If you have been a Christian for any length of time then most likely you have been told that one day Jesus is going to come back and judge ALL the evil in this world. Effectively removing evil completely. This view is so common that many folks hope that this event will happen very soon.
There is one obscure verse in the Revelation that could quite possibly turn the above concept upside down.
14 Blessed [are] those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside [are] dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. [Revelation 22:14-15 NKJV]
Verse 15 of Revelation 22 clearly states that an evil group exists just outside of the gates of the city. This city is presumably the same city that descends to earth in chapter 21:2. Keep in mind that this earth spoken of here in chapter 21:1 is the "new earth". This city is not heaven because is descends from heaven and the city is not the whole earth because it has a specific size 21:16.
No matter if you are a "full preterist" (past fulfillment) or a "futurist" (future fulfillment) you can not ignore this verse. Go ask your pastor to explain this verse and listen to their response. Do they accept it at face value that evil is present after the "new heavens and new earth are created"? Do they ignore it? Can they explain it away?
What do you think is going on here in the Revelation?
If you learned that evil is always going to be present and never removed, how would that change the way you worship God?
You may be wondering why no one has pointed this out before. The answer is simple, this verse is bad for marketing.
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