Joel’s Commentary on Revelation: Revelation 21–The New Jerusalem

We now come to the climax of not only Revelation, of not only the New Testament, but of the entire biblical story itself—it is the climax of God’s entire creation project, from beginning to end. And by the time we get through this final section, you will see just how much this last chapter brings the entire biblical story full circle, and how much it brings us back around to the first three chapters of Genesis.

The New Jerusalem
Up to this point in Revelation, there really has been only one dominant city: Rome, the “Babylon” of the early Christians’ day. And more than that, Rome was see as “the Great Whore.” Not only was it viewed as “the great city of the world,” but it was also seen as the idolatrous prostitute who leads all the other nations astray into spiritual adultery.

All through the New Testament, Christians are urged to live as “strangers and aliens” in this world (I Peter 2:11-12), and to realize that as citizens of Heaven, they have a heavenly home to look forward to (Hebrews 12:22-24/13:13-14). In times of suffering, Christians can get down, focus on their troubles, and forget to keep an eye on their heavenly home. By the same token, in times of prosperity, Christians can also get so comfortable with their lives that they are tempted to forsake their hope of a heavenly home, and simply be content with their temporal riches. A clear reminder of that future home is needed in both cases. And here in Revelation 21, John gives that picture to remind both suffering and prosperous Christians, “Don’t forget where your true home lies.”

The first thing to notices is that with the new Heaven and new Earth, there is no longer any sea. By now, this should be obvious: it is symbolically saying that the chaos and evil of Satan will be no more. God has put an end to Satan’s power forever, and Satan’s chaotic sea is no more. The second thing to notice is that the New Jerusalem that comes out of Heaven is described as a bride. This picture of the heavenly city of the New Jerusalem as a pure bride is in complete contrast to the earthly city of Babylon, the great whore. The choice cannot be any clearer. The question it all comes down to is this: Where is your home? Ultimately, there are only two choices.

Verses 3-4 declare the realization of the hope that was begun ever since Genesis 3, when the man and woman were cast out of God’s presence: God will once again dwell with His people. This hope was realized in part with the tabernacle in the wilderness in the Exodus, and then later with the temple in Jerusalem—God was with the people of Israel, but He dwelled in the Holy of Holies, and that was allowed to be entered only once a year by the high priest.

Verses 6-8 also declare the realization of other Old Testament and New Testament hopes. First of all, we are offered the water of life. Jesus mentions this in John 4:7-15 in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, and again in 7:37-39, at the Feast of Tabernacles.

Secondly, we are told that anyone who overcomes will inherit the Heavenly Jerusalem. “Inheritance” is one of those essential things we have to understand if we are to comprehend God’s promise of salvation. Way back with Abraham, God promised that his descendants would receive the Promised Land as their inheritance. The Promised Land was to the Jews the visible, concrete expression of God’s salvation; it represented the ultimate inheritance of eternal life in God’s heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, the ultimate Promised Land.

Thirdly, those who overcome will be God’s son (or daughter). Christianity doesn’t simply teach that God sent His son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, and to lead us into this ultimate Promised Land. It teaches that through Christ we become co-heirs and children of God Himself. To be “born again” isn’t just a term that means you’ve accepted the truths of Christianity; it means that you have actually been born again by the Holy Spirit—God’s Spirit lives in you, and you share in His life through Christ.

This is a concept that is just as hard to fully understand as trying to understand how Jesus could be both human and divine. We can’t fully comprehend how this can be, but we trust God, and believe somehow this is possible. In fact, this is a point that separates Christianity from other religions. In Judaism and Islam, God is very much separated from His creation. We are His servants, but definitely not in any real way “connected” with Him. To even speak of God as “Father” is blasphemous to a Muslim. On the other hand, with Eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism), there is no idea of a real “personal” God to begin with. “God” is everything. Ultimately, everything blends together, as drops of water into an ocean—of course that’s the end of the drop. There really is no concept of ultimate individuality and personality. It is only in Christianity that there is a distinct, personal God, and distinct and personal creatures, and that somehow God is one with His creation, while at the same time retaining individuality and personality. Christianity is the only religion that teaches you can be “one in Christ,” and that Christ will be “all in all,” and yet you will retain your individuality…and God, His.

