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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Divine Fire
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (Deuteronomy 4:24)
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:14)
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)
The wording of Revelation 2:11 is peculiar. We would expect the verse to say, He who overcomes will never be in danger of the second death. Or, he who overcomes will not be cast into the Lake of Fire.
When we tell someone that an object or experience will not hurt them we are implying that they will be subjected to it but there is no reason to worry.
For example:
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (Isaiah 43:2)
God is saying (above) that His servants, His witnesses, will go through many tribulations but they will not be destroyed by them.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery oven but they were not hurt by it.
The wording of Revelation 2:11 gives the impression that the overcomer will be subjected in some manner to the second death but it will not hurt him.
Another verse along the same line is as follows:
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power [authority], but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
Again, we would expect to read, "such will never be in danger of the second death." Instead we find "over such the second death has no authority."
Whenever our doctrine does not fall simply and clearly into a verse of Scripture it is our doctrine that must be changed, or at least modified, until it is precisely in line with the Scripture.
To be continued.