New Heaven and Earth - New Citizens - Revelations 18-22

Revelation 21:5-8 (ESV)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The Bible is coming to an end with the above passage.  The old earth and old heaven are being destroyed.   The new heaven and new earth are now built and the above verses describe the citizenship.    There are three aspects of these occupiers of this new heaven and new earth:

1.  They are those who thirst.   This speaks toward those who have thirsted for righteousness and are now having the fulfillment of Jesus’ beatitude:

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

2. They are those who conquer.   It is by faith they have conquered. Faith in the blood of the Lamb:

Revelation 12:11 (ESV)

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

3. They are no citizens in heaven that are living in unrepentive sin.  Note what John will write in the last chapter:

Revelation 22:14-15 (ESV)

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Those on the outside are those who never submitted to Christ on the inside.   For all those who believe that God changes His character and out of love changes His mind on moral qualities, the above verses are a reality check.  The immoral and the false and the arrogant will not be citizens of heaven.  It will only be for those who put their trust in the blood of the lamb and who faith in the risen Savior.