Revelation 21 - IVP New Testament Commentaries

The New Creation

The series of visions that began at 19:11 (each introduced by "I saw") now draws to a close. The positive benefits of "the second death" become explicit in John's vision of a new world. Here we find an answer to the question, If those whose names were not written in the book of life were thrown into the lake of fire, what about those whose names were written there? The answer given to this question is visual (vv. 1-2) and audible (vv. 3-8). John sees a new world and then learns its significance.