Revelation 21:10, 22-27; 22:1-5 - COMMENTARY:
THE CONTEXT:
Chapters 17-20 introduced a vision of God's triumph over evil. An angel told John (the author of this book-the one who sees this vision):
"Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality." (17:1b-2).
John saw a vision of ten kings who made war on the Lamb, but were soundly defeated (17:14).
Another angel presented John with a vision of the destruction of Babylon (chapter 18)-and a vision of rejoicing in heaven over the end of that evil empire (19:1-10).
Then John saw a vision of a rider whose name is "the Word of God." He was mounted on a white horse (19:13) and was leading an army mounted on white horses "to strike down the nations" (19:15). He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (19:16).
Then John saw a vision of "a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them. I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne" (20:11-12). The books were opened, to include the book of life, "the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works" (20:12). "Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire" (20:14-15).
Chapter 21 begins with John's vision of "a new heaven and a new earth" (21:1a)-the first heaven and earth having passed away (21:1b). He "saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband" (21:2). God promised that "he will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more," (21:4) and "Behold, I am making all things new" (21:5). The faithful will receive water "from the spring of the water of life" (21:6-7), but the faithless will be "in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (21:8).
In the verse just prior to our lectionary reading, an angel said, "Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb's bride." (1:9).
Our lectionary reading is focused on the new heaven and earth-a vision that has given Christians great hope. Christians have often been criticized for paying too much attention on the next world, and ignoring the problems of our present world. However, there is no reason to believe that a focus on the new heaven and new earth detract from efforts to redeem our present world. C.S. Lewis, in his book, Christian Behavior, says:
"If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were...those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world
that they have become so ineffective in this (world). Aim at Heaven and you will get the earth thrown in.
Aim at earth and you will get neither."
That comment might seem natural for a Christian author, such as C.S. Lewis-but Gordon Allport, an eminent psychologist and longtime member of the Harvard faculty, expressed similar sentiments in hisbook, The Individual and His Religion:
"We could probably prove that throughout history those Christians who have accomplished the most practical benefit in this world are those who have believed most fervently in the next."
REVELATION 21:10: THE HOLY CITY, JERUSALEM
10He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
"He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain" (v.10a). In both Old and New Testaments, mountains are places where people encounter God or experience some sort of revelation from God. Moses met with God on Mount Sinai and received the tablets of the law there. Jesus went up a mountain to teach his disciples what we now know as the Sermon on the Mount.
"in the Spirit" (v.10a). The angel (see v. 9) carries John away "in the spirit." This phrase, "in the spirit," is used often in the New Testament-and by a number of authors (Acts 19:21; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 14:2; Ephesians 4:23; 6:18; Philippians 2:1; Colossians 1:8; 1 Peter 3:18; 4:6; Revelation 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10).
There are three possible meanings for "in the spirit," and we can't be sure which John intended in this verse. The first possibility is that the Holy Spirit inspired this vision and/or accompanied John on this journey. The second possibility is that John went on this journey "in the spirit" as over against "in the body." The third possibility is a combination of the first two.
"and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" (v.10b). The picture here is not the movement of the faithful from this world to the next, but rather the redemption of this world. "The righteous...do not ascend to the new heaven; rather the new heaven descends to earth in the form of the New Jerusalem" (Wright, 767).
REVELATION 21:11-21. NOT IN LECTIONARY
11having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 13On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. 15He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. 16The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass. 19The foundations of the city's wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst.21The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
It seems unfortunate that the lectionary skips these verses, which describe the "holy city, Jerusalem" (v. 10) in detail:
• For one thing, this description is quite vivid, and easily captures our imagination. It thus possesses homiletical potential.
• For another, John presents the holy city as a stunningly grand place-a fact that we should celebrate.
• Finally, we often hear phrases derived from these verses-"streets of gold" and "pearly gates"-so people are primed to hear preaching related to those images.
The list of the jewels in the foundations of the wall (vv. 19-20) appears to be derived from the jewels adorning the priest's breastplate (Exodus 28:15-21; 39:10-14).
Note the frequent occurrence of the number twelve in these verses. There were twelve tribes of Israel and twelve apostles. The number twelve appears frequently in other contexts (Exodus 24:4; 28:11; Leviticus 24:5; Numbers 13:1-16; 17:2; Joshua 4:9; 1 Kings 4:7; 18:31). The number twelve seems to indicate a kind of spiritual completeness. When Judas died, the apostles asked God for guidance, and then cast lots to determine a successor apostle, which restored the number twelve. As Dale Bruner puts it in his commentary on Matthew, "the number eleven limps."
REVELATION 21:22-27. I SAW NO TEMPLE IN IT
22I saw no temple (Greek: naos) in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.23The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24The nations (Greek: ethne) will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 25Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there), 26and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it so that they may enter. 27There will in no way enter into it anything profane (koinos), or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
"I saw no temple (naos) in it" (v. 22a). There are two Greek words for temple-hieron, used for the temple and its grounds, and naos, used for the sacred sanctuary. The word used in this verse is naos.
