Revelation 21 - Future Hope or Present Reality
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
The Jewish temple in Jerusalem was divided into three parts; the Holy of Holies, the Court of Israel, and the Court of the Gentiles. These three divisions correspond to the first heaven, the first earth, and the sea.
Matthew 24:1,2,34,35
Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down."
"Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
From these verses we see that the temple was completely demolished before Jesus' generation passed away. We also see the temple referred to as "Heaven and earth".
Colossians 1:19,20
For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
This is possibly another reference to the temple. "Things on earth or things in heaven" could mean the division between God and man was abolished at the cross as shown by the veil separating the Holy of Holies from the other courts being torn.
Jonah 1:1-3
The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
Notice that when God called on Jonah to preach to the gentiles of Nineveh, Jonah went by sea. This is an example of the sea representing the gentiles.
Acts 11:1-10
Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. "I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' "But I said, 'By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' "But a voice from heaven answered a second time, 'What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.' "This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.
Here we see a recreation of the Jonah story in the life of Peter. It takes place in the city of Joppa where Jonah left for Nineveh. Perhaps the sheets in Peter's vision are the billowing sails of the ships leaving for the gentile lands. Once again, the point is that for the Jews the sea represented the gentile nations.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Has the new Jerusalem come down as the bride now?
1 Kings 11:36
'But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.
The old Jerusalem was the city that God chose to be His witness (or light) to the nations. Now the church, the new Jerusalem is that witness.
2 Kings 23:27
The LORD said, "I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, 'My name shall be there."
The Lord predicted the He would cast off the old Jerusalem along with its temple.
Matthew 24:23
"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it."
Jesus predicted that the kingdom of God would be taken away from fruitless Israel and given to others.
John 4:20-24
"Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
The new Jerusalem is where we worship in "spirit and truth" and not in type and shadow as in the old covenant.
Galatians 4:22-26
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
The new Jerusalem, the Jerusalem above is the new covenant.
Hebrews 12:22-24
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
The reader of Hebrews had come to the heavenly Jerusalem which is described as the church and the new covenant.
Ephesians 5:31,32
FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.
This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
The new Jerusalem is the church, the bride of Christ as we have seen in Revelation 21:2.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
Does God dwell (tabernacle) among His people now?
1 Corinthians 3:16,16
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
We are the temple (dwelling place) of God.
Ephesians 2:19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
We are the holy temple where God dwells in the Spirit.
Revelation 3:12
'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
We are pillars in the temple of God, the new Jerusalem.
Acts 15:14-18
"Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. "With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written,
'AFTER THESE THINGS I will return,
AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN,
AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS,
AND I WILL RESTORE IT,
SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD,
AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,'
SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.
James shows how the prophets have been fulfilled with the rebuilding of the temple in his day. This new temple is made up of "a people taken for His name among the Gentiles".
1 Peter 2:9,10
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
Peter calls the church the people God has chosen to proclaim His excellencies just as He chose the temple of Israel under the old covenant.
2 Corinthians 6:16
Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
Peter calls the church the temple of the living God which fulfills the prophesy that God will dwell among His people.
4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
Have "the first things passed away"?
1 Thessalonians 4:13
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
Death for the believers is now, under the new covenant, referred to as sleep.
2 Timothy 1:10
but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
The gospel of the new covenant has abolished death. The "mourning, crying, and pain" which accompany death have also been abolished with death.
5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new " And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
Galatians 6:15
For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
The old covenant consisted of fleshly shadow. The new covenant is a new creation in the Spirit and in truth.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
The old covenant of conditional righteousness has been replaced by the new covenant of God's unconditional love. We are now new creatures and all of the remnants of the old covenant have passed away.
6 Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
The phrase "Alpha and Omega" is only found in the book of Revelation. The words beginning and end are used a lot though; also first and last which are found in the following chapter.
Colossians 1:18
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Christ, Himself, was the beginning of the church through His death and resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:20
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
He was the first fruits through His resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:24
then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
The end was the destruction of the old covenant system in 70ad which destroyed the Law of Moses and the rulers and authorities and powers who tried to enforce the Law on those whom Christ had set free from the Law.
Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Christ is the end of the law spiritually when we believe and this end was given physical manifestation in 70ad.
1 Peter 4:7
The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
70ad was pretty near when Peter wrote this letter. It was less than 10 years away.
This water is the same water spoken of in
John 4:13,14
Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
7 "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
"These things" refers to all of the things that accompany eternal life that John has mentioned earlier in this chapter. These things are our inheritance which we receive when we become children of God.
John 1:12,13
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
1 John 5:4
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.
Our faith overcomes the world and makes us part of God's family. By faith we are transferred from the old covenant world to the new creation of the new covenant.
8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
This is similar to the language that Paul uses to describe those who cling to the old covenant. In 70ad the old covenant was destroyed once and for all when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed and the dead were thrown into the garbage dump called gehenna which burned with fire and brimstone.
The first death was the death of Christ on the cross which was the spiritual destruction of the old covenant system.
The second death is the physical destruction of the old covenant system and the death of death and hades. With the old covenant law removed once and for all there is no more fear of death or of hades.
Galatians 5:19-21
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God is life under the new covenant; the heavenly Jerusalem.
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
Ephesians 5:23-27
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Those who believe make up the church which is the bride of the Lamb.
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
Galatians 4:21-28
Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, "REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND." And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.
The Jerusalem from above is the kingdom of the new covenant.
11 having the glory of God Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
Isaiah 60:1-5
"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather together, they come to you your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.
