Introduction
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\\.
