Introductory Remarks:
We begin an overview of heaven during the millennium that is awaiting all resurrected believers in Jesus Christ who have their part in the first resurrection from Adam on to the rapture of the church in chapter 21 verse nine through chapter 22 verse 5. Again what we have is a literal heaven just as we will leave a literal earth to go there. Remember, symbols are used to typify a literal anti-type, and that the type is never as wonderful as the anti-type. I like how Barnes introduces this chapter: "It is poetic and emblematic; but it is elevating, and constitutes a beautiful and appropriate close, not only of this single book, but of the whole sacred volume - for to this the saints are everywhere directed to look forward; this is the glorious termination of all the struggles and conflicts of the church; this is the result of the work of redemption in repairing the evils of the fall, and in bringing man to more than the bliss which he lost in Eden. The mind rests with the delight on this glorious prospect; the Bible closes, as a revelation from heaven should, in a manner that calms down every anxious feeling; that fills the soul with peace, and that leads the child of God to look forward with right anticipation, and to say, as John did, Come, quickly, Lord Jesus, (Rev. 22:20)." It would be a very dismal outlook indeed if God didn't give us these closing words as an encouragement to go on in this world with all of its evils, and human distractions; these last two chapters give us hope as no other words could. I believe what is said in chapter one verse three becomes more real to us as we close this book: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. The saints of all ages will reign with Christ from the New Jerusalem during the Millennium, and then we will come back with Him at the end of the thousand years to destroy the last revolt of Satan as His spectators. We will spend more time with this theme as we proceed in these last two chapters.
The New Heaven and New Earth
Verse 1, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."
LGT "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and the sea is no longer."
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;"
John is shown a new heaven [not God's abode] and a new earth; the old earth has been destroyed, so this is after the judgments of God.
"The Scripture clearly teaches that this present order of creation is to pass away in order to make room for a new heaven and a new earth. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said, Heaven and earth shall pass away . . . (Matt. 24:35). The old creation was made for the first Adam. Christ, the Last Adam, has a new creation for His creatures. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind (Isa. 65:17). For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain (Isa. 66:22)" (McGee).
"And there was no more sea."
For those who like to say that Revelation is all symbolical would certainly have trouble with this phrase; I wonder if they would say that the sea represents humanity as it did in other parts of the Book; as has been pointed out before, God is able to say what He means; if the phrase is not introduced with an 'as' or an 'as it were', we are usually to take it its literal sense.
"This change [of no more sea] struck John more forcibly; it would appear, than anything else. Now, the seas and oceans occupy about three-fourths of the surface of the globe, and, of course, to that extent prevent the world from being occupied by men - except by comparatively small number that are mariners. There, the idea of John seems to be, the whole world will be inhabitable, and no part will be given up to the wastes of oceans. In the present state of things, these vast oceans are necessary to render the world a fit abode for human beings, as well as to give life and happiness to the numberless tribes of animals that find their homes in the waters. In the future state, it would seem, the present arrangement will be unnecessary; and if man dwells upon the earth at all, or if he visits it as a temporary abode, these vast wastes of water will be needless. It should be remembered that the earth, in its changes, according to the teachings of geology, has undergone many revolutions quite remarkable as it would be if all the lakes, and seas, and oceans of the earth should disappear" (Barnes).
Verse 2, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
LGT "And the holy city, New Jerusalem, I saw coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned [decked out] for her husband."
"And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,"
The new earth must have a new metropolis [capital]. The Old Jerusalem was created as the worship center for the Jews under the Mosaic economy, that is, the Dispensation of the law. The Old Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. This New Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of grace age believers: But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all (Gal. 4:26); Also But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, who are written in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel (Heb. 12:22-24).
"The Church, composed of the whole number of regenerate persons from Pentecost to the first resurrection Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:52-53), united together and to Christ by the baptism with the Holy Spirit for as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit [were] we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or [Greeks], whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12-13), is the body of Christ of which He is the Head and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all (Eph. 1:22-23). As such the Church is a holy temple for the habitation of God through the Spirit in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye are also built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit (Gal. 2:21-22); is one flesh with Christ for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church (Eph. 5:30-32); is espoused to Him as a chaste virgin to one husband for I am jealous over you with godly jealousy; for I have espoused [united] you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2); and will be translated to heaven at the return of the Lord to the air but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not [precede] them who are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:13-17)" (C.I. Scofield's notes - page 1324).
"Coming down from God out of the heaven,"
This is of course a wonderful portrayal of a beautiful city of believers. This New Jerusalem cannot be compared with the old Jerusalem.
"Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
The Greek word for 'prepared' is atoimasmene, which is a perfect passive participle meaning that it has been prepared by God and not by itself, that is, it is the work of another. 'Prepared as a bride', is a picture that we get when we look at a blushing bride. Her entourage of the maid of honor and the bridesmaids prepares her for the ceremony. It is at this time that the bride looks her best. McGee says he has performed hundreds of weddings and has never seen an ugly bride; we will leave it at that. The Greek word for 'adorned' is kekosmamenan, a perfect passive participle of kosmeo, meaning 'to adorn, decorate, embellish. "This is the picture we are getting here in chapter 21. The holy city, the New Jerusalem, is coming down from God out of heaven, adorned as a bride for her husband. The marriage took place before the Millennium, and the Millennium is now over. This has sure been a long honeymoon, hasn't it? I think it is one that will go on into eternity" (McGee).
Verse 3, "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God."
LGT "And I heard a great voice out from the throne saying: Behold the tabernacle of the God [is] with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself with them will be [their God]."
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven"
This phrase is literally 'out from the throne', that is, from the throne room, God's presence. An authoritative angel is now speaking to John.
"Saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,"
In the Old Testament the Tabernacle was the 'Shekinah glory' of God's Presence. "Jesus Christ is the Tabernacle of God, In the Old Testament, Jesus Christ as the Shekinah (taken from the Hebrew word for dwelling - shakan - Glory tabernacled in the Holy of Holies)" (Theime).
"And He shall dwell with them,"
This is Jesus Christ dwelling with His saints in the New Jerusalem. In John 1:14 we read: And the word was made flesh, and dwelt [pitched His tent] among us. Jesus was crucified and raised in a glorified body, and we too will be with Him in our glorified bodies here.
"And they shall be His people,"
Literally, they will keep on being His peoples.
"And God Himself shall be with them, and be their God."
"Moses veiled his face on Mt. Sinai because the people could not handle the illumination of His face from being in the presence of the glory of God - the mature believers in this city [the New Jerusalem] will be able to handle being in the presence of the Shekinah Glory" (Theime).
Verse 4, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
LGT "And will wipe away all tears out of their eyes, and death will no longer be, neither mourning nor crying nor pain will be no longer, [because] the first things are passed away."
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;"
A few days ago one of my employees was asking me about what heaven was going to be like. I said that all I know is what is revealed in the Scriptures, and that not very much is revealed; I said more is revealed about the Lake of fire than heaven; but I told him, what is revealed concerning heaven is enough for me; in chapters 21 and 22 we have enough revealed that makes us long for its reality. I told him that if God had revealed any more about heaven than what He has revealed we would probably commit suicide to get there. Every one of us have had events in our lives that have made us weep; sometimes it seems too many events; but God has never deserted us; He has always been there for us in His Word to comfort us when we need comfort; now we have the comfort that soon we will not have another thing that will bring tears to our eyes. Think about it; we will never have reason to cry again.
"And there shall be no more death,"
The psychologists tell us that the two things that are the most difficult to deal with in this 'veil of tears' is to be separated from a loved one by way of death and divorce; I have only experienced being separated from my loved ones by death, and that is the most pain I have ever experienced, so I can't imagine the pain of divorce; my heart really goes out to someone who has experienced a divorce that did not want a divorce. I am sure there are cases in both divorce and death that are welcomed, but what we have in this verse is the eternal promise that there absolutely will be no cause to fear death, for it will be done away with. "There will be no burying ground in the New Jerusalem. The undertaker will be out of business. Even the doctors are going to be out of business, because there is not going to be any crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (McGee).
"Neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:"
We have just discussed the first and foremost cause of sorrow and crying, death; now we see that the second cause will be eliminated, pain. I have also suffered pain so bad that it caused tears to come to my eyes; however, this type of pain is not as bad as suffering from separation from a loved-one, we see it will also be completely done away with.
"For the former things are passed away."
With sin having been dealt with on the Cross by our Lord Jesus Christ; with Satan and his filthy rascals having been taken care of; with the absence of our filthy sin-nature; and with the eternal presence of our Big Brother, we will have it made.
Verse 5, "And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I will make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
LGT "And He said, the One sitting upon the throne, Behold I will make all things new, and He said, Write, because these words are faithful and true."
"And He that sat upon the throne said,"
The 'One sitting on the throne' is our mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many commentators believe this voice is the voice of the Almighty, to pantakrator, but it must be from Jesus Christ, for it is Christ that has always been the intercessor in the Scriptures; "this address is not to John but to the whole world" (Robertson).
"Behold, I will make all things new."
The all things are not only the bodies incorruptible the saints will inherit, but will extend to the entire universe; sin dealt its blow on mankind, and it affected not only man, but also the entire universe bears the marks of sin. All things will have to become new in order to exist into a perfect eternity. "Isaiah heard God say: Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing (Isaiah 43:18, 19). This is the witness of Paul: If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation (1 Cor. 5:17). God can take people and recreate them, and will someday create a new universe for the saints whose lives He has renewed" (Barclay).
The other evening in our Bible study my son in-law, Steve and I were talking about the prospect of a learning process in heaven; we discussed whether or not a person who refused to study down here would have to attend Bible classes in the New Jerusalem. What doctrines we learn here, we are told by the apostle Paul, are eternal truths; will we go on learning into eternity? I believe that McGee has a very good answer to this question: "We see here [in this verse] the glorious prospect of all things made new. We can start over, and there will never be an end to our growth. Remember that of Christ it is said, of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end (see Isa. 9:7). There is constant growth and development. Just think of the prospect of that for the future. Someday I am going to know something; today I don't, but I will then."
"And he said unto me, Write:"
We have a command from the Lord Jesus Christ to John to record what He is saying.
"For these words are true and faithful."
Coming from the Lord they could be nothing else, and they can be relied upon to the ages of the ages. These words 'true and faithful' are descriptions of our Lord Jesus Christ; His words are true and faithful when we consider their source; as I have said before: 'One cannot separate God from His Word', that is, His Words are as true and faithful as He Himself is; the Lord Jesus Christ is of the same Divine Essence as the Father homo-ousias, therefore, His Words are also 'true and faithful.'
Verse 6, "And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
LGT "And He said to me, they are come to pass. I [am] Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, I to him who is thirsting will give out of the fountain of the water of the life freely."
"And He said unto me, it is done."
This phrase is literally, they are come to pass, that is these words of the last verse, that is, it has been accomplished; this is a reference to the end of human history - it is completed (Theime). "The meaning in the passage before us evidently is, the great work is accomplished; the arrangement of human affairs is complete. The redeemed are gathered in; the wicked are cut off; truth is triumphant, and all is now complete - prepared for the eternal state of things" (Barnes).
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end."
Alpha [A] is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega [W] is the last letter. This phrase is Christ proclaiming that He is the only uncaused cause; here Christ is stating His eternal essence. "The attributes implied in this language which I claimed for Myself are now verified in Me, and it is seen that these properly belong to Me. The scheme for setting up a kingdom in the lost world began in Me and it ends in Me - the glorious and triumphant King" (Barnes).
