Verses 5 through 7 speak of the sons of God in eternity. Verse 7 says, “He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be God to him, and he shall be a son to Me.” The meaning of overcome here differs from its meaning in chapters two and three, where it is used seven times. Here it means to overcome by believing, as in 1 John 5:4 and 5. The overcoming in chapters two and three qualifies the overcoming believers for participation in the enjoyment of the millennial kingdom as a particular reward in God’s dispensational administration, whereas the overcoming here qualifies all believers for participation in the New Jerusalem with all its enjoyment as a common portion of God’s eternal salvation.
The “son” in this verse is the believer who will dwell in the New Jerusalem. The sons of God in the New Jerusalem are the constituents of the New Jerusalem. They are the regenerated believers who have the divine life and the divine nature. The New Jerusalem is constituted with all these saints who have been born of God. As we shall see, the New Jerusalem is a composition of all the reborn children of God. Every reborn child of God is a part of this living composition. Because the sons of God are the constituents of the New Jerusalem, they will also dwell in the New Jerusalem.
The sons of God will participate in all the enjoyment of the New Jerusalem, especially the enjoyment of the water of life (v. 6). Many Christians have confused the enjoyment of the nations with the enjoyment of the saints. The nations will enjoy the common blessing, but the saints will have a particular enjoyment. Mainly, we shall enjoy the life supply of the water of life (22:1). Furthermore, we in the New Jerusalem shall serve our God and the Lamb in His presence for eternity (22:3-4). This is one of the blessings of God’s redeemed in eternity. At the same time, we shall reign forever and ever (22:5). We shall be kings not only for the thousand years; we shall be kings for eternity. All the saints will be matured, perfected, and qualified to enjoy the eternal New Jerusalem.
Revelation 22:3 says, “And the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His slaves shall serve Him.” Notice that the pronouns in this verse are singular, not plural. This verse says, “His slaves shall serve Him”; it does not say, “Their slaves shall serve Them.” The singular pronoun, which refers to both God and the Lamb, proves that God and the Lamb are one. We should not consider Them as two.
Revelation 21:8 says, “But the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all the false, their part shall be in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” In the old heaven and old earth there was the sea of water to contain the result of God’s judgment, whereas in the new heaven and new earth there will be the lake of fire to replace it. All negative and filthy things, after being judged by God, will be in the lake of fire for eternity. According to 22:15, the lake of fire will be outside the New Jerusalem, just as Tophet, where the filthy things were (Jer. 19:11-13), was outside the old Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:10; Isa. 30:33). The lake of fire is much more restricted than the sea of water. To suffer the second death, the lake of fire, is to be burned with fire and brimstone for eternity (14:10-11).