All Things New

"The Enthroned continued, 'Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.' Then he said, 'It's happened. I'm A to Z. I'm the Beginning, I'm the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I'll be God to them, they'll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it's Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!' " (Revelation 21:5-8 - The Message)

The new heaven and the new earth will be a totally new experience. All things will be new. John was so overwhelmed at what he was seeing and hearing that he stopped writing. God had to remind him to keep recording the vision.

That we can freely drink of the water of life represents that all our needs will be fully satisfied in eternity. There will be no thirst or hunger.

Those who are saved, the overcomers, will possess all things because we are the children of God. Everything we need will be available. Our relationship with God will be that of father and child.

Lest we become too enraptured with the joys of eternity that we forget, God reminds us that not everyone will enjoy the new heaven and new earth. Many will be excluded because they refused to accept Jesus as their Saviour. All can enter into eternal joy, but they must turn from their sin in sorrow, ask God's forgiveness and trust in Jesus.

Verse eight is not saying that anyone who has done any of these things will suffer eternal torment. All of us have lied. All of us have committed other sins and continue to sin. It is those who do these things habitual because it is their nature that will suffer torment. Those who never received the Holy Spirit so that He could break the bonds of sin in their lives.

Those who are by nature cowards and are more afraid of people than of God are included in this list. Those who reject the Gospel and will not believe what God has said in His Word are in this group. Those who practice and love vile habits are included. Those whose lives are full of hate and anger and the desire to kill other people will not enter the new heaven and new earth.

Those who habitually engage in obscene and immoral relationships are mentioned. Those whose lives are full of occult practices will be separated from God. Those who worshiped idols rather than God will not be with the Lord in eternity. Those who by nature are liars will have their part in the lake of fire.

All these will be separated from God for ever in torment. We can rejoice that we will be in the new heaven and new earth. But that knowledge should not make us unconcerned about others. We must do all that we can to warn those who have not yet turned to God.