Revelation 21

-8 1 3 2 -9 1 0 0 0 0 13 96 -9 2 0 0 2 0 1 RVStyle2 7 StyleNameNormal textFontNameArialUnicode Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaUnicode Size Standard StyleNameJumpFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonHoverEffects rvheUnderlineUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameHeading - Module name SizeDoubleFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode SizeStandard StyleName"Heading small - Module descriptionFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode Size Standard StyleNameHeading - LinkFontNameTahomaColorclNavy HoverColorclPurpleUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlueUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonNextStyleNoUnicode Jump Size -9 2 0 0 2 0 2 RVStyle2 jBiDiModervbdLeftToRightTabs StyleNameCentered Alignment rvaCenterTabsStandardTabs-9 2 0 0 2 0 4 RVStyle2 -9 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 18 2 8 0 0 21. The New Jerusalem) (21:1 27)) ) Outline (continued)) B. The New Jerusalem and the Tree of Life (21:1 22:5) ) 1. God and His People (21:1 8) ) 2. The Holy City (21:9 14) ) 3. The Adornment of the City (21:15 21) ) 4.

The Light of the City (21:22 27) ) ) B. The New Jerusalem and the Tree of Life) 21:1 22:5) 21 1 And I saw the new heaven and the new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth went away; and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look, the tabernacle of God is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be death, or grief, or crying, nor will there be pain anymore, because the first things passed away. ) 5 And the one seated on the throne said, Look, I am making all things new, and he said, Write, for these words are faithful and true. 6 And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to the one who is thirsty from the fountain of water of life. 7 He that overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be a God to him, and he will be a son to me. 8 To the cowardly and the unbelievers and those who are detested and the murderers and the fornicators, and the sorcerers and idolaters, and to all who are deceivers, their part is in the lake of fire and sulfur, which is the second death. ) 9 And there came one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls full of the last seven plagues. He talked with me and said, Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. 10 And he brought me in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem that came down out of heaven from God. 11 It had the glory of God, and its brilliance was like a precious stone, as a crystallized jasper stone. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were inscribed: 13 on the east three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.) 15 And the one who spoke with me had a golden measuring reed to measure the city and its gates and its walls. 16 And the city was foursquare and its length was like its breadth. And he measured the city with a reed at twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height were equal. 17 And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, according to the human measure, which the angel used. 18 And the wall was built of jasper, and the city was of pure gold like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone.

The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates had twelve pearls, each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold like transparent glass.) 22 And I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city did not need the sun or the moon to illumine it, for the glory of God illumines it and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 And the nations will walk through its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. 25 And its gates are never closed during the day, for there is no night there. 26 And they will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 27 And nothing unclean will ever enter it, neither he that does detestable and deceitful things, except those [names] written in the book of life of the Lamb.) ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.*?id=1.2.15-1.2.25|AUTODETECT|” After the final judgment, John shows his readers a picture of perfection that differs radically from the present world. The old order has passed away and all things are new. Cosmic time has been turned into eternity; separation from God has become intimate communion with him. Death belongs to the past, for the saints drink the water of life. The wicked are in the lake of fire, while the saints are with God and belong to his family. The new Jerusalem is a picture of perfection with respect to measurement, adornment, and glory.

