Deeper Commentary
CHAPTER 21
21:1 And
I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away- This is the situation presented in 2
Peter 3. The present system ["heaven and earth"] passes away at the Lord's
return, and is replaced by the new one of the Kingdom age. I emphasize
this because Rev. 21 is about the situation at the time of the Lord's
return- and not some point 1,000 years after it. This means that the
statement that "death shall be no more" (:4) is true at this point- of the
Lord's return to earth and establishment of the Kingdom. If death is truly
"no more" in the new system ["heaven and earth"], then there can be no
'mortal population' during the next 1,000 years. In other words, the
theory of a Millennial reign needs to be radically re-thought, because as
it popularly stands it is simply contrary to the text of Scripture.
And the sea was no more- "The wicked are like the troubled sea,
when it cannot rest" (Is. 57:20). The sea refers to nations in 17:15, and
as noted on 13:1, to the nations immediately surrounding the earth / land
promised to Abraham who gave power to the beast and Babylon system. We
read later in chapter 21 of how the nations enter into the new Jerusalem-
the unbelieving, ignorant world at the time of the Lord's return are given
the opportunity to come enter into the city of God, where there is only a
new Israel, and no national differences. So this would be explaining how
the situation where there is "no more sea" / nations came about. However
it may be that the point of contrast is with the fact that in the Kingdom
age, the source of water will not be the sea and its role in the water
cycle, but rather the water which emerges from Zion (Rev. 22:1). The book
of Revelation also seeks to subtly undermine the commonly accepted views
of evil, by showing that all the beasts, dragons, demons imaginable are in
fact not radical, free-ranging evil [as many imagined both then and now],
but rather under God's very tight control; they are playing their role
within His purpose, all leading towards the final end when sin and evil
will be no more on earth. "The sea" was feared by the first century world,
as being the source of monsters and evil. Rather than trying to argue that
actually, that's nonsense- Revelation 21:1 instead teaches that whatever
our beliefs are about "the sea", it will ultimately be no more when Christ
returns.
The language of this whole section in 21:1-8 connects with Is. 65,
concerning the establishment of the Kingdom, not after the Millennium.
Heaven and earth pass away, the former (Gk. proton) things pass
(:4)- the things that were once first place now pass. In 20:13, the sea
gives up the dead; and this is applied to the 'end of the Millennium' by
those who believe in a Millennial reign. But here in 21:1, "the sea" no
longer exists at the start of the Lord's reign- for it is at this time
that the bride meets the groom, and the Kingdom is established. Hence
20:13 must be interpreted as referring to some time around Christ's
return; see my notes on chapter 20.
Revelation
of the situation after the Millennium would surely be inappropriate, if
not impossible, for us to receive in this dispensation. The context of
Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 is set in chapter 20. The earth and heaven
flee away when Christ sits on the throne, "and there was found no place
for them" (20:11). This is almost quoting Dan. 2:35 concerning the
establishment of the Kingdom, not the end of a 1000 year period. In place
of this heaven and earth, a new heaven and earth appear in Revelation
21:1. This is the language of Is. 65:17 and 2 Pet. 3:13 concerning the
second coming. In this context, John sees "the bride, the Lamb's wife"
(Revelation 21:2,9). The church is only a bride at the time of the second
coming, seeing she marries Christ at the marriage supper. At this time,
"God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death", sorrow etc. (Revelation 21:4). The church will not be
afflicted by these things during the Millennium; this must refer to
Christ's return. Likewise the gift of the water of life (Revelation 21:6)
is at the judgment at the second coming. The idea of former things (e.g.
death, tears) passing away in 21:4 is one of many connections in
Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 with Isaiah's prophecies of the second
coming (Revelation 21:4 = Is. 60:20; 65:19; Revelation 21:25 = Is.
60:11,20). Revelation 21:7 speaks of the time when the faithful believer
will receive his inheritance. This surely refers to the judgment at the
second coming (Mt. 25:34). Revelation 22 has a number of connections with
Revelation 21 which would indicate that we are to see Revelation 22 as
also referring to the start, rather than the end, of the Millennium (e.g.
Revelation 22:14, 21:27; 2:7). "The leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2) is another obvious example.
"They shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 22:5) is the language of
Dan. 7:18,27 concerning the judgment at Christ's return.
