People always like new things - new house, new car, new furniture, new food, new clothes and new experience etc. Whenever they can afford it, they look with eagle eyes for new things.
After revealing to John the church Age, the Great Tribulation period, and the Millennium, the Lord reveals one last time period that most Bible scholars called "eternity." God will create a new heaven and a new earth. And with these new creations, everything is made new.
Everything made new (Rev. 21:1)
"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea" (Rev. 21:1).
Here John glimpsed a new heaven and an new earth, but they will be different from the original creation when God divided the waters to create seas and cause the dry land to appear (Genesis 1:9, 10). The new earth will not have sea in it.
However, I believe the word "sea" here can also have a different meaning. We sometimes call life the sea of trouble. The "sea" stands for bitterness and sorrow. But there is no pain of any kind in the new heaven and the new earth.
The New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2 - 4)
"Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away'" (Rev. 21:2 - 4).
John also saw descending from heaven the New Jesusalem, the capital of the new heaven and the new earth.
Who will live in the New Jerusalem? The Church that is the Bride of Jesus Christ will enter it with her Bridegroom and live there forever. The Jews and those who are saved during the millennial kingdom will also live in the new heaven and new earth.
In the original creation, God put Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8), but in the new creation God will put His Church in a special city called the New Jerusalem. This will be a Holy City because it will come down out of heaven. This city is not the whole creation or the whole new earth. It is just one part or one city that will come down to the new earth. Just as Babylon was the capital of Babylonia, the New Jesusalwm will be the captial of the new heaven and new earth.
Revelation 19 revealed the wedding of the Lamb - the marriage of Jesus and His Church. Now invitations will be given to the marriage supper here on earth when Jesus comes back. The New Jerusalem will be the Bride's new home after the Millennium. It will be a real city with physical attributes, but it will also be like a bride that it will be pure and radiant.
In the original creation, God came down from heaven to walk and talk with Adem (Genesis 3:8, 9). In the wilderness, God dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant from which He talked to His people (Exodus 25:1 - 22). In the new creation, God will come down with His people.
In the original creation, death came upon Adam and he worked, and experienced sorrow and pain because he sinned. And because Eve sinned, she experienced sorrow and pain in childbirth (Genesis 2:16, 17; 3:17 - 19). But in the new creation situation will be entirely different. We who will enter the New Jerusalem will no longer experience death or even sorrow. In that place there will be nothing sad and no more pain, for the former things will pass away, and it will become a completely new world.
A Declaration of God (Rev. 21:5 - 8)
"Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all this new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain water of life freely to him who thirst. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death'" (Rev. 21:5 - 8).
Following the Millennium, Jesus will not fix or repair this old creation. He will re-create everything. This is more than a verbal promise because He says, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
The new creation is inevitable because it is the spoken Word of Jesus. He proved His power to create when He fashioned all things at the beginning of creation. As the Alpha and Omega, He is the first and the last word in all things. All authority is His. What He declares will be done.
In the original creation, a rever watered the Garden of Eden and divided into four other rivers (Genesis 2:10 - 14). The new creation will have a fountain that provides the water of life. All who thirst after God will be given the privilege of freely drinking from the water of life.
He who overcomes (i.e. overcomers) will inherit the new creation and all true Christians are overcomers. God is their God. They are His children and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
The list of those who will not have a part in the new creation includes:
1. The cowardly - those who are too embarrassed, ashamed, or afraid to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
2. The unbelieving - those who reject Jesus.
3. The abominable - those who defile themselves with abominable sins such as stealing, taking the mark of the Beast, taking drugs, and drunkenness.
4. Murderers - those who kill.
5. The sexually immoral - fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, and rapists.
6. Sorcerers - astrologers, Satan worshipers and all forms of occultism.
7. Idolaters - those who worship anyone or anything other than God.
8. All liars - those who deceive the lost, falsely accuse Christians, falsely claim to be a Christian, or add to or take away from the Bible, etc.
They will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9 - 27)
The New Jerusalem is the Bride of Jesus Christ (Rev. 21:9 - 11)
"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.' And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal" (Rev. 21:9 - 11).
The adornment of the Bride of Jesus Christ is the same as the adornment of the New Jerusalem. Therefore the appearance of the New Jerusalem is the same as our appearance spiritually. That is why the Bible calls the New Jerusalem the Bride of Jesus Christ.
