| Heaven, Home of the Soul
(Revelation 21)
The visions of the little book which John was
told to take and eat began in chapter 11 where we
saw a vision of the church in great distress. In
chapter 12 the scene jumped abruptly back in time to
the birth of Jesus Christ. Then we saw the efforts
of the dragon to destroy Jesus and the thwarting of
those plans. Then in chapter 13 we see the beast
and his false prophet rise up and try to destroy the
church. Then we see the various ways God used to
try and bring the persecuting powers to repentance
and then ultimately the great war between evil and
good. We then saw the destruction of the harlot
city, the beast and the false prophet and then the
final destruction of Satan, the judgment of mankind
and then the punishment of the wicked. What is left
now is a vision of the reward for perseverance.
Throughout the Revelation, the faithful are
exhorted to overcome the forces of evil. Do not
give in, do not partake with them, do not bow down
to the images set up by the false prophet, do not
worship the beast and do not give up. We have seen
the consequences for failure and we have seen the
warnings and the visions of the punishment that
awaits the wicked. Now it's time to see the prize.
Now it's time to get a glimpse of the reward that
awaits the stedfast souls who overcame and remained
faithful despite the odds.
To Christians, chapter 21 and part of chapter 22
is portrayal of the glorious home of the faithful
soul beyond the final judgment. Throughout the
Christian age this vision has comforted the hearts
of countless Christians during the times of trial,
persecution, tragedy and the deaths of loved ones.
Chapter 21 is a vision of what all Christians strive
for. Christians are described in scripture as being
pilgrims in a foreign land with their citizenship in
heaven. Here is the reward that awaits the
diligent and the faithful. Here is their nation,
their country, their destination, their hope and
their home. Revelation 21 is a vision of the
Christian's spiritual home described in terms we can
identify with. As beautiful as it is described and
as glorious a place as John describes it, there is
no better word for it than the word, "home". This
is something the faithful Christian has never really
had. This is what the faithful Christian has looked
ahead to and yearned for all their lives. This is
what the faithful Christian has been promised and
hopes for; the final destination, the goal, the
prize, the reward for a life of faith faithfully
lived. This is heaven, the home of the soul.
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."
Here we have the stage set for this vision in the
very first line. The earth has passed away, the sea
is no more. Isaiah wrote in 65:17, "For, behold,
I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former
things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."
In 2 Peter 3:13, it is written, "But, according
to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." The
idea of a new heaven and new earth is given in
scripture in numerous places. This denotes a new
place to live. A home for the soul which is better
than the old one and permanent. The old has passed
away to be replaced by the new. Some teach that
this is speaking of a new physical earth. This is
not the case because Peter wrote that the earth nor
the heavens we are familiar with will no longer
exist (2 Peter 3:10-12).
The Hebrew writer taught that only once more will
He who speaks from heaven shake the earth and the
skies above and when He does, all the things which
are made, meaning the creation, will be removed,
leaving only what cannot be shaken in its place. He
then goes on to say that what cannot be shaken and
will not be removed is the Kingdom of God. His
spiritual kingdom which is not physical (Hebrews
12:25-28).
What is left after the first earth and first
heaven passes is the spiritual realm. The text of
the verse affirms this with the words "and the
sea is no more". Proponents of the new physical
earth belief are going to have to explain how this
new physical earth is going to exist without the
oceans which are said to be no more. The new heaven
the new earth are not physical by any means. They
are going to be the spiritual home of the soul for
the overcomers.
"and the sea is no more"
The King James Version renders this "and
there was no more sea". In Revelation 4 we read
of John's vision of the four great beasts before the
throne of God. These four great beasts represented
God's people from all over the earth. The four
great beasts were a figure for the church which in
scripture is the spiritual kingdom of God. The
crystal sea, mentioned in Revelation 15:2 was a
figure for the barrier between God and His people.
Christians on earth walk by faith, and not by site.
While scripture teaches that we have fellowship with
God (1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 John 1:6), but this
fellowship is maintained through a barrier.
Christians on earth are not allowed direct access to
God the Father. But in heaven, the home of the
soul, Christians will no longer have a barrier
between them and God. The figure of "no more sea"
is representative of a place where all the redeemed
shall have direct access and face to face fellowship
with God. The sea being gone is the absence of the
barrier between God and His people which exists in
the church on earth.