"I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
The Greek word for 'athirst' is dipsonti, a present participle and is literally, to him who is thirsting, and it is figurative of spiritual thirst, taken from Isaiah 55:1, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters, and he that hath no money; come, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk with out money and without price." Jesus throughout His ministry referred to Himself as the 'Bread of Life' and the 'Living Water.' Christ states at the end of this phrase that the Living Water is free; in the Greek the word for 'freely' is dorean, and it means gratis, gratuitously, without cost. As stated in the passage in Isaiah the Water is given without charge. Salvation has always been given by grace alone; anyone who believes he must work for salvation will be sadly disappointed; Christ has never charged a red-cent, nor did He expect any work done for His free-gift, He delights in giving to us what cost Him everything; Christ did all the work, and we receive all the benefits; we had better get accustomed to this revelation of His grace, for we are going to spend eternity reveling in it; it must be that we believe that our salvation is in 'Faith alone in Christ alone.'
Verse 7, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son."
LGT "The one who overcomes will inherit all things and I will be to him God, and he will be to Me son."
"He that overcometh shall inherit all things;"
The Greek word for 'overcomes' is Nikon, and it is a present participle, and it means to "conquer, overcome, vanquish, and subdue, to prevail" (TAGL). John recalls this pledge after each of the seven letters to the churches, that Jesus Christ is the One who gains that victory; Jesus is the One who overcomes evil; the believer is imputed with His righteousness the moment he or she believes, and becomes an overcomer; there is nothing anyone could possibly do to overcome; Jesus Christ does it all. "With and through the Lord those whom He engages in His warfare become victors in a definite rather than a provisional [conditional] sense. Even before the Invincible Rider on the white horse [Rev. 19:11] begins His journey. The believer knows that he himself, not the Horseman, is called to be the true Nikon in spite of all his defects before both God and man. In part the seven churches all suffer serious difficulties, but none of them, no congregation on earth and no believer, does not have the promise of the Nikon: He who overcomes . . . 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21" This Nikon [overcomer] will be manifested as such and receive His inheritance, and the 'heavenly music of the word' victory will find true realization, when there is a new heaven and a new earth" (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament). By faith all believers overcome, he that overcomes will inherit all things. "For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).
"And I will be his God, and he will be My son."
We read in John 1:12: "But as many as received Him, to them gave he power [authority] to become the children of God, even to them that believe [only] on His name." Faith alone in Christ alone. Paul taught in Romans 8:16-17 that all believers will be heirs of God to inherit the all things: "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children [and we are], then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together."
"The son to Me is in the Greek moi ho huios. This is a very unusual expression. Vincent calls attention to the fact that this is the only place in John's writings where a believer is said to be son [huios] in relationship with God. (In other passages another Greek word is used teknia [little children] rather than huios [son].) God is the One who says My son, and He says it here. Believers in the church are one of the peoples of God, but they are more. They are the sons of God in a unique and glorious fashion. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2)" (McGee). This is positional truth unparalleled; this means that we are sons indeed; not based on what we can do for Him, but what He has already accomplished for us; it is never who and what we are, but who and what He is, and what He has done for us. No amount of evil I might do can change this truth; and no amount of good can add to this truth; it has already been decreed and fulfilled.
Verse 8, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
LGT "But to [the] fearful ones and unbelieving and defiled with abominations and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all the liars their part [will be] in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the death, the second one."
What we have here in this verse is a contrast of the 'overcomer' in verse 7; this list contains not only the sins of those who will go into the lake of fire, but it describes the way of life of the unbeliever. Not only does it describe the unbeliever, but as I have pointed out before, hell will be made up of those who choose hell; now it would not make sense if the unbeliever wanted to go to heaven, for all of his actions are opposed to righteousness. If the unbeliever were permitted to go to heaven [an impossible speculation], they would not last five seconds, and they would jump back into the lake. Also this description of unbelief is a complete contrast to all that the believer has been made to be by our Lord Jesus Christ. Hell is the complete opposite of all that heaven is. I have heard comments from unbelievers that they want to go to hell to be with all their friends; well, this will also be an impossibility, for their will not be friendship in hell; God is the creator of friendship, so it will only be demonstrated in heaven.
"But the fearful,"
The fearful is gr. tois deilos a dative plural literally, to the fearful ones. The Analytical Lexicon defines 'deilos' as: timid, fearful, pusillanimous [lily livered - spineless] and cowardly. "Deilos does have a meaning of cowardly but also has a meaning of losing touch with reality - and is not referring to physical courage here" (Theime).
"And unbelieving,"
The word 'unbelieving' gr. apistos is the reason for all these categories that describe the lost. If a person has faith in Christ none of these descriptions would fit.
"And the abominable,"
Abominable is gr. bdelusso, meaning to abominate, loathe, detest, and abhor, polluting oneself with abominable things. "The verb from which this word is derived means to excite disgust; to feel disgust at; to abominate or abhor; and hence the particle - the abominable refers to all who are detestable, to wit, on account of their sins; all whose conduct is offensive to God. Thus it would include those who live in open sin; who practice detestable vices; whose conduct is fitted to excite disgust and abhorrence. These must all, of course, be excluded from a pure and holy world; and this description, alas! Would embrace a lamentably large portion of the world as it has hitherto been" (Barnes). Theime has a good note on this word: "Bdelusso - is 'ana-poetic' sounds like throwing up - and that is what it means this type makes you want to vomit - the self-righteous arrogant type."
"And murderers,"
The term murderer is gr. phoneusin, meaning to take the life of another without just cause. Murder is in the heart of all unbelievers.
