Revelation 19-22
7.1-7.2 Hallelujahs: Why Heaven Is Praising God [Rev. 19:1-10]
repetitions: God lamb bride bondservants angel reign, judge, lake of fire, blessed are those, etc. etc. 13 paragraphs. No real predominant structure (in latter half of book). Segment breaks are based mostly on repetition. Might have also noticed: mood of material. How does mood change? Judgment to glory/upbeat/victorious.
If you looked carefully…can be grouped loosely around “blessed are” statements. Blessed are those invited to the marriage supper of the lamb (1 st 3 paragraphs)
(…missed a little bit walked out of room…) ??? paragraphs 6-end . End of paragraph. 9 (those who wash robes?) p. 6-13 would be that last blessed statement.
Four Reasons Why Heaven Is Praising God
(Rev 19:1) After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; (2) BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” (3) And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” (4) And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
Hallelujah: | Reason: | Why Is God Worthy of this Praise: | |
1. | “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God…” |
God’s Judgments are true and righteous, He judged the great harlot (who corrupts the culture with issues of immorality) |
These qualities (glory, power, honor) belong to a loving God whom we should worship, not Satan. |
2. | “Her smoke rises up forever and ever…” |
No longer will immorality be this dominating force. Just not going to happen anymore. |
Everything we have seen is true and righteous, nothing sneaky, dishonest, or deceptive |
3. | “Amen” (So be it) | Punctuation mark accentuating other statements. | There will come a day when sin and corruption and immorality will not be a part of our world. |
4. | “The Lord our God the Almighty reigns…” |
God is in control, so we should have wholehearted praise and give him glory. |
Even if you die, you win in the end. Death is not the worst thing that can happen. |
- 1st one…reason? “salvation & glory to God”…His judgments are true and righteous for he has judged the great harlot… reinforces harlot is the one who corrupts the culture. there is a driving force behind the corruption on the earth.
- Who in a sense sheds the blood of the bond-servants of God? The harlot.
- What should cause conflict between harlot and the bond-servants? Immorality issues.
- And why does the harlot want to kill bondservants? They stand against immorality.
- Second Hallelujah? “Smoke rises up forever and ever”. Not going to happen anymore. Will never be this dominating force that dominates.
- Third Hallelujah? So be it. Its like a punctuation mark on it. Notice: Now the 24 elders fall down.
- 4th Hallelujah? “ Lord our God, the almighty, reigns.”
- What does it mean to reign? Rule. have control.
- This last Hallelujah. Heaven is just ecstatic. Wholehearted praise. Let us rejoice and give glory to him.
What’s significant about these four H. statements? What does it tell you about God? If all of heaven is saying hallelujah…God is worthy of praise. For what?
- 1st one – Salvation, Glory, and Power belong to a perfect loving God, not Satan. Can you imagine if any of those belonged to Satan?
- 2nd – True and righteous judgment. Everything we have seen is true and righteous, no double motives, no sneaky or dishonest anything.
- There will be a day when sin and corruption and immorality will not be a part of our experience.
- He has avenged the blood of his bond-servants. Even if you die, you win in the end. The worst thing that can happen is not death. We need more men and women who aren’t afraid of dying for the Lord, who don’t count their lives dear to themselves. I don’t know where we’ve gone astray as a church. That you can’t put these ideas in young people’s minds that are going to get them out there and get hurt…even if that’s biblical. That mindset that says you need to be safe secure and comfortable that seems to be more the woman and the beast than the bible. That’s why I was so pumped with heather mercer at the missions conference.Your blood might get shed for the cost of Christ. But God will avenge it. It won’t be in vein.4th Hallelujah: Lord almighty reigns: he’s the king of eternity, there is no one more powerful than him, he’s the only power in eternity. You see this experience in heaven where its unhindered, unbridled, unrestrained praise. How restricted are you when you praise God? There are no restraints on the praise and adoration of God. Imagine how your heart will explode having fought the good fight? Having been awake and expecting it and anticipating it? Culmination of it all. A desire accomplished is a sweetness to the soul. What will all the sacrifices be in comparison to having been there? Need to live with that mindset, not get there with regret. Better to pay the price of discipline and sacrifice than regret. Those are always temporary prices unlike regret.
No more doubt about problems and worries. It will be done. All the things that weigh us down will be gone. All those things that stress us out will be gone. No more mortgage, temptation, struggle with sin, no more self-insecurity, etc, we’ll see things as they really are.
Rejoice. Be Glad. Give God Glory.
(19:5) And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” (6) Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. (7) “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” (8) It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (9) Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” (10) Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
What else does John hear in middle of second paragraph?
Circle those words. Rejoice. be glad. give god glory. Three things.
- Rejoice = Joy over and over. This is heaven, compounding effect. Joy that compounds on itself and continues to overflow, experience the goodness of God till it flows out of every fibre of your being.
- Glad = leaping for joy connotation. To be so excited for God’s goodness that you jump up and down. Have you ever been so excited about God’s goodness that you jump up and down.
- Give God Glory = lifting up. To express back to God what we’re experiencing of his goodness. Snowball this experience of Joy. “Heaven’s going to be like this big spiritual mosh-pit.” This worship is going to explode out of us.
Reason we are given for rejoicing? The marriage supper of the lord has come. and the bride has made herself ready.
What’s significant about all of this? To be married to the lamb? To become one. At this point we get to join into the divine nature. God makes us one with himself. This is the great story of the romance of God climaxing here. Adam and Eve. Originally God made Adam alone. How does he make Eve? Out of himself. God makes a bride for himself out of himself. So he’s deposited his spirit in you. We die on the cross, and God puts his spirit into us. So the core of our essence = him. Fullness of his spirit now = being joined back together with the son. That we are going to be joined back to the one who gave us life. No longer separated, just engaged. Joined together. /its almost as if Jesus was the rib for us.
What’s at the heart of the ark of the covenant? The 10 commandments, God’s law. What covers it? His mercy. What happens any time anyone pops the mercy seat (boom). God meets with his people above the mercy seat. It all culminates here. This is the prize, the goal. Its not about trying to attain here. The prize is on the other side.
aside:
- The key is when the door opens don’t hesitate. Bolt through it. Boldness.
- The world really is intoxicated and they don’t see it. Its easy to get lulled into and not see it.
- Revelation = to give us this big picture, understanding of who Jesus really is, and what God really thinks of this world and its corruption, and what Gods ultimate purpose for us is.
- There’s a lot more powerful stuff in this segment. Don’t let this be the last time you look at it.
“the rest is left as an exercise to the reader”
7.3 [Rev. 19:11-21] The Rider On The White Horse
19:11: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and wages war.”
- What did he see? Heaven opened
- What else? A horse
- How is the horse described? White horse, having a rider
- What’s significant about the horse being white? white associated with purity??
- How is the rider described? Faithful and true.
- Have we seen this description before? Jesus was described as “the faithful and true witness” in Rev. 3:14 (the letter to Laodicea)
- How else is the rider described? In righteousness judging and waging war.
- Have we seen this description before? Yes, in Revelation 19:2 (segment 7.1), one of the reasons to give glory to God was “his judgments are true and righteous” and that he has “judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth”
- What’s significant about this? His judgment is righteous
- Who is he waging war against? In 19:2, the judgment was against the great harlot, so it could be the harlot and the kings she sat on. Jumping ahead to 19:11 the kings of the earth have their armies assembled to make war against “him who sat on the horse”, so this seems likely.
Rev 19:12: “ His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.”
What is the first thing we see here? Eyes are a flame of fire.
Have we seen this before? Yes, in Rev. 1:14, in the description of Jesus, his “eyes were like a flame of fire”
How else is the rider described? On his head are many diadems.
What is a diadem? Its like a crown or ribbon, symbolic of wealth, power, or authority. Notice that the word for crown used here in 19:12 (diadema) implies a magnificent rulers crown (diadems were a symbol of royal dignity), whereas the crown mentioned in 6:2 on the first of the four horsemen of the apocalypse is a small crown (sephanos) such as a crown of victory in the Olypmpic games.
What is the significance of this detail then? The rider of the horse has authority or wealth (maybe both). According to Clarke, the quantity of diadems/crowns is “to denote the multitude of his conquests, and the extent of his dominion.”
“He no longer wears the crown of thorns (Mat. 27:29, etc). He is crowned with glory and honor and has been set by the Father over the works of His hands (Heb. 2:7-9).” (TOJC)
What is the significance of there being many diadems? “Many indicates His collecting of all the rulers’ crowns, signifying that He alone is the sovereign ruler of the earth. Collecting the crown of a vanquished king was customary in the ancient world. After defeating the Ammonites, David “took the crown of their king from his head . . . and it was placed on David’s head” (2 Sam. 12:30)” (MacArthur). “The plurality of crowns also indicates He is the King par-excellence, the ‘KING OF KINGS’.” (TOJC)
How else is he described? Having a name written on him which no one knows except Himself.
Isn’t it interesting how everyone in this vision in Heaven seems to have a name written on themselves?
We will discuss this detail further in verse 16.
Who is the rider? Clearly, Jesus
Rev 19:13-14: “(13) He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. (14) And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.”
What is the first thing we see here? Description of his clothing.
What’s significant about being clothed in a robe dipped in blood? Its probably not his own blood. From the previous segment we might guess its either the blood of the Harlot or the blood of the slain saints. Clarke thinks it shows that he was just come from recent slaughter.
What else do we see here? What is significant about that? His name is called the word of God. If there was any doubt to who this “faithful and true” witness was, there is no more. As we remember from John 1:1, the Word of God unmistakably is God.
What are we told in this verse (14)? Armies in heaven were following Him on horses. “These hosts of the redeemed on white horses accompany him to be witnesses of his victory, and to participate in the joy of the triumph, not to engage in the work of blood” (Barnes).
What’s significant about the fact that the armies are in heaven? They aren’t on earth, this is in the spiritual realm. According to Barnes, these might be “The heavenly hosts; particularly, it would seem, the redeemed”
How are the clothes described? What’s significant about this? Fine linen, white and clean. Fine linen is expensive “only the best” type of clothing. To be white and clean implies an absense of being soiled. Barnes points out that this is “the usual raiment of those who are in heaven, as everywhere represented in this book”
What were the heavenly armies doing? How? Following Him. On White Horses.
What’s the significance of white horses? Same color horses as the one Jesus was riding. Barnes suggests: Emblems of triumph or victory
Rev. 19:15-16: “(15) From His mouth came a sharp sword so that with it He may strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rode of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. (16) And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘King of Kings, and Lord of Lords’.”
