A New Heaven and a New Earth

Rev 21:1. When all evil and all evil doers have got their everlasting unchangeable, terrible destiny, the attention of John is drawn to a completely new heaven and a completely new earth. “The first heaven and the first earth” have had their time, they have fled away (Rev 20:11) and have been destroyed by burning (2Pet 3:7; 12). In that way room has been made for “a new heaven and a new earth”.

The great difference from the first earth is that the sea, which is still there in the kingdom of peace (Eze 47:20; Zep 2:6; Zec 9:10; Zec 14:8) is no longer there in eternity. Also the turbulent, rebellious nations represented by the sea, and the wicked who are like the tossing sea (Isa 57:20) are no longer there. There is an atmosphere of constant, complete rest. The true theocracy has come. God rules, or better said, governs, for here it is more about God Who dwells in rest, while there is nothing more to be restrained, there is nothing left that can rebel. Then righteousness dwells on earth (2Pet 3:13) and not merely rules as in the kingdom of peace. Everything corresponds inwardly and outwardly to God’s Being.

The old creation is perishable (Psa 102:26; Mt 24:35; 1Cor 7:31; 1Jn 2:17) and therefore transient. The new creation is completely new and of permanent, everlasting nature. The new is not a replacement through renewing and improving of the old, but the new heaven and the new earth have never been there earlier. The second is not only different from the first, but also better than the first. In the same way, is what God has wrought in the redemption different from and better than what man has lost as a consequence of sin. God has not only solved the problem of sin, but given something far more wonderful instead.

With God the second always has preference over the first. You find often in Scripture that the second or later born is given preference over the firstborn. Just look, for example, at Abel being given preference over Cain, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Ephraim over Manasseh, David over his older brothers (cf. also Job 42:12; 1Cor 15:47; Heb 8:6).

Rev 21:2. After the wonderful total picture of the new heaven and the new earth, John sees a city. This city is the center of the whole new scene. Also in the new order of matters where there is no longer sin, there is room for holiness. The city is “the holy city”. Holy means separated. Separation has not always to do with separation from evil. When God, for example, sanctifies the seventh day, it means that He has given this day a separate place compared to the other days (Gen 2:3). In that way, this city occupies a distinct place in the whole new order.

This city is the “new Jerusalem” which indicates the contrast with the old Jerusalem. It is a movable city. It comes “down out of heaven”, for heaven is the land where it belongs. It comes “from God”, for the beginning of the city is in God, in His counsel. The new Jerusalem comes down without coming to earth to form a link, as it were, between heaven and earth, to connect them.

The city looks “as a bride adorned for her husband”. This description makes clear that this new Jerusalem is the church. After a thousand years she still has the same radiant beauty she had at her marriage (Rev 19:7). The ravages of time have not affected her beauty at all. For all eternity, she will possess that beauty.

The city is ‘holy’ and is compared with ‘a bride’. That means that God, Who is light – holiness has to do with God as light – and love, is seen in that city. Here the church is perfectly fit to be connected to Him because it perfectly corresponds to His Being. In this way she also completely meets His desires, she fits Him, is like Him (Eph 5:31-32; 1Jn 3:3).

This new Jerusalem must be distinguished from the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22). With the heavenly Jerusalem is meant the dwelling place of all heavenly saints. The heavenly Jerusalem is the heavenly capital from where the kingdom of peace is ruled. It is the center of rule in which believers from the Old Testament and the New Testament have their place and task. The new Jerusalem consists of only those who are the church of the living God, the dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Also when there is mention of ‘the Jerusalem above’ (Gal 4:26), it is something different than what is called here the ‘new Jerusalem’. The Jerusalem ‘above’ is not that much of a city with reigning characteristics, but rather indicates a sphere in which believers live. That sphere is a sphere of freedom that stands opposite to the law The Jerusalem above is therefore contrasted with the earthly Jerusalem, which represents the sphere of the law.

Rev 21:3. After John has seen these wonderful and extensive new things, he hears a loud voice. That voice comes with a declaration from the throne, the seat of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God has reached its final destination; it has achieved its purpose. The explanation says that God dwells among men. He does so in “the tabernacle”, which refers to the church, for that is the dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:22).

