What does Jude 1:8 mean?

Jude calls the apostates "dreamers," perhaps because they dreamed about ways to indulge their sinful appetites. They may also have claimed spiritual visions as an excuse for their action. Like the wicked inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah, and surrounding towns, the apostates disregard the harm their wicked habits cause their bodies. They reject authority, just as the rebellious Israelites rejected Moses' authority. They especially reject the authority of Jesus Christ, the head of the church (Colossians 1:18). It follows that they also reject the authority of those whom God has placed in the churches to teach His Word and to guide His people. The apostates even speak evil of angelic beings, a point continued into the next verse.

Instead of bowing to the authority of God's Word, these apostates teach falsehood. In 2 Timothy 2:16–18 the apostle Paul describes some apostates as indulging in godless chatter. They have wandered so far from the truth that they claim the resurrection has already taken place.

First Timothy 4:1–2 describes the source of the apostates' evil teachings and the wicked character of the apostates. Paul writes: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared."