority they spurn is the Lordship of Jesus Christ (v. 4 calls Him “our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ”). • Romans 13:1-2 says resisting authority means resisting what God has appointed. • Hebrews 13:17 commands believers, “Obey your leaders and submit to them.” • 2 Peter 2:10 labels the same crowd “bold and arrogant,” unwilling to “tremble as they blaspheme glorious beings.” Their pride places them above every rule—except God will not yield His throne. slander glorious beings Finally, they “blaspheme” (slander) angelic majesties. • Jude immediately contrasts them with Michael, who would not “bring a slanderous charge” against the devil but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (v. 9). • 2 Peter 2:11 notes that even angels, “greater in strength and power,” do not pronounce reviling judgments against other angels before the Lord. • By mocking what they do not understand (v. 10), these teachers reveal reckless irreverence toward the unseen realm God created. Their lips, like their lives, prove their contempt for holiness. summary Jude 1:8 portrays a three-fold profile of false teachers: they pollute themselves sexually, rebel against rightful authority, and speak arrogantly against heavenly beings. Their behavior mirrors earlier examples God has already judged. For believers, the verse is a sober reminder: hold fast to the apostolic faith, stay pure in body, submit to God-given authority, and speak with reverence about spiritual matters, knowing the Judge who acted before will act again. |
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