And I saw a new heaven and
a new earth: for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed
away; and there was no more sea.
2. And I John saw the
holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband.
3. And I heard a great voice out
of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, and be their God.
4. And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.
The events of this chapter are a continuation
of the series of prophecy considered in the preceding
one, only describing an entirely different phase the
final reward and eternal home of God’s people.
We have traced many series of prophecies through the
long weary pathway of centuries, only to find the
termination of the powers of wickedness in the lake
of fire at the end of time or their overthrow otherwise
set forth under appropriate symbols; but in no instance
has the final reward of God’s people after the
judgment been fully described. That glorious event
of the future was referred to in Chap 7 as the final
in-gathering of the redeemed “of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues.”
The description however, was incomplete. Since
the eternal abode of the wicked is referred to often,
the subject would seem incomplete without a description
of the final glories and triumphs of the redeemed in
their future and eternal home. Though their earthly
pilgrimage is fraught with sorrow, death, pain, wretchedness,
and misery, by the hands of their violent oppressors,
yet they shall witness the complete overthrow of all
their enemies in the lake that burns with fire and
brimstone, and they themselves shall be rewarded eternally;
for “God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
neither crying, neither shall there be any more pain;
for the former things are passed away.”
It is fitting that such a sublime theme should be
reserved as the grand climax of the book of Revelation.
With the dissolution of the earth
on which we live, which event has just been described,
it is evident that the many lines of prophecy leading
up to that great event are no longer under special
consideration, but that a new theme subsequent to
the judgment scene is introduced with the words of
the Revelator immediately following “I
saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there
was no more sea.” The heaven, earth, and
sea that passed away certainly refers to the earth
that now is and to the aerial heaven surrounding it;
therefore the new heaven and the new earth brought
to view must signify the future and eternal home that
Jesus went to prepare. We could not consistently
make the one literal and the other symbolical.
This accords perfectly with the teaching of the apostle
Peter where he says: “The day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall be burned up....
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for
new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness.” 2 Pet 3:10-13.
The holy city of God, the New Jerusalem,
is next introduced. Since this meets its fulfilment
in the new order of things subsequent to the judgment
scene, it must have special reference to the future
abode of the saints in the new earth. Many of
the symbols here describing the New Jerusalem, and
even New Jerusalem itself, are often used to set forth
the church of God in the New Testament dispensation.
The church on earth and the church of God in heaven
are in one important sense the same thing, as they
constitute but one family (Eph 3:15); yet in another
sense there is a difference, and the proper distinction
must be observed even when the same symbols or titles
are used to describe or designate both phases.
A similar two-foldness is seen in many lines of truth.
In Heb 12:22, 23, we are represented as dwelling
in the city of God in this dispensation; yet verse
27 of this chapter and the fourteenth of the following
chapter plainly show our entrance into the city at
the end. The Scriptures represent God as dwelling
on earth in his church, which, of course, is considered
in a spiritual sense; but his actual throne and place
of abode is in heaven. A new creation brought
about by Christ in his first advent is set forth by
various texts; still, it remains a fact that a new
creation will actually be brought to view after the
present world is no more and that the same will be
our eternal home. We obtain spiritual life through
Christ now, hence have right to the tree of life;
yet in another sense our access to the tree of life
is at the end and we then enter in through the gates
into the city. Chap 22:14. Hence it is
proper to speak of the city of God as both present
and future, by observing the proper distinction, just
as the Scriptures speak of the church in a twofold
sense as being both on earth and in heaven, or of
the spiritual kingdom in the present and the eternal
kingdom in the end. It is Scriptural to speak
of God’s throne as being on earth in the midst
of his saints in a spiritual sense and also of its
being located in heaven. The tree of life is a
present realization spiritually and also a future
reality. We dwell in the city of God now in
the suburbs, as it were but we shall “have
a right” to it in the future state when we are
ushered into the very heart of the great metropolis
and stand before the actual throne of the Deity, in
the presence of his August Majesty.
