Revelationchapter 21
27 verses · John, by tradition · AD 95 or 96 · Revelation
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.
Introduction
John, by tradition, Revelation, Revelation Overview.
John received this vision on the island of Patmos and wrote it for seven churches in the Roman province of Asia, most of them small and some under pressure. It comes after the fall of Babylon and the last judgment, so the reader arrives here through twenty chapters of conflict. The chapter answers what all of that was for. Listen for the words of Isaiah and Ezekiel, which return line after line. Listen for the number twelve, and notice what the city does without. Read it as a promise made to people who had not yet seen it.
Context
- Who
- City dwellers who took enormous pride in their cities, being shown the real one
- What
- John's vision of the new heaven and the new earth, and of the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God as the bride of the Lamb.
- Where
- Received on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, and written for seven churches of the Roman province of Asia, in the west of modern Turkey.
- When
- Most date the book about AD 95, late in the reign of the emperor Domitian, and some date it to the late 60s under Nero.
- Why
- To show the churches the end God is bringing: His dwelling with His people, the end of death and grief, and a city that nothing unclean will enter.
Historical context
Greek cities in Asia measured themselves by their walls, gates, water, temples, and street plans, and they competed openly. Civic pride was the local religion alongside the imperial one. So describing the future as a city, with named gates, measured walls, and foundation stones, spoke directly to what these readers valued.
Show the rest of the historical context, 4 more paragraphs
The measurements are enormous and deliberate. The city is a cube, roughly fifteen hundred miles each way. There was one other cube in Israel's world: the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle and temple, the room God's presence filled, which no one entered but the high priest once a year. The whole city is that room.
Which is why the next line lands: there is no temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And no sun or moon, because the glory of God lights it, and the gates are never shut, because there is no night, city gates were shut at dusk against danger, every night, everywhere.
The twelve gates carry the names of Israel's tribes and the twelve foundations the names of the apostles. The foundation stones are jewels, and Israel's high priest wore twelve jewels on his breastplate with the tribes' names cut into them.
The first sentence of the chapter says there was no more sea. To an exile on Patmos, the sea was the thing that separated him from everyone he loved.
Significance
The promise these churches needed most is stated first and plainly: God will dwell with them, and He will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain, because the former things are passed away.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
And the invitation stayed open, a fountain of the water of life given freely to whoever is thirsty. For people whose city gates were shut every night and whose standing was always provisional, an unwalled welcome into a place that never closes was the whole gospel in architecture.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
A New Heaven, a New Earth, and No More Tears
Revelation 21:1-2
a new heaven and a new earth: The sea was no more, the sea Daniel's four beasts rose from (Daniel 7:2-3) and the sea before the throne at 4:6. The holy city comes down prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, the wedding announced at 19:7.
Revelation 21:1
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth - Such a heaven and earth that they might properly be called new; such transformations, and such changes in their appearance, that they seemed to be just created. He does not say that they were created now, or anew; that the old heavens and earth were annihilated; but all that he says is, that there were such changes that they seemed to be new.”
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Revelation 21:1
“All these several representations follow one another in order: so the vision reaches into eternity. A new heaven and a new earth - After the resurrection and general judgment. St. John is not now describing a flourishing state of the church, but a new and eternal state of all things.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
ConnectionsIsaiah 65:17, Psalms 74:13
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband: The city and the bride are one sight: the holy city, the new Jerusalem, is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. It comes down out of heaven from God.
Revelation 21:2
“In this new world the apostle saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, not locally, but as to its original: this new Jerusalem is the church of God in its new and perfect state, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, beautified with all perfection of wisdom and holiness, meet for the full fruition of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
4 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:2
“When these things, therefore, pass away above the earth, John, the Lord's disciple, says that the new Jerusalem above shall [then] descend, as a bride adorned for her husband; and that this is the tabernacle of God, in which God will dwell with men. Of this Jerusalem the former one is an image-that Jerusalem of the former earth in which the righteous are disciplined beforehand for incorruption and prepared for salvation.”
