The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God Revelation 21:3-8 3..¶ And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 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. Commentary on Revelation 21:3-8 21:3 In this verse, God is described as dwelling among His people. This recalls the Incarnation, the fact that Jesus “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), and is a fulfillment of the promise in 7:15 that God will dwell among His redeemed people. A virtually identical promise was given to Israel in Ezek. 37:27, 28. 21:4, 5 Wipe away every tear fulfills the promises in 7:17 and Is. 25:8. No more death … no more pain goes far beyond the earlier promise of 7:16, which promises freedom from hunger, thirst, and scorching heat. Former things have passed away echoes both v. 1 and 2 Cor. 5:17. The believer’s rebirth through faith in Christ brings newness to that person’s life, but it is only in the eternal state that God will make all things new. 21:6 It is done echoes the voice from the throne in 16:17 that proclaims the completion of God’s wrath being poured out on Babylon. Here the completion of the new creation by Him who is the Alpha and the Omega of all things is the focus. Water of life may be recalling Jesus’ references to living water in John 4:14; 7:38, in connection with eternal life and life in the Holy Spirit. This water is further described in 22:1. A similar offer of God’s grace to him who spiritually thirsts is repeated in 22:17. 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit not only the specific promises to the churches in 2:7, 11, 17, 26–28; 3:5, 12, 21, but all things. The most wonderful part of this inheritance is that the believer will be a son (a person who is a rightful heir) of God forever. Sonship is a special honor associated with the Davidic covenant and includes privileged intimacy with God and the authority to rule (see 2 Sam. 7:14). 21:8 The characteristics of those who are not in Christ through faith—the unbelieving—are described. These unbelievers are destined for the lake of fire, eternal death after God’s final judgment (see 20:12–14). All whose names are not written in the Book of Life (20:15) are judged according to their works (20:12), and are shown to be worthy of endless death (see Rom. 6:23). In 1 Cor. 6:9–11, Paul makes essentially the same point. Commentary Notes The NKJV Study Bible. Thomas Nelson: Nashville, TN
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 10:39:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015