Now let’s look at the statement in Revelation 21:6, “It is done!” This is the culmination of all that God has purposed for the History of the Ages. I’ll try to abbreviate it for you. I think it comes in 12 basic parts.
Then we come to Revelation 21:8, “But those who have been cowardly submissive (to the world), the faithless, the vile, murderers, the adulterous, those who consort with evil spirits, idolaters and all who knowingly promote what is false, all of these will have their place in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death.”
In context, this verse goes with verse 7 referring to “he who overcomes will inherit all these things”. “Overcomes” is the present participle of nikao, to prevail. The present participle indicates repeated, continuous action, a picture of a submitted relationship with God. The point John is making here is that those who prevail over evil and the pitfalls that accompany it will inherit all God has promised, but those who live their lives continually giving in to those things will not. God’s forgiveness is always available to those who repent and turn from evil. Verse 8 is simply warning us that those who refuse to turn from their evil ways and submit to God will suffer the consequences. The “second death” is eternal punishment separated from God.
Now at this point, instead of going into a description of the holy city that starts in Revelation 21:9, I want to jump ahead and look at a couple of verses in chapters 21 and 22 that I have mischaracterized in the past. If you remember in Lesson 74, I mentioned from Revelation 21:4-5 there is no more death, the old conditions (the results of the curse) have passed away and all things are made new. Add to this Revelation 22:3, “there will be no more curse”, and you have to come to the conclusion that in the eternal earth conditions will be as they were before sin entered into the world and those perfect conditions will prevail eternally just as if the curse never happened. Evil is banished, confined in hell forever. The carnal nature of man is eradicated and he is now free to love God and serve Him without reservation. And there is no worldly influence coming to bear on men, leading them to follow after their own ways.
Keeping this in mind, we have to consider several verses that are generally misunderstood. This is Revelation 21:27. “But nothing that defiles will ever enter into it (the holy city), nor anyone who commits abominations or practices falsehoods, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Then, there is Revelation 22:15. “But without are the dogs and those who practice sorceries, and adulterers and murderers and idolaters and those who love deception.”
Let me try to explain. Put yourself in John’s place. He’s receiving this vision of events yet future and describing them in great detail. At the same time he’s warning those who read the account of this vision that they cannot ignore God, follow evil and still enjoy the blessings he’s being shown. The verses above are not describing people present on the eternal earth. John has already made it abundantly clear in Revelation 21:4-5 and 22:3 that such no longer exist. In verses 21:27 and 22:15 John is simply telling us that in order to have the privilege of entering the holy city you cannot be one who has lived a life enslaved by those things.