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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Rev_21:5-8
5And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." 6Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My Song of Solomon 8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Rev_21:5 "And He who sits on the throne said" God speaks several times in Revelation (cf. Rev_1:8 and probably Rev_16:1; Rev_16:17). There seems to be a purposeful ambiguity as to who sits on the throne, YHWH or Messiah (cf. Rev_22:3). See fuller note at Rev_20:11. As the first creation was brought into being by God's (i.e., Father through the Son) spoken word (cf. Gen_1:3; Gen_1:6; Gen_1:9; Gen_1:14; Gen_1:20; Gen_1:24; Psa_33:6; Psa_33:9), so also will His new creation.
▣ "I am making all things new" This is the promise of Isaiah 60-66. This refers to the new age of the Spirit, the age of the Messiah, the age of righteousness, which Jesus inaugurated at His first coming and will consummate at His second coming. This is a metaphor for the certainty of God's will becoming a reality (cf. Rev_1:19; Rev_14:13; Rev_17:17; Rev_19:9).
▣ "these words are faithful and true" This phrase was used to describe (1) Jesus, cf. Rev_1:5; Rev_3:7; Rev_3:14; Rev_19:11; (2) Jesus' followers, cf. Rev_17:14; and (3) God's word cf. Rev_19:9; Rev_21:5; Rev_22:6. Often God is described as "righteous and true" (cf. Rev_15:3; Rev_16:7; Rev_19:2). The Hebrew thought behind this Greek phrase would imply trustworthiness.
Rev_21:6 "It is done" This is a perfect active indicative. This could relate to the certainty of God's promises regarding both wrath for unbelievers and deliverance for believers (cf. Rev_6:11; Rev_10:7; Rev_16:17), or the immanence of God's promises (cf. Rev_1:1; Rev_1:3; Rev_3:11; Rev_10:6; Rev_12:12; Rev_22:7; Rev_22:10).
▣ "I am the Alpha and the Omega" This is used of God in Isa_44:6 and Rev_1:8; however, it is extremely significant that this phrase, although a title for the Father, is also used for the Messiah in Rev_1:17; Rev_22:13. It is another example of the NT authors applying titles for God to the Son.
There are several inclusive types of phrases which describe God's eternal, unique existence:
1. "the first and the last," cf. Isa_41:4; Isa_44:6; Isa_48:12; Rev_1:17; Rev_2:8; Rev_22:13
2. "beginning and the end," cf. Rev_21:6; Rev_22:13; and KJV Rev_1:8
3. "who is and who was and who is to come," cf. Rev_1:4; Rev_1:8; Rev_4:8
All of these are related to God's covenant name, YHWH, which is the causative form of the Hebrew verb "to be" (cf. Exo_3:14; Isa_43:10; Isa_43:13; Isa. 46:41; Psa_90:2; Psa_93:2).
▣ "I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost" The OT allusion is to Isaiah 55. The invitation is for everyone and it is absolutely free (cf. Rom_3:24; Rom_6:23; Eph_2:8)! What a tremendous invitation from God Himself of the availability of forgiveness. Mankind's redemption has always been central in the heart and mind of God (cf. Rev_9:20-21; Rev_14:6-7; Rev_16:9; Rev_16:11; Rev_22:17).
In the OT springs of water are often associated with God providing for the spiritual needs of mankind (cf. Psa_36:9; Isa_12:3; Isa_44:3; Isa_49:10; Jer_2:13; Jer_17:13; also Joh_4:10).
Rev_21:7 "He who overcomes" This is a present active participle, which is a continuing reference to the doctrine of perseverance amidst a time of terrible persecution. This phrase occurs throughout the letters to the seven churches (cf. Rev_2:7; Rev_2:11; Rev_2:17; Rev_2:26; Rev_3:3; Rev_3:5; Rev_3:12; Rev_3:21), which link the opening chapters of the Revelation to the conclusion. See Special Topic on Perseverance at Rev_2:2.
▣ "will inherit these things" The reward of inheritance in Rev_21:7 (cf. 1Pe_1:4-5; Rom_8:17) and the warnings in Rev_21:8 are against the backdrop of potential apostasy in an age of persecution. The series of wicked apostates (cf. Rev_21:8) is somewhat similar to the one found in 1Co_6:9-10.
▣ "and I will be his God and he will be My son" These are covenant phrases (cf. Rev_21:3) which are so common in the OT (cf. Exo_6:7; Exo_29:45-46; Lev_26:11-12; 2Sa_7:14; Psa_89:26-27; Jer_7:23; Jer_11:4; Jer_30:22; Jer. 33:38; Eze_11:20; Eze_14:11; Eze_34:30; Eze_36:28; Hos_2:23; Zec_8:8; Zec_13:9) and are also used in the NT (cf. 2Co_6:16; 2Co_6:18).
The concept of covenant is probably the unifying theme of the Bible. Mankind has been alienated from God (cf. Isa_53:6; Rom_3:9-18; Rom_3:23). Mankind cannot find God. God reaches out for us; God is pursuing us! His offer of reunion is one of covenant. He initiates (cf. Jer_31:3; Joh_6:44; Joh_6:65); He sets the agenda, but mankind must respond in specified ways. These ways have varied in content (Adam/Eve, forbidden tree; Noah, a boat; Abraham, a land, a son; Moses, a law code), but the form of acceptance, faith in the faithfulness of God, remains the same (cf. Romans 4). The Old Covenant had requirements; so does the New (cf. Mar_1:15; Act_3:16; Act_3:19; Act_20:21). Mankind must respond both initially and continually in faith, repentance, obedience, service, worship, and perseverance.
See hyperlink at Rev_2:18.
Rev_21:8 It is unusual to find this series of sins when judgment has already occurred and the wicked have supposedly been removed (by the victory of Jesus at the Second Coming, cf. Rev_19:5-21 and the White Throne, cf. Rev_20:11-15). This is not to say that some believers have not committed these sins but that their lives are not characterized by these sins (cf. 1Jn_3:6; 1Jn_3:9). This seems to be a literary technique to show the eternal difference between the saved and the lost or an aspect of apocalyptic drama (repeated for emphasis).
▣ "the lake that burns with fire. . .the second death" Obviously the lake of fire is synonymous with the second death or our concept of Hell, which Jesus called Gehenna (a Greek term which does not appear in Revelation). See hyperlink at Rev_1:18.