Revelation 21:27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation. What a book. If you understand it, you don’t. Every time I try to enter it’s mysteries, I come out of it with more questions. Yet every time I enter it, I also come out of it knowing one single truth.
Jesus wins in the end.
How we get there is up to Him, and by His grace I’m gonna hang on, but He wins in the end, and that is a great comfort to us.
For the passage above, let’s consider the context of the verse. The portion of Revelation this verse is found in has John describing the new Jerusalem, after experiencing the New Heaven and the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-8).
Verse 8 end the first passage on a very sour note.
Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
A disturbing verse for what it says and what it does not say. Nowhere in that passage does John speak of those in the lake of death as being faithless. Not once are those who are suffering related to how they believed or did not believe in Jesus. It is an assumption I always made, and other passages surely connect our faith with our destiny, but for this verse, that connection is absent. Interesting – disturbing but also intriguing!
On to our passage in Revelation 21:9-27. A bulk of the passage describes the “physical” appearance of the holy city of Jerusalem. Verses 11 through 21 speak of the walls and the gates, which is worthy of comment, but we need to focus on the topic Carl!
Verse 22- 26 speaks of no temple, as expected, but that
22 ….its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
He is all in all!
Verse 23 – 26 speaks of the needs of the city – there is none, and
25 …its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
Amazing – No restriction to the city. It’s gates will never be shut by day, yet there is no night. The gates will always be open!
What is entering the City? The glory and honor of the nations. Now that alone bears to ask a multitude of questions, but I digress again! I gotta get to the point.
How about we read verse 27 in full once more.
Revelation 21:27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it (the City), nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who have asked Jesus into their heart, trusting Him at some point in the past to secure an unalterable contract between God and them, without concern for life decisions since.
Ok I stretched the point out only to ensure you didn’t go from this blog thinking something wrong.
The verse speaks of equating those written in the Lambs book of Life as those who are not unclean, nor doing what is detestable or false.
These descriptions have nothing to do with our very real heart feelings, but as to actual actions in our lives. If we are to be truthful with ourselves, we should not feel saved if we are living unsaved.
As men and women on this earth, we have a tremendous capacity to deceive ourselves. Check your life. Be honest with yourself.
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