Description
This chapter describes the new heaven and the new earth. The new heaven is the New Jerusalem. The shape, dimensions, beauty, gates, foundations, light source, and glory of this great city are described.
Commentary
A New Heaven and a New Earth (v1-8)
Verse 1 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more".
The replacement and renewal of heaven and earth is prophesied in Psalm 102:25-28, Isaiah 24:19-23, 65:17-25, and 2 Peter 3:13. The destruction of the present heaven and earth was implied in Revelation 20:11b, "the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them". Here it is confirmed and we see that it takes place at the end of the Millennium. Theologians debate whether the present earth is annihilated and replaced, or whether it is renovated and recycled.
The statement 'and the sea existed no more' is surprising. Is it intended literally, or metaphorically? Genesis 1:1-2 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water". So God is seen to create earth out of the chaos of the watery deep. In Canaanite mythology, this chaos was portrayed as a great seven-headed sea monster called Leviathan. You might wonder what Canaanite mythology has to do with the bible, but it was part of the general knowledge and language of the biblical authors, much like our English language is rich with phrases and metaphors from Shakespeare's plays. Speaking about end time events, Isaiah 27:1 says, "At that time the Lord will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he will kill the sea monster". In Revelation 12, Satan is portrayed as a seven-headed dragon, and in Revelation 13 his earthly kingdom, as manifested in Antichrist's empire, is portrayed as a seven-heaven beast that arises out of the sea. So Isaiah is speaking figuratively about the destruction of Satan and the forces of chaos that have resisted God throughout history. In that light, it is possible that the absence of sea implies the absence of chaos, and should only be understood metaphorically. It is also possible, of course, that the statement should be understood literally. Without the sea, the present earth would not support life as we know it. But things may work very differently on the new earth, and perhaps the sea will not be needed. It would surely be missed by many who love the sea!
First descent of the New Jerusalem - as a Bride
Verse 2 says, "And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband". Similarly, in verse 9 an angel says to John, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!"
End-time Jerusalem and its people are likened to a bride in Isaiah 49:18, 61:10, 62:4-5, Hosea 2:14-16, and 3:1. Jewish rabbis understand the Song of Solomon to represent God's love for his people Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus is portrayed as the bridegroom (Matthew 9:15, 25:1-13, John 3:29). As such, the bride is reinterpreted in the broader sense as the Church (Ephesians 5:32), where the Church is understood to include believing Israel together with believing Gentiles (Ephesians 2:15). In John 14:1-4, Jesus speaks to the disciples about his father's house, as though he is the bridegroom making a proposal of marriage to his Church. The father's house therefore represents where they will live with him after the wedding.
The wedding celebration takes place at the end of this age (Revelation 19:7), some time after Christ's victory at Armageddon, and presumably after the judgment of Christians (Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 20:4-6). Here in Revelation 21, John sees the new Jerusalem descending once in verse 2, and again in verse 10. These are likely two separate descents. The first descent is when Christians enter the new Jerusalem as their 'marital home'. The second may take place at the end of the Millennium after the great white throne judgment, to receive those whose names are found in the book of life (Revelation 20:15).
Eden restored
Verses 3 to 4 say, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist".
This is Jesus speaking from the throne, confirming the ultimate fulfilment of 'Emmanuel', God With Us. God wants to live with us, but it has to be in the right environment with the right conditions. Only after sin and rebellion have been fully dealt with is this possible. This is even better than what Eden was like before Adam and Eve sinned. There, God would visit them in order to spend time with them (Genesis 3:8). Here he lives permanently among humanity.
Eden is also seen to be restored in the absence of death, and of all the pain and suffering that goes with death being in the world.
Isaiah 65:19-20 prophesies, "Jerusalem will bring me joy, and my people will bring me happiness. The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her again. Never again will one of her infants live just a few days or an old man die before his time. Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, anyone who fails to reach the age of a hundred will be considered cursed". I understand the Millennium to be a transitional stage between the present reality and that of eternity. So I see Isaiah's new heaven and new earth as a vision of the Millennial age. The new heaven and earth revealed in Revelation is even better than what he envisioned.
All things new
Verses 5 to 6 say, "And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true. He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life”.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Apostle Paul speaks of salvation as a new creation taking place in the life of a Christian, "So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!" But what we can experience today through the Holy Spirit is merely a deposit or trailer of the fuller reality that we will experience in the New Jerusalem when all things are made new (2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5, Ephesians 1:14). In John 7:37-38, Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water". Today we can experience this in a limited way as a deposit. Then we will experience the fullness.
Alpha and Omega
In verse 6, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end' confirms that it is Jesus speaking. When he introduced himself in Revelation 1:8 he said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega – the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come – the All-Powerful!" His title 'Alpha and Omega' affirms him as almighty God who has always existed, and always will exist. It has echoes of Isaiah 46:9-10, "I am God, and there is none like me, who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred".
