“Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.” (Jude 11 (ESV)
“Since we are called to be alert to the threat of false teaching in our midst, for what should we be looking? Should we expect someone to stand up in the middle of a worship service and declare: “The church has had it all wrong for years and years. Let me tell you what the Bible really teaches.” Do we expect bold declarations that strike at the heart of the Bible’s teachings such as “God is not real” or “Jesus is not God”? If we expect that a sudden and dramatic falsehood will enter the church, we will not be looking in the right place. It is true that great falsehoods have been found in the church, but not typically in a sudden fashion. The enemy of our souls prefers a subtler approach, sowing doubts and twisting the truth to make falsehood acceptable. After all, the first attack on man was not, “How can you possibly believe that?” but, “Did God really say that?” –Pastor Fred Greco
“Another thing we need to remember is that false teaching does not always come into the church as a result of deliberate attempts to deceive Christians and trick them into denying the faith. Such tactics certainly are possible, for the New Testament does record instances of “the false brethren who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 2:4) and those who “crept in unnoticed . . . ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). We should not be naive and ignore signs of such attacks. But more often, the danger of false teaching comes from other avenues. Three avenues to which we must be especially alert are the desire to find some new and interesting teaching or doctrine, an overreaction to other teaching errors in the church, and a desire to avoid criticism, particularly criticism from the world around us.”
Regardless of the prevailing reasons for false teaching, the consequences are clear; judgment from God. Woe (οὐαὶ; ouai) refers to dishonor, horror and distress. God purposefully and righteously brings His wrath to bear upon all apostates.
Romans 1:18–21 (ESV) says, “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
“The lamentation Woe to them! (with variations) is a typical phrase that the Old Testament prophets uttered repeatedly to condemn persons or nations. Jesus uses the word woe to place a curse on Korazin and Bethsaida (Matt. 11:21), and he rebukes the Pharisees with a series of seven woes (Matt. 23). And Paul calls a woe upon himself should he fail to preach the gospel (1 Cor. 9:16). Likewise, Jude pronounces woes upon his godless contemporaries and tells them that they are heading for destruction. At the same time his words are a warning to his readers not to permit these godless men to lead them astray,” explains Dr. Simon J. Kistemaker.
Invoking his signature triad writing style, God’s judgment comes upon apostates because they resemble three false teachers from the Scriptures: Cain, Balaam and Korah. How did these three defect from the true faith? Dr. Edward C. Pentecost provides valuable commentary and insight.
“They have taken the way of Cain. This may mean either that they, like Cain, (a) disobediently devised their own ways of worship, (b) were envious of others, or (c) hated others with a murderous spirit (cf. 1 John 3:12).’
“They have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error. Balaam, under the guise of serving God, encouraged others to sin, while at the same time seeking to gain monetarily from their error (2 Peter 2:15–16; Num. 22:21–31). Similarly, the false leaders of Jude’s day, greedy for money, led others into sin without recognizing the danger of their actions.”
“They have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. Korah led a revolt against Moses and Aaron, not acknowledging that God had delegated authority to them (Num. 16). So, their rebellion was actually against God Himself. Likewise, the men of whom Jude spoke (perhaps local church leaders) rebelled against God’s authority and as a result would be destroyed suddenly. That destruction was so certain that Jude stated in the past tense that “they have been destroyed.”
I encourage you to evaluate the Bible teachers you support and listen to in order ascertain if they are false teachers. May the Lord’s grace and mercy be found here.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 