RECEIVING OUR INHERITANCE

I think of the opening scripture of this post as a reading of the will, the official declaration of our inheritance in Christ.

Revelation 21:6–7 “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

This is a declaration that God’s plan has been fulfilled—It is done!  He declares Himself to be the “Alpha and Omega”—the beginning and the ending, the originating Source and the One who brings things to fulfillment, the One in whom we have our being. 

Jesus follows this statement with a declaration that He is the Source of the water of life and freely gives to all who thirst.  When looking at the Jewish New Testament Commentary, I was reminded that just as with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, I think the reference is to spiritual life in response to spiritual thirst.

John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

This fountain is a free gift for the use of all who dwell there. 

I liked my friend Dixie’s thoughts in reference to this section:  “We cannot be overcomers unless we are thirsty—for righteousness, for Jesus, and for the filling of the Holy Spirit.  If we are truly thirsty for these, we will be overcomers—and we must be overcomers.”

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

John 7:37 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit….”

The terminology used in this section takes us back to the thoughts in the letters to the churches.  In those verses we learned that the overcomer is one who listens to and heeds (acts on) the message of God’s truth.  One who has true faith will ACT accordingly. 

1John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

1 John 2:15–17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

It is our faith in God that equips us to overcome the world and all that is associated with sin—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.  As overcomers, we get to enjoy God’s blessings as part of His family.

Sadly, there is a contrasting truth.  There will be those that choose the ways of the world and reject the authority and salvation of God in Jesus and are described in the next verse.

Revelation 21:8 “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.”

Frankly, as I look over the list, all who end up in hell would fall in the categories of the fearful and unbelieving (faithless—as shown below).  What is the difference between them?  Maybe those who are fearful are those who knew the truth but were afraid to go against the crowd, and the unbelieving are those who just refused to believe the truth at all.  Sadly, that number will be far more than those who choose Jesus.

Matthew 7:13–14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Once you choose not to accept the truth, you open your life to the development of the other sins mentioned.  All the other sins we consider heinous (or at least used to) follow after the first two because they are actually rooted in one’s rejection of God. 

Fearful – timid, faithless.

Unbelieving - that believeth not, faithless, incredible thing, infidel, unbeliever.

Abominable - from a (presumed) derivative of bde÷w bdeo (to stink); to be disgusted, i.e. (by implication) detest (especially of idolatry):—abhor, abominable.

Murderers - a murderer (always of criminal (or at least intentional) homicide.

Whoremongers - a (male) prostitute (as venal), i.e. (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine):—fornicator.

Sorcerers - a druggist (“pharmacist”) or poisoner, i.e. (by extension) a magician.

Idolators - an image- (servant or) worshipper (literally or figuratively):—idolater.

Liars - untrue, i.e. erroneous, deceitful, wicked:—false.

No matter how often or how foolishly and boldly the Rob Bell’s of this world deny its reality; those who reject the provision of God in Jesus will have their part in hell—“the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.”

(to be continued…)