Conquerors
In verse 7 Jesus says, "The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son". In his messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, Jesus gave a promise in each case to 'the one who conquers'. To conquer means to remain true to Jesus until the end, without giving up in the face or resistance, persecution or circumstances. Ultimately it is by God's grace that we are saved and kept (Ephesians 2:5-8), but we do have a responsibility to hold on. In Revelation 2:13, Jesus commended the church in Pergamum, "Yet you continue to cling to my name and you have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed in your city where Satan lives". Also Romans 8:35 says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered". No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us". So we need to cling on, even in the face of martyrdom.
Father-son relationship
Given that it is Jesus speaking in verse 7, how does the promise "I will be his God and he will be my son" fit alongside the picture elsewhere of Jesus as the bridegroom and the Church as his bride? For one thing, Jesus is speaking as God, not just as the second person of the trinity. Also, scripture uses various metaphors to describe the relationship God desires to have with his people. He desires to be like a father to us, and like a husband to us. Both of these are metaphors for a close, loving and intimate relationship.
Holy City
Verse 8 says, "But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”
This fits with the description in verse 2 of the New Jerusalem as 'the holy city'. It is only possible for God to live among his people and have intimate relationship with them if they are holy. It is entirely by God's grace that they are made holy, but God doesn't force anyone to become holy. They have to choose to become so. For those who choose otherwise, there simply is no place for them in this holy city. There has to be a place for those who reject God, and that place is the lake of fire.
As such, the New Jerusalem is the new heaven, and the lake of fire is the new hell.
Verse 9 says, "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”
Instead of Jesus speaking, now one of the angels steps in to show John the detail of the New Jerusalem in all its glory. Concerning this city as the bride, please see my commentary on verse 2 above.
Second descent
Verse 9 says, "So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God".
This is a much more close-up view, with John having been transported in the Spirit to the New Jerusalem. It also seems likely that this is a separate descent to the one he saw in verse 2. There, he saw the city descend as a bride, implying among other things, that it descends at the end of this age when the wedding celebration of the Lamb takes place (Revelation 19:6-10). I understand this second descent to occur at the end of the Millennium when it becomes the home of all whose names are found in the book of life at the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
Does the New Jerusalem Function as an Ark?
Although the New Jerusalem becomes our eternal home, so also does the new earth. Does the New Jerusalem function as an ark while the present heaven and earth are destroyed and renewed? Scripture doesn't tell us how long the earth's destruction and renewal will take. But after the new earth is completed, it is clear from verse 24 that the nations repopulate the new earth.
It reminds me of the 1979 James Bond film 'Moonraker', in which an evil villain named Hugo Drax creates a massive space station that is hidden from Earth's radar by a cloaking device. His plan is to use it as an ark, preserving the lives of his chosen few, destroy the rest of human life on earth with a special toxin, and then repopulate earth with carefully selected and genetically perfect men and women. The chosen ones are transported to the space station on Drax's space shuttles. James Bond manages to take over and pilot one of these and to get to the space station. Once on board the space station, he disables the radar-jamming cloaking device, making the it suddenly visible on Earth's radar. The United States responds by dispatching a shuttle full of space marines. Bond manages to destroy the space station and put an end to Drax's evil plan.
God's plan to destroy the earth and recreate a new and more wonderful earth is not an evil plan but a gloriously wonderful one - as long as you choose to worship God, of course. I wonder what it will be like when the New Jerusalem suddenly comes into view. I don't imagine that it will appear from way out in outer space and be picked up as it passes Uranus or Jupiter, gradually approaching earth. Rather, I imagine it is already close to earth, but present within a hidden dimension, and when the time comes for it to be revealed, the veil will simply be lifted and it will come into view.
At the core of Christ's gospel message is this statement, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). I realise that isn't just referring to the proximity of the New Jerusalem to the Earth, but I wonder if that isn't part of it.
To some people, it perhaps seems a strange idea that God will create a New Earth, and that the earth will be part of our lives for all eternity. Describing God's eternal plan, Paul says in Ephesians 1:9-10 "And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (NIV). Christians often think that we spend our mortal lives on Earth and then go to Heaven to spend the rest of eternity. In fact, God's plan is kind of the other way round. He plans to bring Heaven to Earth and unite the two for all eternity, under the lordship of Christ as King of Kings.
Does the New Jerusalem rest on the new earth?
In a passage about the end times, Amos 9:6 says of God, "He builds the upper rooms of his palace in heaven and sets its foundation supports on the earth". Does this portray the New Jerusalem resting on the new earth, or are they separate but connected in some way that Amos calls 'foundation supports'? In Ephesians 1:9-10 (see above), God's plan is to unite the new heaven and the new earth together as one. But that unity is not necessarily a physical unity. It is a unity under Christ's rule as king.