In the New Testament dispensation
the heavenly elements of the New Jerusalem have descended
to earth in the form of the new covenant, and God’s
people obtain a foretaste of heaven’s glory and
are made pure even as Christ is pure, and are therefore
represented as having “come unto Mount Sion,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”
(Heb 12:22, 23); and God dwells with them in a very
important sens Cor 6:16. They are one
with the redeemed above, and together they constitute
one “family in heaven and earth,” all loving
the same Father, adoring the same King, drinking from
the same fountain of life eternal, and all basking
in the same divine light that beams from the throne
of God. In another sense, however, there is a
difference between them; for they are separated by
the line of mortality, one phase being located on
earth and the other in heaven. But when at the
last day the redeemed of earth have access to the
tree of life in its perfect sense, there will be henceforth
only one phase to the New Jerusalem, or church of God,
which will be in its relation to the new earth, as
specially described in the prophecy under consideration,
when “all things” are made new
and “the former things are passed away.”
5. And he that sat upon
the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he said
unto me, Write: for these words are true
and faithful.
6. And he said unto me,
It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end.
I will give unto him that is athirst of
the fountain of the water
of life freely.
7. He that overcometh
shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my
son.
8. But the fearful, and unbelieving,
and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers,
and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone: which is the second death.
The declarations contained in these
verses proceed from God himself and announce the fact
that he hath now fulfilled all that he designed.
His promises to his faithful children are brought
to pass, as well as his threatening to his foes.
All things are made new and the former things are
passed away. Not only has the strife, the commotion,
and the sin in the old order of things passed away,
but the new creation, wherein dwelleth righteousness,
has been introduced, the grand long-looked-for era
of eternal blessedness to the saints. Oh, halleluiah!
“And he said unto me, Write: for these
words are true and faithful.”
“And he said unto me, It is
done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end.” When the seventh angel of Chap
16:17 poured out his vial, the voice of God from the
throne said, “It is done,” signifying that
the last judgments were complete. Here again
the same voice is heard as before, referring to the
same thing the accomplishment of God’s
great purposes. The enemies of the church have
been overthrown, her long period of warfare has ended,
and the eternal day of Zion’s glory has come.
Then follow his blessed promises held out to the faithful,
and also the reward to the wicked. These are
to be understood as referring to these classes, not
at the day of judgment, but when the Revelation was
given to John and therefore to us. “I will
give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the
water of life freely. He that overcometh shall
inherit all things [in the margin, these things]:
and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
“This is the reward in reserve for those who
endure through this period of trial and overcome at
last. They shall drink of living waters, which
will be sweet and refreshing indeed to those who have
toiled through this fight; and they shall inherit
these things these new heavens and earth.
God shall be their God, and they his sons. Oh,
what an honor! what a destiny in reserve for the faithful!
with what glorious anticipations may the believer look
forward to the revelations of that day, and with Paul
say, ’If by any means I may attain unto the
resurrection of the dead.’
“What warning also to the wicked!
The same voice that utters the promise, pronounces
also the threatening. ’The fearful, and
unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.’
God says, ‘These words are true and faithful.’
They came from him who sat upon the throne, the Alpha
and Omega. He has put his everlasting seal to
them, and pledged his veracity to their truth.”
Dear reader, will you accept the word of Him who can
not lie and choose to suffer affliction with the people
of God until our Lord shall come to call his ransomed
home? Or will you decide to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season, only to be resurrected at the
last great day to “shame and everlasting contempt”?
There is no intimation of future salvation for the
transgressor. The lake of fire still stands as
the symbol of eternal destruction, and into it the
fearful and unbelieving and wicked of every name are
cast.
9. And there came unto me one of
the seven angels which had the seven vials full
of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying,
Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s
wife.
10. And he carried me
away in the spirit to a great and high
mountain, and showed me that
great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from
God,
11. Having the glory
of God: and her light was like unto a stone
most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12. And had a wall great
and high, and had 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:
13. On the east three
gates; on the north three gates; on the
south three gates; and on
the west three gates.
14. And the wall of the
city had twelve foundations, and in them
the names of the twelve apostles
of the Lamb.
15. And he that talked
with me had a golden reed to measure the
city, and the gates thereof,
and the wall thereof.
16. And the city lieth foursquare,
and the length is as large as the breadth:
and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand
furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height
of it are equal.
17. And he measured the
wall thereof, an hundred and forty and
four cubits, according to
the measure of a man, that is, of the
angel.
18. And the building
of the wall of it was of jasper: and the
city was pure gold, like unto
clear glass.
