a new heaven and a new earth
The first heaven and earth were restored prior to the Millennial Kingdom,
but death still continued and the dead still were in the earth.
At the conflagration of the first heaven and earth, the earth and sea
gave up the bodies of the dead
(Rev. 20:11-15).
The new heaven and earth are without sin and death
(Rev. 21:4).
It was revealed to the Old Testament prophets that the first heaven and earth would
perish
(Ps. 102:25-26;
Isa. 51:6).
Isaiah saw the new creation
(Isa. 65:17;
66:22), but not in strict chronological sequence.
the first heaven and first earth has passed away
The restoration prior to the Millennial Kingdom was not a new creation like
Isaiah described or John would have said that the
second earth
had passed away.
The continuance of the dead within the dust of the earth until now also
shows this is the first and only
new
heaven and earth since the original order.
Jesus emphasized that
God's Word is more permanent than our present reality
(Mat. 5:18;
24:35;
Mark 13:30;
Luke 16:17;
21:33).
Knowing that the present order will not last should be a
motivator for godly priorities
(1Cor. 7:29-31;
2Pe. 3:11-14).
no more sea
This also indicates the new creation
follows after
the Millennial Kingdom where the sea still existed.
21:2 - the New Jerusalem
the New Jerusalem
In the same way the earthly Temple corresponds to a greater reality in
heaven, so the earthly Jerusalem corresponds to the heavenly Jerusalem.
Although the earthly Jerusalem was restored during the Millennial Kingdom
(Isa. 62),
the New Jerusalem has been in heaven being prepared for the residence of
the saints
(John 14:2-3).
prepared as a bride
"Prepared" is
hetoimasme'nen , perfect passive participle:
having been prepared.
The passive form contrasts with the active form of preparation given for
the bride at the marriage of the Lamb
(Rev. 19:7). This bride is
inanimate,
whereas the bride at the marriage is
animate
-- comprised of resurrected saints.
It is
God who has prepared her
(John 14:2-3;
Heb. 11:8-10).
She is a bride both in the sense of
the city itself
(Jerusalem, the city of God) and
her residents
(the glorified saints).
See the discussion concerning the
Marriage of the Lamb.
adorned for her husband
"Adorned" is
kekosmeme'nen , a perfect passive participle:
having been decorated.
Used of furnishing a room
(
cf.
John 14:1-3).
God previously promised that she would be decorated with precious stones
and that He would rejoice over her as a bridegroom over his bride
(Isa. 54:1;
62:1-5;
Eze. 16:1-8).
21:3 - tabernacle of God with men
the tabernacle of God is with men
"Tabernacle" is
skene'
: lodging, dwelling, tent.
God's
habitation.
Through His work on the cross, Jesus created the
temple of the believer
-- the Holy Spirit indwelling the heart of the believer
(1Cor. 6:19;
2Cor. 6:16;
Eph. 2:19-22).
But born-again believers in this age do not yet enjoy the fullness
of intimacy with God as they will in the eternal state
(1Cor. 13:12).
He will dwell with them and they shall be His people
"He will dwell" is
skeno'sei
from the same root word as
skene'.
The same root word describes how God
dwelt
among men in the incarnation
(John 1:14).
His
habitation
will be with men and He will
inhabit
(commune) with them!
This is the
greatest promise in all of Scripture
-- the culmination of the scarlet thread of redemption and
the elimination of all the
Temples through history
where God met
in a limited way
with sinful man.
In the New Jerusalem, man will be without sin and see God
face to face(Rev. 22:4)
!
21:4 - no more death
there shall be no more death
The Old Testament prophets has seen this day
(Isa. 25:8;
Hos. 13:14).
Death was not part of the original created order, but came as a result of
the Fall in the Garden of Eden
(Gen. 3:19).
Even though Christ abolished death in His work at the cross
(2Ti. 1:10;
Heb. 2:14-15),
the shadow of death continued even past His Second Coming and into the
Millennial Kingdom
(Isa. 65:20).