Verses 23 to 24 say, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it". The absence of the sun and moon makes clear this is the eternal age, not the millennial age. The New Jerusalem seems to be suspended in the sky above the new earth. God's glory replaces the need for a sun, and the New Jerusalem seems to reflect God's glory onto the earth, much like the moon reflects the light of the sun. It seems as though we will live on the new earth, with the New Jerusalem being earth's great capital, suspended separately in space. It's accessibility to those on the new earth is seen in that the kings of the earth bring their grandeur into it.
Shape and appearance of the New Jerusalem
Verses 10 to 11 say, "So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper". And verse 16 says, "Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal)".
It is often assumed that the New Jerusalem is shaped like a cube. However, a cube is not the only shape with a square base and equal length, width and height. Its description as a mountain, and as a jewel, make it more likely that John is describing a square-based pyramid.
Hebrews 11:10 indicates that Abraham received a revelation of this city, way back in about 2000 BC, "For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God". I like to think of Abraham in Egypt, visiting the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the three Giza pyramids. Built in about 2,500 BC, to a height of 146.5 metres, it remained the world's tallest building for 3,800 years. In Abraham's day it would have looked even more spectacular than it does today, complete with its casing stones of polished white limestone. Even today, with the casing stones having been almost completely removed and the underlying blocks of stone exposed, the Great Pyramid is an awesome sight. But in Abraham's day is would have appeared like a great jewel of a mountain, its polished surface glistening in the sunlight. That is the kind of image that John sees when he is shown the New Jerusalem. Just imagine Abraham standing at the foot of the Great Pyramid and saying, "God, have you seen this!" And God replies, "Abraham, just you wait till you see the one I am building!"
Unlike polished limestone, John tells us the surface of this city is like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. The Greek word 'iaspidi' translated 'jasper' could refer to precious stones of various colours (see NET bible notes). Had diamonds been known jewels in John's day, perhaps he would have described it as crystal clear diamond.
Holy of Holies?
One reason why the New Jerusalem is often assumed to be a cube is that it is assumed to be the same shape as the holy of holies in the temple. 1 Kings 6:20 says, "The inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high". So like the New Jerusalem, it was of equal length, width and height. But could it also have been a pyramid, and not a cube as generally assumed? Also is it correct to think of the New Jerusalem as a kind of holy of holies? In the eternal age, God will live freely among his people and will no longer be set apart from them as he was in the temple. Verse 22 states that there is no temple in the city. Without a temple, neither would there be holy of holies.
The Walls, Pearly Gates and Foundations
Verses 12 to 13 say, "It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates. There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side". And verse 21 says, "And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl!"
The high walls are another clue that the city is pyramid-shaped and not a cube. If it were a cube, its sides would be vertical, so it wouldn't need any additional walls.
The names of the twelve tribes of Israel on the gates imply the central role of Israel throughout eternity. God's commitment to the Abrahamic covenant is eternal (see my commentary on Genesis 12-17). It is a mistake to see the Church as a Gentile body and that the Church has replaced Israel. When the Church was established at Pentecost it was a Jewish movement and it later welcomed Gentiles (see my commentary on Romans 9-11). Even though some of the Jewish branches were broken off (Romans 11:17), God plans to restore all twelve tribes of Israel. Many Old Testament scriptures prophesy God's end-time restoration of the twelve tribes and their reunification as one nation under Messiah's rule (Isaiah 11:10-16, 14:1-2, 19:24, 27:9, 65:9, Jeremiah 3:16-18, 30:1-24, 31:1-40, 33:1-26, Ezekiel 36:1-38, 37:1-28, 39:21-29, Hosea 2:14-23, 3:5, Amos 9:11-15, Obadiah 1:15-21, Micah 5:3-9, Nahum 2:2, Zephaniah 3:8-20, Zechariah 9:10-16, 10:3-12, 12:1-14, 14:5-21).
Twelve angels guard the gates just as an angel guarded the way to the tree of life in Genesis 3:24.
The description of each gate as a pearl reflects its beauty. I suspect it also reflects the engineering design of the gates. In the first century AD, someone might have used the word 'pearl' to describe a spherical shape, just as we often use the word 'ball' today. A ball is something you play a game with, but we also use it to describe spherical objects like ball-bearings or ball-valves. I imagine each gate being made out of a huge sphere with a large cylindrical hole drilled through it. It can then be opened or closed with a quarter-turn, just like many plumbing valves but on a much larger scale. Such a design can withstand high pressure, as would be necessary if this city is built to descend and ascend through space.
The pearly gates may also have a symbolic significance. Pearls are made by oysters when a grain of sand enters their flesh and causes irritation. They build layer upon layer of mother-of-pearl around the grain of sand, turning painful suffering into something beautiful and valuable. In John 10:9, Jesus says, 'I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture.' God has turned Jesus' painful suffering into the gateway to the New Heaven. We also participate in his suffering as Peter says in 1 Peter 4:12-13, "Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad". Or as Paul preached in Acts 14:22, "We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions".
Verse 14 says, "The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb".
