Revelation 21:7-8 What does it mean?

[Siddhi Koli]

Revelation 21:7-8
King James Version​

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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.

 

[Davy]

You mean what is the "second death"?

Per the end of Revelation 20, after God's final Great White Throne Judgment, the wicked, and the abode of hell where they are, and death, all go into the "lake of fire" and are burned up. Psalms 37 shows they will consume away.

Why is it called the "second death", you might want to know?

1. the 1st death is the death of our flesh body.

2. the 2nd death is the destruction of both our spirit body with soul in the "lake of fire".

3. in 2 Corinthians 5, Apostle Paul revealed that if our flesh body were suddenly dissolved, we each still have another body not made with hands (non-material), from God eternal in the heavens. It is a 'spirit body' that dwells inside our flesh body while alive on earth.

4. per Jesus in John 3:6, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of The Spirit is spirit. This means God created each of us with a spirit and soul that is from Spirit, and then placed it into a flesh body made of material earthly matter. Hebrews 4:12 is specific on this.

5. at death of our flesh body, an invisible "silver cord" is severed, and our flesh goes back to the earthly elements where it came from, but our spirit (with soul) goes back to God Who gave it.

Thus the "second death" is about God's destruction of the spirit body and soul of the wicked at His final Judgment. Satan's angels are also assigned to perish at that Judgment also, and they never had a flesh body.

 

[MatthewG]

Revelation 21:7-8​

King James Version​

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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.

Hi Siddhi,

All I can say is that you have that same image of people being outside in Revelation 22.

I consider the second death, a dying to oneself, I believe Jesus overcame this same death.

But then again, I am capable of being wrong.

 

[Debp]

Revelation 21:7-8​

King James Version​

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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.

@Papa Smurf @bdavidc @marks Maybe you guys have some input for siddhi? She's a former Hindu.

 

[MonoBiblical]

Revelation 21:7-8​

King James Version​

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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.

21:7 ὁ νικῶν κληρονομήσει πάντα, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ θεὸς καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι ὁ υἱός
Whoever overcomes shall partake everything, and I will be to him the God, and he shall be to me a son.

It means God promises you feel a new body when woke out of the death. The rest, verse8, is what you feel with that body if you are an evildoer.

I would take a Strong's number and a lexicon to each classification in verse 8 though. When it says fearful, I think cowards, and unbelieving, untrustworthy, and whoremongers, probably whores etc.

 

[MonoBiblical]

@Siddhi Koli As to one more thing, the second death, in my opinion, is the second depriving of Israel. The first was at the hands of the Romans.

 

[keithr]

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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.

This is not addressed to Christians. Christians have a part in the first resurrection, when they become immortal, and they will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years over the rest of mankind, who have a part in the second resurrection at the beginning of the 1,000 years. As Revelation 20:6 says:

(6) Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.​

so verse 8 cannot be addressed to them.

Chapter 21 is describing the events at the end of the 1,000 years reign of Christ, after the judgement of mankind. Having just described that there is a new heaven and a new earth, that all things have been made new, it says that those that overcame the trials during the 1,000 years reign shall inherit "these things" (not "all things"), i.e. the earth, the earthly kingdom, just as the overcomers during the Gospel Age inherit the spiritual kingdom.

Now that there will be no more death (verse 4), Jesus will then turn the kingdom over to God - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (WEB):

(24) Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power.​

(25) For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.​

(26) The last enemy that will be abolished is death.​

(27) For, “He put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when he says, “All things are put in subjection”, it is evident that he is excepted who subjected all things to him.​

(28) When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.​

God will then dwell with mankind, and they will be His sons - Revelation 21:3 (WEB):

(3) I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.​

The "holy city, New Jerusalem" (verse 2) that is described as descending from heaven, is symbolic of the Government of God, comprising of Jesus and the resurrected and glorified Church, which is the tabernacle and temple of God. This will all be invisible to people living on the earth. Revelation 21:9-10 (WEB):

(9) One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.”​

(10) He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,​

Verse 8 says that those that fail to overcome will suffer the second death. Only perfected, righteous people will be allowed to live forever (there will not be people being tortured for all eternity!).

 

[MonoBiblical]

This is not addressed to Christians. Christians have a part in the first resurrection, when they become immortal, and they will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years over the rest of mankind, who have a part in the second resurrection at the beginning of the 1,000 years. As Revelation 20:6 says:

(6) Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.​

so verse 8 cannot be addressed to them.

Chapter 21 is describing the events at the end of the 1,000 years reign of Christ, after the judgement of mankind. Having just described that there is a new heaven and a new earth, that all things have been made new, it says that those that overcame the trials during the 1,000 years reign shall inherit "these things" (not "all things"), i.e. the earth, the earthly kingdom, just as the overcomers during the Gospel Age inherit the spiritual kingdom.