This picture reveals a river of life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb with fruit-bearing trees on either side of this river. With the curse removed God s servants serve him and the Lamb. This is Paradise restored. Note the connection between the first creation recorded in Genesis and the new creation of heaven and earth in Revelation. In Paradise before the Fall, God intimately communed with Adam, gave him instructions, and provided for his needs 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.15-1.2.25|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 2:15 25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.8|AUTODETECT|” ). On the new earth, God dwells with his people in intimate fellowship: Look, the tabernacle of God is with people, and he will dwell with them (v. 3a). After the Fall, Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.8|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 3:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ); at the restoration God dwells with them forever in his tabernacle.��1�� The Garden of Eden was a place without fear, pain, crying, and death; the new creation is a place where there will no longer be death, or grief, or crying, nor will there be pain anymore (v. 4).) 1 4 2 8 0 0 The second half of the chapter (vv. 9 27) is a description of the new Jerusalem regarding its holiness, perfection, adornment, and glory. This portrait of the city related in human language of time and space depicts, be it inadequately, the beauty of the new heaven and the new earth. The somewhat disjointed flow of thought shows that the writer is attempting to transmit as many details as he is able. Nonetheless, throughout his discourse John develops his basic theme that God is with his people in a holy and perfect setting.��2��) 1. God and His People) 21:1 8) 1. And I saw the new heaven and the new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth went away; and the sea was no more.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.17|AUTODETECT|” John relies on the Old Testament Scriptures by alluding to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.17|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 65:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.3.21|AUTODETECT|” and 66:22, where God says that he will create new heavens and a new earth, and the things belonging to the past will not be remembered or come to mind. The apostle had already noted that from God s presence earth and heaven had fled and their place was no more (see commentary on 20:11). God will not annihilate heaven and earth and then create them anew out of nothing. Instead he will transform them in a process that is the same as calling forth the lowly bodies of the saints to make them like the glorious body of the Lord 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.3.21|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 3:21) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.10|AUTODETECT|” ). Just as Jesus body was transformed at his resurrection, so at the coming of the Lord the bodies of his people will be not annihilated but completely changed and glorified.��3�� The melting of the elements with fire occurs in preparation for a renewed earth 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.10|AUTODETECT|” 2 Pet. 3:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.12|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.12|AUTODETECT|” 12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 John writes the expression new nine times in Revelation; four of them appear in chapter 21:1 (twice), 2, and 5. This adjective conveys the meaning of something that is new but has its origin in the old. The new covenant came forth out of the old; the new command came from the old one; the new Jerusalem has its source in the old; the new man is a transformation of the old man; and the new heaven and the new earth are based on the old.��4��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.13|AUTODETECT|” Hence the new heaven and earth that will appear at the consummation are not to be identified as a second heaven and earth. They are qualitatively different from the old in that they picture the holy and perfect abode of God and his people. Peter, writing about the destruction of the heavens by fire, says, But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.13|AUTODETECT|” 2 Pet. 3:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Peter visualizes a renovation by fire to bring about a change from old to new, but John writes not a single word in this chapter about a destructive fire.��5��) 1 2 2 8 0 0 The interesting phrase and the sea was no more may signify that just as the former configurations of heaven and earth pass away so the sea no longer will exist with its present boundaries. But the term sea may also have a figurative connotation referring to afflictions God s people endured in a sinful world. John himself appears to point to a symbolic interpretation by writing a parallel clause that reiterates the same wording: the sea was no more and death, grief, crying, and pain will be no more. ��6��) 2. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.11.1|AUTODETECT|” John mentions the holy city in passing, for later in the chapter (vv. 9 14) he gives a detailed description of this city. The term the holy city appears in the Old Testament in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.11.1|AUTODETECT|” Nehemiah 11:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.11.18|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.11.18|AUTODETECT|” 18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.48.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.48.2|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 48:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.52.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.52.1|AUTODETECT|” 52:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.9.24|AUTODETECT|” ; and ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.9.24|AUTODETECT|” Daniel 9:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.1-44.2.4|AUTODETECT|” as an appellation of Jerusalem. The New Testament, however, features the expression only in the Gospel of Matthew (4:5 and 27:53) and in the Apocalypse (11:2; 21:2, 10; 22:19). The absence of this term in the rest of the New Testament is significant. After the tearing of the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, God no longer dwelled in the temple of Jerusalem but in the church. And note that the Holy Spirit filled not the temple or Jerusalem at Pentecost but the apostles and all those who repented and were baptized 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.1-44.2.4|AUTODETECT|” Acts 2:1 4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.38-44.2.39|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.38-44.2.39|AUTODETECT|” 38 39) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.3.16-46.3.17|AUTODETECT|” ). Paul writes that believers are the temple of God because in them his Spirit dwells 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.3.16-46.3.17|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 3:16 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; see 6:19). The temple of God is the church, namely, the body of believers. Accordingly, when John uses the term holy city in Revelation, he intimates that the new Jerusalem is the place where God is dwelling with his people (v. 3).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.4.26|AUTODETECT|” The new Jerusalem is coming down out of heaven from God. The writer of Hebrews speaks about a heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion, and the city of the living God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.4.26|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 4:26) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.4.0|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.4.0|AUTODETECT|” 4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 Ezra [=2 Esdras] 7:26, 75; 2 Baruch 4.2 6). This city projects permanence, security, beauty, and fullness. It originates in heaven and derives from God, who is pleased to dwell with his people. In Revelation the name Jerusalem occurs only here and in 3:12, and is an allusion not to the capital of Israel but to the spiritual city of God. This new Jerusalem filled with God s people comes down to earth, whereby heaven and earth are made one.��7��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.49.18|AUTODETECT|” Describing the intimacy of God and his people, John uses the metaphor of a wedding ceremony in which a bride is prepared and adorned for her husband 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.49.18|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 49:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.61.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.61.10|AUTODETECT|” 61:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.5.26-49.5.27|AUTODETECT|” ).��8�� The one who has prepared and adorned the bride cannot be the bride, that is, the church herself. No, it is Christ Jesus who has cleansed her and then presented her without stain or wrinkle or blemish to himself 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.5.26-49.5.27|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 5:26 27) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The wedding ceremony is now about to begin, and from this time on bride and bridegroom will be together forever.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 3. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look, the tabernacle of God is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.37.26-26.37.27|AUTODETECT|” The expression a loud voice occurs frequently in Revelation and implies that everyone is able to hear the message coming from God s throne (16:17 and 19:5). John fails to identify this voice, which may be that of God. If we assume that he tries to avoid the use of the divine name, we see further evidence in verse 5 where John circumscribes the name of God with the words the one seated on the throne. Even so, the emphasis is not on the speaker but on the joyful message. The voice calls attention to the unity of God and his people expressed in the image of the Old Testament tabernacle. John alludes to a well-known passage, in which God, speaking about an everlasting covenant with his people, says: I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God and they will be my people 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.37.26-26.37.27|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 37:26 27) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.17.7|AUTODETECT|” ). This text is a golden thread woven into the fabric of Scripture from beginning to end 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.17.7|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 17:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.6.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.6.7|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 6:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.26.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.26.12|AUTODETECT|” Lev. 26:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.11.20|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.11.20|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 11:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.2.10-38.2.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.2.10-38.2.11|AUTODETECT|” Zech. 2:10 11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.6.16|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.6.16|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.6.16|AUTODETECT|” Cor. 6:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.3|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 21:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.7|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.7|AUTODETECT|” 7) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��9��It is the thread of God s abiding love toward his covenant people.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.1.14|AUTODETECT|” In an earlier passage (13:6), John had used the illustration of the scene of God dwelling in his heavenly tent (Greek skn) surrounded by his people. The tabernacle in the desert had the holy of Holies where God dwelled. The temple in Jerusalem likewise had the sacred place behind the curtain as God s dwelling. But neither in the desert nor in Jerusalem did God and his people live under one roof. Now notice that when Jesus came, he dwelled among his people; literally, he pitched his tent among them 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.1.14|AUTODETECT|” John 1:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). This is also the case in the new Jerusalem, where God and his people live together in perfect peace and harmony. The people will fully know him, love and serve him, and forever taste his goodness. The symbolic tent in which God and his people dwell is not a picture of their dwelling in a temporary shelter.��10�� The symbolism points to the privilege his people have in contrast to the Old Testament saints. From them only the high priest once a year might enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. Now his people are always in his presence. The emphasis in this verse is on God, for he has made it possible for human beings to dwell with him, he is their God, and he is forever with them.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 The literal translation of the Greek text is and they will be his peoples, but in most translations it is given in the singular as people. The text, however, intimates that they come from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. All of them are accommodated as priests in the presence of God. Therefore, this is the first hint that there is no literal temple in the new Jerusalem (v. 22).��11��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.1.23|AUTODETECT|” One last remark. The phrase and God himself will be with them is reminiscent of the name given to Jesus, Immanuel, which means, God with us 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.1.23|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 1:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.7.14|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.7.14|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 7:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 4. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be death, or grief, or crying, nor will there be pain anymore, because the first things passed away. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.25.8|AUTODETECT|” This is now the second time (7:17) that John alludes to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.25.8|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 25:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.31.16|AUTODETECT|” 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.31.16|AUTODETECT|” Jer. 31:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces. Like a mother who bends down and tenderly wipes away the tears from the eyes of her weeping child, so the Lord God stoops down to dry the tear-filled eyes of his children. Here is a telling portrait of God s tender mercies extended to the suffering members of his household. Ever since the fall into sin, mankind has shed countless tears, so that this present world indeed can be called a vale of tears. The shedding of tears is the result of anguish, oppression, persecution, sorrow, and death.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.17|AUTODETECT|” Death rules supreme until the final judgment (20:14). But that power will have effectively come to an end when God and his people are together. Jewish literature also states that at the time of the Messiah death will cease forever.��12�� With the departure of death, mourning, crying, and disease also disappear, for all these have been caused by the curse of sin affecting God s creation 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.17|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 2:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.8.20-45.8.23|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.8.20-45.8.23|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 8:20 23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.35.10|AUTODETECT|” ). None of them have any part in God s renewed creation, which is marked by peace and harmony, joy and mirth, pleasure and delight 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.35.10|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 35:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.51.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.51.11|AUTODETECT|” 51:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.19|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.19|AUTODETECT|” 65:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.43.18|AUTODETECT|” ). Indeed the first things have passed away and all things are new 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.43.18|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 43:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.17|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.17|AUTODETECT|” 65:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 2 2 8 0 0 5. And the one seated on the throne said, Look, I am making all things new, and he said, Write, for these words are faithful and true. ) The phrase the one seated on the throne is a circumscription of the divine name that recalls the throne room setting (chapter 4). It is a recurring phrase in Revelation and Old Testament passages.��13�� Avoiding the use of God s name, John allocates the origin of the voice to the throne. Now not an angel but God himself speaks and instructs John (vv. 5 8). Several times from his throne God directs a message to his people (v. 3; 1:8; 16:1, 17), but this is the last time in Revelation that he directly utters an announcement.��14��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.43.19|AUTODETECT|” God tells the readers of the Apocalypse that he is making all things new 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.43.19|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 43:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.5.17|AUTODETECT|” , which lacks the words all things). But here is the glorious outcome of God s redemptive plan that Christ fulfilled: the renewal of all things. Notice that God calls attention to the fact that he is presently doing it, not that he will eventually do it. This utterance, therefore, is a direct revelation from God, who recreates, and as such it is one of the most important verses in Revelation.��15�� God renews sinful human beings through the work of Christ and makes them into a new creation 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.5.17|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 5:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). In addition to human beings all things are renewed. This is God s promise that points forward to the consummation, the transformation of heaven and earth, and the renewal of his entire creation (see 4 Ezra [=2 Esdras] 7:75).) 1 3 2 8 0 0 Once again John is told to write (1:11; 14:13; 19:9), so that the content of Revelation may be preserved for countless generations. The reason for recording these words is that they are faithful and true. They are not hollow sounds, nor words that in time lose their meaning, but they express unqualified and lasting trustworthiness. God, who in Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of this world, will honor his word in bringing about a new heaven and a new earth. The words faithful and true are repeated in 22:6 (compare 19:9).) 6. And he said to me, It is done.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to the one who is thirsty from the fountain of water of life. ) a. It is done. In his coordinated Semitic style of starting nearly every sentence with the conjunction and, John continues his account and records the words God speaks. The first item, in Greek one word, gegonan, is translated It is done, literally, They have become reality. The term derives not from the verb to do but from the verb to become.

