Clouds without Water

Rick Railston

August 18, 2012

 

 

I don’t know about you, but I found in my study of God’s word, I can read a scripture or series of scriptures over and over for decades and then finally something clicks and you see it like you’ve never seen it before.  Sometimes a connection between groups of scriptures, different books of the Bible come together in a way that you’ve never seen before.  You have to ask the question, what is God trying to tell us here?  What is God trying to get us to understand?  A while back, I was reading in the second Epistle of Peter and also Jude’s Epistle and all of a sudden, the light bulb went on (it should have come on twenty or thirty years ago) and I realized that the wording is almost identical.  Peter wrote his epistle, depending on what historian or commentary you read, somewhere between 64 and 68 A.D., so this is II Peter.  Jude, the half brother of Christ, the brother of James, most commentaries say he wrote his about the same time, 65 to 67, although some say as late as 80 A.D.  There’s no reliable record of where they were when they wrote their epistles.  Since these epistles are very similar, you have to ask the question, is this an accident?  Of course not, it’s not accidental that both of those are nearly the same.  God does nothing by accident.  Everything He does has a purpose.  

 

Now of the 25 verses in Jude, 15 of those verses appear in II Peter.  Think about that.  15 of the 25 verses in Jude appear in II Peter.  Now, it could be that one of them wrote their letter first and then the other received that letter and included it in parts of his letter.  One commentator suggests that Peter wrote his letter first, sent it to Jude warning about false teachers, and then Jude incorporated it in his letter to the churches that he was responsible for.  That is certainly a possibility.  None of the commentators mention another possibility, and to me this is the one that is most likely, that God inspired each of them separately to write about a common problem in the church.  He did so in such a way that the language that they wrote is almost identical, which proves His power and strength and might and ability to influence His servants.  

 

The bottom line is that Peter and Jude describe a similar phenomenon going on in the church in their day, false teachers within the body of Christ.  It happened back then and it is happening today.  There’s nothing new under the sun.  It was a problem then and it is a problem in the church today.  It’s repeated twice in two different books of the Bible.  As we know, when God repeats something, He wants it emphasized.  So if you have two different authors, two different books of the Bible written at two different times say essentially the same thing, then we should pay attention to what they have to say.

 

Both of the authors in their writing will switch from the past to the present and back to the past and then back to the present, and in one case into the future.  So what we’re going to do, still by way of introduction, we’re going to read those passages in Jude, then read them in Peter and talk about the past and the present as they reference that.  As we read it, take note of what is said and recognize the similarities between what Jude wrote and what Peter wrote.

 

Let’s go to Jude.  We will begin in verse 3 and go to the end of the chapter, and as we read each verse, we will discuss whether it’s applying to the past or the present.  It’s right before the Book of Revelation.  Verses 3 and 4, Jude is talking about what was going on at that time.

 

Jude 3.  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful (necessary) for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.  (KJV)

 

Now, he wouldn’t be writing this if some hadn’t stopped contending for the faith once delivered, so it was necessary for him to write this letter because some were starting to fall away.

 

Verse 4.  For there are certain men crept in unawares,  (KJV)

 

I’m reading out of the King James.  The Jewish New Testament says, “unnoticed”.

 

Verse 4b.  who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning (Jewish New Testament says, “perverting”) the grace of our God into lasciviousness, (the Greek word means filthiness) and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.  (KJV)

 

Denied Christ, and we’ll get into that later and what that means.

 

In verses 5 through 7, Jude now looks back to the past.

 

Verse 5.  I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, (Implying that they had forgotten the scriptures) how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

 

Verse 6.  And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.  (KJV)

 

Verse 7.  Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, 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.

 

Now in verse 8, he comes back to the present, relating the past to the present.

 

Verse 8.  Likewise (similarly to these examples) also these [filthy] dreamers (meaning at that present day) defile the flesh (referring to sexual sins), despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

 

NIV says, “They reject authority and slander celestial beings.”  The Phillips says, “They reject authority and make a jest of heavenly glories.”

 

Now in verse 9, Jude goes back to the past.

 

Verse 9.  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

 

Proving that there’s authority in the church.  He was bringing in Christ’s name to rebuke Satan.

 

Verse 10.  (Now back to the present.)  But these (meaning those in the church in those days) speak evil of those things which they know not:

 

This kind of thing happens through gossip.  It said they speak evil of things they don’t even understand.

 

Verse 10b.  but what they know naturally (humanly or carnally), as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.  (Carnal stuff; not spiritual stuff)

 

Verse 11.  (He goes back to the past)  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 Core.  

 

Bringing back examples of what was happening way back when to the current day, his day.

 

Verses 12 and 13, back to the present.

 

Verse 12.  These are spots in your feasts of charity (love), when they feast with you,

Meaning they’re mixed right in with God’s people.  They attend the feasts and they go to Sabbath services.

 

Verse 12b.  feeding themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water,

 

The NIV says, shepherds feeding themselves without fear.

 

Clouds without water, now what on earth does that mean?  We’re going to investigate that and why Jude would use that phrase, “clouds without water”.