"And whoremongers,"
This word is literally 'fornicator', gr. pornois. Fornication is having sexual relations with the opposite sex outside of marriage; all through the Bible where this subject is dealt with it is said to corrupt the body, the 'Temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore making it a dissipating [dissolving] sin.
"And sorcerers,"
This word is gr. pharmakois, meaning 'poisoners' or 'sorcerers' who use drugs that kill the brain and is also used in witchcraft.
"And idolaters."
Idolaters is in Greek eidololatres, which was the main religious practice of the Greeks, that is, worshipping false gods; we are all aware of the popularity of the ancients in Greek mythology, which was replacing the True God with all their ridiculous false deities.
"And all liars,"
Liars in the Greek is pseudesin, meaning a perverter of the Truth, and this goes hand in hand with idolatry; it is also one who lies continually because he rejects the truth, that is, he lies as a way of life
Unbelievers not only practice a life of these abominable sins listed, they take great pleasure in doing so. Read what Paul has to say about unbelief in Romans 1:24-32:
"Therefore God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them."
"Shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
(For a description of the lake of fire and brimstone see notes on Chapter 20 verse 10.) It will suffice it here to say that of all the descriptions given in the Scriptures of all the suffering that there will be in the lake of fire for eternity it would be well written over the portal of hell "Abandon hope all ye who enter here" (Ironside).
"There are several amazing features about this verse. First of all, the creation of the new heavens and a new earth did not affect the status of the lake of fire and the lost.
They are going into eternity just that way.
In the second place, there is no possibility of sin, which made man become fearful, unbelieving, liars, murderers, and all the rest, ever breaking over the barriers into the new heavens and the new earth. Sin and its potential are forever shut out of the new creation.
Finally, the lake of fire is eternal, for it is the second death, and there is no third resurrection. It is eternal separation from God, and there is nothing as fearful and frightful as that" (McGee).
The New Jerusalem
Verse 9, "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife."
LGT "And there came one of the seven angels, the one having the seven bowls the ones full of the seven last plagues, and he spoke with me, saying to me, Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven plagues,"
John doesn't say why this particular angel is commissioned for the task of informing him of the New Jerusalem, however, it may be because it was he who had been the one who brought the judgments, and God is giving him a chance to see the glorious outcome.
"And talked with me, saying, Come Hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife."
As we have pointed out before the marriage of the church to Christ has already taken place in heaven, and now the church will occupy the New Jerusalem. In verses 9-21 we get a description of this city.
"We must pause here to consider the relationship of the city to the citizens - the city proper to the church. Certainly we are not to infer that the empty city without the citizens is the bride. The citizens are identified with the city in chapter 22, verses 3, 6, 19. Those outside are identified here in verse 8 as disfranchised. Although a distinction between the bride and the city needs to be maintained, it is the intent of the writer to consider them together" (McGee).
Verse 10, "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God."
LGT "And he carried me away in spirit upon a great and high mountain, and showed to me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of the heaven from the God."
"And he carried me away in the spirit"
This angel carried John away 'in the spirit' as when he was carried away in 17:3-7, to view the Great Harlot city in the wilderness.
"To a great and high mountain,"
No particular mountain, probably just a high elevated plateau where John could view the New Jerusalem; remember how Jesus was taken up by Satan to a high mountain to view the kingdoms of this world; there also it was not named what mountain it was.
"And shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem,"
The angel showed John the Great city, the New Jerusalem as it descended down from heaven. Dwight Pentecost in his book 'Things to Come' says this about the occupants of the Heavenly Jerusalem:
"Of Abraham it was said that his hope centered in the realization of life in a city, 'For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder is God' (Heb, 11:10). That this was the expectation, not only of Abraham, but also of other Old Testament saints is seen in Hebrews 11:16, where it is stated: 'But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.' It is observed that the hope of these heroes of faith, according to this verse, was a heavenly city. This same heavenly city is described in Hebrews 12:22-24, where it is called the heavenly Jerusalem. In Galatians 4:26, where it is called 'Jerusalem which is above,' Revelation 3:12, where it is called 'The city of My [Christ's] God,' and 'New Jerusalem,' Revelation 21:2, where it is called 'the holy city, new Jerusalem,' and Revelation 21:10, where it's called 'that great city, the holy Jerusalem,' it is clearly seen to be the place of the realization of all the hopes of the church saints. Without doubt this is the 'place' our Lord promised He would go to prepare and to which He would come and take us in John 14:2. It is no real problem, then, to identify the 'church of the first born' who occupy this heavenly Jerusalem according to Hebrews 12:23."
"Descending out of heaven from God,"
The conservative commentators I have read agree that the New Jerusalem will be suspended above the earth overlooking the earth; of these commentators McGee is the most readable:
"Just how far down the city descends is a matter of speculation. This has led to extreme views in interpreting the New Jerusalem. At the very beginning, Ebionism, one of the first heresies, went to the extreme of applying this whole passage concerning the New Jerusalem to the earthly Jerusalem. The Gnostics, another early heresy [which we covered in the Epistles of John], went to the other extremity in spiritualizing the passage to make it refer to heaven. Many modern 'isms' apply the New Jerusalem to themselves and set it up on earth at the geographical location of their choice. Liberal theologians and amillennarians [those who do not believe their will be a literal 'thousand year reign of Christ' on earth] have left the city in heaven, in spite of the scriptural statement that it comes down 'out of heaven.' Two facts are evident from this passage: (1) It comes down out of heaven, and (2) it is not stated that it comes to the earth. This passage of Scripture leaves the city hanging midair. This is the dilemma that many seek to avoid, but why not leave the city in midair? Is anything incongruous [inconsistent] about a civilization out yonder in space on a new planet? The New Jerusalem will either become another satellite to the earth or, what is more probable and what I think true, the earth will become a satellite to the New Jerusalem as well as the rest of the new creation. This chapter indicates that the city will be the center of all things. All activity and glory will revolve about this city. God will be there, it will be His headquarters, and His universe is theocratic [God centered]. The New Jerusalem is therefore worthy to merit such a permanent position for eternity."