19. And the foundations of the
wall of the city were garnished with all manner
of precious stones. The first foundation was
jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony;
the fourth, an emerald;
20. The fifth, sardonyx;
the sixth, sardius; the seventh,
chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl;
the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a
chrysoprasus; the eleventh,
a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21. And the twelve gates
were twelve pearls; every several gate
was of one pearl: and
the street of the city was pure gold, as
it were transparent glass.
22. And I saw no temple
therein: for the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are the temple of
it.
23. And the city had
no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to
shine in it: for the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb
is the light thereof.
24. And the nations of
them which are saved shall walk in the
light of it: and the
kings of the earth do bring their glory and
honor into it.
25. And the gates of
it shall not be shut at all by day: for
there shall be no night there.
26. And they shall bring
the glory and honor of the nations into
it.
27. And there shall in
no wise enter into it any thing that
defileth, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, or maketh a
lie: but they which are
written in the Lamb’s book of life.
We have here a magnificent description
of the New Jerusalem, representing the home of the
redeemed. The various symbols employed in its
description must of course he understood as symbolical.
We have no means of knowing just what our future home
will be like; but that it will be a place of wondrous
beauty and transcendent glory is shown by the fact
that everything which is considered grand and glorious
in this world is here chosen to represent the home
of the redeemed. The symbols selected to describe
it are objects of such priceless worth, even exceeding
royal splendor, that we pause in astonishment and exclaim,
“What must the reality be?” The conditions
upon which entrance to this city may be obtained (Ver
27; Chap 22:14) show clearly that our future and
eternal home is the chief burden of this vision and
not merely our spiritual inheritance in this world.
“In approaching Jerusalem, the
traveller is not aware of its proximity, until, ascending
an eminence, the glorious city bursts upon his astonished
vision, when he is ready to exclaim with the Psalmist ’Beautiful
for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount
Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great
king.’”Psa 48:2. John was carried
to “a great and high mountain,” from which
commanding point of view he was enabled to survey in
all its boundless extent the surpassing glories of
the New Jerusalem. Never did imagination conceive
anything approaching the sublimity and grandeur of
the scene here described by the pen of inspiration.
It was “a great city” how great
we shall soon discover the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God.
The ancient city of Jerusalem was
regarded as sacred because in it God had recorded
his name, and it contained his holy temple, his place
of residence on earth. Thither the tribes of
Israel went up to worship; “Jerusalem is the
place where men ought to worship.” So, also,
this New Jerusalem was “the holy city,”
an antitype of the former. It is described as
“having the glory of God, and her light was like
unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone,
clear as crystal.” “The glory of
God” was that visible manifestation, called the
Shekinah, which Jehovah made of himself in the tabernacle
of his ancient people. The following facts concerning
it will give us an understanding of its signification
as connected with the New Jerusalem:
“Jehovah was the accepted King
and Lawgiver of his people Israel, and he had his
tabernacle among them, where he abode by his presence,
where he might be approached and consulted, and make
communications of his will. That visible presence
was ‘the glory of God’ or the Shekinah;
and the Jews regarded it with the highest possible
veneration, as the embodiment of the Deity. The
sacred writers often speak of it in the same terms
as of Jehovah himself. They refer to this when
they speak of seeing God. ’Then
went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy
of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of
Israel.’ Ex 24:9, 10. ’I
saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted
up, and his train filled the temple.’ Isa
6:1. And again in verse 5: ’For mine
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.’
The spiritual essence of God can not, of course, be
revealed to mortal vision, yet there was a manifestation
of the Deity which was made visible to the eyes of
men, and which Moses and Isaiah speak of as seeing
God. It is spoken of as the presence
and face of Jehovah. ’And he said,
My presence shall go with thee, and I will
give thee rest.’ Ex 33:14. ’And
the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as
a man speaketh unto his friend.’ Ex 33:11.”
The New Jerusalem that John saw descending
from God which denotes its heavenly origin had
“the glory of God: and her light was like
unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone,
clear as crystal.” It dazzled as the purest
diamond. In verse 23 we are informed that it
illuminated the whole city so that there was “no
need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in
it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and
the Lamb is the light thereof.” In ancient
times “the glory of God” filled the tabernacle,
the place of his abode; but here it filled the
whole city. In that tabernacle the Shekinah
was the manifestation of the divine glory of Jehovah.