This word was also spoken when the seven angels had poured out the seven plagues (16:17). But note the difference of the seven angels pouring out God s wrath on the wicked and God uttering the words It has been done to announce the completion of recreating heaven and earth. The first one comprises judgment on the wicked, the other the renewal of all things. God speaks these words as if everything is already renewed; and in a vision he shows John their fulfillment.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.3.14|AUTODETECT|” b. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. First, the words I am refer to God telling Moses at the burning bush near Mount Sinai to go to the Israelites in Egypt with the message I AM has sent me to you 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.3.14|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 3:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.8.58|AUTODETECT|” ). Jesus claimed this name for himself when he told the Jews, Before Abraham was born, I Amos 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.8.58|AUTODETECT|” John 8:58) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Hence, both God and Christ use this name. In the Apocalypse, we encounter the same designations for God and Christ, for both can say I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (see commentary on 1:8).��16��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 God through Christ is fully in control of every situation, so that the words spoken here are a source of comfort for believers who endure hardship and persecution for the sake of the gospel. From beginning to end God is the Sovereign ruler in the universe that he has made and upholds by his power. He is Lord of the future that points beyond the final judgment to a new creation. He is the first and the last letter of the Greek alphabet; in Christ he is the Word of God. Therefore, God s words spoken in this passage are meant to strengthen the faith of Christians in their turmoil and distress.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.4.14|AUTODETECT|” c. I will give freely to the one who is thirsty from the fountain of water of life. The first word and the last word in a Greek sentence are stressed; here both the pronoun I and the adverb freely are emphasized. God offers the water of life, which is eternal life, to anyone who is thirsty. He makes it available free of charge. This is evident in the words Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at Jacob s well, But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.4.14|AUTODETECT|” John 4:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.55.1|AUTODETECT|” ). The Old Testament interprets water spiritually as God s free gift, for example, in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.55.1|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 55:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 God offers it without money and without cost. ��17�� This free gift comes directly from the source of life, namely, from God himself.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 7. He that overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be a God to him, and be will be a son to me. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.10.1|AUTODETECT|” The text looks at the present reality of God s people living for him in a world of sin and oppression. They know that Christ has won the battle but the war has not yet ended. Every believer must fight daily against sin, the devil, and the world. And everyone who follows Christ receives the promise of eternal life and inherits all the good things that are coming 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.10.1|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 10:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.8.17|AUTODETECT|” This verse consists of two parts, a promise of inheritance and a messianic allusion applied to believers. First, the verb to inherit occurs only here in the Apocalypse and doctrinally is in complete harmony with the teachings of Paul.��18�� For instance, Paul confidently writes, Now if we are children, then we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.8.17|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 8:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.3.29|AUTODETECT|” ; and see ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.3.29|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 3:29) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.4.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.4.7|AUTODETECT|” 4:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.3.6|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.3.6|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 3:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=56.3.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=56.3.7|AUTODETECT|” Titus 3:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.2|AUTODETECT|” ). We as followers of Christ inherit all the blessings of a new heaven and a new earth. For us, the link between being children of God and being heirs is unbreakable. Whereas Jesus is the one and only Son, we are adopted sons and daughters. And whereas Jesus inherits all things 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.2|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 1:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), we as co-heirs share in all his blessings.��19��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=10.7.14|AUTODETECT|” Next, John quotes ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=10.7.14|AUTODETECT|” 2 Samuel 7:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.6.18|AUTODETECT|” but modifies the wording to suit his theological purpose. God s promise given by Nathan to King David concerning Solomon as his successor to the throne prophetically pointed to the Son of God: I will be his father, and he will be my son. But John in the Apocalypse writes, And I will be a God to him, and he will be a son to me. Notice that he replaces the word father with God, because in Jesus Christ God has adopted us as his sons and daughters and made us members of his family 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.6.18|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 6:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). In Revelation, John never calls God the father of believers; yet he is the Father of Christ (1:6; 2:27).��20��) 1 2 2 8 0 0 8. To the cowardly and the unbelievers and those who are detested and the murderers and the fornicators, and the sorcerers and idolaters, and to all who are deceivers, their part is in the lake of fire and sulfur, which is the second death. ) The contrast between God s people and the wicked appears once again. The preceding verses (vv. 5 7) were addressed to the persevering saints on earth, but this verse lists the people whom God consigns to the lake of fire and sulfur. In summary, this segment looks ahead to the renewal of all things, and at the same time it focuses attention on the reality of this pre-consummation age. This dual focus also occurs in two additional passages (v. 27; 22:14 15). Here John lists a long catalog of those who are not part of God s kingdom.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.2.19|AUTODETECT|” a. Cowardly. The first are those who are spineless. they are placed at the top of the list in contrast to all the believers on earth who suffer persecution and hardship for the sake of Christ. Instead of living a life of dedication to the Lord, they fear danger and flee the consequences of confessing the name of Jesus. They are the people whom John describes as leaving us but not belonging to us 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.2.19|AUTODETECT|” 1 John 2:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 4 2 8 0 0 b. Unbelievers. These people are similar to the cowards in that they have been unfaithful to God and his commands and thus have fallen into skepticism and agnosticism. Whereas God s words are faithful and true (v. 5), theirs are the exact opposite untrustworthy.) c. Detestable people. This Greek word (ebdelygmenoi) with its cognates points to those people who have become polluted by the world.��21�� They pursue a lifestyle that is diametrically opposed to biblical teaching, and they are an abomination in God s sight.

They worship the beast (17:4).) d. Murderers. John mentions this word twice, here and in 22:15. But the concept of the enemies shedding the blood of God s people appears repeatedly; the saints are martyrs for the sake of Christ (2:10, 13; 6:10; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:2).) e. Immoral persons. The sins of murder and sexual immorality are frequently connected, as the one sin leads to the next.

If prostitution was rampant in John s time, so it is today. Fornication is the order of the day and so is adultery. The world is gradually sinking ever deeper into the morass of sexual immorality, including homosexuality.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.22.18|AUTODETECT|” f. Sorcerers. The Greek term pharmakoi has given rise to the derivative pharmacy (22:15; and related words in 9:21; 18:23). The word means the use of drugs to cast spells for practicing witchcraft and deceiving the people 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.22.18|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 22:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.20.6|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.20.6|AUTODETECT|” Lev. 20:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.20.27|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.20.27|AUTODETECT|” 27) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.18.10-5.18.12|AUTODETECT|” ). God condemns magic spells and witchcraft; he told Moses to kill those who consulted soothsayers; and the prophet Nahum links sorcery and witchcraft to sexual immorality 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.18.10-5.18.12|AUTODETECT|” Deut. 18:10 12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=34.3.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=34.3.4|AUTODETECT|” Nah. 3:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 respectively).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.5.20|AUTODETECT|” g. Idolatry. Paul writes that idolatry and witchcraft are works of the flesh 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.5.20|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 5:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). And John puts idolaters with sorcerers, fornicators, and murderers outside the gates of the new Jerusalem and consigns them to everlasting doom (22:15).) 1 15 2 8 0 0 h. Liars. All people who turn the truth into a lie God dispatches with the other sinners to the lake of fire and sulfur. They are forever cut off from the living God and suffer the second death.) ) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:2 3) Verse 2) The spelling of Jerusalem as 8���������, occurring three times in the Apocalypse (3:12; 21:2, 10), differs from the more common 8���������. The first one transliterates the Hebrew word, while the second is a Hellenistic spelling of the name.) Verse 3) ������ The TR and the Majority Text read �P����� as a variant resulting from assimilation to � ��� �P����� in the preceding verse.) ���� the plural is the preferred reading in Greek New Testaments (Nes-Al27, UBS4, BF2, Merk), and the NRSV also reads peoples. The TR and the Majority text have the singular, but the choice between singular and plural is difficult to determine.

The plural has slightly better textual support.��22�� In English, however, the word people is commonly used collectively, while peoples is uncommon.) �P��� ���� [and be] their God. These words appear to be superfluous after the phrase and God himself will be with them. Nevertheless the expanded text is the more difficult reading.) ) ) 2. The Holy City) 21:9 14) This segment clearly shows, first, John s cyclical approach by repeating the reference to the bride, the wife of the Lamb, and the new Jerusalem (19:7 and 21:2, 9). And second, in nearly identical wording John demonstrates the contrast between the great prostitute and the wife of the Lamb, the blasphemous beast and the holy city. Here is the parallel of these two segments:��23��) 7 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.17.1|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 17:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.17.3|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.17.3|AUTODETECT|” 3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.9|AUTODETECT|” ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.9|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 21:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.10|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.21.10|AUTODETECT|” 10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) 1 16 2 8 0 0 And one of the seven angels who had the And one of the seven angels who held the ) seven bowls came seven bowls full of the last seven plagues came ) and talked to me and said, and talked with me and said, ) Come, I will show you Come, I will show you ) the judgment of the great prostitute. the bride, the wife of the Lamb. ) And he brought me to the desert And he brought me ) in the Spirit. in the Spirit ) There I saw a woman sitting on a to a great and high mountain ) scarlet beast that was full of and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, ) names of blasphemy. that came down out of heaven from God. ) ) ) 9. And there came one of the seven angels who held seven bowls full of the last plagues. He talked with me and said, Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. ) The above-mentioned parallel seems to indicate that John refers to the same angel who talked to him earlier (17:1). There the focus was on the great prostitute who received God s judgment and punishment, but here it is on the bride of the Lamb. The contrast is striking and painted in vivid colors. This angel attired in clean, bright linen with a golden sash around his chest poured out the bowl of God s wrath on Babylon the Great (15:6; 16:19).

Now he is privileged to reveal to John the glory of the holy city, the new Jerusalem.��24��) The great prostitute who is riding on the beast personifies the wicked city of Babylon the Great. The bride, however, is the wife of the Lamb and symbolizes the holy city. The prostitute is without a husband and is destroyed by the beast and his followers (17:15 18). But as husband, the Lamb supplies his wife with everything she needs, honors her with great respect, and adorns her with attractive attire and exquisite accessories. In the remaining verses of Revelation the Lamb is mentioned seven times (vv. 9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22:1, 3).��25��) John is asked to come along with the angel who is ready to show him the bride, the wife of the Lamb. The words the bride, the wife are not to be read as if the wedding had already taken place (compare 19:7), but rather as a first-century Jewish betrothal of a woman to a man.