Verse 11, "Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."
LGT "Having the glory of God, her luminary [was] like a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, crystal-like."
"Having the glory of God:"
This is the eternal hope of all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, for we read in Romans 5:1,2: "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into His grace in which we stand: and we exult [revel] in hope of the glory of God" (NASV). The Shekinah Glory in the Old Testament was exhibited in the holy of holies of the Temple; soon all the saints will witness it in the New Jerusalem.
"And her light was like unto a stone most precious,"
The literal translation is her luminary like a stone most precious, that is, the celebrity will cause a light that will be like a precious, that is, costly jewel; Jesus Christ is the only celebrity in the universe, and His presence will illumine the entire city. Jesus said in John 9:5: "I am the Light of the world."
"Even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."
"The base of this city is tons and tons of a flawless diamond-like gems maybe unknown to us today - but is transparent and hard like a diamond" (Thieme). "The stone is transparent and gleaming, which suggests one of these stones, most likely the diamond. The diamond seems to fit the description better than any other stone known to man. The similarity of the Hebrew word for crystal in Ezekiel 1:22 to the Hebrew word for 'ice' helps to strengthen this view. The New Jerusalem is a diamond in a gold mounting. This is the engagement ring of the bride; in fact, it is the wedding ring. It is the symbol of the betrothal and wedding of the church to Christ" (McGee).
Verse 12, "And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:"
LGT "Having a great and high wall, having twelve gates and at these gates twelve angels and names inscribed thereon, which are the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel."
"And had a wall great and high,"
"Ancient cities were always surrounded with walls for protection, and John represents this as enclosed in the usual manner. The word great means that it was thick and strong" (Barnes).
"And had twelve gates,"
"The number of the gates correspond to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and to the number of the apostles. The idea seems to be that there would be ample opportunity of access and egress [entrance]" (Barnes).
"And at the gates twelve angels,"
Theime notes that the angels represent an honor guard in tribute to Jesus Christ's victory in the Angelic Conflict, that is, the age-old battle of the forces of evil over the forces of God and His righteousness.
"And the names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel."
"So in the city which Ezekiel saw in vision, which John seems also to have had in his eye: shall be the gates of the city, named for the tribes of Israel. . .The inscription in Ezekiel denoted that that was the residence of the people of God; and the same idea is denoted here. The New Jerusalem is the eternal residence of the children of God, and this is indicated at every gate. None can enter who do not belong to that people; all who are within are understood to be of their number" (Barnes).
Verse 13, "On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates."
LGT "On the east [dawning] three gates; and north three gates; and on south three gates; and on west three gates."
"On the east three gates;"
"As in Numbers Chapter two:
Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon.
"On the north three gates;"
Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.
"On the south three gates;"
Reuben, Simeon, Gad."
"On the west three gates;"
Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin.
"There are twelve gates to the city, three gates on each side. On each gate is the name of one of the tribes of Israel. This is very striking and suggests immediately the order in which the children of Israel camped about the tabernacle in the wilderness wanderings. The tribe of Levi was the priesthood and in the tabernacle proper. The New Jerusalem is a temple or tabernacle in one sense, for God is dwelling with man. The bride constitutes the priesthood who serve Him constantly. They serve as such in the city and dwell there as Levi did about the tabernacle" (McGee).
At this point I will demonstrate to you how ridiculous the allegorical method of interpretation can be when expositors leave the 'grammatical - historical' method of interpretation. I have just noted the correct method given by J. Vernon McGee; now I will note from William Barclay, whom does not always use the 'Allegorical' method, but is guilty sometimes, as we will see from this maudlin quote:
"What John meant to symbolize by this arrangement [that is, how the twelve gates are arranged] other than the universality of the church, we do not know [that is, by this method Barclay does not know], there is one symbolic [allegorical] interpretation which was unlikely to be in his mind, but which is nonetheless very beautiful and very comforting:
There are three gates on the east. The east is the place of the rising sun and the beginning of the day [so far, so good]. These gates could represent the way the holy city of those who find Christ in the glad mourning of their days [now if you go along with this, you might as well stop reading right here].
There are three gates on the north. The north is the cold land with a certain chill in it. These gates could stand for the way into the holy city of those who come to Christianity by the intellectual exercise of thought [which, by the way, is the only way a person can come to the Lord], and have found the faith through their minds rather than through their hearts [actually, there is no difference in Scripture from the heart and the mind, both are the intellect, the decision making part of man].
There are three gates on the south. The south is the warm land, where the wind is gentle and the climate soft. These gates could stand for the way into the holy city of those who have come to Christ through their emotions [this by the way, is an impossibility], whose love overflowed at the sight of the cross [actually the cross was hidden from sight, and can only be exposed by the way of the Word of God].
There are three gates on the west. The west is the land of the dying day and the setting sun. These gates could stand for the way into the holy city of those who come to Christ late in life, in the evening of their days."
As you can see from the above how impossibly ridiculous and misleading the allegorical method can deceive. Please continue to read the Word of God and understand it literally using the proper method of interpretation to guide you.
Verse 14, "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
LGT "And the wall of the city having twelve foundations and upon them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
"Jesus had spoken of the twelve thrones for the apostles: And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that you have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28 - NASV); names of all twelve are here written, not just that of Peter, as some would argue [that is the Roman Catholic Church] from Matthew 16:18. As a matter of fact, Christ is the corner stone or akrogoniaion: For this is contained in Scripture: "Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, A precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed." (1 Peter 2:6) [See also 1 Cor. 3:10 and Eph. 2:20], though rejected by the Sanhedrin [the chief priests; the Pharisees; and the Sadducees, making up the Sanhedrin Council]: Jesus said to them: "Did you never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, this became the Chief Corner Stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust." And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. And when they sought to seize Him, they feared the multitudes, because they held Him to be a prophet" (Matt. 22:42-46 - NASV)" (A.T. Robertson).