In the New Jerusalem Jesus Christ, who is “the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person,” illuminates the entire city of God.
Oh, halleluiah!
In olden times the cities were surrounded
with walls, designed as a defense against all enemies.
The more important the city, the higher and stronger
were the walls built. Having walls, it was necessary
also to have gates to furnish ingress and egress to
the inhabitants. These gates were in charge of
faithful guardians, who had authority to open and to
close them according to the regulations of the city.
In accordance with this idea the city of God is represented
as having “a wall great and high.”
This wall represents the security of Zion, whose inhabitants
within can rest in peace and safety. The three
gates on each side represent the free and easy access
into the city from every quarter. Anciently,
it was customary to give names to the gates of a city,
just as we now do to our streets. The gates of
this holy city were named after the twelve tribes
of the children of Israel, which embraced all God’s
ancient covenant people, and which denotes the perfection
and completeness of our heavenly home as including
all the spiritual Israel.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them
the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The twelve foundations, or rather
the twelve courses of stone in the foundation, are more fully described
hereafter. The names of the twelve tribes were on the gates to denote that the
city was composed of Gods true and complete Israel, and the names of the twelve
apostles are on the foundation to denote that this contains the church which was
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone. Eph 2:20. The system of truth that they preached
to the world forms the doctrinal basis of the church of God, they having
received it from heaven by inspiration of God, and their names all appear; and
together they constitute one harmonious, solid foundation upon which the church
shall stand foreVer
The dimensions of the city as measured
by the angel are next given as twelve thousand furlongs,
or one thousand five hundred miles. By the statement
that the length, the breadth and the height are equal,
some have supposed that the city was one thousand
five hundred miles high. To quote the words of
a certain commentator: “The language, however,
will bear another meaning, which is far more natural.
It is not that the length and breadth and height were
severally equal to each other, but equal
with themselves; that is the length was everywhere
the same, the breadth everywhere the same, and the
height the same. It was perfect and symmetrical
in all its proportions. This is confirmed by the
fact distinctly stated, that the wall was one hundred
and forty and four cubits high, or two hundred and
sixteen feet, a proper height for a wall; while it
is said only that ’the length is as large as
the breadth.’” This writer reckoned but
eighteen inches for a cubit, whereas some figure twenty-two.
A city one thousand and five hundred miles high with
a wall only two hundred and sixteen or two hundred
and sixty four feet high, would be altogether out
of proportion.
The wondrous dimensions of this city
set forth the fact that our future home far exceeds
in grandeur and extent everything that is looked upon
as glorious upon earth. Who ever heard of a city
one thousand and five hundred miles square? We
have had empires so large, but no such cities.
In this representation the city does not encompass
the entire earth as she in one sense really does,
because it would be impossible thus to represent her
and at the same time she be represented as a city within
the earth, into which the nations bring their “glory
and honor.” The ancient city of Babylon
with its beautiful hanging-gardens, the very triumph
of human skill, and the city itself lying in a foursquare,
being fifteen miles on each side, was unsurpassed
in human loveliness. But the city of God is represented
as fifteen hundred miles square, which dimensions
are out of all proportion with anything existing on
earth; hence its beauty and magnificence must be ascribed
to God only.
“And the building of the wall
of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold
like unto clear glass.” The jasper is the
same crystal gem before mentioned. What a wondrous
wall it must have been! It was not made of such
common material as granite, freestone, or marble, which
can make the most imposing structures that human pride
can rear, and which are fit for the residence of lofty
kings; but it was of jasper, clear as crystal.
Think of the wall of this holy city being nearly three
hundred feet high and stretching around the city six
thousand miles, all built of the purest diamond!
No stretch of the human imagination can properly compass
such a vision. In rearing earthly structures men
seek such material as combine durability, cheapness,
beauty, and ease of being wrought. Look at this
wall! For durability, it has the most
indestructible material that can be found on earth.
For beauty, the language of man can not even
convey a meagre description of its amazing loveliness.
For cheapness God’s riches
were inexhaustible, hence it was not necessary to
take this into consideration. For ease of being
wrought think of the vast amount of
labor it requires to cut and shape even one large
diamond, it being said to require in some cases years
of incessant toil; yet God could afford to build the
wall of this city of such material. Oh, wonders
of God’s handiwork! How inexpressibly glorious!