Now that there will be no more death (verse 4), Jesus will then turn the kingdom over to God - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (WEB):

(24) Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power.​

(25) For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.​

(26) The last enemy that will be abolished is death.​

(27) For, “He put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when he says, “All things are put in subjection”, it is evident that he is excepted who subjected all things to him.​

(28) When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.​

God will then dwell with mankind, and they will be His sons - Revelation 21:3 (WEB):

(3) I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.​

The "holy city, New Jerusalem" (verse 2) that is described as descending from heaven, is symbolic of the Government of God, comprising of Jesus and the resurrected and glorified Church, which is the tabernacle and temple of God. This will all be invisible to people living on the earth. Revelation 21:9-10 (WEB):

(9) One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.”​

(10) He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,​

Verse 8 says that those that fail to overcome will suffer the second death. Only perfected, righteous people will be allowed to live forever (there will not be people being tortured for all eternity!).

Nor will they be annihilated. Thanatos means the deprivement of life and prosperity. (thrift?)

 

[keithr]

Nor will they be annihilated. Thanatos means the deprivement of life and prosperity. (thrift?)

Where do you get that from? Strong's says it means 'death'. Even Google Translate of θάνατος (thánatos) says it means 'death'. The symbolism of fire implies utter destruction, consistent with 2 Peter 3:7 (WEB):

(7) But the heavens that now exist, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.​

(Greek apōleia = destruction, die, waste, perish)

and 2 Thessalonians 1:9 (WEB):

(9) who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,​

(Greek olethros = ruin, death, destruction).

 

[MonoBiblical]

Where do you get that from? Strong's says it means 'death'. Even Google Translate of θάνατος (thánatos) says it means 'death'. The symbolism of fire implies utter destruction, consistent with 2 Peter 3:7 (WEB):

(7) But the heavens that now exist, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.​

(Greek apōleia = destruction, die, waste, perish)

and 2 Thessalonians 1:9 (WEB):

(9) who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,​

(Greek olethros = ruin, death, destruction).

Nekros means death too. Nekros is death of the body, but thanatos is overrated as death. Apo is added to its verb to make it mean death by fading.

Supposedly metaphorical,

1. metaph., the loss of that life which alone is worthy of the name,
   1. the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell

It the other verb θνῄσκω means to kill. It really isn't about full death but rather being hurt healthwise. Thanatos is not specific to human beings either.

 

[marks]

Revelation 21:7-8​

King James Version​

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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.

John 3:3 KJV
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Jesus said you have to be born again to see the kingdom of God. This is because the natural man is corrupted by sin. We have to be transformed by God.

1 Corinthians 15:50 KJV
50) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

1 Corinthians 15:10 KJV
10) But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

God Himself changes us when we believe in Him.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 KJV
9) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Here Paul writes the same sort of thing as in Revelation, that these people will not inherit the kingdom of God. "And such were some of you", but we've been changed by God.

1 John 5:4-5 KJV
4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5) Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We overcome this world in believing in Jesus, the Son of God. Believing in Jesus, receiving Him for ourselves, this is the faith that overcomes. God sees our faith and gives us rebirth. Now we are no longer the people we were, the ones who could not share life with God. Now we are His children, and will live with Him.

Please let me know if you have more questions.

Much love!

 

[other one]

Revelation 21:7-8 is part of the vision of the “new heaven and new earth” that John receives at the end of the Book of Revelation. It’s God Himself is speaking from the throne, describing the final state of those who belong to Him and those who do not.
Here’s the text (NIV):
“7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my sons and daughters.
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Verse 7 – The Promise to the Overcomer

“Those who are victorious” (Greek: ὁ νικῶν, “the one who overcomes/conquers”) is a recurring phrase throughout Revelation (see 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:26, 3:5, 3:12, 3:21, 21:7). It refers to believers who persevere in faith, remain faithful to Christ, and refuse to compromise with the world system (Babylon) or worship the beast, even under persecution.
They receive the full inheritance of the new creation (“all this” = the new heaven, new earth, New Jerusalem, no more death, tears, pain, etc.).
The climactic promise: “I will be their God and they will be my sons and daughters” – this is the fulfillment of the covenant formula repeated throughout Scripture (Gen 17:7-8; Exod 6:7; Jer 31:33; 2 Cor 6:16-18). In the final state, the intimate father-child relationship with God is perfectly and eternally realized.

Verse 8 – The Fate of the Rebellious
This verse lists eight representative vices (a common biblical way of saying “and everything like them”). The list is not exhaustive but illustrative of lives characterized by rejection of God and His moral order:

The cowardly – those who deny Christ out of fear of persecution or social pressure (contrast with the overcomers who faced the same pressure but stood firm; see Mark 8:38).
The unbelieving – those who refuse to trust in Christ.
The vile (or “abominable”) – those whose lives are defiled by habitual wickedness.
Murderers
Sexually immoral (Greek πορνοί – includes all sexual activity outside God’s design, especially rampant in the Roman world).
Those who practice magic arts (φαρμάκοις – sorcery, often linked with drug use and occult practices).
Idolaters – anyone who gives ultimate allegiance to something other than the true God.
All liars – habitual deceitfulness; lying is the native language of the devil (John 8:44).