 

Verse 12c.  carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withers,

 

This means they were once converted; they had fruit at one time, but the fruit is now withering; then other people without fruit, meaning no conversion.  They were never converted, but still intermingled with God’s people.

 

Verse 12d.  without fruit, twice dead,

 

Meaning they’re going to die a physical death, but they’re also going to die a spiritual death in the lake of fire.

 

Verse 12e.  plucked up by the roots;

 

Meaning once you go into the lake of fire, there is nothing left.  As we know, there will be no memory of them.

 

Verse 13.  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

 

This is referring to the demon world.

 

Now, verse 14, going back to the past.

 

Verse 14.  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,  (KJV)

 

Looking now to the future in verse 15; Christ is going to come in the future with ten thousands of His saints.

 

Verse 15.  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him (Christ).  

 

Now back to the present in verses 16 through 19.  

 

Verse 16.  These (meaning the people that are intermingled among us) are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts (meaning very selfish), and their mouth speaks great swelling [words], having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

 

In other parts of the scripture it talks about having respect of persons.  Jude is saying these people have respect of persons.  We would say today that they are suck-ups.

 

Verse 17.  But, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

 

Verse 18.  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

 

They thought their days were the last days, even more so today.

 

Verse 19.  These be they who separate themselves, (The Jewish New Testament says, These are people who cause divisions) sensual, having not the Spirit.

 

Meaning at this point in time, if they ever had it, they lost it or they never had it to begin with.

 

So Jude wrote this epistle to warn God’s people of his day and our day today about false apostles, false teachers, false brethren, who do not have God’s Holy Spirit.  

 

Now, let’s go to II Peter, Chapter 2 and look at the similarities.  This is not accidental.  This is something God designed, to be repeated twice and emphasized in His word.  Peter alternates between past and present.  He starts in the present.

 

II Peter 2: 1.  But there were false apostles among the people, even as their shall be false teachers among you,

 

It’s going to happen, he says.  It happened before and it will happen in the future.

 

Verse 1b.  who privately (The Phillips says subtly, meaning without notice) shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them (second time; Jude said the same thing), and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

 

Verse 2.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways;  (KJV)

 

Meaning this is popular; this is not some little fraction of a percent of God’s people.  The King James says pernicious and the New King James says destructive ways.

 

Verse 2b.  by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

 

The New King James says, The way of truth shall be blasphemed.  We’ll see examples of that as we go through.

 

Verse 3.  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words (that means not sincere words) make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.  (KJV)

 

Now in verses 4 through 8, Peter goes back to the past to teach some lessons and give some examples.

 

Verse 4.  For if God spared not the angels that sinned (Jude talked about that also) but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment,  (KJV)

 

Verse 5.  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah  the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

 

Verse 6.  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned [them] with an overthrow, making [them] an example unto those that after should live ungodly;

 

Verse 7.  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conduct of the wicked:

Verse 8.  For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous life from day to day with [their] unlawful deeds.

 

Giving us example of the past, now in verses 9 through 14, he comes back to the present.

 

Verse 9.  The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations (testing), and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

 

Verse 10.  But chiefly (who is going to be punished?) them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government (Jude mentioned that; the NIV says, reject authority).  Presumptuous [are they], self willed (selfish), they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities (NIV says, slander celestial beings; Jude said the same thing).

 

Verse 11.  Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Eternal.

 

Verse 12.  But these (meaning the ones that were there in that day), as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not (same thing Jude said); and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

 

Verse 13.  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, [as] they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time.  Spots [they are] and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings (NIV says, reveling in their own pleasures) while they feast with you;

 

Same thing Jude said; they are among God’s people.

Verse 14.  Having eyes full of adultery (the King James margin says, eyes full of an adulteress; how an adulteress would look at a man trying to temp him into sin.)  and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices (Les talked about the roadmap and unstable souls; no map, no direction);  cursed children.

 

Now in verses 15 and 16, Peter goes back to the past again.

 

Verse 15.  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam [the son] of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

 

Verse 16.  But was rebuked for his iniquity; the dumb donkey speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

 

Now in verse 17, through the end of the chapter, he goes back to the present.

 

Verse 17.  These are wells without water (Jude said clouds without water, but notice what he says), clouds that are carried with a tempest (so there’s a connection there); to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

 

We will look at it as we go through, what clouds without water and wells without water actually mean and what these apostles were referring to.

 

Verse 18.  For when they speak great swelling [words] of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, [through much] wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

 

Meaning they are dragging people away who were once converted, who had previously escaped from sin, through the blood of Jesus Christ, through baptism, through repentance.

 

Verse 19.  While they promise them liberty,

 

I remember the Tkatch’s saying, “Hey, you can work on the Sabbath if you want.  You can play golf on the Sabbath if you want.  You’re free to eat unclean meats if you want; liberty, freedom.”

 

Verse 19b.  they themselves are the servants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

 

Verse 20.  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (meaning through conversion) they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

 

So it’s clear that some were once converted, of these clouds without water.

 

Verse 21.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  (KJV)

 

So it’s obvious that some were converted, and as Jude said, some were not and never were.  

