Revelation 2:11

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

On the first sentence in this verse, see comment on the identical words in Revelation 2:7, also concerning "overcometh."

Shall not be hurt of the second death ... The second death is a reference to the lake of fire in which Satan and his followers are destined at last to be overwhelmed. As Roberson pointed out, many expressions in these earlier chapters of Revelation find their full explanation in the later chapters. Among those he cited were:[56]

Tree of life -- Revelation 2:7; Revelation 22:2,14

The new name -- Revelation 2:17; Revelation 14:1.

Authority over the nations -- Revelation 2:26; Revelation 20:4f.

The morning star -- Revelation 2:28; Revelation 22:16.

The white garments -- Revelation 3:5; Revelation 7:9,14.

Sitting on Christ's throne -- Revelation 3:21; Revelation 20:4.

Second death -- Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:14.

Christ did not mention here "the first death"; but it is the death of the body to which all must submit. The second death is that of the soul, the absolute exclusion from God who is the source of life.

Christ did not utter any words of criticism or condemnation of this suffering church, offering only his love and encouragement. Those scholars who feel that they must go to the times of Domitian in order to find a time of martyrdoms in the church should remember that Stephen, James (John's own brother), and James the brother of the Lord had all suffered martyrdom already, and even much earlier than the earliest date affixed to this book. To this very day there are churches in which people are paying for their fidelity with their lives, notably in China and in other iron-curtain countries. What a mistake it is to confine this to a description of the church in the apostolic period. Furthermore, as Lenski said, "In 64 A.D., there were many martyrs when Nero accused the Christians of burning Rome."[57] Moreover, it is only a favorite bias of some scholars who affirm that the persecutions then were limited to Rome and did not occur simultaneously in the provinces. It was noted in the introduction to 1Peter, that Christianity was already a proscribed, illegal religion even in the Roman provinces when 1Peter was written. Nero invited the governors of the various provinces to join with him in the martyrdom of Christians.

[56] Charles R. Roberson, Studies in Revelation (Tyler, Texas: P. D. Wilmeth, 1957), p. 19.

[57] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 102.