Revelation 21:8: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

In Revelation 21:1-7, John saw the celestial cities of New and Old Jerusalem come down from heaven and the voice of Christ explained that exalted people in the celestial kingdom will inherit all things.¹ Revelation 21:8 contrasts that image of overcomers in the celestial kingdom² with eight (8) kinds of sinners from the telestial kingdom that will never inherit nor even enter³ the celestial kingdom.⁴ Instead of receiving celestial glory like the sun,⁵ the eight types of sinners shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone⁶ before finally resurrecting to telestial glory.

The eight types of sinners are listed in four pairs⁷ to embrace the world number four (4) in the symbolism.⁸ The eight sinners⁹ include: (1) the fearful¹⁰ and unbelieving,¹¹ (2) the abominable¹² and murderers,¹³ (3) the whoremongers¹⁴ and sorcerers,¹⁵ and (4) the idolaters¹⁶ and all liars.¹⁷ The sinners are eight (8) in number to symbolize the start of a new era of existence for them¹⁸ in the telestial kingdom, just as the celestialization of the earth¹⁹ begins a new heaven, new earth,²⁰ and a new era of existence for righteous people in the celestial kingdom.²¹

The eight (8) types of sinners do not abide celestial law.²² They qualify for glory in the telestial kingdom only.²³ Telestial people temporarily²⁴ have their part in the lake which burneth.²⁵ This lake of fire refers to hell,²⁶ which most telestial people experience in the postmortal spirit world.²⁷ However, many telestial people will suffer their part in hell as a temporary condition²⁸ during the little season while still living as mortals on earth.²⁹ After the little season at the end of the earth, all telestial people will be resurrected to glory and their part in the lake will then come to an end.³⁰

Sons of perdition are sinners that suffer the torments of hell permanently and in full³¹ because they commit the unpardonable sin.³² The sin against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable and includes the actions of those who assent to the shedding of Christ's innocent blood.³³ The unpardonable sin is omitted in John's list of eight (8) sins, which means that mortal sons of perdition have no new beginning as they return again to their own place when they are resurrected.³⁴ Both unembodied and disembodied sons of perdition are condemned to the full and permanent torments of the lake of fire,³⁵ as described by John in Revelation 20:12-15.³⁶

The lake which burneth is the second death,³⁷ which means spiritual death or banishment from the presence of God.³⁸ John used second death to describe a temporary banishment, but the words can refer to a spiritual death that is either temporary or permanent, depending on the context. For example, spiritual death came to Lucifer and his followers in the premortal existence on a permanent basis.³⁹ The fall of Adam brought a temporary spiritual death to Adam and Eve.⁴⁰ All people born into this fallen world experience this form of spiritual death until they accept and live the gospel and receive the spirit of the Holy Ghost.⁴¹ On the other hand, when the eight types of sinful people in Revelation 21:8 die unrepentant, their disembodied spirits go to hell in the spirit world where they are spiritually dead on a temporary basis.⁴² Finally, all resurrected sons of perdition will suffer again a spiritual death.⁴³ This is a permanent condition⁴⁴ called the second death,⁴⁵ in a place commonly referred to as outer darkness.⁴⁶