In their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites (at God's direction) made a tent-like place of worship called the tabernacle that represented the presence of Yahweh in their midst. Once they had established themselves in the Promised Land, Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem to take the place of the tabernacle.
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon's temple in 587-586 B.C. and took most of the Israelites into captivity in Babylon. When Cyrus, the Persian king, allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland, they rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem-work that they completed in 516 B.C. This second temple was much more modest than Solomon's Temple, but served the same purposes-symbolizing the presence of God in the Israelites' midst, and providing a place to bring their offerings and to conduct their sacrifices.
In the eighteenth year of his reign (20-19 B.C.), Herod the Great began an ambitious reconstruction of the temple-enlarging it and making it much more majestic. That reconstruction took more than eighty years, and was finally completed in 63 A.D. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D.-less than a decade after the reconstruction of the temple was completed-and more than two decades prior to John writing the book of Revelation.
John's vision was not of the old Jerusalem, but the new Jerusalem-the ideal Jerusalem-the perfected Jerusalem. Even in this heavenly city, however, he saw no temple.
"for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple" (v. 22b). The temple is missing from the new Jerusalem, because it is not needed. The "Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb" serve as its temple. In the new Jerusalem, people need no designated building where they can worship God, because they will worship continually. It is the place where "the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).
Paul said that Christians are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; see also Ephesians 2:19-22). The implication is that Christians should "Come out from among (the unbelievers, and).... touch no unclean thing" (2 Corinthians 6:17).
"The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine" (v. 23a). In our present world, the sun and moon are essential to life. The sun provides the light that makes life possible. Without sunlight, no plants could grow and no animals could survive.
God has provided abundantly for our sunlight needs. The sun has been shining for billions of years, and promises to continue to shine for billions more. It is just the right size-and just the right temperature-and at just the right distance from the earth to allow life as we know it to exist. Nevertheless, it uses nuclear fusion to create heat and light-and it will someday exhaust the fuel that allows it to do so. When that happens, life as we know it will not be possible.
But we need not fear, because the glory of God will light the new Jerusalem-and the glory of God is limitless-eternal.
"for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb" (v. 23b). When John refers to the Lamb, he means the Christ-the risen Messiah.
This imagery has its roots in the book of Isaiah, where the prophet said, "The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light to you: but Yahweh will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory" (Isaiah 60:19; see also Isaiah 60:1-2).
In the Prologue to the Gospel of John, we heard, "The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world" (John 1:9). The context makes it clear that the author was talking about Jesus. Later, Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).
"The nations (ethne-nations or Gentiles) will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. Its gates will in no way be shut by day" (v. 24-25a). John appropriated the language of Isaiah 60:10-11 for use in verses 24-25a. That passage from Isaiah reads as follows:
"Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you: for in my wrath I struck you,
but in my favor have I had mercy on you. Your gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive."
In its original context, Jews who had been exiled in Babylonia had returned to their homeland-to Jerusalem. However, they soon discovered that Yahweh, who had made their return possible, had not made it easy. They experienced opposition from local people, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple ground to a halt (Ezra 4; Nehemiah 4-5).
Just as the original Israelites had grumbled and doubted when they experienced obstacles in the wilderness, so also these former exiles experienced obstacles that created a similar crisis of faith. They wanted to know if Yahweh would prove faithful. Would he keep his promises?
Isaiah 60 promises that "Nations (Hebrew: goyim-Gentiles) shall come to your light" (60:3)-and that "foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you" (60:10)-and "that men (shall) bring to you the wealth of the nations" (60:11)-and that the nations that refuse to serve Judah "shall be utterly wasted" (60:12). It promises that "Yahweh will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory" (60:19).
Christians of the first century also experienced obstacles, such as persecution, that caused them to doubt-to need reassurance. John's vision appropriates for Christians some of the promises given through the prophet Isaiah to Jews centuries earlier.
The idea in these verses is that the new Jerusalem will include ethne-Gentiles-those who had largely been excluded from Yahweh's covenant people, the Israelites. They will be excluded no more, but will walk by the light of the glory of God.
"Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there)" (v. 25). There are two promises here, and they work together. The first promise is that the city's "gates will in no way be shut by day." The second promise is that "there will be no night there." Putting those two promises together, we find that the gates of new Jerusalem will never need to be shut.
Walls and gates are intended to provide security against enemy forces. We know about walls and gates. People increasingly choose to live in gated communities, where no one can enter without a resident's approval. In large cities, people try to protect homes and businesses with a plethora of steel bars, gratings, walls, and gates. We install increasingly sophisticated electronic security systems to warn of intruders. We must use passwords to prevent theft. We must employ police forces to keep criminals at bay-and armies to provide security from threats abroad. We must keep hundreds of thousands of people behind bars to restrict their access to innocent people whom they might otherwise harm.