The names of the twelve apostle on the foundations complement the names of the twelve tribes on the gates. Together they represent the city as the home of the Church, with the twelve tribes of Israel having been restored to their proper place within the Church.
Verse 1 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more".
The replacement and renewal of heaven and earth is prophesied in Psalm 102:25-28, Isaiah 24:19-23, 65:17-25, and 2 Peter 3:13. The destruction of the present heaven and earth was implied in Revelation 20:11b, "the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them". Here it is confirmed and we see that it takes place at the end of the Millennium. Theologians debate whether the present earth is annihilated and replaced, or whether it is renovated and recycled.
The statement 'and the sea existed no more' is surprising. Is it intended literally, or metaphorically? Genesis 1:1-2 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water". So God is seen to create earth out of the chaos of the watery deep. In Canaanite mythology, this chaos was portrayed as a great seven-headed sea monster called Leviathan. You might wonder what Canaanite mythology has to do with the bible, but it was part of the general knowledge and language of the biblical authors, much like our English language is rich with phrases and metaphors from Shakespeare's plays. Speaking about end time events, Isaiah 27:1 says, "At that time the Lord will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he will kill the sea monster". In Revelation 12, Satan is portrayed as a seven-headed dragon, and in Revelation 13 his earthly kingdom, as manifested in Antichrist's empire, is portrayed as a seven-heaven beast that arises out of the sea. So Isaiah is speaking figuratively about the destruction of Satan and the forces of chaos that have resisted God throughout history. In that light, it is possible that the absence of sea implies the absence of chaos, and should only be understood metaphorically. It is also possible, of course, that the statement should be understood literally. Without the sea, the present earth would not support life as we know it. But things may work very differently on the new earth, and perhaps the sea will not be needed. It would surely be missed by many who love the sea!
First descent of the New Jerusalem - as a Bride
Verse 2 says, "And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband". Similarly, in verse 9 an angel says to John, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!"
End-time Jerusalem and its people are likened to a bride in Isaiah 49:18, 61:10, 62:4-5, Hosea 2:14-16, and 3:1. Jewish rabbis understand the Song of Solomon to represent God's love for his people Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus is portrayed as the bridegroom (Matthew 9:15, 25:1-13, John 3:29). As such, the bride is reinterpreted in the broader sense as the Church (Ephesians 5:32), where the Church is understood to include believing Israel together with believing Gentiles (Ephesians 2:15). In John 14:1-4, Jesus speaks to the disciples about his father's house, as though he is the bridegroom making a proposal of marriage to his Church. The father's house therefore represents where they will live with him after the wedding.
The wedding celebration takes place at the end of this age (Revelation 19:7), some time after Christ's victory at Armageddon, and presumably after the judgment of Christians (Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 20:4-6). Here in Revelation 21, John sees the new Jerusalem descending once in verse 2, and again in verse 10. These are likely two separate descents. The first descent is when Christians enter the new Jerusalem as their 'marital home'. The second may take place at the end of the Millennium after the great white throne judgment, to receive those whose names are found in the book of life (Revelation 20:15).
Eden restored
Verses 3 to 4 say, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist".
This is Jesus speaking from the throne, confirming the ultimate fulfilment of 'Emmanuel', God With Us. God wants to live with us, but it has to be in the right environment with the right conditions. Only after sin and rebellion have been fully dealt with is this possible. This is even better than what Eden was like before Adam and Eve sinned. There, God would visit them in order to spend time with them (Genesis 3:8). Here he lives permanently among humanity.
Eden is also seen to be restored in the absence of death, and of all the pain and suffering that goes with death being in the world.
Isaiah 65:19-20 prophesies, "Jerusalem will bring me joy, and my people will bring me happiness. The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her again. Never again will one of her infants live just a few days or an old man die before his time. Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, anyone who fails to reach the age of a hundred will be considered cursed". I understand the Millennium to be a transitional stage between the present reality and that of eternity. So I see Isaiah's new heaven and new earth as a vision of the Millennial age. The new heaven and earth revealed in Revelation is even better than what he envisioned.
All things new
Verses 5 to 6 say, "And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true. He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life”.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Apostle Paul speaks of salvation as a new creation taking place in the life of a Christian, "So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!" But what we can experience today through the Holy Spirit is merely a deposit or trailer of the fuller reality that we will experience in the New Jerusalem when all things are made new (2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5, Ephesians 1:14). In John 7:37-38, Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water". Today we can experience this in a limited way as a deposit. Then we will experience the fullness.
Alpha and Omega
In verse 6, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end' confirms that it is Jesus speaking. When he introduced himself in Revelation 1:8 he said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega – the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come – the All-Powerful!" His title 'Alpha and Omega' affirms him as almighty God who has always existed, and always will exist. It has echoes of Isaiah 46:9-10, "I am God, and there is none like me, who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred".