 

Verse 22.  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

 

So as we’ve read these two sections of scriptures, these two chapters, it’s impossible not to see the similarities.  They are so similar.  What we want to do now is look at this.  If you want a title for the sermon, we’re going to answer the question, “What are Clouds Without Water and What are Wells Without Water?”  

 

Then we will answer the question, What does it have to do with us today?  What is God trying to teach us today with these two sections of scriptures?  Both of these as we’ve said, describe people who attend with God’s brethren, with true Christians.  So what we want to do and what I’ve done is gone through both of these scriptures extensively and combined them to see what defines these people; what makes a cloud without water or a well without water.

 

The first common characteristic of them is that clouds without water are among God’s true people as brethren and shepherds.  It happened then in their day and it is happening today.  Peter said, there shall be false teachers among you.  You don’t have to be an elder or a minister to be a false teacher.  It can be brothers or sisters in the Church or ministers in the Church.  Jude and Peter both said, “They feast with us.”  Jude said, “They were shepherds feeding themselves without fear, without being afraid.”  Remember, they crept in unnoticed in Jude.

 

You see, sin is not a respecter of persons.  The ministry and the brethren can be carried captive to sin.  Satan, through sin, wants to take captive anybody he can get his hands on.

 

So, who are these people?  Well, some of them we could define as “plants”, and I say “plants” in quotes.  What do I mean by that?  That means there were people planted by Satan into the Church.  

 

Let’s go to Matthew, Chapter 13 and see the parable of the sowing of the seed in the field.  You know, Christ spoke in parables to confuse those who were not being called, but He also spoke in parables to make it a little clearer to those that God was calling.  

 

Matthew 13: 24.  Another parable He put forth to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:  (KJV)

 

Now we’re calling about plants from Satan.

 

Verse 25.  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

 

Verse 26.  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit then there appeared the tares also.   (KJV)

 

Verse 27.  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? How come we have tares?

 

Verse 28.  He said unto them, An enemy has done this.  The servants said to him, Do you want us to go and gather them up (pull them up)?

 

Verse 29.  But he said, No; lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them.

 

Verse 30.  Let both grow together until the harvest.

 

What this tells (and this is a whole sermon in itself) is before maturity, it was difficult to tell the tares from the wheat.  You can go into detailed analysis of the plants, but it’s absolutely true that before they mature, they look very similar.  But, as time goes on, they start to look different.  As they get closer to maturity, closer to harvest time, they begin to look more and more different.  Therefore, you shall know them by their fruits as time goes on.

 

Now the latter part of verse 30 …

Verse 30b.  at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather you together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

 

Verse 36.  Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came to him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

 

Verse 37.  He answered and said unto them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man (Christ);

 

Verse 38.  The field is the world (not necessarily just the Church) the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one].

 

They follow the wicked one.

 

Verse 39.  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

 

Verse 40.  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

 

Obviously he is referring to the harvest.  He is not saying that the tares should be allowed to stay in the Church.  That is not what this means.  He is talking about at the end of the age, at the harvest time.  Tares should not be allowed to stay in the Church and pollute the brethren, as we will see.  But remember, these have not the Spirit, as Jude 19 says.  They were planted by Satan.  Satan plants them in the Church in an attempt to destroy the Church and to destroy us in the Church.  God allows it to happen.  Satan cannot do anything without God’s permission.  God allows it as a test for the Church in general and as a test for us as individuals.  That’s why God allows it.  

Let’s go to II Corinthians, Chapter 11 and see that Paul was dealing with this in this very dysfunctional Church at Corinth.  They had a lot of problems at Corinth.  He was afraid that many in the Church were being deceived by people like what we’re talking about … clouds without water.

 

II Corinthians 11: 3.  But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

 

We talked about that in a sermon a while back.

 

Verse 4.  For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached (remember Jude and Peter said they deny Christ) or [if] you receive a different spirit which you have not received (remember Jude said, “They have not the Spirit, meaning the Spirit of God”), or a different gospel which you have not accepted (then he said facetiously) – you may well put up with it!  (NKJV)

 

He says you can if you want to.  He’s being facetious.

 

Verse 13.  For such [are] false apostles,

 

So, what we’re being told is, back then, there were false apostles; and since this applies today, there will be false apostles among us.  Just because someone claims to be an apostle doesn’t make them one.

 

Verse 13b.  deceitful workers (meaning they have a hidden agenda), transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

 

They are self proclaimed apostles, not apostles of God, not apostles of Christ.

Verse 14.  And no wonder! (He says, Don’t be astonished at this.) For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

 

He did it with Adam and Eve; he does it today.

 

Verse 15.  Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

 

So what this is telling us is that some of the highest ranking (and rank in some cases is totally artificial) ministers, apostles, evangelists, district superintendants or whatever the rank might be, some of the highest ranking could be plants from Satan.  So you see, some are among us as plants.  