Prior to the new creation, the last enemy that would be destroyed, death
(1Cor. 15:26),
was cast into the Lake of Fire
(Rev. 20:14).
The curse of Genesis 3 is now removed completely
(Rev. 22:3).
21:5 - all things new
Behold, I make all things new
"New" is
kaina'
: new in quality or kind, better.
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of manthe things which God has prepared for those who love Him(1Cor. 2:9).
This redemption is much broader than the individual redemption of sinful men,
as important as that is. It includes the redemption of the
earth
and the entire
created order(Rom. 8:19-23).
21:6 - It is done!
It is done!
"It is done" is
ge'gone , perfect tense:
it has become!
The words emphasize the completion of the new order with effects which extend forward in time.
This recalls the words of Jesus on the cross, "It is finished!" Tete'lestai
:
it has come to an end, been brought to completion, accomplished!
His death brought closure to the old order and legally brought the new reality.
Now, the legal reality has become physical reality.
I will give of the fountain of the water of life
"Free" is
dorea'n
:
as a gift, without payment, undeservedly, without reason.
The water of life is a metaphor for
redemption
(Ps. 36:6;
Isa. 12:3;
Jer. 2:3;
Zec. 13:1;
John 7:37-38;
John 4:10-14;
Rev. 7:14;
22:1,
17).
Redemption is infinitely costly.
The price of redemption was the death of God in the person of the Son of God
(Rev. 1:18).
No man could pay it so God paid it. This is why it is free
(Isa. 55:1)
! No man could afford to
contribute even the least to obtaining redemption!
21:7 - he who overcomes
He who overcomes shall inherit all things
"He who overcomes" is
ho niko'n
: the overcoming one.
This inheritance includes all the promises to the overcomers of the seven churches
(Rev. 2:7,
11,
17,
26;
3:5,
12,
21).
By identification with the True Overcomer
(John 16:33;
1Jn. 4:4),
believers inherit all that is Christ's
(Rom. 8:15;
1Cor. 3:21)!
The inheritance is never at risk of loss: incorruptible
(1Pe. 1:3-4).
I will be his God and he shall be My son
The inheritance is based upon our adoption into the family of God
(Rom. 8:14-17;
Gal. 4:6-7;
Eph. 1:3-5;
1Jn. 3:1-2).
The relationship between the overcomer and God is one of intimacy,
modeled after that of the Son with the Father
(John 1:1).
21:8 - part in the Lake of Fire
Works of the Flesh
These are the works of the flesh
(Gal. 5:19-21;
Eph. 5:5-7;
1Ti. 1:8-10).
shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire
These are the ones who
continued in these activities without repentance.
During this age of grace, all who practice these sins can turn to God
to be washed, sanctified, and justified by the Holy Spirit.
This was the experience of some in the church at Corinth
(1Cor. 6:9-11).
The unrepentant stood in the Great White Throne judgment and,
not being found in the
Book of Life, they were cast into the Lake of Fire
(Rev. 20:15).
21:9 - the Lamb's wife
I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife
There is an intentional contrast between two
great cities
: the
Harlot,
Babylon and the
bride,
the New Jerusalem.
Concerning Jesus' title as Lamb, see our discussion of
Revelation 5:6.
See the discussion concerning
Jerusalem's marriage to God.
21:10 - carried in the Spirit
he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain
John is transported by the Holy Spirit, as when he first ascended to heaven
in his vision
(Rev. 4:2)
and when he was shown the Harlot
(Rev. 17:2).
Ezekiel had a similar experience when he was shown the millennial Jerusalem
(Eze. 40:2).
The high mountain may be a vantage point, or it may also correspond to
the site upon which the New Jerusalem descends, like the
mountain of the Lord's house
during the Millennial Kingdom
(Isa. 2:2-4;
Zec. 8:3-4).
This would provide the necessary elevation for the River of Life to
flow from the city
(Rev. 22:1).