The betrothal ceremony was equivalent to the wedding itself, with the understanding that the couple had no sexual relations during the period between betrothal and wedding. During this intervening period, the bride was considered to be the wife of her future husband.��26�� This means that the church is already the wife of the Lamb, even though the wedding has not yet taken place.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.61.10|AUTODETECT|” The imagery used in this text derives from ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.61.10|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 61:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , where the prophet speaks about the bridal couple as the bridegroom adorns his head and the bride enhances her appearance with jewels. What the angel reveals to John is not a beautiful, marriageable young lady but the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven. The Jerusalem that descends to earth from heaven is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, now coming down in a vision and at the appropriate time in reality. The full beauty of this church will not be evident until the Lord returns in glory. It is the imagery of the holy city and the bride mentioned earlier (v. 2) that brings the people of the new Jerusalem and their Lord into an inseparable husband-wife relationship.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 10. And he brought me in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem that came down out of heaven from God.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.3.12|AUTODETECT|” The prophecy of Ezekiel teaches that the Holy Spirit repeatedly took the prophet and lifted him up. Thus, the Spirit took Ezekiel to Jerusalem, Babylon, the valley of dry bones, and the temple of the Lord 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.3.12|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 3:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.3.14|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.3.14|AUTODETECT|” 14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.8.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.8.3|AUTODETECT|” 8:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.11.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.11.1|AUTODETECT|” 11:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.11.24|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.11.24|AUTODETECT|” 24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.37.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.37.1|AUTODETECT|” 37:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.43.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.43.5|AUTODETECT|” 43:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.40.2|AUTODETECT|” ). In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.40.2|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 40:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��27��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.17.3|AUTODETECT|” The parallel of this verse with ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.17.3|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 17:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 is evident, but notice the difference. There the Spirit drove John into the desert to see the great prostitute, while here he took him to a high mountain to show him the holy city Jerusalem descending from heaven. The Harlot City is seen in a wilderness, the Bride City from a mountain. ��28��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Note also the difference between Ezekiel s account (40:2) and that of John. In Ezekiel the city is on the south side of the mountain; in Revelation it descends from heaven, that is, from God, without indicating that it settles on the high mountain. Further, the vision of Ezekiel reveals a wall surrounding the temple area (40:5), but in the Apocalypse there is no temple in the holy city, for the presence of God and the Lamb is the temple.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.11.1-1.11.9|AUTODETECT|” The new Jerusalem is called holy, which means that the city has been consecrated by God as a place without sin; in other words, it is perfect in every respect. The privilege of living forever in the presence of God is his gracious gift to us. At one time in human history, people started building the tower of Babel to reach heaven, but God frustrated their efforts 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.11.1-1.11.9|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 11:1 9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). By contrast, God takes the initiative to bring the new Jerusalem down to earth. It is the city of God that descends to earth, not human beings who decide to link their city to heaven. The old Jerusalem ravaged by sin could no longer be called holy after the death of Jesus (see commentary on 11:2). The new Jerusalem is free from sin and resumes the name the holy city.��29��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 11. It had the glory of God, and its brilliance was like a precious stone, as a crystallized jasper stone.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.58.8|AUTODETECT|” Standing on a high mountain, John is able to see the entire scope of the descending city. So the believer who stands on a mountaintop of faith is able to see the extent of God s church. This church portrayed here as the holy city Jerusalem is filled with glory. The city itself has no source of light but depends for its brilliance on the glory of God. Just as the sun beams its light to the moon, which in turn reflects the light of the sun, so God s glory illumines the church, which in turn diffuses the light. And the city did not need the sun or the moon to illumine it, for the glory of God illumines it and the Lamb is its lamp 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.58.8|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 58:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.1-23.60.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.1-23.60.2|AUTODETECT|” 60:1 2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.19|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.19|AUTODETECT|” 19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.43.4-26.43.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.43.4-26.43.5|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 43:4 5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.2.15|AUTODETECT|” ). It is the diffused light of God that illumines the city. Paul uses similar terminology when he describes the children of God living In a crooked and perverse generation. He commends them by saying, You shine like stars in the universe 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.2.15|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 2:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.20|AUTODETECT|” John compares this brilliant light of God s glory to that of a precious stone, namely, a crystallized stone called jasper. Crystallized jasper is quartz appearing in a variety of colors that maybe compared to the radiance of a diamond 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.20|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 28:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.13|AUTODETECT|” 39:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 28:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��30�� It reproduces indescribable splendor that John conveys in greater detail in the rest of the chapter. We should bear in mind that he is describing what he is permitted to see by comparing it to that which human beings are able to comprehend.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 12. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were inscribed: 13. on the east three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.) John s description of the holy city communicates safety, for the wall that is both great and high imparts security. In addition the twelve angels that guard the twelve entrances are there to keep an eye on the traffic moving in and out. On the other hand, the totality of twelve gates in this city allows for free and easy traffic moving in and out of it. The number twelve occurs ten times in this chapter and the next one (vv. 12 [three times], 14 [three times], 16, 21 [twice]; 22:2). In the Apocalypse, this number always illustrates God, his people, and their dwelling places.

It describes the elect of the twelve tribes (7:5 8) and the woman, symbolizing the church, with twelve stars on her head (12:1). It depicts the new Jerusalem with twelve gates, twelve angels, and twelve tribes of Israel (21:12); it lists the twelve names of the apostles written on the city s twelve foundations (21:14). And it measures in length, breadth, and height twelve thousand stadia (21:16). Last, along both sides of the river flowing from the throne of God are twelve fruit-bearing trees (22:2), collectively referred to as the tree of life. This number never applies to Satan, his works, and his followers. I conclude that, like seven and ten, twelve is the number of perfection.) The background for John s description of the holy city comes from the prophecy of Ezekiel, where the prophet presents a picture of Jerusalem with its walls and gates (40:5; 48:30 35).

Nevertheless the measurements are completely different.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.48.31-26.48.34|AUTODETECT|” On the twelve gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and on the twelve foundation stones were the names of the twelve apostles (v. 14). Here John shows the link between the Old and New Testament believers, which he did earlier by mentioning the twenty-four elders (4:4).��31�� John refrains from listing the names of the twelve tribes and of the twelve apostles. In an earlier chapter he noted the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (7:5 8). Ezekiel, however, lists the names of the twelve tribes on the twelve gates. The three gates on the north had Reuben, Judah, and Levi; the three on the east had Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; the three on the south had Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun; and the three on the west had Gad, Asher, and Naphtali 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.48.31-26.48.34|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 48:31 34) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Without mentioning the names of either the tribes or the apostles, John wants to show that the Christian church and the Old Testament people of God are united in perfect unity and harmony.��32��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.48.0|AUTODETECT|” Instead of showing a clockwise movement from north to east to south and to west as in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.48.0|AUTODETECT|” Ezekiel 48) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.42.16-26.42.19|AUTODETECT|” , John gives a random movement from east to north to south and to west 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.42.16-26.42.19|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 42:16 19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.48.30|AUTODETECT|” ). I am unable to account for the order and see no special significance. There is a difference, however, between the view of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.48.30|AUTODETECT|” Ezekiel 48:30) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.25-66.21.27|AUTODETECT|” that the gates of the city are exits and that of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.25-66.21.27|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 21:25 27) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , which sees the gates as entrances. These entrances are never shut, for anyone who is holy may enter them.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.2.20|AUTODETECT|” The city wall itself was built on a total of twelve foundation stones, which were partially above ground and exhibited the names of the twelve apostles. With the names of the apostles at ground level and the names of the twelve tribes at the gate level, believers belonging to either the Old Testament or New Testament era were given entrance into the city. Paul relates that all these people as members of God s household are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.2.20|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 2:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.16.18|AUTODETECT|” ). Jesus told his disciples, On this rock I will build my church 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.16.18|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 16:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.11.10|AUTODETECT|” ). And the writer of Hebrews notes that by faith Abraham looked forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.11.10|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 11:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.28.19-40.28.20|AUTODETECT|” ). Here is an example of Scripture s unity and harmony, for all these passages convey a similar message. John stresses that the twelve apostles are of the Lamb, implying that Jesus by his sacrificial death on the cross set his people free from sin and guilt. The twelve apostles were commissioned as messengers of Christ s gospel to the world at large 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.28.19-40.28.20|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 28:19 20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.15.5|AUTODETECT|” There is no need to supply the names of the twelve apostles, just as there is no need to write down the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The number twelve is symbolic of the beginning of the nation Israel and the beginning of the church. Indeed, after the church was established, it was customary to speak of the Twelve without specifying the names of the apostles. So Paul in his list of Jesus appearances simply writes, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.15.5|AUTODETECT|”

1. Cor. 15:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 18 2 8 0 0 ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:9 14) Verse 9) ��� �������� although this is the better-attested reading, the case should have been the accusative instead of the genitive. This is one of the solecisms in the Apocalypse.) Verse 10) � ��� �P����� �x ��� ���� here is a recurring phrase in Revelation (3:12; 21:2).) Verse 11) A ������ this noun differs little from the noun ���, except that it signifies the radiance of a beam of light. The nominative case breaks the flow of the sentence and in effect introduces an independent grammatical structure, probably due to John s coordinate Semitic style.) Verse 12) ����� the nominative case is due to the case of ������ in the preceding verse (v. 11). The present participle (twice) may be translated as the present finite verb has. The feminine gender depends on the noun ����� in verse 10.) Verse 14) ��� the participle follows �x ������, which is neuter; that is, the participle should have been in the neuter case instead of the masculine. This is a case of an error of the ear that failed to distinguish between the sound of an omega and an omicron.) ) ) 3.

