|
|
Answered
by EPM Volunteer Jim Swanson
This verse must be understood by taking into account the verses around it, and
the book as a whole. Read the end of Revelation 19 to 21:8. Whole armies are
killed and the beast and false prophet come to their doom.
Then comes the 1000 year reign of Christ with his faithful (chapter 20) to the
resurrection of the living and the dead (20:5). Then there is the final defeat
of Satan (20:10) and the great all encompassing judgment (20:11-15). A newly
reconstructed universe takes place where Heaven and earth are now the same dwelling
place for God and humans and there is the wiping away of all tears.
And finally the invitation Jesus thankfully gives in verse 21:6 (NLT) "To
all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life."
This is the same invitation Jesus gave in the Gospel of John, chapter 4, to
the woman at the well. He promises a familial relation with God as his children.
Then comes the contrast:
BUT the cowardly, the unbelieving, the murderers, etc. will go to hell. This
intense statement is now directed to all who IN CONTRAST did not drink of the
living water of Jesus and his salvation message. In other words, as hard as
it is to understand, there will be those who see God directly work, who will
get a taste of his kindness, and still reject the gracious salvation message.
All have lied, committed some level of immorality, etc. But if those who have
done this (and their life is characterized by such constant on-going deeds,
thoughts, and words) refuse to "take of the water of life," then to
these immoral people God will have to say "thy will be done." And
he will send them to the bottom of the bottomless pit.
Aside from just this verse, it is always a healthy spiritual exercise for a
person to take inventory of what kind of life they do live, and what sort of
relationship they have with Jesus; and most importantly, realign and readjust
the incongruities between the claim of belief—and the actual thoughts,
words, deeds, and life-style one knows oneself to be in. If they don't line
up, then go back to the invitation Jesus gives in the prior verse and "drink
deeply from the water offered."
Permissions: Feel free to reproduce and distribute any articles written
by Randy Alcorn, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not
alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction.
It is our desire to spread this information, not protect or restrict it.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Randy
Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries, 39085 Pioneer Blvd., Suite 206, Sandy,
OR 97055, 503-668-5200, www.epm.org
Visit Randy Alcorn's Blog