There are more names used for God’s dwelling place, like a temple and a house. That particularly here it is spoken of “the tabernacle” as a dwelling place, refers to the mobility of the dwelling place, like the tabernacle during the journey in the wilderness of the people of Israel.

It is also nice to consider that the word ‘tabernacle’ is also seen in what you read about the dwelling of the Lord Jesus among us. When you read “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14), it literally says ‘the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us’, meaning ‘dwelt in a tent’.

The tabernacle speaks about the way in which God dwells among His people. The tabernacle in the Old Testament is a picture of God’s dwelling place. The true dwelling place of God you see in the Lord Jesus and in the church.

A remarkable thing is that it says that God will dwell “among men”. That it is a special joy for God to dwell with men, can be seen by the fact that it is mentioned three times in this one verse. All these men together are His people. There is no more mention of separate nations. Nations originated because of sin, but all consequences of sin have been removed. Therefore, there is no longer any difference between Israel and the nations. Israel will no longer occupy a privileged place.

Israel had to do with God’s counsels from the foundation of the world (Mt 13:35; Mt 25:34) and had an earthly and temporary existence. All earthly and temporary things will no longer be there. There are only people, believers from all times, without distinction. The only distinction that will remain concerns the new Jerusalem, the church, which exists from before the foundation of the world.

The verse ends with an expression of special intimacy between God and His people. “God Himself”, without any intermediary, as, for example, Moses or Elijah or a high priest has been, “will be among them”. There is no longer anyone through whom God has a relationship with His people. He is the God of that one great people. And that one great people have and know no one but Him alone as their God.

Rev 21:4. When that wonderful situation has come, every memory of sorrow, which was inseparable from the first things, will be removed. The description of the glory of eternity is still best done for us by saying what is not there. We cannot yet grasp the glory of what is there (cf. 2Cor 12:4). But we can indeed understand that there will no longer be there what often makes our life on earth now so difficult and laborious and what makes us yearn for heaven. Therefore this description is in itself a great encouragement already. The five words that say what will no longer be there, now mark the whole world event and the whole world history since the fall of man into sin.

In Revelation 7 it was already announced that God will wipe away every tear from the eyes, like a mother wipes away the tears from the face of her child (Rev 7:17). He wipes away “every tear”, after which never another tear will well up. Everything that causes tears now will then be gone forever. Then every man will live in perfect harmony with God, perfectly in agreement with God and perfectly unanimous with every other man. When sin is no longer there, there is also no longer death, nor anything associated with death as pain and sorrow, of which tears are the expression. It will never come back, for “the first things have passed away” forever.

Now read Revelation 21:1-4 again.

Reflection: What make you most long for the new heaven and the new earth?

All Things New

Rev 21:5. Now speaks “He who sat on the throne”. Sitting on the throne means that He has all power and governs all things according to His will and thus comes to His purpose. We cannot imagine how what is new will look like. You can compare that with a grain of wheat. If you look at it you cannot imagine that an ear of wheat will grow out of it. Or when you look at a caterpillar, you cannot imagine that a butterfly will come out of it. Paul uses a number of pictures to make clear the difference between earthly and heavenly things (1Cor 15:35-49), but our comprehension is too small to imagine all of it. However, we do know that all sad things are gone and “all things” will be new.

It is not new in contrast to old, but new in the sense of something that has never existed, for nothing and no one will ever grow old in the new creation. Everything for which man has ever made efforts will then be established by God. Man is not able to make an end to death and things that are connected to it, because sin dwells in him. To man that situation remains an idle dream, but for faith it is the great reality.

After this wonderful promise that He will make all things new, John is commanded for the third time to write (Rev 14:13; Rev 19:9). By writing it down, it is fixed (Isa 30:8). When we sometimes forget these things, we can read it again. To remove any uncertainty, it is added as a confirmation that these words are “faithful and true”.

Rev 21:6. Then as a mighty conclusion the exclamation sounds: “It is done!” At that moment, all things have become new. Then the full result is seen of the work of Him Who once cried: “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30). The rest, the peace and the harmony founded on that work will be enjoyed without interruption all eternity by God and those with whom He dwells.