The Adornment of the City) 21:15 21) 15. And the one who spoke with me had a golden measuring reed to measure the city and its gates and its walls.) The one who spoke with John is one of the seven angels, who had told him that he would show him the bride, the wife of the Lamb (v. 9). Now this angel continues to reveal to John the extent of the city of God.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.40.5-26.40.15|AUTODETECT|” Whereas earlier John was given a reed and told to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worshiped (11:1), now the angel takes in hand a golden measuring reed. The golden reed harmonizes with heavenly items that are made out of gold: lampstands, harps, bowls, crowns, and incense altar. Even the streets are made out of pure gold. Not John but the angel measures the city with its gates and walls. Here the measurements are listed (v. 16), which was not the case in John s measuring the temple and the altar. Also, there is a similar reference to measuring the city, the wall, and the gates in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.40.5-26.40.15|AUTODETECT|” Ezekiel 40:5 15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 and 45:1 2, but the measurements differ from those of the new Jerusalem.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 16. And the city was foursquare and its length was like its breadth. And he measured the city with a reed at twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height were equal.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.6.20|AUTODETECT|” The city of the new Jerusalem is foursquare, but in addition to the length and breadth its height is given in equal measurement. The length is twelve thousand stadia, so is the width, and likewise the height. Here then is a picture of a perfect cube that reminded a person familiar with the Old Testament of the Holy of Holies in Solomon s temple. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.6.20|AUTODETECT|” 1 Kings 6:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). A cube is a symbol of perfection.) 1 6 2 8 0 0 Notice the difference between the Holy of Holies in Solomon s temple, where God dwelled among his people on a sinful earth, and the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, where God dwells with his sinless people. The size of the city in human computation is staggering indeed, for twelve thousand stadia is more than fourteen hundred miles (twenty-three hundred kilometers). We can measure the length and the breadth and come to some understanding, but its height is incredible. Instead of taking these measurements literally, I suggest regarding them symbolically as a means of describing heaven in terms of symmetry and perfection.��33�� Some scholars wish to bring down the dimensions of the city with more acceptable terms. An emendation of changing stadia to cubits makes the total distance of each side three and a half miles (5.6 kilometers).��34�� But John is not interested in making the dimensions acceptable to human norms, because for him the measurements are figurative. For instance, a cube has twelve edges: four at the top, four at the bottom, and four on the sides.

Each edge is twelve thousand stadia, which multiplied by twelve comes to 144,000. This is the same number as that of the Lamb s followers (14:1)��35�� For John, the matter is one of symbolism.) 17. And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, according to the human measure, which the angel used.) John provides the measurement of the wall that he had described as great and high (v. 12). He states that it is according to human calculations used by the angel measuring 144 cubits (about 220 feet). The length of a cubit varied from 18 to 21 inches (45 to 52 centimeters) measured from the elbow to the tip of one s middle finger. However, John does not reveal whether the measurement refers to width or height, and thus he leaves it an open question.��36�� The city s height of 12,000 stadia could never be supported by a thickness of 144 cubits, and interpreting 144 cubits as its height runs into conflict with the 12,000 stadia.) I observe that whether John has in mind a thick or high wall, the structure itself appears to be out of proportion with the dimensions of the rest of the city.

I do not take the wall to be a defensive structure that surrounds the city proper, for the holy city has no need of defenses.��37�� All God s enemies have been consigned forever to the lake of fire (v. 8).) The point is not the width or height of the wall itself but the number 144 as the square of twelve. It is the multiplication of the representative twelve tribes on the gates and the representative twelve apostles on the foundation of the city. Therefore, this number should be understood as a symbolic figure.) 18. And the wall was built of jasper, and the city was of pure gold like clear glass.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.20|AUTODETECT|” In this verse and those that follow (vv. 19 21) John depicts the beauty of the holy city. He speaks of the city wall and the appearance of the city. First, he mentions that jasper is built into the wall s construction; the word jasper occurs four times in Revelation (4:3; 21:11, 18, 19). For the throne room scene John portrays as jasper the one occupying the throne (4:3). This jasper probably is a variety of quartz in the various colors of green, yellow, brown, and mottled red.��38�� It reflects God s glory through this stone; it is truly a picture of indescribable beauty. The Old Testament refers to the jasper stone 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.20|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 28:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.13|AUTODETECT|” 39:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 28:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), but we assume that the stone differs from what we mean by jasper today, a green semiprecious stone. As an alternative John pictures utter brilliance, that is, the radiance of God himself in dazzling light.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 John writes, The city was of pure gold like clear glass. Gold is a metal and is not transparent like glass. It is possible that John has in mind the gleaming splendor of this metal, because for him gold signifies heaven s perfection. Also, he uses the word like to indicate that gold was similar to clear glass as a shiny substance. Although in ancient times glass was opaque, in a subsequent verse he again writes about its perspicuity: the street of the city was pure gold like transparent glass (v. 21). The writer highlights not apparent inconsistencies, such as transparent gold, but rather perfection in the sense of the perspicuity of glass in its purest form.) 19.

The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20. the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.16|AUTODETECT|” The emphasis on the number twelve relates to both the foundation stones and the precious stones, which are a reminder of the breastplate the high priest wore when he entered the Holy of Holies. Each of the twelve stones had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, so that when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies he represented all God s people. The breastplate was a square, a span long and a span wide 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.16|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 28:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.9|AUTODETECT|” 39:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.17-2.28.21|AUTODETECT|” ). Many of the stones mentioned here are part of the high priestly breastplate, which had four rows of three stones each 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.17-2.28.21|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 28:17 21) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.10-2.39.14|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.10-2.39.14|AUTODETECT|” 39:10 14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” ; compare ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 28:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��39�� From the list in Exodus, the eight names in italic appear also in John s account.) 1 4 2 8 0 0 ruby, topaz, beryl) turquoise, sapphire, emerald) jacinth, agate, amethyst) chrysolite, onyx, jasper) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.54.11-23.54.12|AUTODETECT|” I am unable to explain why John s list differs from that in the Exodus account of the high priestly breastplate. The connection of the breastplate to the foundation stones of the holy city appears to lie in the prophecy of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.54.11-23.54.12|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 54:11 12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.54.5-23.54.7|AUTODETECT|” concerning the restoration of Jerusalem. O afflicted city & I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones (see also Tob. 13:16 17).��40�� In context, the Lord Almighty is the husband who takes back his wife with deep compassion and then lavishes upon her sparkling jewels and precious stones 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.54.5-23.54.7|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 54:5 7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.54.11-23.54.12|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.54.11-23.54.12|AUTODETECT|” 11 12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). John adopts Isaiah s symbolism of wife and city in terms of God s people and the new Jerusalem.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 Between the twelve gates of the holy city were twelve foundation stones. Each one of these stones had a name of one of the twelve apostles written on it (see v. 14). The embellishing of these foundations with twelve kinds of precious stones is not so much a reference to the splendor and wealth of the holy city as to the glory and holiness of God.��41��) There are no hidden meanings in the individual precious stones. Jasper is associated with the wall and now also with the first foundation stone. Sapphire adorning the second foundation is a blue-colored stone (lapis lazuli, REB) mentioned often in Scripture.��42�� The third stone is chalcedony, which is translated as agate (GNB, NLT, NRSV) or as turquoise (NJB). The fourth is emerald, a green-colored stone, the same as emerald today.

Fifth is sardonyx, which some versions have translated as onyx (GNB, NCV, NLT, NRSV) or as agate (NJB) it has streaks of reddish-brown in a white setting. Number six is carnelian, translated as sardius (ASV, KJV, NASB) or ruby (NJB), which has bands of color ranging from orange-red to dark brown. The seventh is chrysolite, which is goldstone (Phillips) or gold-quartz (NJB). Eighth is beryl of a green, blue, or bluish-green variety. The ninth is topaz, which comes in a variety of colors ranging from white to yellow, blue, and green. Number ten is chrysoprase, apple-green in color, translated as emerald (NJB).