Cause |
Effects |
sharp sword comes from his mouth (effective weapon) |
he may strike down the nations (victorious) |
he will rule them with rod of iron (unbending power) (note we’ve seen this symbol twice before in Rev 12:5 and 2:27) |
treading the wine press of fierce wrath – This gives another image of God’s power, grapes are crushed by a wine-press, God is the one doing the crushing. The press is over the wrath of God, so what is being crushed would be what God is wrathful against, “ememies” so to speak, by the all-powerful God.
Why would He write his name on his robe and thigh? Military cloaks could be worn open or closed, so having it both on his cloak and under ensures that regardless his name will be visible. Having a name on their garments was a custom denoting honor or power or preeminence, particularly in regards to military might.
What does the name on his thigh tell us? “The name is on His thigh for prominence, being easily visible when seated on a horse. At the same time, no one knew [the name] except Himself – that is, no one can comprehend Him perfectly.” (Guzik)
“Clarke is among those who believe that the name written that no one knew except Himself is actually the tetragrammaton, the four letters YHWH that make up the name Yahweh, the sacred and secret name of God.” (Guzik)
King of King and Lord of Lords – Titles of Jesus that indicate his supreme sovereign power over the kings and nobility of the earth. RWP points out that this is “the title already given to the Lamb in Rev. 17:14, but in reverse order.”
Rev 19:17-18: (17) Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, (18) so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
How is the angel described? standing in the sun – that’s not a “normal” way people look. Jesus was described earlier as glowing like this. Now this angel appears to be similarly glowing. JFB explains the symbolism as “so as to be conspicuous in sight of the whole world”. Guzik explains the symbolism as “This shows how bright this angels shines with the glory of God. The angel can be seen, even though it stands before the sun.”
What does the angel do? He cried out in a loud voice… Note that a loud voice was also of the description of Jesus, nobody is going to miss it if it’s a loud voice rather than a quiet voice.
Who does the angel cry out to? All the birds that fly in midheaven.
Where is midheaven? “It means, properly, the meridian, the highest point in the heavens which the sun occupies at noon; not the space between heaven and earth.” (Vincent’s Word Studies) Thayer’s Greek Lexicon concurs. This word only appears in Revelation, in Rev. 14:6 and Rev. 19:17.
What kind of birds are these? The kinds of birds that feast on flesh, birds of prey, the kind you would be likely to see hovering over a battlefield.
“This is an invitation at the end of the Battle of Armageddon to the carrion-eating fowl to a banquet on earth where they will have A-1, blue-ribbon flesh to eat—kings and the mighty men of the earth.” (McGee)
For what purpose does the angel tell the birds to gather? For a great supper, feasing on the flesh of mighty men and horses. “This ‘great banquet’ is a grim contrast to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). One is a celebration; the other is devastation.” (LASB)
“Newell points to four different suppers described in the Bible. (1) The supper of salvation, alluded to in Jesus’ parable (Luke 14:16-24). (2) The Lord’s supper, a commemoration of Jesus’ sacrifice. (3) The marriage supper of the Lamb (4) The supper of the great God. If you reject the first supper, the second supper will mean nothing to you. Then you will not be present at the third supper, but will be present at the fourth supper. Everybody gets to attend at least one of these suppers, but some will eat and others are eaten at the suppers.” (Guzik)
What is the significance that kings, mighty men, free men, slaves, men small and great are all included? This encompasses all categories of people and creatures who would be in an army, across ranks, from the most powerful to the least powerful. “It shows that men of all stations are judged. The high and the low together, if they remain hardened in their rejection of Jesus, will be judged” (Guzik)
Rev 19:19: And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
Question | Answer |
Who is the beast? |
The beast is some sort of demonic agent of Satan. This is a creature we’ve seen before (Rev 13:1), in Rev 13:4 the people of the earth thought the Beast had insurmountable power that no one could make war against |
Kings of the Earth | Hostile opponents, political power |
Him who sat on the horse and His army | We just saw this, the horseman is Jesus, so his army would probably be angelic. |
Rev 19:20 : And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
Question | Answer |
What’s going on here? | Jesus’s army is having a victory in battle. |
Have we seen this false prophet before? | Yes, the second beast from Rev 13:14 who was deceiving those on earth with signs. |
lake of fire and brimstone? | Jumping ahead to 21:8 we learn this is the second death (eternal separation from God) |
Who were the two thrown into the lake? | The beast and the false prophet (second beast). |
Rev 19:21: And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Question | Answer |
Who are “the rest”? | Those who were deceived by the beast & false prophet. |
Have we seen this description of Jesus before? | Yes. Back in verse 15, the sword is used to strike down the nations. Rev 1:16 and 2:16 (Thyatira) also used this description, the sword of the tongue being some sort of tool of war used against those who don’t repent. |
Birds were filled with their flesh? | Now the birds get their feast that they were invited to in 19:17 |
“The Heavenly Jerusalem / The Bound Devil”
7.4 [Rev. 20:1-10] Thousand Years Peace & Final Battle
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. (Rev 20:1)
Question | Answer |
What is significant about the angel coming from heaven? | “That is why when we see Satan from a heavenly perspective, we will say, “Is this the one who troubled the whole world?” (Isa. 14:16)” (Courson) |
What is the abyss? | “a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode of demons” (Thayer) “The bottomless pit, or abussos into which Satan is tossed is the place wherein the worst demons are presently incarcerated—a place so horrific that the demons of Matthew 8 begged to be cast into a herd of swine rather than be sent there” (Courson). |
What is significant about there being a key to the Abyss? | Satan can be locked in, like a prison. |
What kind of chain is needed to seal the Abyss? | Apparently a great (large/strong) one. Needing great chains would imply the culprit was impeached of no ordinary crimes (Clarke). But also notice that “Satan is bound not by the Lord, not by a host of angels, not even by Michael the archangel—but by a single, unnamed angel…And since we are to rule over angels, this gives us definite authority over Satan.” (Courson). |
And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; (Rev 20:2) and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. (Rev 20:3)
Question | Answer |
How is Satan Described? |
|
What is the significance of being bound 1000 years? | “Rather than being cast into outer darkness, or Gehenna, Satan is held in the abussos, the bottomless pit, for one thousand years because God will still have a job for him to do—as we will see in verse Rev. 20:7… ” (Courson) |
What is significant about Satan being unable to deceive the nations? | “This explains how the wolf can lie down by the lamb, how the lion and bullock shall graze together, how snakes shall eat only dust—how peace will reign (Isa. 65:25). It explains how every man will abide under his own vine (Mic. 4:4), how no one will have to work for anyone else (Isa. 65:23)—how prosperity will abound. The Millennium will be a fantastic time of unparalleled peace and total prosperity because Satan will not be on the scene.” (Courson) |
How long will Satan be released after these things? | Only for a short time. |
“(Rev 20:4) Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (5) The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”
Who are sitting on the thrones? The souls of:
- Martyrs (those who’d been beheaded for their testimony or b/c of God’s word)
- Those who had not worshipped the beast (Satan) or his image
- Those who had not received the mark on their forehead or hand
ie: these seem to be the believers
What were they doing? They had come (back) to life and were reigning with Christ
What is the first resurrection? “‘This is the first resurrection’ refers back to verse 4. The first resurrection is not a single event. It describes the resurrection of the righteous at various times…[it] includes the resurrection of Christ and of all true believers, though they are raised at different times. It occurs in several stages.” (BBC)
Some of these stages mentioned in the bible:
- It includes the resurrection of Christ (1Cor. 15:23)
- the resurrection of those who are Christ’s when He raptures the church (1Th. 4:13-18)
- the resurrection of the two witnesses whose bodies will lie in the streets (Rev. 11:11)
- the resurrection of tribulation saints who are described here (see also Dan. 12:2a)
How are the people who are part of the first resurrection described? Blessed and holy. A happy or favored condition having character and holy principles (Barnes).
Who remained dead during the 1000 years? The rest of the dead, ie, those who are not part of the first resurrection, which implies it refers to the unbelievers who will be judged in the second death.
What is the second death? Being put in the “lake of fire” (see below), eternal torment & separation from God.
What is significant about the second death having no power over those who had a part in the first resurrection? No reason to fear death.
What is significant about being priests of God and Christ?
What is significant about ruling with Him? “In Christ, even the most ordinary man becomes a king” (DSB).
The Final Battle
(Rev 20:7) When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, (8) and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. (9) And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. (10) And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
“Here is the last rebellion of Satan and man against God. The Millennium is a time of testing of man under ideal conditions, as this passage demonstrates. As soon as Satan is released, a great company, who have been under the personal reign of Christ under ideal circumstances, goes over to Satan.” (McGee)
When is Satan released? At the end of the 1000 years of peace.
For how long? Rev. 20:3 told us it would be “for a short time”.
For what purpose? to gather together in battle (against the saints of God). “So, too, God lets Satan loose for a short season in order to give people a choice…Who will Satan try to deceive? Those born in the Millennium—those living in enforced righteousness and peace because there’s no other choice, those who never had an opportunity to decide whether or not they would follow the Lord.” (Courson)
What will Satan do? deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth.
What are Gog and Magog? From the wording of the verse, Gog and Magog are nations across the earth. RWP notes that “In the rabbinical writings Gog and Magog appear as the enemies of the Messiah”.
Ezekiel also 38-39 makes reference to a Gog and Magog. “There Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and of Tubal, is to launch the great attack upon Israel and is to be in the end utterly destroyed.” (DSB) Here, this does not appear to be the exact same Gog & Magog as in Ezekiel (“Ezekiel’s prophecy of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:1-39:29) refers to the attack made by Antichrist on Israel before the millennium: but this attack is made after the millennium” -JFB) but does appear to be an allusion to that reference, symbolic of hostile enemies, those who are hostile to Christ.
Same names but not the same event? How can that be? Take the story of J. Vernon McGee: “In my family there were so many Johns on both sides of the family that my mother decided I should be J. Vernon McGee. My “J” stands for John, but I have never been called John. An uncle, two grandfathers, and my dad were all named John. So you will understand why I bear the name of J. Vernon—I had to be separated from that crowd. Just because we had a similarity of names does not mean that we were all the same person.” Similarly, these names can be similar, and referring to related events without actually referring to the exact same event.
“A final attack on Jerusalem by the hostile nations is one of the standard pictures of the last times in Jewish thought. We find it especially in Dan 11 and in Zech 14:1-11” (DSB)
What is significant about being gathered for war? “I believe the usage of “Gog and Magog” in this passage is similar to our usage of “Waterloo.” Because Napoleon was defeated by Wellington in the Battle of Waterloo, the term “Waterloo” has come to signify a decisive battle or turning point. So, too, I believe the reference to Gog and Magog in this passage speaks of a cataclysmic, monumental battle in which Satan attempts a final rebellion.” (Courson)
How many will be gathered together for war? An uncountably large quantity, like the sand of the seashore. This appears to be again in allusion to the Gog and Magog mentioned in Ezekiel.