Irenaeus · written before 202 · Against Heresies Book Vpatristic
Revelation 21:2
“And I John - The writer of this book; whether the evangelist and apostle, or John the Ephesian presbyter, has been long doubted in the Church. New Jerusalem - See the notes on Gal 4:24-27 (note). This doubtless means the Christian Church in a state of great prosperity and purity; but some think eternal blessedness is intended. Coming down from God - It is a maxim of the ancient Jews that both the tabernacle, and the temple, and Jerusalem itself, came down from heaven. And in Midrash Hanaalem, Sohar Gen. fol. 69, col. 271, Rab.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Revelation 21:2
“And I saw the holy city - The new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem, are closely connected. This city is wholly new, belonging not to this world, not to the millennium, but to eternity.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 21:2
“John in his Gospel always writes [Greek] Hierosoluma of the old city; in the Apocalypse always Hierousaleem of the heavenly city (Re 3:12). Hierousaleem is a Hebrew name, the original and holy appellation. Hierosoluma is the common Greek term, used in a political sense.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
ConnectionsIsaiah 54:5, Revelation 19:7
Revelation 21:3-4
the dwelling place of God: A voice from the throne announces that the dwelling place of God is with man, as God dwelt among Israel in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8). He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, the promise of Isaiah 25:8, and death, mourning, crying and pain end one by one.
Revelation 21:3
“The presence of God with his church is the glory of the church. It is matter of wonder that a holy God should ever dwell with any of the children of men. The presence of God with his people in heaven will not be interrupted as it is on earth, but he will dwell with them continually.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
ConnectionsExodus 25:8, Ezekiel 37:27, Hosea 2:23
wipe away every tear: Tears end because their causes end. Adam Clarke ties the end of death to a general resurrection, the last enemy of 1 Corinthians 15:26 destroyed at last. John Wesley reads the former things as the old heaven and earth, where death, sorrow and pain caused many tears.
Revelation 21:4
“Neither shall sorrow, or crying, or pain, be any more: for the former things are gone away - Under the former heaven, and upon the former earth, there was death and sorrow, crying and pain; all which occasioned many tears: but now pain and sorrow are fled away, and the saints have everlasting life and joy.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:4
“There shall be no more death - Because there shall be a general resurrection. And this is the inference which St Paul makes from his doctrine of a general resurrection, 1Co 15:26, where he says, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” But death cannot be destroyed by there being simply no farther death; death can only be destroyed and annihilated by a general resurrection; if there be no general resurrection, it is most evident that death will still retain his empire.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Revelation 21:4
“It must be understood concerning the devil that he has certainly been conquered and crucified, but for those who have been crucified with Christ, moreover for all believers and likewise for all people, the devil will also be crucified at the time when what the apostle says will be fulfilled: "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be made alive." Thus there is also in this a mystery of future resurrection.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Homilies on Joshua 8.4patristic
Revelation 21:5-6
The One seated on the throne says, Behold, I make all things new. He calls these words faithful and true and names Himself the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, as at 1:8. He gives freely from the spring of the water of life (Isaiah 55:1; 22:17).
Revelation 21:5
“And he that sat upon the throne said - Probably the Messiah, the dispenser of the rewards of heaven. See the notes on Rev 20:11. Behold, I make all things new - A new heaven and new earth Rev 21:1, and an order of things to correspond with that new creation. The former state of things when sin and death reigned will be changed, and the change consequent on this must extend to everything.”
3 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:5
“The certainty of the promise averred: These words are faithful and true; and it follows, It is done, is as sure as if it were done already. We may and ought to take God's promise as present payment; if he has said that he makes all things new, it is done.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Revelation 21:5
“Of this Jerusalem the former one is an image-that Jerusalem of the former earth in which the righteous are disciplined beforehand for incorruption and prepared for salvation. And of this tabernacle Moses received the pattern in the mount; and nothing is capable of being allegorized, but all things are stedfast, and true, and substantial, having been made by God for righteous men's enjoyment. For as it is God truly who raises up man, so also does man truly rise from the dead, and not allegorically, as I have shown repeatedly.”
Irenaeus · written before 202 · Against Heresies Book Vpatristic
Revelation 21:5
“From the first mention of "him that sat upon the throne," chap. iv, 2, this is the first speech which is expressly ascribed to him. Saith to me Write - As follows. These sayings are faithful and true - This includes all that went before.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
The cry It is done also stood at 16:17, when the last bowl was poured out; here it marks the making of all things new. The gift that follows is free, and the Greek word for freely is the one used at John 15:25 of hatred without cause.
