REVELATION
CHAPTER 21, “The New Heavens And Earth”
By
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
In our last
study, we looked at chapter 20 and the
events that occur as Jesus begins His Millennial reign upon the earth.
1.1.1. Satan is chained up for
1,000 years.
1.1.2. The reign of God’s elect
begins.
1.1.3. The two resurrections is
described.
1.1.4. Satan is loosed at the end
of the 1,000 years.
1.1.5. The Great White Throne of
Judgment occurs at the end of the 1,000 years.
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at chapter 21 and the future for
mankind that will occur after the Great White Throne of Jesus. This chapter contains the most detail in all
of the scriptures of the period of the new heavens and earth which the Lord
shall create.
1.2.1. In this chapter, we see that
there are seven new things:
1.2.1.1.Heaven (verse 1).
1.2.1.2.Earth (verse 1).
1.2.1.3.
1.2.1.4.Things (verse 5).
1.2.1.5.
1.2.1.6.Place for God’s throne
(verse 3).
1.2.1.7.Source of light (verse 5).
1.2.2. We will see the glory of the
city of
1.2.3. Tim Lahaye points out how
that the number twelve comes up so often in this chapter, and that Biblical
numerology, which occurs to a degree in the scriptures, is seen here. In Biblical numerology, Lahaye gives the
following definitions:
1.2.3.1.One stands for unity.
1.2.3.2.Two stands for union.
1.2.3.3.Three stands for the
Trinity.
1.2.3.4.Four is the number of the
earth.
1.2.3.5.Five is the divisional
number (five wise five foolish virgins, for instance).
1.2.3.6.Six is the number of
humankind (thus 666 is derived).
1.2.3.7.Seven is the number of
perfection or completion.
1.2.3.8.Twelve is the governmental
or administrative number).
2.
VS 21:1 - “21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for
the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any
sea.” -
John sees the dissolution of this earth and heaven and the creation of new ones
2.1.
Someone once said something that I believe is true. He said that due to our limitations as
creatures that mankind cannot ever create anything that is not a copy of
something that the Lord Himself has already created. Our minds are just too limited to be able to
conceive of anything beyond this realm.
However, what we see here in this chapter is a glimpse into a new realm,
dimension, or whatever, that is so far beyond the creation that we see today
and perceive that it is true that “eye has not seen nor ear heard the things
that the Lord has prepared for those who love Him”. For instance, in this creation and on this
earth we think of ultimate beauty as that which we might see on the top of a
high mountain or in a thick emerald colored forest. These are very earthy beauties though in
comparison to the beauty of this new Jerusalem and new heavens and earth that
the Lord is creating. In our world,
precious gems and metals are very beautiful, however they are very scarce,
grossly impure, and come in small sizes.
However, this city of
2.2.
We saw in a verse in the previous chapter, Rev. 20:11, how that when
the Lord prepares for the Great White Throne Judgment of non-believers that
heaven and earth fled from Him, i.e. they disappeared, vaporized, etc., “11 And
I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth
and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.”
2.3.
There are several other scriptures which foretell this time when the
Lord creates a new heaven and earth
2.3.1. In Matt. 24:35, we read that
Jesus said that His Words would not pass away, however we must not forget that
He also said that heaven and earth would pass away, “35 “Heaven and earth
will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”
2.3.2. Isaiah wrote in Is. 65:17
about how that the Lord would create a new heavens and earth, and he even
mentions that the former things would not even come into our minds, “17 “For
behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
2.3.2.1.There is some mystery in
this verse in that the former things will not come into our minds.
2.3.2.1.1.This is more intriguing in
that the last three verses in Isaiah, Is. 66:22-24, refer to this time, however
the last verse seems to indicate that we will look for all eternity on those
who are lost without Christ, “22 “For just as the new heavens and the new
earth Which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord, “So your
offspring and your name will endure. 23
“And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All
mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord. Then they shall
go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against
Me. For their worm shall not die, And
their fire shall not be quenched; And
they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind.””
