An unbeliever is someone who lacks or loses faith but also refuses to have faith in God. Not merely with doubt, but also by rejection. Basically, they are the ones who refused to trust in Christ because they were in love with sin. As a result, those who do not believe will not be allowed to enter the place set aside for believers, the new Jerusalem.
Created: Saturday, October 15, 2022
STM Bible Lesson
Lesson focus: Revelation 21:1-8 (6-8). Bible lesson background: “The new Jerusalem,” as it is called by John, comes down from the heavens. This is also where God will reside among His followers. In fact, we won’t have to deal with things from the past that saddened us. Additionally, all things are new and finished according to the Alpha and Omega. Finally, for those who kept the faith, this is the reward. On the other hand, people who reject Him, those who chose sin, will end up in the lake of fire, the second death.
And he said to me– ‘They are fulfilled. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who thirsts, I will give of the spring of the Water of Life, freely. 7 He who conquers shall enter into possession of these things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my Son. 8 But as for cowards, unbelieversG571 [unbelieving], the degraded, murderers, the impure, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars–their place will be in the burning lake of fire and sulfur. That is the Second Death.’ Revelation 21:6-8 (20cNT)
G571 apistos unbelievers
- G571 ἄπιστος apistos (a’-piy-stos) adj.
1. (actively) disbelieving, i.e. without Christian faith or without trust (in God).
2. (especially) a heathen.
[from G1 (as a negative particle) and G4103]
KJV: that believeth not, faithless, incredible thing, infidel, unbeliever(-ing)
I want to make this clear, if you choose to not believe in Christ, then you prefer to sin. You are also saying you want to be excluded from the new Jerusalem!
As the Scriptures say:
“There is no one without sin. None! 11 No one who understands. And there is no one who looks to God for help. 12 All have turned away. Together, everyone has become evil. None of them does anything good.” (Psalm 14:1-3) Romans 3:10-12 (ICB).
There is a solution for those who refuse to believe. You can choose to trust the Lord and do as the Gospel says;
Those who believe [i.e., the Gospel] and are baptized will be saved [i.e., from doom]. But those who refuse to believeG569 will be condemned [punished; doomed]. Mark 16:16 (TLB)
G569 apisteo ‘believe not’
- G569 ἀπιστέω apisteo (a-piy-ste’-ō) v.
1. to be unbelieving.
2. (transitively) disbelieve.
3. (by implication) disobey.
[from G571]
KJV: believe not
A plea to all unbelievers
If you have not done so, give the Lord a try, He is alive. You will see that He is solid and trustworthy. Most of all, He wants you to be saved, [as stated in 1 Timothy 2:4]; ‘God wants everyone to be saved’… However, I do caution you and this is not a threat, if you go against Him you will lose. And the same as it was for the Jews, the outcome will not be good for you!
You should come to Him, who is a living stone, rejected by people, but chosen as precious in God’s sight. 5 And you yourselves are also, like living stones, being constructed into a spiritual house. For you are like holy priests who offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it says in the Scripture [Isaiah 28:16],
“Look, I am placing a stone in [the city of] Zion [i.e., Jerusalem]. It is a specially selected, very valuable cornerstone. And the person who trusts in Him [i.e., the One represented by this stone] will never have to suffer shame [i.e., because of unforgiven sin being brought up against him].”
Jesus is the rejected stone
7 To those of you who believe in Him, then, this “Stone” is [very] precious. But to those who do not believe [Psalms 118:22 says],
“The stone which those in charge of the building project have rejected has been made the principal stone for aligning the whole structure.” 8 [And it also says, Isaiah 8:14, that He would be],
“A stone that people would stumble over and a rock over which they would trip and fall*.” The way they stumble is by disobeying the Gospel message. They were destined [though not forced] to do this. 1 Peter 2:4-8 (AUV)
Don’t be left out of the new city
If you have ever desired anything, this is worth hoping for. That is citizenship in the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem. Life Application Bible Commentary – “The new Jerusalem is the future dwelling of the people of God (Revelation 21:2). They will be citizens in God’s future kingdom. Everything will be new, pure, and secure.”
The final plea is that you reconsider how you feel about God. The fact is, if you are reading this, there is hope for you because it shows that you were at least curious. So trust God and be allowed to enter the place set aside for believers, the new Jerusalem. I pray that you have enjoyed this Bible lesson. Blessings to you and your loved ones—♥ Tim. ☺
Related studies/lessons/snacks for further Spiritual growth:
See what is available on the Sound Truth Ministry website.
Reference Scriptures
Note: parenthesis (#) encloses the key verse(s).
Revelation 21:1-8 (6-8); Mark 16:14-18 (16). 1 Peter 2:4-10 (4-8) [Psalms 118:22; Isaiah 8:11-22 (14) {Romans 9:32-33} and 28:16-22 (16)].