 

Others are among us; they had God’s Spirit, but they lost God’s Spirit.  Remember we read in II Peter, Chapter 2, “After they’ve escaped the pollutions of the world and again are entangled and overcome, their latter end is worse than the beginning,” clearly indicating that at one point they were converted.  So some are plants from Satan, never converted; others are those who were converted but have left through lusts of the flesh or pressure from Satan.  Still others of these plants, these plants without water are among us but they have not allowed the Holy Spirit to lead them.  Romans 8: 14 is one of the most important scriptures for God’s people today.  

 

Romans 8: 14.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

 

The key is being led by the Spirit of God.  There are those among us who were all given, at baptism, a little down payment or earnest of God’s Spirit, but if we don’t allow God’s Spirit to lead us, then that can just stay as a tiny little mustard seed and eventually dry up and go away.  But there are some among us, clouds without water, who are not allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God.  Sometimes their conduct is carnal and very obvious, but other times people are more passive and you would never know it.  However, their mind is always on the physical.  You never hear a spiritual conversation from them.  Their mind is not on God, not on the kingdom, not on trying to change one’s self, but their mind is just on the physical, whatever it might be … the football game, the job, the weather or this or that.  

 

In concluding this first point, all of these plants are a test from God to see if we will follow God or if we will allow these false teachers to influence us to become clouds without water.  That’s the first common characteristic.

 

The second is that clouds without water have the conduct of men and not the conduct of God.  They have the mind of men, not the mind of God.  We’re told, they’re very ungodly, they’re carnal men and women and not very spiritual.  Jude says, “Turning the grace of God into filthy things.”  Jude also says, “Defiling the flesh, meaning sexual sins.”  Jude says, “Speaking evil of things they don’t know.”  He goes on to say, “They have ungodly deeds.”  Both of them, Peter and Jude say, “They are covetous.”  Peter says, “They use fake, false, untrue words to deceive.”  Peter also says, “They walk after the flesh.”  He also says, “They revel in their pleasures.”

 

So we see that these clouds without water have very carnal conduct and very carnal minds.  Look at I Timothy, Chapter 6.  Paul is warning Timothy, who he wants to warn the brethren of this kind of conduct and these kind of people.

 

I Timothy 6: 3.  If any man teach otherwise (we’re breaking into context; the subject was conduct of slaves and masters and Paul was explaining how slaves and masters should conduct themselves,)  and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;  (KJV)

 

He’s now establishing a principal here.  He said if somebody goes against Jesus Christ, clouds without water …

 

Verse 4.  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof come envy, strife, railings, evil surmising,

 

The New King James says evil suspicions, again very similar to what we read in Jude and Peter.

 

Verse 5.  Perverse disputing (of what? Of God? Of Christ?  No.)  of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness (In other words, if we’re growing and the numbers are getting bigger, it must mean that we’re pleasing God and gain is godliness): from such withdraw yourselves.

 

Don’t associate with them.  You see, the whole implication here with Jude and Peter and what we’ve just read is that they do a work of men and not of God; building buildings to honor men, looking at numbers to honor men, the number of magazines printed, the number of TV stations they’re on, the number of Feast sites and the list goes on and on.  The focus is, look at what we have done and then they suppose that whatever gain might be that they are bragging about is from God.  They look to promote a man or a corporation.  We have to understand that gain is not necessarily godliness.  It’s not necessarily godliness.  

 

So we see here, the second commonality is that what they do and think is of men and not of God.  

 

That leads us to the third commonality.  Clouds without water bring heresy into the Church.  Peter said, “False teachers among you who shall bring in damnable heresies.”  Jude said, “These are people who cause divisions.”  Peter said, “Men who have crept in unnoticed, turning the grace of our God into filthiness.”  Both of them say, “They speak evil of things they don’t understand.”  Horrible character assassination of brethren through gossip; you hear one side of the story and don’t investigate the other side of the story and then start gossiping about it.  Some in the greater Church are attracted by these heresies.  They really are.  

 

Let’s go to II Timothy, Chapter 4.  Paul is warning Timothy that there’s going to come heresies in the Church and people are going to be drawn away and attracted, so you’d better be prepared and be careful.

 

II Timothy 4: 3.  For the time will come (he’s warning Timothy) when they will not endure sound doctrine (or teaching); but after their own lusts

 

Now the clouds without water, Both Peter and Jude say, “They follow their own lusts.”

 

Verse 3b.  but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

 

Oh! Listen to that.  Boy, wasn’t that exciting.  Wasn’t that new, or I’ve never heard that before, and then on and on they just have itching ears.  They’re always wanting something new, whether it’s prophecy (mostly prophecy) but it happens in other areas too.

 

Verse 4.  And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  (KJV)

 

They’re always seeking something new; not content with the foundation that was once delivered.  I really worry about people who accept some new teaching so very quickly without study, prayer, fasting and counseling.  Les was talking about that in the sermonette.  They just jump off the road map.  They just jump off the basics and go do something with no notice.  

 

Dorothy and I lived in Texas for three years and shortly after the death of Mr. Armstrong, we moved back here to Washington.  When the changes occurred, we heard, when the sermon was broadcast in Lubbock that it’s okay to eat pork, that a big number of people in that church went out to lunch after services to a cafeteria and had ham and bacon and all of that.  You just wonder what’s going on.  You live by a certain way for ten or twenty or thirty years; you hear one sermon and you can’t even wait to go home.  You just go right out to a cafeteria and do something that you’ve believed against for twenty or thirty years.  Itching ears; wanting something new.  Not having a road map or foundation.  You see, because of their heresy and hypocrisy, Peter said, God’s way is evil spoken of.  That’s the second verse of II Peter 2.

