XXI. THE FINAL REGENERATION. — ALL THINGS NEW: NEW HEAVENS; NEW EARTH; NEW JERUSALEM (Revelation 21:1 to Revelation 22:5). THE NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH. (1) AND I SAW A NEW HEAVEN... — The hope of the renewal and restitution of all things had been long cherished. Earlier prophets had sanctioned t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I JOHN SAW THE HOLY CITY... — Better, _And the holy city, new Jerusalem, I saw coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared_... The name John is omitted in the best MSS. The new Jerusalem is more fully described later on (Revelation 21:10 _et seq._). The city is also the bride (comp. Revelat... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIRST VOICE. — The voice out of the throne (Revelation 21:3.) (3) AND I HEARD A GREAT VOICE OUT OF HEAVEN.... — According to the best MSS. the voice now heard was heard “_out of the throne,”_ saying, _Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them._ Here, as in Revel... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GOD SHALL WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS... — Instead of “all tears” we should translate “every tear,” and so possess the promise in its true and tender form. The first, or former, things are passed away: _death shall not be any longer; neither shall mourning, nor crying, nor pain, be any longer._ The sple... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SECOND VOICE. — The voice of Him who sitteth on the Throne (Revelation 21:5). (5) AND HE THAT SAT UPON THE THRONE... — Better, _And he who sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And he saith_ (the words “unto me” should be omitted) _write; because these words are faithfu... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO ME, IT IS DONE. — Or, rather, _They_ (the things promised) _have come to pass._ He spake, and it was done. The assurance is made trebly sure. “I am making all things new.” “These words are true.” “They are fulfilled.” “Twice,” says Bengel, “twice it is said in this book ‘It is done.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT OVERCOMETH SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS... — Rather, _He that conquereth shall inherit these things; and I will be to him God, and he shall be to me a son._ The general promise of Revelation 21:3 is in part repeated, and this time more individually. Again we catch, as it were, the echo of the pr... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE FEARFUL, AND UNBELIEVING, AND THE ABOMINABLE... — Better, _But for the cowardly and unfaithful_ (or, _unbelieving_)_ and defiled with abominations, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and for all the false, their part_ (_is_)_ in the lake that burneth with fire and... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM DESCRIBED (Revelation 21:9 to Revelation 22:5). — Before entering upon this section it is wise to recall once more that the descriptions here given are figurative, and are not to be understood literally. “There is nothing in it as it seems saving the King.” This remark may wel... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CARRIED ME AWAY IN THE SPIRIT... — Better, _He carried me away in spirit on to a mountain, great and high._ It is not merely that the height gives a fine view-ground, the symbolism carries us further. The glimpse of God’s coming glories is best gained from the consecrated heights of self-surr... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVING THE GLORY OF GOD... — The glory of God is the glorious presence of God, the true Shechinah, of which we have read before (Revelation 15:8, and see Revelation 21:23). The light of the city is described: _And her light_ (or, _brightness:_ it is the light which she gives; the same word is used a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HAD A WALL GREAT AND HIGH... — Or, better (for the construction is continued), _Having a wall great and high, and having twelve gate-towers, and at the gate-towers twelve angels, and names inscribed which are_ (_names_)_ of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: from the sun-rising_ (_i.e.,_ f... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE WALL OF THE CITY HAD... — Or, rather, _And the wall of the city having twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb._ There were twelve large stones forming the basement of the wall, the names of the Apostles were inscribed on these. The whole Old and New T... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MEASUREMENT OF THE CITY. (15) AND HE THAT TALKED WITH ME... — Or, better, _And he who was talking with me had a golden reed..._ The allusion here is to the angel mentioned in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 15:3); the reed, or measuring rod, is of gold, that used in Revelation 11:1 was not said to be of gold;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CITY LIETH FOURSQUARE... — The city is foursquare, because the length and breadth are equal; but it is added that the height also is equal to the length and breadth, the city thus presents the symbol of perfect symmetry; this is all that is needed. Many interpreters are nervously anxious abo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE MEASURED THE WALL THEREOF... — Better. _And he measured its wall by an hundred and forty-four cubits_ (_i.e.,_ in height), _man’s measure, which is angel’s._ The measurement is in man’s measure, but the reed was handled by an angel; the measure is true for men and true for angels; it may mean... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BUILDING OR MATERIAL OF THE CITY. (18) AND THE BUILDING OF THE WALL... — Or, _And the building-work_ (or, _the masonry,_ so Alford) _of the wall of it was jasper, and the city was pure gold, like pure glass._ The general aspect of the city was jasperlike, because the material of the wall was of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WALL... — Better, _The foundations of the wall of the city_ (_were_)_ adorned with every precious stone._ We may compare the adornment of the harlot (Revelation 17:4). Her robe was decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls. The Bride, the Lamb’s wife, has her beaut... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE TWELVE GATES... — Or, _gate-towers._ Each gate was of one pearl — _i.e.,_ made out of one pearl. The foundations are diverse; the gates are alike. There is one way, though there are many roads; one mode of entrance, through twelve gates. All find entrance through one new and living Way (John... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I SAW NO TEMPLE THEREIN... — Rather, _And temple I saw not in it, for the Lord God the Almighty is her temple, and the Lamb._ In Ezekiel’s vision the vast and splendid proportions of the Temple formed a conspicuous part: its gigantic proportions declared it to be figurative (Ezekiel 48:8); but t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CITY HAD NO NEED OF THE SUN... — Rather, _And the city hath not need of the sun, nor of the moon that they should shine on_ (or, _for_)_ her; for the glory of God enlightened her, and her lamp is the Lamb._ The Shechinah is again alluded to. Light is the emblem of knowledge and holiness. God... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE NATIONS OF THEM WHICH ARE SAVED... — We must omit, with the best MSS., the words “of them which are saved,” and read, _And the nations shall walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth carry their glory into her._ The outlook of the prophet is from the loneliness and depression of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE GATES OF IT... — Better, _And the gates_ (or, _gate-towers_)_ shall never be shut by day, for night shall not be there._ The gates shall never be shut: all day they shall be open, and that day shall be for ever, for there shall be no night there. All that darkens — the sin that brings night... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE SHALL IN NO WISE ENTER INTO... — Better, _And there shall never enter into her anything unclean, and he that worketh abomination and falsehood, but only_ (or, _except_)_ they that have been written in the book of life of the Lamb._ The gates stand open always, but no evil thing may find a... [ Continue Reading ]