The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Mighty Angels of Revelation 21 Continued

MP3: The Mighty Angels of Revelation 21
Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista

The Inheritors of Wrath

Nathan Jones: From our own human perspective, we might think that God is judgmental and harsh when we read in Revelation 21:8 that there will be those who won’t be accepted into the New Jerusalem. “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Verse 5 states that it’s God Himself who proclaims that the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and liars will be kept outside of the New Jerusalem. Where are they kept outside? They have been sentenced to the Lake of Fire, which is also called the Second Death.

How very important it is that we give our lives to Jesus Christ by asking for forgiveness of our sins and so become saved. The righteous punishment for our sins is Hell, and that is where we are going if we don’t accept Jesus as Savior. Is Hell too harsh, or simply justice?

Vic Batista: People need to have a really good handle on Hell is all about. It is not a place of fun and games. This reality is not something to be played around with, for Hell is a real and literal place. The Bible makes it clear that all those who have turned their backs on God by rejecting His Son’s salvation are going to inherit God’s wrath, which is the Lake of Fire.

#Hell is a real and literal place. #Revelation Click To Tweet

The Adopted Children

I love verse 7, because it explains what the greatest inheritance is for those who are saved. “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” So, there is an inheritance for people’s unrepentant rebellion, which is Hell, but for our obedience there’s a reward that we will become adopted as sons and daughters of God.

Nathan Jones: Earlier in this series on Revelation, we talked about the Judgment of the Just. God will judge those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior after He has raptured us up to Heaven. At this Judgment of the Just, we are judged based on the good works we did while on earth. But, while these works matter, the only work that truly matters is the work Jesus Christ accomplished by dying on the cross, and us accepting that truth in faith. This judgment isn’t for life and death, or for going to Hell or staying in Heaven, it is only a judgment for rewards for doing good works.

The Judgment of the Just can be compared to the end of the school year. It’s report card time. You got straight A’s and so it’s time for that gold star and that little trophy, or whatever your parents give you for getting good grades. Likewise, this is also what the Lord does. He holds the Judgment of the Just, and part of the rewards involve an inheritance. The faithful not only inherit Heaven itself, but also ruling authority with Jesus over whatever we will be ruling during the Millennial Kingdom and Eternal State.

The Bible doesn’t quite get into specifics about what rewards will be given out, but I’m sure they’ll be completely amazing. There are physical rewards, such as our getting glorified bodies. Second Timothy 4:7-8 tells us about the crowns that we will wear as the embodiment of our works on earth which we will place before the Lord as a symbol of our worship. Revelation 19:8 tells us about the incredibly white robes that we will wear.

We will get new names, Revelation 2:17 tells us, etched on a white stone. My name won’t be Nathan anymore. You won’t be Victoriano, for you’ll get a new name, too. I don’t know what I will be called, but it’ll likely reflect my character.

Revelation 21 promises in the Eternal State there will be comfort and no tears. True mercy and justice will reign. We will be given honor before the Father, as John 12:26 says, not for what we ourselves did, but through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Just like Romans 8:23 foretold, we will be loved as adopted children. When you are adopted as a child, the child gets all the rights of an heir just like the children who were born naturally. Jesus Christ is the natural heir, but we as the adopted children also get to share in the inheritance that God has promised Jesus Christ. I’m not trying to get into any cultic teachings that we will be rulers of planets or be our own gods like the Mormons teach. No, we are talking about what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that the saints will receive an inheritance and the inheritance will be because we have been adopted as children of God. We inherit, as verse 7 say, “all things.” In other words, we will rule and reign with Jesus over the entire universe. That is a biblical teaching, not a cultic teaching.

Vic Batista: True, the cults make a lot of false promises offered in the afterlife, usually the pleasures of the flesh in the way of sex. They’re carnal promises. In contrast, in the Bible we are given eternal blessings. These are spiritual blessings that will carry on forever, and not fleshly fantasy, but a reality for the penitent sinners who have turned to Christ and seek spiritual rewards that will last forever.

Nathan Jones: I’m always amazed when studying the universe. Take one of the Hubble Telescope photographs and just look at an inch in one of its pictures. Magnify that inch again and again and you’ll discover an endless depth of solar systems, stars, and planets. The universe seems to go on forever and ever, and that’s just from looking at one square inch! Think of how in the entire universe out there God has created countless billions of trillions of galaxies and planets. God rules over all of that!

The Bible says that no man can fathom what God has prepared for us. I’d imagine that a lot of what God rules over the universe we will be responsible for as well. Our inheritance could possibly include planets, star systems, galaxies, and so much more!

Our granted authority is based on how we served the Lord while here on earth. So, our eternal rewards isn’t money, and it’s not gold and jewelry, and it’s not just positions of power, though that is certainly something. Our true inheritance is to be living with God forever and ruling over an endless universe with Him. Such a thought is truly beyond comprehension.

The Christian's true inheritance will be to live with #God forever. Click To Tweet

If the God of the Universe could make an endless universe, just think how amazingly big God is Himself. He’s beyond comprehension! And we will have an eternity to get to know an eternally vast God.

Vic Batista: Amazing! And this is not fantasy we’re talking about here. This is reality. God loves us and has a wonderful plan for us. He has eternity in store for those who have placed their trust in Him.

Nathan Jones: Jesus Christ died for our sin, our rebellion against God. Without Christ’s sacrifice, as John 3:36 say, the wrath of God remains on us. If we haven’t accepted Jesus as our Savior, then when we reject Him the punishment God had created for Satan and His demons remains hovering over us. We were born destined for Hell.

But, then Jesus died for you and me. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We can accept that truth in faith by placing our trust in Jesus Christ. Pray from your heart something like, “Dear, Jesus, please forgive me of my sins and be my Lord and Savior.”

Once we have asked Jesus to be our Savior, the weight of God’s punishment in Hell is transferred to Jesus. The guilt is gone. We become like a prisoner just released. The debt is paid! We then inherit eternity in Heaven with Jesus Christ, living with God forever. That is our eternal destiny and why we were created by God.

Vic Batista: True life means grabbing hold of that invitation to trust Jesus Christ as Savior. God has so many wonderful things in store for His adopted children.

True life means grabbing hold of that invitation to trust #JesusChrist as Savior. Click To Tweet

In the seventy-second segment of our series “The Mighty Angels of Revelation,” we will marvel at the majesty of the New Jerusalem!

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

2 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • If escaping “the wrath of God” refers to our salvation from being cast into hell (God’s punishment for sin) , then it doesn’t mean escaping the Great Tribulation that’s coming on earth. Is this right? Or, am I confused?

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