Verses 9-21 give us a picture of the outside of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The very city “shone with the glory of God”—God’s presence fills the city. All through the Old and New Testaments, there are passages that talk about this (Ex. 16:7-10; 24:16-17; 40:34-35; I Kings 8:10-11; Ezek. 10:4, 18; 11:23; 43:45; 44:4; Isaiah 35:2; 40:5; 51:8; 60:1; John 1:1-14; Hebrews 8:1-9:10). Also, we note that on the gates there are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and that on the foundation, there are the names of the twelve apostles. The connection between the twelve tribes and twelve apostles already has been seen in the discussion regarding the 144,000 in Revelation.

Is the New Jerusalem Home to the Borg?
Verses 15-17 further emphasize this association with the number twelve. But first, we see that the city is in the shape of a cube: 12,000 square stadia. So, why a cube? No, this is not a precursor to the Borg from Star Trek. The reason is that it calls to mind the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle in the wilderness, and Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem—it was laid out in a perfect cube. The point is that, whereas with the tabernacle and temple, God dwelled with His people, but there was still a distinct separation between mankind and God because of sin, now the very city of the Heavenly Jerusalem serves as the Holy of Holies. The separation will be gone, and God will fully dwell with His people—all will be holy.

Also, the 12,000 stadia (12 x 1,000), and the walls are 144 cubits thick (12 x 12). Ancient writers simply used numbers to symbolically get their messages across: the 12 tribes of Israel x the 12 apostles to the Gentiles = the full people of God.

The final thing to point out in chapter 21 is 21:22-27. First of all, the reason there is no longer any temple should be obvious—there is no need for one. The LORD God Almighty and the Lamb are the city’s temple. God now dwells with His people. Listen to what Paul says:

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (I Cor. 3:16-17).

The “you” in these verses is not singular. Paul is not saying, “You, as an individual, are God’s temple.” He’s telling the Corinthians that they, as the body of believers, are God’s temple. Christians form the body of Christ; we are the temple of God. Sure, salvation is based on a one-on-one, personal relationship with Christ, but the Christian life is not an individualized thing. If you are a Christian, then you are a part of the Church. You are part of the body of Christ; you are part of God’s temple. That means that your relationship with other believers is just as important as your relationship with Christ.

One of my professors from Regent College, Gordon Fee, put it this way: “If you think that you can go through your life, only concerned with your one-on-one personal relationship with Christ, and have the attitude that the rest of the world can be damned, as long as you are okay with God, then you need to get saved.”

Secondly, 21:24 says that the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. This echoes a constant theme in the Old Testament, that when God restores the fortunes of His people, that His people will be a light to the nations, thus fulfilling God’s promise in the Abrahamic covenant that through the nation that comes from him, all nations will be blessed (Isaiah 2:2-4; 60: 3, 5, 11; Micah 4:1-3; Zechariah 8:20-23; 14:16).

Revelation 22:1-5
Whoever came up with the chapter divisions didn’t know what he was doing here, for Revelation 22:1-5 clearly go with Revelation 21. These five verses echo the first three chapters of Genesis, and serve to bring the entire biblical story to its consummation. The dilemma that was spelled out in Genesis 1-3 is now rectified in these last few chapters of Revelation.

• The creation that was subject to decay is now renewed in the New Creation
• The paradise that was lost is now restored
• The original fall and curse is not reversed and overthrown–there is no longer any curse
• The promise of redemption of a suffering people is now fulfilled
• The promise that evil (i.e. the serpent’s offspring) will be defeated is now accomplished
• The River of Life is made available to mankind once again
• There is access to the Tree of Life for the healing for the nations

The point is that all that was broken and cursed will be healed and made new. The promise Genesis 3:14-16, that God will eventually bring an end to the serpent, and all the promises made to Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets, and to us, will be fulfilled. In the end, God wins, and we will see His face. We will be brought home out of our exile. That is what we long for.

In my final post on Revelation, I will offer some final reflections, and I will give some visuals that I think will help one to understand Revelation as a whole.