“From where did such a company come is a worthy question. The answer lies in the fact that not only do multitudes enter the Millennium, but multitudes also are born during the Millennium (see Is. 11:6; Is. 65:20). This will be the time of the earth’s greatest population explosion. Disease will be eliminated. Since the curse of sin will be removed from the physical earth, it will produce enough foodstuffs to feed its greatest population. The human heart alone remains unchanged under these circumstances, and many will turn their backs on God and will go after Satan. This seems unbelievable, but what about today? Satan is doing pretty well in our day.” (McGee)
What is the beloved city? Jerusalem
What does Satan’s army try to do? surrounds Jerusalem, getting poised to attack.
What happens? Instead of successfully attacking Jerusalem, a fire comes down from heaven and the enemies are devoured. “This last resistance and rebellion against God was as foolish and futile as man’s first rebellion in the Garden of Eden. Here it is not the beginning but the ending of man’s disobedience to God. It is the finality of man’s rebellion. Nothing remains now but the final judgment.” (McGee)
What happens in the lake of fire and brimstone? Continual torment. “The cartoons are wrong, and Hollywood is terribly mistaken in portraying hell as a hot place where people play poker and talk to one another amidst flickering flames and an occasional jab by Satan’s pitchfork. You see, in addition to being called a lake of fire, hell is called a place of outer darkness (Mat. 8:12). Consequently, the torment in a place so dark even the flames of the lake of fire don’t shed any light is exceeded only by the inner torment people feel throughout eternity as they recall the sermons they heard and the invitations to salvation they ignored.” (Courson)
“lake of fire — his final doom: as “the bottomless pit” (Rev_20:1) was his temporary prison.” JFB
“day and night — figurative for without intermission (Rev. 22:5), such as now is caused by night interposing between day and day. The same phrase is used of the external state of the blessed (Rev. 4:8). As the bliss of these is eternal, so the woe of Satan and the lost must be.” JFB
7.5 [Rev 20:11-15] Judgment For The Second Death
The remainder of this chapter encompasses a description of “the final judgment”.
Detail from chart of Revelation by Rev. Clarence Larkin (1919)
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. (Rev 20:11)
What did John see next? a throne = typically a symbol of supreme dominion (rather than judgment). here clearly also symbol of judgment. “A judgment from the throne in any government is at once supreme and final. There is no higher tribunal to which an appeal can be carried, and no person who can grant a pardon….There is no higher tribunal than [this] to which the condemned sinner can appeal…because God the Judge is King, and it is God only who can forgive sin. All the sentences which shall be passed at that awful day shall be final.” (Bryce Johnston)
How is the throne described?
great – implies high or elevated. could be on account of the Judge, his attendance, myriads of angels, the number and characters that shall be judged, etc …
white – being symbolic of purity. “the whole of this judgment shall be conducted with the most perfect purity and justice. When God is the judge, we may be perfectly certain this shall be the case.” (Bryce Johnston) Also may imply that it was splendid or shining (Barnes).
This is the same throne referred to in Matthew 25:31-32: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.”
Who is sitting on the throne? Undoubtedly, the Lord Jesus Christ, the final Judge of mankind. Matthew 25:31 makes this clear. See also John 5:27: “[The father] has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.”
What does it mean for heaven and earth to flee? “The expression from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away indicates that this judgment takes place in eternity, after the destruction of the present creation” (McDonald). See 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” “Even the brightness of his countenance dissolved the universe, and annihilated the laws by which it was governed. This is a very majestic figure, and finely expressed” (Clarke)
And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. (Rev 20:12)
The books were opened – “these are the books which contain the written laws, and the records in which the evidence of the facts are inserted.” (ie: each person is judged by the rules of faith and conduct to which he’s been exposed—laws to which were are ignorant of are not written laws to us). Romans 2 cites a passage in which three systems of laws are mentioned:
- Law of the Gentiles – written in peoples hearts (commonly titled the law of nature)
- The Law (of Moses) – the written law of Moses
- The Gospel – “the dispensation of revealed religion published to the world by Christ and his apostle”
Each person is tried under the law under which they lived.
Another book opened – this one = the book of life. In addition to the two books by which mankind in general shall be tried there is another book by which Christians shall be tried. “By the book of life, we are to understand all those persons, whom God knows to be alive, … all who ware spiritually alive in Christ Jesus. At that day, God will approve of all such persons, and admit them into the joys of heaven, not because…they always acted in perfect conformity to those rules or conduct [… and] not because their own consciences shall not recollect any failings or transgressions, but because they have been made alive in Christ Jesus” (Bryce Johnston)
The phrase or symbol “the book of life” appears 8 times in the New Testament. In all cases it is consistently used to signify those people whom God knows to be spiritually alive. See Phil. 4:3, Rev 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12,15,21:27,22:19.
“So perfect is the divine standard of duty to men, and so defective is the obedience of the wisest and best Christians in the world, that even they could not be justified by that standard at the bar of God. But the gospel of Christ is a merciful system…”(Bryce Johnston)
“I was an outstanding member of Rotary.” Yes—but the books indicate it was to make some business contacts.
“Oh, but I gave blood.” Perhaps—but the books indicate you were paid twenty-five dollars in return.
“But I saved the whales, marched for peace, built homes for the homeless.” All well and good—but you did so to hear the applause of men. -Courson
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. (Rev 20:13) Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire. (Rev 20:14) And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:15)
Who (or what) gives up the dead in them?
- The sea – The sea will yield up the bodies of those who have been buried in it.
- Death and Hades
- Death – the death of the body, or “in the widest sense, death comprising all the miseries arising from sin, as well physical death as the loss of a life consecrated to God and blessed in him on earth, to be followed by wretchedness in hell” (Thayer)
- Hades – the abode of the departed spirits, ie, the grave
What does it mean for the dead to be given up? “The sea and death have the bodies of all human beings; hades has their spirits. That they may be judged, and punished or rewarded according to their works, their bodies and souls must be reunited; hades, therefore, gives up the spirits; and the sea and the earth give up the bodies.” (Clarke)
What happens after they are given up? They are judged
How are the people to be judged? According to their deeds. (Good thing we’ve already had our sins atoned for when we were born again)
What is the second death? “to be cast into the lake of fire, or in plain terms to be cast into hell, is [called] the second death. …These torments are titled the second death; because they are preceded, in every person, by the first death both temporal and spiritual; and because hell is the state of greatest degradation and misery to those beings who are consigned to such misery.” (Bryce Johnston, p. 369)
What is the lake of fire? “Christ represents these torments of hell by the scorching of fire, Mt. 25:41 and Mk 9:44. (Bryce Johnston, p. 369)
Who or what is thrown into the lake of fire?
- Death
- Hades
- Anyone not in the book of life
Whose names are written in the book of life? Those who are spiritually alive. Whose aren’t? Everyone else.
7.6 [Rev 21:1-8] New Heaven & New Earth
“During the Millennial Kingdom, sin and death had not yet been vanquished (Isa. 65:20; Rev. 20:9). Now John sees the creation of a new heaven and earth which differs fundamentally from the old order. In a word, the new creation is perfect. There is no more sin or death. Those who populate the new earth enjoy full communion with God.” (TOJC)
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. (Rev 21:1)
Then – “The conjunction, now [or then] (καὶ [kai]), connects what follows with the previous chapter. The creation of the new heaven and new earth is in response to the destruction of the previous heaven and earth which fled away and gave up the dead (Rev. 20:11)” (TOJC)
What is the significance of the heaven and earth John sees being ‘new’? “New is καινὸν: ‘in the sense that what is old has become obsolete, and should be replaced by what is new. In such a case the new is, as a rule, superior in kind to the old.'” (TOJC). The ancient Greek word translated new here (kaine) means “new in character, ‘fresh’.” It doesn’t mean “recent” or “new in time.” This isn’t just the next heaven and the next earth; this is the better heaven and better earth replacing the old. (Guzik)
What does it mean for the first heaven and earth to have ‘passed away’? It indicates a fulfillment of various scriptures spoken by Jesus about how the earth will pass away.
- “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Mt. 5:18)
- “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Mt. 24:35)
- “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” (Isa. 65:17)
What does it mean for there to no longer be any sea? In the bible, the sea has a lot of negative connotations:
- It was the sea, overflowing with rain and the fountains of the deep, which judged the world at the flood (Gen. 7:11).
- The sea covered Pharaoh and his army at the Exodus (Ex. 14:28).
- Leviathan, the fleeing serpent who would be slain, made his home in the sea (Isa. 27:1).
- The wicked are compared to the troubled sea (Isa. 57:20).
- The four vicious Gentile powers seen by Daniel arose from the sea (Dan. 7:3).
- The final beastly ruler, the Antichrist arose out of the sea (Rev. 13:1).
Since wickedness is done away with, perhaps there is no more need for the sea. Other ideas:
- “the idea of John seems to be, the whole world will be inhabitable, and no part will be given up to the wastes of oceans.” (Barnes).
- “Another possibility is that the sea represents the need of cleansing due to sin which will no longer be necessary in the eternal state.” (TOJC)
“Some take this “newness” as only a spiritual and moral change. But there seems to be a genuine physical transformation in mind: there was no more sea” (Guzik)
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. (Rev 21:2)
Where is this holy city? Coming down out of heaven. “The fact that it is never said to land on the earth leads some to see it as hovering over the new earth” -BBC. “the new Jerusalem instead of ascending unto heaven, is said to be coming down from God out of heaven.”(Bryce Johnston)
What was the old Jerusalem? “Ancient Jerusalem was called the holy city, because the temple consecrated to the worship of God was built in it, and the tribes of Israel went up to worship God in that city, at all three great annual feasts…Hence as a symbol it signifies Christ, especially when the epithet new is prefixed to it.” (Bryce Johnston)
What is the significance of this Jerusalem being new? “by way of contrast with the old or obsolete better, superior, different”. “Although the earthly Jerusalem had been restored for the Millennial Kingdom in accordance with God’s word (e.g., Isa. 62:1-12), it is not the ultimate city sought by those who follow Jesus. In a similar way to which the Temple on earth corresponds to a greater reality in heaven, the earthly Jerusalem will eventually be replaced by the New Jerusalem.” (TOJC) This new Jerusalem is also mentioned in Galatians 4:26.
What is the city compared to? A bride adorned for her husband.