 

Well, how about being caught in a massage parlor?  I think we know that story.  I’m not going to go into detail, but does that bring God’s Church into disrepute when the highest ranking guy is caught in a massage parlor?

 

What about Churches not allowing family members to communicate with each other because they’re not of the same group?  Does that bring the Church into disrepute?  Not allowing brothers and sisters in the Church (God’s people, with God’s Holy Spirit) to come together or even talk with each other.  Does that bring the Church into disrepute?  What about being convicted of tax evasion and embezzlement?  That happened here recently, Ron Weinland.  Does that bring all Sabbath keepers, all holy day keepers into disrepute in the eyes of the world because of their conduct?  What we’re being told here is, be careful about clouds without water.  We are being warned, because they bring heresy and hypocrisy into our midst.  So let’s be careful.

 

Now, the fourth commonality is Clouds without water despise authority and reject personal responsibility.  Peter says, despise authority, and then he uses it again in another verse, reject authority.  Jude uses it as reject authority and Jude says there will be mockers in the last time, mockers of God’s way, mockers of the truth.  These people, these clouds without water would have a church of anarchy.  What does Proverbs 21: 2 say?  We don’t need to turn there.  “Every way of a man is (what?) right in his own  eyes.”  Don’t tell me anything; you can’t tell me anything.  That proverb goes on to say, “But the Lord ponders the heart.”  God knows the heart.  God knows what is in the mind.  Revelation 3: 17 tells us that the Laodicean era … “I have need of nothing.  I don’t need anything.  I don’t need to be told anything.  I don’t need to be taught anything.  I don’t have to come under anybody’s authority.  I don’t have to accept personal responsibility for my own actions.  I don’t need the ministry.  I don’t need to help build the body of Christ.”  Those attitudes are very common in the Church today, the greater Church, and those promoting those views.  We have to be very careful because they could be clouds without water, wells without water.  It’s very common today to reject all authority and to reject all personal responsibility.  It’s everybody else’s fault but me.  It happens all the time in God’s Church.  So, the fourth commonality characteristic is, they despise and reject authority.

 

A fifth one is that clouds without water deny Jesus Christ.  Both Jude and Peter reflect this.  Jude says, “denying the only Lord God, our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Peter says, “denying the Lord that bought them, paid for them by His blood.  

 

Now how do you deny Christ?  Well, you can deny His power to change from the old man to the new man.  Oh, I’ll never change.  A man told me once, “Well, God’s going to have to take care of that in the resurrection.  I can’t change.”  He had a problem.  He said, “I just can’t give that up; I can’t quit that.”  He said, God’s going to have to change me after he resurrects me.  That’s walking on really thin ice.  So, denying God’s power, Christ’s power, denying Christ’s words; what did Christ say?  Return evil with good.  If we return evil with evil, we are denying Christ.  What did Christ say?  When someone does evil to you, don’t fight back.  Turn the other cheek.  Walk the extra mile.  But if we fight back, we deny Christ.

 

Another way of denying Christ is denying the fact that Christ is eternal with God.  They believe Christ is a created being.  That is really denying Christ.  You’re saying He was not God in the beginning, He was a created being.  That is denying Christ.  Teaching that Christ was created is a new fad today.  When you go back with that doctrine, it started with the Gnostics back in 100 – 200 AD.  It continues with the Jehovah’s Witnesses today.  There is nothing new under the sun, yet people grab onto that as some new revelation and new teaching and they are denying Jesus Christ when they do that.

 

Another way we can deny Jesus Christ is not having the mind of Christ; not seeking the mind of Christ; in other words, making the Church a work of men, making the ministry a work of men, in the Church for the wrong reasons; not having or seeking the mind of Christ.  Philippians 2: 5.  You see, rather than serve Christ, these clouds without water, their primary motivation is to serve a corporation, to serve an administration, to suck up to a man or to gain favor with men rather than Jesus Christ, rather than Christ Himself.  We would say today, a Church full of suck-ups.  They substitute a corporation or a man for God the Father and Jesus Christ.  That is dangerous.  We’ve seen that happen.  Maybe some of us have gotten off track and done that in the past, but that is idolatry.  Exodus 20; I know we know this, but let’s look at this again.  This gets to the heart and core of our relationship with God.

 

Exodus 20: 3.  You shall have no other gods before me.

 

When I first came in the Church, you think of an idol of wood or stone or metal or something like that, but you learn later that it’s anything we put between God and us.  It could be money, a position, ourselves, selfishness, it could be a job, a career.  It could be anything.  Notice verse 5.

 

Verse 5.  You shall not bow down yourself to them nor serve them.

 

We can bow down to a career.  We can bow down to another man.  We can bow down to an administration or corporation.  

