It may be difficult to wrap your mind around the reality that counterfeit Christians really exist in the earth. Welcome to the last days! Jude gives us a powerful warning that helps us discern the characteristics of a false brethren as well as other verses in the Bible.
Jude 1:8-13 says, “Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”
1. DEFINING FALSE BRETHREN
It is very difficult to wrap minds around this reality because your mind wants to persuade you that if someone comes to church they must be safe or if they talk like a Christian they must be safe. Christianity is not defined by a person having the Christian talk without the Christian walk. Some of the most spiritually dangerous people I have ever met were not people of this world but those that function like false brethren or a Christian look alike. They have a form of godliness but they deny the power of God! Paul even describes the dangers that he faced among false brethren.
Galatians 1:8 says, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
2 Corinthians 11:4 says, “For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!”
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”2 Corinthians 11:26 says, “In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren.”
Paul uses the word perils in 2 Corinthians 11:26 in reference to his dealing with false brethren. The word peril in Greek means to be extremely dangerous. He said, “In perils among false brethren.”
The Greek word for false carries the idea of something or someone being untrue. It means a pretending, phony, fake, or a bogus believer. The second part of the Greek word which is brethren means brother. The phrase false brethren simply means a fake, phony, bogus brother that is pretending to be a Christian.
Galatians 2:4-5 says, “And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”
2. SIGNS OF FALSE BRETHREN
Please take the time to watch the video podcast that will deal with each of these five signs of the false brethren much more in-depth.
1. SPOTS IN THE FEASTS OF CHARITY/SPOTS IN THE LOVE FEASTS
The Greek word for spots means hidden rocks that are in the love feasts on which many shipwrecks are made. The feasts of charity were also known as the feasts of faith. These were Christian love feasts that were held until the fourth century. These were to maintain and promote brotherly love among the Christians. They would refresh the poor saints so that they may have a full and comfortable meal every now and then.
They began the feasts of charity with prayer and singing and ended it with prayer and singing. The spots that Jude describes would come in like hidden rocks in a river or lake that are full of filth and slime. These were people who would feast with you feeding themselves without fear. They were false brethren who would go and eat at the feasts but the whole time they would have their own selfish agenda.
2 Peter 2:12-14 says, “But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.”
2. CLOUDS WITHOUT WATER
Jude says, “They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds.”
It is interesting that the word clouds is used to describe the false brethren that come in. When Jude calls them clouds without water he means that people appear like they will bring spiritual rain of refreshing but they actually remain as dark clouds with no water. In modern day vernacular they have the talk without the walk. They are carried about by the winds or their own passions. They promise rain in their devilish greasy grace doctrines that do not produce repentance. There is no refreshing rain where there are lies of the devil and the hatred of the truth of God’s Word!
Matthew 24:11 says, “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”
3. TREES WITHOUT FRUIT
Jude says, “They are late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots.” Jude is giving us the warning signs of the false brethren or a Christian look alike by describing them as trees without fruit.
Matthew 7:15-16 says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?”
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Matthew 7:18-20 says, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
All true believers in Jesus Christ must walk in the fruit of the Spirit. We will know the true believer in Jesus Christ by the fruit of the Spirit that flows out of their lives. This is extremely crucial. Jude says they are to be plucked up by the roots. There is a separation that will come. They will separate themselves or they will be exposed by the Church and that will bring separation. False brethren must be discerned and exposed!
4. RAGING WAVES
Jude describes the false brethren as raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; They foam out wickedness and shame like a troubled sea. The false brethren cannot help but walk in wickedness regardless of the language coming out of their mouths.
Isaiah 57:20 says, “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”
5. WANDERING STARS
Jude describes the false brethren as being like stars or meteors floating without direction and guidance. You will find that the false brethren have no true direction in
their life as they wander in the earth bringing about destruction to atmospheres.
2 Peter 2:14-17 says, “Having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”
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