But in the new Jerusalem, none of that will be needed. Gates will stand open all the time. There will be no need for security systems-or prisons--or locks on our doors-or police-or military forces. Just imagine! In a place where everyone is honest, we won't need to worry about the security of our money or credit cards or bank accounts. We won't need passwords. We will be able to dismantle all our walls and gates-even the electronic ones. The new Jerusalem will be absolutely safe and secure.
"for there will be no night there" (v. 25b). Nighttime can be frightening. When it is dark, we are more likely to stumble and fall. Criminals prefer to do their evil deeds under the cover of darkness, so there is a genuine threat associated with night. People often awaken in the middle of the night, troubled by a problem that they are helpless to resolve until daylight comes. Winter darkness often contributes to depression, especially in the far north and south latitudes.
In both Old and New Testaments, but especially in the New Testament, "night" and "darkness" are used metaphorically to symbolize evil or danger or judgment (Micah 3:5-6; Zechariah 14:7; John 9:4; 11:9-10; Romans 13:12; Ephesians 5:6-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). Nicodemus came to visit Jesus by night, presumably to avoid detection by his peers (John 3:1-10). Judas left to betray Jesus at night (John 13:30).
But there will be no night in the new Jerusalem, because "the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb" (v. 23).
"and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it" (v. 26). This cannot mean that the nations (Greek: ethnon) can add to the glory and honor of new Jerusalem. It must mean that the nations will bring what they have to make an offering to God-to will do their best to honor God.
"There will in no way enter into it anything profane" (koinos) (v. 27a). The word koinos means unclean or defiled or unholy. The Bible uses the words "clean" and "unclean to speak of spiritual rather than physical cleanliness. Israelites could be rendered unclean by eating animals proscribed by the law (Leviticus 11)-by giving birth (Leviticus 12:2ff.)-by contracting leprosy (Leviticus 13)-or by coming into contact with certain bodily discharges or dead bodies (Leviticus 11:39; 15:18). But the Torah also prescribes remedies for various unclean states so that unclean people might become clean. The purpose of these laws was to establish Israelites as a holy people-separate from other people-set apart to be God's people (Leviticus 20:26).
"or one who causes an abomination or a lie" (v. 27b). Earlier, when describing "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH," we saw that her cup was filled with "abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth" (17:4). When describing her fall, we heard that "all nations were deceived" by her (18:23). It is that sort of uncleanness and deception that will not be present in the new Jerusalem.
This verse serves as a warning. While we are saved by grace, we are also called to be a holy people-and there is an eternal penalty associated with lives that persist in unholy living-that revel in abominations or falsehoods.
"but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life" (v. 27b). The book of life is mentioned on several occasions in both Old and New Testaments.
• Moses asked God to forgive the Israelites for their golden calf-but if God were to refuse, Moses
requested, "Please blot me out of your book which you have written" (Exodus 32:32). The implication was that God recorded the names of the redeemed in that book.
• The Psalmist asked that his persecutors "be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written among the righteous" (Psalm 69:28).
• The book of Daniel pictures a judgment scene in which "the judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Daniel 7:10).
• The prophet Malachi mentions "a book of memory (that) was written before him, for those who feared Yahweh and who honored his name" (Malachi 3:16).
• Paul mentioned his fellow workers "whose names are in the book of life" (Philippians 4:3).
The book of Revelation mentions the book of life in five passages (including our current verse):
• Jesus promised the church at Sardis, "He who overcomes will be arrayed in white garments, and I will in no way blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels" (3:5).
• John saw a vision of a horrible, blaspheming beast, and said, "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed" (13:8).
• Also, "Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present" (17:8)
• The most detailed description of the book of life is found in Revelation 20. "I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire" (20:12-15).
It is clear from these various verses, then, that the book of life is where the names of the redeemed are recorded. It is these redeemed people-and only them-who will enjoy life in the New Jerusalem.
REVELATION 22:1-5. THE RIVER OF LIFE
1He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations(Greek: ethnon-from ethnos). 3There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants serve (Greek: latreusousin-from latreuo) him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
"He (the angel) showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street" (v. 1-2a). These verses bring to mind Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. When he asked her for a drink, she questioned how he, a Jew, would ask a Samaritan woman for a drink. He said, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water" She asked where he could get such water, and he said, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:7-14).
"Springing up to eternal life!" What does that mean? It means that that Jesus' "living water" is like an artesian well that flows faithfully through summer and winter-through good times and bad. It will slake our spiritual thirst-a thirst that goes to the core of our being.
Those of us who are blessed with running water tend to take water for granted-unless we are complaining about what it costs to water our lawns. It is a much different situation for millions of people today, and it was certainly different for first century residents of the Mediterranean world. They had to draw water from a well and carry it to their homes-a tedious chore. Or they washed their clothes in a nearby stream. Or they searched their pasturelands, hoping that the spring that they had seen earlier in the season would still be there.
The phrase "water of life" occurs four times in the book of Revelation (7:17; 21:6; 22:1; 22:17). In each instance, "water of life" is associated with the satisfaction of deep spiritual needs.