 

Verse 5b.  For I the Lord your God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me.  (KJV)

 

That happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, it happened to those who died in the flood, it happened at the time Christ and the apostles were walking the earth.  You see, these clouds without water are not there to do the will of God and Christ.  They do their own will.  They are not there to serve Christ.  Christ and the Father are not in the forefront of their minds.  They deny what Christ stands for.  But the fact is all of us are here to serve the head of the Church, Jesus Christ.  Let’s go to Ephesians 6: 6.  Closing out this fifth point of, clouds without water deny Jesus Christ, Paul is saying to the Ephesians Church and to us today…

 

Ephesians 6: 6.  Not with eye service (to be seen of men), as men pleasers (meaning suck-ups or respect of persons; just what Peter and Jude are talking about); but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

 

The first priority is to do God’s will, to seek the will of Christ, not ours and not the will of men.  So, the fifth point is clouds without water deny Christ.

The sixth point is, clouds without water are selfish; Jude says, “feeding themselves.”  Then he says twice, “walking after their own lusts.”  Peter says they are covetous; Peter says they are self willed.  It gets said many times in those two chapters that they are selfish.  Look at II Timothy, Chapter 3.  This is a very famous verse and we know it by heart.  We are very close to the last days compared to what they were when Paul wrote this to Timothy.

 

II Timothy 3: 1.  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

 

Notice how many of these characteristics are selfishness.  

 

Verse 2.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (means you love yourself; you want to take to the self), boasters (you brag about the self), proud (You’re better than other people, therefore you’re elevating the self), blasphemers (meaning you blaspheme God, Christ or other people in order to elevate the self)

 

How many of these are selfish?  In other words, these clouds without water are in the Church to serve themselves and not God and not Jesus Christ.  Jude said, “Having men’s persons in admiration to gain advantage.”  In other words, people politic to get rank and recognition.  We’ve seen that.  It happens today.  They elevate the self to get power and influence; it happens today.  Notice Romans 16: 18.  This happened back then.  Paul is talking about it here in Romans 16, clouds without water, the same kind of people, but notice what he says.

 

Romans 16: 18. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly;

 

They serve to gain for the self.

 

Verse 18b.  and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.  (KJV)

 

Those who have itching ears and have no roadmap and no foundation.  So, the clouds without water being selfish, their mind is on the self; it’s not on God, it’s not on Christ and it’s not on serving the brethren.  They serve themselves.

 

The seventh and last commonality is that there will be many wells without water, many clouds without water.  Peter says, “Many shall follow their destructive ways.  The word “many” if you look it up in the Greek, means exactly what it says.  It means many, not less but many.  

 

Now remember in 1986, the Feast after Mr. Armstrong died, there were over 186,000 in attendance at that Feast.  We have to ask, where have they gone?  What happened to them all?  Many have left and gone back to their previous religions or the synagogue or back into the world, keeping Christmas and Easter and all of that, proving that they were clouds without water, proving that they either never had God’s Holy Spirit or at some point down the line, they lost it.  Notice what Christ said in Matthew 7: 13.  We’ve known this all along, but now looking back, we’ve had a chance over the last couple of decades to witness this.  It’s getting close to thirty years now after Mr. Armstrong’s death.

 

Matthew 7: 13.  Enter you in at the strait gate; for wide [is] the gate and broad [is] the way that leads to destruction, and (what?) many there be which go in thereat.  (KJV)

 

It’s the same Greek word, “many.”  So it’s important today to understand that these clouds without water are still scattered among God’s people in all the different groups and there are many of them.  So we are being warned to be careful.  Look at the fruits and be careful.

 

Now let’s ask a question, why do these two men, these two authors, these two apostles, why are these people described as clouds without water or wells without water?  Why did they use that term?  They could have used any number of terms.  Why?  Well, let’s ask, in the case of the cloud; what is the purpose of a cloud?  It’s to carry water over a distance to rain on the earth in due season.  But a cloud is not a real cloud if it doesn’t have any water in it.  How can it transport water to rain on crops and fields; how can it do that if there’s no water in the cloud?  So therefore, if you have a cloud that has no water, it cannot be a true cloud.  It appears to be a cloud, but it’s not a true cloud because it doesn’t have any water.  As they said in a presidential race decades ago … where’s the beef?  Remember, there was a hamburger and there was no beef inside.  Where’s the beef?  In the same way, where’s the water?  It looks like a cloud, but there’s no water in it.

 

It’s the same thing with a well.  What’s the purpose of a well?  It’s to store water for those in need.  People come up to a well expecting to have water in the well, but no one is nourished from a well that has no water.  No one is benefitted from a well that has no water.  Without water, a well cannot fulfill its purpose just like, without water, a cloud cannot fulfill its purpose.  Therefore, a well without water is not a true well.  It appears as one, but it’s not a true well because there’s no water in it.  

 

Therefore, you see, these clouds without water appear as ministers and true brethren, but they are not.  It’s a cruel hoax.  They appear to be one thing, but they are not.  God clearly draws an analogy between water and His Holy Spirit.  We won’t have time, but Jeremiah Chapter 2 talks about that, John Chapter 4 talks about that, a clear analogy between water and God’s Holy Spirit.  So if you don’t have water, you have none of God’s Spirit.  Jude said in verse 19, “having not the Spirit.”  If you have no Holy Spirit, you have no love, because what is the prime first characteristic (fruit) of God’s Spirit?  It’s love!  Galatians 5.  

