The Point To No Return

June 29, 2026

REVELATION 22:11 NKJV – (11) He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.

What are we to make of this passage? Is this passage actually teaching that a person who loses their faith in Christ can never be restored? For starters, if that is the right interpretation of this passage, how could we account for people like you and me who lost their faith at some point of life but later repented and came back to faith? Finally, and in my mind, most decisively, Paul tells us that because of the cross, God isn’t holding anyone’s trespasses against them (2 Corinthians 5:19). This must include the trespass of abandoning the faith. So, the question is, “When does it get to the point of no return?”

The angel said to John: "Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy" (Revelation 22:11).

Hebrews 4:7-8 - For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Notice that the issue is about the character of a parcel of land. Land that has a productive character is blessed, while land that has a character that produces only thorns and thistles is only fit for burning. This suggests that the author of Hebrews is teaching that if a person has “fallen away” from God to the point that their character is no longer capable of bringing forth good fruit, they cannot be restored.

There will be a time when God will no longer forgive the person, because as 2 Corinthians 5:19 indicates, from God’s perspective. If a person can’t be restored, it’s because the person’s “thorn and thistle” character could never bring forth the good fruit of asking for it.

The point being made here is not that evil is to be encouraged. Rather, the angel's words are a statement of certainty: people can do as they choose, but God will not change His plans.

In the context of death and the end times, this is a dire warning.

• Unbelievers who reject the gospel do not receive a second chance to be saved if they die.
• Eternity does not change anyone's status.
• The person who dies in an unsaved condition will be unsaved throughout eternity, and the saved person will be saved throughout eternity.

Someday it will be too late for the unsaved to change their destination by repenting and believing in Jesus. Hebrews 3:15 implores: "Today, if you hear his voice., do not harden your hearts."

SCRIPTURE READING

EZEKIEL 3:27

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

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