Coward or witness?

 

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
(Whole Chapter: Revelation 21 In context: Revelation 21:7-9)

 

Anyone who is not a bold witness for Christ, or who denies Christ under persecution is a coward.  Their eternal destiny is the lake of fire—unless they repent.

 

 

Bold witness

 

Fear God, rather than man

Matthew 10:28
27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
(Whole Chapter: Matthew 10 In context: Matthew 10:27-29)

 

Matthew 10:22
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
(Whole Chapter: Matthew 10 In context: Matthew 10:21-23)

 

Mark 8:38
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
(Whole Chapter: Mark 8 In context: Mark 8:37-39)

 

Luke 9:26
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
(Whole Chapter: Luke 9 In context: Luke 9:25-27)

 

Mark 8

34   And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and (34) take up his cross and follow Me.
35   "For (35) whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.
36   "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
37   "For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
38   "For (36) whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, (37) the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He (38) comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

 

Denying yourself, taking up the cross, and following Jesus means losing your life for the gospel.  This, of course, includes preaching the gospel.  Those who do not preach the gospel are hell-bound cowards.


Matthew 10

16I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
17"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub,[3] how much more the members of his household!
26"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny[4] ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
34
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn
   " 'a man against his father,
       a daughter against her mother,
   a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--
        36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'[5]
37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

 

Example

Acts 4:19
But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.
(Whole Chapter: Acts 4 In context: Acts 4:18-20)

 

Acts 5:29
Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!
(Whole Chapter: Acts 5 In context: Acts 5:28-30)

 

 

Shrinking back

Hebrews 10:38
But my righteous one[ 10:38 One early manuscript But the righteous] will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."[ 10:38 Hab. 2:3,4]

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
(Whole Chapter: Hebrews 10 In context: Hebrews 10:38-40)

 

Revelation 2
To the Church in Pergamum
12"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, doubleedged sword. 13I know where you live-where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city-where Satan lives.

 

Revelation 12
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
   "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
       and the authority of his Christ.
   For the accuser of our brothers,
       who accuses them before our God day and night,
       has been hurled down.
    11They overcame him
       by the blood of the Lamb
       and by the word of their testimony;
   they did not love their lives so much
       as to shrink from death.

Luke 12
7Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
8"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

 

Revelation 3:5
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
(Whole Chapter: Revelation 3 In context: Revelation 3:4-6)

 

Fearing anything more than God

1 Peter 3:6
like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
(Whole Chapter: 1 Peter 3 In context: 1 Peter 3:5-7)

 

1 Peter 3:14
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear [ 3:14 Or not fear their threats] ; do not be frightened."[ 3:14 Isaiah 8:12]
(Whole Chapter: 1 Peter 3 In context: 1 Peter 3:13-15)

 

 

 

 

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