Then to close this introductory section, just briefly, John goes from the residence of heaven to those who won’t be there – the outcasts from the new heaven and the new earth. Verse 8: “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

These are the outcasts from the new heaven and the new earth. And this obviously is a solemn, solemn verse. It is a serious and solemn warning. And you notice it doesn’t just say those who don’t believe, or those who aren’t thirsty. It identifies the character of those people so they can know who they are.

It is the cowardly, deilos. What does that mean? Those who don’t have any endurance. It really describes those who are like the hard ground where the plant sprung up a little while when the gospel seed is sown, but when persecution started and the sun began to beat and there was a price to pay to belong to God, they vanished. Those who fear persecution, those who aren’t willing to accept the cost of discipleship, those who won’t take up their cross and die, those who by virtue of the absence of bravery demonstrate that they are devoid of salvation.

Those who went out from us, because they never were of us. Those cowards who don’t confess Jesus as Lord, and don’t endure to the end, and don’t continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, because they can’t stand the reproach of men, and they have no endurance. That’s what that word actually means; they don’t have any endurance, they don’t endure to the end, which is the mark of true believers. They fall by the wayside.

People ask me all the time, “What about so-and-so? And they used to believe and they don’t anymore.” They don’t have any endurance. Well, but for those with no endurance, they won’t be there, they won’t be there.

In John 8 Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you’re My real disciple.” I address that issue in my book, The Gospel According to Jesus, then also in the new edition of that book, and in Faith Works, in great measure. That is the issue which is addressed there. And so He starts out by saying those people who don’t endure to the end.

He designates them then, secondly, as unbelieving. They lack saving faith. They have doubts and fears. Their faith is not sound and strong. Look at their life, they are abominable. That term signifies someone who is detestable, someone who is vile, someone who is caught up in wickedness and evil, someone who is described in Romans 1:24-32, someone who having turned away from the Lord is characterized by those kinds of sins listed there. He identifies them as murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers, from the Greek term pharmakeia, from which we get “pharmacy,” the use of drugs. It had to do with witchcraft, spirit involvement, demon worship which, of course, in Deuteronomy 18 in the Old Testament required the death penalty.

Then He lists idolaters. That’s often listed with sorcerers, because in the pagan religions there were drugs, and witchcraft, and spirit involvement, and drunkenness, and demon worship, all combined with idolatry.

And then He throws in all liars, all liars. That is of particular concern to the Lord, because He says that over in chapter 22, verse 15, “Outside of the dogs and sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” Those people are on the outside; and they’re known by their works, they’re known by their life pattern.

First Corinthians 6, “Do you not know the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don’t be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” They’re going to be on the outside.

Galatians 5:19, “The deeds of the flesh are evident: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these; and I have forewarned you, just as I forewarned you before, that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” It could not be anymore explicit than that, that is as clear as it can be. And so, the characterization of the people who aren’t there.

Now, remind yourselves again, because this is all throughout Scripture, that these people who live lives characterized like this aren’t Christians. They aren’t Christians, and they won’t enter the kingdom, and they won’t be in the holy city, the new Jerusalem, because at the end of verse 8 it says, “Their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” And the second death, of course, is worse than the first death. The first death is a spiritual one, the second one is banishment from God forever.