Jude 1:8

Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at naught dominion, and rail at dignities.

In their dreamings ... Any, or all, of a number of things could have been meant by this. "Idle speculations,"[28] impractical and unrealistic thoughts, "certain visions they had received,"[29] divine revelations they claimed to have had, or simply that, "their thoughts, whether awake or asleep, were impure, sensual, evil."[30] Whatever the exact meaning, all of their activity was directed to a single objective, that of defilement, whether self-pollution, or the corruption of others, or both.

Set at naught dominion ... All dominion belongs to God, as stated in the benediction; and the evil teachers rejected God's authority. Their sins were threefold: they defile, reject, and revile.

Rail at dignities ... The New Catholic Bible states that this word dignities "is understood as referring to angels."[31] There could be a clue in this reference to their speaking evil of angels as to the type of heresy current when Jude wrote. On the surface, it seems incredible, almost, that any person, no matter how evil, would indulge in blasphemous remarks against the holy angels; and yet evil men today speak evil of the Son of God who is higher in glory and power than any angel. The style of evil speaking has changed a bit, but the sin is the same as always. The word Jude used here is also translated "majesties" or "glories"; and the sin is covered by the prohibition, no matter which "glory" is reviled. The theory behind their reviling angels could have been Docetism. "Docetists held all angels in contempt because they supposed angels helped God in creating the material universe, and that they (the angels) were thereby spiritually defiled."[32]

[28] Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 511.

[29] David F. Payne, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 627.

[30] N. T. Caton, op. cit., p. 206.

[31] New Catholic Bible (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1949), New Testament, p. 322.

[32] Albert E. Barnett, op. cit., p. 328.