Revelation 21:1-27

From Now to the End of Time

Revelation

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 21

The new heaven and the new earth - Revelation 21:1-22

The new *creation - Revelation 21:1-8

v1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared. And the sea did not still exist. v2 And I saw the holy city, which is the New Jerusalem. I saw it coming down out of heaven from God. The city was like a woman who has dressed for her wedding. The city was like a bride, ready to join her husband. v3 And I heard a loud voice from the *throne. The voice said, ‘Now the home of God is with people. He will live with them and they will be his own people. God himself will be with them and he will be their God. v4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Nobody will ever die again. Nobody will ever be sad again. Nobody will weep and nobody will suffer pain. These things all belonged to the old world, which does not now exist.’

v5 God, who sits on the *throne, spoke. He said, ‘Look! I am making all things new.’ Then he said, ‘Write this. What I am saying is true. You can believe it.’

v6 God said to me, ‘All these things are now complete. I am the first and the last. I am the beginning and the end. I will give water to all who need a drink. This comes from a fountain where the water gives life. And they will not have to pay anything for it. v7 Those who overcome will receive these things from me. I will be their God and they will be my children. v8 But the future for many people will be in the lake that burns with fire and *sulphur. This is the second death. Those people include:

• cowards

• those who refuse to believe

• those who do evil things

• those who murder

• those who *sin in sex

• those who do magic

• those who *worship false gods

• those who tell lies.’

Verse 1 A new heaven replaced the old heaven. A new earth replaced the old earth. The old heaven and earth will not still exist.

There will be no sea. The sea covers much of this old earth. The new earth will be very different from the old earth. But the new earth will be a better place for people to live.

The future of God’s people is to live on the new earth.

Verse 2 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).

The New Jerusalem is where God’s people will live. And God himself will live there with them.

John saw that the city was beautiful. It reminded him of a lovely bride. It was like a bride who is coming to her wedding.

Verse 3 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.

Verse 4 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.

Verse 5 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.

Verse 6 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.

We cannot see the future because it has not happened. But God is in the past, the present and the future. He sees the future as if it were the past. He is the beginning and the end.

God will give water to those who desire to drink. This phrase describes those who look for the truth. God gives them life in Christ. This life is the gift of God. Nobody can earn or buy this life.

Verse 7 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.’

Verse 8 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.

Paul wrote that wicked people would have no part in the *kingdom of God. He writes a list of some of those who are wicked people. He then says ‘some of you were like this.’ (See 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.) So, the people of God may have done such things. But God has *forgiven them. He has removed their *sins from them. They have trusted the *Lord Jesus Christ. He has paid for all their *sins by his death. So, their home will be with God in the New Jerusalem.

The New Jerusalem - Revelation 21:9-27

v9 One of the 7 *angels came to me. (These 7 *angels had the 7 bowls that contained the 7 last awful troubles from God.) This *angel said, ‘Come with me. I will show you the bride, the wife of the *Lamb.’ v10 Then he carried me in the Spirit to the top of a very high mountain. There he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem. It came down out of heaven from God. v11 The city shone with the bright light that comes from God. It glowed like a precious stone. It was beautiful like a stone called jasper; and it was as clear as glass. v12 The city had a great, high wall with 12 gates in it. At each of the gates, there was an *angel to guard it. The names of the 12 *tribes of *Israel were on the gates. There was one name on each gate. v13 On the east side of the city, there were three gates and on the north side, there were three. On the south side of the city, there were three gates and on the west side, there were three. v14 The wall of the city had 12 strong bases of stone. On the bases, there were the 12 names of the 12 *apostles of the *Lamb.

v15 The *angel who talked to me held a gold stick. He used this stick to measure the city, its gates and walls. v16 And the city is in the shape of a square, as long as it is wide. The *angel measured the city with his stick. It was 1500 miles (2400 kilometres) long. And the width and the height were the same as the length. v17 He measured the wall and it was 144 *cubits. The *angel measured with the same scale that men use. v18 The wall was jasper (a precious stone). Everything in the city was gold. The gold was so pure that light seemed to shine through it, like glass. v19 The walls of the city had a base of stones. Precious stones make each of the 12 bases beautiful. Here are the names of these precious stones:

• jasper and sapphire;

• agate and emerald;

• v20 onyx and carnelian;

• chrysolite and beryl;

• topaz and chrysoprase;

• jacinth and amethyst.

v21 The 12 gates were 12 *pearls. Each of the gates was one *pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

v22 I did not see a *temple in the city. Instead, the *Lord God who has all power and the *Lamb are present there. v23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it. The beauty and greatness of God are so powerful there that they make the city bright. And the *Lamb lights it up, as a lamp does. v24 The peoples of the world will live by the light of that city. And the kings of the earth will bring their wealth into it. v25 The gates of the city will be open all day long. They will never close because there is no night there. v26 People will bring all the greatness and wealth of the nations into the city. v27 Only what is good and clean (holy) will be able to enter the city. Nobody who does awful things will ever go into it. Nobody who tells lies will be able to go in. Only those whose names are in the *Lamb’s book of life can enter the city.

Verse 9 The bride of the *Lamb means the *church. The bride of the *Lamb is also called the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem includes all God’s people. The *Lamb has joined them to himself in the same way that a man takes a wife. There is unity between them and the *Lamb.

