In Sunday's sermon we learned that the fate of those whose names are not found written in the book of life is that they will be thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death (Revelation 20:14-15). God Himself lists the characteristics of those who will suffer this fate. We have His criteria recorded in Revelation 21.
God begins, though, with a commendation to those who have been faithful to Him: He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!... To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son" (Revelation 21:5-7). For the company of the righteous, there is the joy of receiving God's commendation.
The wicked, who God will consign to the lake of fire, are found in the following companies (Revelation 21:8):
The cowardly. As the popular verses state, God has not given us a spirit of fear (Second Timothy 1:7) and God expects that we will demonstrate faith in Him and His word (Hebrews 11:1-6). Failure of faith is an affront to God.
The unbelieving. God speaks through His word, His pastors and leaders, and through His bride the church. The question is not whether we hear, but whether we believe what we hear. Unbelievers are succumbers, not overcomers, and as such will not receive God's inheritance.
The vile. Back when I was younger, we used to use the term "depravity". The vile are those who are corrupt in heart, and that corruption expresses itself in their behavior.
The murderers. In God's economy murder is not just an action, but also is expressed in intention. Matthew 5:21-26 indicates that the spirit of murder is present in angry reactions and unreconciled relationships.
The sexually immoral. My friends, this should be a no-brainer but I will say it anyway. If you are filling your mind with pornography and spending your time chasing other people's spouses, if you are sexually involved with someone that is not your spouse, if you are sitting at home plotting your next illicit liaison, then you are making your bed in hell. You need to repent.
Those who practice magic arts. Some of you have gotten caught up in secret societies and do not realize that it is NOT normal to be sitting in a big chair channeling demons that are pretending to be dead monarchs. Astrology, freemasonry, and even interactive games that require you to assume the identity of spirit characters are things that we as believers need to steer clear of: they are tickets to destruction.
The idolaters. It is never a good idea to place anyone or anything ahead to God. He Himself has told us that He is jealous (Exodus 20:4), and in fact He Himself gave the directive that we are not make, bow to, nor worship idols. In distinguishing these three things- creation ("make"), adoration ("bow"), and exaltation ("worship"), God warns us quite clearly.
All liars. I believe this includes not only lying to other people, but also lying to ourselves and lying to the Holy Spirit of God. Acts 5:1-11 is an excellent illustration of God's perspective on lying.
These are those who will be thrown, or as we used to say, cast into the lake of fire. And this is a "casting" call that none of us should be signed up for.
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