Revelation 22:15
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What's easy to miss is that the list doesn't just name sins, but a core orientation: "everyone who loves and practices falsehood." This reveals that exclusion isn't just about individual acts, but about a heart's fundamental allegiance—a deep delight in what is untrue, rather than a love for truth.
Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes right after the glorious description of the New Jerusalem and the final warnings about adding to or taking away from God's Word. John is given a clear list of who will not enter this perfect city, essentially reiterating the stark contrast between righteousness and sin that has been a theme throughout the book. It emphasizes that the ultimate destiny of those who persistently practice these sins is to be outside God's presence.
Revelation paints a vivid, almost visceral picture of who is NOT in the New Jerusalem. Have you ever wondered why dogs are mentioned, and what that really means for us today?
The imagery of "dogs" outside the holy city speaks volumes about impurity and exclusion.
Why Dogs?
In the ancient Near East, stray dogs were often seen as scavengers, lurking outside the city walls, devouring refuse. They were symbols of uncleanness and were generally despised.
More Than Just Animals
When the Bible uses "dogs" in this context, it's not just about the animal. It's a powerful metaphor for those who are:
This isn't about a momentary slip-up, but a way of life that defines someone's eternal destiny.
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The verse doesn't just list sins; it highlights a specific attitude towards falsehood. What does it mean to not just tell lies, but to love them?
Revelation 22:15 concludes with a powerful phrase: "everyone who loves and practices falsehood." This points to a deep-seated disposition rather than isolated actions.
Beyond Simple Deception
This isn't just about occasional dishonesty. It describes:
This final category serves as a crucial summary, showing that any way of life characterized by a deliberate embrace and enactment of untruth has no place in God's perfectly truthful eternal kingdom.
Understand the original words
kyōn · Greek Noun
In biblical imagery, those who are morally vile, ritually impure, or apostates who have excluded themselves from the covenant community.
pharmakos · Greek Noun
Those who practice occult arts, witchcraft, or use spells, standing in direct opposition to reliance upon the true God.
pornos · Greek Noun
Those who engage in sexual acts outside of the marriage covenant established by God, violating the sanctity of the body.
eidōlolatrēs · Greek Noun
Those who put their trust in created things or concepts rather than the Creator, effectively committing spiritual adultery against God.
pseudos · Greek Noun
Any deviation from the truth of God; a lie or deception that opposes God, who is Truth Himself.
This passage lists many of the same sins, emphasizing that the unrighteous will not inherit the New Jerusalem, creating a direct parallel about who is excluded from God's kingdom.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10It explicitly states that certain unrighteous behaviors, including many listed in Revelation 22:15, will prevent people from inheriting the kingdom of God, reinforcing the severe consequences of these actions.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'works of the flesh' that are similar to the sins mentioned, warning that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, underscoring the pervasiveness of these sinful categories.
John 8:44Jesus calls the devil the 'father of lies' and states he was a murderer from the beginning, linking the love and practice of falsehood directly to demonic influence and destructive behavior.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12This text describes those who do not believe the truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness, showing a similar pattern of rejecting truth and embracing falsehood as a basis for condemnation.
ellicottRevelation 22:15: "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."
(15) For without are dogs and sorcerers . . . —Better, Outside are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolators, and every one loving and doing falsehood. The language is again an echo of earlier words. (See Revelation 21:8 .) The allusion to the dogs outside the city is hardly appreciated by Westerns. In the Ea…
barnesRevelation 22:15: "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."
For without are dogs - The wicked, the depraved, the vile: for of such characters the dogs, an unclean animal among the Jews, was regarded as a symbol, Deuteronomy 23:18 . On the meaning of the expression, see the notes on Philippians 3:2 . The word "without" means that they would not be admitted into the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:…
What's easy to miss is that the list doesn't just name sins, but a core orientation: "everyone who loves and practices falsehood." This reveals that exclusion isn't just about individual acts, but about a heart's fundamental allegiance—a deep delight in what is untrue, rather than a love for truth.
This verse comes right after the glorious description of the New Jerusalem and the final warnings about adding to or taking away from God's Word. John is given a clear list of who will not enter this perfect city, essentially reiterating the stark contrast between righteousness and sin that has been a theme throughout the book. It emphasizes that the ultimate destiny of those who persistently practice these sins is to be outside God's presence.
This verse comes right after the glorious description of the New Jerusalem and the final warnings about adding to or taking away from God's Word. John is given a clear list of who will not enter this perfect city, essentially reiterating the stark contrast between righteousness and sin that has been a theme throughout the book. It emphasizes that the ultimate destiny of those who persistently practice these sins is to be outside God's presence.
"Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." — What's easy to miss is that the list doesn't just name sins, but a core orientation: "everyone who loves and practices falsehood." This reveals that exclusion isn't just about individual acts, but ab…
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Last reviewed October 2026