The names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew/Nathanael, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Paul (in the place of Judas Iscariot - who betrayed our Lord): Then He [Jesus Christ] appeared to James, then to all the apostles: and last of all, as it were to one untimely born [Paul], He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me" (1 Cor. 15:7-10).
"To these twelve apostles were committed all writings of the church. These men preached the first sermons, they organized the first churches [I don't believe the word organized is the best word to use here; I believe what the apostles did was to give New Testament doctrine to the early church], and they were among the first martyrs. It is not honoring to Scripture to attempt to minimize the importance of the twelve apostles. In a real sense they were the foundation of the church. To them the church shall eternally be grateful. This is not to rob Christ of His place, for He is the chief corner stone, but the church is built upon the foundation which the apostles laid" (McGee).
Verse, 15, "And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof."
LGT "And the one speaking with me had for a measure a golden reed, in order that he might measure the city and its gates, and its walls."
"And he that talked with me"
This is the angel of verse nine; Theime calls this angel the 'tour guide.'
"Had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof."
"The reed, or measuring rod, here, is of gold, because all about the city is of the most rich and costly materials. The rod is suited to the personage who uses it, and to the occasion. Compare a similar description in Ezekiel 40:3-5; 43:16. The object of this measuring is to show that the city has proper architectural proportions. To measure every part of the city, and to ascertain its exact dimensions" (Barnes).
Verse 16, "And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal."
LGT "And the city lies foursquare, and the length of it as like the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs, the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal."
The measurements of the New Jerusalem has confused more than one commentator, for they seem to all come up with different descriptions of its shape; some say it would be a perfect cube; some a pyramid; some a tetragon or quadrilateral.
"The twelve-thousand furlongs would be 1378.97 English miles. Interpretations vary hopelessly. The description seems to be of a vast cube, which may have been suggested by the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle, which was of that shape. But opinions differ as to whether the twelve-thousand furlongs are the measure of the four sides of the city taken together, in which case each side will measure three-thousand furlongs; or whether the twelve-thousand furlongs are intended to represent the length of each side. The former explanation is prompted by the desire to reduce the vast dimensions of the city. Another difficulty is raised about the height. Dusterdieck, for example, maintains that the houses were three thousand stadia in height. The question arises whether the vertical surface of the cube includes the hill or rock on which the city was placed, a view to which Alford inclines. These are enough to show how utterly futile are attempts to reduce these symbolic visions to mathematical statement. Professor Milligan aptly remarks: 'nor is it of the smallest moment to reduce the enormous dimensions spoken of. No reduction brings them within the bounds of verisimilitude [likelihood]; and no effort in that direction is required. The idea is alone to be thought of" (Vincent) [This is the opinion of the commentators who take the book as symbolical alone].
Now I would like to give the opinion of one of my favorite literalists, that is, J. Vernon, McGee:
"The difficulty resolves when we think of the city as a cube within a crystal-clear sphere. What we are given are the inside measurements. I think of it as a big plastic ball with a cube inside, having all eight of its corners touching the sphere. As this involves mathematics, which I could not figure out, I asked both a mathematician and an engineer involved in the space program to determine what the circumference of the sphere would be. They both came up with the same answer. To enclose a cube measuring 1,500 miles on each side, the circumference of the sphere would be about 8,164 miles. The diameter of the moon is about 2,160 miles, and that of the New Jerusalem sphere is about 2,600 miles. Thus, the New Jerusalem will be somewhat larger than the moon, and it will be a sphere like the other heavenly bodies. I personally believe that this is the picture that is given to us here.
My thinking is that we will be inside this sphere, not on the outside. Here on earth, we live on the outside, and that presents a few difficulties. The Lord had to make the law of gravity to hold us on the earth, or we would be flying out into space. We walk on the outside here, but I think that we will walk on the inside of the New Jerusalem" (McGee).
Verse 17, "And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel."
LGT "And he measured its wall, a hundred forty four cubits, a measure of a man, which is, of [the] angel."
"And he measured the wall thereof,"
The high wall represents safety; this New Jerusalem will be eternally safe; this wall is surrounding the city to assure its inhabitants that they are always safe.
"In respect to its height is the measurement; of course, its length corresponded with the extent of the city. This height of the wall is less than the height of the walls of Babylon, which Herodotus says were three hundred and fifty feet high. As the walls of a city are designed to protect it from external foes, the height mentioned here gives all proper ideas of security; and we are to conceive of the city itself as towering immensely above the walls. Its glory, therefore, would not be obscured by the wall that was thrown around it for defense" (Barnes).
"And hundred and forty and four cubits,"
"The word cubits pakon which originally meant that part of the arm between the hand and the elbow-joint, the forearm. Hence a cubit, a measure of the distance from the joint of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, i.e., about a foot and a half. The precise length, however, is disputed. Cubit is from the Latin cubitus the elbow, on which one reclines. Some take the one hundred and forty four cubits as representing the height of the wall; others the thickness. If the height, then they must be interpreted as equal to the twelve thousand furlongs, since the length and the breadth and the height of the city are equal (verse 16). It is to be noted, however, that there is a distinction between the measure of the city and the measure of the wall" (Vincent).
"According to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel."
"It is to be the dwelling-place of men; and even, therefore, when an angel measures it, he measures it according to the measure of a man" (Milligan).
Verse 18, "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass."
LGT "And the building of its wall jasper, and the city pure gold, like pure glass."
"And the building of the wall of it was jasper:"
In verses 18-20 we have the construction material of the New Jerusalem. The symbols used are from God who puts things in language we humans can understand; the main point is the radiance of the city will be something to behold.