Another thing to consider is that the greater
beast of chapter 13 came from the sea. With the
absence of the sea, there will be no more source for
danger to come from. This is a place of absolute
eternal safety and security.
"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a
bride adorned for her husband."
The old order of things had its holy city, so
also does the coming one. The old Jerusalem has
long since passed and was a physical place of not
only the righteous children of God, but also of
tears, mourning of death. In the new Jerusalem,
there will be no more death or tears of any kind.
Coming down out of heaven means that it is of divine
origin. And so it is, Jesus in John 14:2-3 was
quoted as saying "I go to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
come again, and will receive you unto myself; that
where I am, (there) ye may be also." This is a
vision, described in earthly terms, of the place
Jesus went to prepare for His saints.
The imagery of the bride adorned for her husband
is familiar terminology from Ephesians 5:27, "that
he might present the church to himself a glorious
(church), not having spot or wrinkle or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish." This is a picture of the presenting
of the body of the saved to the Lord by Himself,
having previously given Himself to it similar to a
groom giving himself for his bride. There is a dual
imagery here of both the church on earth and of
Heaven, but the primary focus is on heaven as will
be seen in verse 3 where God Himself is said to
dwell with his people. The vision here is of the
church, including all the saved who lived before the
cross, in her final glory beyond the judgment in her
eternal home with God
Revelation 21:3
"And I heard a great voice out of the throne
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his
peoples, and God himself shall be with them, (and
be) their God"
No more is God with His people in Spirit as He
was before. No more do we walk by faith and not by
sight. No longer is God invisible. In this new
Jerusalem, God Himself, in totality, will be with
the saved. This is a place where the redeemed come
into the actual presence of God Himself forever.
This is Heaven, the home of the Soul.
Revelation 21:4
"and he shall wipe away every tear from their
eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall
there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more:
the first things are passed away."
On earth, the righteous shed tears of grief, they
die, they mourn and they hurt. In the Heaven there
will be no more tears, no more death, no more
mourning and no more pain of any kind. All these
things have passed away and are gone forever. The
Christians who first received the Revelation were
enduring horrendous hardship and persecution. What
a beautiful picture of what awaited the victorious
this must have represented to them. What a
beautiful picture that awaits the victorious of all
ages this is. The Roman Empire has long since
fallen but there are still plenty of enemies of
Christians on earth. There are places on earth
today where the proclamation of one's faith in Jesus
Christ results in one's immediate execution. This
vision of heaven was written for Christians living
under the great persecution of the Roman Empire but
it applies to every Christian that ever lived past,
present and future. "Be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee the crown of life. He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be
hurt of the second death" (Revelation 2:10-11).
The crown of life is worn in heaven, the home of the
soul.
Revelation 21:5
"And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold,
I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for
these words are faithful and true."
From the throne of God, it is announced that the
old physical existence with the pain, suffering,
sorrow and death are to be replaced with something
new where none of these things exist anymore. And
the readers are assured from the throne that these
words are true and that they can be trusted. People
who are hurting, mourning and suffering can put
their trust in these words and in Jesus Christ and
find their way home. He is telling the truth.
There is a place better than the one they are living
in. There is a home where sorrow and pain do not
exist. There is a home where there are no more
tears and we can trust His word on that. These
words apply to every Christian that ever cried a
tear of grief or suffered a loss.
Revelation 21:6
"And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain
of the water of life freely."
As is often the case in Revelation, future
happenings are described in past tense terms. So
sure and inevitable are these events that they are
described as already having been accomplished. The
occupant of the throne identifies Himself for us
with words familiar from His introduction of Himself
in the first of the Revelation. In the beginning,
Jesus Christ identified Himself as the "Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending" (Revelation
1:8). Jesus Christ is speaking from the throne of
God. We have here a wondrous image of the unity of
God. So united are the Father, the Son and the
Spirit that from the throne, they speak as one.
Eternal life in heaven with God is offered to all
mankind. This opportunity is given freely to any
who would respond to the call. There are teachings
among those who claim Christ as their savior that
teach God selectively gives salvation to whosoever
He will. This is not true, salvation is offered to
whosoever thirsts for it. We see this offer
repeated even more strongly at the close of the
book, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that
is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take
the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17).
Jesus claimed to be the beginning and the end.