Prepared [or made ready] is ʽητοιμασμένην, perfect passive participle: having been prepared. “The passive form of the participle indicates the bride had no part in her preparation. This is because the bride is inanimate: a city. This bride contrasts with the bride mentioned in Rev. 19:7 who ‘made herself ready’, ʽητοίμασεν ʽεαυτὴν. The bride at the marriage of the Lamb participated in her readiness–indicating she is made up of living beings: the saints who had previously been resurrected at the Rapture” (TOJC)
Adorned is κεκοσμημένην, perfect passive participle: having been decorated. Primarily to arrange, to put in order and in other places in the bible is used to describe furnishing a room (Mt 12:44), and of trimming lamps (Mt. 25:7)
Notice the correlation to Isa 52:1 “…Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no longer come into you.”
A contrast: “Whereas the bride at the marriage of the Lamb wears linen for her covering (Rev. 19:8), the city wears the glory of God and precious stones (Rev. 21:11). The garments of the city are not given as clothing, nor related to righteousness, because the city is inanimate.” (TOJC)
Interesting things about this city:
- All the elements of an actual city–dimensions, foundations, walls, gates, streets–are indicated. (as we will see in upcoming verses)
- “In the account of the New Jerusalem, the inhabitants of the city are differentiated from the city itself. If the New Jerusalem symbolizes the church, and its inhabitants are church members, how could the church separate from itself?” (TOJC)
- “God is her [the city’s] husband because it is He who restores her and has promised that she would rejoice as a bride. Although He had adorned the earthly Jerusalem as a beautiful woman, she played the harlot (Eze. 16:1-16). Nevertheless, He promised that one day Jerusalem would wear beautiful garments again, for she would be holy and no unclean thing would come into her (Isa. 52:1).
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, (Rev 21:3)
What is the tabernacle of God? Where God dwells. The tabernacle of God is a reference to the tabernacle, or tent, erected in the wilderness in the days of Moses, as a dwelling place for God, on earth. But here we are seeing the heavenly equivalent, or rather the reality of what was previously only seen as a representation of the “real thing”. “The tabernacle is the meeting place between sinful man and a holy God” (TOJC)
What does it mean for the tabernacle of God to be among men? the promise of fellowship (or communion) with God (and all that entails).
He will dwell among them and they shall be his people “succinctly states essence of God’s desire and man’s purpose. Simply, God’s desire is to live in close fellowship with man, and man’s purpose is to be a people unto God” -Guzik. “God’s promise to make Israel his people and to be their God echoes throughout the Old Testament.” (DSB) See Lev 26:11-12, Eze 37:27.
“Of all the things which God could say concerning the blessings attending the eternal state, why is this emphasized by being the first? Because it is the greatest blessing found in all of Scripture.” (TOJC)
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.” (Rev 21:4)
What are the differences in the new heaven & earth menioned here? No more death, mourning/crying/pain.
There will be no longer be death, crying, mourning, or pain
“The expression “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” does not mean that there will be tears in heaven. It is a poetic way of saying that there will not be!” -BBC
There will be no burying ground in the New Jerusalem. The undertaker will be out of business. Even the doctors are going to be out of business because there is not going to be any crying, “… neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” -McGee
former things passed away – “The New Jerusalem is distinguished by what it does not have – no tears, no sorrow, no death or pain” -Guzik
“Death shall be swallowed up in victory. The immortality of the blessed will crown their bliss, and the immortality of the miserable will complete their wretchedness.” (p. 370) (Bryce Johnston)
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.” (Rev 21:5)
Who is sitting on the throne? This is either Jesus or God the Father, but v. 7’s discussion of sonship leads me to believe it’s the Father.
I make all things new – “I make is ποιῶ, present tense: I am making. New is καινὰ, new in quality or kind, better” (TOJC). Making all things new is not an already completed action, or something that happened in the past. What is significant about making all things new? “This is the consummation of God’s work of renewal and redemption, having begun here and now in our present time” (Guzik). “Presumably this means not only that everything will be made new, but also that everything will stay then new. The entropy law will be ‘repealed.’ Nothing will wear out or decay, and no one will age or atrophy anymore.” (H. Morris)
What is significant about the fact that these words are spoken by Him on the throne? “This is an authoritative announcement, coming from the throne of God itself. This is one of the few times in Revelation where we clearly see God speaking directly from His throne” (TOJC)
Where have we seen “faithful and true” before? What were they describing? We have seen the phrase faithful and true before in 19:11 and 3:14, in the context of describing the rider of the white horse (Jesus) and in the description of God in regards to the church at Laodicea. And now here, in this word, we have the word of God being given this same title.
Why would the angel command John to continue writing? Perhaps John was so struck in awe he forgot to keep writing? Either that or what he’s about to say is really important so he wants to make sure John writes it down. Or it could be that what he’s just been hearing is difficult to accept. “The statements which God has just made, concerning the elimination of death and the making of all things new, are difficult for people living under the dominion of physical death to consider so God emphasizes the reliability of what John has been told” (TOJC)
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. (Rev 21:6)
It is done…
- Very similar expression (Barnes) to John 19:13 “it is finished”, but not the same underlying greek words
- The meaning in the passage before us evidently is, “The great work is accomplished; the arrangement of human affairs is complete. The redeemed are gathered in; the wicked are cut off; truth is triumphant, and all is now complete – prepared for the eternal state of things.” -Barnes
…I am the alpha and omega…
- “This language makes it morally certain that the speaker here is the Lord Jesus” -Barnes
- The word for “beginning” is arche (G746), and does not simply mean first in point of time but first in the sense of the source of all things. The word for “end” is telos (G5056), and does not simply mean end in point of time but the goal. John is saying that all life begins in God and ends in God. -Daily Study Bible
- ALPHA AND OMEGA are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and are used in Revelation to describe God or Christ (Rev. 1:8,17; 21:6; 22:13.) “Alpha and omega” refers to God’s sovereignty and eternal nature. God and Christ are “the beginning and the end, the first and last.” (Rev. 22:13). Thus they control all history and all humans of all generations. -Holman Bible Dictionary
- Alpha and Omega: “The Greeks used from alpha to omega and the Hebrews from aleph to tau to indicate completeness. For instance, Abraham kept the whole Law from aleph to tau. Here is the symbol that Jesus Christ has everything within himself and needs nothing from any other source.” -Barclay
- He calls himself Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. This name was given to Christ, in 1:8 where the import[ance] of it was explained in the commentary. Here it is only necessary to observe, that he who sits upon the throne, and Christ, is the same being, and consequently that this is a plain declaration of the divinity of Christ. –A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, Volume 2 by Rev. John Johnstone (1807)
…I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
- Who is speaking? (“I”) From the previous sentence, it is clearly God speaking.
- spring = pege (G4077) = the access point to a supply (of water, etc)
- that is, source or supply (of water, blood, enjoyment), (not necessarily the original spring): – fountain, well -Strongs
- thirst = a desire for spritual blessings, things of God
- “Apparently this refers not to physical thirst but to a desire for spiritual blessings.” –Bible Knowledge Commentary
- Believers in their new bodies will thirst after God and the things of God, and they will be satisfied -McGee
- water of life = salvation
- “It is He who gives the water of life (salvation) freely to whoever thirsts for it.” –Believers Bible Commentary
- spring or fountain of water of life – “An image often used in the Scriptures to represent salvation. It is compared with a fountain that flows in abundance, where all may freely slake their thirst” -Barnes
- given to the one who thirsts…
- its not held back ro restricted, but freely given
- “he shall find an ever-abundant supply for all the wants of his soul.” -Barnes
- without cost = dorea (G1431) = given freely (Strongs). “without money and without price” -Barnes
- What is significant about the gift from the spring of water being given without cost?
- The meaning here is, not that he would do this in the future, but that he had shown that this was his character, as he had claimed, in the same way as he had shown that he was the Alpha and the Omega. The freeness and the fulness of salvation will be one of the most striking things made manifest when the immense hosts of the redeemed shall be welcomed to their eternal abodes. -Barnes
Related verses:
-
- Mat 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
- Joh 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.”
- Joh 7:37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Joh 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” Joh 7:39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
- Just as God finished the work of creation (Gen. 2:1-3) and Jesus finished the work of redemption (Joh. 19:30), so the Trinity will finish the entire plan of salvation by inviting the redeemed into a new creation. -Life Application Study Bible
- Matthew Henry:
- The greatness of this future felicity [prosperity, blissfulness] is declared and illustrated,
- 1. By the freeness of it – it is the free gift of God: He gives of the water of life freely…
- 2. The fullness of it. The people of God then lie at the fountain-head of all blessedness: they inherit all things ( Rev. 21:7)…
- 3. By the tenure and title by which they enjoy this blessedness – by right of inheritance, as the sons of God…
- 4. By the vastly different state of the wicked. Their misery helps to illustrate the glory and blessedness of the saints, and the distinguishing goodness of God towards them, Rev. 21:8
- The greatness of this future felicity [prosperity, blissfulness] is declared and illustrated,
“He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. (Rev 21:7)
He who overcomes = anyone who believes in Jesus See 1 Jn. 5:5: “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” and 1 Jn. 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.”
inherit all things — “namely, the blessings described in this whole passage.”-JFB
I will be his God — “that is, all that is implied of blessing in the name ‘God.’” -JFB
“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.” (Rev 21:8)
Detail from “Lake of Fire Version 4” by Duncan Long
What is being contrasted in this verse? The fate of believers mentioned in the previous verse, to the fate of those who have no part in God’s kingdom.