He Who has said it, is the eternal God, “the Alpha and the Omega”. He fulfills from A to Z – “Alpha” is the first letter and “Omega” the last letter of the Greek alphabet – what He has said. It means that He will fulfill His Word down to the smallest letter. He is also “the beginning and the end”, that is, He is at the beginning of all things, and at the end of all things He is still there. There is nothing before Him and nothing after Him. All things are held in connection with Him from eternity to eternity. There is eternity, because He is the Eternal.

At this breathtaking moment, where time and everything attached to it, has disappeared, an invitation, as it were, spontaneously goes out to everyone who does not partake of it yet. If there are readers to whom this applies, it cannot be otherwise but a desire arises to partake of it. It is possible! If there is a thirst for the living God (Psa 42:2), He will quench that thirst, just as the thirst of the Samaritan woman was quenched by the Lord Jesus (Jn 4:14).

Rev 21:7. Besides thirst, there is also a fight needed to partake of that glory. For there is opposition in the form of persons or teachings that stand in the way of gaining that glory. But there are powerful weapons available that secure the victory. The inheritance of these things is given to those who have overcome the world through the faith (1Jn 5:4). They have overcome by the blood of the Lamb (Rev 12:11). They overwhelmingly conquer through Him Who loved them (Rom 8:37).

The overcomers will be faithful to the end, until the wonderful inheritance can be taken into possession. Then the new creation will be experienced in the closest connection with God and to the joy of God. This is the only place in the writings of John where there is mention of our position as sons. It is also a personal relationship. Each person will have his own relationship with God and God with him. He will not disappear in the crowd of people with whom God dwells (Rev 21:3).

Rev 21:8. After the extensive, but at the same time very limited description of the glory that is the part of the believers, the part of the unbelievers follows. The contrast is enormous and will never be undone. It will exist forever and ever. This is the part of those who are no overcomers and who haven’t thirsted for God.

The first category of people of whom is said what their part is, are “the cowardly”. The cowardly have never dared to confess the Lord Jesus. They stand on the side of the enemies and will perish with them. Also the other categories will not inherit God’s kingdom (1Cor 6:10).

There is mention of “their part”. That excludes the destruction of the soul. It also excludes the possibility for them to obtain the blessing after a course of time. The teaching of the universal atonement is a serious attack on the authority of God’s Word and damages the gravity and perfection of the work of Christ. The substitutional suffering of Christ would not be necessary if all people will ultimately receive part of the eternal glory. But all who have no part in the work of Christ because they have rejected it, will be in the second death. The result is that they will be definitely cut off of all life, of which they will never partake.

Rev 21:9. With Rev 21:8 a chronological section has been completed which has ended in eternity. What comes after that cannot be a sequel to it, for after the eternal state there is not something else. Therefore from Rev 21:9 we are taken back to the time immediately preceding the eternal state, the kingdom of peace. A description follows of the glory of the church as the heavenly city, which is as the place from which Christ’s reign over the earth takes place.

Rev 21:9 starts with nearly the same words you also have read in Revelation 17 (Rev 17:1). Here it also starts, as in Revelation 17:1, with “one of the angels who had the seven bowls”, though it is added here that they were “full of the seven last plagues”. The full bowls are shown here to make clear that the city could only come after the judgments of God have been executed over the earth. Furthermore you see that in both sections the description follows of a woman and a city. If you compare both sections with one another, you see a relationship with both a great difference between what you now already have learnt about Babylon and what you will see of the new Jerusalem.

The church is presented here as “bride” and as “wife”. Probably ‘bride’ refers to her glory toward the world and ‘wife’ refers to the intimate relationship toward the Lamb, the Bridegroom. ‘Bride’ can also refer to the first love for that one particular Man Whom she loves above all things and ‘wife’ may refer to the fulfilled desire of the love and its continuance. Both aspects remain forever applicable.

