Revelation Chapter 21

In chapter 20, we saw the beginning of the Millennium. We saw that Satan was bound, we saw the sheep and Goats Judgment, we saw the satanic rebellion crushed, and we saw the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation does not go into any detail as to what is happening throughout the thousand-year reign. It just says that the saints reign with Christ for a thousand years.

Now as we come to Chapter 21, the thousand years have expired, Satan has been let loose from the bottomless pit, he has gotten people numbered as the sands of the sea from the millennial reign, to side with him in the final great stand against God. In very short order God comes out the victor in this final conflict and casts Satan, Death, Hell and all whose names were not found in the Book of Life into the lake of fire. Then and only then are all things made new. What we have before us beginning in chapter 21, is the final and eternal kingdom of God in the eternal new heaven and the eternal new earth. Remember that the only humans on earth at this time are the ones who are 100% in submission to God, all rebellion has been dealt with and cast into the lake of fire. It is not possible for the new heavens and the new earth to happen at the beginning of the Millennium because of 2 Peter 3:7, which says, "But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition [destruction] of ungodly men. This judgment takes place at the end of the thousand years, after the second resurrection, at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15), because it is not until then that all ungodly people are judged and the earth burned with fire.

Rev. 21:1, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

Here we have the creation of a new heaven and a new earth, which are among the most beautiful promises in God's Word. More than twenty-five hundred years ago the Lord proclaimed through the prophet Isaiah that there would be a new heaven and a new earth (Isa. 65:17,18). Also Peter tells of the "new heaven and the new earth, in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet. 3:13). The big question regarding this verse is, is this new creation of the heaven and the earth something that has never existed before, or is it a reconstruction of the remaining creation?

The general conception is that the present heaven and earth will be completely annihilated, or cease to exist, and that the new heaven and new earth will take their places, but this may not be the case. 2 Peter 3:10-13 does not say that the present heaven and earth will be annihilated. The fire does not cause them to go out of existence. Fire changes something from one state to another, and Peter is showing that there will simply be a renovation of the earth by fire, the earth will not be totally obliterated any more than it was with the destruction of the world by the flood. The word in the Greek that is translated "pass away" is PARERCHOMAI and means "to go by or away from, in the sense of from one condition to another." It is never used to indicate a ceasing of existence. There are numerous examples of this word used in scripture, but not one of them is used with reference to the passing out of existence, therefore 2 Peter 3:10 clearly means passing from one condition to another, as does Heb. 1:12; 12:27-28. The Greek term translated "new" is KAINOS and it means "to be renewed or new." It carries the idea of freshness and character, and does not mean new in existence. It does not refer to something that has never existed before, but rather the renewing of something that already exists. If it were new in existence the Greek word NEOS would have been used.

The verse referred to in 2 Peter speaks of the elements melting with fervent heat. The Greek word for "element" is STOICHEION, meaning "something orderly in arrangement, element principal or rudiment." It has to do with foundation principles regarding the questions that are involved and in Gal. 4:3,9; Col. 2:8,20; 2 Peter 2:10,12, the word embraces the principles of sin and the present world system. It embodies sinful nature, disease, corruption and all that the curse has brought upon us that must be destroyed.

Why will the Lord create a new heaven and a new earth? Because after the Fall the prince and power of the air was Satan, and the earth was under a curse; this renovation or reconstruction will bring the heavens and the earth back into an interrelationship with one another that was enjoyed by Adam and Eve before the Fall. In other words, the heavens and the earth were so corrupted by the Fall, and so devastated by the Day of the Lord, they will be remade and perfected by Christ into a splendid new and uncorrupted form. This, then, will be the time that Peter called "the period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient times" (Acts 3:21). The restoration of all things is referring to restoring all things as they were before the Fall. There is nothing else that God would restore all things to, other than the perfect creation that He made in the beginning before the Fall. Whatever it was like prior to the Fall is what it is going to be like in eternity future, man in human form living in perfect harmony with his Creator, to live forever without dying as Adam was created to do. This old earth will be made new and loosed from the old curse with its corresponding influences and effects.

Now the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor. 15:26). If all people on earth at that time have glorified bodies that are not subject to death then what would be the purpose of destroying death. It cannot affect anybody in glorified bodies anyway. But, the humans that came through the 1000-year reign in their bodies will need death to be destroyed in order for them to live and not die as Adam was created not to die.

There are other passages that refer to "the new heavens and the new earth" (Isa. 65:17-19), read. There will be a new people who will rejoice forever in a world without end! Jerusalem is to be a place of rejoicing and her people will be full of joy. Jerusalem will be an eternal possession here on the new earth. So she will continue to exist throughout eternity as stated in 2 Chron. 33:4; Jer. 17:25; and Ezek. 43:7. In the eternal city of Jerusalem there will be rejoicing for God and His people.

