The Lord God Himself is still speaking. One last time we hear the serious warnings from His own mouth. Soon the Lord Jesus will also repeat those warnings just one more time.1 The ‘victors’, the ‘overcomers’ inherit all God’s wonderful blessings but a horrible fate awaits the losers forever. These are those who did not thirst, those who were uninterested, those who sought and found their full satisfaction in the prostitution with which the ‘woman’, the ‘harlot’, the ‘prostitute’, the ‘whore of Babylon’, who seduced the world. Those who were indifferent and could not care less about the things of God and His Kingdom, and who also joined in scorning believers and in ‘teaching them a lesson’ from time to time will also suffer greatly. Believers are like sheep, defenceless, and they live among wolves.2 Some of those savage wolves break into the Church now and then,3 they even can wear sheep’s clothing.4 They are ‘false prophets’ who encourage others to be broad-minded and to go along with the general feelings and ideas of the times, to forget ‘old-fashioned’ points of view. They act like a kind of secret police as well, mingling with Church members with fake faith, pretending piety, speaking sweet words to gain trust, in order to see who are there so that arrests, interrogations and even tortures can follow later.
In the order of ungodly people that the Lord gives, the ‘cowards’ come first. They are the unfaithful, the backsliders, those who deny Christ because of fear of the world, fear of the ‘beasts’ and of the economic boycott that comes, if you refuse the ‘mark’ on your forehead or your hand,5 and who fear for their lives if they do not worship the Emperor – as in John’s time. Paul writes to Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but that the Holy Spirit gives us power, love and self-discipline. So, we are not to be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of His servants, but to join them in suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God.6 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.7 Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”8 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.9 Fear eternal punishment, the ‘lake of fire’, and do not pay attention to what people can do to you, or to what they indeed actually do to you.
The ‘unbelievers’ follow the ‘cowardly’. They are the ones who have fallen away; those who once appeared to belong to us, but have nevertheless left the Church. John says: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.”10 They were indeed touched for a short time, attracted by the Gospel, but they found the price too high.11
Then come those who are ‘abominable’ (‘horrible’ according to the old Dutch Staten Vertaling, the Dutch ‘KJV’), the brazen worshippers of the ‘beast’ and everything associated with it.12
Then there are groups of people we have already came across13: ‘murderers’, ‘whoremongers’, ‘occult practitioners’ and ‘idol worshippers’, in whatever form. Then, finally, the ‘liars’. These are not only people who continually tell untruths or half-truths, but include in particular people who do what is deceitful,14 who live a lie and who consciously turn all truths into lies, just like the lying prophets. Their father is the devil, for he is the father of lies, and consequently also the murderer from the beginning.15 Lying is at the heart of idolatry.16 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood.17 Only in this way will you escape believing the lies in the end-times, that masses will be deceived into believing.18 John especially had a lot to say about liars.19 The Lord warns that their end will be in the ‘lake of fire’! You will share in the second death! Forewarned is forearmed. This is true for us too. The Lord does not want people to be lost; He wants them to have everlasting life. “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”20
• The great warning here is that this does not concern only those who are manifestly godless, inveterate heathens, but also Christians in name only—opportunists, born into a Christian culture. The more time advances, the more it will become apparent where everyone’s heart lies, what choices your heart makes. The Dutch, rhymed version of Psalm103:3 says: ‘Seek His face daily, remember what He by Grace has achieved in Christ, His tremendous miracles, and observe His punishments.’
Bible References:
1.Revelation 22:15 2.Matthew 10:16 3.Acts 20:29 4.Matthew 7:15 5.Revelation 13:16–17 6.2 Timothy 1:7–8 7.1 John 4:18 8.Matthew 5:43-48 9.Romans 12:21 10.1 John 2:19 NIV 11.Matthew 13:21 12.Revelation 17:4 13.Revelation 9:21 14.Revelation 21:27 15.John 8:44 16.Romans 1:25 17.Ephesians 4:25 18.2 Thessalonians 2:11 19.Revelation 2:2, 3:9, 22:15 20.2 Peter 3:9