Their destiny is “the lake of fire” (the same as the “second death” mentioned in Rev 20:14-15). This is the final, irreversible judgment after the resurrection and Great White Throne judgment. It is eternal separation from God and conscious punishment.
Overall Meaning in Context

These two verses form a sharp, final contrast that runs through the entire book of Revelation: there are only two eternal destinies.
Faithful perseverance → intimate, eternal sonship with God in the new creation.
Rejection of God and persistence in sin → exclusion from the new creation and consignment to the second death.

The list in verse 8 is especially sobering because it begins with “the cowardly and unbelieving.” Revelation repeatedly warns that compromising with the beast’s system out of fear, even if you aren’t personally committing murder or gross sexual sin, is enough to put you in the same category.
At the same time, verse 7 is profoundly encouraging: every believer who “overcomes” (by God’s grace and the blood of the Lamb – see Rev 12:11) is promised the full rights of sonship and inheritance, no matter how weak or imperfect they felt in this life.

In short, Revelation 21:7-8 is the final either/or of Scripture: either you belong to God as His cherished child forever in the new creation, or you remain outside in the second death with everything that is opposed to Him. The deciding factor is whether, by grace through faith, you have overcome through loyalty to the Lamb.

 

[keithr]

Nekros means death too. Nekros is death of the body, but thanatos is overrated as death. Apo is added to its verb to make it mean death by fading.

You didn't answer my question, which was "Where do you get that from?", i.e. which concordance, dictionary, lexicon, etc.. If you don't specify the source where you got the information from, then we can't so easily fact check your data, and we should therefore not trust that you have not made a mistake.

For example you now state that nekros means death (again not specifying the source), but it doesn't - it means 'dead'. Death is the action of dying (a verb) whereas dead is a state of being (an adjective). It comes from the word nekus which means 'a corpse' (from Strong's Greek Lexicon, or the Online Bible Greek Lexicon). Therefore some translations translate it as corpse when appropriate, e.g.:

Mark 9:26 KJV

(26) And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead {nekros}; insomuch that many said, He is dead {apothnesko}.​

Mark 9:26 ESV

(26) And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”​

What do you mean by "thanatos is overrated as death"? The KJV consistently translates it as death (death 117 times, deadly 2 times).

Supposedly metaphorical,

1. metaph., the loss of that life which alone is worthy of the name,
   1. the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell

Again you didn't specify, but that looks like a quote from the Online Bible Greek Lexicon. The word is rarely used metaphorically. The only verses that I can find that don't refer to actual death are:

John 5:24 WEB

(24) “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death {thanatos} into life.​

1 John 3:14 WEB

(14) We know that we have passed out of death {thanatos} into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn’t love his brother remains in death {thanatos}.​

The Online Bible Greek Lexicon metaphorical interpretation is non-biblical. The Bible states that there is no misery after death - there are no thoughts or feelings whatsoever:

Psalms 146:4 WEB

(4) His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish.​

1 Corinthians 15:16-18 WEB

(16) For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised.​

(17) If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.​

(18) Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.​

It the other verb θνῄσκω means to kill. It really isn't about full death but rather being hurt healthwise. Thanatos is not specific to human beings either.

What does "It the other verb" mean? What is θνῄσκω? I presume you mean that thanatos is derived from thnesko which means 'to die' or 'to be dead', not "to kill". (Google Translate translates θνῄσκω as "I die".)

The "second death" is eternal death, no possible chance of life ever again. Romans 6:23 (WEB):

(23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.​

 

[bdavidc]

Revelation 21:7-8​

King James Version​

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
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.

The second death isn’t some puzzle you have to figure out. God hasn’t left it to guesswork. Revelation 20:14 says in simple language, “This is the second death.” The lake of fire is not symbolic. It is where every soul goes that departs this life without Jesus.

Look at it this way. The first death is when your heart stops beating. The second death is when hope stops. The first death takes you out of this life. The second death bars you from God’s presence for all eternity. Jesus calls it a place where the fire is never quenched and the worm never dies ~Mark 9:48. God is letting you know this judgment is not only true, but it is final and eternal.

The list in Revelation 21:8 is not haphazard. God is showing you the end state of a heart that hardens against Him. The fearful. The unbelieving. The idolaters. The liars. All these are people who have said no to the truth, no to repentance, no to the grace found in Christ. And when you say no to the Savior, you get the second death.

God isn’t done. Revelation 21:7 reveals the other alternative. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things.” Scripture spells out who the overcomer is. “This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith” ~1 John 5:4-5. Overcoming is not some mystical task of scaling some heavenly peak. It is trusting the One who has already conquered death, hell, and the grave.

Here’s the truth. The second death is the lake of fire, the eternal separation from God, waiting on every person who rejects His Son. You dodge the second death by coming to Jesus, believing in Him, and making His victory your own.

Two destinies. Two endings. One Savior. And God tells you in advance so you won’t have to experience the wrong one.