Scripture supports this as being a literal statement
about Himself. Numerous places credit Jesus Christ
as the active agent directing the creation of all
things. One of the most notable is found in
Colossians 1:16-17, "For by him [Jesus],
were all things created, that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist." Also in John's gospel when he was
introducing Jesus in the first chapter, he made this
statement in verse 10, "He was in the world, and
the world was made by him, and the world knew him
not" (KJV). Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he
taught that God "created all things by Jesus
Christ" (Ephesians 3:9). It is easy to conclude
that Jesus was indeed the beginning of it all.
Jesus will also be the last. He will be the last
of all creation when He returns at the end. 2 Peter
3:10, "But the day of the Lord will come as a
thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved
with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that
are therein shall be burned up." And when Jesus
does come, it will be "from heaven with the
angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering
vengeance to them that know not God, and to them
that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who
shall suffer punishment, (even) eternal destruction
from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his
might" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Jesus Himself
said, "Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh,
in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his
voice, and shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that
have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment"
(John 5:28-29). Jesus is indeed both the beginning
and the end. And when He does end things here on
earth, all things will be made new and we will have
another beginning which shall never end.
Revelation 21:7
"He that overcometh shall inherit these things;
and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
The overcomers who are faithful unto death will
inherit this place of no more sorrow, no more pain,
no more tears. Christians in the church today are
the sons of God (1 John 3:2), but there is sorrow in
the church with tears, physical death and loss.
This is not so in the place the overcomers shall
inherit. While we are the children of God now, in
heaven we will be in the presence of God almighty in
a way never before known. He will be the God we can
see. We will be His children in His literal
presence. God is not saying here that we are not
His children until we inherit the home of no more
tears. He's telling the overcomers that when this
place of sorrow they are enduring has passed, they
are going to come into a place of protection in the
Home of God where there will be no more pain. This
place we are going to inherit is going to be better
than anything we have ever known and the
relationship we will have with God will be unlike
anything we have ever experienced.
Revelation 21:8
"But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and
abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part
(shall be) in the lake that burneth with fire and
brimstone; which is the second death."
And here again is the fate of those who never
come to righteousness or who did not remain faithful
unto death. Here is the opposite destination of
those who do not inherit the eternal life in the
home of the soul. Revelation is a letter written to
oppressed Christians as a message of hope and
perseverance. Christians are told time after time
they must overcome. The fate of those Christians
who do not overcome is the primary focus of this
admonition. Time and again throughout the
Revelation Christians are cautioned to persevere and
warned against succumbing to temptation no matter
what form it comes in. And now after a vision of
the reward for faithfulness has been given,
Christians are again admonished to overcome and
remain faithful. If it were not possible for the
Christian to fall and lose their inheritance in
heaven, there would be no warnings to avoid it.
We have seen the second death mentioned earlier
in Revelation. It was first mentioned in the letter
to Smyrna. Following the warning to remain faithful
unto death in Revelation 2:10, we see the fate of
those who do not in these words, "He that
overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death"
(V11).
The second death is mentioned again in Revelation
20:6 in the context of the first resurrection. The
second death has no power over all those who have a
part in the first resurrection. As is often times
the case, Revelation explains itself and this is yet
another example of this. The second death is
defined in 20:14 as the "lake of fire" and
again here as "the lake that burneth with fire
and brimstone". We understand this to be Hell,
which is the opposite destination of those who
overcome, remain faithful unto death and find their
way to the city of no more tears.
The second death awaits those who are
"fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and
murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and
idolaters, and all liars". This list of the
unrighteous includes all mankind, both Christians
and non-Christians. Paul gave instruction to the
Corinthian church concerning a Christian who was
guilty of fornication, (1 Corinthians 5:1). This
guilty Christian was required to repent or face the
second death. In Acts 8 we read the account of a
man named Simon who was a sorcerer in his past. He
heard the gospel and converted and when he saw the
miracles being performed he wanted to buy the
ability to pass them on. He wanted to go back to
his old tricks of sorcery. he was told to repent or
face the second death. In Hebrews 3:12 we read of
those Christians who were guilty of unbelief in
departing from the living God. Christians can be
all of the things listed in Revelation 21:8 and face
the second death. Or they can overcome and inherit
a home in the city of no more tears. The
application for us today is that all must come to
Christ and all Christians must persevere and
overcome temptation or face the lake of fire; the
second death.
