Revelation 22:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

NIV: Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

NASB: Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

CSB: Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

NLT: Outside the city are the dogs — the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.

KJV: For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

NKJV: But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Whereas the righteous may enter New Jerusalem, the unrighteous are barred from entering the city. They are described as dogs and sorcerers, sexually immoral and murderers, idolaters, and lovers and doers of falsehood.

"Dogs" was an insulting term the Judaizers applied to the Gentiles. In the first century, packs of wild dogs roamed through city streets and scavenged from trash and dead bodies. They were considered unclean. "Sorcerers" were those who practiced black magic, with an emphasis on drugs and potions. The sexually immoral committed adultery and fornication. Murderers snuffed out the lives of others. They disregarded the sanctity of human life and the fact that human beings bear the image of God.

Idolaters worship false gods, including material objects and even human beings. Those who bore the mark of the beast were idolaters because they worshiped the beast. Colossians 3:5 cites covetousness as idolatry, thereby identifying as idolaters those who worship money and what it can buy. Liars, too, are excluded from the eternal city.

The point of this verse is not to make an exhaustive list, or to suggest that "only" these sins are considered. The point is that those who persist in those types of behaviors—who reject Christ and refuse to repent—are going to find themselves separated from God in eternity. It's also not a claim that such sins are unforgivable; Paul recalled that some of the Corinthians had practiced such abominable sins before God saved them (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

Revelation 22:14–21 concludes the epilogue begun in verse 6. It contains promises, blessing, an invitation, a warning, and a benediction. The Old Testament closed with the promise that the sun of righteousness will arise with healing in its wings (Malachi 4:2). The New Testament closes with the promise that the ''bright and morning star'' will come. Just as the morning star appears before the sun arises, so Jesus will come for the church before He returns to restore Israel to Himself.

John sees additional images of New Jerusalem. The city's depiction stands in contrast to the ruin experienced during the tribulation, and evokes comparisons to the garden of Eden from the book of Genesis. After this, John relates several commands and messages from Jesus Christ. Among these are a dire warning not to manipulate the words of this message. Revelation, along with the canon of Scripture, ends with a benediction and prayer for Jesus to return.

This passage completes the description of New Jerusalem. Earlier chapters in Revelation described the final judgments against sin and death. Genesis chapter 3 described humanity's loss of paradise; Revelation 22 describes paradise regained. Concluding remarks by Jesus begin in verse 6 and continue through verse 20. Verse 21 records the apostle John's benediction, which marks the end of the New Testament canon.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''