The eleventh is jacinth, also given as turquoise (GNB, REB) or zircon (Phillips), which varies from gray to brown, yellow, green, and red. And number twelve is amethyst, varying from lilac to deep purple. These precious stones are a bright display of a multiplicity of hues that portray the new Jerusalem. I surmise that these colors are indescribable from an earthly perspective.) 21. And the twelve gates had twelve pearls, each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold like transparent glass.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.13.45-40.13.46|AUTODETECT|” John turns his attention once again to the gates of the city (vv. 12 13), describing them in the light of lsaiah 54:12, I will make & your gates of sparkling jewels. ��43�� The jewels of these gates are pearls, one for each of the twelve gates. And again he expects the reader to understand his description symbolically: twelve gates and twelve pearls. In addition to the precious stones for the walls of the city, the builder has used pearls to construct its gates. Pearls in Scripture are highly valued, as is evident in the parable of the pearl of great price 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.13.45-40.13.46|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 13:45 46) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.7.6|AUTODETECT|” ; compare ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.7.6|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 7:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.2.9|AUTODETECT|” ; see also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.2.9|AUTODETECT|” 1 Tim. 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.18.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.18.12|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 18:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). To enter the kingdom of heaven, the merchant sold all his possessions and bought the pearl of great value.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 The emphasis ought not to be placed on the literal size of a single pearl from which a gate was made nor on the monetary value of this pearl. John is speaking figuratively and conveys a picture of perfection. Gates of pearl are a symbol of unimaginable beauty and unassessable riches. ��44��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.6.30|AUTODETECT|” The street of the city appears to be the main corridor and is used here as an example of all the streets (see 22:2). This street was made of pure gold symbolizing heaven s perfection (see v. 18). John compares it with transparent glass denoting perfect purity. Its clarity was of such a degree that it was completely free from any defect. All the inhabitants of this city were without flaw. Whereas only the priests were allowed to walk on the gold-covered floor of Solomon s temple 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.6.30|AUTODETECT|” 1 Kings 6:30) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), in the new Jerusalem all the saints walk the streets of gold.) 1 15 2 8 0 0 ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:16 21) Verse 16) �� ������ the dative case is instrumental, he measured with the reed. And the genitive case in ������ �������� functions as a genitive of measure.) Verse 18) ! �������� the word can be translated as building material or as foundation. But because the word occurs only here in the New Testament and rarely elsewhere, the meaning is uncertain. It can mean that the construction material built into the wall was the precious jasper stone.) Verse 19) �������� the name of Chalcedon lies behind this stone, which was mined near this city. The city s name, however, derives from the word ������ (copper).��45��) Verse 21) �p �7� ������ the preposition �� is distributive like ���� and signifies each individual. ��46��) ) ) 4. The Light of the City) 21:22 27) 22.

And I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23. And the city did not need the sun or the moon to illumine it, for the glory of God illumines it and the Lamb is its lamp.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.6.20|AUTODETECT|” Throughout the Apocalypse, John has mentioned the presence of a heavenly temple.��47�� He repeatedly depicted the temple as the very place where God dwells, but now when God takes up residence in the new Jerusalem, John writes that the holy city itself has become the temple. The Holy of Holies in Solomon s temple was constructed in the form of a cube 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.6.20|AUTODETECT|” 1 Kings 6:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.9.24|AUTODETECT|” ); now the holy city itself is a cube where God dwells and which he fills completely with his sacred presence. The saints in this city are never outside his presence, for God never departs from his people. They have immediate and direct access to him and no longer need Christ as the intermediary 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.9.24|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 9:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Christ s mediatorial role as the Lamb has come to an end, for now he functions as bridegroom in a marital relationship with his people (19:7).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=15.3.12|AUTODETECT|” Ezekiel devoted seven chapters to the new temple, the priests, and religious services (Ezek. 40 46), but the construction of the second temple never fulfilled the ideal. Aged men who recalled the beauty of Solomon s temple wept at the sight of the second 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=15.3.12|AUTODETECT|” Ezra 3:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.43.7|AUTODETECT|” ). The fulfillment of the ideal temple is reflected in God s promise to live among his people forever and in the subscription the Lord is there 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.43.7|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 43:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.4.21|AUTODETECT|” and 48:35, respectively).��48�� Jesus told the Samaritan woman that true worshipers would worship God anywhere 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.4.21|AUTODETECT|” John 4:21) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.4.23|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.4.23|AUTODETECT|” 23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.3.16-46.3.17|AUTODETECT|” ), and Paul taught his readers that they as the church were God s temple 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.3.16-46.3.17|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 3:16 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.6.16|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.6.16|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.6.16|AUTODETECT|” Cor. 6:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.2.21-49.2.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.2.21-49.2.22|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 2:21 22) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��49��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 John mentions the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb in the context of the temple. When God and his people are forever together, then the Old Testament prophecies concerning the ideal temple will be completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Then the presence of God and Christ serves as their temple. God is their sovereign Lord, the Almighty (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:6, 15), who dwells with them in the new Jerusalem.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.19|AUTODETECT|” The temple and the holy city are one and the same; John mentions these places sequentially. John clearly relies on ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.19|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 60:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.24.23|AUTODETECT|” 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.24.23|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 24:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), which he freely adapts.) 7 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.19|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 60:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.23|AUTODETECT|” ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.23|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 21:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) 1 6 2 8 0 0 The sun will no more be your light by day, And the city did not need the sun ) nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, or the moon to illumine it, ) for the Lord will be your everlasting light, for the glory of God illumines it ) and your God will be your glory. and the Lamb is its lamp. ) ) ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.14|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah writes his prophecy in the context of the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.14|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 60:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.1.14|AUTODETECT|” ), and John pens his words following the description of the new Jerusalem. John turns Isaiah s clause your God will be your glory into a messianic fulfillment the Lamb is its lamp. ��50�� The Lord God and the Lamb share the same glory 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.1.14|AUTODETECT|” John 1:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.14.7|AUTODETECT|” ), for here the Lamb is the source of light and in 22:5 it is God himself. This divine light dims all other sources and renders them irrelevant. Further, sun and moon, created to mark cosmic time, cease to function in eternity. Hence, John writes there is no night there 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.14.7|AUTODETECT|” Zech. 14:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Last, the wording of this text is repeated, although not verbatim, in 22:5, and they have no need of the light of a lamp and of the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them. ) 1 1 2 8 0 0 24. And the nations will walk through its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. 25. And its gates are never closed during the day, for there is no night there. 26. And they will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.0|AUTODETECT|” a. And the nations will walk through its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. John continues to rely on ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.0|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 60) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.13.15|AUTODETECT|” and selects verses 3 and 5, Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.& To you the riches of the nations will come. Throughout the Apocalypse, the term the nations normally alludes to the Gentiles, who because of their opposition to God deserve his wrath. In three occurrences (vv. 24, 26; 22:2) the term refers to the redeemed nations in the new Jerusalem. In light of the passage from Isaiah s prophecy, John gives a new meaning to the concepts nations and kings, removing the idea of enmity against God and his people (e.g., 18:3, 9, 23; 19:19). He notes that these nations and kings are part of God s family.��51�� They joyfully bring their sacrificial gift of praise, the fruit of lips that confess his name 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.13.15|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 13:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 4 2 8 0 0 The inhabitants of the new Jerusalem originate from every tribe, language, people, and nation; they were purchased with the blood of the Lamb (5:9). They are part of the great multitude that no one could number (7:9). The kings of the earth are among those who have the privilege of ruling with Christ because they did not receive the mark on their foreheads or their hands (20:4, 6). Certainly, these nations and kings are citizens in God s kingdom and do not live outside the city, for outside the city of God there is nothing except the lake of fire. ��52��) The nations walk through the divine light that illumines the holy city, and the kings of the earth glorify God. They live in the light and as a result offer glory and honor to God (v. 26).) These inhabitants seek not their own glory, but in continual worship they render in to God.��53��) b. And its gates are not closed during the day, for there is no night there. John continues to borrow from Isaiah s prophecy:) 7 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.60.11|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 60:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.25-66.21.26|AUTODETECT|” ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.25-66.21.26|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 21:25 26) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) 1 9 2 8 0 0 Your gates will always stand open, And its gates are never closed during the day, ) they will never be shut, day or night, for there is no night there. ) so that men may bring you And they will bring the glory ) the wealth of the nations and honor of the nations into it. ) ) ) In ancient times, the city gates were shut at nightfall for the security and safety of the citizens. But here John changes the wording of Isaiah and says, And its gates are never closed during the day, and then adds, for there is no night there. He implies that because sun and moon have ceased to function, the holy city is in eternal daylight and enjoys the light of God and the Lamb. In fact, the Greek uses the emphatic negative: its gates are never closed. ��54��) The saints in the holy city never need rest, and there is no darkness anymore within its walls. Angels who partake of eternity worship God day and night without resting (4:8); by contrast, worshipers of the beast in hell have no rest day and night (14:11). John uses the cosmic terms of day and night, but he points out that in eternity the saints bask in eternal light and implies that they never experience the eternal darkness of those who die a second death.) Everlasting openness of the city gates signifies not that some undesirable beings, human or angelic, can enter it. On the contrary, the open doors suggest that the residents are absolutely safe from all the evil forces that have been consigned to the lake of burning fire.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.72.10-19.72.11|AUTODETECT|” c. And they will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. The subject, here indicated as they, goes back to verse 24, The nations & and the kings of the earth. These nations and kings collectively have bent their knees in worship, acknowledging Jesus as Lord of lords and King of kings. They are the kings of Tarshish, of distant lands, of Sheba and Seba. They will bring their tribute by glorifying and honoring the Lord; and they bow down before him and serve him 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=19.72.10-19.72.11|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 72:10 11) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 4 2 8 0 0 When John mentions city, nations, kings, gates, day, night, glory, and honor, he uses figurative language. His symbolism implies that the new Jerusalem encompasses the new heaven and the new earth.��55�� God and the Lamb dwell forever with the saints in a renewed creation of heaven and earth, called the holy city.) 27. And nothing unclean will ever enter it, neither he that does detestable and deceitful things, except those [names] written in the book of life of the Lamb.) While the preceding verses reveal the life of the saints following the last judgment, this verse is directed to the people living on earth before this judgment. John issues a warning by telling his readers that they are still living in the day of grace. When the consummation comes, no opportunity will be given for repentance and acceptance into heaven. Spiritual renewal takes place in the present life, not in the afterlife.