2.3.2.1.1.1.It could be however that
these verses in Isaiah 66 refer to the period of the Millennial Reign of
Christ.
2.3.2.1.2.The Lord will miraculous
bless each of us His children before we enter the new heavens and new earth by
removing from our minds the memories of unsaved loved ones who are spending
eternity in hell. Heaven would not be
heaven if we had to live with this grief.
2.3.3. In 2 Peter 3:10-13, the
apostle Peter described very graphically this period of time by saying that the
heavens would pass away with a roar and the elements from which matter is made
would be destroyed with intense heat, “10 But the day of the Lord will come
like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements
will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned
up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people
ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the
coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by
burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His
promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness
dwells.”
2.4.
Scientists believe as fact that matter can never really be destroyed,
but that it always continues on as energy in some form or another.
2.4.1. However, scientists also
can’t explain how that matter could exist forever or have come into being from
nothing.
2.4.2. If God is powerful enough to
have created matter as it exists from nothing, He is also powerful enough to
annihilate it.
2.5.
It is interesting that John notes here that in the new earth that God
will create that there is no more ‘sea’.
2.5.1. Some Bible scholars have
tried to interpolate from some scriptural references to the sea such as this
one that there is some evil connotation associated with the sea, or that the
sea is under the domain of the Devil and demons.
2.6.
What we must realize here in the book of Revelation is that though
there are several events recorded in the book which are out of sequence in
time, from chapter 17 onward, the events recorded in the book should be
interpreted as occurring sequentially.
2.6.1. The previous chapter dealt
with the Millennial Reign of Christ, however this chapter and the next chapter
(which is also the last chapter) deal with the period of time after the
Millennium and White Throne Judgment, the time period known as the ‘new
heavens and earth’.
2.6.2. The heavens and the earth
depicted here, as well as the city called “New Jerusalem”, are described
as existing during this time period of eternity in the new heavens and earth.
3.
VS 21:2 - “2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” - New Jerusalem descends
down out of heaven to the earth
3.1.
This city is not the earthly Jerusalem of the Millennial Reign of
Christ, rather it is the city which is comprised of the dwelling places that
Jesus taught His disciples that He was going away to prepare for them (John
14:1-3).
3.2.
John describes the city here as being ‘made ready as a bride adorned
for her husband’.
3.2.1. As we will see here in this
chapter, there is no temple described in the new heavens and earth, for the
Lord Himself is the temple and the
3.2.2. Since the Lord has been
preparing this city for His people since His ascension, as Jesus spoke of in
John 14:1-3, this city will be beautiful beyond words and contain every kind of
wonderful convenience for God’s people, “14:1 ”Let not your heart be
troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many
dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare
a place for you. 3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again,
and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
3.2.2.1.If God spoke this world into
being in a creation that lasted 6 days, imagine what He is going to be able to
do in taking 2000+ years to create one!
3.2.3. The writer to the book of
Hebrews wrote about this city in Heb. 11:16 saying that the Lord is not ashamed
to be called our God, “16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that
is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He
has prepared a city for them.”
3.2.3.1.In Hebrews chapter 11, verse
10, the author tells us that even Abraham was looking for that city that has
foundations and whose architect and builder is God. Abraham saw that there was an eternal city in
the heavens that the Lord was preparing for His people, and thus this New
Jerusalem described in Revelation chapter 21 was even the hope of some of the
Old Testament patriarchs.
4.
VS 21:3 - “3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne,
saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among
them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them”” - God shall dwell with His
people
4.1.
This verse is announced with a ‘loud voice’, and this voice
comes ‘from the throne’, for it is probably the voice of the Lord
Himself.
4.2.