21:2 And
I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God-
see on 1 Thess. 4:14. The whole prophetic metanarrative of the Bible is in
many ways a tale of two cities- Babylon and Jerusalem. There are times
when Babylon masquerades as Zion- a false city of God with a false Messiah
leading her. Babylon / Babel was a city built to reach unto Heaven,
in contrast to the true city of God which comes down from Heaven
(Gen. 11:4 cp. Rev. 21:2). And there are times when Zion in her apostasy
has appeared as Babylon. But in the final conflict of the last days, these
two cities will be literally pitted against each other. Natural Jerusalem
will be where Babylon makes her throne (see on 16:19) and will be
destroyed by fire and sulphur; but then the new Jerusalem comes down upon
her ruins. It was in Babylon where Nimrod first built the tower of Babel,
the first organized rebellion against God; and it was there that God first
entered into open judgment of flesh and humanity en masse. And it
is here likewise that His purpose with sin and His true people will
likewise be fulfilled. Babylon was also called Su-anna, “the holy city”.
Yet “the holy city” is Jerusalem, thus making Babylon a fake Zion,
although she is briefly built on the site of Zion. Herodotus says the city
was square, just as new Jerusalem. We have shown elsewhere that the events
of the Babylonian invasion are typical of the last days. That invasion was
“the time of [Israel’s] trouble” (Jer. 11:12), clearly typical of Jacob’s
latter day “time of trouble”.
Made ready
as a bride-
"The bride" is married at the marriage supper (19:7-9)- not at the end of
the Millennium. Therefore this is about the setting up of the Kingdom at
Christ's return. The marriage supper of the lamb is at the Lord's return,
not 1,000 years after it. The same words are used in Rev. 19:7 about the
preparation of the bride. Therefore this vision, during which it is
declared that death has ended (:4), is at the Lord's return. The
destruction of death is spoken of in chapter 20 as being when the 1,000
years are established [mistranslated with the sense of "expired"]. Yet
here in chapter 21, death ends at the time of the marriage of the lamb.
There is thus no place for any theories of a 'mortal population' in the
Kingdom of God. In the 1st century application, John the Baptists
attempted to prepare [s.w. "made ready"] the bride, but this failed in
that Israel crucified her Messiah (Lk. 1:17 s.w.). The marriage supper,
the Kingdom, has been "prepared" from the beginning of the world (Mt.
22:4; 25:34;) and through the Lord's death (Jn. 14:2,3). It is the bride
who is not ready. The implication is surely that once the bride is
"prepared / made ready", then the marriage supper begins. The preparation
of the bride is through the baptism of the last converts, and the
spiritual preparation of those who are baptized.
The
adornment or making read is surely of good works and spiritual fruits, by
which we adorn the teaching of the Gospel (Tit. 2:10; 1 Pet. 3:5). In this
we see the significance of works. The Lord will marry us because we are
His beloved, of His sovereign choice. But in response, we adorn ourselves
as best we can for Him who has so loved us. And yet the greatest adornment
is the white garments of imputed righteousness which are given to us (see
on 19:8).
21:3- see on
Jn. 1:14.
And I heard
a great voice out of the throne, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people; and
God Himself shall be with them- This is stating the same wondrous truth three times. God shall indeed
live with us on earth. Heaven shall come to earth. This is all an allusion
to Ez. 37:26,27, concerning the time of Christ's return. If God lives with
us at Christ's return, how will He be shielded from the 'mortal'
population? This problem disappears if the 1000 years is seen as a
description of the Kingdom itself. Seeing God's face was what motivated
Job, and John seems to allude to it as the final consolation in 1 Jn. 4.
"The
tabernacle of God", being God's people; He being our God; God living and
walking with us, is all evidently alluding to Lev. 26:11,12 and Ex.
29:45,46 concerning the ultimate blessings of the covenant after Israel's
final repentance. The shadowy fulfilment they have had in the past through
God's manifestation in an Angel doesn't mean that these promises can and
must only be fulfilled by some form of God manifestation. Surely
Revelation 21:3 is saying that at the second coming the principle of God
manifestation will change in that God will personally be with His people.
Because we have so far lived under the paradigm of God manifestation,
let's not think that it's not possible for God to personally be with
us. Let's really try to be broad-minded enough to take this on board.
The other
references to "God himself" are to Yahweh personally, rather than to
Christ: Is. 45:18; Jn. 5:37; 16:27; 2 Cor. 5:18,19; Eph. 1:5.