Who | Description from Concordance or Dictionary |
Cowardly | Timid or fearful. “the fearful, those who are afraid to take on the yoke of Christ, who fear to confess Christ, who are unwilling to be unpopular for a little while. They shrug their shoulders and turn away from the offer of life” -Ray Steadman |
Unbelieving | Unfaithful or unbelieving. “All who disbelieve the being of a God…who have [heard] the inspired scriptures…yet do not believe that Jesus in the Christ and the Son of God…” -Johnstone “those who know [Christ] is true, but don’t want it and refuse the evidence, deliberately turning their backs on truth.” -Ray Steadman |
Abominable | Vile. Denotes an “object of disgust, an abomination.” This is said of the image to be set up by Antichrist, Mat. 24:15; Mar. 13:14; of that which is highly esteemed amongst men, in contrast to its real character in the sight of God, Luk. 16:15. The constant association with idolatry suggests that what is highly esteemed among men constitutes an idol in the human heart. In Rev. 21:27, entrance is forbidden into the Holy City on the part of the unclean, or one who “maketh an abomination and a lie.” It is also used of the contents of the golden cup in the hand of the evil woman described in Rev. 17:4, and of the name ascribed to her in the following verse. -Vines
In scripture, to worship God by merely external observances, while the heart is not engaged in his service, or to worship God by ordinances of mere human institution, even though the heart should be engaged, are both called an ‘abomination to the Lord.’ -Johnstone Commentary “The word means “to become foul.” You do not start out that way, but by feeding your mind with filthy things — foul literature, filthy attitudes and actions, you become foul-minded.” -Ray Steadman |
Murderers | A person who in possession of his reason, unlawfully kills a human being with premeditated malice. -Websters Dictionary |
Immoral persons | (pornos) A male prostitute (“A man who prostitutes his body to another’s lust for hire”) or who engages in unlawful sexual intercourse -Thayer’s Greek Definitions. “In OT the porneuo group has such sense as “to be unfaithful.” It may be used of the prostitute, of the betrothed, or married woman who proves unfaithful; figuratively it is used for apostasy as unfaithfulness to God, and to “turn aside from God and go after other gods.” The Law provides severe penalties for betrothed women who are unfaithful.” Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, one vol. edition, pg. 918-920 [citation needs verification] |
Sorcerers | (pharmakeus) one who prepares or uses magical remedies (or sorcerer) -Thayer’s Greek Definitions, sorcerer = A conjurer; an enchanter; a magician -Websters Dictionary. Note that this is the same greek word used in the Septuagint in Dan. 2:2
“those persons who use charms and enchantments of any kind. By use of these sorcerers in fact deny the superintendency of divine providence through intervevention of ordinary means; call upon God to interfere in a miraculous manner, when they have no authority for such a call; or solicit the aid of evil spirits to obtain what they desire.” -Johnstone |
Idolaters | A worshipper of false gods. “all those persons who pay religious worship to any other object than the true God; or those who even worship the true God by images, or any other way which he has not appointed.” -Johnstone |
Liars | erroneous, deceitful, wicked. There are two other places this greek word is used in the NT, once in Acts 6:13 to describe the false witnesses who accused Steven of speaking blasphemous words, and once in Revelation 2:2 to describe those from the church of Ephasus that say they are apostles but are not.
“To lie is to say one thing with the mouth while another thing is meant by the heart, in order to decieve the hearer. Few sins are more atrocious in themselves or more hurtful in their concequences than lying. In is an insult ot the omnisciences or purity of God, a gross perversion of the power of speech which is the glory of our nature…” -Johnstone |
Lake that burns with fire and brimstone – “‘Brimstone,’ possibly the ancient name for sulfur, evokes the acrid odor of volcanic activity.” -Wikipedia
“Which burns is καιομένῃ [kaiomenē], passive participle: the lake being presently burnt with fire. Emphasis is placed upon the ongoing reality of the fire. All the unsaved dead, who were not found written in the Book of Life, were cast into the Lake of Fire” -TOJC
second death – See previous reference to the second death in Rev. 2:11. The second death “by which is meant eternal death, in distinction from a corporeal and temporal one; and lies in a destruction of both body and soul in hell, and in an everlasting separation from God, and a continual sense of divine wrath” (Gill)
7.7 [Rev 21:9-27] The Bride Of Christ
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.” (Rev 21:9)
Who is the lamb refer to? Christ Jesus.
Who does the bride refer to? The body of Christ (the redeemed church) see 21:2
Does this verse remind you of anything you’ve seen recently in this book? The wording of this verse has similar structure to the first verse of one of the paragraphs in the previous chapter, showing a contrast that is being presented, the contrast of the judgment of the great harlot to the wife of the Lamb:
Rev. 17:1 | Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls | came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you… | the judgment of the great harlot.” | |
Rev. 21:9 | filled with the seven last plagues | the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” |
Is this the same angel we previously saw in 17:1? It is a likely possibility, but there is no conclusive evidence one way or the other whether this is the same one of the angels carrying out the bowl judgments or a different one of the seven. It probably isn’t significant which angel is presenting the message. However, the fact that the message is presented by one of the angels carrying out God’s righteous judgments, probably is significant.
(Rev. 21:10) 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, (11) having the glory of God, Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
Continuing in parallel structure to Revelation 17, this verse continues to heighten the contrast:
Rev. 17:3 | And he carried me away in the Spirit | into the wilderness | …and (he) showed me/and I saw… | a woman sitting on a scarlet beast… |
Rev. 21:10 | to a great and high mountain | the holy city, Jerusalem… |
Where was John carrried away to? What’s significant about where he was carried away to? a great and high mountain. TBD
What was John shown when he got there? What were we told John would be shown in the previous verse? How do we reconcile this apparent difference? John is shown the holy city, Jerusalem. In the previous verse we are told the bride of Christ is about the be revealed to John. We can reconcile this by considering that either this is a metaphorical reference to how the city’s charater is drawn from its occupants, or that the verse is saying we are about to see the bride because the body of people in this city make up the bride of Christ.
How is the holy city described? What is significant about each of these descriptions?
- coming down out of heaven from God – describes WHERE the new Jerusalem is. Courson notes, “The New Jerusalem descends from heaven. the language implies it doesn’t land on earth. Rather, it hovers above the earth, suspended between heaven and earth.”
- having the glory of God – describes the NATURE of the city, containing God’s glory.
- brilliant like a very costly stone – describes VALUE. “Among precious stones there are some even of the same species more valuable than others: for their value is in proportion to their being free from flaws, and of a good water, i.e., a uniform and brilliant transparency.” (Clarke)
What is Jasper? How is it described here? Is there anything unusual about this description of Jasper? Jasper, an impure variety of quartz, is an opaque gem, most commonly red, yellow, or brown in color. Descriptions of iaspis (the greek word for Jasper in this verse) written at times contemporary with the bible by authors such as Pliny the Elder describe iaspis (Jasper) as a green, translucent or transparent stone, what we would call today green chalcedony, a slightly different variety of quartz than what we call Jasper today. Neither of these possible identifications for Jasper is “crystal-clear” like a dimaond, at least, not on earth, so this seems like an unusual way to describe Jasper.
Digging a little further, the word for crystal-clear, krustallizō can refer to one of two qualities about the precious stone, according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, “to be of crystalline brightness and transparency” or “to shine like crystal”. Either way it has a sparkling brilliance we wouldn’t associate with this gem on earth, a brilliance that may be almost hard to fathom, fitting of a crowning jewel. “The stone that is here described is represented as a perfectly transparent jasper, being as unclouded as the brightest crystal, and consequently the most precious of its species” (Clarke).
Varieties of polished and unpolished Jasper
Clarke makes an interesting observation about green chalcedony: “[It] is a beautiful sea-green…Nothing is so friendly to the eye as blue or green; all other colors fatigue; and, if very intense, injure the eye. These are the colors of the earth and sky, on which the eye of man is to be constantly fixed. To these colors the structure of the eye is adapted; and the general appearance of the earth and the sky is adapted to this structure.”
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. (Rev 21:12)
What is the significance of having a great high wall? High walls are symbolic in the bible of protection and safety; Low walls could easily be penetrated by enemies. It also reflects fulfillment of prophetic pictures of the re-created Jerusalem.
“The high wall of the city speaks of separation and of intimacy. If you want to have an intimate garden party, you meet in the yard behind a wall. That wall shuts out other things and people. It speaks of intimate fellowship and separation from intrusion.” -Ray Steadman
“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.” (Isaiah 26:1, ESV) Note that Barclay (DSB) implies this wall is related to the shield of faith protection in our spiritual armor: “The simplest interpretation of the wall is that it is “the insurmountable bulwark of faith.” Faith is the wall behind which the saints of God are secure against the assaults of the world, the flesh and the devil.”
“Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.” (Zec 2:4b-5, ESV)
What is the significance of the city having twelve gates? And the names inscribed upon them? There is one gate corresponding to each of the tribes of Israel. Opinions vary about why the tribe names are on the gates, or the meaning of their names being on the gates. Some opinions:
- “All the true Israel of God shall have entrance into the new Jerusalem, as every tribe had into the earthly Jerusalem.” -Matthew Henry.
- “The names of the twelve tribes remind us that we are indebted to the people of Israel as we are to no other people.” -Courson
- “The inscription on the gates – the names of the twelve tribes, to show that they have a right to the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city'” -Matthew Henry
- “The names of the tribes on the gates communicate the unity and heritage that the people of God have with Israel.” -Guzik
Why are there angels at each of the 12 gates? We will not find out the answer to this question directly until the next chapter. In Rev 22:14, it says “Blessed are those who do His commandments…they may enter through the gates into the city.” In other words, not everyone has rights to enter this heavenly city, only those who obey the will of God. So the angels at the gates admit and receive those who belong (the spiritual Israel), while preventing enemies from insidiously making their way into the city. Courson also points out that “Regardless of what you’ve heard, there’s not one mention of Peter at the gates of heaven. Instead, there are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.”
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. (Rev 21:13)
What is significant about the arrangement of the gates? Having three gates on each side is a fairly similar arrangement to the encampment of the tribes around the tabernacle in the OT. Except there seemes to be a bit of reversal about where many of the tribes will have their gates in heavenly Jerusalem compared in to the days of the tabernacle. Revelation does not describe the layout of the tribes areas in the heavenly city, but Ezekiel’s vision of heavenly Jerusalem does spell out their portions.
Ezekiel 48:32-34
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Numbers 2:1-29
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* Ezekiel lists Dan, Rev 7:6 substitutes |
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And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Rev 21:14)
Foundation stone – themelios – directly translated, this can be either literal, such as the foundation to a wall or city, or can be figurative such as the foundations of a system of truth. A foundation stone, also called a cornerstone, is a term coined for the first stone set in construction of a masonry foundation; it is particularly important to the struture beceuse all the other stones are set in reference to this stone, thus the position of this stone determines the position of the entire structure.
The foundations speak of what is underneath which gives stability and permanence.” -Ray Steadman
The foundations of this city bear reference to the 12 apostles, who were literally a significant part of the foundation on which the Christian church today is built.