In the first chapter of John’s gospel, John speaks of the eternal Word
of God, which is Jesus, and that the Word was in the beginning and was God
Himself, and then in John 1:14 Jesus said that the Word became flesh and ‘dwelt’
among us. This word ‘dwelt’ in
John1:14 is the same word used here and it means “tabernacled”, “14 And
the Word became flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the
Father, full of grace and truth.”
4.2.1. What the incarnation speaks
to our hearts foremost is that the Lord would want to come, associate with us,
and take on all of the limitations of our existence, but then to even do the
unthinkable on the cross of taking the eternal punishment upon Himself which we
fully deserved because of our sins.
4.2.2. Because of the incarnation
of Christ, and all that that means, it only makes sense then that the Lord will
again ‘tabernacle’ (dwell) with us for eternity.
4.3.
It should warm and comfort the heart of every Christian that the Lord
Himself desires to spend eternity with us, and that we will spend eternity
getting to know the Lord and spending time with Him.
4.4.
In 2 Cor. 6:16, Paul writes about how the Lord comes to dwell within
the Christian at the point of salvation, and thus that the Lord goes with the
Christian, and one day He will even walk among them, “16 Or what agreement
has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just
as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My
people.”
4.4.1. We Christians can have that
closeness of relationship with the Lord here and now, for He is in us and with
us, and thus we ought to pray to the Lord without ceasing and fellowship with
Him all through each and every day.
5.
VS 21:4 - “4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their
eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any
mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”” - God promises to remove
all suffering from His people
5.1.
As we look at this verse, I cannot help but see the similarity between
it and Isaiah 65:17 which we looked at previously in our study here, for the “former
things” which Isaiah wrote about that will not come to mind look very
similar to what John refers to as ‘the first things’.
5.2.
In the previous chapter, we saw the
5.3.
All sadness will be removed by the Lord in His Eternal Kingdom and it
will be replaced with joy and life, as He removes all ‘mourning’, ‘crying’,
and ‘pain’ from existence.
5.4.
I save this comment for last because it deserves much consideration, but
we see tremendous tenderness in that the Lord Himself shall ‘wipe away every
tear’ from the eyes of us His people when we enter His Eternal
Kingdom. When our kids were young and
they would cry I remember how we would tenderly wipe their tears away, and in
the same way the Lord is going to do that for each of us, His children, on one
last final day before we enter into the new heavens and earth that He is going
to create.
5.4.1. The Psalmist wrote in Ps.
34:18, “18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are
crushed in spirit.”
5.4.2. Isaiah, in Isaiah 61:1,
prophesied of Jesus that He came to heal up the brokenhearted,” 61:1 The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has
sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And
freedom to prisoners.”
6.
VS 21:5 - “5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I
am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful
and true.””
- Jehovah declares that He is ‘making all things new’
6.1.
There have been many Christians throughout the ages who have tried to
place the events of this chapter to occur during the Millennial Reign of
Christ, however it should be completely obvious to us here that God is creating
a new heavens and earth, and that in fact He is completely recreating all of
the material universe for His Eternal Reign.
6.2.
Christ, the One whose title in chapter 17 was called, “Faithful and
True”, tells John here to write down these revelations that he is
receiving, for He says that theses very words are ‘faithful and true’.
6.3.
We saw in Rev. 1:11; 1:19; and 19:9, that the Lord commanded John to ‘write’
there as well.
7.
VS 21:6 - “6 And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts
from the spring of the water of life without cost” -
Jesus promises the ‘water of life’ freely to those who thirst
7.1.
To give further assurance to His followers here, Jesus first gives the
promise, ‘it is done’, referring probably to the occurrence of all of
the things that are prophesied in this book, since all have come directly as
one revelation from Jesus.
7.2.
Next, Jesus again declares that He is ‘the Alpha and the Omega’,
which are the beginning and ending letters of the Greek alphabet, for these
indicate His deity as being the Eternal One who was before all things, and in
whom also all things will one day be consummated.
7.2.1. In Rev. 1:8, Jesus already
had said that He was the Alpha and Omega, “8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.””