Rev 21:10. In Revelation 17 John is led into the wilderness (Rev 17:3). Here he finds himself in an exalted position. He may see the bride, the wife of the Lamb from the mountain. But what does he see? He sees a city. That means that the woman who is the church, also has the characteristic of a city. The city is shown to John as God has always seen it from eternity. In that way Moses was also allowed to see the promised land from a mountain (Deu 34:1) and Ezekiel saw the future earthly Jerusalem and the new temple from a high mountain (Eze 40:2).

John’s position is far higher than that of both of them, for he is allowed to see the new heavenly Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from God. As the city in eternity comes down from God (Rev 21:2), so it also comes down in the kingdom of peace.

The church is the dwelling place of God, from which blessing goes to the earth, both in the kingdom of peace and in eternity. Here it is also “the holy city”, the city that God has set apart for Himself to be His city, His dwelling place. It is the city with the name “Jerusalem”, which means ‘foundation of peace’. In and through the church the name of the city will fulfill its meaning. The city is both the dwelling place of God and the place where His throne is. Therefore the city is also the center from which He rules and governs for the blessing of the people.

The last time a city is mentioned in connection with the earth is Babylon. The first city mentioned in connection with the earth is the city that Cain builds (Gen 4:17). Cities on earth are not built to the honor of God. The city that God builds is heavenly in origin and spreads the honor of God and Christ.

Now read Revelation 21:5-10 again.

Reflection: What does it do to you when you think of the future of the unbelievers?

The Holy City, the New Jerusalem

Rev 21:11. The city has “the glory of God”. That goes beyond the robe of the bride, which is woven by herself, although the robe is given to her by God. In Christ we see the light of the glory of the knowledge of God (2Cor 4:6) and here the church has that glory. The church is as completely in harmony with God as Christ is. As the glory of God is seen in Christ, so the glory of God is seen in it (cf. Jn 17:22). What has been revealed in the Lord Jesus will also be seen in this city.

Considering that this applies to people who by nature had no part in the glory of God (Rom 3:23), isn’t it an indescribable grace? It is indeed nothing but grace through which you have been made partaker of it (2Cor 4:6). Therefore you are now able to boast in the hope on the glory of God (Rom 5:11) that has become a reality in this section.

The glory of God, as it is expressed in Revelation 4 (Rev 4:3), is in all kinds of ways also the part of the church. The jasper stone which is mentioned there, you also find here, and also in Rev 21:18-19. This stone can be compared to the diamond known to us, which can be cut in such a way that the light is reflected in a variety of magnificent colors. The glow of light, which will soon be visible in full unhindered glory, should now already be radiated by the church (cf. Phil 2:15). That is only possible by the Spirit (Acts 7:55; 2Cor 3:18).

Rev 21:12. The church is built in a way that it can reflect or transmit the glory of God without anything interrupting or obscuring that glory. This is because she has a wall and gates and foundations. A wall ensures safety (Zec 2:5) and holiness and divides between the holy and the profane (Eze 42:20). In this city all the saints have gathered who have glorified God in their life on earth. The wall makes sure that nothing can enter the city that does not belong there (Psa 122:3), which now is still possible in the church (Gal 2:4; Jude 1:4).

But it is a wall with gates. Gates are related to government. In former days court cases were held in the gates of cities (Rth 4:1). The great emphasis on the gates underscores the significance of the city as a governing body. The gates allow the good to enter and keep the evil outside. A gate also means a secure and controlled access to the temple.

Gates form a connection between the city and the earth during the kingdom of peace. The angels are the servants at the gates, they are the guards. Their task as channels of God’s blessing as in the Old Testament is over. That task is for the church (Heb 2:5). The wall with its gates is to the greater glory of God (Isa 60:18).

Names are written on the gates. That has to do with the custom that gates were named after the cities which they were leading to. The Damascus gate, for example, is the gate through which you come on the way to Damascus. The gates with the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel indicate that the blessings of the church will go primarily to Israel.