This, my dear reader, symbolizes the priceless worth
of our eternal home, secured through the atonement.
Study the plan of redemption. There is nothing
equal to it in the universe. “What is a
man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul?”
Men become greatly agitated over the
announcement of the discovery of gold in the Klondyke,
in the Australian continent, in California, and with
feverish excitement they abandon their homes and rush
headlong to the reputed El Dorado, fearing neither
famine, storms, deserts, nor the icy northern blasts.
But all the gold ever mined from the bowels of the
earth is insignificant and forms no comparison with
the representation of this city. Its streets
and mansions were built, not of common cement, lumber,
nor even granite and marble, but of pure gold.
The twelve courses of stone in the
foundation of the wall have already been mentioned.
It is here particularly described. One might suppose
that, according to human custom, rougher material would
be selected for the foundation. Not so, howeVer
The most brilliant and costly gems were chosen to
lay these courses. Nothing cheap nor common had
anything to do in the construction of this marvelous
city. It was altogether beyond the reach of men
to imitate: it was God’s own handiwork;
and we can not but admire its wondrous beauty.
It is unnecessary to give a minute description of
the gems of which these foundation-courses were composed.
They were the most beautiful and costly of which men
possess any knowledge. In appearance they represent
various colors of the most delicate shades. Royal
persons wear even the smallest of these gems upon
their persons and imagine themselves richly adorned;
but in this city of God they appear in such abundance
that they are even selected to form the basis, or
foundation, of the wall. “And the twelve
gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of
one pearl.” We have rich necklaces of pearl;
but where is the individual that was ever blessed with
such a profusion of wealth that he could ornament
the gates of a city with pearls? The gates of
the New Jerusalem, however, were not merely ornamented
or studded with pearls that were a very
small thing for her but each gate was of
one solid pearl. To conceive the immensity of
this representation we must consider the size of the
gates required to accommodate the multitudes constantly
entering and departing from a city. To be in
proportion to the wall they would have to be of immense
size, and also of prodigious strength in order to resist
the assaults of enemies, as they would be the first
places attacked. The gate of the temple called
Beautiful, mentioned in the Book of Acts, which was
in the wall surrounding the temple, is said to have
been seventy-five feet high and sixty in width, built
of Corinthian brass. Yet immense as they were,
those in the New Jerusalem were each of one solid pearl.
Oh, beautiful city of God, the home of the saints!
The most prominent object within the
walls of the ancient Jerusalem was the magnificent
temple on Mount Zion. It was the chief ornament
and glory of the city. In the New Jerusalem,
however, no temple is seen. Alas! is not this
a great defect? What is Jerusalem without a temple
where the tribes may go up and worship before the Lord?
Oh, they need no temple in this glorious city of God;
for there is one there greater than the temple:
“the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it.” This doubtless sets forth the fact
that the worship of God is pure and spiritual and
of free access to all. Under the old dispensation
the high priest alone, and he but once a year, was
permitted to enter the sacred precincts of the Deity
as limited to the inner sanctuary of the temple.
Now God’s people need no mediating priest to
offer up a special sacrifice that the will of God
might be known; but all are kings and priests who
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ (1 Pet 2:5); yea, as saith the prophet,
“they shall all know me from the least
of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord.”
Je:34. No temple is needed that the Shekinah
of the divine presence may take up its abode between
the cherubim in the most holy place, but “the
glory of the Lord” fills the entire city.
It can not be confined to a given locality. “The
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it,”
and they constitute the glory of the New Jerusalem
as did the temple on Mount Zion that of the old.
“The nations of them which are
saved shall walk in the light of it.” Can
any one conceive the grandeur and the sublimity of
the scene when a light that eclipses the sun and the
moon is reflected from streets and mansions of gold,
or comes streaming through a wall composed of the most
brilliant gems of different hues, with gates of solid
pearl? No wonder, then, that the poet has denominated
it “the beautiful light of God”! The
gates are open continuously, for they are not closed
by day, and “there shall be no night there.”
But “there shall in no wise enter into it anything
that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination,
or maketh a lie: but they which are written in
the Lamb’s book of Life.” This, my
dear reader, is the reward of the New Testament church,
“the church of God.”