That is a very good question and I believe we have a clear answer to give to you. In order to do that, we will read Revelation 22:10-15 (from the New American Standard Bible): “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong, and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.’ “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are THOSE WHO WASH THEIR ROBES, SO THAT THEY may have the right to the tree of life, and MAY ENTER BY THE GATES INTO THE CITY. Outside 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 can see, the book of Revelation is coming to a close and John is given a “final message” where an angel sums up the destination of the “one who is filthy” and the “one who is holy.” In other words, John is taken back in time (before the Great White Throne Judgment) to see that the unbeliever (the “one who is filthy”) will remain in that condition right up to the end. They will continue to “do wrong” and “be filthy,” which proves they had never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. They were NOT born again which means they have only a filthy, corrupt nature of sin, and thus they are still actively living in sin against God and their fellow-man. This “filthy nature” is described quite graphically in Ephesians 2:3, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the LUSTS OF OUR FLESH, indulging in the DESIRES OF THE FLESH AND OF THE MIND, and were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH.” Titus 3:3 adds to the awful description of those with the filthy nature of sin: “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” The closing description of “one who is filthy” is given in our verse we are considering today (Revelation 22:15) for we read that they are “dogs and sorcerers and immoral persons and murderers and idolaters and liars.” This wretched condition means they are NOT FIT to enter the heavenly city called New Jerusalem that is described in Revelation chapter 21. Instead, they will be cast into the lake of fire as we see in Revelation 20:15 & 21:8, “And whosoever was not found in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire…But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

I would appeal to all who may still be in that condition to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. If you will believe on Him as your Savior, the One who died for your sins on the cross (1st Corinthians 15:3) and shed His blood to wash away those sins (1st John 1:7), you will be among those that we read of in Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” What is meant by “wash their robes?” We have the answer in Revelation 7:14, “These are the ones who…WASHED THEIR ROBES AND MADE THEM WHITE IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB.” All your deep-dyed sins will be WASHED AWAY and you will then BE FIT to enter into the holy city, New Jerusalem, where you will spend a glorious eternity with the One who died to make you fit. It will then be your portion to worship “Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5…NKJV).  (448.1)  (DO)