Holy City - Revelation 21

21:1-8 - Everyone has been set in the place that they are going to spend eternity, and John “saw a new heaven and a new earth… and there was no more sea.” I read something somewhere that suggests that this is reference to Satan because of the “abyss” or something like that, I’m not sure if I agree with that. I think that this “no sea” thing is probably some sort of metaphor because I don’t want to live on a planet that doesn’t have an ocean, that’s my favorite part, and all the animals that live there, etc. I also never really understood the earth “passing away” and being resurrected because isn’t the earth already perfect. But then I think about the whole “everything was made spiritually before it was made physically,” then it makes sense that there is a perfected earth. Also I’m reminded of all the trash, pollution, and bombs that are left scattered all over the place, in a perfected earth, those all need to go away. On this new earth, “the holy city, new Jerusalem,” comes down out of heaven. A voice declared God as being with his people Himself, and promises that God “shall wipe away all tears form their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” The IM comments, “Revelation 21:4 highlights the great restorative power of Christ’s Atonement, which will ultimately make all things right. Through the Atonement, all of life’s disadvantages, contradictions, injustices, and unfairness will be made right.” I thought that “all things would be made right” before this point, but I guess if we look at the time line, a compensation for all things doesn’t come during the millennium, and this is directly after that, so the timeline makes sense. After Jesus is introduced, he takes his place on the throne in the holy city and declares Himself “Alpha and Omega,” and promises that the righteous will be blessed and the wicked “shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.” It’s interesting to point out here that Jesus promises “he that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” The IM notes, “the promise of inheriting ‘all things’ does not mean that those who are exalted will no longer worship God; the relationship of God to each of His exalted children is still clear: ‘I will be his God, and he shall be my son.’” I don’t know the significance of this, I don’t think that I imagined that God wouldn’t be a part of our process anymore, I guess I thought that it will be more like parents, when you’re young they are the authority to be obeyed, but then when you grow up, in this case spiritually, then it’s a more peer based relationship. 21:9-27 - One of the angels that had a vial of one of the seven plagues comes to John and takes him to see the holy city, which the angel calls, “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” The light of the city “was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” There is a great, high wall with twelve gates and twelve angels with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on them. The wall of the city “had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” The city is cube shaped, which I didn’t understand, but the IM explains, “The city was depicted as an enormous cube, which recalls the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple, also representative of God’s dwelling place.” When we get to the Old Testament, there are entire chapters of measurements that will probably explain a lot of the symbolism of the numbers found throughout the scriptures. The angel has a golden reed to measure the city with and apparently each side measured 12,000 furlongs, which is cross-referenced to mean “stadia. A stadium was about 607 English feet, or 185.2 meters.” So 12,000 measures of 607 feet each? That’s 7,284,000 feet, which is about 1,400 miles on each side, that’s a cube that’s half the size of the United States in all three dimensions, that’s enormous. But then the next verse is says “he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits.” So maybe the 12,000 furlongs is the overall surface area of the cube, or something, I don’t think, it’s probably all symbolic anyway. John describes the city as “pure gold, like unto clear glass,” which seem like contradictory elements. I’ve always thought a city with gold and silver paved streets, etc. would be really gaudy, but maybe it’s not in such an obvious “look how rich I am” way, but more subtle and I bet that will look nice. The twelve foundations each have their own color, I’m not going to list them here because I don’t know what most of them are, and again, I’m sure this is all symbolic. The twelve gates were made with twelve pearls, “and the streets of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.” Again, contradictory terms, but probably symbolic. The IM explains, “The symbolic elements John saw that compose the city- clear glass, precious stones, pearls, and gold- share the traits of reflecting light; resisting decaying or tarnishing; and symbolizing purity, beauty, and refinement. The walls of the city were made with all manner of precious stones. Precious stones often represent the Lord’s followers who have been refined and made holy.” Concerning the pearls at the city gates, the IM continues, “The gates of the city were made of pearls and the streets of gold. Both pearls and gold can be seen as symbols of refinement: oysters produce pearls through pain and adversity, and gold requires fire to burn out impurities. The exalted will likewise have been refined through adversity.” John also notes that he “saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” The IM explains, “There is no need of temples in the Holy City because all of the celestial kingdom will be as a temple; God Himself and Jesus Christ dwell there.” There is also no sun or moon because “the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” The saved nations and kings walk by God’s light and the gates are always open because there is no night, which I guess is reference to anciently when the gates of a city would be closed at night to protect the inhabitants. This city “shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it,” which I wonder if this is a reference to there being a mix of cultures and nationalities and the society of the city not just being a sterile “righteous” people. Even with the open gates, nothing wicked or that “defileth” the city will be see in it, only “they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”