In the verse under consideration (22:1), the angel shows John "the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city." If you have seen a fast-flowing mountain stream on a sunny day, you know what "clear as crystal" means. The water in a mountain stream is beautiful as it splashes across the rocks.
This "water of life" has its origins in "the throne of God and of the Lamb." It serves as an expression of God's love and providence. It runs through the heart of the city, making it fully accessible to all the residents.
"On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month" (v. 2b). This language has roots in the book of Ezekiel, where Ezekiel saw a vision of a river bordered on both sides by trees. He said, "By the river on its bank, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall its fruit fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because its waters issue out of the sanctuary; and its fruit shall be for food, and its leaf for healing" (Ezekiel 47:12).
"the tree of life" (v. 2b). This was the name of the tree in the Garden of Eden-the fruit of which could have made it possible for Adam and Eve to live forever (Genesis 3:22). When God drove the man out of the garden, he placed cherubim there-and a flaming sword-"to guard the way to the tree of life"-to prevent the man and woman from gaining access to it (Genesis 3:24).
Now we see the tree of life once again-no longer guarded-producing fruit for the people of the holy city. No longer will people's lives be truncated. In the new Jerusalem, there will be no more death.
The idea of the twelve kinds of fruit is that there is a different crop of fruit for each month of the year-a
promise of abundant food-a symbol of God's providence.
"The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (ethnon-from ethnos) (v. 2c). Once again, we encounter the ethnos word-a word often translated Gentiles. No more will there be a division between Jews and Gentiles. No longer will Jews be the chosen people and Gentiles the not-chosen people. As Paul said, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).
"the healing of the nations." What is the nature of this healing? The text doesn't make that clear. Perhaps it is, in part, the removal of the barrier that kept Gentiles out of the kingdom. Perhaps "healing" in this verse is a metaphor for forgiveness.
"There will be no curse any more" (v. 3a). When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, God cursed the serpent who had tempted them (Genesis 3:14)-and the ground that the man would till to eat its produce (Genesis 3:17). Sin also produced the curse of death (Genesis 2:17). But in the new Jerusalem, there will be nothing accursed-and none of the pain of living under a curse. There will be no death there. The new Jerusalem will be paradise restored.
"The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it" (v. 3b). Ezekiel closed his prophecy by saying, "And the name of the city from that day shall be, Yahweh is There" (Ezekiel 48:35). The new Jerusalem is that prophecy fully realized. God will be there-and the Lamb!
"and his servants serve (latreusousin-from latreuo) him" (v. 3c). The word latreuo means "serve," and a variant, latris, can be used for a hired servant. Our service to God takes the form of worship, such as fasting and prayer (Luke 2:37).
"They will see his face" (v. 4a). To see a person's face-to look into his or her eyes-is very personal. Our faces express our feelings. They provide a clue to the nature of our character.
When Moses asked to see Yahweh's glory, Yahweh replied, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, ...(but) you cannot see my face; for man may not see me and live" (Exodus 33:20). The idea is that humans are not equipped to see God's face, any more than we are equipped to touch a high-voltage electrical line. There is more power there than our mortal bodies can handle.
However, Yahweh continued, "Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:21-23).
But in new Jerusalem, all strictures will be lifted. We will be able to look on God's face without penalty.
"and his name will be on their foreheads" (v. 4b). The high priest was required to wear on his forehead a gold rosette engraved with the words, "HOLY TO YAHWEH" (Exodus 28:36-38). In Ezekiel 9:4, God commanded that the foreheads of the faithful be marked so that they might be spared the slaughter soon to be perpetrated on the unfaithful. Likewise, the book of Revelation tells of 144,000 of God's servants being marked with a seal on their foreheads (7:3). This seal protected them from the torture that was to be inflicted on the unfaithful (9:4). They would also be permitted to stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb and to sing a new song (14:1-3).
Regarding the unfaithful, the book of Revelation also tells of the mark of the beast "to be marked on their right hands, or on their foreheads" (13:11-17).
So the mark on one's forehead identifies one's allegiance-whether to God or to the beast. The faithful will be marked with the Yahweh's name on their foreheads.
"There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them" (v. 5a). This repeats a promise made in the last chapter, "The city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb" (21:23). See the notes on 21:23-25 above.
"They will reign forever and ever " (v. 5b). This seems like an odd expression for use in this context. Reigning implies exercising authority. Obviously, God and the Lamb will reign in the new Jerusalem. Over whom would we reign?
However, Jesus earlier promised, "He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne" (3:21). The apostle Paul also said, "If we have died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will also reign with him (2 Timothy 2:11b-12a).
The idea, apparently, is not that we will reign over other people, but that we will share the blessedness associated with the reign of God and the Lamb in the new Jerusalem.
BIBLE.ORG - Keathley/Krell - Rev. 21:22-27; 22:1-5 commentary
Keathley: The Description of the New Jerusalem - (Rev. 21:9-10)
"And one of the seven angels ..." (vs. 9). As this verse shows, this angel's ministry was one of severe judgment, a judgment which from our standpoint is still future, but here his ministry is one revealing doctrinal truth to John, a much more enjoyable task.
