Revelation 21

Revelation 21:1-8

Revelation 21:1-8. (a) The Distant View of the City. Revelation 21:1. cf. Isaiah 65:17.—sea is no more: “To the apostolic age the ocean spoke of separation and isolation. . . . For this element of unrest, this fruitful cause of destruction and death, this divider of nations and churches, there could be no place in a world of social intercourse, deathless life, and unbroken peace” (Swete). [Ultimately this probably goes back to the conception of the sea as God’s turbulent enemy, which often finds expression in the OT and is based on the Babylonian myth of the conquest of the chaos monster which preceded the creation of the world. The last things are to be like the first, the creation of new heavens and new earth will be preceded by an even more splendid triumph, in which God’s ancient enemy will be utterly destroyed.—A. S. P.]Revelation 21:2. new Jerusalem: see introductory remarks to this chapter.—a bride: cf.

Revelation 19:7; also, for the imagery. Isaiah 61:10; Isaiah 62:5.Revelation 21:3. the tabernacle: i.e. the abode of God; cf. John 1:14 mg., “The Word . . . tabernacled among us.”Revelation 21:4. death: here personified as in Revelation 20:13.—the first things: the former world.Revelation 21:6. the Alpha and the Omega: Revelation 1:8.Revelation 21:7. He that overcometh: this phrase occurs in each of the letters to the seven churches. All the great promises of Rev. are made to “him that overcometh.”—the fearful: the cowards who failed in the contest with paganism.—the abominable: those who took part in the abominations connected with the worship of the beast.—sorcerers: dealers in magic.—second death: Revelation 20:14.

Revelation 21:9-17

Revelation 21:9-17. (b) The Measuring of the City. Revelation 21:9. seven bowls: cf. ch. 16.Revelation 21:10. to a mountain: as in Ezekiel 40:2.Revelation 21:11. jasper stone clear as crystal: possibly the stone indicated is a diamond or opal (Revelation 4:3*).Revelation 21:12. twelve gates: cf. the description in Ezekiel 48:31 ff.Revelation 21:14. twelve apostles: cf. Ephesians 2:20, “built on the foundation of the apostles”; but it is not stated here that the apostles constituted the foundations, but that the names of the apostles were inscribed on the foundations.Revelation 21:15. Cf. Ezekiel 40:3 and Revelation 11:2, where, however, the city is destined to destruction, the Temple and altar being measured for preservation.Revelation 21:16. The city is not merely a square, but a perfect cube, length, breadth, and height being equal. 12,000 furlongs: lit. stadia, i.e. nearly 1500 English miles. This figure might be intelligible when applied to the length and breadth, but when applied to height it becomes inconceivable. “Such dimensions defy imagination and are permissible only in the language of symbolism” (Swete).Revelation 21:17. 144 cubits: about 216 feet.

If this figure refers to the height of the wall, it seems out of all proportion to the height of the city, which was over 7,000,000 feet high. The wall and the city, therefore, do not correspond, and this is another indication that the figures are not to be taken literally.

Revelation 21:18-27

Revelation 21:18-27. (c) The Character of the City. Revelation 21:19 f. This list of stones should be compared with the stones of the high priest’s breastplate (Exodus 28:17 ff. Exodus 39:10 ff.) and the description of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:13 ff.). There is considerable difficulty in identifying these stones, but probably, as C. A. Scott (Cent.B) says, the sapphire is our lapis-lazuli, the chalcedony is our onyx, the emerald our emerald, the sardonyx our onyx, the sardius our cornelian, the chrysolite is a golden-yellow stone probably amber or topaz, the beryl is our beryl, the topaz our chrysolite but of a paler yellow, the jacinth is our sapphire, the amethyst our amethyst (see also Precious Stones in HDB).Revelation 21:22. no temple: “The city possesses no sanctuary, for it is itself a Holy of Holies. . . .

The Eternal Presence renders the New Jerusalem one vast temple” (Swete).Revelation 21:23. This description is suggested by Isaiah 60:19. In fact the whole of Rev 21:23-26 is practically borrowed from Isaiah 60.