Israel is assured that they will be an eternal earthly people in Isa. 66:22-24. There is a promise that Israel's seed and name will remain forever. By the same token, there will be new moons and sabbaths, and the worship of "all flesh" before God forever. Man was created by God to be an eternal being and once sin and death is done away with man will be as God created him.

There will be no more sea. The question asked from this statement is, is there no sea in the new earth? It does not follow from this text that there will be none; for John is speaking of the present heavens, earth and sea. It may be translated this way: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and the sea is no more or also passed away; that is, the old sea no longer appeared, any more than the old heaven and the old earth. Yet there may be a new sea as there is a new earth. Now it may be that the sea will cover a lot less of the earth's surface than the three-quarters it now covers. The sea on the new earth may occupy a different position and be differently distributed, from the old sea.

This earth as we know it, with the curse that it is under and the worldly system that is dominant in the hearts and minds of people, will not last forever. After God's great judgment where all ungodly men are destroyed, He will create a new eternal earth. How He does this, I don't know, why does He do this, I believe it is to restore the earth to the way He designed it in the beginning, where there will be no curse, thus, no sin, sickness, rebellion, disease and death. It will be a place where there is complete harmony between God's creation, [including man in human form] and God Himself.

Rev. 21:2, Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

In this scene, something beyond our comprehension will happen. The New Jerusalem, in brilliant beauty beyond anything we can imagine, will descend from heaven. And within this holy city the Old and New testament saints--those taken to heaven together, and rewarded together at the bema seat--will now descend together adorned in resplendent garments as Christ's own bride--married to the very Son of God, to the lamb who shed His precious blood to make us pure and holy, to the One who suffered and died to redeem us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God.

This is the city that Abraham looked for. "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Heb. 11:10).

Rev. 21:3-8.

3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

4 "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 things have passed away."

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

6 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.

7 "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

This voice from heaven reveals that "the tabernacle of God is with men." The word "with" in the Greek is META, and it means "to be amid, or among" as in (Matt. 26:58; Mark 1:13) or "in company with" as in (Matt. 9:15; 2 Thess. 1:7; Rev. 14:13). The word "men" in the Greek is ANTROPOS, and it means "a human being." This is undoubtedly referring to the natural man on earth because the glorified individuals will not be subject to death or sorrow, which is done away with at this time. God is coming down to a earthly people who have lived through the Millennium without rebelling against the kingdom as those did who rebelled at the end of the Millennium under the leadership of Satan. Nowhere in scripture is it even suggested that these human beings will received glorified bodies. These people will not become a glorified people, but they will remain in a natural state. However, they will be imperishable as God intended man to be when He created him. God's eternal purpose was not changed because of the fall of man, and once again the human race will live as originally intended. God will dwell among men, that is, in the mists of them forever.

In fulfillment of the prophecy given in Isaiah 25:8, a most marvelous and glorious thing occurs, there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, pain, or tempter because the former things are passed away. All these things are removed; the curse and sin are taken away from the human race to be no more. The end result of sin is death. The devil has caused both death and destruction, but the natural man in the eternal kingdom of God on earth will experience the fulfillment of Ex. 32:13; Psa. 25:13; 37:11,22,29,34; 69:36; 82:8; Isa. 60:21; Matt.5:5; 25:34. Conditions will be conducive only to perfection and for good in the new earth, and the race will be perpetuated without the difficulties caused by the devil.

Then the voice from the throne declares, "Behold, I make all things new." The word for "new" here is the same as in verse one, and indicates that things will be renewed. The promise is also given that those who thirst can drink of the fountain of life freely. Those humans on earth at that time will desire to drink of this life giving water, but verses 7&8 are written for the encouragement to believers who live in this life, lest any should become discouraged in their battle to overcome. Those who overcome will inherit all things pertaining to the new earth and God's eternal kingdom. Then the warning to those who do not overcome, those who refuse to follow Christ, those who are evil will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, and this is the second death. This is a warning to people today, who continue to chose the lifestyle of v.8, they will not be a part of God's eternal kingdom, but instead, after the judgment at the Great White Throne they will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death and they will be eternally separated from God.

God has created all things; and man, His highest creation, was to have dominion over all the works of His hands (Psa. 8). It figures then that man's full possessive rights would give access to this portion of God's creation in the future restoration. As natural people continue to propagate, there will be no problem with space in the new creation of God.

Rev. 21:9-11.

9 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."

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

One of the seven angels of v.9 is beckoning John to come see the bride. In v.10 we see that he was shown the heavenly Jerusalem. At first it might seem a bit confusing that the bride is equated to a city, the heavenly Jerusalem. Most, if not all of us have been taught that the church is the bride of Christ. Examining the bride of Christ to determine who she is what we will endeavor to do now.