Conquerors
In verse 7 Jesus says, "The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son". In his messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, Jesus gave a promise in each case to 'the one who conquers'. To conquer means to remain true to Jesus until the end, without giving up in the face or resistance, persecution or circumstances. Ultimately it is by God's grace that we are saved and kept (Ephesians 2:5-8), but we do have a responsibility to hold on. In Revelation 2:13, Jesus commended the church in Pergamum, "Yet you continue to cling to my name and you have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed in your city where Satan lives". Also Romans 8:35 says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered". No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us". So we need to cling on, even in the face of martyrdom.
Father-son relationship
Given that it is Jesus speaking in verse 7, how does the promise "I will be his God and he will be my son" fit alongside the picture elsewhere of Jesus as the bridegroom and the Church as his bride? For one thing, Jesus is speaking as God, not just as the second person of the trinity. Also, scripture uses various metaphors to describe the relationship God desires to have with his people. He desires to be like a father to us, and like a husband to us. Both of these are metaphors for a close, loving and intimate relationship.
Holy City
Verse 8 says, "But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”
This fits with the description in verse 2 of the New Jerusalem as 'the holy city'. It is only possible for God to live among his people and have intimate relationship with them if they are holy. It is entirely by God's grace that they are made holy, but God doesn't force anyone to become holy. They have to choose to become so. For those who choose otherwise, there simply is no place for them in this holy city. There has to be a place for those who reject God, and that place is the lake of fire.
As such, the New Jerusalem is the new heaven, and the lake of fire is the new hell.
Verse 9 says, "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”
Instead of Jesus speaking, now one of the angels steps in to show John the detail of the New Jerusalem in all its glory. Concerning this city as the bride, please see my commentary on verse 2 above.
Second descent
Verse 9 says, "So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God".
This is a much more close-up view, with John having been transported in the Spirit to the New Jerusalem. It also seems likely that this is a separate descent to the one he saw in verse 2. There, he saw the city descend as a bride, implying among other things, that it descends at the end of this age when the wedding celebration of the Lamb takes place (Revelation 19:6-10). I understand this second descent to occur at the end of the Millennium when it becomes the home of all whose names are found in the book of life at the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
Does the New Jerusalem Function as an Ark?
Although the New Jerusalem becomes our eternal home, so also does the new earth. Does the New Jerusalem function as an ark while the present heaven and earth are destroyed and renewed? Scripture doesn't tell us how long the earth's destruction and renewal will take. But after the new earth is completed, it is clear from verse 24 that the nations repopulate the new earth.
It reminds me of the 1979 James Bond film 'Moonraker', in which an evil villain named Hugo Drax creates a massive space station that is hidden from Earth's radar by a cloaking device. His plan is to use it as an ark, preserving the lives of his chosen few, destroy the rest of human life on earth with a special toxin, and then repopulate earth with carefully selected and genetically perfect men and women. The chosen ones are transported to the space station on Drax's space shuttles. James Bond manages to take over and pilot one of these and to get to the space station. Once on board the space station, he disables the radar-jamming cloaking device, making the it suddenly visible on Earth's radar. The United States responds by dispatching a shuttle full of space marines. Bond manages to destroy the space station and put an end to Drax's evil plan.
God's plan to destroy the earth and recreate a new and more wonderful earth is not an evil plan but a gloriously wonderful one - as long as you choose to worship God, of course. I wonder what it will be like when the New Jerusalem suddenly comes into view. I don't imagine that it will appear from way out in outer space and be picked up as it passes Uranus or Jupiter, gradually approaching earth. Rather, I imagine it is already close to earth, but present within a hidden dimension, and when the time comes for it to be revealed, the veil will simply be lifted and it will come into view.
At the core of Christ's gospel message is this statement, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). I realise that isn't just referring to the proximity of the New Jerusalem to the Earth, but I wonder if that isn't part of it.
To some people, it perhaps seems a strange idea that God will create a New Earth, and that the earth will be part of our lives for all eternity. Describing God's eternal plan, Paul says in Ephesians 1:9-10 "And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (NIV). Christians often think that we spend our mortal lives on Earth and then go to Heaven to spend the rest of eternity. In fact, God's plan is kind of the other way round. He plans to bring Heaven to Earth and unite the two for all eternity, under the lordship of Christ as King of Kings.
Does the New Jerusalem rest on the new earth?
In a passage about the end times, Amos 9:6 says of God, "He builds the upper rooms of his palace in heaven and sets its foundation supports on the earth". Does this portray the New Jerusalem resting on the new earth, or are they separate but connected in some way that Amos calls 'foundation supports'? In Ephesians 1:9-10 (see above), God's plan is to unite the new heaven and the new earth together as one. But that unity is not necessarily a physical unity. It is a unity under Christ's rule as king.
Verses 23 to 24 say, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it". The absence of the sun and moon makes clear this is the eternal age, not the millennial age. The New Jerusalem seems to be suspended in the sky above the new earth. God's glory replaces the need for a sun, and the New Jerusalem seems to reflect God's glory onto the earth, much like the moon reflects the light of the sun. It seems as though we will live on the new earth, with the New Jerusalem being earth's great capital, suspended separately in space. It's accessibility to those on the new earth is seen in that the kings of the earth bring their grandeur into it.