Revelation 21:6
“It is done - All is determined, and shall be fulfilled in due time. The great drama is finished, and what was intended is now completed; referring to the period alluded to by the angel. I am Alpha and Omega - See on Rev 1:8 (note). The fountain of the water of life - See on Joh 4:10 (note), Joh 4:14 (note); Joh 7:37 (note), etc. The rabbins consider the fountain of the world to come as one of the particular blessings of a future state. In Sanhedrim, Aboth R. Nathan, c.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
4 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:6
“Let those who are hungry come, that being fed with heavenly food, they may lay aside their lasting hunger; let those who are athirst come, that they may with full mouth draw forth the water of salvation from an ever-flowing fountain.”
Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius · written before 325 · Commentary (church-history corpus)patristic
Revelation 21:6
“And he - That sat upon the throne. Said to me, It is done - All that the prophets had spoken; all that was spoken, chap. iv, 1. We read this expression twice in this prophecy: first, chap. xvi, 17, at the fulfilling of the wrath of God; and here, at the making all things new.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 21:6
“This is added lest any should despair of attaining to this exceeding weight of glory. In our present state we may drink of the stream, then we shall drink at the Fountain. freely--Greek, "gratuitously": the same Greek as is translated, "(They hated Me) without a cause," Joh 15:25.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 21:6
“SALVATION is no small thing. It filled the heart and hands of the Son of God and, therefore, it ought not to be neglected by us. The precious promise before us concerns the gift of eternal salvation and it is set forth as the personal Word of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. The Apostle is very careful to make this clear, for he inserts the words, "And He said unto me," as if John knew that poor, troubled hearts might doubt so large a promise were they not assured that Jesus, Himself, had expressly given it.”
Revelation 21:7-8
will inherit all things: The promises to the seven churches gather here: The one who overcomes will inherit all things. I will be his God, and he will be My son applies 2 Samuel 7:14. The list of eight against it opens with the cowardly, whose end is the second death of 2:11.
Revelation 21:7
“He that overcometh - Which is more than, "he that thirsteth." Shall inherit these things - Which I have made new. I will be his God, and he shall be my son - Both in the Hebrew and Greek language, in which the scriptures were written, what we translate shall and will are one and the same word.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:7
“He that overcometh - See the notes on Rev 2:7. Shall inherit all things - Be an heir of God in all things. See the notes on Rom 8:17. Compare Rev 2:7, Rev 2:11, Rev 2:17, Rev 2:26; Rev 3:5, Rev 3:12, Rev 3:21. And I will be his God - That is, forever. He would be to them all that is properly implied in the name of God; he would bestow upon them all the blessings which it was appropriate for God to bestow. See the 2Co 6:18 note; Heb 8:10 note.”
Revelation 21:7
“I will be his God--Greek, "I will be to him a God," that is, all that is implied of blessing in the name "God." he shall be my son--"He" is emphatic: He in particular and in a peculiar sense, above others: Greek, "shall be to me a son," in fullest realization of the promise made in type to Solomon, son of David, and antitypically to the divine Son of David.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
the cowardly: The list opens with the cowardly, set against the one who overcomes in verse 7. Their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, the lake of 20:14, and this is the second death.
Revelation 21:8
“But the fearful and unbelieving - Who, through want of courage and faith, do not overcome. And abominable - That is, sodomites. And whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters - These three sins generally went together; their part is in the lake.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 21:8
“But the fearful - Δειλοις· Those who, for fear of losing life or their property, either refused to receive the Christian religion, though convinced of its truth and importance; or, having received it, in times of persecution fell away, not being willing to risk their lives. And unbelieving - Those who resist against full evidence. And sinners, και ἁμαρτωλοις, is added here by about thirty excellent MSS., and is found in the Syrian, Arabic, some of the Slavonic, and in Andreas and Arethas. On this evidence Griesbach has admitted it into the text.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
The Bride City: Walls of Jasper, Gates of Pearl
Revelation 21:9-10
An angel of the seven bowls, like the one who showed John the prostitute at 17:1, says: Come, I will show you the bride. He carries John to a mountain great and high, as at Ezekiel 40:2, and shows the bride as a city.