7.2.2. In the Rev. 22:13, Jesus
repeats again that He is the Alpha and Omega, and then in order to clarify what
He means by this, He says, “the first and the last, the beginning and the end,”
“13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and
the end.””
7.2.3. Paul wrote in Col. 1:16-17
that Christ was ‘before all things’, that all things came into being
through Him, and that all things are held together by Him, “16 For by Him
all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things
have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in
Him all things hold together.”
7.2.3.1.Astronomers today do not
understand why due to the gravitational pull of all objects that all the stars,
planets, dust, gases, etc. don't just come together, and in order to explain
this they have come up with a couple of theories.
7.2.3.1.1.One theory to explain this
is that there is something similar to anti-gravity that is present in all or
perhaps most of the holes or vacuums in space.
7.2.3.1.2.Paul explains in this verse
why this happens however, Jesus holds it all together.
7.3.
We already saw in Rev. 7:15-17, when Jesus was making those wonderful
consoling promises regarding that life of spending an eternity with Him, that
He had promised to allow them to drink from the springs of the water of life,
“15 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him
day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread His
tabernacle over them. 16 “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat, 17 for the Lamb in the
center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs
of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.””
7.3.1. Because every good blessing
and gift from God comes from His grace, Jesus promises that all of His people
shall drink of this water at no cost to themselves.
7.3.1.1.As with salvation, there is
nothing that anyone could do to deserve this water.
8.
VS 21:7 - “7 “He who overcomes shall inherit these things,
and I will be his God and he will be My son.” -
Jesus promises these things to the son ‘who overcomes’
8.1.
The “overcomer” is the one who demonstrates by his deeds in this
life that he has true genuine faith in Christ, and to him Jesus promises many
things in the book of Revelation:
8.1.1. Rev. 2:11: Not be hurt by the Second Death.
8.1.2. Rev. 2:17: Some of the hidden manna, and a white stone
and a new name which only he will know.
8.1.3. Rev. 2:25: Authority over the nations which he will rule
with a rod of iron.
8.1.4. Rev. 3:5: Be clothed in white garments, his name will
not be blotted out of the Book of Life, and He will confess his name before His
Father who is in heaven.
8.1.5. Rev. 3:12: Made a pillar in the house of God, he will
not go out from the house of God, he will have written on him the name of God
and the name of the city of
8.1.6. Rev. 3:21: He will sit down on the throne with Jesus,
just as Jesus overcame and sat down on the right hand of God’s throne (to reign
in power).
8.1.7. Rev. 21:7 He will inherit all of the blessings of the
eternal
8.2.
Paul encourages us as Christians in 1 Cor. 3:21-23, that we need to
remember in this life, that though we may not have it in our possession now,
everything in all of eternity with God, of all His creations, we are going to
inherit one day, “21 So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong
to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or
things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong
to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.”
8.3.
It should be such an encouragement to us as Christians to realize that
not only in this life, but even for all of eternity, we shall be God’s very
sons, and He our very Father.
8.3.1. As Paul wrote in Rom.
8:15-17, we Christians are not called to be just God’s slaves to do whatever He
bids us, and to receive only the scraps that He throws to us from His table,
rather we have been granted for all of eternity to the very seat of honor at
God’s table, that which would be expected for a son, “15 For you have not
received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a
spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if
children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we
suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.”
9.
VS 21:8 - “8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and
abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and
all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death.”” - Jesus reiterates to John that all unbelievers
will not inherit any of these promises of God, but only the ‘lake that burns
with fire’
9.1.
Jesus tells us here that there are several groups of people that will
not inherit eternal life, they are:
9.2.
The ‘cowardly.’
9.2.1. It takes guts for a person
to open their heart up to the Lord and let Him change it and mold it as He
will.