Now is the time to heed the warning, repent, and wholeheartedly follow the Lord by doing his will.) What is the meaning of the word unclean? It refers to any unholy being or anything impure.��56�� It is a ritual expression transmitted from Judaism to Christianity. Old Testament rules and regulations forbade anyone who was physically or spiritually unclean to enter the temple courts, and in New Testament times anyone who refuses to acknowledge Jesus as Lord is barred from receiving baptism and partaking of communion; and any member who refuses to repent faces discipline.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.52.1|AUTODETECT|” John has in mind the words from ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.52.1|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 52:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.8.44|AUTODETECT|” b, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. The writer of the Apocalypse specifies in another passage what he includes in unclean. An unclean person who practices detestable things has as companions sorcerers, fornicators, murderers, idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices deceit (22:15; see 21:8). And those who speak deceitfully have Satan as their father 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.8.44|AUTODETECT|” John 8:44) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ); they are excluded from God s kingdom.) 1 21 2 8 0 0 By contrast, those people whose names are recorded in the Lamb s book of life are free to enter the holy city; they possess life eternal and belong to their faithful Savior Jesus Christ. The Lamb, who bought them with his blood (5:9), will never blot out their names from his book (3:5) and will grant them the right to the tree of life and entrance into the city (22:14).) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:23 27) Verse 23) 5�� with the subjunctive ������� the particle places limitations on the preceding nouns sun and moon. ) Verse 24) �p ��� this neuter plural, according to the classical rule, should have been followed by a verb in the singular, but here �������������� is in the plural. This happens more often in New Testament Greek.) Verse 26) �4������ the future tense of the verb ���� (I bring) has as subject either the kings of the earth (v. 24) or an indefinite plural as the pronoun they. If verse 25 is an interruption of the flow of thought, then the subject of verse 24 is the preferred reading.) Verse 27) Some manuscripts have the neuter singular participle ������ instead of the masculine ����� to agree with the neuter subject ��� ������. But the sentence conveys not the sense of the neuter but that of the masculine, as is evident from the direct objects detestable and deceitful things practiced by people.) ) ) ) ) 1 William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors (reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1982), pp. 196 97.) 2 J�rgen Roloff, The Revelation of John, trans. J.

E. Alsup (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993), p. 233. By contrast, R. H. Charles (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, ICC [Edinburgh: Clark, 1920], 2:147) writes that after the death of John, materials & were put together by a faithful but unintelligent disciple in the order which he thought right.

Charles then proceeds to rearrange the text of Revelation in a perplexing sequence that needs a special key to make it intelligible. J. Massyngberde Ford (Revelation: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary, AB 38 [Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1975], pp. 331 46, 360 61) follows Charles in rearranging the text of the Apocalypse according to her insights. But the message John conveys is sufficiently clear and convincing, and the integrity of the book remains intact.) 3 Refer to R. C. H.

Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John s Revelation (Columbus: Wartburg, 1943), p. 615; Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, The Book of the Revelation: A Commentary (Leicester: Inter-Varsity; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), p. 222; Luther Poellot, Revelation: The Last Book in the Bible (St. Louis: Concordia, 1962), pp. 273 74; S. Greijdanus, De Openbaring des Heeren aan Johannes, KNT (Amsterdam: Van Bottenburg, 1925), p. 416.) 4 The word kainos, meaning qualitatively new, generally differs from the term neos, signifying not previously in existence. John uses the first term in Revelation but never the second. See J�rg Baumgarten, EDNT, 2:229; Hermann Haarbeck, Hans-Georg Link, and Colin Brown, NIDNTT, 2:670 76; Johannes Behm, TDNT, 3:447; Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation, New Testament Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), pp. 49 50.) 5 David E.

Aune (Revelation 17 22, WBC 52C [Nashville: Nelson, 1998], pp. 1117 19) has compiled all the possible references to a fiery destruction of heaven and earth from Jewish, early Christian, and pagan sources.) 6 Gregory K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), pp. 1042 43.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=52.4.17|AUTODETECT|” 7 Gerhard A. Krodel (Revelation, ACNT [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1989], pp. 344 45) remarks that Paul describes his vision of Christians being caught up in the clouds 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=52.4.17|AUTODETECT|” 1 Thess. 4:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), but John indicates an opposite movement of resurrected saints coming down from heaven to the new earth.) 1 4 2 8 0 0 8 The combination of the double metaphor of a woman and a city turns up in the context of 4 Ezra (=2 Esdras) 10:27, I looked up and saw no longer a woman but a city. ) 9 Consult Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, NTC (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), pp. 231 32.) 10 Wilhelm Michaelis, TDNT, 7:382.) 11 Beale, Revelation, p. 1048.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.20|AUTODETECT|” 12 Exodus Rabbah 15.21; Targum to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.20|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 65:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.4.0|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.4.0|AUTODETECT|” 4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 Ezra (=2 Esdras) 8:53; 2 Enoch 65.10.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.2|AUTODETECT|” 13 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.2|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 4:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.9|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.9|AUTODETECT|” 9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.10|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.10|AUTODETECT|” 10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.1|AUTODETECT|” 5:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.7|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.7|AUTODETECT|” 7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.13|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.13|AUTODETECT|” 13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.16|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.16|AUTODETECT|” 6:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.10|AUTODETECT|” 7:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.15|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.15|AUTODETECT|” 15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.19.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.19.4|AUTODETECT|” 19:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.20.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.20.11|AUTODETECT|” 20:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.22.19|AUTODETECT|” . See also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.22.19|AUTODETECT|” 1 Kings 22:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.18.18|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.18.18|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.18.18|AUTODETECT|” Chron. 18:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.47.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.47.8|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 47:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.6.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.6.1|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 6:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; also Sirach 1:8.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 14 Some commentators, however, understand the speaker to be Christ or an angel. E.g., Lenski, Revelation, pp. 620 21; Greijdanus, Openbaring, p. 419. Ernst Lohmeyer (Die Offenbarung des Johannes, HNT 16 [T�bingen: Mohr, 1970], p. 166) observes that in chapters 21 and 22 there are three parts: in the first one God speaks (21:5 8), in the second one an angel (21:9 22:5), and in the third one Christ (22:6 7).) 15 Krodel (Revelation, p. 348) calls verse 5a the most important pronouncement in the whole letter. See also his Revelation, pp. 236 37.) 16 Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy (Edinburgh: Clark, 1993), p. 34.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.44.3|AUTODETECT|” 17 Consult ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.44.3|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 44:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.49.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.49.10|AUTODETECT|” 49:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.2.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.2.13|AUTODETECT|” Jer. 2:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.17.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.17.13|AUTODETECT|” 17:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.14.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.14.8|AUTODETECT|” Zech. 14:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.7.37-43.7.38|AUTODETECT|” . See ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.7.37-43.7.38|AUTODETECT|” John 7:37 38) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.17|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.17|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 7:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.1|AUTODETECT|” 22:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.17|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.22.17|AUTODETECT|” 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 27 2 8 0 0 18 Henry Barclay Swete, Commentary on Revelation (1911; reprint, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1977), p. 281; Isbon T. Beckwith, The Apocalypse of John (1919; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 752; Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8 22. An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1995), p. 449.) 19 Hughes, Revelation, p. 225.) 20 John P. M. Sweet, Revelation, WPC (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1979), p. 300.) 21 Consult Werner Foerster, TDNT, 1:598 600; Josef Zmijewski, EDNT, 1:209 10; and G.

