THE NEW HEAVENS AND THE NEW EARTH (REVELATION 21:1).
‘And I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and
the first earth are passed away, and the sea is no more.'
We read about the passing away of the first heaven and the first earth
in Revelation 20:11. But all is now light. For all... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.'
See Revelation 21:9. This descent is on the new earth, the new
creation. The creation of Genesis 1 is no more, except in the sense
that it has been the prototype of the new cr... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I heard a great voice from the throne saying, “Behold the
tabernacle of God (place where God tabernacles Himself) is with men
and he will tabernacle with them and they will be his peoples and God
Himself will be with them and be their God”.'
This closeness is further emphasised. The new Jerusa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be
no more, neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any
more, the first things are passed away.'
Compare Revelation 7:17 where the wiping away of tears was promised to
the martyrs. Now it is for all God's people. The form... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he who sits on the throne said, “Behold I make all things
new”.'
In case this all seems too good to be true God Himself now confirms it
personally. Previously He has been passive while the action He has
initiated goes on around Him. But now He speaks, for it is His own
people who are involved,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he says, “Write. For these words are faithful and true”.
And he said to me, “They have come about. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end, and I will give freely to him who is
thirsty of the water of life”.'
Elsewhere it is Christ, the Word of God, Who is faithful and true
(Re... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God,
and he shall be my son.'
This is the focus of the whole book, the overcomer. The letters of the
seven churches are written for their benefit and encouragement, the
body of Revelation has revealed their battles, their sufferings and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and
murderers, and fornicators, and those who involve themselves in the
occult, and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake
that burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death.'
In contrast are unsaved sinners as outline... [ Continue Reading ]
VISION 10 THE BRIDE, THE NEW JERUSALEM (REVELATION 21:9 TO REVELATION
22:5).
‘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 this way and I will show you the Bride, the wife of the
Lamb”. And he carried... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Her light was like a most precious stone, as it were a jasper
stone, clear as crystal, having a wall great and high, having twelve
entrances, and at the entrances twelve angels, and names written on
them (the entrances) which are those of the twelve tribes of the
children if Israel.'
The light of... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.'
The city is founded on the twelve apostles, as was the Temple which
comprised the church (Ephesians 2:20). The conjunction of the twelve
tribes of Israel with the twelve apostles demonstr... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he who spoke with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure
the city and its gates and its wall. And the city lies foursquare, and
its length is as great as its breadth, and he measured the city with
the reed, twelve thousand furlongs (stadia), and its length and
breadth and height are equa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the building of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold
like pure glass.'
The jasper is presumably similar to the jasper of Revelation 21:11,
clear as crystal which, with the glass-like nature of the city,
demonstrates its purity and righteousness. The mention that it is made
of gold s... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The foundations of the walls of the city were adorned with all
manner of precious stone, the first foundation was jasper, the second
sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth, emerald, the fifth,
sardonyx, the sixth, sardius, the seventh, chrysolite, the eighth,
beryl, the ninth, topaz, the tenth,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each one of the several
gates was one pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, as it
were transparent glass.'
In Matthew 7:6 pearls represented what was holy and precious, compare
the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46). Gold again is symbolic of
th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I saw no Temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the
Lamb are its Temple. And the city has no need of the sun nor of the
moon to shine on it, for the glory of God did lighten it and its lamp
is the Lamb.'
No temple is needed for the Lord God walks within it. He and the Lamb
are its T... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the nations shall walk by means of its light (the light of the
glory of the Lord), and the kings of the earth bring their glory into
it, and its entrances will never be shut by day, for there will be no
night there, and they will bring the honour and the glory of the
nations into it.'
The city... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And under no circumstances will anything unclean enter it, or he
who makes an abomination and a lie, but only those who are written in
the Lamb's book of life.'
This final sentence confirms all we have said. The city only consists
of those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. It is
o... [ Continue Reading ]