The green color of the precious jasper stone stands for divinity and life, the spiritual green pasture that provides eternal life. Therefore the New Jerusalem is a place full of infinite divinity, inexhaustible satisfaction and endless life.
The twelve gates and twelve foundations (Rev. 21:12 - 14)
"Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:12 - 14).
The Holy City (New Jerusalem) will be surrounded by a thick, high wall with twelve dates. An angel will be sitting on each gate. The name of each of the twelve tribes of Israel will be written on a gate.
However John did not explain the purpose of the wall. Does the New Jerusalem need security? No one knows the answer.
The Holy City will have twelve foundations. Each foundation will have the name of one of the twelve apostles of Jesus on it. This is significant because the Bible tells us that the Church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20). It also says Jesus "through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen" (Acts 1:2). With the help of the Holy Spirit, the apostles preached the gospel, won converts, organized congregations, wrote the Scriptures, selected elders, and taught their followers. They relinquished everything for Jesus and His Church, and were threatened, beaten, imprisoned, and killed. They earned the right to have their names inscribed on the foundations of the Holy City.
Measurements of the Holy City, its gates and its wall (Rev. 21:15 - 17)
"And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breath, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel" (Rev. 21:15 - 17, emphasis added).
A measuring reed (stick) in John's days was approximate 10 feet long and the most common material used in heaven seems to be gold. The same angel who talked with John took a golden measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
The Holy City will be laid out like a square. Its length will be the same as its width, and its height will equal its length. It is in consistent in shape as the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and the temple of God. The one in the Jerusalem Temple were cubes, so it seems that the shape if God's temporary residence among the Jews will be the shape of God's permanent residence among His people.
Notice that the Holy City will be enormous. Twelve thousand furlongs are 2,400 kilometers, or about 1,440 miles. So the length, the breath and the height of the New Jerusalem are about 1,440 miles. The architecture of heaven is obviously inscrutable, for by human design that kind of structure would be impossible.
The wall around the Holy City will be 144 cubit (216 feet) thick. It dows not matter whether one uses angel's measurements or man's measurement, the result will be the same. The thick wall will provide plenty of protection.
The construction material of the wall, the foundations and the gates (Rev. 21:18 - 21)
"The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each in dividual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass" (Rev. 21:18 - 21).
The wall will be made of a gem (jasper - opal, diamond, or topaz) that is beautiful, hard, and transparent. People will be able to see through it into the Holy City, and the light of God will beam out of the city. The city itself will be made of gold as pure as glass.
The twelve foundations of the wall are made of all kinds of precious stones, ant the twelve gates are twelve pearls; each gate is one big pearl.
There is a reason for the gates of the New Jerusalem being made of pearls. Pearls are produced from oysters. When sand creeps into the oyster's shell, it injures the body of the oyster. Therefore the oyster produces a secretion to cover the intruder, and in the process of time, a lustrous peal is formed.
Likewise the pearly gates of the New Jerusalem are made of pearls because the people who enter all possess faith like pearls. While they lived in the world, they were not discouraed by numerous trials that came their way. Rather, they overcame them through prayer. They endured the trials and tribulations by producing perseverance and faith.
The city's being made of pure gold means that all the people who enter it will have a divine nature, throwing away their human nature, and will live forever.
No temple, no sun, no moon and no night (Rev:22 - 27)
The New Jerusalem will not have a temple because God and Christ will be the Temple. Likewise, the Holy City will not need a sun or a moon because the Father and Son will be the light (Rev. 21:22 - 25).
Visitors will go to the Holy City to give glory and honor to the Lord. Only those with their names found in the Lamb's Book of Life will be permitted to enter (Rev. 21:26, 27).
Jesus is coming quickly (Rev. 22:1 - 20)
The second last Verse of the Book of Revelation (and of the Bible) says, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
John was in fear and disappointment after witnessing things that would happen to the Church during during the next two thousand years, and the things that would happen during the Great Tribulation following the rapture of the Church. But after he saw the glorious new heaven and new earth, he was overwhelmed with joy and looked forward to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He prayed, shouting with a loud voice, "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
The person who has finished reading the Book of Revelation should also shout loudly, "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
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