Rev 21:5 True and Faithful
#1. These
Words Are Faithful and True (Rev 21:5,
#2. It
Is Done (Rev 21:6,
#3. He (Singular) That Overcometh (Rev 21:7)
Please open your Bibles to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 21:5 (2X). In the preceding four verses of this chapter we have found that the Lord showed to the Apostle John a vision of the NH&NE and of the New Jerusalem. In those verses we have considered the awesome declaration of God, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them”. It means that the NH&NE that God will bring us into will be a new universe, and the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, is going to populate the new creation not only on earth, but unto the farthest reaches of the new universe. But now in the following four verses, verses 5-8, we have a direct speech from the living God Himself. And when we carefully listen to these words we notice here a subtle difference between:
Re 21:5-6 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. 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.
Re 21:7 He that
overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my
son.
Re 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.
Can you see God’s address to a single individual? The stage is entirely
between God and this single person. In verse 5 God says, “Behold, I
make all things new”. In verse 6 God says, “I will give unto him
that is athirst”. In verse 7 God says, “He that overcometh
shall inherit all things”, and then God says, “I will be his God, and he
shall be my son”. On the other hand, when you turn your eyes to verse 3 you
will see that God addresses a large group of people. God says in Rev 21:3,
“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”. What do we learn from this? What can we conclude about
the life eternal that we shall inherit? In verse 3 God speaks about the
general character of the new creation. It will be such that God’s dwelling
place and the dwelling place of the saints will be the same space, and the same
universe. The word “Heaven” in the expression “The New Heaven and the
New Earth” does not refer to another spiritual heaven for God and His angels
that replaces the present spiritual heaven for God and His angels. But the word
“Heaven” refers to the expanse of the new universe as far as we can peer into
the infinite distances of the new universe. God will dwell with His saints on
the new earth and accompany them as well when they travel through the new
universe. But in verses 5-7 God addresses each individual saint. Each one
of His saints shall inherit the entire new earth as well as the entire new
universe, whatever it may be. Each one of His saints shall be called a
son of God. And when God says, “Behold, I make all things new”, it
really means that God shall make all things new. It means that the new universe
will be a physical creation, not a spiritual entity, for the saints shall
receive glorious new bodies that are like Christ’s new body. It means that God
will definitely create a new universe that will not be made of the materials of
this present universe. This present universe is made of 92 elements, from
Hydrogen to Uranium. As far as we can see into the present universe all
material is made from these 92 elements. But the 2nd law of
thermodynamics dictates that this present universe is subject to decay;
it cannot exist forever. It continues to decay toward greater and greater
disorder as time goes on. And thus God will create a new universe, made of
different elements, and subject to different physical laws so that it can exist
in a timeless space. Moreover, the light that we now can see in this
universe will also be replaced by totally different light. Light as we know it
is a form of energy, and since matter can be converted to energy and energy can
be converted to matter of this universe, light as we know it shall be done away
and be replaced by different light. God emphasizes in Rev 21:5,
#1. These
Words Are Faithful and True (Rev 21:5,
Re 21:5 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.
