Revelation 21:1-8: The twenty-first chapter of Revelation begins the book’s concluding section. John’s vision ends with a note of victory as the heritage of those who remain faithful to the Lord. It will not only be a reward for individuals but a whole new creation will be brought into being. This latest creation will mark the consummation of the age-old struggle between the forces of evil and those of righteousness, with the latter prevailing. There is no doubt therefore that this section is an essential part of John the Seer’s work. As G.B. Caird put it, “In some ways, this is the most important part of his book, as it is certainly the most familiar and beloved. “As indicated earlier (in chapter 2) the prophet Isaiah had sounded this note of new heaven and earth (Isa.65:17 and 66:22-24) many centuries before. Jesus Christ himself had echoed it (Mark 13:31)and the author of 2 Peter had envisioned it (2 Peter 3:12-13).
The Blessings of the New Relationship (vv.4-7)
Just as every relationship has demands and expectations there are also envisaged gains or promises. The new human-divine association- the relationship of the new heaven and earth, the new Jerusalem- is no exception. In verses 4-7, the gains or blessings of the new relationship for people. Their blessings are engendered by the presence of God among his people.
One major consequence of the presence of God among his people, for instance, is the absence of death. This is a major gain since death has traditionally been seen as the worst enemy of mankind (Gen. 2:16-17; Rom.6:23). The apostle Paul had earlier declared that by the sacrificial death of the Lamb, death himself was swallowed up in victory, leaving it without any sting (1 Cor. 15:54-55).In the new world order envisioned by John, there will be a total absence of death. John had earlier declared that death had died twice, having been thrown into the lake of fire (Rev.20:14). Life in the presence of God amounts to eternal life or life in union with God. This explains why the biblical witness uses life in the Kingdom of God, or heaven, synonymously with eternal life. Since God is the source of life, those who live in his presence cannot die.
A corollary of the absence of death is the lack of tears, mourning, crying, or pain, which are common reactions to bereavement or the loss of beloved ones by death. Since there would no longer be any death, people are spared these agonizing experiences. Life in the presence of God is therefore life without a sense of loss or pain. All the sad and painful experiences of mankind would have passed away with the old order. The promise is made that everything will be made new. A more detailed description of the implications of the new relationship has already been given in chapters 7:15-17. It is a life designed only for those whose robes had been washed in the blood of the Lamb. This elimination of death, again, is in keeping with prophetic tradition (Isa. 25:8).
How true are the promises of the new relationship? How seriously are the offers to be taken? It appears these questions were anticipated and therefore answered in the process of the vision. A message of assurance authenticating the promises of the new relationship came directly from no less a person than God himself who was seated on the throne (v.5; cf. Rev.4:2, 9-11; 20:11). John was asked to write down the message he received about the new world order on the assurance that it is trustworthy and true.
There is no better assurance or authentication of the message than that it comes from God himself who is both the creator and the ultimate end of the universe. This attribute of God is expressed in the letters that begin and end the Greek alphabet system Alpha and Omega, which is translated as “the Beginning and the End” (v. 6; cf. Rev. 22:12-13). The promises of the new heaven and the new earth can be taken seriously because they come from the source of life himself-God. His words are as good as already done. Hence the declaration, “It is done” (v. 6).
An offer is also made for those who may be thirsty. They will be given a drink “from the spring of the water of life” freely (v. 6). In Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman as recorded in John 4:4-26, he talked to her about offering people living water, the type that would become “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (vv. 10 and 14). Every indication is that Jesus was not talking of ordinary water. Water in this case was being used as a symbol of life, particularly eternal life. As the psalmist had declared, the fountain or spring of life is with the Lord (Psalm 36:9).
According to Morris Ashcraft, the thirsty are “those with longing for God and a thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:6; John 4:14;7:37). Only God’s presence in a life, which is described as the water of life, can satisfy such a thirst. Since God’s presence will radiate the whole of the new Jerusalem, the living water would be abundant for all who genuinely search for the presence of the Lord.
