Revelation — Chapter 21

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1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4And God shall wipe away all tears from 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.

5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

9And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

17And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

18And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

19And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

20The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more.

2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God:

4and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away.

5And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for these words are faithful and true.

6And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [shall be] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.

9And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

11having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal:

12having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal.

17And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, [according to] the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

18And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass.

19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

20the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.

21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof.

23And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof [is] the Lamb.

24And the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.

25And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there):

26and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it:

27and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb`s book of life.

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.

2And I saw the holy city—the new Jerusalem—descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them.

4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more—or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.”

5And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true.”

6He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life.

7The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

8But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”

9Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”

10So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

11The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.

12It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates.

13There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side, and three gates on the west side.

14The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall.

16Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at 1,400 miles (its length and width and height are equal).

17He also measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s.

18The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

19The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,

20the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

21And the twelve gates are twelve pearls—each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

22Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God—the All-Powerful—and the Lamb are its temple.

23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.

24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it.

25Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there).

26They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it,

27but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

1I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.

2I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

3I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”

5He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.”

6He said to me, “I have become the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.

7He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.

8But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

9One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.”

10He 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,

11having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.

13On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

15He who spoke with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, its gates, and its walls.

16The city is square, and its length is as great as its width. He measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.

17Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

18The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.

19The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

20the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst.

21The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

22I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.

23The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

24The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.

25Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there),

26and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it so that they may enter.

27There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

A new heaven and new earth appear, the holy city New Jerusalem descends as a bride adorned for her husband, God dwells with men wiping every tear — "Behold, I make all things new" — the city of pure gold with twelve gates and no need of sun, for the Lamb is its light.

Authorship & Background

Author: The Apostle John (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Historical Context: Chapter 21 is the Bible's grand finale — the new creation. After judgment (ch.20), God makes "all things new" (v.5). The new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem descend from God. This chapter answers every longing of the human heart: God dwelling with His people, no more death or tears, all things made new. It is the reversal of Genesis 3 — paradise restored and surpassed. The curse is gone; God's presence is unmediated.
The New Creation (vv.1-8): New heaven and new earth — the first passed away (v.1). No more sea (v.1). The New Jerusalem descends "as a bride adorned for her husband" (v.2). God dwells with men — "the tabernacle of God is with men" (v.3). No more tears, death, sorrow, crying, or pain (v.4). "Behold, I make all things new" (v.5). "It is done" (v.6). Overcomers inherit all things (v.7). The fearful, unbelieving, etc. — the lake of fire (v.8).
The New Jerusalem Described (vv.9-27): The city shown as "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (v.9). Descending from heaven with God's glory (vv.10-11). Twelve gates (tribes of Israel), twelve foundations (apostles) (vv.12-14). Measured: a perfect cube — 12,000 furlongs (about 1,400 miles) in each dimension (vv.15-17). Walls of jasper, city of pure gold like glass (v.18). Foundations adorned with precious stones (vv.19-20). Gates of pearl, streets of gold (v.21). No temple — God and the Lamb ARE the temple (v.22). No sun or moon — God's glory is the light (v.23). Nations walk in its light (v.24). Gates never shut (v.25). Nothing unclean enters (v.27).

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.2, v.10): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the new creation, God's dwelling with man, the New Jerusalem's description, and the absence of temple, sun, and tears.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "All Things New" on v.5 (MTP Vol. 11, No. 651) "Behold, I make ALL things new — not some things, all things. Not repair the old — make new. A new heaven, a new earth, a new city, new bodies, new relationships, new worship. Everything that sin corrupted, God renews. Everything that death destroyed, God recreates. The God who said 'Let there be light' in Genesis says 'Behold, I make all things new' in Revelation. The Creator has not finished creating." Sermon: "No More Tears" on v.4 (MTP Vol. 15, No. 886) "No more death — the last enemy abolished. No more sorrow — grief is gone. No more crying — tears are dried forever. No more pain — suffering is past. The former things are passed away — everything that made you weep, that broke your heart, that caused you pain — gone. Passed away. Replaced by the new. This is not wishful thinking — this is God's promise."

Videos

The Bible Project — Revelation Overview

Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)

Reflection

  • 1. "God shall wipe away all tears" (v.4). Every sorrow you've experienced has an expiration date. God Himself will personally remove every tear. Does this hope sustain you in current suffering?
  • 2. "Behold, I make all things new" (v.5). God is not done creating. He will renew everything — including you. What in your life needs His renewing touch today?
  • 3. "The tabernacle of God is with men" (v.3). The ultimate goal of redemption: God dwelling with His people. No barriers, no separation, no veil. Are you living now in the reality of His presence?
  • 4. "No temple therein" (v.22). In eternity, you won't need a building to meet God — He will be everywhere. But even now, you ARE His temple (1 Cor 3:16). Do you live like it?
  • 5. This chapter is your destination. Everything you endure now is temporary; this is permanent. Does the certainty of the new creation change how you handle today's difficulties?