Revelation 21:5-15

5 And ¹he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I ²am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for ³these words are trustworthy and true."

6 And he said to me, ⁴"It is done! ⁵I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. ⁶To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

7 ⁷The one who conquers will have this heritage, and ⁸I will be his God and ⁹he will be my son.

8 ¹⁰But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, ¹¹their portion will be in ¹²the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is ¹³the second death."

The New Jerusalem

9 Then came ¹⁴one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of ¹⁵the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you ¹⁶the Bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10 And ¹⁷he carried me away in the Spirit to ¹⁸a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,

11 ¹⁹having the glory of God, ²⁰its radiance ²¹like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

12 It had a great, high wall, ²²with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed--

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

14 And the wall of the city had twelve ²³foundations, and ²⁴on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And the one who spoke with me ²⁵had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.

Revelation 21:5-15 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. Revelation 4:2, 9; Revelation 5:1; Revelation 20:11
• 2. See 2 Corinthians 5:17
• 3. Revelation 22:6; [Revelation 3:14; Revelation 19:11; 1 Timothy 1:15]
• 4. See Revelation 10:6
• 5. Revelation 1:8; Revelation 22:13
• 6. Revelation 22:17; See John 4:10; John 7:37
• 7. Revelation 2:7
• 8. ver. 3
• 9. See 2 Corinthians 6:18
• 10. Revelation 22:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 12:14
• 11. Luke 12:46
• 12. Revelation 19:20
• 13. Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6, 14
• 14. Revelation 17:1
• 15. Revelation 15:1
• 16. ver. 2
• 17. Revelation 17:3; [Ezekiel 43:5]
• 18. Psalms 87:1; Ezekiel 40:2
• 19. ver. 23; [Revelation 22:5; Psalms 84:11; Ezekiel 43:2, 4]
• 20. [Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15]
• 21. Revelation 4:3, 6
• 22. Ezekiel 48:31-34
• 23. Hebrews 11:10; [1 Corinthians 3:11]
• 24. Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20
• 25. See Revelation 11:1