 

If you have no Holy Spirit, you have no truth.  What did Christ say on His last night on earth? He said, “I’m going to send you the Spirit of truth.  It will guide you into all truth.”  If you don’t have God’s Holy Spirit, you don’t have the truth and you don’t have love.

 

Let’s go to I Corinthians 2: 12.  Paul is talking to this Church about the Spirit they should have received, the Spirit that should be in all of us, but is not in those who are clouds without water.

 

I Corinthians 2: 12.  Now we have received (Paul is saying), not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;

 

We don’t have the world’s spirit; we have the Spirit of God.  Why?

 

Verse 12b.  that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

 

If we don’t have God’s Spirit, we cannot discern right from wrong, good from evil.  We cannot discern truth from fiction if we do not have the water that represents God’s Holy Spirit.  These clouds without water and wells without water do not have God’s Holy Spirit.  You can’t be a member of the body of Christ without the Holy Spirit.  Look at Romans 8: 9.  This is all basic stuff, but it relates to these two sections of scripture that discuss clouds and wells without water.  Paul says …

 

Romans 8: 9.  But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (KJV)

 

We have been clearly told here in verse after verse that these are wells without water, clouds without water, people who appear to be brethren but do not have the Holy Spirit.  The bottom line is, they are not true ministers, they are not true brethren and they are not true Christians based on not having God’s Holy Spirit.

 

Another question we want to ask is how can we identify clouds and wells without water?  How can you identify these people?  It’s very simple.  Let’s go to Matthew 7 and we’ll begin in verse 15 and go through verse 20.  How do we identify wells without water and clouds without water?  Christ is warning them.

 

Matthew 7: 15.  Beware of false prophets,

 

There are going to be prophets who claim to be true prophets, but they are false.

 

Verse 15b.  which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (KJV)

 

Verse 16.  You shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?  Of course not.

 

Verse 17.  Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.

 

Verse 18.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

 

Verse 19.  Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

 

Verse 20. Wherefore (He says it twice, just like Peter and Jude say it twice) by their fruits you shall know them.

 

What He is saying is he’s using the word “know”.  If you look the word up in the Greek, it’s Strong’s 1921, and it means to become fully acquainted with.  We often say, which is true, only God knows the heart, but what Matthew 7 tells us is we can know someone, be intimately acquainted with them by observing their fruits.  We don’t have to know their heart.  We look at their fruits to know what’s in their heart.  Only God can look into the heart, but if somebody has bad fruit, as it clearly says, they can’t be a good tree if they bear bad fruit, but we can know them.  Jude says, “Trees whose fruit withers,” and then he says, “trees without fruit, plucked up by the roots, twice dead.”  So we can judge and know by looking at their fruit.  We just have to look at their fruit.  Are their fruits the fruits of the Holy Spirit?  Galatians 5, what are the fruits of the Holy Spirit?  Do you see love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self control.  Do you see all of that in their lives, in their conduct?  

In Galatians 5, we are told in that same section of scripture, “If you live by the Spirit, you better walk by the Spirit.”  In other words, you’d better not just talk about it, but you’d better live it in exercising God’s Spirit and bringing forth those fruits.  You have to ask the question: Do you see the love of Christ, the fruits of the Spirit in their everyday conduct?  Not just when someone stands up at the pulpit or goes on TV or writes a booklet, but in their every day conduct; it’s not what they say, it’s what they wind up doing.  Look at Titus, Chapter 1, Verse 16.  It says it very plainly and clearly.

 

Titus 1: 16.  They profess that they know God:

 

They profess that they are clouds, they profess that they are wells.

 

Verse 16b.  but in works they deny Him.

 

They deny Christ and God the Father, just like Jude and Peter said.

 

Verse 16c.  being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

 

So look at the fruit and don’t be surprised when you witness their conduct.  Don’t judge the Church by the conduct of some of the people in it, because there are wells without water, there are clouds without water, there are tares, there are wolves in sheep’s clothing inside God’s Church.  That is what we’re being warned against.  How to identify them? Look at the fruits.  

 

So the last and final question is, how do we keep from becoming clouds without water ourselves?  It’s very clear that some were converted and they became a cloud without water, they lost God’s Holy Spirit.  How do we do that?  We must be in the Church for the right reason.  Some people are in the Church for the wrong reason, have been in the Church for decades for the wrong reasons.  We have to be in the Church for the right reason.  There are three reasons as we wind this up.

 

We are in the Church to develop the mind of Christ.  We are here.  Our goal, our mission is to develop the mind of Christ.  Philippians 2: 5.  Let’s look at II Corinthians 10: 5.  Paul is encouraging the Corinthian Church to develop the mind of Christ, to have His thoughts, His deeds.  Paul says …

 

II Corinthians 10: 5.  Casting down imaginations; and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. (KJV)

 

Meaning cast down every idol that you would put between yourself and God and Christ.  Notice what he said at the end of verse 5.