Indeed, those N.T. references seem to point a difference between "God
himself" and Christ. So isn't it lack of spiritual vision- perhaps even of
faith - that makes us wriggle against the idea of God Himself, in person,
living with us? The idea of God Himself dwelling with men in the
tabernacle (temple) of the new city of Jerusalem is a clear reference to
Ez. 48:35, which says that the name of Jerusalem in the Millennium will be
"Yahweh is there". These ideas doubtless also have reference to Yahweh's
promise to David to build an eternal house for Yahweh's Name. This verse
seems to teach that God Himself, in person, will descend to earth with
Christ. This might sound altogether too incredible. But think about
the idea. The King Himself (= God) comes to see the guests at the wedding
of His Son (= Jesus; Mt. 22:11). "God himself" here either means God
Himself or God manifest in Christ. "God himself shall be with them" seems
to me an odd way of describing Christ's second coming. God will "be their
God”. I would just about be willing to concede that this might apply to
God manifest in Christ - but for one significant fact: this Revelation
21:3 is packed with O.T. allusions which explicitly refer to God the
Father.
And be their God- God promised Abraham that through Christ, His
seed, blessing would come on people from all nations, with the result that
God would be the God of Abraham's multitudinous seed: "To be a God unto...
your seed... I will be their God" (Gen. 17:7,8). The seed is Christ, and
the "God" is Yahweh. Let's not confuse them. Now in Revelation 21:3 this
fundamental promise is alluded to; God Himself will be our God then; we
will see Him and have a personal relationship with Him. This would mean
that this idea of personally being with God is a fundamental part of the
Gospel preached to Abraham.
21:4- see on
Mt. 25:37-40; Rev. 20:14.
And He shall
wipe away every tear from their eyes-
The same word is used in Acts 3:19
concerning sin being blotted out at Christ's return. The tears are for our
sins (sorrow likewise is connected with sin in Is. 53). Will we have an
emotional breakdown straight after the judgment? The accepted will feel so
certain of this that they will almost argue with the Lord Jesus at the day
of judgment that he hasn't made the right decision concerning them (Mt.
25:37-40). It's only a highly convicted man who would dare do that. Thus
the Father will have to comfort the faithful in the aftermath of the
judgment, wiping away the tears which will then (see context) be in
our eyes, and give us special help to realize that our sinful past has now
finally been overcome. We will be like the labourers in the parable who
walk away from judgment clutching their penny, thinking "I really
shouldn't have this. I didn't work for a day, and this is a day's pay".
Therefore if we honestly, genuinely feel that we won't be in the Kingdom,
well, this is how in some ways the faithful will all feel.
The tears
that will be wiped from our eyes are those associated with "the former
things" of this life, and also the emotion associated with our acceptance.
But it can't be that it means we will never have the emotion of sadness
ever again. For God is made sad, grieved at His heart, even now. And we
are to share His nature. Consider for a moment the emotion
which we will feel after being granted Divine nature. Malachi says we will
be like stalled animals, who are fed, fattened, kept in small dark pens to
be killed… who then suddenly break out into the daylight, and go prancing
away through the meadows. This will be our leap of joy and taste of true
freedom. Yet the Father will have to comfort the faithful in the aftermath
of the judgment, wiping away the tears which will then (see
context) be in our eyes, and give us special help to realize that our
sinful past has now finally been overcome.
And death
shall be no more- The end of death is portrayed in Revelation 20 as death being thrown
into the lake of fire, which is also the second death. The second death is
for those rejected at the judgment at Christ's return. Their punishment
with death is therefore the end of death; there will be no more death
after that because the curse of death upon Adam's race will be ended.
There is no possibility therefore for a 'mortal population' after these
things. If there is to be no more crying or pain after the Lord's return,
we are scarcely to imagine that there will be exactly these things at some
supposed 'second judgment' and 'second condemnation' 1,000 years later.
1 Cor.
15:54,55 likewise speak of the end of death: "But when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall come to fulfilment the saying that is written:
Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death,
where is your sting?". The quotation is from Is. 25:8, which concerns
events at Christ's return- not at the end of the 1,000 years. The end of
death will therefore come at the resurrection- when Christ returns. And
that is what is being taught here in Rev. 20 and 21.
Neither
shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more- The Greek for "pain" specifically
refers to labour pains. This is all the language of the curse on Adam and
Eve in Genesis 3. It fits into a theme of paradise being restored. But
labour pains are also used with regard to the experience of the believers
during the tribulation. As ever in Revelation, there is especial relevance
to the believers who are persecuted and die during the final tribulation
in the earth / land promised to Abraham. It is they who have experienced
death, sorrow and labour pains.