Shape and appearance of the New Jerusalem
Verses 10 to 11 say, "So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper". And verse 16 says, "Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal)".
It is often assumed that the New Jerusalem is shaped like a cube. However, a cube is not the only shape with a square base and equal length, width and height. Its description as a mountain, and as a jewel, make it more likely that John is describing a square-based pyramid.
Hebrews 11:10 indicates that Abraham received a revelation of this city, way back in about 2000 BC, "For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God". I like to think of Abraham in Egypt, visiting the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the three Giza pyramids. Built in about 2,500 BC, to a height of 146.5 metres, it remained the world's tallest building for 3,800 years. In Abraham's day it would have looked even more spectacular than it does today, complete with its casing stones of polished white limestone. Even today, with the casing stones having been almost completely removed and the underlying blocks of stone exposed, the Great Pyramid is an awesome sight. But in Abraham's day is would have appeared like a great jewel of a mountain, its polished surface glistening in the sunlight. That is the kind of image that John sees when he is shown the New Jerusalem. Just imagine Abraham standing at the foot of the Great Pyramid and saying, "God, have you seen this!" And God replies, "Abraham, just you wait till you see the one I am building!"
Unlike polished limestone, John tells us the surface of this city is like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. The Greek word 'iaspidi' translated 'jasper' could refer to precious stones of various colours (see NET bible notes). Had diamonds been known jewels in John's day, perhaps he would have described it as crystal clear diamond.
Holy of Holies?
One reason why the New Jerusalem is often assumed to be a cube is that it is assumed to be the same shape as the holy of holies in the temple. 1 Kings 6:20 says, "The inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high". So like the New Jerusalem, it was of equal length, width and height. But could it also have been a pyramid, and not a cube as generally assumed? Also is it correct to think of the New Jerusalem as a kind of holy of holies? In the eternal age, God will live freely among his people and will no longer be set apart from them as he was in the temple. Verse 22 states that there is no temple in the city. Without a temple, neither would there be holy of holies.
The Walls, Pearly Gates and Foundations
Verses 12 to 13 say, "It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates. There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side". And verse 21 says, "And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl!"
The high walls are another clue that the city is pyramid-shaped and not a cube. If it were a cube, its sides would be vertical, so it wouldn't need any additional walls.
The names of the twelve tribes of Israel on the gates imply the central role of Israel throughout eternity. God's commitment to the Abrahamic covenant is eternal (see my commentary on Genesis 12-17). It is a mistake to see the Church as a Gentile body and that the Church has replaced Israel. When the Church was established at Pentecost it was a Jewish movement and it later welcomed Gentiles (see my commentary on Romans 9-11). Even though some of the Jewish branches were broken off (Romans 11:17), God plans to restore all twelve tribes of Israel. Many Old Testament scriptures prophesy God's end-time restoration of the twelve tribes and their reunification as one nation under Messiah's rule (Isaiah 11:10-16, 14:1-2, 19:24, 27:9, 65:9, Jeremiah 3:16-18, 30:1-24, 31:1-40, 33:1-26, Ezekiel 36:1-38, 37:1-28, 39:21-29, Hosea 2:14-23, 3:5, Amos 9:11-15, Obadiah 1:15-21, Micah 5:3-9, Nahum 2:2, Zephaniah 3:8-20, Zechariah 9:10-16, 10:3-12, 12:1-14, 14:5-21).
Twelve angels guard the gates just as an angel guarded the way to the tree of life in Genesis 3:24.
The description of each gate as a pearl reflects its beauty. I suspect it also reflects the engineering design of the gates. In the first century AD, someone might have used the word 'pearl' to describe a spherical shape, just as we often use the word 'ball' today. A ball is something you play a game with, but we also use it to describe spherical objects like ball-bearings or ball-valves. I imagine each gate being made out of a huge sphere with a large cylindrical hole drilled through it. It can then be opened or closed with a quarter-turn, just like many plumbing valves but on a much larger scale. Such a design can withstand high pressure, as would be necessary if this city is built to descend and ascend through space.
The pearly gates may also have a symbolic significance. Pearls are made by oysters when a grain of sand enters their flesh and causes irritation. They build layer upon layer of mother-of-pearl around the grain of sand, turning painful suffering into something beautiful and valuable. In John 10:9, Jesus says, 'I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture.' God has turned Jesus' painful suffering into the gateway to the New Heaven. We also participate in his suffering as Peter says in 1 Peter 4:12-13, "Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad". Or as Paul preached in Acts 14:22, "We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions".
Verse 14 says, "The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb".
The names of the twelve apostle on the foundations complement the names of the twelve tribes on the gates. Together they represent the city as the home of the Church, with the twelve tribes of Israel having been restored to their proper place within the Church.