Revelation 21:9
“And there came unto me one of the seven angels,.... Either the first of them, as one of the four beasts is the first of them, Rev 6:1 or it may be the last, and very likely the same as in Rev 17:1 which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues; that is, the wrath of God poured out by them on the antichristian party; see Rev 15:1. And talked with me, saying, come hither; see Rev 17:1. I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.”
3 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:9
“And there came unto me one of the seven angels ... - See the notes on Rev 16:6-7. Why one of these angels was employed to make this communication is not stated. It may be that as they had been engaged in bringing destruction on the enemies of the church, and securing its final triumph, there was a propriety that that triumph should be announced by one of their number. And talked with me - That is, in regard to what he was about to show me.”
Revelation 21:9
That Christ is the Bridegroom, having the Church as His bride, from which spiritual children were to be born. In Joel: "Blow with the trumpet in Sion; sanctify a fast, and call a healing; assemble the people, sanctify the Church, gather the elders, collect the little ones that suck the breast; let the Bridegroom go forth of His chamber, and the bride out of her closet."
Cyprian · written before 258 · Treatise XII Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jewspatristic
Revelation 21:9
“And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven phials - Whereby room had been made for the kingdom of God. Saying, Come, I will show thee the bride - The same angel had before showed him Babylon, chap. xvii, 1, which is directly opposed to the new Jerusalem.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
a mountain great and high: The angel who showed John the prostitute at 17:1 now carries him to a mountain great and high to see the bride. Ezekiel was set on a very high mountain to see a city at Ezekiel 40:2. Ezekiel described its temple, and John sees none (21:22).
Revelation 21:10
“To a great and high mountain - That, being above this city, he might see every street and lane of it. The holy Jerusalem - See on Rev 21:2 (note).”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:10
“Ezekiel expressly describes the temple, and the worship of God therein, closely alluding to the Levitical service. But St. John saw no temple, and describes the city far more large, glorious, and heavenly than the prophet. Yet that which he describes is the same city; but as it subsisted soon after the destruction of the beast.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 21:10
But after the renewal of the earth at the close of the millennium and judgment, they shall descend from heaven to dwell on an earth assimilated to heaven itself. "From God" implies that "we (the city) are God's workmanship."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
ConnectionsRevelation 1:10
shining with the glory of God: The city is shining with the glory of God, the glory that filled the tabernacle at Exodus 40:34 and left the temple at Ezekiel 10:18. Its radiance was like a jasper, as clear as crystal, the stone of the throne vision at 4:3.
Revelation 21:11
“Having the glory of God--not merely the Shekinah-cloud, but God Himself as her glory dwelling in the midst of her. Compare the type, the earthly Jerusalem in the millennium (Zec 2:5; compare Re 21:23, below). her light--Greek, "light-giver": properly applied to the heavenly luminaries which diffuse light.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 21:12-14
twelve gates: The wall has twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles. There are three gates on each side, the pattern of Israel's camp around the tabernacle in Numbers 2.
Revelation 21:12
“Had a wall great and high - An almighty defense. Twelve gates - A gate for every tribe of Israel, in the vicinity of which gate that tribe dwelt; so that in coming in and going out they did not mix with each other. This description of the city is partly taken from Eze 48:30-35. In Synopsis Sohar, p. 115, n.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 21:12
“Eze 48:30-35, has a similar description, which implies that the millennial Jerusalem shall have its exact antitype in the heavenly Jerusalem which shall descend on the finally regenerated earth. wall great and high--setting forth the security of the Church.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
ConnectionsRevelation 21:14
three gates on the east: The gates face every direction. Albert Barnes reads the equal count on each side as access to the city from every quarter of the earth. John Gill follows Ezekiel 48:30 to 34, where each gate of the restored city bears the name of one tribe, three to a side.
the twelve apostles of the Lamb: Tribes name the gates and apostles the foundations. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that Christ Himself is the true foundation, and the twelve are foundations only by their witness to Him. Primasius of Hadrumetum likewise holds that the church has a single foundation, Christ, in whom the apostles became foundations.
