seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
a. Revelation 21:1 Isaiah 65:17
b. Revelation 21:4 Isaiah 25:8
c. Revelation 21:16 That is, about 1,400 miles or about 2,200 kilometers
d. Revelation 21:17 That is, about 200 feet or about 65 meters
e. Revelation 21:17 Or high
f. Revelation 21:20 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
Might as well go back to the easy English site.
A new heaven replaced the old heaven. A new earth replaced the old earth. The old heaven and earth will not still exist.
John did not only see a new heaven and a new earth. He saw a city that came down from heaven. This was the New Jerusalem.
This city is the Jerusalem that is above (Galatians 4:26). God designed it and God built it (Hebrews 11:10). It is the city of God. It will come down out of heaven from God (see Revelation 3:12).
God himself will live with his people in the New Jerusalem. He will always be there with his people. They will come from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
God lives in his church now. God’s people are like a temple where he lives. But we know God only by faith. We do not see him now. But in the New Jerusalem, his people will see him. They will know him in a new way.
There will be no sin there. The Lord will remove all the effects of sin. The Lord Jesus has defeated death. So nobody will ever die. There will be no reason to cry. There will be no more pain. Death and pain belonged to the old world. That world and all these things will not still exist. Nobody will weep or cry in the new world.
There will be happiness, joy and pleasure.
John had seen something of the new heaven and earth. Now God tells John that he is making all things new. What John has seen will really happen. ‘See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. You will not remember the former things, nor will they come to mind’ (Isaiah 65:17).
God then told John to write this. What God has said is true. All that he said will happen. We can be sure about everything that God has said.
God told John that he had done all these things. To us, all these things are still in the future. John saw things as they will be after the 1000 years. He saw beyond the great white throne where God will be the judge of all people.
Those who overcome will eat the fruit of the tree of life (Revelation 2:7). The second death cannot hurt them (Revelation 2:11). God will give them some of the hidden manna. They will receive a white stone with a new name on it (Revelation 2:17). They will rule the nations (Revelation 2:26). Their names will be in the book of life (Revelation 3:5). They will be like columns in the temple of God (Revelation 3:12). They will sit with Christ on his throne (Revelation 3:21).
More than all these things, God says, ‘I will be their God. They will be my children.’
The list in this verse is of some people who will suffer the second death. These people refused to believe Jesus. So, they could not benefit from what Jesus has done. They have to pay the price for their own sins. The second death is the lake of fire.
The angel took John to the top of a high mountain. From there, he could see as the New Jerusalem came down from heaven.
The city is holy because it belongs to God. He designed it and he made it. He sent it to the new earth. It is a gift from God for his people to live there. It is holy because God himself will live there with them.
John tells us what the city is like. He has to use a description that may seem strange to us. He could not describe the city in the languages of this earth. These things are so new to us and they are beyond our experience.
The city came down from heaven. It shone with a bright and special light. The light was the glory of God.
The light of God shone, as light reflects on a diamond. It glows with the colours of the rainbow. But the light itself is pure white.
There was a great high wall all round the city. There were 12 entrances in the wall. An angel guarded each gate.
The tribes of Israel came from the 12 sons of Jacob. There was the name of one of these tribes on each gate.
God built the city walls on 12 strong bases. On each of these bases was the name of one of the 12 apostles.
There were the names of the 12 tribes on the gates. And there were the names of the 12 apostles on the bases. These 24 names include all of God’s people. The first 12 names are on behalf of those of Israel who served God. And the names of the apostles are on behalf of the Christians. But all God’s people were there in unity.
Each of the 12 gates was a single pearl. Pearls were expensive to buy. People who owned pearls were rich. But the best pearls on this old earth are small. In the New Jerusalem, John saw pearls that were immense. These pearls were large enough to be city gates. The New Jerusalem will be a wealthy place.
In the New Jerusalem there was no temple. The temple on this old earth was the place where the priests worshipped God. But God himself will live with his people in the New Jerusalem. So, there is no need for a temple. God and the Lamb replace the *emple.
God’s people will live in the New Jerusalem. God’s people means both Christians and the Jews who trust in Jesus the Messiah. There will be people who live in the rest of the new earth. We do not know who these will be.
Only those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of life may come into the city.
God has dealt with all that is not clean (holy) and good. These things will not exist in the new earth. Nobody on the new earth will do awful things or tell lies.
It's a beautiful place..... Of course a shack could be a beautiful place if it was in the right spot and occupied by the right people. That's what's going on here. This is the new home for all the adopted children of God.
Earth as humans describe it has been totally destroyed. There is no one left on earth except Believers..... and they are part of that army that Jesus brought with Him.
I find it interesting that everyone still goes gaga over the gold, silver, other precious metals and stones in the New Jerusalem. I have heard about those "pearly gates" since I was a child. My question is.... what difference will it make? Humans are no longer going to spend their money on gold or pearls..... there will be no money.... there will be no greed.... there will be no status except Father and child.
Here's another question I had.... if all those satan lovers are locked in a pit.... burning all day for lack of anything better to do.... then why are there Angels guarding the gates? What kings are going to bring anything up to the gate? The kings all gathered at the boarders of the old Jerusalem for a fight... and God wiped them out.... So why are their guarded gates in Heaven?
John has been asked to describe something so magnificent there are no human words for it.
I don't know if there are other Sons of God. Jesus was the only "begotten" son.... but does that really mean that Jesus was the only one God let come to earth? Are there more Sons of God? Is there a Mrs. God?
I do know that I am now one of God's adopted children. That doesn't make me a "second hand rose" because I am adopted. It means God has a place for me.... and He will care for me.... and He will love me. He'll be my Dad..... I won't be afraid of someone coming through those gates in the dark of night and murdering me because there isn't any dark anymore.
I use to date a sailor.... many decades ago.... who called a lightbulb a darksucker. He said that we believe that the lightbulb allows light into an area..... but, according to him.... the lightbulb is really sucking the dark out of the room. Interesting concept in light of this chapter. So.... let me try describing the New Jerusalem like this.... all the dark... has been sucked out of there.... and only light is left. It's a beautiful place.... everywhere is bright.
All the nastiness of earth is gone. The famines, wars, disease, and demise are over.
We will have a new home..... we are adopted.....