Dimensions of the City
Verses 15 to 17 say, "The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal). He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s".
If the New Jerusalem were to land and rest upon the earth, it would cover an area approximately twenty times that of the United Kingdom. It is also 1,400 miles high. Today, 800 miles above the surface of the earth is considered to be the beginning of outer space. So it would extend 600 miles into outer space. In terms of volume, you could fit about 1.4 trillion Great Pyramids in it! When Jesus said, "In my Father’s house are many rooms", he wasn't joking! Of course, I'm sure the New Jerusalem is not jam-packed full of only dwellings. It is the capital city of Christ's kingdom, containing all kinds of other buildings as well. And with the river running through it, together with the tree of life (Revelation 22:1-2), we are reminded of Eden. It is a garden city, and I imagine will contain many wide open spaces. But just consider how massive it is. If you were to use one English pound sterling to represent the volume of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, you would need the whole of the UK's national debt to represent the volume of the New Jerusalem.
The height of the wall is 144 cubits, or about 216 feet. The number 144 (12 times 12) is possibly symbolic of Israel. 144,000 Israelites are sealed in Revelation 7:1-8, representing the beginning of God's restoration plan for all Israel to be saved (Romans 11:26).
Decoration of the City
Verses 18 to 21 say, "The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass".
As well as reflecting the beauty of the city, it is likely these jewels are intended to remind us of Aaron's priestly breastpiece. Exodus 28:15-21 says, "You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, the work of an artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 16 It is to be square when doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide. 17 You are to set in it a setting for stones, four rows of stones, a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 18 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 19 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They are to be enclosed in gold in their filigree settings. 21 The stones are to be for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to the number of their names. Each name according to the twelve tribes is to be like the engravings of a seal".
Is this because we dwell in the city as 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6, Isaiah 66:21, Revelation 20:6)?
No Temple
Verse 22 says, "Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful – and the Lamb are its temple".
Jesus described himself metaphorically as God's temple in John 2:19-21, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again…But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body". In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul says, "For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known". When we know Jesus fully, and when God lives freely among us, there will be no need of a temple.
However, scripture is clear that there will be a temple in end-time Jerusalem, which Antichrist will desecrate when he sets up the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15). It is likely this will be destroyed when Jerusalem is levelled and raised up (Zechariah 14:10). Jesus then overseas the building of a Millennial temple (1 Chronicles 17:12, Isaiah 2:2, 56:7, 60:7, 62:9, Ezekiel 37:26; 40-48, Jeremiah 33:11, Zechariah 6:12).
A New Light Source for a New Universe
Verses 23 to 24 say, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it".
This fulfils Isaiah 24:23 and 60:19-20. Although Revelation 21:1 speaks of the old heaven being replaced in a singular sense, 2 Peter 3:10 speaks about the heavens in a plural sense, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare". So not only is God's present heavenly abode replaced, but also the heavens in the sense of the entire universe and all the celestial bodies within it. The new heaven and earth is a whole new beginning for the universe, probably with a whole new set of physical scientific laws. Much like the moon currently lights up the earth at night by reflecting the light of the sun, the New Jerusalem will reflect God's light onto the new earth.
Gates always open
Verses 25 to 26 say, "Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there). They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it".
There is no night in the New Jerusalem because God's glory always shines on it. If the new earth is lit by the reflection of God's glory in the New Jerusalem, and if the new earth were to rotate like the present earth, then you might suppose there could still be day and night on the new earth. Isaiah 60:20 says "Your sun will no longer set; your moon will not disappear; the LORD will be your permanent source of light". And Revelation 22:5 says, "Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever". But is this just from the perspective of the New Jerusalem, or from that of the new earth as well?
The New Jerusalem is always accessible, with open gates. The wealth and grandeur of the nations are brought into it. In Revelation 22:2, we see that the fruit and leaves from the tree of life are provided to the nations. So there seems to be a two-way exchange between the new earth and the new Jerusalem. The method of transport between the two is not described.
Customs control
Verse 27 says, "but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life".
This reinforces verse 8, emphasising that only those who have been saved may enter, and nothing unclean may be brought in. Although the gates are permanently open, there are angels guarding each gate (v12).
Verses 15 to 17 say, "The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal). He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s".
If the New Jerusalem were to land and rest upon the earth, it would cover an area approximately twenty times that of the United Kingdom. It is also 1,400 miles high. Today, 800 miles above the surface of the earth is considered to be the beginning of outer space. So it would extend 600 miles into outer space. In terms of volume, you could fit about 1.4 trillion Great Pyramids in it! When Jesus said, "In my Father’s house are many rooms", he wasn't joking! Of course, I'm sure the New Jerusalem is not jam-packed full of only dwellings. It is the capital city of Christ's kingdom, containing all kinds of other buildings as well. And with the river running through it, together with the tree of life (Revelation 22:1-2), we are reminded of Eden. It is a garden city, and I imagine will contain many wide open spaces. But just consider how massive it is. If you were to use one English pound sterling to represent the volume of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, you would need the whole of the UK's national debt to represent the volume of the New Jerusalem.
