Revelation 20 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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authority, but rather, they will be priests of God and of the Anointed King, and they will reign
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kingdom forever. John's language implies, we think, that there is the possibility of following
the Little Lamb faithfully, and sharing in His life that is unending (the "first resurrection"). For
those who choose this possibility, when physical death comes (the "first death"), that life goes
on uninterrupted, and death can never again threaten them. But for those who do not choose
to share in that immortal life, who reject the divine invitation to come and drink of the water of
eternal life, physical death (the "first death") is followed by eternal death, the "second death."
So, at least, John's language seems to imply, and can be understood.
But these are concerns of the commentators on John's writing, while John himself
simply mentions these matters, without going into any detail concerning them.
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Many of the promises of Jesus, given throughout His earthly ministry, have to do with
the conquering of death and its power over their lives. Especially do we see this in the Gospel
of John, in such passages as the following:
3:15-18, “In this way God loved the world [of humanity]--that He gave the unique Son,
so that every one who has confidence in Him might not perish, but rather might have longlasting
life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge the world, but rather
in order that the world might be made whole through him. The one who has confidence in Him
is not being judged...”
3:36, “The one who has confidence in the Son has long-lasting life; but the one who
disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.”
4:14, “Whoever shall drink from the water which I, I will give to him, it will become in him
a spring of water, bubbling up into long-lasting life!”
5:24, “Truly, truly I say to you people, that the one who hears my Word, and places
confidence in the One sending Me, has long-lasting life, and does not come into judgment, but
has passed over from death into life!” We ask, is that not a “resurrection”?
6:40; “For this is the will of My Father, that every one who sees the Son and places
confidence in Him, might have long-lasting life, and I will raise him up, I Myself in the last day!
(see verses 47, 48 and 54) We ask, in the light of 5:24, is this not a “second resurrection”?
10:28, “And I, I give to them long-lasting life, and they will not perish for the long-lasting
age... “
11:25-26, “I, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who places confidence in Me,
even if he dies, shall live; and every one who lives and places confidence in Me will not die
into the long-lasting age!”
17:3, “This is the long-lasting life--that they should know You, the only true God, and
the One Whom You sent, Jesus Christ.”
20:31, “But these things have been written, so that you may have confidence that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God; and that having confidence, you may have life in His name.“
We must ask in the light of these texts whether John should be understood in Revelation
as affirming that only a select group of followers of the Little Lamb share in this longlasting
life that overcomes death. The obvious reply must be that for Johannine thought,
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