Revelation 21:10

10 Then he carried me away in a vision. The Spirit took me to a huge, high mountain. He showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City. It was coming down out of heaven from God.

Revelation 21:10 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 21:10

And he carried me away in the Spirit
John was in an ecstasy, as in ( Revelation 1:10 ) ( 4:2 ) ( 17:3 ) and in the thoughts and apprehensions of his mind and spirit, it seemed to him as if he was carried away from one place to another; for this was not a corporeal sight, nor were any of the visions he had, but what was represented to his mind or spirit; it being with him as it was with the Apostle Paul when he was caught up to the third heaven, who knew not whether he was in the body or out of the body. The Ethiopic version renders it, "the Spirit brought me"; not the evil spirit Satan, who took up our Lord corporeally, and carried him to an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of this world, and their glory, ( Matthew 4:8 ) but either a good angel, or the Spirit of God:

to a great and high mountain;
to such an one was Ezekiel brought in the visions of God, when the frame of a city and temple was shown him, with their dimensions, ( Ezekiel 40:2 ) as here a city is shown to John, with its wall, gates, foundations, and their measures: and he was brought to such a place, partly that he might have the more plain and full view of it; and partly to suggest unto him, that now the church of Christ was established upon the top of the mountains, and exalted above the hills, and was a city on a hill, which could not be hid, ( Isaiah 2:2 ) .

And showed me that great city;
which is no other than the church, the bride, the Lamb's wife; just as the apostate church, all along in this book before, is called the great city, ( Revelation 11:8 ) ( 14:8 ) ( 17:18 ) ( Revelation 18:10 Revelation 18:16 Revelation 18:18 ) but now that being demolished, there is no other great city in being but the church of Christ, called a city before; ( Revelation 21:2 ) here a "great one", not only because of its prodigious large dimensions, ( Revelation 21:16 ) but because of the number of its inhabitants, being such as no man can number; and because it is the residence of the great King, the tabernacle of God will be in it; though this epithet is left out in the Alexandrian copy, and in the Vulgate Latin and all the Oriental versions: "the holy Jerusalem"; called "the new Jerusalem", ( Revelation 21:2 ) here "holy", in allusion to the city of Jerusalem, which was called the holy city, ( Matthew 4:5 ) on account of the temple in it, the place of divine worship; but here this city is so called, because it is the residence of the holy God, Father, Son, and Spirit, inhabited only by holy men, made perfectly so, and encompassed by holy angels.

Descending out of heaven from God; (See Gill on Revelation 21:2).

Revelation 21:10 In-Context

8 "But others will have their place in the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Those who are afraid and those who do not believe will be there. Murderers and those who pollute themselves will join them. Those who commit sexual sins and those who practice witchcraft will go there. Those who worship statues of gods and all who tell lies will be there too. It is the second death."

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. The bowls were filled with the seven last plagues. The angel said, "Come. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10 Then he carried me away in a vision. The Spirit took me to a huge, high mountain. He showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City. It was coming down out of heaven from God.

11 It shone with the glory of God. It gleamed like a very valuable jewel. It was like a jasper, as clear as crystal.

12 The city had a huge, high wall with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates, one at each of them. On the gates were written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.