Question regarding Revelation 21:8

RJ Howard said:

It mentions that among many people the fearful will not inherit the kingdom of God. Who are the fearful in this context?

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Anytime a verse mentions inherit it is speaking about believers, in this case it would be fearful believers. They would not inherit the kingdom, that is the will not receive their inheritance that was waiting for them in the kingdom.

I am editing my post because the verse Revelation 21:8 this topic is about, does not mention inherit the kingdom.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment." (in 1 John 4:18)

This might have something to do with it.

RJ Howard said:

It mentions that among many people the fearful will not inherit the kingdom of God. Who are the fearful in this context?

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Those who fear death to the point of renouncing Christ under persecution:

Rev 2:10 “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

That was a fairly common thing in those days. In 112 AD, Pliny, who was the Roman governor of Bithynia near where the seven Churches of the Revelation were located, wrote to Emperor Trajan concerning those who had been accused of being Christians:

Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome.

Soon accusations spread, as usually happens, because of the proceedings going on, and several incidents occurred. An anonymous document was published containing the names of many persons. Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ--none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do--these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ.

They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food--but ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they affirmed, they had ceased to do after my edict by which, in accordance with your instructions, I had forbidden political associations. Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive superstition.

RJ Howard said:

It mentions that among many people the fearful will not inherit the kingdom of God. Who are the fearful in this context?

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Fear is the opposite of faith and without faith it is impossible to please God. I've not counted it personally, but I've heard it said that there are nearly 400 times that God said, "don't be afraid" to His people. "Whatever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).

The parable of the talents reveals God's attitude to the fearful.
Matthew 25:24-27

"Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest..........'"

"I was afraid..." but God said, "wicked and lazy".

Living in fear does not honour God and makes serving Him impossible. The antidote to fear is to embrace God's great love for us. When we do, faith rises up and we overcome adversity. Trials help us grow, not hinder us in our walk.

RJ Howard said:

It mentions that among many people the fearful will not inherit the kingdom of God. Who are the fearful in this context?

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I dont see fearful. What bible translation?

Maria Billingsley said:

I dont see fearful. What bible translation?

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Edit: cowardly in the NKJV

Hi the context is all the other things listed among being fearful. rev 21 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

This list is a contrast against those who overcome. Many sins are listed here and it would seem that the key to overcoming is this. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. This is where the fear I think is taking place. You have great deception on one hand and persecution of those who turn to Jesus and many will be afraid at this time who recognize an evil rule has taken over and they will not confess Jesus because of fear.

ewq1938 said:

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

G1169
δειλός
deilos
di-los'
From δέος deos (dread); timid, that is, (by implication) faithless: - fearful.
Total KJV occurrences: 3


Compare to the other uses:

Mat 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Mat 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.


It is about those who have no faith in Christ. They will go to the lake of fire with the other bad people like murders and sorcerers etc.

GILL:

But the fearful,.... Not the timorous sheep and lambs of Christ, the dear children of God, who are sometimes of a fearful heart, on account of sin, temptation, and unbelief; but such who are of cowardly spirits, and are not valiant for the truth, but who, through fear of men, either make no profession of Christ and his Gospel, or having made it, drop it, lest they should be exposed to tribulation and persecution; these are they that are afraid of the beast, and live in servile bondage to him.

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Thanks for the teaching !
Blessings

RJ Howard said:

It mentions that among many people the fearful will not inherit the kingdom of God. Who are the fearful in this context?

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The fearful and unbelieving are pared. So the fearful are those who do not believe.
Here are a few examples, that the fearful in these passages express their lack of faith for God. They don't trust Him because they dont believe.

Same Greek and Hebrew word.

Matthew 8:26
King James Version
26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?
Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea;
and there was a great calm.



Deuteronomy 20:8
King James Version
8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say,
What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted?
let him go and return unto his house,
lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.


Mark 4:40
King James Version

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

.

This could have something to do with who the fearful or cowardly would be >

"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrew 2:14-15)

So, from this I get that "fear of death" is slavery to Satan, and therefore this fear is in his kingdom. But Jesus releases people from Satan's slavery of "fear of death".

I see how "fear of death" can have someone afraid of dying because he or she is not preparing to share eternity with Jesus and us. And "fear of death can include fear of not having things a person wants in this life > so fearing death can mean fearing not having the life that a person wants; so it is a way of seeking self instead of God, so the person is not trusting Jesus for salvation.

So, such fear is preparation for going to the lake of fire.

Actually Satan's spirit of fear is a thing of hell - - already being experienced in ones who trust and obey this fear and therefore are going where it is going . . . while having this fear already now as a sample of how hell is . . . unless, of course, a person trusts in Christ (Ephesians 1:12), and is released by Jesus from the power of Satan's spirit > see also Acts 26:18.