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Monday, December 23, 2019

People of the lie

What does Rev 21:8 mean? It can't mean anyone who ever lied is doomed to hell. That would mean there's no point in unbelievers converting to Christianity. Most pagan gentiles lied on a regular basis. It can't mean it's too late for them to become Christian because their behavior as liars damns them in advance. 

In the larger context of Revelation, it has reference, not to tactful lies or altruistic lies (e.g. lying to protect the innocent). Rather, the "lie" in Revelation is false worship. Counterfeit religion. Diabolical heathenism, in defiance of the true faith. In Revelation, the "lie" is paganism. Idolatry. To be a devil-worshiper, under the guise of polytheism. You live in service of that lie. You live in service to a systematic lie about God. 

Not coincidentally, that's how the word is used in 1 Jn 2:22 & 5:10. A religious lie. Likewise, Jn 8:44. If's not as if Satan tells altruistic lies. That's not the kind of lie in view. Rather, he lies about God. He deceives people about God. He leads them astray from the one true God. 

3 comments:

  1. great observation. makes a lot of sense since those verses are within the traditional johannine corpus.

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  2. What about the "cowardly"? Is that in reference to those who renounce Christ amidst persecution?

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    1. Beale seems to think so: "John lists various kinds of sinners among those who will deserve judgment. By introducing the list of sins with "cowards" and concluding it with "liars," he shows that these vices primarily indicte failures of so-called Christians facing the threat or reality of persecution. δἐ ("but") contrasts the cowardly with those who conquer, so that the cowardly are those who have been professing Christians. They are those in the visible community of faith who have "turned back in the holy war" with the world and have not demonstrated courageous faith in the battle against the beast." (The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, G.K. Beale)

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