Revelation 21:6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
God speaks to
constitute the passing of the old order and introducing the new. These are not
forward-looking promises any longer. Just as God spoke the creation into
existence, so he speaks the new creation into existence, by saying, “It is
done.” All the prophecies, foreshadowing, covenants, and promises, have now
been fulfilled.
Joshua 21:45 Not one of all the LORD'S good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Joshua 23:14 "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
I Kings 8:15 Then he said: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David…"
Jeremiah 1:12 The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."
Mark 14:49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
Luke 18:31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled."
John 19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
Acts 3:18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer.
Revelation 21:6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
God announces who
he is that brings forth the new Jerusalem. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
which means He is the Beginning and the End; the One who has no one before him
and there will be no one after him.
Isaiah 43:10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
Isaiah 44:6 "This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God."
Revelation 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last."
Revelation 2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again."
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
All the praise and
honor belong to him.
Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
I Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
I Chronicles 29:12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
Daniel 2:20 … "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his."
Daniel 4:3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.
Ephesians 3:21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Revelation 21:6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
God confirms that
the renewing of all things provides water of life to those who thirsted after
it for so long, which He promised them on earth to sustain them for this day.
Isaiah 49:10 They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
Isaiah 55:1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost."
John 4:13, 14 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."
John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.
This living water
costs nothing, indicating that eternal life is a gift of mercy, wholly ordained
and worked by the sheer grace of God alone.
Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Once again, God
confirms what has been prophesied, foreshadowed, and promised throughout the
ages, that those who overcome will inherit. That moment has now arrived.
We have spoken
several times in this study about the fibers that hold the Scriptures together,
such as the outcome of prophecies to which we just referred. Not so obvious are
God’s words, “I will be his God and he will be my son.” In addition to the confirmation of the same
words used elsewhere in Scripture, the order of these words reflects that it
has a covenantal character, which ties the end times to the beginning.
Genesis 17:7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
II Samuel 7:13-16 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.
Psalm 89:26, 28, 32-34 He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior. 28I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail. 32I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging 33but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. 34I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.
The use of
covenantal language here at the establishment of the New Jerusalem restores the
covenantal relationship that God had with his people with all the blessings
that it holds for the elect.
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
God contrasts the
blessings of the elect with the horrors that befell all liars, by starting this
passage with the word, “but.” Within the general concept of “liars,” God
mentions seven groups of wickedness.
Cowardice towards the demands of faith in Christ and standing up for
one’s conviction is a sin. The Apostle Peter was guilty of this sin when he
denied Christ three times. We are called to be brave and prepared to stand up
for our faith, not fearing those who will not stand before God when the Holy
City descends from heaven.
Deuteronomy 20:8 Then the officers shall add, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too."
Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mark 5:36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."
Luke 12:8, 9 "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, 9but he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
I Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
I Peter 3:14-17 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened 15but in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Acts 9:16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.
I Peter 2:20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
I Peter 3:14,17 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."
I Peter 4:16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
Cowards are also those who do not believe in God’s promises, in spite
of all the testimony that accompanies them.
Psalm 119:140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.
Psalm 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
II Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
II Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Galatians 3:16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.
II Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Those who do not believe in spite of all the testimony, outcome of
prophecies, miracles, and signs.
Pay particular attention to the unbelievers’ refusal to believe and
repent and their continual sinning in spite of the testimony and the miracles.
Psalm 78:22, 32 For they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. 32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
Psalm 106:24 Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.
Matthew 21:32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Luke 22:67 "If you are the Christ," they said, "tell us." Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me."
John 3:12, 18 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 12:37 Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.
Acts 14:2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
I John 5:10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
Jude 1:5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
The following passages speak for themselves, indicating those that
would suffer the second death.
Deuteronomy 29:17 You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold.
II Kings 21:2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
Ezekiel 20:30 "Therefore say to the house of Israel: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after their vile images?"
II Thessalonians 2:9, 10 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders 10and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
Not only those that murder physically, but also those who murder
spiritually are included in this paragraph.
Matthew 5:21, 22 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."
Matthew 23:15 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are."
I John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
Leviticus 19:16-18 "'Do not go about spreading slander among your people. "'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD. 17Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. 18Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.'"
Proverbs 21:16 A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead.
Sinning against the body is sinning against the Lord.
Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Romans 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
I Corinthians 6:13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."
Ephesians 5:3, 4 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people, 4nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, faction 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Those who imagine that they have supernatural and mystical powers,
leading people away from the gospel of Jesus Christ, are included in the number
who will be thrown into the lake of fire.
II Kings 9:22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, "Have you come in peace, Jehu?" "How can there be peace," Jehu replied, "as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?"
Nahum 3:4 All because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.
Isaiah 8:19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
Isaiah 44:25 Who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense.
Isaiah 47:12, 13 "Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. 13All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you."
Galatians 3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
Leviticus 19:26 "'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. "'Do not practice divination or sorcery."
Deuteronomy 18:10, 14 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft.
Acts 8:9-11 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great. 10And all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." 11They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.
Exodus 32:6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
Psalm 106:20 They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
I Corinthians 8:7 But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
I Corinthians 10:7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry."
I Corinthians 14:22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
Ephesians 5:5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
I John 5:21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
Revelation 21:9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
Ezekiel 40:2 In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city.
Isaiah 60:14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 62:12 They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.
Zechariah 8:3 This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."
Revelation 21:11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
Isaiah 60:1-5 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. 5Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come."