"And the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass."
From this description we see that jasper stone was built into the wall and it shone like 'pure glass', that is, pure crystal as looking through a raindrop. "Beauty rather than protection, is the motive in design. It is a wall with jasper built into it and is generally designated as a jasper wall. The hardest of substances and the most beautiful gem constitute the exterior of the city" (McGee).
The word 'like' gr. homoion, signifying the fact that these are symbols for us to compare in our minds the beauty of this great wall. It could never be that the wall is built for protection, for even though their will be enemies of Christ on earth during His Millennial Reign, we will have our indestructible bodies; but even if this were not true, we would be safe in the presence of our Lord.
Verses 19, 20 "And the foundation of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second sapphire; the third, a chalcedone; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrystolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst."
LGT "The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned [with] all precious stones: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh crystallite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprasus, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst."
It is suggested by the 'Expositor's Greek Testament' that the "twelve stones correspond upon the whole to those set in the 'breastplate' of the high priest (Exod. 28:17-20; 39:10-13), which the writer loosely reproduces from memory (John did not write from memory, he was shown these walls by the angel)."
The foundations were laid in course:
The first the jasper (gr. iaspis) - its color is clear. As mentioned before, this is probably the diamond. It is clear, a reflector of light and color. Dr. Seiss, in speaking of the New Jerusalem, describes it 'as clean, and pure, and bright as a transparent icicle in the sunshine.'
The second the sapphire (Gr. sappheiros) - its color is blue. This stone in Exodus 24:10 as the foundation of God and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. Offutt describes it as a blue stone. Pliny describes it as opaque with gold specks, to which Petrie agrees.
The third chalcedony (gr. chalcedony) - its color is greenish. It is an agate. Pliny describes it as 'a variety of emerald gathered on a mountain in Chalcedony.' Robertson says, 'Possibly a green silicate of copper'.
The fourth emerald (gr. marauds) - its color is green. Robertson describes it as a green stone.
The fifth sardonic (gr. sardonic) - its color is red. Robertson describes it as white with layers of red.
The sixth Sardis (gr. Sardis) - its color is fiery red. Pliny says that it is the red stone from Sardis. Sweet says that it is fiery red.
The seventh crystallite (gr. chrustolithos) - its color is golden yellow. Moffatt assigns it a golden hue. Robertson says it is a golden color like our topaz.
The eighth beryl (gr. berullos) - its color is green. It is like the emerald, says Robertson. Pliny says it is sea green.
The ninth topaz (gr. topazion) - its color is greenish yellow. Robertson calls it a golden greenish stone.
The tenth chrysoprasus (gr. chrusoprasos) - its color is gold-green. A golden leek, 'a leek colored gem' says Robertson. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia describes it as sea green.
The eleventh jacinth (gr. huakinthi) - its color is violet. It is the color of the hyacinth. Pliny gives the color as violet.
The twelfth amethyst (gr. amethustos) - its color is purple. Although the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia lists it as a ruby, Robertson gives the color as purple.
"The foundations of the New Jerusalem are constructed of the flashing brilliance of rich and costly gems. On the inside is Jesus who, when He was here, was the Light of the World. There He will be the Light of the Universe. Astronauts tell us that in space the colors almost entirely are gray and black - but wait until you see the New Jerusalem. It is going to light up God's new heavens and new earth as they have never been lighted before. I think it is going to be the most breathtaking sight that you have ever seen. This New Jerusalem is a planet, which comes down right out of heaven. Everything is going to revolve around it, and the light will come from there. It truly will be the Jesus Christ Light and Power Company then. The light will shine out in all these brilliant and beautiful colors" (McGee).
Verse 21, "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass."
LGT "And the twelve gates twelve pearls: each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city pure gold, as it were transparent glass."
"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every special gate was of one pearl:"
Each gate was one pearl. "The pearl seems to have been from the earliest times to the Asiatic Greeks, in consequence of their intercourse with the Persians. Among the motives, which impelled Caesar to attempt the conquest of Britain, was the fame of its pearl-fisheries. Pearls held the highest rank among precious stones. The Latin term unio (unity) was applied to the pearl because no two were found exactly alike; but the word became in time restricted to the fine, spherical pearls, while the generic [common] name was margarita. Shakespeare uses union for pearl in Hamlet, Act 5., and Sc.2.
"The king shall drink to Hamlet's better health:
And in the cup as union shall he throw
Richer than that which four successive kings
In Denmark's crown have worn."
And again:
"Drink of this potion: is thy union here?"
(Vincent)
"And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass."
The Greek word for 'street' is plateia meaning a 'Broadway.' Everything that is not covered with buildings will be 'gold', that is, transparent as glass.
Verse 22, "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."
LGT "And I saw not a temple in it, for the Lord the God the Almighty One and the Lamb are the temple of it."
"And I saw no temple therein:"
There is no need for a temple, which took the place of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, because it was there that the children of Israel met the Lord with all of their rituals, which were a type, of what Christ, the Antitype, would accomplish on their behalf. In the new economy grace prevailed over all types, for Christ accomplished our great Salvation on the cross. We now can come to the throne of Grace freely, without having to go through a 'High Priest', as in the temple; the High Priest would then go into the Holy of Holies to offer up the prayers of confession on behalf of the people; Jesus Christ is now our advocate who pleads our case before God; we must go to Him on a daily basis to confess our sins, in order to be restored to fellowship; we all need daily cleansing to remain in constant fellowship; in the New Jerusalem His presence will be constant, and so will our fellowship.
"No structure reared expressly for the worship of God; no particular place where He was adored. It was all temple - nothing but a temple. It was not like Jerusalem, where there was but one house reared expressly for divine worship, and to which the inhabitants repaired to praise God; it was all one great temple reared in honor of His name, and where worship ascended from every part of it" (Barnes).