R. Beasley-Murray, The Book of Revelation, NCB (London: Oliphants, 1974), p. 314.) TR The Textus Receptus: The Greek New Testament according to the Majority Text) Nes-Al27 Eberhard and Erwin Nestle, eds.; rev. Barbara and Kurt Aland et al., Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th ed.) UBS4 United Bible Societies, Greek New Testament, 4th ed.) BF2 British and Foreign Bible Society, The New Testament, 2d ed., 1958) Merk Augustinus Merk, ed., Novum Testamentum Graece et Latine, 9th ed.) NRSV New Revised Standard Version) 22 Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Geek New Testament, 2d ed. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994), p. 688.) 23 Adapted from Aune, Revelation 17 22, pp. 1144 45. See also Beale, Revelation, p. 1063; Krodel, Revelation, pp. 352 54.) 24 Refer to Hendrik R. van de Kamp, Isra�l in Openbaring (Kampen: Kok, 1990), p. 277.) 25 Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, rev. ed., NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 389; Aune, Revelation 17 22, p. 1151.) 26 Joachim Jeremias, TDNT, 4:1105; Walther G�nther, NIDNTT, 2:585; Beasley-Murray, Revelation, p. 318.) 27 Four times in Revelation the phrase in the Spirit occurs (1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10).

Many translations feature the lower case letter for in the spirit (KJV, NEB, NJB, NLT, NRSV).) 28 Swete, Revelation, p. 284.) 29 Van de Kamp, Isra�l in Openbaring, pp. 269, 278.) 30 Bauer, p. 368; Norman Hillyer, NIDNTT, 3:398; Reuben G. Bullard, Stones, Precious, ISBE, 4:627 28. The NJB consistently translates the Greek iaspis (jasper) as diamond in Revelation.) 31 Greijdanus, Openbaring, p. 424; Abraham Kuyper, The Revelation of St. John, trans. John Hendrik de Vries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1935), pp. 324 25.) 32 Refer to Swete, Revelation, p. 286; David E. Holwerda, Jesus and Israel: One Covenant or Two? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans; Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1995), p. 110.) 33 See George Eldon Ladd, Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), p. 282.

Hughes (Revelation, p. 228) applies the symbolic number twelve thousand of the city s size to the great concourse of its population, but the symmetry points to perfection. Compare Craig S. Keener, Revelation, NIVAC (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p. 494.) 34 Consult M. Topham ( The Dimensions of the New Jerusalem, ExpT 100 [1989]: 417 19), who suggests that the expression Son of God in Hebrew letters adds up to 144, as a designation of the Messiah.) 35 Refer to Kendell H. Easley, Revelation, HNTC (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1998), p. 399.) 36 Translations that have adopted width are NIV, REB, NLT, and Peterson. Those that have adopted height are NJB, GNB, NEB, and Phillips.) 37 Contra Charles, Revelation, 2:164.) 38 Reuben G.

Bullard, ISBE, 4:627.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.21.19-66.21.20|AUTODETECT|”

39 Charles (Revelation, 2:165 69) claims that the order is the opposite of that of an ancient zodiac scheme. But this theory lacks confirmation; see T. F. Glasson, The Order of the Jewels in Revelation xxi.19 20: A Theory Eliminated, JTS 26 (1975): 95 100. Consult also W. W. Reader, The Twelve Jewels of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.21.19-66.21.20|AUTODETECT|”

Revelation 21:19 20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.21.19-66.21.20|AUTODETECT|”

Tradition History and Modern Interpretations, JBL 100 (1981): 433 57; M. Wojciechowski, ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.21.19-66.21.20|AUTODETECT|” Apocalypse 21.19 20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0

Des Titres Christologiques Cach�s dans la Liste des Pierres Pr�cieuses, NTS 33 (1987): 153 54.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 40 Beale, Revelation, pp. 1083 84; Krodel, Revelation, pp. 360 61. And see Jan Fekkes, His Bride Has Prepared Herself : Revelation 19 21 and Isaianic Nuptial Imagery, JBL 109 (1990): 269 87.) 41 Alan F. Johnson, Revelation, in The Expositor s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 12:597.) REB Revised English Bible) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.24.10|AUTODETECT|” 42 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.24.10|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 24:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.18|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.18|AUTODETECT|” 28:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.39.11|AUTODETECT|” 39:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=18.28.6|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=18.28.6|AUTODETECT|” Job 28:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=18.28.16|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=18.28.16|AUTODETECT|”

16. 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=22.5.14|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=22.5.14|AUTODETECT|” Song of Solomon 5:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.54.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.54.11|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 54:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=25.4.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=25.4.7|AUTODETECT|” Lam. 4:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.1.26|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.1.26|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 1:26) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.10.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.10.1|AUTODETECT|” 10:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” 28:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.19|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.19|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 21:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 . For details on the individual stones, consult Bullard, ISBE, 4:625 30.) 1 12 2 8 0 0 GNB Good News Bible) NLT New Living Translation) NJB New Jerusalem Bible) NCV The Everyday Bible, New Century Version) ASV American Standard Version) KJV King James Version (Authorized Version)) NASB New American Standard Bible) Phillips J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English) 43 The Jews understood the jewels (carbuncles) to be pearls. See the Babylonian Talmud, in which Rabbi Jochanan says, The Holy One, blessed be He, will in the time to come bring precious stones and pearl which are thirty [cubits] by thirty and will cut out from them [openings] ten [cubits] by twenty, and will set them up in the gates of Jerusalem (Baba Bathra 75a; and see Sanhedrin 100a). Consult SB, 3:851 52.) 44 William Barclay, The Revelation of John, 2d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 2:275.) 45 J. H.

Moulton and W. F. Howard, Accidence and Word-Formation, vol. 2 of A Grammar of New Testament Greek, by J. H. Moulton et al. (Edinburgh: Clark, 1929), p. 376.) 46 Friedrich Blass and Albert Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, trans. and rev. Robert Funk (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961), �248.1.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.12|AUTODETECT|” 47 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.12|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 3:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.15|AUTODETECT|” 7:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.11.1-66.11.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.11.1-66.11.2|AUTODETECT|” 11:1 2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.11.19|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.11.19|AUTODETECT|” 19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.14.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.14.15|AUTODETECT|” 14:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.14.17|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.14.17|AUTODETECT|” 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.15.5-66.15.6|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.15.5-66.15.6|AUTODETECT|” 15:5 6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.15.8|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.15.8|AUTODETECT|” 8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.16.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.16.1|AUTODETECT|” 16:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.16.17|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.16.17|AUTODETECT|” 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 9 2 8 0 0 48 Holwerda, Jesus and Israel, p. 65.) 49 Refer to Mounce, Revelation, p. 395.) 50 Beale, Revelation, p. 1093.) 51 G. B. Caird (A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John the Divine [London: Black, 1966], p. 279) interprets the nations as those who had trampled the holy city underfoot, whom the great whore had seduced, and who were finally reduced to subjection by the armies of Christ. Also, Christ subdued the kings, who had caused untold suffering to God s people. Compare Sweet, Revelation, p. 308; and Mathias Rissi, The Future of the World, Studies in Biblical Theology 23, 2d series (London: SCM, 1972), pp. 73 74.

But this exegesis comes up short because these kings and armies were killed by the sword of Christ and perished (19:18, 21). Also, the prophecy of Isaiah notes that nations and kings drawn by the brightness of God s light bear gifts and proclaim praises to the Lord (60:3, 6).) 52 Krodel, Revelation, p. 365.) 53 Bauckham, Climax of Prophecy, pp. 314 16.) 54 In their respective commentaries, Aune (Revelation 17 22, p. 1173), Charles (Revelation, 2:173, 439 n. 5), and Lohmeyer (Offenbarung, p. 175) consider the text a redactional insertion and the second clause a corruption due in part to xxii.5. Their revisions of the text are pointless if we consider John to be indicating everlasting daylight when cosmic time has ceased.) 55 Lenski, Revelation, p. 647.) 56 Jan Fekkes, Isaiah and Prophetic Tradition in the Book of Revelation, JSNTSup 93 (Sheffield: JSOT, 1994), p. 274.)