9.2.2. People in the world often
speak of Christianity as being for weak people or those who need a crutch, but
in reality they are the ones who are cowards who are too afraid to let the pure
light of heaven shine upon their hearts and reveal the sin and corruption that
really resides there.
9.2.3. We Christians ought to pray
for more boldness to let the light of God shine upon our hearts for in doing
this we will also be able to be transformed into the image of God’s Son.
9.3.
The ‘unbelieving.’
9.3.1. As I often say, the only sin
that will keep a person out of heaven is the sin of not believing in and
receiving Christ as his Savior, for God will forgive all other sins.
9.3.2. Regardless of all of the St.
Peter at the Pearly Gates jokes, it is only all of those who do not have faith
in Christ that will not be allowed into heaven.
9.4.
The ‘abominable.’
9.4.1. This means those who
habitually practices those things which the Lord in His Word says are an
abomination in His sight.
9.5.
The ‘murderers.’
9.5.1. God can forgive the sin of
murder, so this group only includes those who are unbelieving and unrepentant
murderers.
9.5.2. Before we pass judgment on
those who have committed this sin, we must realize that Jesus said that any who
called his brother a fool, or empty head, and anyone who hated his brother had
committed this sin in God’s eyes.
9.6.
The ‘immoral persons.’
9.6.1. Strong’s Greek Dictionary
lists the following entry for this word translated as ‘immoral persons:
4205 pornos { por’-nos} from pernemi (to sell, akin
to the base of 4097); TDNT
6:579,918; n m AV - fornicator 5, whoremonger 5; 10 GK
- 4521 { povrno" }
1) a man who prostitutes his body to another’s lust for hire
2)
a male prostitute
3) a man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a
fornicator”
9.6.1.1.This is the word from which
we derive the word “pornography,” and it means any sex outside of monogamous
marriage with one of the opposite sex.
9.7.
The ‘sorcerers.’
9.7.1. Strong’s Greek Dictionary
has the following entry for this word translated here ‘sorcerers:’
5332 pharmakeus { far-mak-yoos’}from pharmakon (a
drug, i.e. spell-giving potion);; n m
AV - sorcerer 1; 1
GK - 5759 { farmakeuv" }
1)
one who prepares or uses magical remedies
2)
sorcerer”
9.7.1.1.Those who abuse drugs, using
them for recreation, or are drug addicts are included in this word.
9.7.1.2.Those who abuse drugs sear their
own conscience and cause themselves to continually be more dull towards the
Lord and less able to hear from Him in their lives.
9.7.1.2.1.In the sixties, those who
took drugs, especially psychedelics, mistakenly believed that taking drugs
opened them up to be able to be more spiritually discerning, however in reality
they were opening themselves up to be more easily deceived by the evil spirits
who deceive and hold in bondage all those who are unbelieving.
9.8.
‘All liars.’
9.8.1. People tend to think that some
sins are kind of innocuous or harmless, and lying tends to be one of the sins
that fits in that category, however Jesus says that liars will be thrown into
the lake of fire.
9.8.1.1.To emphasize the seriousness
of the sin of lying, Jesus says that ‘all’ liars are headed to the lake
of fire for eternity.
9.8.2. As with all of the sins but
that of unbelieving, God can forgive the sin of lying. It is those who are unbelieving and
unrepentant and are liars who will be damned for eternity.
9.9.
Jesus told us in Rev. 20:14 that the Second Death was eternal
separation for God in the lake of fire, “14 And death and Hades were thrown
into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”
10.
VS 21:9 - “9 And one of the seven angels who had the seven
bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, “Come
here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”” - One of the seven angels
tells John to come and that he will show him ‘the bride, the wife of the Lamb’
10.1. Interestingly, the city of
10.1.1.It is the eternal home of
God, and in that sense it is the ‘bride’ and ‘wife’ of the Lamb.
10.1.2.It is so associated with the
church who lives within her and is the ‘bride’ and ‘wife’ of
Jehovah, the city itself is considered such.
11.
