B.E. asked me a great question:

“Why is cowardly listed first in the list of people thrown into the lake of fire?…I am the person who is fearful that God has abandoned me and I deal with fearfulness about my eternal destiny…Isn’t it possible for a Christian to be afraid and live in fear?”

Revelation 21:6-8 refers to three types of people: believers who receive the free gift of eternal life but do not live victoriously (v 6); overcoming believers (v 7); and unbelievers (v 8). These same three types of people are mentioned again in Rev 22:14-17.

I’ve written on these passages before. See this 1993 article and this 2022 blog.

I do not know why John put the word cowardly (δειλός ) first. But I did a word study, and I think it helps us answer B.E.’s question.

Δειλός occurs only two other times in the NT––in Matt 8:26 and Mark 4:40. In both cases, the Lord chastises the disciples for being fearful and having little or no faith in the face of a deadly storm. They wake the Lord Jesus up. Why? Not because they thought He could or would still the storm. I think they figured He could help bail water out of the boat. They were afraid for their lives.

The word δειλός can be translated “cowardly” or “fearful.”

The “little faith” remark shows that they do not yet believe some basic truths. They had already seen plenty of evidence that Jesus is God in the flesh. They should have believed that. But they did not know who was in the boat with them. He did not need to bail. He could just say that word and the storm would stop. After He calmed the storm, they said, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matt 8:27).

The list in Rev 21:8 includes the following words to describe those who “have their part in the lake [of fire]”: unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars. Revelation 22:15 has the same sins (sorcery, sexual immorality, murder, idolatry, and lying) minus unbelieving and abominable, plus calls them dogs (instead of cowardly/fearful).

Why list any sin other than unbelief? After all, unbelief is what causes people to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 22:15). The answer seems to be that John wants us to know that unbelievers die in their sins. Remember that the Lord Jesus had said that unless people believe in Him, they’d die in their sins (John 8:21, 24). To die in your sins means to go through life right up until death as a slave of sin. Believers do not die in their sins. While it is possible that a believer might live under sin’s bondage in his experience, that is no longer true of him in his position (cf. John 8:31-34; Rom 6:15-19). The unbeliever will forever be in his sins. I think that means that he will forever desire to sin. He will have that itch but not be able to scratch it. Of course, it is possible that the Lord will allow some sin in the lake of fire. We are not told. But we do know that they will still be this sort of people.

When I consulted commentaries, I found that many suggested that the sinners of Rev 21:8 are sent to the lake of fire because they lack the courage of the overcomers of Rev 21:7. They think the issue is lack of sufficient good works. But that makes no sense considering Rev 21:6. Everlasting life is a gift. There is no cost. No works are required.

But I still haven’t addressed B.E.’s specific question about why John calls them fearful.

B.E.’s explanation cannot be right because once a person drinks of the water of life, he will never thirst again (John 4:10-15; 6:35). Losing assurance of salvation cannot rob anyone of everlasting life. Once we believe in Him for everlasting life, we have it forever.

I think the answer may be that a person who never comes to faith in Christ was in some sense fearful of seeking out the truth. He was comfortable in his tradition (e.g., animism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Catholicism, atheism, etc.). He was afraid to consider any other possibility (John 5:39-40).

Oddly, that was my experience. I was raised in a sinless perfection holiness cult. They taught that they were the only way to heaven and that everyone else was out to mislead us. A friend from the group came to faith in Christ through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. He came to me one day and said, “Bob, is it possible your view of the gospel is wrong?” I was afraid to go with him to a Cru meeting to explore other options. But I prayed about it and decided to go.

Maybe fear is a major reason that people do not come to faith. People fear ostracism by their family and friends. They fear being misled.

What do you think? I encourage you to meditate on B.E.’s question. It is a very good one.

In the meantime, keep grace in focus.