Verse 10 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.

Verse 11 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.

Verse 12 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.

Verse 13 The city was square. There were three gates on each of the four sides.

Verse 14 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.

Verse 15 The *angel had a gold stick. He measured the city with this stick. He also measured the gates and the wall. The stick was a little more than 10 feet long (3 metres).

Verse 16 The city was square. Each side was about 1500 (2400 kilometres) miles. The height of the city was also 1500 miles.

This is not a city, as we now understand it. The size of the New Jerusalem would not fit into the country of *Israel. We do not have cities as high as they are long and wide. So, this must be a special description. John describes what we cannot know. He cannot describe what he saw in human language. But John gives us impressions of things that we could not imagine.

The city is large because it needs to be large. It is where all God’s people will live.

Verse 17 The *angel measured the walls. They were about 216 feet (65 metres) thick. The scale that people used was the *cubit. A *cubit was a length of about 18 inches (45 centimetres).

Verse 18 The height of the wall was 1500 miles. A wall on this earth would need to be much more than 216 feet wide in order to support that height. But God did not use the materials of this earth when he built this city. The wall was jasper (a precious stone).

The city shone like the sun. The light seemed to shine through it. The whole city was of the most pure gold. John tries to tell us what this magnificent city is like. Here is a wonderful place.

Verses 19-20 The walls had 12 base stones. Each base of stone had a name on it. The names of the 12 *apostles were on them. Now John says that precious stones make the bases beautiful. He makes a list of 12 precious stones, one for each base.

Precious stones have great value and beauty. They are not common. They have many colours and light shines through them.

The description is of a city, which shone like gold. It has walls of jasper. The city rests on a base of 12 precious stones of all colours. It is a perfect and wonderful place. Our words are not enough to describe it properly. But there, God will live with his people.

Verse 21 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.

The streets of the city were of pure gold. God’s people will be so rich that they walk on gold. This is a wonderful description. It shows the wealth of God that his people will enjoy with him.

Verse 22 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 *temple.

The *temple was the place where people went to meet with God. In the New Jerusalem, they will live with him. They will not need to go elsewhere in order to meet with him.

Verse 23 Light will shine out from God and from the *Lamb. God’s *glory is more powerful than any light that we now know. So, God’s people will live in the light of God.

Jesus gives light to all the people (John 1:9). He called himself, ‘the light of the world’ (John 8:12). The light of Jesus the *Lamb will be sufficient for the New Jerusalem. There will be no need for the light of the sun or the moon.

Verse 24 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.

The New Jerusalem will be the centre of the whole earth. The *Lord will be the king of the earth. He will be the king over the kings of the nations.

Verse 25 The guards used to close city gates in order to protect the inhabitants from evil people, especially at night. But the gates of the New Jerusalem will never close. Evil things and *sin will not exist in the new earth that God will make. There will be no wicked people. Nobody will do anything that is wrong. There will be no dangerous animals to keep out. So, the gates will always be open.

When cities had gates, they shut the gates at night. There will be no night on the new earth.

Verse 26 People will bring their wealth through the open gates. They will bring honour to the *Lord who lives in the city.

Verse 27 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.

creation ~ the act of God when he made the world and everything that exists. Or, ‘creation’ may mean everything that God has made.
throne ~ the special chair for the king or for an important person.
sulphur ~ sulphur is a chemical. A fire that burns with sulphur is extremely hot. And sulphur burns with an awful smell.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to an idol). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
idols ~ objects that people worship instead of God.
tribe ~ a large family from one man. The nation called Israel grew from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
church ~ a group of Christians. The word ‘church’ has two main meanings. Sometimes the meaning is one church in a particular place; and the Christians who meet there. But sometimes the word ‘church’ means Christians everywhere, especially in the phrase ‘the whole church’.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God. But at other temples, people worshipped false gods.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to an idol). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
idols ~ objects that people worship instead of God.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
lord ~ a title for someone who rules.
manna ~ the ‘bread’ that God gave to the Israelites in the desert.
Israelites ~ Jewish people; or people who live in Israel.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules.
forgive ~ to forgive is to remove sin.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
lamb ~ a young sheep.
Lamb ~ a name for Jesus because he died as a sacrifice for our sin. He is the Lamb of God.
sacrifice ~ the priests killed a special animal and they burned it on an altar. This was to ask God to forgive sins. Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
altar ~ the special table where priests burned animals and other gifts that they offered to God.
forgive ~ to forgive is to remove sin.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
apostle ~ someone whom God sends; especially one of the 12 men whom Jesus chose to be his helpers.
cubit ~ a length of about 18 inches (about 45 centimetres).
pearl ~ a beautiful object that is like a precious stone. It is transparent and round. It comes from an animal (called the oyster) that lives in the sea.
glory ~ great honour and beauty.
pearl ~ a beautiful object that is like a precious stone. It is transparent and round. It comes from an animal (called the oyster) that lives in the sea.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Messiah ~ God promised the Jews that a special person would come to save them. That person is the Messiah. Jesus is that Messiah but the Jews did not believe it. Messiah is a Hebrew word. In the Greek language, the word is Christ. The word in both languages means anointed (that is, God chose him and sent him).
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Jews and of the Old Testament.
Greek ~ the original language of the New Testament.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on earth.