Revelation 21:14
“And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb - Figuratively showing that the inhabitants of the city had built only on that faith which the apostles once delivered to the saints.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:14
“The wall - had twelve foundations - Probably twelve stones, one of which served for a foundation or threshold to each gate; and on these were inscribed the names of the twelve apostles, to intimate that it was by the doctrine of the apostles that souls enter into the Church, and thence into the New Jerusalem.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Revelation 21:14
“Peter is not the only apostolic rock on whose preaching Christ builds His Church. Christ Himself is the true foundation: the twelve are foundations only in regard to their apostolic testimony concerning Him.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 21:15-17
a golden measuring rod: The angel has a golden measuring rod to measure the city, as the temple was measured in Ezekiel 40-42. Its length, width and height are equal at 12,000 stadia, a cube, the shape of the temple's inner room in 1 Kings 6:20. The wall is 144 cubits, twelve times twelve.
Revelation 21:15
“And he that talked with me - The angel, Rev 21:9. Had a golden reed to measure the city - See the notes on Rev 11:1. The reed, or measuring rod, here, is of gold, because all about the city is of the most rich and costly materials. The rod is thus suited to the personage who uses it, and to the occasion. Compare a similar description in Eze 40:3-5; Eze 43:16. The object of this measuring is to show that the city has proper architectural proportions.”
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:15
“The gold, the pearls, the precious stones, the walls, foundations, gates, are undoubtedly figurative expressions; seeing the city itself is in glory, and the inhabitants of it have spiritual bodies: yet these spiritual bodies are also real bodies, and the city is an abode distinct from its inhabitants, and proportioned to them who take up a finite and a determinate space.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 21:15
“So here, on the contrary, the city being measured implies the entire consecration of every part, all things being brought up to the most exact standard of God's holy requirements, and also God's accurate guardianship henceforth of even the most minute parts of His holy city from all evil.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
The city lies foursquare: Twelve thousand stadia is nearly fourteen hundred miles on each side. Adam Clarke admits the height is hard to picture and asks what need there is to fix such measures in a vision. John Gill reads the equal sides as the regularity, perfection and permanence of the city.
Revelation 21:16
“The city lieth foursquare - Each side was equal, consequently the length and breadth were equal; and its height is here said to be equal to its length. It is hard to say how this should be understood. It cannot mean the height of the buildings, nor of the walls, for neither houses nor walls could be twelve thousand furlongs in height; some think this means the distance from the plain country to the place where the city stood. But what need is there of attempting to determine such measures in such a visionary representation?”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
3 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:16
“And the city lieth four square,.... To the four corners of the world, from whence its inhabitants come, and denotes the regularity, uniformity, perfection, and immovableness of it. And the length is as large as the breadth; this church state will be all of a piece, perfect, entire, and wanting nothing.”
Revelation 21:16
“The city which he says is squared, he says also is resplendent with gold and precious stones, and has a sacred street, and a river through the midst of it, and the tree of life on either side, bearing twelve manner of fruits throughout the twelve months; and that the light of the sun is not there, because the Lamb is the light of it; and that its gates were of single pearls; and that there were three gates on each of the four sides, and that they could not be shut.”
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
Revelation 21:16
“This city has a wall that is impregnable as well as precious. [3.] The form of it was very regular and uniform: It was four-square, the length as large as the breadth.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
144 cubits: The wall measures 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using. The figure is twelve times twelve, the number that runs through the gates, the tribes, the foundations and the city's measure.
Revelation 21:17
“And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits,.... The root of which is twelve, for twelve times twelve is a hundred and forty four; which number is mystical and apostolical, and suited to the perfect state of this church: hence twelve gates, and twelve angels at them, and the names of the twelve tribes on them, and twelve foundations of the wall, and twelve thousand furlongs, the measure of the city.”
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 21:17
“And he measured the wall thereof - In respect to its “height.” Of course, its length corresponded with the extent of the city. An hundred and forty and four cubits - This would be, reckoning the cubit at eighteen inches, two hundred and sixteen feet. This is less than the height of the walls of Babylon, which Herodotus says were three hundred and fifty feet high. See the introduction to chapter 13 of Isaiah.”
Revelation 21:18-21
The wall was made of jasper: , the stone of the city's radiance in verse 11, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The twelve foundation stones recall the stones of the high priest's breastplate in Exodus 28:17-20. Each gate is a single pearl.