The first
things are passed away- The parallel is with the passing away of the first heaven and earth
(:1). The 'heaven and earth' is therefore a figure for "the former
things". Former things... Defined in Is. 48:3,4,5 as God's
prediction "from the beginning" that Israel would sin and be judged by Him
with exile. When we read that the "former things" will no longer be
remembered, and that both God and man will "remember not the former
things" (Is. 43:18), perhaps the same reference is in view. Rev. 21:4
predicts that in the Kingdom age, there will be no more tears because "the
former things are passed away", literally, 'they are behind'. That may
appear obvious, a needless statement of a truism- that past things are
past. But the suggestion is that then we will totally realize that our
sins are behind us, as God has cast them behind His back. The connection
between tears, sorrow and "former things" is a powerful psychological
insight into the human condition- sorrow, tears, depression etc. are all
connected with our awareness (however subconscious) of human sin, both our
own and of others. When we finally grasp that all sin is indeed behind us,
then there is the basis for a life without tears. And that is at least
theoretically possible even now, if only we will see our sins and perceive
them as God does- as past. But we must of course deal with the sins of
others in that same way. God's emphasis in Isaiah is that He has
"declared" the former things from the start. All our sins in one sense
were known to God from the beginning, and He knew how to deal with them.
God (this is
important) made Joseph forget all his "toil", his mental sufferings (Gen.
42:51). This was a miracle; no amount of steel-willed suppression of his
past could have made Joseph paper over all the pain. But God did a
psychological miracle upon him. Has God done the same to Christ now in His
glory, as He will to us one day soon (Rev. 21:4)? Yet the Lord will be
factually aware of His sacrifice and the associated pain. God presumably
did not obliterate Joseph's memory cells, but He made him "forget" the
pain. This is surely what God has done to Christ, and what He will do to
us: take away the pain on a psychological level whilst still leaving a
factual awareness. Is it too much to suggest that even now, God is ready
and willing to do something like this?
21:5 And
he that sits on the throne said: Behold! I make all things new. And he
said: Write! For these words are faithful and true- All things will be
made new at the Lord’s coming, and yet those in whom the new creation is
worked out already have all things made new in their spiritual experience
(2 Cor. 5:17,18).
The utter
literality of all this was emphasized to John, when he was told: "Write!
For these words are true and faithful". The almost fantastical description
of God Himself wiping away all the tears that are in (Gk.) the eyes of
men... this really is true and faithful. It could be that the wonder of
the idea of meeting God in person... boggled John's mind to the point he
wondered whether he really was intended to write this down, doubting
whether all this could be really true. And he exactly represents our
feelings.
21:6 And
he said to me: They have come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will freely give to him who is thirsty from the
spring of the water of life- We, now, take the water of life (22:17;
Jn. 4:14; Mt. 10:8). The picture surely is that at this time, we receive
literal immortality. It speaks of the Lord's return and not the end of
some point 1,000 years afterwards. It is at this time, when we receive
immortality, drinking the water of life, that death itself ends. So there
will be no 'mortal population' after that. And yet as John's gospel
stresses, we can right now drink of that water of life; we can receive the
gift of the spirit, of the Lord's mind and thinking, of His life; so that
we can begin to live now the kind of life which we shall eternally live.
And the Greek tenses could imply that throughout eternity we are
continually given, in an ongoing sense, to drink of this water of life. It
is life as He has it, and not just the one-time gift of immortality.
The "freely"
giving of the water of life recalls the river Pison in the garden of Eden,
which means 'freely flowing'. There are allusions galore to Eden through
the final visions of Revelation- for Eden shall be restored and the curse
lifted.
21:7 He
that overcomes shall inherit these things- The letters to the churches
begin Revelation by repeatedly promising that "he that overcomes" will be
recompensed at Christ's return- no suggestion is made that the recompense
will be 1,000 years after His return (Rev. 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21). The
Greek word translated "overcomes" occurs nowhere else. The reference here
is therefore to the time of Christ's return; and it is at this time that
death will be ended (:4), i.e. cast into the lake of fire. If death itself
is destroyed at the Lord's return, there cannot be any mortal population
during a supposed 1000 year reign which commences at His return.
And I will
be his God and he shall be my son- An application of the promise to David about
Messiah to each one of us who is in Christ (2 Sam. 7:14). The wonder of our eternal
living will be that we shall relate to the Father as the Lord Jesus did.
The prospect offered to us is very much in terms of relationship
with the Father and Son, without being disturbed by personal sin and the
possibility of sinning; rather than a presentation of a literal picture of
a physical, materially optimal existence.
