Cowards Not Welcome

A few years ago, I heard a preacher talk about a verse in Revelation. Revelation 21:8

There is a list of who will end in, “... the fiery lake of burning sulfur...” (Revelation 2:18, NIV). The lake of fire is the final resting place for all those who will not be in heaven. The first

group listed surprised me. It states that the cowardly will be in this fiery lake.

Cowards are listed with the unbelievers, the detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorceresses, idolaters and all liars. The word coward here means, "Those who renounced faith because of cowardice or compromise with idolatry and sensuality..." (ESV Study notes). Therefore, cowards are not welcome in Heaven according to God’s Word.

As I pondered the seriousness of what this says, I asked God if this principle is found elsewhere in Scripture. I was then reminded of what happened to the 10 spies, and those who agreed with them. In Numbers 13, we read that God told Moses to send twelve chiefs, one from each of the 12 tribes, to spy out the land of Canaan. He promised Moses ahead of time that he was going to give the land to the Israelites. Moses took the 12 leaders and told them to spy out the land and to return with produce from the land and to report their findings. The 12 leaders did as Moses instructed. When they returned, they reported that the land was rich with abundant food. However, they also reported that the land with filled with giant people and that the cities were fortified. Because of what they found, they were afraid to obey God and possess the land. Ten of the spies convinced the rest of the people to rebel against God’s command. Only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, encouraged the people to obey God and possess the land, trusting God’s promise to give them victory over the inhabitants of the land.

So, what happened? God did not let the 10 spies, or those who rebelled, to enter the Promised Land but made them wander in the wilderness until they all died off. Only Josuha and Caleb (along with the children who grew up), entered the Promised Land. In other words, the cowards did not enter the Promised Land, just like cowards today will not be welcomed in heaven.

Today many people in the church are afraid to stand with courage and faith in God. They are afraid of what will happened to them if they speak up for Biblical truth. They don’t want to make waves or say something that will offend others. I once heard someone say, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything,” (which is attributed to Alexander Hamilton, originally).

I encourage those of you who read this, to take faith in Jesus seriously, because that is what God expects. Faithfulness is more than just an intellectual understanding; it is a life lived in active obedience to God and His Word.