CHAPTER 21

(A.D. 96)

NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH

¹And I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth (New in the Greek is kainos, and means freshness with respect to age; when it is finished, it will be new, as is obvious, but the idea is it will remain new and fresh forever and forever because there is no more sin): for the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away (refers to the original Creation, which was marred by sin; passed away in the Greek is parerchomai, and means to pass from one condition to another; it never means annihilation); and there was no more sea (refers to the giant oceans, such as the Pacific and the Atlantic; however, there will continue to be lakes, bodies of water, rivers, streams, etc.).

²And I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem (presents a New City for this New Earth), coming down from God out of Heaven (in effect, God will change His Headquarters from Heaven to Earth), prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband (proclaims the Eternal Home of the Redeemed as a dwelling place).

³And I heard a great Voice out of Heaven saying (according to the best manuscripts, the Voice now heard was heard out of the Throne), Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Finally proclaims that which God intended from the beginning.)

⁴And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (actually says in the Greek, every teardrop, and refers to tears of sorrow); and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain (addresses sin and all its results): for the former things are passed away (refers to the entire effect of the Fall).

⁵And He Who sat upon the Throne said (presents, for the second time in this Book, God Himself as the Speaker), Behold, I make all things new (refers to the fact of changing from one condition to another). And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (All said is true, and God will be faithful to bring it all to pass as well.)

⁶And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. (The mighty declaration Finished heard at the morning of Creation, at Calvary, and now repeated here for the last time, closes all Prophecy. What He began, He now finishes.) I will give unto him who is athirst of the fountain of the Water of Life freely. (This statement doesnt pertain to the coming Perfect Age, for all then will have the Water of Life, but rather to the present. This fountain of the Water of Life is tied directly to the Cross of Calvary in that it is free to all who will believe [Jn. 3:16].)

⁷He who overcomes shall inherit all things (the only way one can overcome is to place ones Faith exclusively in the Cross of Christ, which gives the Holy Spirit latitude to work in ones life, bringing about the Fruit of the Spirit); and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. (The overcomer is adopted into the Family of God and God treats him as a son, exactly as He does His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.)

⁸But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars (all of this corresponds with the works of the flesh, as outlined in Gal. 5:19-21), shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (proclaims the Eternal destiny of Christ-rejecters).

NEW JERUSALEM

⁹And there came unto me one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show you the Bride, the Lambs Wife. (By use of the word Lamb, we are taken back to the Cross, which has made all of this possible.)

¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain (the Spirit referred to here is the Holy Spirit), and showed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God (John saw it descending, meaning that it is coming down to Earth; this will be after the Lord has made the New Heavens and New Earth, in fact when God changes His Headquarters from Heaven to Earth),

¹¹Having the Glory of God (this is what makes the city what it is): and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal (presents the radiance of Gods Glory);

THE HOLY CITY

¹²And had a wall great and high (this wall is 216 feet high, counting 18 inches to the cubit; it is decorative only), and had twelve gates (signifies three gates on the North, three on the South, three on the East, and three on the West; the gates on each side will be about 375 miles apart from each other), and at the gates twelve Angels (proclaims the Glory of the City, and as well the Glory of Gods Government), and names written thereon, which are the names of the Twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel (proclaims the fact that the Lambs Wife is made up of every single Believer, whether on this side or the other side of the Cross; every gate will have the name of one of the Twelve Tribes; as well, this tells us how precious Israel is to the Heart of God):

¹³On the east three gates (will probably have the names Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan); on the north three gates (will probably have the names Reuben, Judah, and Levi); on the south three gates (will probably have the names Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun); and on the west three gates (will probably have the names Gad, Asher, and Naphtali).

¹⁴And the wall of the city had twelve foundations (the way of Salvation was shown to the Jews, hence, the gates and the names of the Twelve Tribes inscribed on those gates; however, the foundation of Salvation was not really given until after the Cross, because it could not be given until after the Cross), and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. (On each foundation is the name of one of the Twelve Apostles. The foundation of the Salvation Message is based 100% on Christ and the Cross, hence, the word Lamb being used.)

¹⁵And he who talked with me (this is not the Angel who talked with John in Verse 9; the one now speaking identifies himself as a Prophet [Rev. 22:9]) had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. (The measuring is done for a reason. It reveals the perfection, fulfillment, and completion of all Gods Purposes for His Redeemed People.)

MEASUREMENTS

¹⁶And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs (translates into about 1,500 miles per side). The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. (This presents astounding dimensions. It is about half the size of the United States, regarding length and breadth. If that is not enough to take ones breath away, it will also be 1,500 miles tall. The mind cannot comprehend this, but Faith believes.)

¹⁷And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits (translates into about 216 feet, that is if we are using 18 inches to the cubit; as stated, the wall is strictly for ornamentation), according to the measure of a man, that is, of the Angel. (The designation of Angel is sometimes given to men, God, and the Creatures we refer to as Angels. This man, as Rev. 22:9 proclaims, is a Prophet.)

¹⁸And the building of the wall of it was of jasper (presents a precious stone of several colors): and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass (takes us beyond the imagination, beyond comprehension! but yet, this is literal).

¹⁹And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones (describes beauty upon beauty). The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

²⁰The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. (The flooding of color in that incomparable City is beyond imagination. All of these stones named here are exquisite in color.)

²¹And the twelve gates were twelve pearls (probably means each gate, which is about 216 feet tall, is made of untold thousands of pearls); every several gate was of one pearl (seems to indicate that this particular gate, which is probably every third or fourth one, is made out of one gigantic pearl): and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (refers to the fact that not only are all the buildings of pure gold, [Rev. 21:18], but even the streets are made of pure gold).

THE LIGHT

²²And I saw no Temple therein (refers to a Temple such as in Old Testament times; actually there is a literal Temple in the New Jerusalem, but it will not serve the same purpose as the Temple on Earth [Rev. 3:12; 7:15; 11:19; 14:15, 17; 15:1-8; 16:1, 17]): for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it. (Before the Cross, a Temple on Earth was necessary because God could not dwell with man at that time, at least directly. Since the Cross, the Holy Spirit can dwell within man, because the terrible sin debt has been paid [Jn. 14:17; I Cor. 3:16].)

²³And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it (proclaims the fact that the Creator is not in need of His Creation; God has need of nothing, but all have need of God): for the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof. (The word Lamb signifies that all of this is made possible for Believers as a result of what Christ did at the Cross.)

²⁴And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it (should have been translated, and the nations shall walk by means of its light; the words of them which are saved are not actually in the best manuscripts; in fact, there will be no one in the world in that day who isnt saved): and the kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honour into it. (This refers to leaders of nations, whatever they might be called at that particular time. All will give Glory to God, and all will Honor the Lord, and do so forever.)

²⁵And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day (in fact, they will never be shut): for there shall be no night there. (This speaks of the City only, for outside the City there will be day and night eternally [Gen. 1:14-18; 8:22; Ps. 89:2-3; Jer. 31:35-36].)

²⁶And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it (proclaims a Righteous commerce, and in every capacity).

²⁷And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie (this means that all sin is forever banished, and will never return): but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life (refers to the Book of the Redeemed; the word Lamb refers to the fact that all are saved by placing their Faith and Trust in Christ and what He did for us at the Cross).