There are four things that are stated in these four verses of Rev
21:5-8. First, God stated that He will make all things new. Secondly,
John is commanded to write these words, for they are true and faithful. Thirdly,
God declared that it is done, that it is come to pass, that it is all finished,
and that He is the Alpha and Omega. Fourthly, there is a distinction
made who shall and who shall not inherit these things; those who overcome, in
contrast to those whose part is in the
Re 20:11 ¶ And
I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth
and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
If the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Judge of all the earth, declares
that He shall make all things new, it is a sure promise that this will come to
pass. Not only must we believe it, but we must also reject the sinful
theologies that describe the NH&NE as a happy hunting ground, or as a
place where we can eat the most delicious food, or as a place where we shall
find a mansion for each one of us, or as a place where we walk on streets paved
with gold. All these concepts are of carnal origin, and they do not belong in a
saint’s collection of doctrines. We need to keep in mind with whom we are
dealing here in Rev 20 and 21. This is the Sovereign Lord, the Savior
and Redeemer of all creation. This is the Judge of all mankind
who will cast people into Hell for an eternity if they do not meet His
requirement for righteousness. This is the creator of the present
universe who certainly can and will create a whole new universe wherein only
righteousness dwells. Please turn a few pages to your left, to Rev
7:17 (2X) In Rev 7 we read of the 144,000 who represent the Remnant chosen
by grace who are still living on this earth at any point in time, and we read
of the great multitude which no man could number who represent the Remnant who
have already ascended into heaven, and who stand before the throne and give all
the glory to Christ who sits upon the throne. And then we read in
Re
Here again we read of Christ who shall lead His people to
living fountains of waters. What an incredible love of Almighty God to
stoop so low as to make His only begotten Son to suffer and die for us, little
creatures crawling on this sinful earth, and then continue to lead us to living
fountains of waters. And so great is His love for us that He will create
an entirely new universe for us, and comes to dwell in our midst. We cannot
even imagine what God has in store for us. All we know is that it will be super
glorious. There is no proper earthly language which can describe the real
character, and the unspeakable glory and beauty of that eternal inheritance.
And then to think there are people who have decided that they are going to ask
for a little more as a reward for a few good deeds they have done on
this earth. God has given all that He has, and God has even given Himself, but
they are going to ask for more. What an incredible ingratitude for such an
unspeakable gift. But this is the degradation of the preaching going on these
days. Let us now turn to a happier note. Why did God say Faithful and
True?
Please turn in your Bibles to the Epistle to the Romans, Rom
Ro 8:28-29 And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of
his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Ro
Verse 28 speaks of “all things”. Presently we do not
experience that all things work together in our favor. We sometimes feel
depressed by an overload of unfortunate circumstances that befall us. We would
like to blame someone else, but most of the time these terrible things that we
have to endure are a result of our own sins. The fact is that if Christ has
died for our sins our sins are also part and parcel of the plan of God for our
life, except He was not the author of those sins; we are. And if we have to
endure some terrible things because of those sins, we can rest assured that
they are in no way comparable to the terrible suffering that Christ had to
endure for those same sins. If we are those who love God and put our trust in
the cross of Christ and believe His Word, then we are called to believe that
God has made all things, and still makes all things work together for our
benefit. We just do not see it now, but we must believe it, and we must believe
that our destiny in the New Jerusalem will be glorious. We must trust that God
knows what He is doing. “For whom He did foreknow”, meaning whom He knew
as His elect children from before the foundation of the world, He also
predestinated us to become conformed to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, both in this life, and in the life hereafter. That is a promise, for
Christ must be “the Firstborn among many brethren”. And then verse 30
speaks of the process that God uses to bring us to Christ, and to bring us to
Himself in heaven. First He did predestinate us before the foundation of
the world. Then He called us by His Holy Spirit through the mouth of
someone who preached the true Gospel, for “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God”. Then He justified us by making us believe that
Christ suffered and died for our sins. And then He glorified us, past
tense, by making us believe the words of the Bible that we have risen with
Christ and that we have ascended with Christ into heaven and are presently seated
with Christ and in Christ in the heavenlies. All this is found in Eph 2:4-6.
In all this God is faithful in what He promised in His counsel before the
foundation of the world. And so, God assures us in Rev 21:5 that all
these things are certainly true and faithful, and they will surely be realized
just as they have been revealed to John. This is our hope, and that hope
is not of this world; it is other-worldly. It is not based on things
that belong to the sphere of this present world, but it belongs to heavenly
things. It belongs to the sphere of the resurrection. Is that object real? And
the answer from God is, “these words are true and faithful”, for the renewal
of all creation is the ultimate realization of the promise of the Gospel.
Please turn again to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 21:5
(2X). John is instructed to place a special emphasis on the truth and
faithfulness of these words. The reason is that these are the words of Him that
sitteth upon the throne. And therefore, He who sitteth upon the throne is the
guarantee of the truth and faithfulness of these words. God is faithful to
Himself. God can never deny Himself, for God cannot lie. And then we
read in the next verse that God says:
#2. It
Is Done (Rev 21:6,
Re 21:6 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.