"The bride, the wife of the Lamb" is a description, as verse 10 shows us, of the new Jerusalem which is again seen coming down out of heaven from God. Why is the new Jerusalem called the bride, the wife of the Lamb? In verse 2 we are told the city was "made ready as a bride adorned for her husband," but here new Jerusalem is called the bride. There are at least two reasons for this: the first is seen, as suggested in verse 2, in the beautiful analogy of the figure of a bride. Though dealing with the church and her responsibility in witnessing Joseph Aldrich has nicely captured the picture. He says:
Ideally, a bride is the epitome of all that is right and beautiful. She is a symbol of purity, hope, purpose, trust, love, beauty, and wholeness in a world pock-marked with ugliness. The bride motif, found in both testaments, is used by God to illustrate His strategy for attracting mankind to the availability of his life changing grace.245
So God calls new Jerusalem the bride, the wife of the Lamb, because as (a) the Lord is making his bride, the church, spotless and pure (Eph. 5:26-27), so he will make beautiful the new Jerusalem, (b) as marriage is permanent, so will be the new city, and (c) as a bride is beautiful and gloriously adorned, so will be the new city.
Second, though the new Jerusalem will eventually be the home of all the redeemed, it will first be the home of the church, the bride of Christ, who will also be on display during the Millennium, the marriage feast. Remember, this is the home that He is preparing for us (John 14:2-3).
"And he carried me away in the spirit" (vs. 10) refers to a special spiritual state, a trance-like condition into which John was often taken in order to receive special revelation from God for this book (cf. 1:10; 4:2; 17:3). This goes beyond the general filling or control of the Spirit.
Then again John sees the "holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven." Some think that because of the second mention of the city coming down out of heaven "this section describes the city's relation to the millennial state. In other words there seems to be two descents of the city, 21:1-8 being the one in relation to eternity, and 21:9-22:5 the one in relation to the Millennium."
Krell: 3. Appreciate your destination (21:22-22:5). In 21:22-27, John describes the character of the new city. It is known by what is not there. John writes, "I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty59 and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." In 21:22-27, we discover the five blessed absences of heaven. (1) There will be no sanctuary or temple because God and Jesus are the temple (21:22). The whole city will, therefore, be a virtual temple. The Lamb will play the central role in this temple along with Almighty God.
(2) There will be no sun or moon because God is her light and the Lamb her lamp (21:23). The need for created light sources will end when the Creator Himself lives among His people. God illuminated the camp of Israel with His presence in the pillar of fire, and He lit the Holy of Holies with His presence between the cherubim. He will similarly dispel all darkness of all kinds in the new city. The Lamb is the radiance of the Father's glory (Heb 1:3), but the Father is also the light (22:5). No more flashlights. No more changing light bulbs (the one mechanical thing that I can do). The vast wattage of God will supply all the light that is needed. It will be the Jesus Christ Light and Power Company.
(3) There will be no self-glory. Nations and kings will "bring the glory and the honor of the nations" into the New Jerusalem. There will be no reveling in past success or greatness; the glory will all be given to God. The identity of these nations and kings is difficult to determine.60 It is clear from the context that John is talking about a group of people who have access to the New Jerusalem but who don't live there. There is only one group of people left on earth to go into eternity in their physical bodies-believers that served Christ during His millennium kingdom. They go into eternity in their physical, glorified bodies, not spiritual, glorified bodies like we will have because they did not experience death and resurrection. These people will go into eternity with bodies like Adam and Eve had at their creation before they were flawed by sin.61 Their physical bodies will be maintained through a special provision from God ("the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations," 22:2b). In the New Jerusalem the gates will never close; anyone can enter anytime (21:25-26). These nations and kings, therefore, may enter whenever they wish, pay homage to God, and seek out the leaves of the Tree of Life for their continued health and well-being.62
(4) There is no sin. Nothing unclean will enter the New Jerusalem (21:27a).
(5) There are no sinners-only glory and honor, nothing defiling (21:27b). Only the blood-bought have the ticket. Only believers will enter the city. The unsaved will in no way be able to do so.63 Evidently, any believer will be able to enter the city since the contrast is with those whose names are not in the Lamb's Book of Life (i.e., the lost). This verse warns the reader that the only way to gain entrance into this city is to have one's name recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life (cf. 20:15).
The late, great Bible teacher, Vance Havner once said, "There are a lot of questions the Bible doesn't answer about the Hereafter. But I think one reason is illustrated by the story of a boy sitting down to a bowl of spinach when there's a chocolate cake at the end of the table. He's going to have a rough time eating that spinach when his eyes are on the cake. And if the Lord had explained everything to us about what's ours to come, I think we'd have a rough time with our spinach down here."64
In 22:1-5, John explains the restoration of Paradise (cf. 2:7; Gen 2; Luke 23:43; 2 Cor 12:2). Up to this chapter, the New Jerusalem seems to be all mineral and no vegetable. Its appearance is as the dazzling display of a fabulous jewelry store; we wonder if there is no soft grass to sit upon, no green trees to enjoy, and no water to drink or food to eat. However, here are introduced the elements which add a rich softness to this city of elaborate beauty. John writes, "Then he showed me65 a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (22:1-2).