Ephesians also makes reference to this:
Eph 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. (Rev 21:15) 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. (Rev 21:16) And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. (Rev 21:17)
What parts of the New Jerusalem are measured? What is significant about that? “In Rev. 11:2 the non-measuring of the outer courts of the temple implied its being given up to secular and heathen desecration. So here, on the contrary, the city being measured implies the entire consecration of every part” -JFB
How is the new Jerusalem laid out? What is significant about that? – “We must note the city’s shape…It was common enough for cities to be built in the form of a square; both Babylon and Nineveh were like that. But the holy city was not only square; it was in the form of a perfect cube. The length, breadth and height were the same. This is significant. The cube was the symbol of perfection.” -DSB
How large is the New Jerusalem? “Each side of the city was twelve thousand stades. A stade is very nearly a furlong; therefore, each side was 1,500 miles long, and the total area of the city was 2,250,000 square miles…a city with that area would stretch nearly from London to New York. Surely we are meant to see that in the holy city there is room for everyone.” –DSB
Size of the New Jerusalem
How tall is the city wall? How does this compare to the height of the city? 144 Cubits = 12×12 cubits. JFB calls 12 the “church number”. “The wall is 144 cubits high, that is, 266 feet, not very high. The wall of Babylon was 300 feet high, and the walls of the porch of Solomon’s temple were 180 feet high. There is no comparison between the height of the wall and the size of the city.” -DSB
Why is the wall so short compared to the size of the city? “Again there is symbolism here. The wall cannot be for defence, for all hostile beings, spiritual and human, have been obliterated or cast into the lake of fire. The only thing the wall can do is delimit the area of the city; and the fact that it is so low shows that delimitation is comparatively unimportant. God is much more eager to bring men in than to shut them out–and his Church must be the same.” -DSB
What is significant about the measure of man being the same as the meaure of angels? “The ordinary measure used by men is the measure here used by the angel…Men shall then be equal to the angels.” -JFB
The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. (Rev 21:18)
Clarke notes that a distinguishing feature of Jasper is its hardness which makes for something that is almost indestructible and built to last.
Neither pure gold nor jasper are, at least on earth, transparent. This is unusual or unique to heaven.
Properties of clear glass are that it is transparent and allows light to shine through it brightly. The radience of God can be seen even through the walls and city itself. Nothing hinders the view of God’s glory.
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; (Rev 21:19) the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. (Rev 21:20)
This verse lists out the various precious stones adorning the foundation stone. Important descriptors given include that its adorned with “every kind” of precious stone, or some of every type of precious stone. And that 8 of the 12 are the same as in the high priest’s breastplate in the OT.
However, identifying these stones can be tricky: at the times the bible was written, some of the popular names for stones had more to do with the appearance or color, or an important property such as translucency, than the chemical composition of the stones that might be only visible under a microscope. Looking at ancient writings by secular historians in times near when Revelation was penned, we will occasionally find descriptions of some of the stones, such as jasper, which do not reflect the modern understanding of the stone name, indicating a shift in meaning over time. And then there’s also cases, like ruby or sapphire, where a stone that was discovered or introduced later on replaced in popularity and fashion an existing precious stone, and took over the name that previously described another stone. And just as often as unrelated stones were lumped under one name, highly related stones, such as various varieties of quartz, were given very different names simply because their colors were different.
Some of the stones mentioned in this verse (and in the bible in general) can be identified with certainty that they are still the same stone, such as amethyst. Others have a bit of controversy or uncertainty about their modern names. But to give you some idea of the colors and varieties that might have been included, the following table summarizes the likely identification of these foundation stones, as researched by Richard S. Barnett of Biblical Geology. As you research other sources you are likely to see some variations from this list about the probable identifications.
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English
Translation |
Greek
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Probable Identification/
Modern Scientific Name |
Description of Probable Identification
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Image of Probable Identification
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1 | Jasper | ἴασπις iaspis |
translucent chrysoprase or green chalcedony |
a green, translucent or transparent stone. chrysoprase – translucent variety of chalcedony or fibrous microcrystalline quartz which is strongly tinted by nickel oxide green chalcedony – fibrous varieties of cryptocrystalline, milky to translucent quartz |
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2 | Sapphire | σάπφειρος sappheiros |
lapis lazuli | a contact metamorphic rock consisting of a mixture of lazurite, calcite, and pyrite. Typical specimens have a deep blue color and vitreous luster | |
3 | Chalcedony | χαλκηδών chalkēdōn |
dioptase | copperlike, as in the green color of malachite and other copper ores | |
4 | Emerald | σμάραγδος smaragdos |
malachite or amazonite | malachite – a rich green copper ore formed by the weathering and oxidation of primary copper sulfide veins in sandstone or limestone. amazonite – is a green to blue-green variety of microcline feldspar |
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5 | Sardonyx | σαρδόνυξ sardonux |
Brown agate | a reddish-brown form of agate | |
6 | Sardius | σάρδιος sardios |
sard | Sard, a translucent, chestnut brown variety of chalcedony that is slightly darker than carnelian | |
7 | Chrysolite | χρυσόλιθος chrusolithos |
citrine quartz, yellow topaz, or yellow corundum | a golden-yellow gemstone | |
8 | Beryl | βήρυλλος bērullos |
malachite | common surface oxidation product of copper ores and easily recognized by its bright green color | |
9 | Topaz | τοπάζιον topazion |
peridot or gem olivine, which is also known today as chrysolite | ||
10 | Chrysoprase | χρυσόπρασος chrusoprasos |
chrysoprase | a golden leek, or greenish-yellow gemstone chrysoprase = the green, most valuable form of chalcedony |
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11 | Jacinth | ὑάκινθος huakinthos |
lapis lazuli or blue turquoise | A gem of hyacinthine or deep blue color. | |
12 | Amethyst | ἀμέθυστος amethustos |
amethyst | a purple to violet variety of crystalline quartz |
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. (Rev 21:21)
What is significant about the twelve gates being made out of a single pearl? In ancient times, pearls were the most valued of all stones. Take a look at the parable in Matthew 13 about the merchant who would sell everything he owned to buy a hidden pearl of great price. A single pearl large enough to be a gate to the city would be unimaginably large, and probably amazingly beautiful and expensive. One thing that’s also interesting about pearl is that, unlike all the other precious stones, pearl is the only one that is created by an animal. Pearls are created by irritations such as sand or a parasite in an oyster.
“ It [the irritant] feels like crackers in bed. To relieve its pain it covers the irritant with a soft lustrous nacre that hardens into a beautiful, glowing pearl. It describes beautifully how the redeemed come from the pain of Jesus. He was the husbandman who came looking for a pearl of great price. He found one, a beautiful pearl which came out of the pain that he suffered as he went through the terrible anguish of the cross. Out of that pain came the church of Jesus Christ, the pearl of great price. He sold all that he had to buy it. This means that the redeemed will never forget for all eternity the pain and shame of the cross of Christ. ” -Ray Steadman
“The pearl represents God’s people. How do I know? In Matthew 13, Jesus told the story of a man who sold everything to purchase a pearl. That’s just what Jesus did. He gave everything He had—even His very life—to purchase us. This makes us the pearl—a fitting description, since a pearl is nothing more than an irritating grain of sand or a tiny parasite coated by the lustrous nacre of an oyster. We’re irritating indeed, parasitic beyond question. But God robes us and covers us and thereby makes us trophies in order that all of creation throughout eternity might marvel at His grace.” –Courson
How can pure gold look like transparent glass? Gold is not usually transparent. Guzik makes a good point about understanding these precious stones and materials, “First, we must understand the ideas communicated in the details (glory, beauty, splendor, and so forth). Second, we must understand that this is the city whose architect and maker is God (Heb. 11:10). We should expect it to be beyond our comprehension.”
There is a joke that circulates on the internet about a man who begs St. Peter to let him bring all his gold (his most valuable possession) with him into heaven, despite the “no bringing earthly posessions” policy in heaven. Despite the fact that we know it’s a misnomer to think St. Peter stands at the gates of heaven to decide whether to let us in, the punchline of the joke conveys an excellent point about the value of earthly possessions: St. Peter and the angels have a big laugh as they try to imagine why this man would want to bring suitcases full of “pavement” into heaven.
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. (Rev 21:22)
When we remember how precious the Temple was to the Jews, this is amazing. But we have already noted that the city is built in the shape of a perfect cube, indicating that it itself is the Holy of Holies. The city needs no temple because the presence of God is continually there. -DSB
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. (Rev 21:23)
“In the Millennium of chapter 20, the moon will be as bright as the sun is presently, and the sun will be seven times brighter than it is now (Isa. 30:26). But in the New Jerusalem, there will be no need for the sun or moon at all because the glory and brilliance of the Lord will illuminate the entire city.” -Courson
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. (Rev 21:24)
Who are these “kings of the earth”? And why will they bring their glory into this city? “These kings are of the earth: having their primary place of activity upon the earth rather than within the city. They bring their glory from outside the city into (ʼεις) it. The glory and honor of the kings probably describes gifts of value and beauty which are brought as presents of worship to God and the Lamb in the midst of the city.” (TOJC)
“Some have seen this as evidence of two categories of the faithful: those who reside within the city (glorified saints) and those who reside outside the city on the earth (those left living at the end of the Millennial Kingdom).” (TOJC)
Mc Gee believes that “Not only will Israel come up there to worship, but the nations of the world which have entered eternity will also come up. It will not be their permanent abode, but they will come up there to worship.” and also that “the New Jerusalem (instead of the sun and the moon) will give light unto the earth” since it does not say that the nations will live there, but that they will “walk in the light of it”.
In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; (Rev 21:25)
What is the importance of there not being night there? “The text does not say “there shall be no night,” but ” there shall be no night there”–that is, in the New Jerusalem. Whether night exists elsewhere on the earth is not said.” (TOJC). Darkness, throughout the bible, is associated with the absense of God’s presence. However, since the glory of God illuminates this entire city, there is no night. Some related scriptures:
- “…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 Jn. 1:5)
- “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” (Ps. 139:7,12)
- “For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.” (Job 34:21-22)
What is significant about the gates always being open? 24 hour access. Jamieson (JFB) suggests also that “gates being never shut implies perfect liberty and peace.” According to McGee, “When the gate of a city was closed, it meant that an enemy was on the outside and that they were trying to keep him there.” But here we see the gates are never closed. Typically, city gates were always shut at night for safety.
“Its gates shall not be shut at all: Not…at all (ʼου μὴ) is the double negative, indicating there is no possibility of their ever needing to close. Shut [or closed] is κλεισθῶσιν, they would be locked. The same word describes the locking away of Satan in the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:3).” TOJC
and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; (Rev 21:26)
Glory of the nations brought into the New Jerusalem appears to be a repetition of the idea from 21:24, except instead of kings, here we have nations.
- “Here is a picture of all nations coming to God and of all kings bringing him their gifts. In other words, here is a picture of universal salvation.” (DSB)
- “The wealth of the nations will flow to the city, all their glory and honor.” (BBC)
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. (Rev 21:27)
What is the implication of nothing unclean being able to come into the city? It is holy and pure, uncontaminated.
