Revelation 21:4-14

4 and He will ¹wipe away every tear from their eyes; and ²there will no longer be any death; ³there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; ⁴the first things have passed away."

5 And ⁵He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am ⁶making all things new." And He said, "Write, for ⁷these words are faithful and true."

6 Then He said to me, "⁸It is done. I am the ⁹Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. ¹⁰I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the ¹¹water of life without cost.

7 "¹²He who overcomes will inherit these things, and ¹³I will be his God and he will be My son.

8 "¹⁴But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in ¹⁵the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the ¹⁶second death."

9 ¹⁷Then one of the seven angels who had the ¹⁸seven bowls full of the ¹⁹seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "²⁰Come here, I will show you the ²¹bride, the wife of the Lamb."

The New Jerusalem

10 And ²²he carried me away ²³in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me ²⁴the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

11 having ²⁵the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a ²⁶stone of ²⁷crystal-clear jasper.

12 It had a great and high wall, ²⁸with twelve ²⁹gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.

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

14 And the wall of the city had ³⁰twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the ³¹twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 21

This chapter contains an account of the happy state of the church, consisting of all the elect, both Jews and Gentiles, which will take place upon the first resurrection, and will continue during the thousand years' reign mentioned in the preceding chapter. The seat of the church in these happy times will be the new heaven and the new earth, Re 21:1 the church that will dwell there is described by its names, the holy city, and new Jerusalem; by its descent, from heaven; and by its state and ornament, being prepared and adorned as a bride for her husband, Re 21:2 and her happiness is expressed by the presence of God with her, and communion with him enjoyed by her, and by a freedom from all evils endured in the present state of things, Re 21:3,4 after which John hears the voice of him that sat on the throne, declaring himself to be the author of the new heaven and earth; ordering him to write, that what had been said was true and faithful; affirming that things were now done and finished; calling himself the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end: promising grace to the thirsty soul, the inheritance of all things to the overcomer, and also divine sonship; and threatening the second death to sinners, whose characters are given, Re 21:5-8 next John has a vision of the bride before spoken of; the preface to it is in Re 21:9,10 in which is signified that one of the seven angels that had the seven vials talked to him in a very free and familiar manner, and proposed to show him the Lamb's wife; and in order to it carried him to an exceeding high mountain, and showed him the city before mentioned, said to be great, holy, and heavenly; and which is described by the glory of God upon it, and the light that was in it, comparable to a crystal jasper stone, Re 21:11 by its wall, which is great and high; and by its, gates and foundations; its gates are in number twelve, twelve angels at them, and on them written the twelve names of the children of Israel, and these situated three at each point, east, west, north, and south; and its foundations are also twelve, having the names of the twelve apostles on them, Re 21:12-14 by the measure of it, which the angel took with his golden read; of the city, which was twelve thousand furlongs, it being four square, and its length, breadth, and height equal; and of the wall, which was a hundred forty and four cubits, Re 21:15-17 and next the city is described by the matter of which it was built; the wall of jasper the city of pure gold, like to clear glass; the foundations of precious stone, each foundation being of one stone; the gates of pearls, each gate being of one pearl; the street of the city of pure gold, like transparent glass, Re 21:18-21 and then by the temple in it, which is no other than the Lord God and the Lamb; and by the light, which is the same, it having no need of sun or moon, Re 21:22,23 and next by its inhabitants, the nations of the saved ones, who walk in its light, and the kings of the earth, that bring their honour and glory to it; by its safety and security, and by the purity of it, none but undefiled persons, and such who are written in the Lamb's book of life, being admitted into it, Re 21:24-27.

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 7:17
• 2. 1 Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 20:14
• 3. Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 51:11; Isaiah 65:19
• 4. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 12:27
• 5. Revelation 4:9; Revelation 20:11
• 6. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 12:27
• 7. Revelation 19:9; Revelation 22:6
• 8. Revelation 10:6; Revelation 16:17
• 9. Revelation 1:8; Revelation 22:13
• 10. Isaiah 55:1; John 4:10; Revelation 7:17; Revelation 22:17
• 11. Revelation 7:17
• 12. Revelation 2:7
• 13. 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalms 89:26; 2 Corinthians 6:16, 18; Revelation 21:3
• 14. 1 Corinthians 6:9; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 9:21; Revelation 21:27; Revelation 22:15
• 15. Revelation 19:20
• 16. Revelation 2:11
• 17. Revelation 17:1
• 18. Revelation 15:7
• 19. Revelation 15:1
• 20. Revelation 17:1
• 21. Revelation 19:7; Revelation 21:2
• 22. Ezekiel 40:2; Revelation 17:3
• 23. Revelation 1:10
• 24. Revelation 21:2
• 25. Isaiah 60:1; Ezekiel 43:2; Revelation 15:8; Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5
• 26. Revelation 4:3; Revelation 21:18, 19
• 27. Revelation 4:6
• 28. Ezekiel 48:31-34
• 29. Rev 21:15, 21, 25; Revelation 22:14
• 30. Hebrews 11:10
• 31. Acts 1:26

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "They are"
• [b]. Or "untrustworthy"
• [c]. I.e. burning sulphur
• [d]. Lit "who were full"
• [e]. Or "in spirit"
• [f]. Lit "luminary"
• [g]. Lit "having"
• [h]. Lit "having"