What is the meaning of these words? What is done? God’s
magnificent salvation plan is done. The renewal of all things, which comes at
the conclusion of God salvation plan, is done, or is finished. It means that
the blessed life that has come is a life of perfect satisfaction. By declaring
again that He is the Alpha and Omega, Christ is declaring once more that He is
the Author and the Finisher of God’s magnificent plan of salvation. The next
question is: Are there going to be fountains of water in the NH&NE? We
must realize that God is speaking in symbolic language. The context must
clarify the meaning of the fountain of water in this case. We know that one
symbolic meaning of water is the water of the Gospel. If in this life we are
encountering the water of the Gospel, it means that we are hearing the true
Gospel. But can this be the meaning of “the water of life” in Rev 21:6,
which speaks of the life hereafter? Most likely not! Let us look again at
Col 1:15-16
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
him, and for him:
Christ is the One in whom all things in heaven and on earth are to be united forever. Then, in the new creation, the tabernacle of God shall be with men, and God shall be all in all, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is in this light that we must understand the words, “It is done!” What is done? John saw the New Creation and the New Jerusalem. Here in verse 6 God states that the promise of God is now completely realized. The victory is accomplished. Let us turn to the Rev of Jesus Christ, Rev 21:7 (2X).
#3. He
(Singular) That Overcometh (Rev 21:7, Heb
Re 21:7 He
that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall
be my son.
First of all we read that God’s people shall inherit all things.
It means that we shall receive them as an inheritance. The characteristic of an
inheritance is that it is received free and freely bestowed. In other words, it
is a matter of pure grace. Please turn in your Bibles to the Epistle to
the Hebrews, Heb
Heb 9:15 ¶ And
for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death,
for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first
testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance.
You also need to know that the word Testament and the word Covenant are
in the Greek text the same word. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the
New Covenant, in order that by means of death He would bestow upon them who are
called the promise of eternal inheritance. This then is the key to
understanding the New Covenant, which is the Covenant of grace. Please turn
again to Rev 21:7 (2X). Thirdly, we notice that in this
inheritance not only all things shall be made new, but also that God’s people
shall be so changed that they are able to possess all things, and enjoy them
and use them. Fourthly, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things”.
Who are these that overcome? Every one of Christ’s chosen people shall
overcome, for Christ has purchased their souls, and God the Holy Spirit has
done a miracle in their souls. God will certainly see to it that their souls
would not be lost to the Devil. Fifthly, we read in Rev 21:7, “He
that overcometh shall inherit all things”. It means that each individual
saint is one who shall inherit the entire new universe. Every one of God’s
victorious children shall be an heir of the entire NH&NE, for all things
means exactly all things. This means that there is nothing left to give to
those who are asking for extra rewards. Therefore, since God cannot satisfy the
requirements of those who ask for more, they would not be permitted to enter
into eternal life like all the saints do, for God does not want to see any sad
faces around Him. Sixthly, can we see the utter inconceivability
of this blessed state from the point of view of this present time? On this
earth God’s children are anything but heirs of the world. Most of the time
God’s children are deprived of all things. Most of the time God’s children are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake. And yet in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ
they shall inherit all things in the new creation. We cannot even imagine what
that is in the present universe, let alone in the new universe, which is much
more glorious than the present universe and the new creation is even so much
more glorious than the present heaven that God and the angels will leave the
present heaven and come to dwell in the NH&NE. That is incredibly glorious.
The promise of the water of life as a free gift of grace is for “him that is athirst”. It is for the spiritual man in Christ, for him that longs for God and His righteousness. And this spiritual thirst implies that there is in the soul of him whom God saves a profound consciousness of his own sinful state. He is aware of being full of sin and corruption, so that he is damnable before God. This is an essential condition for anyone before he can be saved, for in order to be healed from our blindness we must first be aware that we are blind. Only then can we have a fear of God, and then the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. AMEN. Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.