Verse 11: He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, l e t him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. These admonitions were coupled with the warnings that the time was at hand; and the events being so near, so shortly to come to pass, no change in the characters of the wicked devotees of the imperial beast or of conditions in the heathen world could be expected; but all others were exhorted to maintain their state of righteousness and holiness, as the storm approached. The words of this category of characters were significant. The unjust were the unbelievers in general; the filthy were those who were defiled by heathen practices; the righteous were the justified, who had obeyed the gospel; and the added term holy implied the maintaining of the life of separation from sin into which they had entered by justification. They had become righteous through justification by obedience to the gospel; they would remain holy by living apart from sin and its defilements. The passage contains a judicial declaration upon the incorrigible heathen enemies and was indicative of the ultimate destiny where there can be no reformation; combined with an appeal to the righteous and the holy to pass through tribulation with washed robes and undefiled garments, for the threat of heathen influence would continue to be a reality, after the persecution itself had ceased. John had reverted to a pre-persecution exhortation based on what he had heard and seen in the vision; and he was obeying the command to seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book. The purpose of the admonition was to ready and steady them for the impending onslaught. There is an extended and continuous application of the solemn words of verse eleven. When all of the events of time shall have transpired, and the judgments shall have descended and shall have been executed on all of the forces of evil; the conditions of men respectively shall have been unchangeably fixed for eternity. Here may be the proper application to the everlasting state of all people in the world that has no end. The basis of the apocalyptic warning is that eternal truth.