Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 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." — Revelation 2:11 (ASV)

For those who overcome, the promise is that they “will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Death was a real possibility for these believers. But greater than the fear of physical death should be the fear of God’s eternal judgment . The “second death” is a well-known Targumic expression for the death that the wicked die in the world to come. Even though death was the outcome of Adam’s sin, in Christ there is a complete reversal for the human race (Genesis 2:16– 17; Romans 5:15ff.). Since the messianic believers at Smyrna were under attack by some in the Jewish community, it was reassuring indeed to hear the Lord himself say that his followers would not be harmed by the second death—i.e., the lake of fire (20:14; 21:8).