Rev 21:13. With the holy city Jerusalem, the tabernacle of God (Rev 21:3), it is the same as with the tabernacle in the wilderness. In each wind direction there were three tribes and the tabernacles was in the center (Num 2:17). All blessing goes out from the center and all worship goes to this center:
1. It begins with the “east”, the side where the sun rises. The light of the new day of the kingdom of peace is present.
2. The “north” reminds of the time that God had to judge His people through the means of the nations from the north because of their unfaithfulness, a time that is over.
3. The “south” speaks of the summer warmth, the summer that has come.
4. The “west” is the side where the sun goes down, which shows that there also comes an end to the kingdom of peace.

An application can be made for the proclamation of the gospel in our time and also for the church now. We must try to reach all nations with the gospel and also all age groups and social layers of the population, that is, everyone, without distinction. A church needs to have both a high wall and well-functioning gates. Some churches have so many open gates that there is no longer a wall. The other way around can also be the case. In that case a church has only a high wall and no gate at all. In both cases there is no separation for the Lord.

Rev 21:14. After the gates, the wall is described in more details. The foundations are not the twelve sons of Israel, but “the twelve apostles of the Lamb”. The twelve sons of Israel have never been connected to the Lamb on earth. The twelve apostles have become the founders of the church (Eph 2:20) after the Holy Spirit came and the church came into existence. The foundation is Christ (1Cor 3:11). This is the city with foundations Abraham looked for (Heb 11:10).

Rev 21:15. Then John notes that the angel has “a gold measuring rod” in his hand. The rod is of gold and therefore meets the glory of God. The city and its gates and walls must be measured with a Divine measure. Earlier John was ordered to measure the earthly Jerusalem (Rev 11:1). Only, there was no mention of a rod of gold, nor should John measure a certain part.

When God measures something or gives the order to measure, He makes clear that it belongs to Him and that it is recognized by Him (cf. Zec 2:1-2; 12; Eze 40:3; 5). ‘Measure’ also means to determine the position and the calling of the city, with the boundaries attached to it. It must be established that the city and all that is in it, all that is decided there – of which the gate speaks – is in accordance with the glory of God. The same is true of the holiness of the city, of which the wall speaks.

Rev 21:16. The city is not only square – which is indicated by the statement “its length is as great as its breadth” –, but also cubical, for its height has the same measurement. That reminds us of the Holy of Holies, which by its measurements was also a cube (cf. 1Kgs 6:20; Eze 41:4). By her length and breadth it stands in connection with the earth and by her height in connection with heaven.

The “fifteen hundred miles” which the angel measures, can be compared to about two thousand two hundred twenty kilometers. That the city has perfectly equal sides says something about the perfect balance in all that God brings about. He gives the right weight to every truth of His Word. We see that in the way He carries them out. He never emphasizes one truth to the expense of another truth.

That the city can be measured indicates that it is limited. That goes for everything that has to do with man. Only God is endless and man is by definition limited. At the same time, the church is perfect in accordance with the eternal counsels of God and the measure cannot be measured (cf. Eph 3:18-19).

Rev 21:17. With the “seventy-two yards” or “one hundred [and] forty-four cubits” (NKJV) the thickness of the wall is probably meant, which therefore counts between sixty-five and seventy meters. Anyway, it is a full measure – one hundred and forty-four is twelve times twelve. At the same time it also implies that each man can have only a limited imagination of the ‘measures’ of the church. In this measurement “a man” and “an angel” are placed on the same level. Both of them are creatures and therefore limited in fathoming all the glory of God.

Rev 21:18. In Rev 21:11 you saw that jasper is a picture of the radiance of the glory of God. The wall of the city is of this same material. The glory of God functions as a protecting and dividing wall. The glory of God prohibits and prevents anything unclean entering the city. If the glory of God also manifested itself more among us, much would be held back that does not fit in the light of that glory (Acts 5:13; Gen 28:17).

This is the fourth mention of the wall of the city:
1. In Rev 21:12 the mark of the wall is mentioned: great and high.
2. In Rev 21:14 the foundations of the wall are mentioned.
3. In Rev 21:17 the wall is spoken of in connection with its measure.
4. Finally Rev 21:18 speaks about the building material, the material of which the wall is composed.

