THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION – Chapter 21 – Satan Bound, Millennial Reign, The Final Judgement
Episode 23
(These Episodes are meant to not only ask and answer the questions, “When, Why, How and What?”, but also the question, ” WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME”)
It may be hard to imagine what has occurred, thus far, in our Journey through this, the revelation of Jesus Christ, and His unveiling of the divine mysteries, which God the Father gave to Him to show to all believers of all the ages. These are the things which have taken place, are now taking place, and must soon take place, in their entirety.
These things can seem to be so unfathomable that many trusted theologians, Bible teachers, preachers and pastors, who may have the best of intentions, lead millions astray because of their own disbelief. They will try to use their own logic to explain or to explain away the things they cannot possibly understand.
It is best to put aside the things that confuse you or cause uncertainty, rather than believing or spreading misinformation. Heed the words of Jesus, from Matthew 5:19, “Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven”, or from Revelation 22:18, which says, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book”.
Wherever possible, take scriptures at their face value, keeping all scripture in the context of the surrounding verses and chapters, and always in the context of the entire Bible. Then, if you think you might err, err on the side of extreme caution – or just say that you do not know.
Everything we have read in this book has brought us thousands of earth years, from the foundations of creation, the destruction of the heavens and the earth, to a new beginning – one without end – God’s Plan of Perfection. He has been Perfecting His creation and His created ones, into His image and likeness, to live eternally in perfect harmony, serving and worshipping the Only True God.
The New Heaven and Earth
Revelation 21:1, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, (and had vanished), and there is no longer any [footnote ‘a’] sea. Verse 2. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed like a bride adorned for her husband; verse 3, and then I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “See! The tabernacle of God is among men, and He will live among them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them [footnote ‘b’] [as their God,] Verse 4. and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be sorrow and anguish, or crying, or pain; for the [footnote ‘c’] former order of things has passed away.” Verse 5. And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true [they are accurate, incorruptible, and trustworthy].”
Verse 6. And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts I will give from the fountain of the water of life without cost. Verse 7. [footnote ‘d’] He who overcomes [the world by adhering faithfully to Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior] will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
(Commentary Break: Verses 1 through 3 should need no comment, as they speak clearly. Verse 4 tells us that we are free from the curse which brought sadness, tears, death, sorrows, anguish and pain. The former order of things, the ‘prótos’ (the prototypes), are finished. This is, confirmed by Jesus.
The phrase, “To the one who thirsts I will give from the fountain of the water of life without cost” speaks of an eternal life without the horrible cost of sin. We will have inherited His Kingdom and all that comes with it, including being appointed not just heirs but sons of the Most High. (End Commentary Break).
Verse 8. But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable [who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality], and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
(Commentary Break: Now is the time to check yourself, and to be brutally honest: are you a coward? Unbelieving? A murderer, not just in fact, but do you harbor such thoughts and emotions towards others? Do you practice or even dabble in sorceries such as Ouija boards, horoscopes, palm readers or fortune tellers or the like? Are you a liar, i.e., do you lie or twist the truth? Those who do such things will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, forever! (End Commentary Break).
The New Jerusalem
Verse 9. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven final plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Verse 10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a vast and lofty mountain, and showed me the holy (sanctified) city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, verse 11, having God’s glory [filled with His radiant light]. The brilliance of it resembled a rare and very precious jewel, like [footnote ‘e’] jasper, shining and clear as crystal. Verse 12. It had a massive and high wall, with twelve [large] gates, and at the gates [were stationed] twelve angels; and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were written. Verse 13. On the east side [there were] three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. Verse 14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Christ).
Verse 15. The one who was speaking with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. Verse 16. The city is laid out as a square, its length being the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia (about 1,400 miles); its length and width and height are equal. Verse 17. He measured its wall also, a hundred forty four cubits (about 200 feet), according to man’s measurements, which are [also] angelic [measurements]. Verse 18. The wall was built of jasper; and the city was pure gold, transparent like clear crystal. Verse 19. The foundation stones of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, [footnote ‘f’] chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; verse 20, the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite (yellow topaz); the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. Verse 21. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each separate gate was of one single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent crystal.
Verse 22. I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] and the Lamb are its temple. Verse 23. And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the glory, (splendor, and the radiance) of God has illumined it, and the Lamb is its lamp and light. Verse 24. The nations [the redeemed people from the earth] will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring into it their glory. Verse 25. By day (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed [in fear of evil]; verse 26, and they will bring the glory (splendor, majesty) and the honor of the nations into it; verse 27, and nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices abominations [detestable, morally repugnant things] and lying, but only those [will be admitted] whose names have been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (End of text for Chapter 21).
(Commentary Break: There is a lot of speculation about the construction of the New Jerusalem. There is no doubt that it will be a grand and beautiful city. It will be safe, secure and eternal. Beyond that, I will leave it to the reader to find commentaries for additional comments.
I would suggest, however, considering Luke 17:10 which tell us that, “nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (New King James Version). The English Standard Version puts it this way, “nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Both the word “within” from the New King James Version, and the phrase, ‘in the midst of you’, each come from the Greek word, ‘entos’, which translated as ‘within or among’, but is used to express something WITHIN, INSIDE, or ON THE INSIDE.
Therefore, I would suggest that the New Jerusalem is not only a literal place, but is also symbolic and representative of our new nature: Full of the brilliance of God, full of His Light. Measured and plumbed by the Hand of God and found to be made in His perfect image, lacking in nothing. Our appearance will at last mirror the image of Christ in all His beauty and infinite value. The walls of our character and soul will reach skyward, never again to be scaled by sin, lack, want, sickness or evil of any sort. The gates of our lives and our souls will never be closed off from God or from one another, as we live, worship and live together in peace and harmony, eternally.
Does this sound too good to be true? Well, let me tell you. These words simply fall short of describing all that God and His Kingdom has in store for those who love Him and obey Him. (End Commentary Break).
In the end, there are some who would read these things and say, “I just cannot believe all of this. Although it is a nice story, it is just too much like a fairytale.” To you I can say that I am deeply saddened and sorrowful for you. Your human logic must tell you at times, someplace deep within you soul, that there is more than the silent darkness of a grave.
With the greatest love and with great respect, I must remind all, that The Bible tells says that the one who says there is no God, is a fool. Please dear friend, do not be fooled. Call on Him in faith. He will answer.
But to the child of God. Endure, for the best is yet to come!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
Whitestone Fellowship 