Revelation 21:6-18

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.
14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.
16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[a] in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[b] thick.[c]
18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.

Revelation 21:6-18 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 26

  • 1. Revelation 16:17
  • 2. Revelation 1:8; Revelation 22:13
  • 3. Isaiah 55:1
  • 4. S John 4:10
  • 5. S John 16:33
  • 6. ver 3; 2 Samuel 7:14; 2 Corinthians 6:16; S Romans 8:14
  • 7. ver 27; Psalms 5:6; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Hebrews 12:14; Revelation 22:15
  • 8. S Revelation 9:17
  • 9. S Revelation 2:11
  • 10. S Rev 15:1,6,7
  • 11. S Revelation 19:7
  • 12. Ezekiel 40:2; Revelation 17:3
  • 13. S Revelation 1:10
  • 14. S ver 2
  • 15. ver 23; Isaiah 60:1,2; Ezekiel 43:2; Revelation 15:8; Revelation 22:5
  • 16. ver 18,19; Revelation 4:3
  • 17. Revelation 4:6
  • 18. ver 15,21,25; Revelation 22:14
  • 19. Ezekiel 48:30-34
  • 20. S Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 11:10
  • 21. Acts 1:26; Ephesians 2:20
  • 22. Ezekiel 40:3; Revelation 11:1
  • 23. S ver 12
  • 24. Revelation 13:18
  • 25. S ver 11
  • 26. ver 21

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. That is, about 1,400 miles or about 2,200 kilometers
  • [b]. That is, about 200 feet or about 65 meters
  • [c]. Or "high"
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