In the days before electronic navigational equipment, lighthouses served as vital guides for ships. Mooncursers were pirates who in the 19th century purposely caused many shipwrecks. They would set up false lights off a dangerous coastline. A homeward-bound ship would mistake this light for the lighhouse showing the way to safe harbor and would change its course. Trusting in this false light, the ship would head for certain destruction on the rocks and shoals. These pirates would then collect the cargo of the stricken ship while leaving the crewmen to drown. The key to the Mooncursers success was their deception setting up of a false light to lure the ships to their doom.

Today we still have Mooncursers but they go by different names. Names like Heaven’s Gate, The People’s Temple, The Solar Temple, Branch Davidians, Supreme Truth, House of Jahweh, Jeffrey Lundgren, Moonies, Mormans, and Jehovah’s Witnesses and there are more.

We call them cults and they all have one thing in common, they deceive people. They set up a false light and call it the true light. As we approach the year two thousand the Mooncursers are alive and well and doing a thriving business.

It’s the same old, same old problem that Jude was warning the people about back then about. Jude 4, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” You think about men like Jim Jones, and David Koresh, or even the Morman missionaries and you see them creeping unaware into the flock, into the lives of people claiming to be what they aren’t.

What they are is wolves in sheep’s clothing, through whom the devil strikes again and again sending countless thousands or even millions through the gates of hell.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:15, “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

And in Matthew 24:4-5 Jesus says, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”

And in Matthew 24:11, Jesus says, “And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.”

Cults have been around for many, many, many years along with their leaders who are false prophets. And isn’t that what the leaders of the cults are saying they are? Prophets receiving new revelations direct from God which if they do have any respect for the Bible they say their revelations supercede what the Bible said in the past.

From Jim Jones to the head of the Mormon church and sometimes even the pope the world is full of false prophets saying they have new direct revelation which is better than the Bible. A cult denies at least some of the fundamental truths of the Gospel. Some deny more than others.

One of the earliest cults was the Gnostics. This was a group that claimed to be Christians and existed from the late 1st century to the 3rd century.

In Colossians 2:8, it is believe the apostle Paul is referring to early Gnosticism when he says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” When Gnosticism was in full bloom it was an intellectual, elitist group which stressed wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge.

Gnosticism identifies Christ as an emanation from God, fitting Jesus in somewhere between God an an evil universe. As a result Gnosticism does not regard Christ as God. All of the cults have a warped view of who Christ is. Many cult leaders claim to be Christ themselves.

Others like the Mormons say that Christ was once a created being just like us that became a God but even though a God is not as powerful as the Father a completely separate God. We as Christians believe that Jesus Christ is part of the Trinity, the godhead. We worship one God but He reveals Himself to us through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus was in existence before the beginning of time before the foundation of the world. Jesus is the Word become flesh, born of a virgin, fully human (while walking on this earth) and yet fully God. The Gnostics not only denied that Jesus was God but also His humanity claiming that Jesus could have had no physical existence. They reached the point they did by claiming that only certain elite ones of their group had knowlege. In other words only certain people could understand and interpret the Scriptures.

That’s where David Koresh and many other cult leaders were and are at who claim essentially the same thing: That only they have the ability to interpret the Scriptures.

Along with this elitest attitude toward knowledge of the Scriptures comes a moral superiority. In other words, since they have this advanced knowledge they can pick and chose the moral laws they want to obey. So in the case of David Koresh and many other false prophets, we see immorality being committed on a large scale.

Jude is speaking of this in v. 4b, vv. 7-8, and vv. 10-11, “...ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

“But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things thy corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.”

In v. 11 where Jude mentions Cain, Ba’-laam, and Korah, they are all false prophets in the sense of rebellion against God. In David Koresh and many other modern day false prophets you see Cain, Ba’-laam, and Korah all rolled up into one person.

Let’s consider Cain first:

Cain was a religious man but a natural man - He believed in God and believed in religion, but he thought he could do it his own way. Cain denied that he was a sinner, rejected redemption by blood, and thought that he could come to God his own way. And we know Cain had a murderous heart killing his righteous brother, Abel. We can see that the false prophets of today, like David Koresh, have the same characteristics of Cain.

Next, let’s consider Ba’-laam:

Ba’-laam was guilty of covetousness which is idolatry. He was a hired prophet. He wanted to make money with the gift that God had apparently given to him. You can see something of that in David Koresh and the other cults today because in order to become a Branch Davidian you had to sell everything you had and give it to Koresh.