The pure river seems to be symbolic of the refreshment and sustenance that God provides,66 though it, like the city itself, is probably also a literal river (cf. Gen 2:10, 14).67 John described the river he saw as bright or clear as a crystal; it was a shimmering, sparkling stream of unpolluted water. This river proceeded from the throne that belongs to God and the Lamb.68 This throne evidently stood at the head of the main street of the city so that looking down this street the throne appeared to be in its middle.69 The point of the passage is to teach that, in the eternal state, God's people will live at the source of the life-giving stream, the very presence of God Himself.70 This lone river signifies power, purity, and eternal life, in the eternal city that has its constant source of life in God.
In 22:2, John also saw the Tree of Life. When Adam and Eve fell, they lost their access to the Tree of Life in the garden of Eden (cf. Gen 2:9; 3:22-24). In the eternal city the residents will have access to the Tree of Life there.71 This tree was perpetually, rather than seasonally, in fruit; it produced a new crop of fruit each month of the year. Evidently the new creation will not have a lunar calendar, since there will be no moon (21:23), but another type of calendar will define months. Most fruit trees in the old creation bear fruit only a few months each year at most. In contrast, God's blessing of fruitfulness will mark life in the new earth. The Tree of Life in the garden of Eden could perpetuate life forever (Gen 3:22, 24). Evidently that will be the function of this tree in the new earth as well, to sustain immortality.
In 22:3-4, John goes on to write, "There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads."72 John tells us there will no longer be a curse. The curse in view is probably the curse that God pronounced on the old creation at the fall (cf. Gen 3:14-19; Zech 14:11; Mal 4:6). God will have intimate fellowship with His people because this curse has now been lifted. In this perfect place, we will serve Him.73
In 22:4, we also learn that God's bond-servants will see God's face; we will enjoy personal, intimate fellowship with Him. We will be able to do this because we will be pure in heart, righteous, and holy then (cf. Ps 11:7; 17:15; Matt 5:8; 1 Cor 13:12; Heb 12:14). Adam and Eve's sin broke their fellowship with God, and they hid from Him (Gen 3:8; cf. Exod 33:20, 23). Our ability to view God's glory is limited now (cf. Job 19:25-27; 2 Cor 3:18; Heb 9:7), but then it will be unhindered (1 John 3:2).
Our section closes in 22:5 with these words: "And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever." The final point John stressed was the great glory of God that will illuminate the whole new earth (21:23-25; cf. Zech 14:6-7). Previously he mentioned this to show how glorious the city will be, but now he did so to emphasize what delight this will result in for the city-dwellers (cf. Num 6:22-27). He added that His bond-servants will reign with Him forever, not just in the millennial kingdom (20:4, 6). This is the fulfillment of God's desire and command: that man should rule over His creation (Gen 1:26). Evidently, faithful believers will have more authority in the new creation than unfaithful believers, as will be true during the millennium (cf. Matt 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27).
Our faithfulness in life prepares us for higher service in heaven. Who knows but what He will give to each saint a world or a solar system or a galactic system to operate. Remember that Adam was given dominion over the old creation on this earth.74 Thus the prophecy of things that shall take place after present things (1:19), which began in 4:1, closes with a picture of God's servants worshipping around His throne and ruling under His authority.75
BLB - Rev. 22:10, 22-27; 22:1-5 - Commentary
A. All things made new.
1. (Rev 21:1) The new heaven and the new earth.
2. (Rev 21:2-4) The New Jerusalem descends from heaven.
B. The nature of the New Jerusalem.
1. (Rev 21:9-10) An angel will show John the city in greater detail.
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
a. I will show you the bride ... showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem: Passages like this make some wonder if the New Jerusalem is a literal place at all. Some suggest that it is really just an exotic symbol of the Church, the Bride of Christ.
b. This heavenly city is literal, but it is called the bride, the Lamb's wife because it is the place where all God's people are gathered. In this sense the New Jerusalem is certainly like the bride; but this association doesn't diminish the reality behind the image. The city is associated with the bride to awe us with a sense of its beauty.
C. The temple of the New Jerusalem.
1. (Rev 21:22-23) God is all in the New Jerusalem.