21:11 - having the glory of God
having the glory of God
This is the
Shekinah glory,
the visible manifestation of God's presence. Because of God's radiant glory,
the city has no need for the light of the sun or moon
(Isa. 66:19-20;
Rev. 22:5).
The light and clarity of the city speak of her purity,
which is analogous to what is said about the living bride
(Eph. 5:25-27).
21:12 - twelve gates
twelve gates... and names written on them, which are the names of the children of Israel
There are three gates on each of the four sides of the city
(Rev. 21:13). "Children" is
hio'n
: sons.
The names of the
tribes
(representing Israel) are on the gates and the names of the
apostles
(representing the Church) are on the foundation stones
(Rev. 21:14).
Even in eternity, a distinction is made between the two peoples of God: Israel and the Church,
the body of Christ.
Both will inhabit the eternal city.
21:13 - three gates
three gates on the east... north... south... west
The layout of the gates is similar to the camp of Israel in the wilderness
where groups of three tribes camped in each of the four cardinal directions
(Num. 2).
Since there are no Levites camping around a tabernacle here, the layout
is most probably like that of the millennial city
(Eze. 48:30-35).
Again, we see that the earthly arrangement (both in the wilderness and the
Millennium) reflects a greater eternal reality.
21:14 - twelve foundations
twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles
In a similar way to how the tribes are memorialized by the gates,
the apostles are memorialized by the foundations.
The apostles are said to be the foundation of the
dwelling place of God in the Spirit, the church
(Eph. 2:19-22;
3:5;
4:11).
21:15 - measure the city
a gold reed to measure the city
"Reed" is
me'tron ka'lamon
: a measuring stick.
Ezekiel saw the Millennial Temple which was measured by an angel who had a similar device
(Eze. 40:3-5).
Previously, John was instructed to measure the Tribulation Temple
(Rev. 11:1).
The New Jerusalem is measured as an indication of her importance to God
(Zec. 2:1-5)
and to indicate her
real physical dimensions.
21:16 - laid out as a square
twelve thousand furlongs
The base of the city is square, like the millennial city proper
(Eze. 48:16;
48:30-35).
twelve thousand furlongs
"Furlongs" is
stadi'on,
a distance of about 1/8 mile. Depending upon the exact length of a stadia, the city
is between 1,380 and 1,500 miles on a side.
The base is immense--covering 63% of the forty-eight contiguous states of the USA.
Some find this too fantastic. But, remember: this is a
new creation
within which "all things are new!" We have no idea how large the earth is or any other aspect of physics.
And how fantastic is such a city in light of God's ability to create an
entirely new
heaven and earth?
its length, breadth, and height are equal
The entire city is fashioned after the "holy of holies" from the Temple which was 20 cubits long, wide, and high
(1K. 6:19).
The entire city is a "holy of holies."
21:17-18 - measured its wall
Then he measured its wall; one hundred and forty-four cubits
A
cubit
is the length of the forearm of a man, about 18 inches (0.46 meters).
The dimension of the wall is about 216 feet (65.8 meters). Since the wall is said
to be "great and high," (Rev. 21:12), and the city itself is of immense height,
this dimension is probably the thickness of the wall.
The construction of the wall was of jasper... pure gold like clear glass
Both "pure" and "clear" are from the same word:
katharo's,
clean, pure, free from dirt.
Those who inhabit the New Jerusalem are without sin.
The city is translucent and pure--the glory of God shines even through
its walls.
21:19-20 - precious stones
The foundations of the walls of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones
"Were adorned" is
kekosmeme'noi,
perfect passive participle:
having been decorated.
This was how she was prepared for her husband
(Rev. 21:2
cf.
Isa. 54:11-12).
Eight of the twelve stones are like those of the high priest's breastplate
(Ex. 28:17-20), but attempts to correlate all twelve have met with limited success.
Besides, the foundations memorialize the
apostles , not the tribes.
