"He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be God to him, and he will
will restore the heavens and the earth to their original condition. He is "the Alpha and the Omega"; therefore, all will be accomplished. 3. Revelation 21:7 "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be God to him, and he will be a son to Me." The overcoming here is different from that in chapters two and three of this book. In chapters two and three it is the overcoming in the matter of conduct, that is, the overcoming that involves a comparing of believers with believers. But the overcoming here is the overcoming that involves a comparison of believers with unbelievers in the world (1 John 5:4). What is the difference between the people in verses 6 through 7 and those in verse 3? (1) According to verse 3, John saw in a vision that the tabernacle of God is with men, that is, God is dwelling with many people on the earth. The people in the second half of 21:6 are those who are thirsty after hearing the gospel preaching mentioned previously. (2) The people in verse 3 are the people of God who live on the new earth; those in verse 7 are the sons of God who live in the new city. (3) The people in verse 3 simply receive the common, entire portion of those on the earth, which is to be the people of God. But the people in verse 7 are not only the sons of God, but also His servants and kings (22:3, 5). (4) "They will be His peoples" in verse 3 indicates something corporate and common. "He will be a son" in verse 7 refers to something particular and intimate. (5) "They will be His peoples" in verse 3 is spoken in the third person; it is said by men. "I will be God to him, and he will be a son to Me" in verse 7 is spoken by God directly. (6) The people in verse 3 dwell on God's new earth, but those in verse 7 dwell in God's house. Differences in position among Christians are limited to the millennial kingdom. In the new heaven and new earth, all believers will be equal.
4. Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all the false, their part will be in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."