A further affirmation or promise is made in verse 7. All that has been promised would surely be inherited by anyone who overcomes. The person will have the Lord as his or her God and God will accept the person as his child. The mutuality and firmness of the relationship guarantee the certainty of the blessings offered. The language of overcoming used here is in line with the same usage at the end of the letters addressed to the seven churches (e.g.2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). Overcoming has to do with forbearance and unquestionable commitment to the cause of the Lord.
This was very important because several believers during John’s time were said to have betrayed the cause and fallen aside due to the pressure of persecution. Jesus Christ had earlier warned against such lack of forbearance by his statement that “No one who puts his hand on the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God”(Luke 9:62). Only those who persevere to the end and overcome will inherit the promises of the new relationship with God.
The Lot of Unbelievers (v.8)
Just as faithfulness has its rewards, unfaithfulness has its place also. Those who thirst for righteousness and persevere to the victorious end have been promised the blessings of a new relationship with God. What about unbelievers and those who do not thirst for righteousness or who do not persevere in faith? What happens to those who engage in lifestyles that are antithetical to the conditions of the new covenant relationship with God? These failures should expect the opposite of the expected experiences of the overcomers. The lot of unbelievers is very clearly explained in verse 8.
Those who belong to the category of unbelievers or non-overcomers are first identified. They include the cowardly who fall away in times of persecution and the unbelieving who had polluted themselves with all the abominable practices of the time. Also identified with the failures are murderers who had persecuted and killed Christians and the sexually immoral who had been defiled by impure living. Other categories of this class meant for doom are those who practise magic arts (sorcerers), idolaters, and all liars.
It would be noted that in Revelation, lying and all forms of falsehood are seriously condemned (cf. 2:2; 3:9; 14:5; 21:8, 27; 22:15). Those who succumbed to pressure and denied Christ for one reason or the other were known as traitors and dishonest people. They were the same as unbelievers. In all then, eight categories of the unfaithful are identified. The list in this passage is similar to what is found in 1 Cor.6:9-10 and also in Rev. 22:15.All those involved in ungodly living will have the same fate.
The place of unbelievers, God declares, is “in the fiery lake of Bunning sulfur,” which is explained to be “the second death” (v.8). This was the same place the devil, the beast and the false prophet were said to be thrown into, where they would be “tormented day and night forever and ever”(Rev. 20:10). Even death and Hades, and all whose names were not found written in the book of life, also ended up in this same lake of burning sulfur(Rev.20:14-15). The clear indication is that this is a place of eternal punishment for all opposed to the doing of God’s will. In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, it is said that the twin cities were destroyed by a rain of sulfur due to their wickedness (Gen. 19:23-25).
The psalmist had similarly announced that God will “rain coals and burning sulfur” on the wicked (Psalm 11:6). An abode in the lake of burning sulfur therefore is a state of eternal separation from God, with all its consequences of torment or suffering. Although the word hell (Hebrew “gehinnom” and Greek “ge[h]ena”) is not used in this passage, the description amounts to the same thing. While the faithful, those who overcome, would be in the new Jerusalem of the newly created order, the unbelievers and the wicked would be in the lake of burning sulfur. The former will be enjoying eternal bliss in the presence of God while the latter will be suffering eternal torment and anguish. The contrast is unmistakably clear!
A Heritage of Eternal Victory
The believer’s heritage of victory can thus be seen as an eternal heritage. It is not a momentary experience of joy or ecstasy. Such a vision would therefore be expected to spur believers to further commitment to the cause of the Lord. They would also be enabled to exercise more courage as they persevere amid persecution by unbelievers and the struggles against the vicissitudes of this life. The kind of eternal victory and joy reserved for them would be worth dying for.
Unbelievers and backsliders would also be expected to take the warning signals seriously. The picture of a lake of burning sulfur should scare anyone away from the path of unbelief or unrighteousness. Those who renounce their faith in cowardice or who engage in any of the activities associated with separation from God (as identified in Rev. 21:8, for instance) would have themselves to blame. The vision of John the Seer is very clear. Eternal bliss belongs only to the overcomers, the children of God.
