Revelation 22:15

Dr. Couch, I recently heard of a strange view of Revelation 22:15 that says "the dogs and the sorcerers and immoral persons" out side the new city of Jerusalem has to do with carnal believers who are not allowed inside the new city and its gates. I know of "good guys" who hold to this view. ANSWER: The verse reads: "Outside [the eternal city of Jerusalem] are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying." As you well pointed out no Bible scholar worth his salt would hold to the view that this has to do with believers. While we take the Bible literally, it still has illustrations and metaphors to get across these literal concepts. I point out in my "Handbook to Revelation" that 21:27 is a key to understanding what is going on in 22:15. 21:27 reads: "Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into [the new, eternal city of Jerusalem], but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." This is called "a future of emphatic negation." 22:15 is also a form of hyperbole as well as a metaphor. The lost are in hell. But the point is that nothing sinful, unclean, or evil, even if it were not confined to hell, shall ever enter the new Jerusalem. This is a form of exaggeration in order to get across a point. Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch (11/10)