“The chapter ends with a threat. Those who will not lay aside the evil of their ways are barred from the city of God. There is a sinner who sins against his will; there is a sinner who deliberately sins. It is not the repentant sinner, but the defiant sinner, who is barred from the city of God.” -Barclay’s Daily Study Bible
“As all the filth of the old Jerusalem was carried outside the walls and burnt there, so nothing defiled shall enter the heavenly city, but be burnt outside (compare Rev. 22:15).” JFB
7.8 [Rev 22:1-5] River & Tree Of Life
Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, (Rev 22:1)
This picture of a river of life has many sources in the Old Testament:
- The river which watered the Garden of Eden and made it fruitful (Gen 2:8-16)
- Ezekiel’s picture of the river which issued from the Temple (Eze 47:1-7)
- The river whose streams make glad the city of God (Ps 46:4)
- “A fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord” (Joel 3:18)
- “Living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem” (Zech 14:8)
This wellspring of life is also mentioned other metaphoric contexts:
- The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life (Prov 10:11)
- The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life (Prov 13:14)
- The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life (Prov 14:27)
- Wisdom is a fountain of life to him who has it (Prov 16:22)
- With God is the fountain of life (Ps 36:9)
- ‘He who believes in me, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ This he said about the Spirit which those who believed in him were to receive. (John 7:38-39)
“Those who live in a civilization in which the turn of a tap will bring cold, clear water in any quantity can scarcely understand how precious water was in the East. In the hot lands water was, and is, literally life. And the river of life may well stand for the abundant life God provides for his people which is there for the taking.” -Barclay
What is significant about the water being “clear as crystal”? It has no contaminants, pure water, not polluted, good to drink (symbolism: holy and pure?). It is beautiful and sparkles.
What is significant about the water flowing out of God?
God is the source, it comes from his throne, its not dependent on us in any way.
“In the East, fountains and running streams constituted an essential part of the image of enjoyment and prosperity, and such fountains were common in the courts of Oriental houses. Here, the river is an emblem ofpeace, happiness, plenty; and the essential thought in its flowing from the throne is, that all the happiness of heaven proceeds from God.” -Barnes
Application: “Today God does dwell in our bodies (1Co 6:19) and therefore a stream of blessing should be flowing to others around us (Joh 7:37-38). ‘If a man is filled with the Holy Spirit, and his life touches other lives, something happens for God.'” -William McDonald
What else is significant about the water? The “water” coming out of him is not stagnant (which does not support life but rather merely attracts mosquitos), but flowing.
in the middle of its street On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Rev 22:2)
“And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing” (Eze 47:12).
What is significant about the river/tree being in the middle of the street? Very prominant location. “The tree of life is no longer forbidden; it is there in the midst of the city for all to take” -Barclay
What is significant about the tree bearing 12 kinds of fruit? Yields fruit continually at all times of year, always something in season, variety, not all the same.
“The tree gives many and varied fruits. Surely in that we may see the symbolism of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)” -Barclay
“the means of life will be abundant: the trees of life will be everywhere, and they will be constantly yielding fruit.” -Barnes
“This tree is never empty, never barren; there is always fruit upon it. In heaven there is not only a variety of pure and satisfying pleasures, but a continuance of them, and always fresh.” -Matthew Henry
What is the purpose of the leaves? They are for “the healing of the nations”. They are not for healing from illness since we know from 21:4 that there will be no more sickness, but rather that life and health will be blessed by partaking of the tree.
As Barnes alludes, the fruit is not the only part of the tree that gives life, even the leaves are used to sustain life.
Clarke proposes symbolism hidden within this verse: “Even the leaves, the holy profession of the righteous, is a spiritual medicine. Righteousness is thus encouraged in the world. The profession points out the salvation, as it shows the nature and sufficiency of that salvation; for a just creed contains all the articles of the Christian faith”
Who (or what) is “the nations”? Nations (ethnos) could be translated as “gentiles”, “a multitude living together”, or “nations”. It is the same word translated as “gentiles” throughout Paul’s writings. The implication here is likely that we’re talking not just about the jews here, the gentiles are included.
Related verse: Psa 107:20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; (Rev 22:3)
What does it mean for there to no longer be any curse?
“The curse” goes back to Genesis 3, when the earth was cursed because of Adam’s sin:
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have eaten from the tree [of knowledge of good and evil], cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread…” -Gen. 3:17-19
The implication is all the things that came because of the curse will be no more. “This is doubtless designed to be in strong contrast with our present abode…The earth will be no more cursed, and will produce no more thorns and thistles; man will be no more compelled to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow; woman will be no more doomed to bear the sufferings which she does now; and the abodes of the blessed will be no more cursed by sickness, sorrow, tears, and death” -Barnes
“That is to say, there will be no more of the pollutions which harm the Christian life.” -Barclay
“As there shall be no more sinning against God, so there shall be no more curse of God upon the people; for they shall be all his servants, and serve him” -Clarke
“There will be a new heaven and a new earth: a new order of things, and a world adapted to the condition of the righteous…that future state will be entirely and forever free from all the consequences of the apostasy as now seen on the earth. There will be neither tears, nor sorrow, nor death, nor crying, nor pain, nor curse…It will, therefore, be a perfectly happy abode…It will be pure and holy. Nothing will ever enter there that shall contaminate and defile” -Barnes
What is significant about the Lamb on the throne?
We are ruled by God (not ruled by our flesh or satan either). Jesus, at this point, has fulfilled the inheritance prophesies if he is on the throne now.
What is significant about the bond-servants serving Him?
“Ours will not be the service of one who drags into work at the last moment, dreading the day ahead. No, ours will be the service of one who says, ‘Oh, boy! This is what I always wanted to do!’”-Courson
they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. (Rev 22:4)
What is significant about the bond-servants seeing God’s face?
“God’s servants shall see his face. The promise will come true that the pure in heart will see God (Matt 5:8). We may best understand the greatness of that promise by remembering that the Christian is promised a privilege which was denied even to Moses to whom God’s word was: “You cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live” (Exo 33:20, 23). It is in Christ alone that men can see God. ” -Barclay
“Their freedom to be in the presence of God indicates that they will then be in their glorified bodies (cf. 1Jn. 3:2).” -The Bible Knowledge Commentary
What is significant about God’s name being on their foreheads?
What do we write our name on? Things that belong to us, our treasured possessions that we don’t want to ever lose or have stolen by someone who lies that the item is not ours. Having the name on our forehead shows absolute belonging to God. I can think of two illustrations that help me to understand this: When you join a large corporation as an employee, you are usually given a name-badge to wear showing your affiliation with the company. Having this company badge grants you access to the inner parts of the company, allows you go go in the building(s) freely, unlike members of the general public. Secondly, I am reminded of my parents dog, Murray. He wears a purple collar that has a dog-tag on it with his owner’s name and address so he can be returned if he were to ever get lost. His collar shows belonging to our family. He always seems troubled when his collar must be removed to take a bath, but quite joyful and relieved when he is “reinstated” into the family with his symbol of belonging. We belong to God.
Both of these things indicate an intimate and priviledged relationship with God.
And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. (Rev 22:5)
What is signifigant about there being no more night?
Night = symbolic of darkness, separation from God. Barnes suggests two meanings: that there is first literally no night, and second, spiritually and morally there will be no darkness—no error, no sin.”
“There can never be any darkness nor need of any other light, for the presence of God is there” -Barlay
“Neither artificial nor natural light; neither the dimmer light of the ceremonial law, under the legal dispensation, which was like a candle lighted up in Judea; nor the more clear light of the Gospel and its ordinances, under the present dispensation, which now will be at an end” -Gill
What significant about us reigning “forever and ever”?
This is eternal, a secure future, an everlasting kingdom (Rev 1:6). We have power and authority if we are reigning, and we shall not cease to reign.
Summary:
And there shall be no more curse | perfect sinlessness |
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it | perfect government |
and His bond-servants shall serve Him | perfect service |
They shall see His face | perfect communion |
His name shall be on their foreheads | perfect resemblance |
There shall be no night there | perfect blessedness |
And they shall reign forever and ever | perfect glory |
-A.T. Pierson
7.9 [Rev 22:6-15] The Faithful & True
There are three speakers in this segment: (1) The angel telling these things to John, (2) Jesus Christ himself [“I am coming…”], and (3) John [“I John am the one…”]. A lot of what is said here is reiterated from other previous verses as well.
And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. (Rev 22:6)
Faithful and true: Repeated from 21:5. “in the fulfilment of which the faithfulness of God is engaged and displayed…and they are true; for they come from the God of truth, that cannot lie” -Gill
Things which must soon take place: Repeated from 1:1, both at the opening and conclusion, kind of like a thesis in an essay, wrapped around both ends with detail in the middle.
“We have here a solemn ratification of the contents of this book, and particularly of this last vision (though some think it may not only refer to the whole book, but to the whole New Testament, yea, to the whole Bible, completing and confirming the canon of scripture)” -Matthew Henry
“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev 22:7)
Coming quickly: “He means rapidly [or with haste]. This is repeated again in verse Rev. 22:12 and verse Rev. 22:20. It is repeated three times here at the end: “Behold, I come quickly”—not shortly or immediately or even soon.” -McGee
Blessing is indicated for him who heeds (obeys) what is said in this book. This book contains prophesy (foretelling of future events).
(22:8) I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. (9) But he said to me, “Do not do that I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”
I, John: John is lending his credibility to this account. “being an apostle of Christ, and a man of great sincerity and probity, is to be believed” -Gill
Heard and seen: “[John] was both an eye and an ear witness” -Gill
Worshipping the angel: “This is the second time John did so, though warned of it, and rebuked for it, which shows the proneness even of good men to fall into sin again and again” – Gill
Why does the angel rebuke John? Angels are not to be worshipped as they are created beings, worshipping them would be worshipping creation, but rather we should only worship God. The angel in humble servitude doesn’t want the focus to be about him, this is about Christ. Who are you worshipping or bowing down to? Are you worshipping God?
“Though the angels were created above man, this angel identifies himself as a fellow servant with John and the other prophets. He was merely a messenger to communicate God’s Word to man, and he directs all worship to God. Christ is the centerpiece of the Book of Revelation—don’t lose sight of Him.” -McGee
Who is a fellow servant of God? The angel, John, his bretheren, the prophet, all those who heed the words of this book. It appears he is describing those who are born again, everyone in God’s family. Are you a fellow servant of God?
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. (Rev 22:10)
This command for John not to seal up the words of the prophesy is in direct contrast to what was commanded to Daniel in his prophesy, “Keep the vision secret, for it pertains to many days in the future” (8:26) and “these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.” Dan 12:9. But now we have a command to leave the words unsealed, open, available. Does this mean the words are for the present time and/or near future?