 

Verse 5b.  bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

 

Bring every thought to the obedience of Christ, the mind of Christ.  Would Christ have these thoughts?  Would Christ say what I am saying?  Would Christ do what I am doing?  We evaluate and analyze ourselves and we change to have the mind and deeds of Christ.  So the first reason we should be in the Church is to become like Jesus Christ, to develop His mind.

 

The second reason we should be in the Church is to serve God and Christ and then to serve our fellow brothers and sisters.  In other words, we serve God and Christ, we serve our brothers and sisters by putting the mind of Christ to use, having fruits, doing things.  Look at Colossians 3: 24.  We will receive a reward if we serve Jesus Christ.  We will not receive a reward if we serve ourselves, a corporation, an administration or something human.

 

Colossians 3: 24.  Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward (that’s what we are here for) of the inheritance; (Why?  How do we do this?) for you serve the Lord Christ.

Christ comes first, not ourselves.  We can’t be selfish.  Christ comes first, not a corporation and not a man.  Christ comes first.

 

True ministers are the ministers of Christ, not a corporation.  Brethren are members of the body of Christ, not a corporation.  What did Christ say?  Christ was observing what the gentiles were doing and He was talking to His apostles (we won’t turn there) in Matthew, Chapter 20.  He said, “You see the Gentiles, how they exercise dominion over those that are underneath them and they exercise great authority,” but He says, “It shall not be so among you.  Whosoever wants to be great among you, let him be the servant and whosoever wants to be chief among you, let him be your servant.”  So the way to serve God and Christ is to serve one another and also to serve God and Christ in the doing of that.  He said in the same section of scripture in Matthew 20, He’s referring to Himself, He said, “The Son of man didn’t come to be ministered unto.  I came as a minister and I come to give My life for the brethren.”  That’s the example, you see.  So the right reason for being in the Church, the second one, is to serve God, to serve Christ and then to serve one another.

 

The third and last one is that we are in the Church to hold fast to the basic teachings of God’s word.  We are here to hang onto the trunk of the tree.  Mr. Armstrong talked about that so often.  Hold onto the trunk of the tree.  Don’t get out on the twigs and the leaves, because you’re going to fall down.  

 

Jude said, “Earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered.”  He said to do that.  The word, “contend” that Jude used means to contend with an adversary, like a wrestling match or a boxing match, to fight with an adversary.  He says to contend to hold onto the faith that was once delivered.  We’re told in I Thessalonians, Chapter 5, to prove all things, hold fast to what is good.  II Timothy, Chapter 1, we’re told to hold fast to sound words that you’ve heard from Me.  Hold on, hang on.  

 

We already know the basic requirements for salvation.  We know that.  We know the holy days, we know about Sabbath keeping, we understand we have to be transformed from the image of a human being into the image of Jesus Christ.  We understand all of that.  We know the basics.  The key is, do we practice them in our daily lives?  Do we say what Christ would say?  Do we do what Christ would do?  Do we think what Christ would think?  So we need to be in the Church for the right reasons.  We have three of them here.  

 

The clouds without water and the wells without water are not in the Church for the right reason, because they are not converted.  Maybe they used to be, but they’re not converted.

 

So, let’s close now and summarize.  Don’t be surprised when you see the conduct and the example of those who are without water, ungodly deeds, ungodly words, attempting to bring heresy into the Church, exalting the self, speaking lies, spreading falsehood.  Don’t be surprised because it happened back then; Jude said it and Peter said it.  Remember, God emphasizes things for a reason, repeats things twice for a reason.  The same problem that Jude and Peter was addressing, what they were trying to deal with is going on today in the Church.  It’s happening in the Church.

 

Notice how many of the following characteristics clouds without water have and notice how many are present in the last days.  Let’s go to II Timothy, Chapter 3.  We were there earlier.  We read the first verse and the first part of the second verse, but as we go through this, ask yourself in these last days, how many of the clouds without water will have these characteristics.  In other words, there’s going to be a lot of clouds without water in the Church in the last days.

 

II Timothy 3: 1.  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

 

Then he goes on to explain what he means.  

 

Verse 2.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents (meaning reject authority), unthankful, unholy,

 

Verse 3.  Without natural affection (no love), trucebreakers (not afraid to tell a lie), false accusers (not afraid to gossip), incontinent (without self control), fierce, despisers of those that are good (they hate God’s way, inside the Church),

 

Verse 4.  Traitors (deny Christ, they go against God and Christ), heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.  (KJV)

 

You see, God is warning His people through His word to beware of clouds without water, wells without water because He says, “Hey, they’re among you!  They feast with you, they attend with you.”

 

So, the bottom line is, we are being warned about this, but at the same time, God is saying to us, “I want you to be wells WITH water; I want you to be clouds WITH water.  I want you to have My Holy Spirit and to conduct yourselves as Christ would, who had an unlimited supply of God’s Holy Spirit.  So let’s learn the lessons of what Peter and Jude were trying to tell us.

 

 

 

       Transcribed by RV                09/20/12