The city is “pure gold, like clear glass”, that is, that the city is of transparent gold. In the old creation that is not possible, but it is in the new one creation. It makes clear that the city is made of a material that is fully transparent, without any dark spot, without any blemish or anything unclean. The city is in this characteristic equal to God. How could the city of God have something that is dark or blemished? Everything is transparent and meets the glory of God.

Now read Revelation 21:11-18 again.

Reflection: What aspects of the city are mentioned and what do they represent?

God Almighty and the Lamb Are Its Temple

Rev 21:19-20. Then the foundation is looked at more closely. The foundation is adorned with all kinds of precious stones, yes, it consist of precious stones. They all together appear to be a foundation of twelve layers. Each layer is a foundation, so that the city lies on twelve foundations. Those foundations are not hidden in the ground, but are visible. The city can be seen in its entirety because it is seen as descending from God from heaven without coming down to earth.

The ranking of the foundations is given:
1. The “first foundation stone”, the lowest one, on which all other foundations are laid, is again “jasper”, the image of the glory of God. The color is that of a transparent crystal.
2. The “second” foundation stone is “sapphire”. The color of sapphire is beautifully blue.
3. “Chalcedony”, the precious stone of which the “third” foundation consists, appears only here in the Bible. Its color is green-blue.
4. The color of “emerald”, the “fourth” foundation stone, is radiant green.
5. The color of “sardonyx”, the “fifth” foundation stone, may be lightly flamed black, brown, red and white striped.
6. “Sardius”, the “sixth” foundation stone, must have a beautiful red color.
7. “Chrysolite”, the “seventh” foundation stone, is of golden yellow color.
8. The color of “beryl”, the “eighth” foundation stone, can be different. This precious stone has amongst others a red, blue, green, yellow, purple and even a colorless variant.
9. “Topaz”, the “ninth” foundation stone, is deep splendid yellow.
10. “Chrysoprase” the ”tenth” foundation stone, is according to the meaning of its name, golden green.
11. The color of “jacinth”, the “eleventh” foundation stone, is not known (to me).
12. “Amethyst”, the “twelfth” foundation stone, has a violet color.

Although the exact color of each precious stone is not known, you nevertheless still have an impression of the overwhelming brilliance and splendor that the colors of the superimposed foundations exude. They blend together and each color enhances the other colors. It must be a pleasure for the eyes to look at that. It is about building materials that never perish and about colors that never fade away. The whole reveals the power and wisdom of the Creator.

You also come across twelve precious stones in Ezekiel 28 (Eze 28:4; 13). Those precious stones reflect the glory of creation. You also find twelve precious stones in Exodus 28 (Exo 28:17-21). There they are connected to the breastplate of the high priest and reflect the glory of his service which he does for the sake of the twelve tribes of Israel.

All precious stones are different. We will all be clothed with the glory of God, but it will never be forgotten how the glory of God on earth has been expressed in a unique way in every redeemed person. They altogether form a unique display of the glory of God. Each child of God can show something of God’s glory in his life. In the precious stones gold represent the common glory – the whole city is of gold (Rev 21:18). The precious stones themselves represent the glory that each individual believer has and which distinguishes him from every other believer, while on the other hand he complements the other believer with it and enhances his glory.

Rev 21:21. Each of “the twelve gates” consists of a pearl. That reminds one of the value that the church has for the Lord Jesus. The church is a pearl of great value to Him (Mt 13:46). The twelve gates will eternally remind to all sides in creation that He has given Himself for her. If the church is as precious as a pearl to Him, can the fellowship of saints be unimportant or insignificant to us (cf. Heb 10:25) or would we despise the least member of it (Mt 18:10)?

Another special characteristic of the city is that there is only one street. It is impossible to get lost or to walk off the road. All believers there go one way. It is impossible that there will be division. As the city is of pure gold, gold that is like clear glass (Rev 21:18), so the street is also of “pure gold, like transparent glass”. The street refers to your walk in this city. There will be no danger for pollution, for in that city you are in accordance with the golden transparency of the street. At the same time it is an appeal to walk now already as you will do there.

