160. No Second Death
Revelation 2:11 He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
The second promise to the overcomer: no Second Death. Overcomers are believers in Jesus Christ. “He who believes in me will never die.” All sinners, of course, will be hurt of the First Death, the physical death which is certain for all mortals. Believers and unbelievers alike will all be resurrected in the body at the last day. After the judgment unbelievers will be consigned to the lake of fire, the Second Death. Believers are written in the book of life and the second death has no power over them. They shall enter into the joy of the Lord and live in the new heaven and new earth forever.
The first death, the physical death common to all people, is temporal, that is, it is only for a time, it does not last and it is over. The second death is eternal, that is, it is permanent, it goes on forever and it never ends. It is hard to imagine what eternal death could be like, so the Word of God uses the image of “the lake of fire.” However we imagine the second death it is definitely terrifying and horrific, and it should strike us with terror down to our bottom of our soul.
The only way to escape the horror is to repent and believe the Gospel: Jesus forgives sins and rescues us from the impending doom of the lake of fire. Or, in the words of this promise: we shall not be hurt of the second death. The prospect of eternal hurt cannot be mitigated or diminished or brushed off. It is what God says it is. If one rejects the salvation freely given by Jesus, the only other option we have is rejection of God, unbelief in His Word and outright denial. The choice is black and white: believe in Jesus and accept His offer or take your chances that God is a liar.
The promise is definite and clear: No Second Death for you.