22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
a. But I saw no temple in it: In the ancient world, it was unthinkable to have a great city without many different temples. It's like saying today, "I saw a great city but I saw no bank in it" or "I saw a great city but I saw no shopping mall in it." This city is marked by the fact that there is no temple in it.
b. For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple: Here, the temple is not removed, but expanded. Everything and every place is holy and the dwelling place of God.
i. Before Jesus the temple was a prophecy. In the Christian era God's people are His temple. In the Millennium the temple will be a memorial. Here the temple is everywhere.
ii. "The inhabitants need no place of worship or sacrifice, the object of all worship being present, and the great sacrifice Himself being there." (Alford)
c. No temple ... no need of the sun or of the moon: This reminds us that heaven will be a place of pure worship. The things we use to help us worship, but often end up distracting us in worship (such as buildings, music systems, customs, and so forth) will no longer be an issue. Our focus will be totally on the Person we Worship, the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.
i. In heaven, none of our joy, beauty, or knowledge will be based on created things, but only on the Creator. By faith, you can have it that way now. You can decide to trust in God so completely that your joy, what you consider beauty, and your foundation of knowledge are all based on Jesus, and not on anything created.
d. The Lamb is its light: Light speaks of joy, for in the Scriptures light and joy go together. Light speaks of beauty, because without light there is no beauty. Light speaks of knowledge and in heaven we will all know Him as He knows us.
2. (Rev 21:24-27) Access into the city.
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
a. The kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it: What about these kings of the earth? Who are they? This is difficult to understand, and different commentators have different suggestions.
i. "How encouraging to note that not all were destroyed when the nations came to do battle against Jerusalem and the Lord Himself. There will also be 'kings of the earth' who will be a part of the eternal state." (Hocking)
ii. "Among the mysteries of this new heaven and earth this is set forth to us: that, besides the glorified church, there shall still be dwelling on the renewed earth nations, organized by kings, and [xxii. 2] saved by means of the influences of the heavenly city." (Alford)
b. There shall by no means enter it anything that defiles: Does this mean that such people will threaten the city? It isn't necessary to say that this is the idea, because all sinners and death have been cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). Instead, "the exhortation warns present readers that the only way to participate in the future city is to turn one's loyalties to the Lamb now." (Johnson)
A. The interior of the New Jerusalem.
1. (Rev 22:1) A river flowing from the throne of God.
1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
a. A pure river of water of life: Through the Old Testament, prophets used the picture of a river as a powerful expression of richness, provision, and peace (Isaiah 48:18, Zechariah 14:8, Ezekiel 47:1-9).
i. Or, as expressed by the Psalmist in Psalm 46:4-5: There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
ii. "One of the gladdest things on earth is water. There is nothing in all the world so precious to the eye and the imagination of the inhabitant of the dry, burning and thirsty East, as a plentiful supply of bright, pure, and living water." (Seiss)
iii. Poole says that this point of this river is "To let us know, that in heaven there shall be no want of any thing that can make the saints happy."
b. Clear as crystal: God's provision in the New Jerusalem is described with pure, absolutely unpolluted waters. "Its waters are literal waters, of a nature and quality answering to that of the golden city to which they belong. Man on earth never knew such waters, as men on earth never knew such a city; but the city is a sublime reality." (Seiss)
c. From the throne of God and of the Lamb: This river of provision comes right from God's throne. Because it comes from God, it cannot be anything other than pure and abundant.
i. Ezekiel saw a glorious river (Ezekiel 47) flow down from the temple in Jerusalem and into the sea, but that river belongs to the millennial earth. It is perhaps the final preview of this heavenly river. This is a better river with better trees.
2. (Rev 22:2) The tree of life.
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
a. The tree of life: The Bible begins with a tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24) which man was not allowed to eat from after the sin at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now we see the tree of life again. i. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river: It's a little hard to picture this heavenly landscaping. John may be describing a large street with a river flowing down the middle, and a large tree - or series of trees-that grows with roots on either side of the river. ii. This is how John Walvoord sees it: "The visual picture presented is that the river of life flows down through the middle of the city, and the tree is large enough to span the river, so that the river is in the midst of the street, and the tree is on both sides of the river." Others see that the word tree is a collective reference, speaking of rows of trees that stand on either side of the river. "The picture presented to the mind's eye would appear to be that of a wide street, with a river flowing down the center, like some of the broader canals of Holland, with trees growing on either side, all of them of the same kind, all called the tree of life. I do not know how we can make the figure out in any other way." (Spurgeon) iii. Seeing the tree of life again points to a restoration of all things. "Now at last, almost at the end of the great drama of the Bible, man may return and legitimately enjoy the blessing which he was banished for illegitimately desiring." (Preston/Hanson)
b. Each tree yielding its fruit every month: From all indications, this describes the world of the new heaven and the new earth, yet we are given a time indicator. Apparently, heaven will still mark time, but not be subject to it in the same way we are on this side of eternity. i. Some people wonder if we will eat in heaven. The best answer is that we can eat, but will not have to. In His resurrection body, Jesus enjoyed food (Luke 24:41-43, John 21:12-14). Angels ate with Abraham (Genesis 18:6-8). The great heavenly "reunion" between Jesus and His people is described as a marriage supper (Revelation 19:9). Even though man fell by what he ate, God will still allow us to eat in heaven. ii. "Like the golden table of showbread which ever stood in the ancient Tabernacle and Temple for the priests to eat, so the Tree of Life stands in all the golden streets of the New Jerusalem, with its monthly fruit for the immortal king-priests of heaven." (Seiss)
c. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations: Why do the nations need healing? In the ancient Greek language, the word for healing can also mean "health-giving," and this may be the sense here. i. "The word for 'healing' is therapeian, from which the English word therapeutic is derived, almost directly transliterated from the Greek. Rather than meaning 'healing,' it should be understood as 'health-giving,' as the word in its root meaning has the idea of serving or ministering." (Walvoord)
d. Are these pictures of heaven literal or symbolic? It may be that you can't describe another dimension like heaven without using symbols, but they are symbols connected to their reality. What John saw may or may not be exactly like a river on earth, but when we see it we will also say, "That looks like a river." i. Even though this great chapter of the Bible tells us of heaven, we should think deeply about it and take in now what we can. "We do not suppose that a man is shooting at a target if he does not look that way; nor can we imagine that a man's ambition is fixed on heaven if he has no heavenward thoughts or aspirations." (Spurgeon)
3. (Rev 22:3-5) What it will be like and what the saints will do.