Rev 21:22. John does not see a temple in the city. This is, because it is not about the earthly Jerusalem that the prophets are speaking about, for there will certainly be a temple there (Ezekiel 40-43). A temple reminds one of sin, for the temple is a separate place in the city. That means also that there is a certain distance between God and His people. The veil in the temple emphasizes the separation between God and His people.

That distance and that separation are not present between the church and God and the Lamb. God dwells in the church and He Himself is its temple as well as the Lamb (cf. Isa 8:14). The church is in the direct, immediate presence of God and the Lamb, without any distance or separation.

Rev 21:23. The city as a whole is the temple of God. God dwells in the city and in that way the city is the temple. There is no separate temple. Likewise, there is no separate light, the sun or the moon, shining on the city from outside. If God dwell in the city, He is its light. His glory could never be illuminated by something different that would have a greater glory. The brilliance of His glory lies over the whole city.

And wherein is the brilliance of His glory to be seen? In the Lamb. The glory of God will always only reach the city through the Lamb (2Cor 4:6). We know and see the Father only through the Son (Jn 14:6; 9). The sun and moon are means to pass on the light in the creation. In Genesis 1 you see that there is first light on the first day and that then on the fourth day the sun and the moon are called by God to show up.

But the city of God is not illuminated by natural, created means. There is a direct illumination coming from God Himself. That the Lamb is the lamp actually indicates that the Lamb is the means, but that doesn’t change anything about the fact that God’s light is directly present, for the Lamb in Whom this light is visible, is also God.

Rev 21:24. The church passes on the light of the glory of God, which lies over it by the Lamb, to the earth. The church is like the sun for the nations. Through the light of the Lamb the church gives light in which the nations will walk. The church, which we are, will be the channel through which the blessing is passed on out of heaven to the earth. We ourselves will enjoy in our glorified bodies the blessings that surpass the earthly blessings.

The kings of the earth will bring their earthly glory to it (cf. Psa 72:10-11; Isa 60:3; 5-7; 9). How exactly we should imagine this is not clear to me. Perhaps we should think of the appearance of heavenly saints to these nations on earth. After all, the church will reign together with Christ as the wife of the Lamb. These heavenly saints represent Christ. By acknowledging them as channels of heavenly blessings, the nations will honor Christ.

Rev 21:25. Where the light of God rules, there is no darkness. The day will not be followed anymore by the night. The morning without clouds (2Sam 23:4), the day without anything that causes shadow or darkness, has come for the heavenly church. All things are fully transparent. There will be no fear for thieves who would want to enter, for all darkness has disappeared and is gone forever (1Jn 2:8b). The city will be all light and glory.

Rev 21:26. It is said one more time that the glory and the honor of the nations will be brought into it. It makes clear how much the church is the center of blessings in the kingdom of peace. It is in itself not the source of it, for all blessings come from God. But it is the means by which God makes His blessings go to the earth.

The nations will respond to that with appropriate gifts. It will not be so much about material gifts, but about the recognition that they in no way have any glory and honor that serve to magnify themselves as if they owe that to themselves. The nations did behave like that in the time of the rejection of Christ. Then the church was not esteemed, but was rejected and persecuted. Now it is exactly the other way around. God makes sure that His church is honored according to the extent that it was dishonored (cf. Rev 3:9).

Rev 21:27. Into the city can come only what contributes to the glory of it. It is impossible for anything to enter it that could possibly damage the glory of the city. Everything associated with sin, gets no chance to enter the heavenly city. Should there be anything unholy that tries to enter it, or anyone who does wrong things, the light will immediately expose it. Nothing that belongs to darkness will manage to unremarkably enter the city. The light is at the same time its safety.

But there are those who do enter the city. These are believers, people “whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”. It is not the nations of the earth, for flesh and blood cannot enter it. Neither are they the believers of the church, for they are the city. So which believers are they? They are all the Old Testament believers who died and the martyrs who are killed after the rapture of the church. They are not part of the church, but they do share in all the blessings God has promised to all who have put their trust in Him. They will enjoy those blessings in the heavenly part of the kingdom of peace.

Now read Revelation 21:19-27 again.

Reflection: What is different in the new Jerusalem compared to the old Jerusalem?