And what did David Koresh do with it? For one thing he had a nice Camaro - He had also bought $200,000 worth of guns and ammunition. But a person can seek after other things then just money as a cult leader - it might be prominence, or popularity, or fame, or applause, or position. This is spiritual adultery seeking after things other than the Lord, who commands, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

Finally, who is this man Korah?

Korah led a rebellion against Moses - He came wrongly to the conclusion that Moses was not the only one around who had access to God. Korah rebelled against God’s appointed authority who was Moses (Of course in this dispensation there is no one with the authority of a Moses and God’s appointed authority is the Holy Scripture.)

In effect Korah said, “Has God only spoken to Moses? Who does Moses think he is?” Today the God’s appointed authority is the Word of God, and the false prophets are saying, “Has God only spoken through the Bible? The Bible is only paper God is speaking directly to me, I have the authority.”

Well, Moses was called of God, and Korah was not and Korah died. Korah was rebelling against God and paid a heavy price. David Koresh claimed to be the Son of God in contradiction of the Scriptures and He too is paying a heavy price for his rebellion against the authority of God. As will all who deny the authority of the Word of God.

Jude goes on to say vv. 17 - 19, “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”

Remember what Jesus said? “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” “And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.”

And what is our responsibility in all of this? Jude 3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

“And exhort you that you should earnestly contend....”

From the Geek word that is translated here as contend we get our English word agony. There is tied up in this word contend the meaning of strife, of conflict, of combat of the most vigorous kind - “earnestly contend” he says. “earnestly” “earnestly contend.”

Jude believed that the very foundation of the Christian faith was under attack.

“You can’t just sit there and take it!” Jude is saying.

“You can’t let them get by with it!” Jude is saying.

“You’ve got to stand up for the Lord, stand up for the apostles Doctrine, speak up, defend the faith!” Jude is saying.

And I believe God is saying the very same thing to all true believers today - “earnestly contend”

“You can’t just sit there and take it!”
“You can’t let them get by with it!”
“You’ve got to stand up for the Lord, stand up for the Word of God, speak up, defend the faith!”

Jude closes out this book by giving us further instructions about protecting ourselves and others from fals prophets and false teachings. Jude 20-23, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” “earnestly contend” “Building up yourselves on your most holy faith.”

“...your most holy faith.” Our faith is built upon the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Paul also wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed....”

There are parts of Scripture that we will enjoy and other parts that will step on our toes, but we need them all. “Your most Holy faith” refers to The Faith, to the body of truth that has been given to us in the Word of God.

Next Jude says, “Praying in the Holy Spirit.” This is an unusual phrase which occurs in only one other place in Scripture, in Ephesisans, where Paul talks about putting on the whole armor of God. Each piece of armor is for defense except for two things. One is Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

The second offensive weapon mentioned is in Ephesians 6:17 just prior to prayer - which says, “the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.”

Praying in the Holy Spirit means that we pray by means of the Holy Spirit that we are dependent upon Him and that at the time of praying we want what God wants, we want His will to be done on earth and in our lives as it is in Heaven. When we are praying in the Spirit we are not just mouthing words but we desire God’s help and empowerment and we want whatever God wants.

Paul wrote in Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Intercedes according to God’s will, in agreement with God.

Jude goes on to say, “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” We know God always loves us - but He doesn’t always love the way we act - Keep yourself in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ looking always to eternity - keeping your eyes upon your Lord Jesus (Hebrews 12:3) .

Finally Jude says vv. 22 - 23, “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” When we are witnessing, sharing Christ we must be sensitive to the leadership of the HS. Some - Jude is saying in verse 22 - will be won to Christ through tenderness and the demonstration of compassion. Others must be “plucked from the fire.” They must be directly confronted with the truth of the Gospel and the truth about the result of unforgiven sin.

There are a lot of good people out there involved with cults who need to know the consequences of believing a lie. Someone needed to pluck the Branch Davidians, and the Heaven’s Gate people and the Solar Temple people and so many others from the fire before it was too late. But no one did!!!

Don’t be deceived by the false prophets - Study the Word, Pray in the Spirit - Fight for those in the grasp of the false prophets. “earnestly contend for the faith” “Pluck them from the fire.” You have a divine mandate, a divine command to do so.