21:8 But for the fearful and unbelieving and abominable and murderers
and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their share
shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur; which is the second
death- The language of murder, fornication, lying, sorcery and
idolatry has all been used in Revelation of the beast / Babylon system and
their various associated acts such as the false prophet. It is they who
shall be destroyed in the second death; implying that they shall be raised
to judgment even if they died during the tribulation. I have suggested in
chapter 20 that the descriptions of resurrection, judgment by those who
they killed, and destruction in the second death all refer specifically to
this category.
These people
are those of 20:15, those of 22:15 who are placed (geographically?)
outside the encampment of the people of God in Jerusalem, perhaps to be
literally burnt in Gehenna outside the city.
But just as
apparently 'petty' sins [by secular judgment] are juxtaposed alongside
apparently 'major' ones in Paul's writings, so here, the "fearful and
unbelieving" are categorized alongside the abusive members of the beast
system. Those who won't believe the good news of salvation in Jesus are in
the same category as those society would characterize as serious sinners,
the abusive members of the beast system. But before God, they all have the
same final end. Note that the disciples, whose names are on the
foundations of the new Jerusalem, were once both fearful and unbelieving
(Mk. 4:40). Indeed they are described as "unbelieving" several times (Mt.
17:17; Jn. 20:27; Tit. 1:15). The point is that those who were once like
those outside the city are in fact the foundations of the city.
And yet the
language used here is also used about the behaviour of some within the
church. The same words are used about believers in 1 Cor. 5:9,11; Heb.
12:16; 13:4. It means that in essence this is how God sees some in the
ecclesias. I wonder how many of them will have literally done those
things. Surely it is more reasonable to suppose that this is how their
other deeds and attitudes were counted in God's sight. Or does it show
that far more people than we expect will be classed as responsible to
judgment? And it's noteworthy that those who won't believe are in the same
category as these more 'awful' sinners. For we are either saved or
rejected, there is no third road nor category.
21:9 And
there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden
with the seven last plagues; and he spoke with me, saying: Come here, I
will show you the bride- We are introduced to the idea of seven last
plagues, and thus an expectation is set up that we shall now see some
awful catastrophes poured out on earth. Instead, we have a vision of the
bride and her Kingdom glory. I suggest this is purposeful; we are being
shown that the Lord's focus is upon the salvation of His people. The
punishment of the wicked is incidental to that, and not something He at
all revels in. Perhaps the idea is that the final attack against Jerusalem
is made whilst the Lord and His bride are within it. And His focus is upon
enjoying the beauty of His bride rather than the necessary destruction of
the invaders through those seven last plagues. Maybe the seven last
plagues, like the seven thunders, are potentially prepared but do not
actually happen; see on 10:4.
21:10 And
he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high- The
'height' of the mountain likely refers more to its glory than its literal
altitude. Zion and / or the mount of Olives was the great and high
mountain in the Jewish thought in which Revelation is presented. And Acts
1 and Zech. 14 envisage the Lord Jesus returning to that mountain. The
exact chronology of events need not concern us; not only will the meaning
/ experience of time likely be changed, but the chronology must to some
extent be open, because the repentance of various groups will be possible.
The final outworking of events will take that into account.
And showed
me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God- Literal
Jerusalem as the capital of Babylon will be destroyed; a new Jerusalem
will literally come down to replace it. But this is not a pile of new
stones, but more essentially the glorified believers, who as explained on
1 Thess. 4:14 come as it were with the Lord Jesus at this stage.
21:11
Having the glory of God. Her light was like a stone most precious, as it
were a jasper stone, clear as crystal- Jasper appears in various
colours, representative of the varying individual beauties of the
believers, refracting the Lord's light in unique and beautiful [to Him]
ways. The Hebrew idea of 'jasper' is 'polishing', and it is that process
which is underway in our lives at this moment.
21:12 She
had a wall great and high, having twelve gates; and at the gates were
twelve angels, and the names of the twelve tribes of the children of
Israel written thereon- The 12 gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem are
identified with 12 Angels, whereon are written the names of the 12 tribes
of Israel. This suggests that the tribes of Israel are reflective of the
situation in Heaven, where there are Angels representing each tribe. This
identity between heavenly Angels and the believers they represent on earth
is a common theme in Revelation. This connection between Angels and Israel
is commonly found in the Old Testament. Dan. 8:24 speaks of Israel as “the
people of the saints” (RVmg.), although v. 13 speaks of “the saint” (RV
“holy one”) as an Angel. 1 Sam. 17:45 parallels the Angelic hosts, and the
hosts of Israel’s armies; they were to follow where the host of God went,
just as David’s army had to follow the sound of the cherubim “marching”
over the mulberry bushes (1 Chron. 14:15). And whilst we follow where we
are led, we are identified with our Angels to the extent that what is done
to us is done to them. To defy the armies of Israel was thus to defy the
armies of Heaven (1 Sam. 17:45). Thus the four faces of the Angel cherubim
were reflected in the four standards of the camp of Israel; the people
were intended to “keep in step with the Spirit”, following where they
went, as they had done in the wilderness years. They were to walk “each
one straight before him” (Is. 57:2 RVmg.), as each of the cherubim went
straight ahead (Ez. 1:12). And we too are to follow where our Angel
potentially enables us to go. The Angel went in to Jericho to take the
city; and the Israelites went “straight” ahead, following the Angel, and
thus took the city (Josh. 5:13,14; 6:20).