The height of the wall is 144 cubits, or about 216 feet. The number 144 (12 times 12) is possibly symbolic of Israel. 144,000 Israelites are sealed in Revelation 7:1-8, representing the beginning of God's restoration plan for all Israel to be saved (Romans 11:26).
Decoration of the City
Verses 18 to 21 say, "The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass".
As well as reflecting the beauty of the city, it is likely these jewels are intended to remind us of Aaron's priestly breastpiece. Exodus 28:15-21 says, "You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, the work of an artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 16 It is to be square when doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide. 17 You are to set in it a setting for stones, four rows of stones, a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 18 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 19 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They are to be enclosed in gold in their filigree settings. 21 The stones are to be for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to the number of their names. Each name according to the twelve tribes is to be like the engravings of a seal".
Is this because we dwell in the city as 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6, Isaiah 66:21, Revelation 20:6)?
No Temple
Verse 22 says, "Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful – and the Lamb are its temple".
Jesus described himself metaphorically as God's temple in John 2:19-21, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again…But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body". In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul says, "For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known". When we know Jesus fully, and when God lives freely among us, there will be no need of a temple.
However, scripture is clear that there will be a temple in end-time Jerusalem, which Antichrist will desecrate when he sets up the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15). It is likely this will be destroyed when Jerusalem is levelled and raised up (Zechariah 14:10). Jesus then overseas the building of a Millennial temple (1 Chronicles 17:12, Isaiah 2:2, 56:7, 60:7, 62:9, Ezekiel 37:26; 40-48, Jeremiah 33:11, Zechariah 6:12).
A New Light Source for a New Universe
Verses 23 to 24 say, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it".
This fulfils Isaiah 24:23 and 60:19-20. Although Revelation 21:1 speaks of the old heaven being replaced in a singular sense, 2 Peter 3:10 speaks about the heavens in a plural sense, "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare". So not only is God's present heavenly abode replaced, but also the heavens in the sense of the entire universe and all the celestial bodies within it. The new heaven and earth is a whole new beginning for the universe, probably with a whole new set of physical scientific laws. Much like the moon currently lights up the earth at night by reflecting the light of the sun, the New Jerusalem will reflect God's light onto the new earth.
Gates always open
Verses 25 to 26 say, "Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there). They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it".
There is no night in the New Jerusalem because God's glory always shines on it. If the new earth is lit by the reflection of God's glory in the New Jerusalem, and if the new earth were to rotate like the present earth, then you might suppose there could still be day and night on the new earth. Isaiah 60:20 says "Your sun will no longer set; your moon will not disappear; the LORD will be your permanent source of light". And Revelation 22:5 says, "Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever". But is this just from the perspective of the New Jerusalem, or from that of the new earth as well?
The New Jerusalem is always accessible, with open gates. The wealth and grandeur of the nations are brought into it. In Revelation 22:2, we see that the fruit and leaves from the tree of life are provided to the nations. So there seems to be a two-way exchange between the new earth and the new Jerusalem. The method of transport between the two is not described.
Customs control
Verse 27 says, "but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life".
This reinforces verse 8, emphasising that only those who have been saved may enter, and nothing unclean may be brought in. Although the gates are permanently open, there are angels guarding each gate (v12).
Tags
Places: New Jerusalem, New earth, Sea
Symbols: Sea, Bride, Jerusalem like a bride, God as Father, Pearly gates
Tags: Earth and heavens destroyed, New heaven and new earth, Canaanite mythology, Millennial temple, New Jerusalem, Death destroyed, Jesus as the alpha and omega, God as Father, Holy city, Lake of fire, Kingdom of priests, Restoration of Israel and Judah, Glory of Zion
Symbols: Sea, Bride, Jerusalem like a bride, God as Father, Pearly gates
Tags: Earth and heavens destroyed, New heaven and new earth, Canaanite mythology, Millennial temple, New Jerusalem, Death destroyed, Jesus as the alpha and omega, God as Father, Holy city, Lake of fire, Kingdom of priests, Restoration of Israel and Judah, Glory of Zion
A New Heaven and a New Earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.
2 And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.”
5 And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true.”
6 He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life.
7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem Descends
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”
10 So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
11 The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
12 It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates.
13 There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side.
14 The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall.
16 Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal).
17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s.
18 The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful – and the Lamb are its temple.
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it.
25 Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there).
26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it,
27 but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.
2 And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.”
5 And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true.”
6 He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life.
7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem Descends
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”
10 So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
11 The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
12 It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates.
13 There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side.
14 The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall.
16 Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal).
17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s.
18 The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful – and the Lamb are its temple.
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it.
25 Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there).
26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it,
27 but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
(NET)