Revelation 21:1-8 can be summed up as "heaven, the
perfect place of fellowship". The crystal sea that
was present in Revelation 4:6 is not seen in this
vision (V1). In this place of no more tears, this
barrier has been removed so that mankind has perfect
access to and fellowship with the person of God
almighty. In the spiritual kingdom of God on earth,
we have fellowship with God in a spiritual way, but
there is a barrier between us. In the place of no
more tears, this barrier has been removed and
Christians stand in the actual presence of God
almighty.
Revelation 21:9
"And there came one of the seven angels who had
the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last
plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither,
I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
In Revelation 17 an angel holding one of the
seven vials instructed John to "come hither"
and see the judgments of the great whore that
sitteth on many waters. The destruction of the
Roman Empire was absolute. Never again will the
Roman Empire rise to power like it did in those
times. The judgment of the Empire is over, the
beast and the false prophet have been put down and
thrown into eternal torment. Satan, the ringleader
has been put down and now what's left is a vision of
what awaits those who overcame.
The saved of all time, washed clean by the blood
of the lamb and because of their perseverance and
faithfulness gained the victory over Satan. As
clean and pure as a virgin, fit to be the wife of
the king. What a connection the saved will have
with God. There is no closer bond. There is no
greater relationship than that of bride and groom.
As children of God on earth, Christians similarly
are known as the bride of Christ. But in heaven,
the bride will get to see her groom and be in His
presence.
Revelation 21:10
"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"
One would expect to see a glorious vision of a
bride after reading that the angel was going to show
John the wife of the lamb. This is not the case.
The wife of the lamb is introduced as the holy city
Jerusalem. Let us recall that the great harlot was
symbolized as the city that reigned over the kings
of the earth. As the harlot was symbolized by a
great city, so also is the wife of the lamb
symbolized as a city, but this city is holy. In
Ezekiel 40:2 we read of this great prophet being
shown the frame of a city from a very high
mountain. This city that Ezekiel saw was a vision
of the church which was to come. In John's vision,
he sees the church in its final glory at home with
God and with Jesus.
Revelation 21:11
"having the glory of God: her light was like unto
a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone,
clear as crystal"
In Revelation 4:3 Jasper and Sardius stone were
used to illustrate He who sat on the throne. The
Sardius stone was the color of blood which
symbolized God's Judgment. Here there is no
judgment for in heaven all that has passed. Now
there is only the perfect diamond, flawless in its
beauty which represents the glorious illumination of
the bride of the lamb; that holy city; the saved of
all the ages.
Revelation 21:12
"having a wall great and high; having twelve
gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names
written thereon, which are (the names) of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel"
Cities in those times had walls built around them
for safety. The walls here represent safety and
security for the inhabitants. The three uses of the
number 12 represents perfect divine organized
religion. All the saved of all ages are called the
children of Israel.
Revelation 21:13
"on the east were three gates; and on the north
three gates; and on the south three gates; and on
the west three gates."
There is a lot of numerical symbolism being used
here. The number 3 which represents the perfect
divine is used four times. Four represents the
world. Revelation 21 started with a vision of the
new earth. The vision John is describing here is of
the new earth here represented as the holy city. We
have here the figure for the perfect divine new
earth. Perfect divine access to the holy city on
all four corners for the saved of all ages is in
view here.
Revelation 21:14
"And the wall of the city had twelve foundations,
and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of
the Lamb."
The twelve apostles and twelve tribes of Israel
mentioned in V12 make up the complete picture of all
the saved of all time. The foundation was built by
the apostles, (Acts 2:42) with Jesus Christ as the
head of the corner, (1 Peter 2:7). There were more
than 12 apostles, the number representing all of
them.
Revelation 21:15
"And he that spake with me had for a measure a
golden reed to measure the city, and the gates
thereof, and the wall thereof."
Interestingly, John was charged with the duty of
measuring the temple of God in Revelation 11:1 which
was a figure for the church. An angel is measuring
the holy city while John watched. John's measuring
stick was just a plain rod, the angel's measuring
stick was described as golden. This image of the
city is one of ultimate glory. The bride here which
is a figure for the faithful children of God are no
longer in an earthly assembly. This assembly is in
heaven.
Revelation 21:16
"And the city lieth foursquare, and the length
thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured
the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs:
the length and the breadth and the height thereof
are equal."
There is no way this could be a literal city.
The literal size of it is staggering. A furlong is
an eighth of a mile therefore the city in the vision
is about 1500 miles length by width with buildings
1500 miles tall. Jesus said "In my Father's
house are many mansions" (John 14:2). The sheer
dimensions given by John in his vision certainly
allows for plenty of space for these mansions.