21:13 On
the east were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three
gates and on the west three gates- What is the significance of this
order? It is not a circular view, i.e. not clockwise nor anticlockwise.
Perhaps it is in conscious difference to the order of the gates of the
city as given in Ez. 48:31-34, which goes north- east- south- west, i.e.
in a clockwise direction, starting from where the hands of the clock would
naturally begin, i.e. at the north. The many differences highlighted with
the Ezekiel temple visions seem in order to make the point that contrary
to Jewish expectation, that temple would not be literally built at the
Lord's return. The new Jerusalem will be altogether beyond such
literalism.
The square
nature of the city (:16) is perhaps to demonstrate that the Kingdom of God
is open to all peoples from all quarters; and the unbelieving nations who
were not destroyed along with Babylon will now equally be able to enter
God's Kingdom.
21:14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the
twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb- Those men were so
weak in their lifetimes, but out of such weakness were made strong. John
must have been shocked to see his own name there. We can assume that the
device to replace Judas with Matthias in Acts 1:26 was therefore eternally
accepted. The tragedy is that the name of Judas could have been there, but
it was removed, just as names can be deleted from the book of life.
21:15 And
he that spoke with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city
and the gates of it, and the wall of it- The allusion is clearly to
the measurements of the new temple given in Ezekiel 40-48. But the details
and dimensions are so different, and those emphasized differences [see on
:13] climax in the statement that there is "no temple" in the new
Jerusalem (:22). It all seems designed to underscore the point that the
temple of Ezekiel's prophecy is not going to be built at the Lord's
return. It was a potential, conditional prophecy of what could have been
at the restoration from Babylon, which the Jews failed to actualize.
It's worth
reflecting on the significance of how the same words for "reed" and
"measure" are used in Rev. 11:1, where John is bidden measure the temple
with a reed. But there is no record of him doing so. Now, an Angel does
make the measurements, not just with a "reed" but with a "golden reed",
the gold maybe speaking of faith brought to completion. Perhaps John
represented the lack of faith and obedience which precluded the Lord's
Kingdom coming in the first century. Likewise it was a lack of faith which
precluded the building of the temple which Ezekiel had seen measured out
with a reed. Hence the difference in reeds- the one in Rev. 21:15 is a
golden reed, speaking of faith.
21:16 And
the city is laid out as a square, its length is as great as its breadth,
and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand stadia- This
is clearly not to be taken literally. And so one wonders why the
insistence on reading 'one thousand years' as a literal measurement in
this very same section of Revelation.
The length
and the breadth and the height of it are equal- As were the dimensions of the most
Holy, and of Babylon, which was rebuilt briefly on the site of Jerusalem.
The perfect congruence of the design reflects how in this life, each of
the component parts is being brought into perfect symmetry with the
others. This would be one explanation for the inter-personal friction
which so many have experienced as a result of their Christian walk. In the
bigger picture, this was all necessary to make us fit together so
perfectly in eternity.
The square
nature of the city (twice emphasized) is perhaps to demonstrate that the
Kingdom of God is open to all peoples from all quarters; and the
unbelieving nations who were not destroyed along with Babylon will now
equally be able to enter God's Kingdom.
21:17 And
he measured the wall of it, one hundred and forty four cubits- Again,
numbers are not to be taken literally. The idea is clearly of 12 x 12, the
foundations of Jacob's twelve sons mixed with those of the twelve
apostles, maybe speaking of the perfect fusion of Jew and Gentile.
The
measurement of a man, which is also an angel's measurement- The parallel between men and Angels
would suggest that now the believers have become as Angels (Lk. 20:35,36).
This would suggest a reference to the time of the Lord's return, when
there will be this change from humanity to immortality and Angelic nature.
John has seen Angels representing believers in the heavenly throne room,
and now they are united.
