Revelation 21:7-8

In Revelation 21, verses 7 and 8, reference is made to several groups of people who are specifically excluded from Heaven.

Revelation 21:7-8, transliterated from the original Greek text would best read as:

[7] He that overcomes will inherit all things and I will be to him God and he will be to me son.
[8] But to fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and the sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars the part of them in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the death second.

This is an important verse in the book of Revelation. The verse contains a list of characteristics of individuals that are excluded from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. When God issues a list of people who will be excluded from Heaven, it must be taken seriously, and examined very closely.

The word I would like to focus on is the word sorcerers. When we think of sorcerers, a man wearing a black hooded robe, with candles burning in a dark dungeon practicing black magic, perhaps comes to mind. Such a person would more apt to be a persona in a movie in which the setting is during medieval times or in a fantasy game. Since the average Christian does not likely know such a person, the part of the verse referencing sorcerers is often written off as irrelevant to modern-day life.

The word sorcerers, in the original Greek, has a very clear and definite translation. The original Greek word in the text is the word pharmakois. Pharmakois is the same root word that we get the English word pharmacy. In the context of the verse, the word would be translated as referring to person taking pharmaceuticals, or simply someone who is taking a drug. Further examination of the Greek word pharmakois will reveal what types of drug to which the Greek refers.

The word pharmakois, in the original Greek, is a noun. Specifically, it is a dative noun, which means the noun specifically refers to a person to which something is or has been given. In the phrase Mary gave John a drink, the word John is a dative noun, and what was given to the dative noun (John) is a drink. In the original Greek text, the dative noun pharmakois, or, as modernly translated, sorcerer, would specifically refer to a person to whom a drug has been given.

The question arises as to what type of drug would qualify as excluding someone from Heaven. One reference translates the Greek word pharmakois to mean “a drug, spell-giving potion, druggist, poisoner, by extension a magician or a sorcerer”[1][3]. The word pharmakois refers to someone who has been given a drug for the purpose of living an illusion [2]. A life of illusion, or a life in which the perception of reality is altered, would simply refer to a life which is not reflective of living within the realm of reality. The bottom line question, then, is what types of drugs cause the person taking that drug to live a life of illusion? In order to understand what would qualify as a life of illusion, we must gain an understanding about how we perceive reality. Once we understand how we perceive reality, any intentional alteration of reality through the use of a drug would constitute living a life of an illusion as referred to in verse 8.

One function of the central nervous system to perceive and interpret reality. There are many neurotransmitters in the central nervous system which enable it to perform this task. Neurotransmitters transmit nerve impulses from one nerve to another. Some neurotransmitters are excitatory, others are inhibitory, and in some cases the neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The levels and concentration of neurotransmitters in the various areas of the brain are one factor that determines a person’s personality, thought processes, and even muscle tension. Another factor is the ratios of the different receptor types associated with each neurotransmitter, which is, in part, genetically determined. Receptor ratios are also determined by a person’s lifetime of thought patterns and activities. Dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are just a few of the dozens of neurotransmitters that contribute to a person’s personality and perception of reality. It is the action of these neurotransmitters in concert with each other which paints the picture of reality for each of us, making each of us a unique individual. Synthetic alteration of the neurotransmitters involved in how we perceive and understand reality alters the perceived reality of that individual.

Any drug that is capable of modifying neurotransmission can be implicated in altering the perception of reality. Examples of drugs which modify neurotransmission are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI’s), and tricyclic antidepressants. Anti-anxiety medications and tranquilizers also affect neurotransmission, and therefore modify one’s perception of reality. Drugs used to treat ADD and ADHD also fall into the category of modifying neurotransmission, commonly targeting the dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitter systems. And, in the illicit drug category, hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, PCP, and Marijuana, clearly fit the bill of altering reality. Any person taking a drug, whether licit or illicit, which alters neurotransmission to the extent that the perception of reality has been altered can be considered as living a life of illusion.

Antidepressants are a particular class of mind-altering drugs that pose a serious concern, and deserve special attention. In taking an antidepressant, a person, in essence, is painting a picture of a life that does not, in reality, exist, and is therefore living a life of illusion. The fact that anyone who has been taking an antidepressant for any length of time has a difficult time discontinuing the use of the drug should cause immediate concern. When antidepressants are discontinued, the crash back to reality appears to be very harsh. In some ways, the newly experienced reality after withdrawal from long term antidepressant use is worse than the original reality from which the drug was used to escape. This is clear evidence that the person’s mind is no longer functioning as originally intended.

The purpose of a drug which modifies neurotransmission is to intentionally alter the perception of reality. People resort to drug use in order to cope with reality, when they are under stress, when they cannot face reality, or otherwise must change their perception of reality in order to somehow function in society. Drugs which modify neurotransmission, however, are not the only drugs which modify one's perception of reality. Since certain hormone receptors are found on neurons, this suggests that the use of steroidal hormones also fits the bill of potentially mondifying one's perception of reality.

The problem is that, by taking some pill day after day, year after year, we are in essence saying that the body is primarily a stupid organism and lacks any understanding of its own internal processes that are going on, and is unable to function and regulate itself without the ingestion of chemicals manufactured in some pill laboratory. By incessantly taking a pill, we also must believe that God is equally as stupid, if not more so, because in creating the biology that forms such a perfect and harmonious organism, the ability of that organism to operate and function in this world has been somehow left out. The body is not a stupid organism, and is well able to function outside of ingesting chemicals manufactured in a pill laboratory. God, likewise, is not stupid, and will not allow a person to be tested beyond what they are able to handle, and is fully capable of keeping a person in perfect peace.

An interesting related article regarding flouride, and a mention to flouride's relation to commonly prescribed antidepressants can be found here. The article is definately worth reading.

[1] Jim Lynn, The Miracle of Healing in Your Church Today, p. 93
[2] http://www.concordances.org/greek/5333.htm
[3] http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G5332&t=KJV

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Copyright © 2011 by Dr. Robert Zee.

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Dr. Robert Zee is in private practice in Cumming, Georgia. The practice is part of the Synergy Healing Center. The Synergy Healing Center offers Chiropractic care, Nutritional Counseling and Guidance, Food Allergy testing, Applied Kinesiology, Massage Therapy, Reiki, Acupuncture, Psychological Counseling, Medical Qi Gong, and Pilates classes. Dr. Zee holds a degree in Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Doctorate of Chiropractic from Life University in Marietta, Georgia. The doctor is fully board certified in both Chiropractic and Physiological Therapeutics.

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