The numbers are figurative, the number 12 which
is a perfect religious number multiplied by 1000
which is a perfect or complete number multiplied by
itself three times which is a symbol of the perfect
divine. What is in view here is that the city is
spacious and is utterly complete and of divine
origin in it's makeup from front to back, side to
side and bottom to top. When we consider the
description of John's vision as a whole, we see a
picture of a strong, spacious, perfect and beautiful
city where God's people will dwell with Him in
perfect security and peace.
In looking at these descriptions of the city in
John's vision we must keep in mind that John had to
describe what he saw in earthly terms which man
could understand. Man is a physical being and only
relates to things of a physical nature. No man has
ever seen heaven or anything like it so cannot
really comprehend the beauty, peace and tranquility
that will be found there. One thing we need to keep
in mind is that heaven is the complete opposite of
hell. To the extent that hell is horrible, heaven
is wondrous and vice versa. The lost are really
missing out on something wonderful.
Revelation 21:17
"And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and
forty and four cubits, (according to) the measure of
a man, that is, of an angel."
The walls around this great city are a hundred
and forty cubits high, or roughly 200 feet high if
you use the measure of a normal man. A cubit was
the length of man's forearm and differed somewhat
from individual to individual. The cubit here is
according to "the measure of a man, that is, of
an angel". This is a purposefully ambiguous
figure. The walls were not any specific measured
height. They were 144 cubits, or 12 times 12 which
is the perfect religious number. The walls were the
perfect height.
Revelation 21:18
"And the building of the wall thereof was jasper:
and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass."
Jasper is believed to be diamond. The walls were
made of diamonds, perfect, flawless and shining
bright light in every direction. The city was pure
gold as shiny as glass. These are physical
descriptions of a heavenly non physical place. It
is necessary to describe such a vision in earthly
physical terms. These cannot be the descriptions of
a literal place, yet there are some who try to
literalize it. In rough dimensions John visualized
a city that would span a literal territory from the
Atlantic Ocean to Denver, Colorado and from the
southern tip of Texas to the Canadian border and of
such a height that the tops of the buildings would
be roughly 5 times higher than the edge of earth's
atmosphere. It should be immediately evident to the
reader of any age that this is not a literal city.
We are being given images of magnificence and
splendor in terms we can identify with.
Revelation 21:19-20
"The foundations of the wall of the city were
adorned with all manner of precious stones. 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, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the
twelfth, amethyst."
Of significance here is not so much the identify
of the precious gems in the vision but the number of
them. There are twelve different varieties of
stones which again symbolizes a perfect religious
number. every dimension given; every characteristic
of the holy city is expressed in numbers which have
religious significance to the first readers of the
Revelation.
It is not certain what the exact identify of all
of these precious gems are. Following is a list of
them and what they are according to the scholarship
of today.
1. Jasper was diamond
2. Sapphire was the same as a sapphire today and
were various shades of blue.
3. Chalcedony was a green carbonate of copper.
4. Emeralds were the same green gems of our day.
5. Sardonyx was a white gem accentuated by layers of
red and brown.
6. Sardius - a ruby red stone
7. Chrysolyte - uncertain, maybe a gold-colored
jasper.
8. Beryl was a gem the color of the sea.
9. Topaz was a yellowish gem.
10. Chrysoprase - a pale green gem.
11. Jacinth -a rich blue color.
12. Amethyst - a purplish red crystal common today.
Revelation 21:21
"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each
one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the
street of the city was pure gold, as it were
transparent glass."
There were twelve ways into the city, each gate
constructed of a single pearl. Pearls were highly
sought after in New Testament times. In the parable
of the pearl of great price, Jesus compared the
kingdom of God to a wonderful pearl found by one who
was diligently searching for it. Once found, it was
a highly treasured possession.
The streets were of gold so brilliant and shiny
that it appeared to be transparent glass. Only the
purest, shiniest, most magnificent gold would
symbolize what John was seeing. A gold like no
other.
Revelation 21:22
"And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God
the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof."
In the church on earth, the individual members
are the temple where God dwells, (1 Corinthians
3:16). In this beautiful home of the soul, God does
not just dwell in the temple, He is the temple. He
is the protection, the sanctuary, the security and
the home of the righteous.