"For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."
"The temple, which supplanted the tabernacle back in the nation Israel, was an earthly enclosure for the Shekinah glory. It was a testimony to the presence of God and the presence of sin. Where sin existed, God could be approached only by the ritual of the temple. However, in the New Jerusalem sin is no longer a reality but is like a hideous nightmare, even locked out of the closet of memory. The actual presence of God with the redeemed eliminates the necessity for a temple, although the whole city may be thought of as a temple. Some have called attention to the fact that the New Jerusalem is the same as the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and temple where God dwelt. That is no accident, by the way. In the city of Light, God is present, and sin is absent; therefore, an edifice of a material substance is no longer necessary. The physical temple was a poor substitute for the presence of God. The New Jerusalem possesses the genuine article - God in person. It is probably the first place where God will make a personal appearance before man. What a glorious prospect this is!" (McGee).
Verse 23, "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
LGT "And the city has no need of having the sun, nor of the moon, in order that they should shine upon it; for the glory of God enlightens it, and the Lamb is the Lamp of it."
"And the city had no need of the sun, neither the moon, to shine it:"
The sun and the moon would be but a glimmer compared to the Shekinah glory of God, and the Lamb; and because of the radiance issuing forth from the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there would be no need for such created lights.
"For the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
There could hardly be better words that could describe the everlasting light that will shine in the New Jerusalem than what we read in Isaiah 60:19, 20: No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light: but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory. Your sun will set no more, neither will your moon wane [disappear]; for you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be finished (NASB). What a marvelous thought in these bitter days when we shed so many tears over how corrupt things have become; I for one, can hardly wait to meet My Lord face to face; these passages from the Book of Revelation can really stir the emotions when we see what a beautiful picture is painted for us, of eternity. I am also thankful that in God's omniscience He has only revealed a small portion of what eternity will be like; there is no telling what a man might do to get there if he had more particulars revealed to him.
Verse 24, "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it."
LGT "And the nations will walk around amidst the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory into it."
"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it:"
The phrase 'of them which are saved' is omitted in the Greek; the reason being that only believers occupy the new earth. The light of the New Jerusalem will be the light for the earth.
"And the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it."
"All that they consider as constituting their glory, treasures, crowns, scepters, robes. The idea is, that all these will be devoted to God in the future days of the church in its glory, and will be, as it were, brought and laid down at the feet of the Savior in heaven [the New Jerusalem]" (Barnes).
"This is my reason for saying that there will be a great deal of traffic commuting back and forth between the New Jerusalem and this earth down here. Not only will Israel come up there to worship, but the nations of the world, which have entered eternity will also come up. It will not be their permanent abode, but they will come up there to worship. I believe the church will be priests at that time. We are told that we are a priesthood of believers" (McGee).
Verse 25, "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there."
LGT "And the gates of it will in no way be shut [by] day, for no night will be there."
Unlike the present earth, as we studied above, there will be no need for the sun for there will be no night, and the gates will never need to be closed, for there will be no fear of an enemy. Walls here on earth have been erected to keep inhabitants in and unwanted persons out; in the New Jerusalem all the saints will be able to come and go as they wish, for there will not be any restrictions. The fact of no night means that there will be no darkness, "no calamity, no sorrow, no bereavement, no darkened windows on account of the loss of friends and kindred" (Barnes).
Verse 26, "And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it."
LGT "And they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it."
The New Jerusalem will be made up of all who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ; there will be constant fellowship in heaven; man will have no need of confessing sin for fellowship; Christ will have accomplished His original purpose in creating man, that is, constant unbroken fellowship; we will be trophies of God's wonderful grace to all God's creation for eternity; "That in the ages to come He might display or manifest the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7). Robertson notes: Rome gathered the merchandise of the world (18:11). The city of God will have the best of all the nations (Isa. 60:5, 11), an expansion of verse 24."
Verse 27, "And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defieleth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of life."
LGT "And there will in no way possible enter into it anything defiling [unclean thing], and practicing abominations, and a lie, except the ones written in the Book of Life of the Lamb."
"And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth,"
John begins this verse with a double negative ou me meaning that it is totally impossible for anything to enter into heaven that would contaminate. The word 'defile' is koinon meaning anything unclean.
"Neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:"
The word 'worketh' is gr. poion, meaning to 'practice' abominations and lies, that is, the ones who do these things as a way of life.
"But they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
This phrase is literally, except the ones written in the Lamb's book of life.
"These recurrent glimpses of pagan life on earth and hell in contrast to heaven [and the New Jerusalem] in this picture raise the question already mentioned whether John is just running parallel pictures of heaven and hell after the judgment or whether, as Charles says: 'The unclean and abominable and the liars are still on earth, but, though the gates are open day and night, they cannot enter' [as noted above, only the redeemed can enter the gates]. I agree with Charles, however, as we see the New Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of all the saints that have been redeemed from Eden to the rapture of the church, believers will be allowed to enter as visitors.
"Among the multitudes, there is not one who will bring defilement or sin. How superior is this city to even the Garden of Eden where the lie of Satan made an entrance for sin. No lie or liar will ever enter the portals of the heavenly Jerusalem. All dwellers and all tourists are not only redeemed from sin but have also lost their taste for sin. They come through the gates, which are never closed. The enjoyment of this glorious city is not restricted to the church, although they are the only ones who dwell there" (McGee).
You see this has to be that the New Jerusalem is suspended over the earth during the Millennium, because after the thousand years all unbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels. We know only what John has revealed to us here in this wonderful book; he has let us in on enough to encourage us here to fight the good fight; but God has not revealed too much that would make us frustrated because we have to remain here on earth. Chapter 22 through verse 5 will continue this description.
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