Jude 8-16

8: Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.
9: But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
10: But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
11: Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12: These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, double dead, uprooted;
13: wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

14: It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
15: to execute judgement upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
16: These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

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Jude does not hold back in his description of the men who had crept into the church to oppose the Lord and mislead His people for their own personal gain. He compares them to those he just discussed in verses 5-7. They are "dreaming," not realistic or properly aware of the consequences of their pursuits.

This portion of Jude's letter corresponds with the second half of 2 Peter 2. Jude speaks of these men's rejection of authority and reviling things they don't understand. They don't know what they are doing, yet they are faultfinders and arrogant flatterers trying to gain an advantage. They haven't thought through the end result of their path. Instead, they are led by animal-like impulses, defiling the flesh.

Jude uses Michael, the archangel, as an example. Even he would not dare pronounce a railing judgment on the devil, but said, "The Lord rebuke you." As we saw in 2 Peter, all authority is from God--the very concept of it. When anyone in authority, human or angelic, is corrupt, they will have to answer to God--the One who gave them their authority. We must be careful not to oppose God's positions of authority but properly deal with the corrupt ones in those positions (1 Timothy 1:1-3, Acts 5:27-29).

Jude says, "Woe to them!" He compares them to Cain (Genesis 4:3-8), Balaam (Numbers 22-24, Revelation 2:14), and Korah (Numbers 16:1-3, 31-35). Cain, who killed the godly one; Balaam, who corrupted God's people for pay; and Korah, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron--God's designated leaders. Jude says these ones who have crept in unnoticed are "hidden reefs" in their love feasts (which accompanied the Lord's Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:20). They cause the shipwreck of God's people.

Jude exposes the true nature and danger of these ones, describing how they feast with them without fear. They have no fear of God. No concept of judgment at all. They arrogantly think they will be able to manipulate and maneuver through the church for their own purposes with no consequence. They care only for themselves. They are clouds without water and trees without fruit. They appear to bring nourishment but are "doubly dead." Not just dead for the season, but dead forever--uprooted. They are wild waves and wandering stars. They shoot off from the orbiting path--God's intricate path which brings balance and illumination--and go off into darkness forever.

Jude refers to Enoch's prophecy--most likely preserved in written form through the flood. He speaks of the coming of the Lord with many thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment upon all and convict the ungodly (Revelation 19:8, 11-14, Revelation 3:4-5). The righteous ones who keep the faith and keep their garment clean and white, unspotted and unblemished from the world, who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14), will return with Him to the earth, or meet Him in the air if still alive (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). The presence of those who have remained faithful to the Lord--being with Him as a witness to His lordship over all--is a strong testimony and witness to the truthfulness and righteousness of the Lord's judgment.