Revelation 21:18
“The building of the wall of it was of jasper - The oriental jasper is exceedingly hard, and almost indestructible. Pillars made of this stone have lasted some thousands of years, and appear to have suffered scarcely any thing from the tooth of time. Pure gold, like unto clear glass - Does not this imply that the walls were made of some beautifully bright yellow stone, very highly polished?”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
every kind of precious stone: These are the foundations named for the apostles in verse 14. John Wesley reads each stone as the foundation itself, rather than an ornament laid on it. Clement of Alexandria takes the jewels as a symbol of the beauty of the apostolic teaching.
Revelation 21:19
“And the foundations of the wall of the city - notes on Rev 21:14. Were garnished - Were adorned, or decorated. That is, the foundations were composed of precious stones, giving them this highly ornamented and brilliant appearance. The first foundation - The first “row, layer, or course.” notes on Rev 21:14. Was jasper - See the notes on Rev 4:3. The second, sapphire - This stone is not elsewhere mentioned in the New Testament. It is a precious stone, next in hardness to the diamond, usually of an azure or sky-blue color, but of various shades.”
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:19
“The like ornaments on the foundations of the walls of this city may express the perfect glory and happiness of all the inhabitants of it from the most glorious presence and protection of God. Each precious stone was not the ornament of the foundation, but the foundation itself. The colours of these are remarkably mixed.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 21:19
“Tradition assures us that the heavenly Jerusalem that is above is built up of holy gems, and we know that the twelve gates of the heavenly city, which signify the wonderful beauty of the apostolic teaching, are compared with precious jewels. These priceless stones are described as possessing certain colors that are themselves precious, while the rest is left of an earthly substance. To say that the city of the saints is built of such jewels, even though it is a spiritual edifice, is a cogent symbol indeed.”
Clement of Alexandria · written before 215 · The Instructor Book 2patristic
the twelfth amethyst: Each of the twelve foundations is a different stone. The last eight run from reds through greens and gold to blue and purple, with the sardonyx banded with red and the jacinth blue.
Revelation 21:20
“The fifth, sardonyx - The onyx is an accidental variety of the agate kind; it is of a dark horny color, in which is a plate of a bluish white, and sometimes of red. When on one or both sides of the white there happens to lie also a plate of a reddish color, the jewelers call the stone a sardonyx. The sixth, sardius - The sardius, sardel, or sardine stone, is a precious stone of a blood-red color. The seventh, chrysolite - The gold stone. It is of a dusky green with a cast of yellow.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
a single pearl: The twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.
Revelation 21:21
“And the twelve gates - Rev 21:12. Were twelve pearls - See the Rev 17:4 note; Mat 13:46 note. Every several gate was of one pearl - Each gate. Of course, this is not to be understood literally. The idea is that of ornament and beauty, and nothing could give a more striking view of the magnificence of the future abode of the saints. And the street of the city was pure gold - Was paved with gold; that is, all the vacant space that was not occupied with buildings was of pure gold. See the notes on Rev 21:18.”
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:21
“And the twelve gates were twelve pearls,.... Denoting the purity and preciousness of Christ, by whom the saints enter, and of the saints who enter in thereat, as well as of the place into which they enter. Every several gate was of one pearl; the pearl of great price, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only gate, door, and way into this happy state: this shows that this account cannot be taken literally, but mystically, for no such pearl was ever known, large enough to make a gate of.”
Revelation 21:21
“Men of all nations, and languages, who believe on Christ, have by him access to God in grace here and in glory hereafter. [5.] The materials of these gates--they were all of pearls, and yet with great variety: Every gate one pearl, either one single pearl of that vast bigness, or one single sort of pearl. Christ is the pearl of great price, and he is our way to God.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
No Temple, No Sun, No Night at All
Revelation 21:22-23
no temple in the city: John saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city has no need of sun or moon, the lights of Genesis 1:16, because the glory of God illuminates the city.
Revelation 21:22
“The Lord God and the Lamb are the temple of it - He fills the new heaven and the new earth. He surrounds the city and sanctifies it, and all that are therein.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 21:22
“And I saw no temple therein,.... No material temple, as was in the old Jerusalem, or such as is described in Ezekiel's vision; nor any place of public worship, as under the Gospel dispensation; for in this state there will be no such external form of worship as now, such as preaching the word and administering ordinances. The Jews expect a third temple, but in vain.”