3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
a. There shall be no more curse: In heaven, the curse is gone. Since the fall, man and creation have lived with the effect of the curse described in Genesis 3:16-19: sorrow and pain in childbirth for women, friction between the sexes, the necessity of hard and often futile work for man's sustenance, and most of all death. i. These aspects of the curse will even be present during the Millennium, though they will be greatly mitigated by the perfect rule of Jesus. Isaiah 65:20 shows us that it is still possible for a sinner to be accursed in the millennial earth. But in the new heaven and new earth they are done away with forever. Instead of the curse, the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. That's quite an exchange. ii. The throne of God and of the Lamb: "Henceforth, eternal praises to his name, the throne of God is the throne of the Lamb. It is a throne of righteousness, but no less a throne of grace. There, on the throne of the Almighty, mercy reigns. According to the merit of the sacrifice and the virtue of the atonement all the statutes and decrees of the kingdom of heaven are issued. The altar and the throne have become identical. From that throne no fiery bolt can ever again be hurled against the believer, for it is the throne of the Lamb as well as the throne of God." (Spurgeon)
b. His servants shall serve Him: Heaven will be a place of work and service for God's people. However, this is a picture of the pure blessedness of service rather than arduous, curse-stained toil. i. "Heaven is not a place of indolent leisure, but a place where service is done, centering on God." (Morris)
c. They shall see His face: Heaven will be a place where God's people see His face, a place of intimate, face to face fellowship with God. Moses was denied the privilege of seeing God face to face (Exodus 33:20-23), but everyone in heaven shall see His face. i. They shall see His face: "By which I understand two things: first, that they shall literally and physically, with their risen bodies, actually look into the face of Jesus; and secondly, that spiritually their mental faculties shall be enlarged, so that they shall he enabled to look into the very heart, and soul, and character of Christ, so as to understand him, his work, his love, his all in all, as they never understood him before." (Spurgeon) ii. Because of Jesus, we can know something of the face of God right now: For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6) iii. Yet, Paul also anticipated a greater fulfillment of our seeing the face of God: For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am also known (1 Corinthians 13:12). In that day there will be nothing that obscures our vision of Jesus:
- We see Jesus clearly because sin is done away with
- We see Jesus clearly because care and worry are done away with
- We see Jesus clearly because idols are done away with
iv. This will be the greatest glory of heaven: to know God, to know Jesus, more intimately and wonderfully than we ever could on earth. "It is the chief blessing of heaven, the cream of heaven, the heaven of heaven, that the saints shall there see Jesus." (Spurgeon) v. "To look into the face of Christ signifies to be well acquainted with his person, his office, his character, his work. So the saints in heaven shall have more knowledge of Christ than the most advanced below. As one has said, the babe in Christ admitted to heaven discovers more of Christ in a single hour than is known by all the divines of the assemblies of the church on earth." (Spurgeon)
d. His name shall be on their foreheads: Heaven will be a place where God's people will forever be identified with their God, and there will never be any doubt that they belong to Him.
e. There shall be no more night there: Heaven will be a place where the darkness of this age will be forever gone. The light is not artificial, even from the sun - God Himself is the light.
f. They shall reign forever and ever: Heaven will be a place where God's people enjoy an eternal reign, in contrast to the limited duration of the Millennium. It will never end. i. "As the Bible opens with the story of 'Paradise Lost,' so it here closes with the story of 'Paradise Regained.'" (Erdman) We see the return of Paradise in the ideas of a river, a tree of life, revocation of the curse, intimacy restored, and reigning resumed. It is a perfect consummation:
No more curse
Perfect Restoration
Throne in their midst
Perfect Administration
Servants shall serve
Perfect Subordination
Shall see His face
Perfect Transformation
Name on foreheads
Perfect Identification
God is the light
Perfect Illumination
Reigning forever
Perfect Exultation
