Following that great gettin’ up morning, a sparkling new heaven and new earth will hold a magnificent new Jerusalem. The Lord will dwell among his people, and there will be no more mourning or crying or pain. The thirsty will receive water without cost from the spring of the water of life. God promises this dwelling place to those who victoriously follow him.

But a certain class of people are left outside, consigned to a second death. These you might expect—the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the idolators and liars. But one more group makes the list—the cowardly.

It makes sense to me that those who murder and rape and pillage find the gates of heaven shut in their face, but the cowardly? We all shrink back at times. Less than brave feels like a stance I’ve taken many times in life.

But here “cowardly” refers to those who fear persecution due to their faith in Christ. They slink away. They fail to endure. They hide when they need to step forward. They let their brothers and sisters suffer while they avoid ill treatment.

Hmmm. That’s rather convicting. Where do I show cowardice? When have I failed to speak up when I should say something? Believers around the world face far more intense persecution than me, and many take brave stands. Such people will populate this heavenly city.

I hope I’m one of their neighbors. So I pray, Lord, give me the courage to speak at the appropriate times, even when I’d prefer to blend into the wallpaper. Help me become one who endures to the end and joins the saints in your heavenly city.

Revelation 21 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Rob Martin