Unseen danger, false promise, barren, wasted effort, aimless
Jude 12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Unseen danger
Spots in your love feasts -- the word is hidden rocks, the rocks a mariner doesn't see that will sink his ship. They have come to eat and to plunder. They have an agenda, a mission. Reefs below the ocean threatening safe navigation. If a rock is above the ocean it is not as big a threat. These are the ones who have snuck in secretly. Atheists and agnostics are up front and honest about who they are, these are those who sneak in secretly. Without the slightest qualm -- feeding themselves without fear
Everyone can see that atheists have a particular danger, the fleshly have a certain danger, drugs (sorcery) has a certain danger. But Christmas? Come on man!
Compare this with the rock of our salvation and with the believers who are living stones.
False promise
Clouds without water, carried about by the winds -- clouds are for rain but these are deceit, they don't have any water. This suggests dry places and according to Matthew 12:43 that is where evil spirits wander. They are carried aside by winds, the same word for pneuma, spirit. This implies they are bond slaves to Satan. We are not talking about unbelievers, they are serving Satan. We are not talking about atheists, Satan worshippers consider atheists to be fools. Dana Coverstone had several dreams of wolves that had snuck into the church sitting among the congregation, this is what we are talking about. Also this is different from believers, the Bible says the spirit is subject to the prophet, but in this case the wind is not subject to the clouds, they are slaves to that wind.
Christmas is a good example of a "false promise". It seems they are promising love, joy, peace, when in reality you become a slave to the season. The spirit is not subject to you, rather you are subject to the spirit.
Compare this with the Lord who will come with the clouds, filled with blessing. The believers are sources of living water out from whom will flow the water of life.
Barren profession
Trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots -- the term is autumn trees, the implication is that we will really see them at the end of the season. Jude is the 'vestibule' to the book of Revelation. We see these apostates more now than we ever did during the entire church age. To me this is like field mice. During the summer they may be outside but when it gets cold they will all try to enter the house. In the same way as the Day of the Lord approaches they are all flooding the church buildings. Dana Coverstone has a dream about this with this Satanic figure whipping up all these wolves into a frenzy and sending them into the church buildings. Twice dead refers to dead to profession and possession. They have not born fruit from their profession of faith and they are rooted up, they have no possession, so they are dead in that sense too (no eternal salvation). Revelation 20:14 speaks of the second death. We are told repeatedly in the Bible that we should not be fearing the first death, it is the second death we should be concerned about. The first death is simply separation of soul and body, but the second death would be on the soul. Everyone must deal with these two, our "second death" was taken care of at the cross. These ones do not receive the work of redemption done by Christ on the cross. Compare these trees to trees planted by the living water.
Everyone hopes that Christmas is an opportunity for the gospel. How has that worked out for you? I would say the damage of the church compromising with the world is far greater than any gain that you might think you got.
Compare this with the tree of life. The believers are trees of righteousness (Isaiah 61:3)
Wasted effort
Raging waves of the sea foaming out their shame. This indicates they are unsaved, they do not know God. Isaiah 57:20-21. We need to know who we are in Christ. God has imposed limits on the sea, He said nothing shall hurt you, all are to account to His glory, and the Lord rules and stills the sea. In the gospels Jesus rebuked the sea. In Revelation 21:1 there was no more sea.
How much effort goes into this Christmas celebration every year that is a waste? For some believers maybe none, but for many people it is a lot. Why do you think some people get totally burnt out from this holiday? How many churches get totally exhausted putting on a big Christmas play? What is the fruit or is it a wasted effort?
Compare this with the Lord who leads us besides still waters and the believers who have "peace like a river".
Aimless course
Wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. The phrase implies a meteorite. Flashes brilliantly for a brief time and then makes an ash of itself. Destined for the blackness of the outer darkness forever. It seems amazing that in nature we actually have something that appears to illustrate this, a black hole, a place where the gravity is so great that even light cannot leave. You can't see a black hole but you can detect them due to gravity. It is also believed that within them time does not exist. These guys are destined for black holes.
What kind of Holy day is marked by an increase in suicides and death?
Compare them with the bright and morning star and the believers who will "shine as stars forever" Daniel 12:3
This is the point of this thread. We see this amazing contrast between the Lord Jesus and the apostasy. This is God's sovereignty, God's mercy that we might be saved and come to the full knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ.
One last point, there are 8 writers in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter and Jude. Of these 8 writers Jude wrote the fewest verses and John and Paul and Luke wrote the most. However, each of these 8 writers used exactly 42 words that were unique to their writings and are not found anywhere else! Jude concentrates those 42 unique words into such a tiny space it is amazing.