Jude 1:4

The *New Testament often uses the form of words ‘certain … men’ to refer to a particular group. (It is like when someone today says, ‘You know whom I mean!’). Teachers that travelled from one place to another often caused trouble in the first churches.

Jesus himself warned the people who followed him about such false teachers (Matthew 7:15). So did Paul (2 Corinthians, Chapter s 10 and 11; 1 Timothy 4:1-2). So did Peter (2 Peter 2:1-3) and John (1 John 4:1).

• It seems likely that the church of Jude’s readers is a large church. It has very many loyal members. This would make it easy for certain evil men to join them secretly.

• It is hard to identify the false teachers. They are imitating the genuine teachers. Perhaps some false teachers have even become leaders in the church. But Jude will explain how their attitudes differ from the genuine teachers. And he will explain how dangerous the false teachers are. People might not recognise them. But God knows who they are. So their punishment is certain.

Three lessons from the past

v5 I want to remind you about some old stories. You already know them very well. They have lessons for today.

In the first story, the *Israelites were slaves in the country called Egypt. But God rescued them in a wonderful manner. Yet the people would not trust God for the future. So God left them to die in the desert.

v6 In the second story, some *angels were not content with their place of authority in heaven. They wanted something better. So they left the important place that God had specially created for them. God punished them severely. As punishment, God fixed them like prisoners with chains in deep darkness. And they will remain in that state until the day when he will act as their judge.

v7 The third story is about the terrible fate of the towns called Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns. The inhabitants were guilty of such wicked behaviour about sex that God completely destroyed those towns. He punished those people with fire that never went out.