The brilliance of the new Jerusalem, the new covenant community is the light revealing the glory of the Lord to the entire world; just as the old Jerusalem was supposed to be.
2 Corinthians 3:7-9
But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.
The ministry of the new covenant has greater brightness (glory) than the old covenant.
12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
This is the fulfillment of
Isaiah 54:10-13
For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken, says the LORD who has compassion on you. O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones. All your sons will be taught of the LORD; and the well-being of your sons will be great.
where God promises deliverence to His people. Notice the similarity between "All your sons will be taught of the LORD" and the teaching on the new covenant in
Hebrews 8:10-13
"FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,
AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,
AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN,
AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,'
FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME,
FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES,
AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE."
When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
These walls and gates are part of the new city which is the new covenant which is for spiritual Israel; those who believe in Jesus as Messiah.
13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.
These gates in the new Jerusalem correspond to the gates of the old Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 48:30-35
"These are the exits of the city: on the north side, 4,500 cubits by measurement, shall be the gates of the city, named for the tribes of Israel, three gates toward the north: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one. On the east side, 4,500 cubits, shall be three gates: the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one. On the south side, 4,500 cubits by measurement, shall be three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one. On the west side, 4,500 cubits, shall be three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one. The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, 'The LORD is there.'"
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Just as the gates of the new Jerusalem represent the truth that access to God came through Israel and its Messiah, in the same way the foundation represents the revelation of this access to God which was given through His apostles.
Ephesians 2:19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.
Here we have another reference back to the prophesy concerning the new covenant kingdom. John is showing that this kingdom is the fulfillment of the hope of Israel.
Ezekiel 40:1-5
In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was taken, on that same day the hand of the LORD was upon me and He brought me there. In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city. So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. The man said to me, "Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you Declare to the house of Israel all that you see." And behold, there was a wall on the outside of the temple all around, and in the man's hand was a measuring rod of six cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one rod; and the height, one rod.
16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
It's length and width and height are equal just like the holy of holies in the physical temple. We are now in God's presence, the holy of holies where God dwells.
1 Kings 6:20
The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar.
Just as the Lord was to be present in His old covenant kingdom for all the world to see, so He is now present in His new covenant kingdom for all to see. The church is His body and His visible presence in the world.
Ezekiel 48:35
"The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, 'The LORD is there."
17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
As far as I can tell, this is the only mention of the number seventy-two in the entire bible.
18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
Glass is only mentioned in Job, a book written before the nation of Israel was formed, and in Revelation. The smoothness of glass represents the stillness of the sea and the gentile nations which come to Israel from the sea.
Job 28:12-19
"But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
The deep says, 'It is not in me';
And the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx, or sapphire.
Gold or glass cannot equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal."
19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
These stones correspond to the stones on the garment of Aaron, the High Priest of the Old Covenant. These stones are all from the land and represent the kingdom of Israel in the same way the pearls and glass represent the kingdom of the gentiles.
20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
Exodus 28:15-20
You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen you shall make it.
Ezekiel 28:13
"You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared."
Exodus 28:16-20
"It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width. You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald; and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst;
and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Pearls come from the sea and so represent the gentile nations. Notice that they are mentioned only in Esther in the palace of the Persian king as well as in Job, a book written before the nation of Israel was formed.
Esther 1:6
There were hangings of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones.
Job 28:17,18
Gold or glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; and the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.
Each gate was a single pearl signifying that entrance into the new Jerusalem is no longer through Israel, but through the gentile nations.
22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
The new Jerusalem is the body of Christ, the church.
Matthew 12:36
"But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here."
John 2:18-21
The Jews then said to Him, "What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
1 Corinthians 3:16,17
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
2 Corinthians 6:16
Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
Ephesians 2:19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
The sun and the moon were for the regulation of the holy days of Israel. Now that the glory of the sacrificial system has been replaced by the glory of God's own son there is no need for them in the new Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 8:12,13
Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD which he had built before the porch; and did so according to the daily rule, offering them up according to the commandment of Moses, for the sabbaths, the new moons and the three annual feasts--the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths.
Psalm 119:105,106
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
I have sworn and I will confirm it,
That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.
The Law was the light of the old covenant and it has been replaced by Jesus, the light of the new covenant.
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Acts 13:47
"For so the Lord has commanded us,' I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES,THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH."
Acts 26:23
that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."
John 8:12
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."
Romans 13:12
The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
Luke 2:30-32
For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Your people Israel."
25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
There is no need for the protection of gates in the new Jerusalem because the enmity between Israel and the nations has been put to death in Christ.
Ephesians 2:13-16
But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
Ephesians 3:8-10
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
The glory and honor of the nations is given to Jesus as He has included them in His new covenant kingdom. The gates are no longer to keep out the gentiles but are open to allow them to come into the new covenant kingdom.
1 Peter 1:7
so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Nothing unclean shall come into the new kingdom because, through the love of God as demonstrated on the cross no one is now unholy or unclean.
Acts 10:25-28
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man." As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.
I'm not sure exactly what the "Abomination of desolation" refers to but I suspect that it has something to do with Israel defiling the temple in some way which triggered God's final destruction of the entire city in 70ad.
Matthew 24:15,16
"Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
This event was prefigured by Christ earlier in the temple.
John 2:13-16
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business."
Finally, there will be no more lying in the new covenant kingdom. The Law and all of its false righteousness and deception have been completely destroyed.
Galatians 2:4
But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.
Revelation 3:9
Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
posted by Bill @ 7:24 AM
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