The traditional view is that the saints of the Old and New testaments is the bride of Christ. Since the bible clearly says that the New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ, in order to hold this position we would have to equate Christians to the New Jerusalem. Some people have difficulty equating a city to a people.

On the other hand it is not as difficult as it might seem. For example, when the bible says that Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked, is it talking about the stones and the timbers that composed the buildings, houses and walls of these cities? Not at all, those inanimate objects are amoral, neither good nor bad. When it says that Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked, even though literally it is talking about two cities, in reality it is talking about the inhabitants of those cities.

Similarly, when Christ lamented over Jerusalem and said that He would have enjoyed gathering together her children as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings, was He addressing the material that composed the walls and the buildings of Jerusalem? Was He crying over those stones and timbers? No. Obviously He was crying out to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; He wanted to comfort and nurture the precious people, but they were unwilling to receive Him as Lord and Savior. Here again, even though Christ was addressing the city of Jerusalem, He was really referring to the inhabitants.

Following this line of reasoning, if the New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ, and if the glorified saints are the inhabitants of that city, this portion of scripture could legitimately be referring to believers--the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem--as the bride of Christ.

The glory of God in v.11, is not merely a divine and celestial brightness, but the glorious presence of God Himself, the Shekinah abiding in her. The splendor that surrounds the presence of God, the "light" full of radiance vanquishes the need for the sun and moon in the city. Her light refers to the effect of the divine glory shinning in her.

Rev. 21:11-21.

11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

12 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:

13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.

16 The city is 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 are equal.

17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

19 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,

20 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.

21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Here we have a description of the city. The full meaning of this description is beyond the understanding of my finite mind. But let's see what truths we can learn from John's description of the city.

The wall is "great and high," with three gates on each of the four sides. Ezekiel's description of an eternal earthly city of Jerusalem, which is to be built at the beginning of the Millennium (Ezek. 48:30-35), shows a similarity between the two Jerusalems; but they are really two different cities, both of which are material and eternal. The size of the city in Ezekiel is much smaller than the city John describes here. It will be somewhat of a miniature of the heavenly city. During the Millennium the glorified saints ruling with Christ will be in seats of authority throughout the earth and these seats will not be removed after the New Jerusalem comes down to earth. The saints will abide in the New Jerusalem, but their thrones will be in different parts of the earth from which they will rule under the authority of Christ the supreme ruler. Christ will occupy an earthly throne during the Millennium but when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven He will occupy the heavenly throne in company with God the Father.

The names of the twelve tribes of Israel will be inscribed on the gates and the names of the twelve apostles will be inscribed on the foundations. This indicates that both Old and New Testament saints are included in all of these great and glorious promises.

The angel used a "golden reed" to measure the city, the gates and the walls. The city is foursquare. The length, width and height are equal, all being twelve thousand furlongs, or fifteen hundred miles. The wall of the city is 144 cubits or about 216 feet high. The building materials are listed here and every stone is precious, perfect, priceless, and beautiful. The streets of the city are of transparent gold. Whatever else this means, it surely means that it is a perfect city inhabited by the only perfect God and His perfect people, the glorified saints of all ages past.

Rev. 21:22, But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

No temple in it. The temple was the place where God dwelt, but this city is all temple. The inhabitants need no special place to worship because the personal presence of God and the Lamb will, in a very real sense, be a sanctuary for them. The inhabitants will dwell in the divine presence and behold His glory. This truly is a city where all its inhabitants worship God.

Rev. 21:23, The 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.

The light of the city will be greater than the sun, moon, and stars. The brilliance of the glory of God and the Lamb will be such that no other illumination is needed in the city. Although this city will have no need of the sun or moon, they will continue to shine for the sake of other parts of the earth. This dazzling light from the glory of God is beyond our descriptive ability.

Rev. 21:24,25,26.

24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.

25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).

26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

This verse tells us that there will be nations in the new earth, who will walk in the light of the New Jerusalem, as they bring there glory and honor into it. The earth will have natural men living in various nations throughout the earth, subject to the eternal kingdom ruled by God and the saints forever. They will carry on natural activities such as planting, harvesting, building, multiplying, and developing. In their activities, men will pass by the New Jerusalem, and in and out of its gates. Leaders (glorified saints) from various places in the earth will come and give glory and honor to God in the holy city.

In this city where there is no night, the gates of the city will never be closed, representatives of the nations of the world (glorified saints) will be welcomed at all times.

Rev. 21:27, But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

This is a warning to people in the here and now. If you do not have your name written in the Book of Life, you will not be present at this time to enjoy the blessedness of eternity with God. You will have already been dealt with at the judgment and banished from the presence of God forever. Anybody who has not yet accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your lives I implore you to do so now so you will be able to partake of this blessing that God has for His people.