VS 21:10 - “10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great
and high mountain, and showed me the holy city,
11.1. As I mentioned at the
beginning of this chapter, these last two chapters in Revelation portray events
that will occur not during the Millennial Reign of Christ upon the earth,
described in chapter 20 of the book, but rather the Eternal Reign of Christ,
and in the new heavens and earth which God will create.
11.1.1.This event of the city
descending down is the inauguration of the Eternal Reign of Christ in the new
heavens and earth.
12.
VS 21:11-13 - “11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was
like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 12 It had a great
and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names
were written on them, which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of
12.1. We see here in John’s
description of the New Jerusalem, of which he has a vision, that all of the
valuable gems and metals have a beauty and purity that is beyond the highest
beauty and purity that can be produced here upon the earth.
12.2. There are twelve gates to
this city, however they are merely entrances, for they do not close since there
is no creature that will exist that should ever be barred from entry.
12.3. Those who say that the city
of
12.4. This city is in the shape of
a gigantic cube, 1,500 miles in each direction, a distance that is
approximately that from the
12.4.1.Henry Morris has calculated
that if as he anticipates that about 20 billion people (this number of people
is based upon his hypothesis that a huge number of people will come to Christ
during the
13.
VS 21:14 - “14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation
stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” - The wall of the city
13.1. The twelve foundation stones
of the wall around the city has written on them the names of each of the ‘twelve
apostles’.
13.2. Jesus spoke so much about
the role of the 12 apostles in His kingdom that when Judas betrayed Him and
revealed his true colors, they felt that they must help the Lord out since He
needed 12 apostles, so they chose Matthias, however is he going to be one of
those 12?
13.2.1.Many throughout the
centuries have believed that the apostle Paul was the Lord’s choice however for
the twelfth apostle.
13.3. These 12 apostles are really
capital ‘A’ apostles although in a generic sense an apostle is one who
is sent out, and thus there could be many lower case ‘a’ apostles.
13.3.1.I recently heard Calvary
Chapel pastor Skip Heitzig on the CSN radio assert that every Christian should
think of himself as being an apostle, and that if he didn’t take his specific
calling by the Lord very seriously that he would miss it.
14.
VS 21:15-16 - “15 And the one who spoke with me had a gold measuring
rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. 16 And the city is laid
out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the
city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are
equal” -
The city is a cube measuring 1,500 miles in each direction
15.
VS 21:17-18 - “17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards,
according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. 18 And
the material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear
glass” -
The wall of the city is 72 yards wide
15.1. It is interesting here that
John mentions that human and angelic measurements are equivalent.
15.1.1.For those who wonder if
heaven is in a different dimension, this should stimulate some thought here.
15.2. The city is made of a gold
that is so pure that it is actually transparent, yet still radiates a gold
color.
16.
VS 21:19-20 - “19 The foundation stones of the city wall were
adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper;
the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20 the fifth,
sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the
ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth,
amethyst” -
A description of the foundation stones of the city
16.1. Since the language and
culture of the times when the Old Testament was written are obscured, we do not
have equivalents for every one of these stones in the twelve foundation stones
of the city.
17.
VS 21:21 - “21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each
one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold,
like transparent glass” - Each of the twelve gates to the city is a single pearl
17.1. It is interesting that pearl
is chosen for the gates to the city for the pearl, which grows in an oyster, a
creature that was considered unclean in the Old Testament. The pearl is the only precious gem that is
actually made of organic material. A
pearl is formed as a result of a severe and painful irritant, a grain of sand
that gets inside of an oyster. The oyster
then begins to secrete a pearly white substance that forms a pearl.
17.1.1.The pearl gates symbolize
that access to this city, the New Jerusalem, will for eternity be remembered to
have come about because of suffering, the suffering of Christ upon the cross,
that which all Christians also share in when they walk in fellowship with Him.
