THE ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE, NEW TESTAMENT AND PSALMS (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Preface
My review of this excellent study bible within Orthodoxy continues; from my perspective as a Reformed theologian and philosopher of religion. This study bible uses the New King James Version (NKJV).
A few weeks ago, my friendly neigbour was chauffeuring me for a ride in one of his SUV vehicles, as he sought the cheaper gasoline of Silverdale, Mission. We chat theology and other topics. We were discussing the public and I stated (paraphrased) that we in Christ are saved by grace through faith alone, regenerated, justified, sanctified through the applied atoning and resurrection work of Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1-2, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews as New Testament examples.
I also stated that some in the public are cowards in regards to God, Jesus Christ and the gospel, and these types of cowards, according to Revelation 21, will not be part of the Kingdom of God, as they favour being favoured within the world system.
My friend opined that sounded harsh. I stated, I have read the idea used within Revelation, will look it up, text it to him, which I did, and eventually write on it...God willing.
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Revelation 21: 7-8 NKJV
7 He who overcomes [a]shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, [b]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Footnotes
Revelation 21:7 M I shall give him these things
Revelation 21:8 M adds and sinners,
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(M stands for Majority Text, in contrast to minority texts, my add)
What do the footnotes in the NKJV [New King James Version] mean?/Bible Gateway
Cited
M-Text
This symbol indicates points of variation in the Majority Text from the traditional text [a consensus of most Greek manuscripts]. It should be noted that M stands for whatever reading is printed in the published Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text, whether supported by overwhelming, strong, or only a divided majority textual tradition.
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Orthodoxy
This text notes for 'cowardly', these are in contrast to those that overcome and inherit the Kingdom of God (631). 'Those who fall away through cowardice or unbelief face instead the lake of fire (v.8). They lose God's inheritance, seeking instead the damning recompense of sin and death (see 20: 15: 22: 15), in company with the beast, the false prophet, Death and Hades.' (631).
I am wondering, are the cowards, the cowardly, only those who claimed to believe in Jesus Christ and yet fell away? The apostate?
Mounce
Mounce has an excellent, thorough, Revelation commentary. In regards to 21: 7. Quote: 'Those who deny Christ and are enticed by the allurements of the harlot to follow the beast have no inheritance in the family of God.' (374). Not necessarily a former confessing believer, seems to me. But, in 21: 8, Mounce opines 'Leading the retreat are the cowardly...' (375). Mounce has a footnote that states the ASV (American Standard Version, my add) translates as the 'fearful'. (375). But this definition is quote 'insufficiently specific' (375). These people, in retreat, from the Mounce text notes are people that fear the beast, Satan, likely represented by the Antichrist, more than they trust the love of Jesus Christ. (375). Mounce in the main text, reasons, these people as a 'last resort chose personal safety over faithfulness to Christ.' (375).
But, Mounce then states at the end of this section for 21: 8, 'This list of all apostates and pagans is to be into the lake of fire that burns with fire and brimstone (cf. 20:15).' (375).
Pagans are separated from the apostates formerly within the Christian Church.
In regards to the lake of fire, in my theological opinion, Hades (hell1) is cast into the lake of fire (hell2). The unregenerate outside of Christ, in spirit form from Hades are resurrected. Mounce writes that this is the second resurrection of the wicked only (the unregenerate, my add) (365). In my reading over the years, there is biblical and theological debate whether these people have resurrected bodies as do the regenerate (Revelation 20-22, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4, re: second coming and resurrection, 2 Thessalonians 2, re: second coming). If they do have resurrected bodies, what is the ontological, nature and existence of these bodies? For everlasting punishment and not everlasting life, as is the regenerated, resurrected, believer (Revelation 20-22), biblically, at least.
Cited
New Testament Greek
δειλοῖς (deilois)
Strong's
1169: cowardly, fearful
deilos: cowardly, fearful
Original Word: δειλός, ή, όν Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: deilos Phonetic Spelling: (di-los') Definition: cowardly, fearful Usage: cowardly, timid, fearful.
Origin deos
Strong's
1190. Derbaios Original Word: Δερβαῖος, α, ον fear, reference
Bauer defines δειλός, ή, όν, as cowardly, timid, as in particular of Revelation 21: 8 of those of little faith. (173).
Bruce
Bruce in his Revelation commentary explains that the cowardly and unbelieving is 'John's catalogue of those who are excluded from the blessings of the new creation begins with those who through fear have denied the faith in the face of persecution.' (1626).
Seems to be a description of the fearful, apostates.
Dr. Grant Richison
Cited
'Grant is a Bible expositor who is dedicated to a lifetime of studying and teaching God’s Word. Dr. Richison has been the senior pastor of three churches from 1965 to 1992. His most recent pastorate was at Grant Memorial Baptist Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba, where, for a 20-year period, he had oversight of a ministry that expanded from a church of 300 to one of the largest churches in Canada.