Revelation 21:23
"And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of
the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the lamp thereof (is) the Lamb."
There is no need for created light in heaven.
The glory of God is all the light that is needed.
When God visited Moses on Mt Sinai he had to tuck
Moses into a crack in the rock and shield him from a
direct view of his face as he walked by. The
brightness of God in his pure glory is something no
physical man can even look upon and live to tell of
(Exodus 33:20-23). The account goes on to reveal
that the glory of God was so bright that even Moses
skin glowed from being in its presence. There will
be no need for created light in heaven. The glory
of God shines brightly enough for that purpose.
Revelation 21:9-23 can be summarized as the
beauty, magnificence, security and glory of Heaven
and living in the presence of God Himself. What a
wonderful place Heaven must be.
Revelation 21:24
"And the nations shall walk amidst the light
thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their
glory into it."
Salvation was offered to all nations on earth and
they shall walk in the light of God's glory. The
kings of the earth, which is a figure for all
Christians, (Revelation 5:10), will bring their
glory into heaven with them.
Revelation 21:25
"And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut
by day (for there shall be no night there)"
In heaven there is the absolute absence of
darkness. The gates will not need to be shut
because there will be no evil anywhere to threaten
the holy city. No bars or locks on windows and
doors, no security measures will need to be in
place. There will be no evil in Heaven whatsoever.
Shutting the gates will be unnecessary. The doors
into Heaven stand open for all eternity.
Revelation 21:26
"and they shall bring the glory and the honor of
the nations into it"
The redeemed out of every nation are in view
here. All of the glory sought or achieved out them
will be brought into the city. The next verse
explains what will never been seen or allowed into
the holy city.
Revelation 21:27
"and there shall in no wise enter into it
anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination
and a lie: but only they that are written in the
Lamb's book of life."
The gates into the city shall never be shut. The
walls are high, the city is great and secure and
peaceful. The only citizens will be the unified
Godhead on the throne and those who are written in
the Lamb's book of life. The eternal spiritual
register which contains the names of all the
redeemed out of the earth.
Satan brought sin and death into the garden of
Eden and from that came everything unclean, that
made abominations and lies. Satan has been defeated
now and can never defile anything again. At this
point he he is suffering eternal punishment for all
the pain and suffering inflicted upon the
inhabitants of the earth since the beginning. He is
never going to be able to influence or tempt anybody
in the holy city again. The citizens of this city
are safe from all those things which were part of
the world before. This is heaven. Eternal
security, rest and peace. The never ending home of
the soul.
Chapter Twenty one
Paraphrase
Now I saw a new spiritual
heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first physical earth have passed away. Also there
was no more barrier between God and His people. Then
I, John, saw the new earth, that holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the
tabernacle of God is now with men, and He will dwell
with them in person, and they shall be His people.
God Himself will be with them and be their God. And
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there
shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain, for the former physical
things have passed away."
Then Jesus, who sat on
the throne with the Father said," Behold, I make all
things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these
words are true and faithful." And He said to me, "It
is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning
and the End. I will give of the fountain of the
water of life freely to him who thirsts for
righteousness. He who overcomes Satan's temptations
shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and
he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving,
abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in
the lake which burns with eternal fire and
brimstone, which is the second death."
Then one of the seven
angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven
last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying,
"Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
And then he carried me away in Spirit to a great and
high mountain, and showed me a vision of the great
city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven
from God, and having the glory of God. Her light was
like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone,
clear as a diamond. Also she had a great and high
wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the
gates, and names written on them, which are the
names of the twelve tribes of the children of
Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the
north, three gates on the south, and three gates on
the west.
Now the wall of the city
had twelve foundations, and on them were the names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the angel
who talked with me had a golden reed to measure the
city, its gates, and its wall. The city was laid out
as a square; its length is as great as its breadth.
And he measured the city with the reed: twelve
thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height
were equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred
and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a
man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its
wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold that
shined like clear glass. The foundations of the
wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of
precious stones: 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 chrysoprase, the eleventh
jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates
were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one
pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold that
shined like transparent glass.
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are its temple. The holy city had no
need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for
the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its
light. And those who are redeemed out of the
nations shall walk in its light, and the saints and
kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into
it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day and
there shall be no night there. And the redeemed from
out of the earth shall bring the glory and the honor
of the nations into it. But there shall by no means
enter it anything that defiles, or causes an
abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are
written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
|