17.1.1.1.We Christians must never
lose sight of the fact that our suffering is producing great reward, both in
our lives, and in the lives of those whom the Lord will one day use us.
17.1.2.In Jesus’ parable of the “pearl
of great price” the pearl that a man gave all that he had to purchase is
symbolic not of Christ, but of us as God’s children. We cannot purchase salvation or Christ,
salvation is a gift and can only be received by faith. You as a child of God are that pearl of great
price.
17.1.3.The pearl is an organic
material and in the same way the body of Christ is not a religious institution
but a spiritual organism consisting of all of those who have been baptized into
Christ’s body by the Holy Spirit, brought into literal fellowship and contact
with Christ as the head of the church, and into interdependence with all of the
other members of the body of Christ who must work together in the church.
17.1.4.Banks where people lock up
their valuable gems and metals hire pearl handlers because if a pearl does not
have an organic contact then it will begin to lose its glossy color and become
dull. Therefore, pearl handlers are
women who are hired to wear the bank’s customer’s pearls so that they will keep
their luster. In the same way, if a
Christian does not remain in close contact with the Lord then he will lose that
luster of glow and the holiness that results from fellowship with the
Lord. Its easy to fall into various
compromising sins when close intimate fellowship with the Lord is lost.
17.2. Though gold is the most
precious commodity upon this earth here, we must keep the perspective that as
far as eternity is concerned, it will be asphalt.
18.
VS 21:22 - “22 And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God,
the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple” - There will be no temple in the city
18.1. The tabernacle or temples
that the scripture informs us that the Lord has instituted were all formed for
one reason, they were a place where the Lord dwelt. This is true even of the Christian who in the
New Testament is referred to as the
18.2. Although God will have
placed it upon the hearts of His people to build Him a temple on four different
occasions upon this earth (Solomon’s temple, Herod’s temple, the Jews temple
during the Tribulation, and the Millennial Temple), in His Eternal Kingdom
there will be no need for a temple, for the temples on earth were all just
designed by God to be symbolic of Him and being in fellowship with Him, and in
the Eternal Kingdom He will be always present and accessible.
19.
VS 21:23-26 - “23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the
moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is
the Lamb. 24 And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the
earth shall bring their glory into it.
25 And in the daytime (for there shall be no night there) its gates
shall never be closed. 26 and they shall
bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it” - The Lord shall be the
light of the city
19.1. In verse 25 it mentions day
time, so there is a sun and probably a moon which do shine upon the earth,
however the Lord causes there to be light on earth at all times emanating from
His presence within the city.
19.1.1.There will never again be
night in the city.
19.2. Tim Lahaye quotes Dr. Lehman
Strauss concerning the light that the Lord shall radiate the new heavens and
earth with, “In that city which Christ has prepared for His own there will
be no created light, simply because Christ Himself, who is the uncreated light
(John 8:12) will be there…The created lights of God and of men are as darkness
when compared with our Blessed Lord. The
light He defuses throughout eternity is the unclouded, undimmed glory of His
own Holy presence. In consequence of the
fullness of that light, there shall be no night.”
19.3. We see here that though the
city does come down to the earth, that there are cities and nations upon the
earth, however we also know from the last verses of this chapter that there
shall be no one alive anywhere who is not redeemed, so it must be that though
the saints all have a dwelling in the city, that they also have cities and
jurisdictions over which they reign upon the earth.
19.4. We see that the gates of the
city never close, as there is no creature who is found to be unworthy to enter
the city.
19.5. The ‘kings of the earth’
refer to His people, and John writes here that God’s people will themselves ‘bring
glory into’ the city. They are after
all resurrected to glory themselves!
20.
VS 21:27 - “27 and nothing unclean and no one who practices
abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are
written in the Lamb’s book of life” - No one who is unsaved and thus unclean shall ever
come into the city
20.1. In the
20.2. Only those who are saved
will have their names written in the ‘Lamb’s book of life’, and only
those people shall ever enter the city.