One In Jesus

Chapter 22 concludes with these words,

(Rev. 21:24-27 ESV) 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day– and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

We’ve gone far too long without a Youtube video. Two very different versions of the same song. (And how could we get through the Revelation without at least one Mahalia Jackson video?)

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The Revelation next describes the New Heavens and New Earth as a temple.

(Rev. 21:22-23 ESV) 22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

How can God and Jesus together be a temple? Continue reading →

I know you doubted me when I said the pace would pick up. But this is 10 verses in one post!

(Rev. 21:12-21 ESV)  12 It had a great, high wall, with 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 foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.  16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.  17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement.  18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.  19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,  20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.  21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Now, this is exactly the sort of passage that make the Revelation seem so obscure. I mean, ten verses on the architecture of a symbolic vision? And “chrysoprase”? Really? Continue reading →

Now, the camera pans up to show the descent of the New Jerusalem down to earth.

(Rev. 21:9-11 ESV) 9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

We covered this passage generally in the posts covering Rev 21:1-2. As a reminder: the idea of a New Jerusalem kept in heaven goes back to, at least, Isaiah, and is found very prominently in Hebrews but also Galatians, among other NT books.  Continue reading →