In any event, the visual result is no doubt stunning!
21:21 - twelve pearls
The twelve gates were twelve pearls
Each gate is made of a single large pearl.
Like the other materials of the city, the pearls denote great value and beauty.
The pearl, being from a Levitically unclean source (an oyster
Lev. 11:10), also
carries the connotation of
Gentile
or
unclean .
In order to move the gospel to the Gentiles, Peter was given a vision
of unclean animals and told to eat them. He refused. God replied that
he must not call common
(koi'nou )
that which God
had cleansed
: this referred to the Gentiles.
Here, John is told that nothing "that defiles" (koi'noun )
will pass through the gates into the city
(Rev. 21:27).
The pearls stand as a witness that those which were once
defiled have been cleansed and are guaranteed access.
Jesus paid for both a treasure hidden in a field (Israel)
and a pearl of great price (the Gentiles)
(Mat. 13:45-56).
21:22 - no temple
But I saw no temple in it for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple
Throughout history, God had purposed that there be a Temple where a holy God could meet with sinful man in a limited way.
Now man is sinless and can have full intimacy with God.
This was made possible by the work of Jesus on the cross
(Mat. 27:39;
John 2:19;
Col. 1:19;
Rev. 5:9).
In a sense, the
entire New Jerusalem
is a Temple. There is now no separation between the sacred
and the mundane.
Significantly, God the Father and God the Son are
equally
considered to be the Temple.
Jesus is equivalent to the Father--Jesus is God
(John 1:1;
10:30;
Col. 2:9;
Rev. 1:8,
18)
!
21:23 - no need of sun or moon
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon
Most take this passage to indicate there will be no sun or moon in the eternal state.
But all the passage says is that the
city
has no need for the sun or moon because God's glory provides its light.
Eternal promises which are tied to the continuance of the sun and moon
seem to imply they may continue in the eternal state
(Ps. 89:35-57;
Jer. 31:35-37).
the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Again, the Son and Father are equated as God. Both produce the
Shekinah
glory.
The Old Testament prophets saw that one day God's glory would shine brighter than the sun
(Isa. 24:23;
60:19-20).
Previously, the sun and moon never shone in the holy of holies which was
only lit by God's glory.
What has happened?
Man is now within the holy of holies with no separation from God!
21:24 - kings of the earth
the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light
Some find the mention of "nations" (e'thne )
to be surprising in this context.
It indicates that the redeemed are from many different nations
(Rev. 5:9;
13:7;
14:6).
It also implies (with "kings" below) the continuance of national entities in the eternal state.
the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it
These kings appear to have their primary residence or place of activity
outside
the city, but bring gifts of worship
into
the city.
Some have suggested that these may be those left living at the end of the
Millennial Kingdom. Perhaps the original conditions in the Garden of Eden--Adam and Eve living in sinless perfection--may be recreated in the eternal state. We discuss this
suggestion further in the next session.
21:25-26 - gates never shut
its gates shall not be shut at all
"Not" is the double-negative,
ou me,
indicating there is
no possibility
that the gates will ever be shut. This is because there is nothing unclean to require
the gates to be shut.
The gates remain open for the nations and kings to access God and the Lamb
and to obtain the leaves of the Tree of Life
(Rev. 22:2).
there is no night there
There is no night
there.
That is,
in the city,
for the glory of God continually illuminates it.
21:27 - the Lamb's Book of Life
there shall by no means enter it anythng that defiles
"Defiles" is
koino'n
: unclean.
All who inhabit the eternal state had been washed in the blood of the Lamb
(Rev. 1:5)
and are now incapable of sin.
only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life
This does not imply that the sinful are refused access to the city at the gate.
The sinful are eternally incarcerated in the Lake of Fire in "outer darkness" and will never be found here.
This statement reiterates the necessity of exercising faith in the work of
Jesus Christ in order to enjoy the new heaven and earth with the New Jerusalem.
For additional information on this topic, see the commentary.