Connections1 Kings 6:20
the Lamb is its lamp: The words come from Isaiah 60:19-20, where the LORD replaces sun and moon as the everlasting light of Zion. The Greek word here is lamp: the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Revelation 21:23
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it - This imagery seems to be derived from Isa 9:19-20. See notes on those verses. No language could give a more striking or beautiful representation of the heavenly state than what is here employed. For the glory of God did lighten it - By the visible splendor of his glory. See the notes on Rev 21:11. That supplied the place of the sun and the moon. And the Lamb is the light thereof - The Son of God; the Messiah.”
3 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:23
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it,.... Which may be understood either literally of these two luminaries, which all earthly cities need; and which, though they may be in being in the new heavens, yet will not have the use with respect to this city they now have.”
Revelation 21:23
“And in that he says that the sun is not necessary in the city, he shows, evidently, that the Creator as the immaculate light shines in the midst of it, whose brightness no mind has been able to conceive, nor tongue to tell.”
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
Revelation 21:23
“But A, B, and ANDREAS read, "(shine) on it," or literally, "for her." the light--Greek, "the lamp" (Isa 60:19, 20). The direct light of God and the Lamb shall make the saints independent of God's creatures, the sun and moon, for light.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
ConnectionsGenesis 1:4, Isaiah 60:19
Revelation 21:24-26
the nations will walk: By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory (Isaiah 60:3 and 60:11). Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:24
“Shall walk by the light thereof - Which throws itself outward from the city far and near. And the kings of the earth - Those of them who have a part there. Bring their glory into it - Not their old glory, which is now abolished; but such as becomes the new earth, and receives an immense addition by their entrance into the city.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:24
“And the nations will walk by its light. It signifies that the same Lamb who is now the way for those on pilgrimage, will then be life for the citizens.”
Bede · written before 735 · Commentary on Revelationpatristic
Revelation 21:24
“The nations of them which are saved - This is an illusion to the promise that the Gentiles should bring their riches, glory, and excellence, to the temple at Jerusalem, after it should be rebuilt. See Rev 21:26.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Its gates will never be shut: The words trace to Isaiah 60:11, where the gates of Zion stand open at all hours for the wealth of the nations. Here its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:25
“And that the gates cannot be shut, it is evidently shown that the doctrine of the apostles can be separated from rectitude by no tempest of contradiction. Even though the floods of the nations and the vain superstitions of heretics should revolt against their true faith, they are overcome, and shall be dissolved as the foam, because Christ is the Rock by which, and on which, the Church is founded. And thus it is overcome by no traces of maddened men.”
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
3 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:25
“And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day - It shall be constantly open, allowing free ingress and egress to all who reside there. The language is derived from Isa 60:11. See the notes on that place. Applied to the future state of the blessed, it would seem to mean, that while this will be their permanent abode, yet that the dwellers there will not be prisoners. The universe will be open to them.”
Revelation 21:25
“There is no night, and therefore no need of shutting up the gates. Some one or other is coming in every hour and moment, and those that are sanctified always find the gates open; they have an abundant entrance into the kingdom. (4.) The accommodations of this city: All the glory and honour of the nations shall be brought into it.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Revelation 21:25
“Gates are usually shut by night: but in it shall be no night. There shall be continual free ingress into it, so as that all which is blessed and glorious may continually be brought into it. So in the millennial type.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
the glory and honor of the nations: Verse 24 is said again, and the prophets stand behind both. Adam Clarke hears Isaiah's promise that the Gentiles would bring their wealth to Jerusalem. Oecumenius reads the glory brought in as the people themselves, those of the nations who lived worthy of life.
Revelation 21:26
“The glory and honor of the nations into it - Still alluding to the declarations of the prophets, (see the passages in the margin, Rev 21:24, etc.), that the Gentiles would be led to contribute to the riches and glory of the temple by their gifts, etc.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 21:26
“All that was truly glorious and excellent in the earth and its converted nations shall be gathered into it; and while all shall form one Bride, there shall be various orders among the redeemed, analogous to the divisions of nations on earth constituting the one great human family, and to the various orders of angels.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
nothing unclean will ever enter it: The city is closed to one kind of visitor: nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie. Entry is decided by a record, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, the book of 3:5, 13:8 and 20:12.
