Jude warns that the false teachers within the church are moving toward God’s judgment. Their unbelief, moral corruption, rejection of God’s order, and arrogant speech place them in the same line as earlier rebels whom God judged.

Jude is reminding his readers of truths they already know. He is not introducing something new. He is calling them to remember how God has acted before so they can rightly discern the danger now before them.

He begins with three examples of divine judgment. First, the Lord Jesus delivered Israel out of Egypt, yet later destroyed those who did not believe. The point is plain: past deliverance did not protect them when they continued in unbelief. Privilege did not remove accountability. Second, certain angels did not remain within the place God assigned to them, but left it. Because of this, God has kept them under judgment for the great Day. Third, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves over to sexual immorality and pursued what violated proper created boundaries. They now stand as a public example of the punishment of eternal fire. These three examples belong together. In each case there was privilege or proper order, then rebellion, then decisive judgment.

Jude then says the intruders in the church are acting in the same way. They rely on their dreams, likely claiming visionary authority or following delusive, self-authorizing impressions that excuse their sin. On that basis they defile the body, reject rightful authority, and speak abusively about glorious beings, most likely heavenly beings. Their error is not merely moral. It is also marked by spiritual arrogance.

To show how serious this is, Jude sets Michael the archangel in contrast with them. Even Michael, when disputing with the devil about Moses’ body, did not presume to pronounce a slanderous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” Jude’s purpose is not to satisfy curiosity about that event. The point is the contrast. Michael showed restraint and left rebuke in the Lord’s hands. These intruders do the opposite. They revile what they do not understand, and what they do understand only at the level of fallen instinct, like unreasoning animals, becomes the very thing that destroys them. Their lives are ruled by appetite rather than spiritual discernment.

Jude then pronounces a woe on them. He says they have gone the way of Cain, rushed headlong for profit into Balaam’s error, and will perish in Korah’s rebellion. He is not saying they match only one Old Testament figure. He gathers several patterns of rebellion into one verdict. Like Cain, they follow the path of godless religion and destructive hostility. Like Balaam, they are driven by greed and corrupt others for gain. Like Korah, they reject God’s appointed order and move toward ruin.

In verses 12–13, Jude piles up images to show what these people are really like. They are hidden reefs at the church’s love feasts, meaning they are dangers within the fellowship, not threats only from outside. They feast without reverence and care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds, promising refreshment but giving none. They are autumn trees without fruit, barren when fruit should appear, doubly dead and uprooted. They are wild sea waves, casting up the foam of their shame in public view. They are wandering stars, not reliable guides but unstable and misleading, and the darkness of judgment is reserved for them. Read together, these images make Jude’s point clear: they are dangerous, empty, shameless, unstable, and doomed.

Jude then cites Enoch’s prophecy to show that this judgment was announced long ago. The Lord is coming with countless holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict the ungodly for all their ungodly deeds and all the harsh words they have spoken against Him. Their actions and their speech both matter. God hears not only what they do, but also what they say against Him. Present corruption in the church must therefore be understood in light of the final judgment already declared.

Jude closes this section by describing their character in practical terms. They grumble and complain. They follow their own sinful desires. They speak in swollen, boastful ways. They flatter people, not out of love, but to gain advantage. So the church must not judge teachers by charm, bold claims, visionary language, or social influence. Jude judges them by the combined pattern of belief, conduct, speech, and motive.

This passage therefore gives the church a sober warning. Being connected to God’s people, sharing in the life of the church, or having past spiritual privilege does not make rebellion safe. Claimed dreams or spiritual experiences must never be allowed to excuse impurity, contempt for rightful authority, or reckless speech. God has judged such rebellion before, and He will judge it again.