SEPTEMBER 18 = REVELATION 21
THE NEW JERUSALEM
And now we have reached the good part: the reward! We have seen punishments through much of the book to this point, but the reason that Jesus was calling John up was to show him what “must take place after this.” And here is what takes place:
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”
It was the end of it all—not just LIFE on the planet, but the planet itself, and HEAVEN itself had passed away. But God and his people still remain! And notice that there is no longer any sea. If the sea symbolizes many peoples and lands, or perhaps political turmoil, then all that is now done away.
Sometimes it is hard to say goodbye to things we have known well. For most of us, we have grown attached to this planet earth, because it has been the house in which we live. But remember, this is not just the end of the old, but John starts by saying he saw a new heaven and a new earth!
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
Metaphors become complicated when a city is dressed as a bride. But the point is that the Holy City is actually people. God’s chosen people from throughout the centuries are all home, forever, now.
“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. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.””
This phrase has come up throughout the Bible, for it has always been God’s will that He will be our God and we will be His people. He dwells with us, and we dwell with him. Has this captured your heart? If not, then read it again. God with us. Forever. No tears. No death. No mourning or crying, no pain. Why none of those things? Because they are all part of the “old order of things,” and those things have all passed away, just as surely as earth-bound people pass away when we die. Those old systems are gone forever.
And once again, John is told to write down this specific message, that God is making everything new! And know that the words themselves are trustworthy and true. And now it makes more sense when God calls himself the Alpha and Omega, for he is the only one standing at the end of it all.
Then John is invited to come and see the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
“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.”
Once again, we find that this metaphor is a bit complicated to apply every detail. The details are full of layers of symbolism.
“Shone with the glory of God.” The bride, the city, is now divine, you might say. No imperfections are left.
“High wall with twelve gates” for the 12 tribes. Jewish promises and the kingdom were now being fulfilled by the church, now revealed for what she is.
“Twelve foundations” of the 12 apostles. They were the ones trained by Jesus, sent by him, and the first to proclaim the good news. Their testimony provides the foundation of the faith of us all.
Then John is given a measuring rod of gold to measure the city. This is one of those places where we know the numbers and the measurements are symbolic, rather than literal. Can you imagine a wall that is 1400 miles high, but only 200 feet thick? That wall would be like a ten foot high piece of paper stood on end and standing up. The point is that it is perfect, and large, and valuable.
“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”
No more need of a temple. The temple was a place to remind God’s people that he is always there. But in this city, God is always everywhere, without being limited by rebellion and sin.
“The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.”
Another detail that seems inconsistent. Why would the nations and the kings come and do business here? I thought this was all there was. But the point of this detail is that it is a prosperous city with open gates and great splendor, more honored than any earthly city. It is not compromised by the nations of the world. After all,
“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.”
Impure. Shameful. Deceitful. Those words have described me at times in my life. But there, when all is fulfilled, I will be wholly holy, with no mixed motives or compromise in my life.
This is the great fulfillment of history that we can all look forward to when it is all over. Amen.
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