During the period of his pastorates, Grant taught at William Tyndale College (Detroit MI), Providence Theological Seminary (Manitoba), Northwest Baptist Seminary (Vancouver), International School of Theology (Vancouver extension), and Briercrest Graduate School (Saskatchewan). He taught Greek, Advance Greek grammar, exegesis courses and theology. His website Verse-by-Verse Commentary is read in most countries of the world (versebyversecommentary.com). The blog has over 14,000 pages of material written by Grant.'
Cited
'In contrast to Christians who have an eternally right standing with God, we now turn to those who have no standing with God. These others will have a part “in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.” We see eight characteristics of the non-Christian. First, the “cowardly” are those who are spineless. They cave into their fears rather than trust God to save them eternally. They live in stark fear of death. It is cowardly not to receive Jesus as your Savior. “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
'They cave into their fears rather than trust God to save them eternally.' 'It is cowardly not to receive Jesus as your Savior.' Not distinctly, former public Christian adherents.
Dr. Jack W. Cottrell
Cited
'Academically, Jack has a BA and a ThB from Cincinnati Christian University; a BA in philosophy from the University of Cincinnati; an MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary; and a PhD in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He was a Professor of Theology at Cincinnati Christian University from September 1967 to December 2015 — a total of forty-eight and one-half years.'
'Question: In Revelation 21:8, why is “cowardly” in the list of people that will not enter heaven? What does this word mean? What is John getting at?
Answer: This well-known verse says, “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” (ESV, throughout). Thus it seems clear that the “cowardly” indeed will not enter heaven.
Who are the “cowardly”? The Greek word is “deilos,” which is from a family of words that occur only rarely in the NT. This is the adjective; it is found here in Rev. 21:8 and in the parallel accounts in Matt. 8:26 and Mark 4:40. These texts are reporting the incident where Jesus and His disciples are in a boat in a great storm, and the disciples cry out, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” Jesus rebukes them thus: “Why are you afraid [deilos], O you of little faith?” (Matt.), or “Why are you so afraid [deilos]? Have you no faith?” (Mark). The noun “deilia” is used just once, in 2 Tim. 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear [deilia] but of power and love and self-control.” The verb “deiliao” is also used just once, in John 14:27b, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid [deiliao].”
The basic meaning of the adjective thus is cowardly, fearful, timid, fainthearted. In these and in Christian writings in general the word does not refer to specific and usually mundane fears such as fear of water, fear of spiders, fear of heights, or fear of speaking in public. Rather, the word is used in a context of persecution, where one has to choose between taking a stand for Jesus and denying faith in Him. C. Spicq says this: “When Rev. 21:8 places the fainthearted and the unbelieving in the lake of fire, it has in view Christians during times of persecution who, out of a fear of suffering, renounce their faith. It is a commonplace that human courage and cowardice are revealed in the face of death” (“Theological Lexicon of the NT,” Hendrickson 1994, I:301). In effect, then, such cowardice is similar to or even the same as unbelief. Rev. 21:8 lists the cowardly and the faithless together.'
Comments
1. This brief research has informed me that according to scholarship, in general, the primary context of the cowardly or fearful in Revelation 21: 8 is apostates. Quoting this study bible: 'Those who fall away through cowardice or unbelief face instead the lake of fire (v.8). This is in contrast to verse 7 and He who overcomes [a]shall inherit all things...
In 21: 8, Mounce opines 'Leading the retreat are the cowardly...' (375). Mounce in the main text, reasons, these people as a 'last resort chose personal safety over faithfulness to Christ.' (375). Cottrell states 'In effect, then, such cowardice is similar to or even the same as unbelief. Rev. 21:8 lists the cowardly and the faithless together.'
2. I am wondering, are the cowards, the cowardly, only those who claimed to believe in Jesus Christ and yet fell away?
But, Mounce then states at the end of this section for 21: 8, 'This list of all apostates and pagans is to be into the lake of fire that burns with fire and brimstone (cf. 20:15).' (375).
I think there is a secondary context, as in the pagans, that were never part of the Christian Church and reject God, Jesus Christ and the comforts of conformity to the world. These are the people I had in mind, more so, in the discussion with my friend.
Note that all the types of people on the list....8 But the cowardly, [b]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” I do not see a biblical, theological reason that these are all necessarily apostates, or always apostates, in fact, more often, likely not having been within the Christian Church, whatsoever, I would reason. So I do not think that the cowardly and fearful are always apostates either.
BAUER, WALTER. (1979) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Translated by Eric H. Wahlstrom, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.
BRUCE, F.F. (1986) 'Revelation' in F.F. Bruce (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
COTTRELL, JACK (2010) Jack Cottrell. com, Word Press.
https://jackcottrell.com/
COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.
HOCKING, DAVID (2014) The Book of Revelation, Tustin, California, HFT Publications.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
RICHARDSON, GRANT C (1999) Verse-By-Verse Commentary, Word Press.
https://versebyversecommentary.com/
STRONG, J. (1890)(1986) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Burlington, Welch Publishing Company.
THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT (1993) Stuttgart, United Bible Societies. F.F. Bruce, (ed.),
THE ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE, NEW TESTAMENT AND PSALMS (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson Publishers.