21:18 And
the building of the wall was of jasper- Why a wall? It can hardly be
for protection. Perhaps there will eternally be a sense of separation
between light and darkness, saved and unsaved, which we do well to be
aware of now too.
And the city
was pure gold, like pure glass- See on :21 pure gold. Glass was not totally transparent in
John's day, but he saw glass as if it were transparent, and had the
impression this was in fact transparent gold (:21). Yet gold by its nature
cannot be transparent. In these paradoxes we have reflected the wonder of
the whole thing. The city of God, the Kingdom of God, is transparent- it
is open. The gold, the wonderful reality which by its nature is
closed and dense, is also amazingly open and transparent. For a theme of
these visions is that the unbelieving world [those not destroyed during
the last judgments] are invited to come in to the Kingdom, to the
community of believers, the Jerusalem which is above which has now been
revealed on earth. The gates are open day and night, the wall is there-
but transparent; the city itself is the ultimate image of openness. The
bride and the Lord Jesus are urging the nations to come into it. No longer
do the 12 tribes of Israel define membership- the symbolism of 12 x 12
gives the impression of an innumerably greater openness. The spirit of
that openness is to be seen in us today.
21:19 The
foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of
precious stones- The allusion is to the temple in Jerusalem, whose
precious stones had made John and the other disciples so awestruck (Mk.
13:1). That was all to be replaced by a spiritual temple. Instead of the
names of donors and other leading lights within Judaism engraved on the
precious stones, now the names of the humble disciples are to be written.
As the bride was adorned (:2), so the same figure is used here. The
adornment is surely of good works and spiritual fruits, by which we adorn
the teaching of the Gospel (Tit. 2:10; 1 Pet. 3:5).
The first
foundation was jasper. The second, sapphire. The third, chalcedony. The
fourth, emerald- See on
:20.
21:20 The
fifth, sardonyx. The sixth, sardius. The seventh, chrysolite. The eighth,
beryl. The ninth, topaz. The tenth, chrysoprase. The eleventh, jacinth.
The twelfth, amethyst- The stones echo the spirit of the High Priest's
breastplate. Within the city, therefore, is the heart of the High Priest.
The thinking, spirit and heartbeat of Jesus is the all-consuming
characteristic of the community within those walls, as it should be of us
today.
21:21- see
on Mt. 7:6.
And the
twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each of the separate gates was of one
pearl- The gates
are open constantly (:25), and even if shut, the glory passing through the
pearl would have given the effect of the pearl being transparent. This
fits with the otherwise strange image of transparent gold (see on :18).
The gates are open; but why are there gates, therefore, and why are they
effectively transparent? It is in order to teach something to the nations
who witness Christ's return. They must recognize that there is indeed a
wall and gate to be passed through, but it is effectively open and
transparent to them, such is the Lord's will that they should enter in.
And the
street of the city was pure gold, as if it were transparent glass-
Gold cannot
by nature be transparent. John is struggling in words to convey what he
saw and the impressions which arose. As with the language of demons, we
have an example here of how the Bible uses human language and at times
records things from the limited perspective of observers on earth.
21:22 And
I saw no temple therein. For the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are
the temple of it- This seems almost purposefully intended to teach
that the temple outlined in Ez. 40-48 will not be built at the Lord's
return. See on :13. The dimensions of the city, measured by a reed as was
used in Ezekiel's vision, are specifically different from those in
Ezekiel's temple vision. I suggest Ez. 40-48 was command rather than
prediction; it was what could have been if the returned exiles had built
it. Revelation was given in the first century, at the time when Jerusalem
and its temple were destroyed. This was no small tragedy for Jews and
Judaism. Revelation's message is that Jerusalem and the temple are not
necessary in the new order of things; there will be a new Jerusalem,
comprised of the believers; and no need in any case for a temple.
In John's
Gospel, the Lord states that He is the temple / tabernacle which was to be
taken down in His death and rebuilt in His resurrection. Our abiding in
Him is therefore abiding within the temple; for He has prepared for us an
abiding place in that spiritual house through His death (Jn. 14:1,2).
As discussed on :2, this replacement of the temple by the Lord
Jesus had huge significance for the primary audience of Revelation. For
the destruction of AD70 was going to shake the world and faith of most
Jews, including Jewish Christians. But those who correctly perceived the
message of Revelation would not have been at all fazed.
