This is the scariest verse in the bible for believers

Carl Emerson said:

Is God pleading for the lost or calling His chosen home ?

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I don't want to make this thread about Arminianism or Calvinism. That is not the point of the thread.

Carl Emerson said:

This is the verse you quoted...


Revelation 21:8 – “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 is not a reference to the chosen who are being drawn to salvation by His Spirit. These will respond to the Gospel.

In fact Jesus spoke about hiding the truth from the wicked lest they repent.

Mark 4

10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,
12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”

The Gospel is Good News not Bad News.

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Yes, the Gospel is Good News; the best news in the world. But it is only good news to those who understand the bad news first, that they stand guilty before a holy God. Without that, the cross makes little sense.

As for Revelation 21:8, I don’t think it is limited to ‘those outside’ only. The verse is a warning to all who would shrink back in fear and reject Christ. That’s why Hebrews 10:38–39 also says, ‘If anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.’

Mark 4 shows that God, in His sovereignty, sometimes conceals truth, but He also commands us to proclaim it openly. Jesus told us in Matthew 10:27, ‘What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.’

So, while the Gospel is Good News, it is a call to repentance, and those who suppress the Spirit out of fear or love of sin are in real danger. That’s exactly why we can’t afford to stay silent.

Carl Emerson said:

Yes - for sure repentance requires conviction of sin. The stating of the law leads to that conviction.

For sure the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord indwells believers and keeps them from falling away to the point of loosing eternal life.

I think there is a time for everything - open proclamation and quiet witness - one must learn to see what the Father is doing.

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I agree there is a time for everything, and wisdom is needed to discern the right approach in each situation.
But what I keep coming back to is that when the Holy Spirit fell on believers in Acts, the consistent result was bold proclamation. In Acts 4:31 it says, ‘They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.’ Even Paul asked for prayer that he might ‘open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel’ (Ephesians 6:19).

So, while there may be moments of quiet witness, the pattern we see over and over is that the Spirit strengthens us to speak, not to shrink back. Quiet witness without proclamation will never be enough on its own, because faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:14–17).

That’s why I see the Spirit’s ‘fear of the Lord’ not as something that makes us cautious to avoid conflict, but as something that drives us to proclaim Christ no matter the cost.

Sadly, throughout my entire life, it seems that a very large majority of believers think that the time to be quiet is ongoing. They will only speak up inside the church.

Carl Emerson said:

Sometime this is a still small voice.

Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ.

This is not always a loud proclamation.

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It sounds like you are making up excuses for people who believe but who do not want to proclaim. (Not trying to be rude. I enjoy our conversations. I am just prodding to make you think.)

I understand the idea of a “still small voice,” but Scripture never shows God saving someone apart from the Gospel being proclaimed. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Creation and conscience can reveal God’s existence (Romans 1:19–20), but that alone does not bring salvation.

Every example of someone coming to faith in the New Testament involves hearing the message of Christ:
-Cornelius was guided by an angel, but he still needed Peter to explain the Gospel (Acts 10).
-The Ethiopian eunuch needed Philip to open Scripture and proclaim Christ (Acts 8).
-Paul says God saves through the “foolishness of preaching” (1 Corinthians 1:21).

The Spirit certainly convicts hearts (John 16:8), but He always works through the spoken or written Word. There’s no biblical precedent for God quietly whispering salvation into someone’s heart without the Gospel being shared.

So, true salvation comes only when the Good News of Jesus Christ is proclaimed.

Carl Emerson said:

Yes, the command is to go into the World.

How we do this is up for discussion.

However according to John 17 it is when the world sees the unity among believers that they will be drawn to Christ.

Such a unity to be visible to the world must be a healthy family or community of believers.

Almost all of church activities are in buildings instead of where they might be visible to all.

Worship in the town square might be a good move.

We used to do street drama to convey the Gospel...

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I agree that visible unity among believers is powerful, and I love the idea of reaching people outside the church building. But imagine the impact if many Christians were united in boldly proclaiming the Gospel, just as in Acts 2. When large numbers of people are speaking the truth about Christ with one voice, it naturally sparks curiosity and draws attention. People see that something significant is happening, and it can lead them to investigate for themselves.
Unity in evangelism amplifies the message; our collective witness becomes a public testimony that God is at work among His people. Acts shows that this kind of coordinated proclamation, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is what leads to genuine conversions, not just impressive displays or good works alone.