Suspending the description of Heaven itself, John is again reminded of those who will not be invited there. This devotional reading looks at the characteristics of rebellion of those not allowed in Heaven.
Nuggets
- We are to boldly confess Jesus as our Savior, or we will be sentenced to the lake of fire.
- We know those who do not have faith will be sent to the lake of fire.
- Sin is detestable to God because it takes control of our minds away from Him.
- We also know that the Ten Commandments address murder (Ex. 20: 13).
- God extremely detests all forms of sexual immorality.
- Sorcerers trust magic arts rather than God to divine the future and perform other acts.
- Idolaters are anyone who have chosen something else to worship in place of God.
- Lies are important because the many different forms that take us further from God’s purity.
- Those who do not repent of their sins will be cast into the lake of fire.
- Opposed to first death, which is not physical death, the second death is a permanent spiritual death.
Did you think the last two chapters of Revelation is going to be solely based on Heaven and those who have gained the right to be there? Nope.
Verse 8 is the first instance of where God reminds us that not everyone will go to Heaven. Here, He gives a pretty substantial list of who won’t.
Is this a complete list of sins that will keep us out of Heaven? Personally, I don’t think so. But it is a good overall view of what will.
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Devotions in the Eternity Begins series
Sin
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars …” (Rev. 21: 8 ESV)
This is an interesting list of sins that will send worldview people to hell.
Cowardly
We are to boldly confess Jesus as our Savior, or we will be sentenced to the lake of fire.
Cowards are afraid. Yes, we are told to fear God – to reverence Him, not cringe in terror.
God doesn’t want us to be afraid in accepting Jesus. These are the people who are convicted by the Holy Spirit but refuse to do so. Many times, they feel a relationship with God is too hard or restricting.
They are fearful of the wrong thing.
We aren’t supposed to be afraid of what others may say. We our reputations shouldn’t be more important to us than our salvation.
Instead, we are to confess God. “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Rom. 10: 8-10 ESV).
God will help us grow in our relationships with Him.
Warren identified this category as the one having the greatest number of people associated with it. I would say that is because it contains so many goats masquerading as sheep.
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It doesn’t matter how good – good as in kind – a person we think we are. It matters that we are good – pure – in God’s eyes.
Faithless
We know those who do not have faith will be sent to the lake of fire.
This part we get. We know only those who confess Jesus as their Savior get to Heaven.
The faithless are the people who do not believe in God’s promises. They do not believe He is Sovereign God. If they do believe He is Sovereign God, they don’t believe that has anything to do with them.
All who cannot and will not believe will not get into Heaven because their sin has not been forgiven. God will show His superiority.
Detestable
Sin is detestable to God because it takes control of our minds away from Him.
Sin is tied to Satan and this world. It had to be eliminated so a new world could take its place.
The detestable ones are sinful in their minds and consciences. It shows itself thorough their actions.
Silvester explained it this way. He wrote, “Unbelief and wrong-doing are more nearly connected together than many people think.”
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We can tie this back to the prostitute in Revelation 17. “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality” (Rev. 17: 4 ESV).
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
This comparison leads us to believe that those sinners are those who willingly surrender their bodies to that which is most detestable to God.
Bonar listed some things that are identified as detestable to God. They are reveling, banqueting, riots, and blasphemies.
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A synonym for reveling is carousing. Usually, we define that as drunken partying.
Banqueting may seem a strange addition to the list. It ties more to gluttony.
Some may think rioting is also a bizarre addition. It isn’t when we consider what goes on in riots. They are usually started by hatred and prejudice. Fighting, theft, and sometimes even murder are actions of the out-of-control crowd.
God wants us to remain sober – even keeled. We are to “… love one another …” (Jn. 13: 34 ESV). We know the Ten Commandments address stealing (Ex. 20: 15).
Murderers
We also know that the Ten Commandments address murder (Ex. 20: 13).
The taking of another’s life is the results of other things that are weighing on the person. Bonar listed those as “… angry passions, envy, malice, revenge, [holding a grudge] …”
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In other words, a murderer has no appreciation for the fact that we were made in God’s image. The murderer just doesn’t care about himself or those around him.
Murderers don’t keep their feelings inside themselves. They let them spew.
Silvester thought it was more than just someone taking the life of another. In some cases, the person’s own heart has been “murdered.” Their love and compassion for others have been killed.
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Ooo, baby. I have long thought that. People can kill a lot of things in us even though we go on breathing.
Sexually Immoral
God extremely detests all forms of sexual immorality.
The mantra in today’s society is, “I should be able to love whomever I want.” The unsaid part of that is, “I should be able to have sex with whomever I want.”
Sexual immorality is on every list of sins.
- “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mk. 7: 21-23 ESV emphasis added).
- “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5: 19-21 ESV emphasis added).
- “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 6: 9-10 ESV emphasis added).
No, Jesus did not specifically address sexual morality in any of the words written in red in God’s Word. However, we do know two things.
- “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (Jn. 21: 25 ESV).
- “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Mt. 5: 17-18 ESV).
God has said many things about sexual morality in His Word. One example is, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them” Lev 2: 13 ESV).
The bottom line is that mankind gives into its sensual lusts. They don’t want to give up those sins. They take the focus off God and put it on themselves.
In other words, we don’t stay pure and chaste.
Sorcerers
Sorcerers trust magic arts rather than God to divine the future and perform other acts.