21:23 And the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to
shine upon it- The sun and moon were created partly in order to give a
sense of time and seasons, not least the Jewish feasts. Grasping God's
view of time means that we will see the Kingdom as immortality, not
everlasting life. The eternity of our future existence is not the big
theme of the Bible; it is "God manifestation, not human salvation", in the
words of John Thomas. The process of eternity, the life and Kingdom of
God, is already going on now; the tree of life is now (not 'will
be'; Greek tenses are precise) in the midst of the paradise of God, at
least from God's perspective (Rev. 2:7). We will have no need of the sun,
for the light of God's glory will replace our concept of time (Rev.
21:23). Indeed, "the time of the end" can be read as "the end of time"
(Dan. 12:4,9). There will be "time (Gk. chronos, the idea of time)
no longer" (Rev. 10:6). The image of Dan. 2 is destroyed together by the
Lord's return; each metal in some sense exists at his coming. Rather than
meaning that each of those empires must have an end time revival, this may
be teaching that the whole concept of human history and time will be
ground to powder by the advent of the Kingdom. One day, when we are then
with the Lord, will be like a thousand years (2 Pet. 3:8)- there will be
no comparison between our present view of time and what will then be. The
ploughman shall overtake the reaper (Am. 9:13)- which may refer to the
collapsing of time, rather than just being a figure of fecundity. Before
people pray, they will be heard (Is. 65:24- although this is our present
prayer experience too, Mt. 6:8). Our focus should therefore be more on the
quality and nature of the Kingdom life, rather than the mere
eternity of it.
For the
glory of God did light it, and the lamp of it is the Lamb- This seems to imply their physical
presence. There was no 'candlestick' [Gk.]- no temple and temple furniture
was necessary. This was radical reasoning for the first century Jewish
audience, dominated as they were by the temple cult.
21:24 And the nations shall walk by the light of it, and the kings of
the earth bring their glory into it- Revelation 20 has described a
period of time when the dragon is chained. It could be that during this
period, a chance is given to the nations outside of the earth / land
promised to Abraham, which is the focus of Revelation and Bible prophecy.
And they respond by realizing that indeed their wealth and glory is
nothing (:26), and come up to Jerusalem in repentance of their
materialism, where they are invited to the Lord's table. See on 19:18. The
previous kings of the earth / land had supported Babylon / the beast and
were now no more. But they will be replaced by leaders who bring their
glory to the Lamb rather than to Babylon.
God dwells in light (1 Tim. 6:16), and this new city will have light from
God, through Christ (21:11,23; 22:5)- because Yahweh Himself will be
there. Perhaps some of the intensity of that light will spread out to the
surrounding world, so that the nations call Jerusalem the place where
Yahweh is (Ez. 48:35).
21:25 The
gates of it shall in no way be shut by day (for there shall be no night
there)- Representing the tribes of Israel (:12). They will be
continually open to Gentiles entering in and joining with them. There
would be no more Jewish exclusivity of the type which troubled the
believing community at the time Revelation was given. There will finally
be nothing and nobody untouched by the light of the Lord Jesus. And yet
John's gospel presents the Lord as the total light of our lives now; in
this sense we can live the eternal life now.
21:26 And
they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it- The
idea of entering the city (:27) which represents the Kingdom of God is
found in the Lord's teaching of the camel passing through the needle gate
in order for a rich man to enter the Kingdom. There is the same message
here- the wealth and glory of the world must be sacrificed in order to
enter in. See on :24.
21:27
There shall in no way enter into it anything unclean, or he that makes an
abomination and a lie, but only they that are written in the Lamb's book
of life- As noted earlier, there is an intended contrast between the
descriptions of the city in Rev. 21 and 22 seem to contradict those given
in Ezekiel 40-48:
|
Revelation |
Ezekiel |
|
21:27 Only
those in the book of life can enter |
45:6 the city is for natural Israel (Zech. 8:5- children play in
the streets). 44:11; 46:9 ordinary mortals enter it. |
|
21:25 City
gates never shut |
44:1 Gates shut at times |
|
22:5;
21:23 Glory of God is the light, eclipsing sun and moon |
45:17;
46:1,3 Moon shines in the city |
|
22:14
those who enter the city eat the tree of life |
mortal
priests inside the city |
|
21:22 no
temple in the city |
a temple
in the city |
|
The true
temple has already been sprinkled by Christ's blood. |
45:20
This temple needs regular cleansing ("so shall ye reconcile the
house") by sprinkling of blood. |
These are
just some of the many disparities, yet both cities are said to be built on
a great mountain. The language bids us look back to Ezekiel's temple- and
realize that it is not going to be built at the Lord's return. Such
literalism will be far out of place once the Kingdom is established in all
its glory.
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