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On the negative side, there are some who are”wandering stars”—Jude 12-13:
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The metaphor of wandering stars indicates that the erratic teachers, the apostates, were not solidly fixed in the unchanging truths of the heavenly revelation but were wandering about among God's starlike people.
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Their destiny is the gloom of darkness, which has been kept for them for eternity; the erratic apostates are wandering stars today, but they will be imprisoned in the gloom of darkness.
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We may also say that anyone who keeps us from the genuine local church and from meeting on the ground of the church with the Lord's people is a wandering star; the true stars are those who turn many to righteousness, those who do not lead people astray but turn them to the right way.
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Today the living star and the living stars are not far from us—they are in and with the local churches as the practical expressions of the Body of Christ—Rev. 1:11, 20.
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Among all the local churches there are some living stars; we simply need to contact them and keep company with them; they will lead us to the place where Jesus is.
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May the Lord be merciful to us that we may always be kept in the right way to meet the Lord, to worship Him, and to offer our love to Him; may the Lord make us all like the magi, following the living star to find Christ in order to become His duplication as the living stars—cf. Eph. 5:8-9.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.Jude 13 …Wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness is kept for eternity.
[Jude 13 speaks] of the heretics as”wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shames; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness is kept for eternity”…These apostates are false shepherds, empty clouds, dead trees, and wandering stars. They are hidden reefs and wild, raging waves of the sea, foaming out, without restraint, their own shame. The metaphor of wandering stars indicates that the erratic teachers, the apostates, are not solidly fixed in the unchanging truths of the heavenly revelation, but are wandering about among God's star-like people (Dan. 12:3; Phil. 2:15). Their destiny will be the gloom of darkness, which has been kept for them for eternity (Life-study of Jude, p. 14)
Today's Reading
There is…a negative aspect to the stars—the wandering stars….We should be the stars but not the wandering stars. These are the false leading ones. So many Christians today are not stars; some, however, are stars, but they are wandering stars. There are religious leaders and teachers today who are in this category. A proper star has a certain position and fixed orbit. It continues in its course steadfastly. However, there are some stars with no fixed position or orbit; they are wandering stars. It seems that some Christians are stars; it seems that they are shining, but their shining is a deception…. If you follow them, you will be misled; eventually, you will not know where to go….They have no ground; they have no standing; they have no certain way to go on with the Lord. Today they say one thing, and tomorrow they will say something different; they are wandering. We need to be careful. We cannot find Jesus by following a wandering star.How can we recognize the wandering stars? There are some signs. They are autumn trees without fruit; they are waterless clouds. We need to look for the fruit. The Lord Jesus said that we may know a tree by its fruit (Matt. 7:16-20). If we follow the wandering stars, eventually our portion will be the same as theirs— the gloom of darkness that has been kept for them for eternity.
We need to follow the shining stars, those with a definite standing and a certain course. These are the stable stars, the steadfast ones. If anyone comes to us without a definite standing and a certain course, we should avoid him. The proper standing is the local church, and the right course is to go on in the Spirit in the local church….We need to take the proper standing and keep ourselves in the right course….If you intend to go to a certain place, you need to get out your map, get on the right road and in the right lane, and as you drive you will reach your destination.
We are aware of today's confusion. Oh, the dead things! Oh, the frustrations, the distractions of the wandering ones! Anyone who keeps us from the genuine local church and from meeting on the ground of oneness with the Lord's people is a wandering star. The true stars are those who turn many to righteousness, those who do not lead people astray, but turn them to the right way. Today the way for you and me and for everyone else to find Christ is to see the living star. Hallelujah! Today the star is not far from us—it is with the local churches. Among all the local churches there are some living stars. You simply need to contact them; you need to keep company with them. They will lead you to the place where Jesus is.
May the Lord be merciful to us so that we may always be kept in the right way to serve the Lord, to worship Him, and to offer our love to Him. May the Lord make us all like those magi, following the star to find Christ. Today the living star and the living stars are in the local churches. Let us follow them, and let us each be one of them. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1,”New Testament Service,” pp. 291-293)
Further Reading: Life-study of Jude, msg. 2