“In the older Apocalypses, written between the Testaments, the instruction is always to seal them and lay them up for a distant future. In Daniel, for instance, we read: ‘Seal up the vision, for it pertains to many days hence’ (Dan 8:26). But now it is not the time to seal but it is the time to open and read; for the coming of Christ will take place at any moment.” -Barclay
“Let the one who does wrong [the evildoer (ESV), unrighteous (HCSB)], still do wrong [do evil, do unrighteousness]; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” (Rev 22:11)
See (Dan 12:10) “…the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand”
This verse contains some groups that appear to contrast each other:
Negative Traits
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Positive Traits
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unrighteous (violating God’s law) | righteous (obeying God’s law) |
filthy (morally defiled) | holy (morally pure, like God) |
evildoer/unrighteous/one who does wrong – One who violates God’s law. “Let him be unjust is ʼαδικησάτω [adikēsatō]: active voice participle: let him do unjustly. He is unjust as shown by his ongoing actions” -TOJC
one who is filthy – “The word “filthy” here is, of course, used with reference to moral defilement or pollution. It refers to the sensual, the corrupt, the profane; and the meaning is, that, their condition will be fixed, and that they will remain in this state of pollution forever.'” -Barnes
one who is righteous – in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God (Thayers Greek Lexicon). “The just, the upright man – in contradistinction from the unjust mentioned in the first part of the verse.” (Barnes). See Rom 10:10a “for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness”
one who is holy – sanctification, being made holy or like God. Set apart for the purposes of God. “He that is pure, in contradistinction from the filthy mentioned in the former part of the verse” (Barnes). Notice that in the original greek “keep himself holy” is in the passive voice, more accurately might be said as “let him be made holy” (by someone else, namely, God). Being made holy is not an action of our own doing.
What does all this mean? Essentially, that the impact of this book being left open is an affirmation of character, not a change of character. It will not change the directions of people’s hearts, but that it will either continue to draw the godly closer to God, and draw the ungodly away from God. The wicked will hear this message and still be wicked, and the righteous will hear this message and continue to stay righteous.
Imagine if Goofus and Gallant heard this prophecy…
each would likely continue in his evil or righteous ways…
- “If you choose to be unjust after reading this prophecy, be unjust still. If you choose to be filthy after reading this prophecy, be filthy still. In other words, if you cannot be convinced of the truth of the Word by the revelation of Jesus Christ and the fulfilling of Bible prophecy, what could possibly convince you?” -Courson
- A property of inertia applies: “the suggestion is that the unrighteous will increasingly become more unrighteous…On the other hand, neither is the condition of the servant of God static; they will continue to grow in righteousness and holiness.” -McGee
- “All mankind are originally, naturally, and universally filthy, or defiled with sin. Some are cleansed from it by the blood of Christ, others are not; and these will continue polluted, nor will the fire of hell fetch out the filthiness of their hearts and nature” -Gill
- “The righteous and the holy will be confirmed in their character and condition, as well as the wicked. The affirmation that their condition will be fixed is as strong as that that of the wicked will be” -Barnes
- “The point here is not to condone what is evil, but to point out that if people do not heed this prophecy, they will continue in their wickedness.” -The Bible Knowledge Commentary
- “The ancient commentator, Andreas, says that the Risen Christ is saying: “Let each man do what pleases him; I will not force his choice. This, then, would be another warning that every man is writing his own destiny.” -Barclay
- “If the warnings of this book are not sufficient, there is no more that God has to say.” -Walvoord
Are you increasing in unrighteousness or righteousness? Are you increasing in holiness or decreasing? Do you believe the words of this prophesy? Which direction are you headed?
“the study of prophecy will have a definite effect upon your life: it will either bring you closer to Christ, or it will take you farther from Him.” -J. Vernon McGee
(22:12) “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. (13) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Two great claims made by the risen Christ: (1) He is coming quickly, (2) Who Jesus is (Α/Ω, first/last, beginning/end).
Coming quickly: See 22:7, this is the second of three repetitions of this proclamation.
Jesus is coming quickly. Are you ready for him to come? How does (or should) the fact that he’s coming quickly affect your behavior, lifestyle, etc?
God will render according to what each has done – We will get what we deserve, God delivers justice. Are you ready for this?
Alpha & Omega – Repetition of title used in Rev. 1:8, Rev 21:6.
Title | Implication | Barclay’s Comments |
Alpha & Omega | Completedness | “The Greeks used from alpha to omega and the Hebrews from aleph to tau to indicate completeness. For instance, Abraham kept the whole Law from aleph to tau. Here is the symbol that Jesus Christ has everything within himself and needs nothing from any other source.” |
First & Last | Eternity | “[Jesus] includes in himself all time, for he is the first and the last.” |
Beginning & End | Authority | “The Greeks said that Zeus was the beginning, the middle, and the end. The Jewish rabbis took over this idea and applied it to God, with their own interpretation. They said that, since God was the beginning, he received his power from no one; since he was the middle, he shared his power with no one; and since he was the end, he never handed over his power to anyone.” |
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)
Cause and effect (“so that”): Those who wash their robes have the right to enter the city of God and eat from the tree of life. Washing their robes we saw earlier in the letters to the churches, and was symbolic of having your sins washed away by salvation. This verse shows man’s role in salvation: “To take a simple analogy, we can supply soap and water, but we cannot compel a person to use them. Those who enter into the city of God are those who have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ” (Barclay). But even though this is about man’s contribution, this verse is “[not] teach[ing] salvation by works but rather works as the fruit and proof of salvation” (William McDonald). Note that in greek the phrases for “washing their robes” and “doing His commandments” are extremely similar (only a few letters off), as there is a symbolic relationship.
Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. (Rev 22:15)
Even though the gates of the heavenly city are open, there are some who are not allowed inside:
Unwelcome Are… | Comments… |
Dogs | In the bible, dogs are symbolic of everything savage, unclean, disgusting or immoral. “Dogs here may refer to male prostitutes (Deu. 23:18), unclean Gentiles (Mat. 15:26), or Judaizers (Phil. 3:2).” -William McDonald |
Sorcerers | See Rev. 9:21, and Rev. 21:8. |
Immoral persons | Thayer’s Definition for pornos: “(1) a man who prostitutes his body to another’s lust for hire, (2) a male prostitute, (3) a man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator” |
Murderers | Self-explanatory |
Idolaters | Thayer’s definition for eidōlolatrēs: “(1) a worshipper of false gods, a idolater, or (2) a covetous man as a worshipper of Mammon” |
Lovers and Practicers of Lying | “No man who practises deceit shall dwell in my house; no man who utters lies shall continue in my presence.” (Ps 101:7). The word used to indicate “love” here can also mean to approve of–these are people who don’t see a problem with lying. |
Application: Pursue Righteousness |
Will you be inside or outside the gates of the new Jerusalem? Are there any of these behaviors you need to change before they become habitual?
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7.10 [Rev 22:16] Jesus’s Angel Testifies For The Churches
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Rev 22:16)
Why (and to whom) did Jesus send His angel? To testify to John of “all these things” (everything in Revelation).
What does it mean to be the root and descendent of David? “Jesus is saying that in him is the fulfilment of this prophecy, that he is at one and the same time the eternal source of being from which David came and his promised descendant.” -William Barclay, See Isaiah 11:1 (“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”)
What does it mean to be a bright morning star? “To call a man a morning star was to class him very high among the heroes. [eg:] the great Messianic prophecy: “A star shall come forth out of Jacob” (Num 24:17)…The morning star is the herald of the day which chases away the darkness of the night; before Jesus the night of sin and death flees away…When the Risen Christ said that he was the morning star, he claimed again to be the light of the world and the vanquisher of all the world’s darkness” -William Barclay
What is significant about this verse being included? It kind of serves as an assertation that the vision is really from Jesus, even though it was presented through an angel, and spells out Jesus’s credentials as the fulfiller of prophesy.
7.11[Rev 22:17-19] Hear God’s Word & Respond
(22:17) The Spirit and the bride say, “Come” And let the one who hears say, “Come” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. (18) I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; (19) and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
Who is the bride? The church.
What is significant about the spirit and the bride and the one who hears all saying “come”? Jesus is the one who can satisfy our spiritual thist. We all have the missionary responsibility to invite others to join us in walking with Christ as well (Barclay). “He who comes to me shall not hunger; and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (Jn 6:35). “In Christ alone the longing of the soul can be satisfied.” (Barclay)
What is significant about the water of life being without cost? Its not exclusive, only for those who can afford it, anyone who wants it can afford to be filled by Jesus. It is freely given, a gift, not something you have to purchase.
What is the consequence of adding to these words? The plagues added onto him.
What is the consequence of taking away from these words? Having his part of the tree of life and holy city taken away from him.
What is significant about these warnings?
We find similar warnings in the Bible in other places. eg: “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you” (Deut. 4:2). Consistently the message is: Do not add to or take away from the word of God.
Also, In the days when manuscripts had to be copied by hand, perhaps this warning about the importance of not adding to or taking away from the word of God severed to help preserve the inerrancy of the scriptures as they were passed down from generation to generation.
“Since the subjects in this book are woven throughout the Bible, the verse, in effect, condemns any tampering with God’s word.” -Believers Bible Commentary
7.12 [Rev 22:20] He Is Coming Quickly
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly ” Amen Come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20)
Who is testifying and about what? Jesus’s angel, that Jesus is coming quickly.
What is significant about Jesus coming quickly? You need to be ready, you shouldn’t take your time in preparing for Jesus’s arrival. This is one case where you don’t want to “miss the boat” because you weren’t paying attention. This is the third time in this chapter that Jesus announces he is coming quickly.
7.13 [Rev 22:21] Grace. Amens.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (Rev 22:21)
“It is surely symbolic, and it is surely fitting, that the last word of the Bible should be GRACE.” -Barclay’s Daily Study Bible
Genesis & Revelation Compared and Contrasted: (Believers Bible Commentary)
Genesis
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Revelation |
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Creation | Creation of heavens and earth (Gen. 1:1). | Destruction of heavens and earth (Rev. 20:11b). Creation of new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21:1). |
Satan | Start of Satan’s reign on earth (Gen. 3:1-7). | Satan cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10). |
Sin | Entrance of sin (Gen. 3:1-7). | Sin banished (Rev. 21:27). |
The Curse | Pronouncing of the curse on creation (Gen. 3:1-7). | The curse removed (Rev. 22:3). |
Tree of Life | Right to tree of life forfeited (Gen. 3:24 b). | Access to tree of life restored (Rev. 22:2, 22:19) |
Paradise | Eviction of man from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24a). | Man welcomed back to [Paradise] (Rev. 22:1-7) |
Death | Entrance of death into the world (Gen. 2:17; Gen. 5:5). | Death forever removed (Rev. 21:4). |
Marriage | Marriage of the first Adam (Gen. 4:1) | Marriage of the last Adam (Rev. 19:7). |
Sorrow | Sorrow comes to mankind (Gen. 3:16) | Sorrow eliminated (Rev. 21:4). |