Warren gave us a good definition regarding sorcerers. He wrote “They are such as deal by magic and unlawful arts with the devil.”
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Sorcery is from the devil. Some may say it uses enchantment; some may say it uses deception.
God’s Word has a lot to say about sorcery.
- “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 19: 31 ESV).
- “You shall not permit a sorceress to live” (Ex. 22: 18 ESV).
- “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5: 19-21 ESV).
- “And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?” (Isa. 8: 19 ESV).
- “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people” (Lev. 20: 6 ESV).
Why this tough stand on sorcery? “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you [Saul] from being king” (I Sam. 15: 23 ESV).
Using sorcery to determine the future is rebellion against God.
True, they would have been introduced to this bigtime in Babylon, but regardless of location or circumstances, the Israelites were called to follow God.
So are we.
Idolaters
Idolaters are anyone who have chosen something else to worship in place of God.
It doesn’t have to be a stone image. It can be an anything, even an idea or viewpoint.
Bonar expanded on that. He wrote, “but all who have chosen another god; who love the creature more than the Creator; who worship mammon, pleasure, art, [splendor], or gold, for ‘covetousness is idolatry.’
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Covetousness is our desire for something sinful.
Liars
Lies are important because the many different forms that take us further from God’s purity.
We may think that most lies are small and don’t hurt anyone. It doesn’t matter.
Sylvester said there are different forms of lies. He listed them as “… all forms of deceit, hypocrisy, fraud, “whatsoever loveth and maketh a lie,” counterfeits and shams, self-deceit, tongue-craft, the lying life.”
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This category does bleed into the other categories just discussed. All the others reek of a falseness.
This is so important because of from whom lies came. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn. 8: 44 ESV).
We are like Satan when we practice dishonesty. We show our disrespect for the truth.
I think that it is true that it is unusual to just tell one lie. One lie usually needs several more to cover it up. That makes it easier and easier to be dishonest.
We get to a point where we cannot or will not face up to the truth. We don’t want to pay the consequences associated with having the lie found out.
Warren made an interesting observation. He said that the lies must come from the heart.
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That is true. We must give our hearts to God. Any sin must come from there to destroy that relationship.
The Consequences of Sin
“… their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Rev. 21: 8 ESV)
Fire and Brimstone
Those who do not repent of their sins will be cast into the lake of fire.
We just took a while discussing the punishment for those who have not genuinely ABCDed. They will be thrown in the lake of fire, consisting of fire and brimstone.
Paul described the how and the why of that. “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering — since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (II Thess. 1: 5-8 ESV).
What I want to focus on here is Silvester’s comment. He wrote, “There is but one way to heaven, but there are many ways to hell.”
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Paul identified two overarching ones. “… inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (II Thess. 1: 8 ESV emphasis added).
The eight categories all address the same issue: we sin against God. They all fall under the heading of not obeying the gospel.
Yes, we were made sinners when Adam and Eve committed the original sin. But the buck doesn’t stop there.
We have to choose whether we are going to follow God or not. We can choose any one or more of the paths we’ve just discussed.
There is only one way back.
- “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Ac. 4: 12 ESV).
- “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Ex. 20: 3-4 ESV).
- “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (Jn. 14: 6 ESV).
We must take this way of salvation, or we will be thrown into the lake of fire.
Second Death
Opposed to first death, which is not physical death, the second death is a permanent spiritual death.
Paul talked about this, too. “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed” (II Thess. 1: 9-10 ESV).
Silvester made a great point about first death and second death. We tend to think of the first death as the physical death.
Silvester said think again. He wrote, “Rather does the term, ‘the second death,’ lead us to think of the first death as the present spiritual state of those who are not renewed by the Holy Spirit. Such are, to use St. Paul’s language, ‘dead in trespasses and sins,’ etc. (Ephesians 2:1, 2, and Ephesians 4:18).
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In other words, we all experience the first death because we are born that way. We’ve been saying that regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal new birth and requickening that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
The way I read Silvester is that spiritually dead is the same as the first death. So, regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead/the first death to spiritually alive
Second death is easy to understand. God is life. Being separated from Him for eternity is the second death.
If we choose to be cowards all the way down to liars, we will find we desired the wrong things.
Making the Connections #1
Warren gave us great reminder. He wrote, “They are, in short, all kinds of sinners, unless they timely repent and instantly forsake their sins.”
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Repentance isn’t repentance without the forsaking of sin. Words aren’t good enough. We have to back them up with actions.
Making the Connections #2
Ooo, baby. Those who think how they live this life doesn’t matter are going to find out how wrong the are.
Silvester said it perfectly. He wrote,
“Cut off from their former opportunities of sin and facilities for ignoring spiritual things, they are face to face with their real position, and they find in it the bitterness of death. The dream of vanity and folly and sin, from which no word or judgment could rouse them here, has vanished, and they wake up now to shame and everlasting contempt.
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What more could we say?
How Do We Apply This?
- Realize disciples are not called to a life of ease and idleness.
- Overcome sin.
- Realize there are consequences to sin, and God will mete out those consequences.
- Don’t rely on being a good person to save us.
- Don’t believe God will accept just any religion — we must believe in Him His way.
- Don’t rest on the belief that only the worst of the worst will be cast into the lake of fire — even goats masquerading as sheep will.
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Father God. You have given us point blank what You consider sin. You have given us amble opportunity to repent and turn from our sins. Thank You. Help us to follow You. Amen.
What do you think?
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