What actions exclude people from the "city" in Revelation 22:15? The Final City and Its Gates Revelation 22 paints the breathtaking picture of the New Jerusalem—the eternal dwelling of God with His redeemed people. Its gates are always open (v. 14), yet verse 15 soberly reminds us that not everyone enters. “ But outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone loving and practicing falsehood.” (Revelation 22:15) Who Finds Themselves Outside? The verse names six categories. Notice that each represents persistent, unrepentant patterns rather than a one-time stumble: • Dogs • Sorcerers • The sexually immoral • Murderers • Idolaters • Everyone who loves and practices falsehood Unpacking the List • Dogs – In first-century language, “dogs” stood for the shamelessly impure (Philippians 3:2). It evokes those who defiantly reject holiness. • Sorcerers (Greek: pharmakoi) – Practitioners of occult arts or drug-induced magic (Acts 19:19). Such rebellion seeks power apart from God. • Sexually Immoral (pornoi) – Any sexual activity outside God’s covenant of marriage (Hebrews 13:4). • Murderers – The unlawful taking of life, rooted in hatred (1 John 3:15; Matthew 5:21-22). • Idolaters – Worshipers of anything or anyone in God’s rightful place (Exodus 20:3-6; Colossians 3:5). • Lovers and Practitioners of Falsehood – Those who live in deception, distort truth, or refuse the light (John 3:19-20). Scripture Echoes The Bible consistently links these behaviors with exclusion from God’s kingdom: • 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? …” • Galatians 5:19-21 – “Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” • Ephesians 5:5 – “No immoral, impure, or greedy person … has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” The Heart Behind the Warning God is not describing people who once committed these sins and repented; He is addressing those who cling to them, “loving and practicing” them. The issue is willful allegiance—choosing darkness over the saving light of Christ (John 8:12). The Only Way In Verse 14 just before the warning offers hope: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates.” • Robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14). • Forgiveness is full and free for anyone who turns from sin to Jesus (Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:9). • Those who once walked in the very sins listed can now joyfully enter the city, clothed in His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21). Living in Light of This Truth Believers “eagerly await” that city (Hebrews 13:14). Until then, we pursue holiness, relying on the Spirit to put sin to death (Romans 8:13) and to display a life that already matches our eternal home. |
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