Revelation 21:27
“And there shall in no wise - On no account; by no means. This strong language denotes the absolute exclusion of all that is specified in the verse. Anything that defileth - Literally, anything “common.” See the notes on Act 10:14. It means here that nothing will be found in that blessed abode which is unholy or sinful. It will be a pure world, 2Pe 3:13. Neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie - See the notes on Rev 21:8. But they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life - Whose names are there recorded.”
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 21:27
“These will creep into the churches of Christ on earth, and may lie concealed there a long time, perhaps all their days; but they cannot intrude into the new Jerusalem, which is wholly reserved for those that are called, and chosen, and faithful, who are all written, not only in the register if the visible church, but in the Lamb's book of life.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Revelation 21:27
“Common - That is. unholy. But those who are written in the Lamb's book of life - True, holy, persevering believers. This blessedness is enjoyed by those only; and, as such, they are registered among them who are to inherit eternal life.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
How this psalm is built
The form: A vision of the eternal state in two parts: the new creation announced from the throne at 21:1 to 8, and the bride city shown and measured by one of the seven bowl angels at 21:9 to 27, as Wesley classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The number twelve | The city has twelve gates, twelve angels, the names of the twelve tribes, twelve foundations with the names of the twelve apostles, sides of twelve thousand stadia and twelve jewels. Its wall measures 144 cubits. John Gill notes that 144 is twelve times twelve and reads the number as the mark of the church's perfect state.John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament, on Revelation 21:17. | Revelation 21:12, Revelation 21:14, Revelation 21:16, Revelation 21:17, Revelation 21:19 |
| The bride set against the harlot | One of the seven bowl angels invites John to come and see at 17:1 and again at 21:9. The first time he is carried away in the Spirit to see the harlot Babylon, and the second time to see the bride. John Wesley calls Babylon directly opposed to the new Jerusalem.John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on Revelation 21:9. | Revelation 17:1, Revelation 17:3, Revelation 21:9, Revelation 21:10 |
| What the city does without | The chapter names what will be no more: the sea, death, mourning, crying, pain, a temple, the sun and the moon, and night. Each is replaced by God's own presence. Albert Barnes reads the missing temple as a city that is all temple, where worship rises from every part.Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, on Revelation 21:22. | Revelation 21:1, Revelation 21:4, Revelation 21:22, Revelation 21:23, Revelation 21:25 |
The structure
5 more paragraphs on the patterns
The chapter falls into two parts. Verses 1 to 8 give the new creation and a voice from the throne, ending in a promise to the one who overcomes and a warning to those outside. Verses 9 to 27 show the city: its light and wall at 9 to 14, its measures and materials at 15 to 21, and its life at 22 to 27. The chapter follows the last judgment of 20:11 to 15, and the vision runs on without a break into 22:1 to 5, where the river and the tree of life complete the city.
The debate
Readers differ on what the city is and when it stands. Matthew Henry reads it as the church in its perfect state. Adam Clarke reads it as the church on earth in great prosperity and purity, and grants that some read eternal blessedness. John Wesley holds that it belongs to eternity and not to the millennium, and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown set its descent after the millennium on a renewed earth. A second question is how far the measures and jewels are literal. Clarke asks what need there is to fix such measures in a vision, and John Gill takes the pearl gates as proof the account is figure. Irenaeus, the earliest of them, warns against turning the promise into allegory and holds that the things promised are real.
Where the chapter reaches
The chapter closes promises made to the churches in chapters 2 and 3: the name of the new Jerusalem (3:12), freedom from the second death (2:11) and a place with God. It answers Genesis, where the first heaven and earth were made, and it gathers the city hopes of Isaiah and Ezekiel into one sight.
Keep studying
Studies36
- Creation to New Creation
- Revelation: the Canon's Closing Scroll
- The God Who Sings: Zephaniah 3:17
- The Tabernacle
- The Apocalypse of Weeks
- Courage
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- Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism
- Darkness
- Ezekiel's Temple, Ezekiel 40-48
- The Fall Feasts
- The Hebrew Feasts
- God and the Nations, from Abraham to the New Jerusalem
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Words12
Subjects3
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The context
John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
The form and classifications
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, on Revelation 21:2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on Revelation 21:10; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on Revelation 21:1 and 21:9 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, on Revelation 21:2.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor Book 2; Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation; Primasius of Hadrumetum, Commentary on the Apocalypse and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.