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Verse by Verse Study of Revelation Chapter 21
This is a VERSE-by-VERSE study of chapter 21 in the Book of Revelation.
This verse-by-verse study on the Book of Revelation is from or with a Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
In other words, verses like Revelation 1:8 are interpreted in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God and NOT in the TRADITIONAL church interpretation.
To say this another way, it is NOT Jesus who is the one speaking in Revelation 1:8.
But rather, it is Almighty God the Father speaking in Revelation 1:8.
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Revelation Chapter 21.
The NEW Heaven and the NEW Earth!
Revelation 21:1. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Revelation 21:2. “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Revelation 21:3. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
Revelation 21:4. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:5. “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
Revelation 21:6. “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”
Revelation 21:7. “He that over comes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
Revelation 21:8. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable , and murderers, and whore mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:9. “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.”
Revelation 21:10. “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Revelation 21:11. “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”
Revelation 21:12. “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon , which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:”
Revelation 21:13. “On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.”
Revelation 21:14. “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:5. “And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.”
Revelation 21:16. “And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed , twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.”
Revelation 21:17. “And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.”
Revelation 21:18. “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
Revelation 21:19. “And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;”
Revelation 21:20. “The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”
Revelation 21:21. “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”
Revelation 21:22. “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
Revelation 21:23. “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
Revelation 21:24. “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.”
Revelation 21:25. “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”
Revelation 21:26. “And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.”
Revelation 21:27. “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
Now that we have read the whole chapter, let us go back to verse 1 and see what each verse is saying to us.
Revelation 21:1. “And I saw a NEW heaven and a NEW earth: FOR (Or BECAUSE) the FIRST heaven and the FIRST earth were PASSED AWAY; and there was NO more SEA.”
Now we know that at this point in time that all the WICKED have been DESTROYED in the lake of fire.
Also, the word “SEA” is sometimes used to refer to the WICKED.
So then, to ME, I see this as meaning that in the NEW heaven and the NEW earth that there will be NO more WICKED.
To ME, there is a lot of beauty in the SEA and marvels that man has yet to explore, so I do not see why the NEW heaven and the NEW earth will not have any OCEANS or SEAS.
But if you desire to take the phrase “no more SEA” to mean there will LITERALLY be NO more OCEANS or SEAS, then we will differ on the way we INTERPRET this particular verse of Scripture.
Now, it should also be pointed out that the word SEA is in the SINGULAR and the earth has many SEAS.
Let us see what else John sees in the next verse.
Revelation 21:2. “And I John saw the holy CITY, NEW Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a BRIDE adorned for her husband.”
So then, John sees two things. First, John sees the NEW heaven and the NEW earth.
Then John sees the holy CITY, NEW Jerusalem COMING DOWN out of heaven.
Remember that the FIRST heaven PASSED AWAY along with the elements of the earth melting with fervent heat.
Thus, it is the NEW earth that the CITY, the NEW Jerusalem is coming DOWN to rest upon.
Now, whether or not the NEW earth is this old earth RESTORED is another study in and of itself.
Let us continue with the next verse.
Revelation 21:3. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, (Or look and see) the TABERNACLE of God is WITH men, and He (Speaking of Almighty God the Father Himself) will DWELL WITH them, and they shall be His people, and God HIMSELF shall be WITH them, and be their God.”
Keep in mind that Jesus, the SON of Almighty God, has been dwelling WITH mankind for the past 1000 years.
So to ME, I see this as meaning exactly what is says, that GOD, speaking of the one true and only ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF will come DOWN to the NEW earth with His TABERNACLE and DWELL WITH us.
Now, I know that many of us were taught that we would all live in HEAVEN for all eternity.
But clearly, to ME, I see that the word of TRUTH teaches us that Almighty God will COME DOWN and live WITH us here on the NEW earth that He will create for us.
Let us move on to the next verse.
Revelation 21:4. “And God (Speaking of Almighty God Himself) shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be NO MORE DEATH, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the FORMER things are PASSED AWAY.”
Now some Christians have argued that the earth will abide FOREVER.
And thus, to them, that means the earth shall NEVER PASS AWAY.
But rather, God CHANGES the surface of the earth like a GARMENT. Please read Isaiah 51:5,6.
Isaiah 51:5,6.
“My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
Isaiah 51:6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth BENEATH: for the heavens shall VANISH AWAY like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a GARMENT, and they that dwell therein shall DIE in like manner: but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.”
Now please read Psalm 102:18-28, which teaches us that in the DAY of God’s WRATH he will look down from heaven and see the prisoners that are awaiting death or martyrdom and will save his people and CHANGE them as a garment.
Psalm 102:18-28.
“This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be CREATED (Or CHANGED, become a new creation) shall praise the LORD.
Psalm 102:19. For He has looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; (Sometimes when the Bible speak of the “EARTH” it is speaking of the people and not the planet itself)
Psalm 102:20. To HEAR the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
Psalm 102:21. To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem;
Psalm 102:22. When the PEOPLE are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
Psalm 102:23. He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
Psalm 102:24. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: your years are throughout all generations.
Psalm 102:25. Of old have You laid the foundation of the earth: (Or the foundation of the WORLD) and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Psalm 102:26. They (Speaking of the heavens, as in, the fallen angels and the earth or the WORLD) shall PERISH, but you shall endure: yea, all of THEM (The heavens and the earth or the WORLD) shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shall you change THEM, and THEY (Speaking of the RIGHTEOUS) shall be CHANGED: (In other words, the WORLD will PERISH, but the RIGHTEOUS will be changed in a twinkling of an eye for mortal to immortal)
Psalm 102:27. But you are the same, and your years shall have no end.
Psalm 102:28. The children of your servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before you.”
You see, when God judges the EARTH he is NOT judging the physical planet itself. However, the WORLD will be judged.
So then, God is judging the PEOPLE, the WORLD. And thus, this verse could very well mean the PEOPLE who are prisoners appointed to death shall be CHANGED as a garment, rather than the physical earth being changed like a garment.
Now I myself am NOT dogmatic either way. The main point is that we will live on a NEW earth with Almighty God dwelling with us after the 1000-year reign of Jesus.
Let us continue with the next verse.
Revelation 21:5. “And He that sat upon the throne (And everywhere in the book of Revelation, the throne is always speaking of Almighty God the Father that sits upon the THRONE) said, Behold, I make all things NEW. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
Let us continue with verse 6 of Revelation chapter 21.
Revelation 21:6. “And He (Almighty God the Father) said unto me, It is DONE. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”
Now, keep in mind that those who were found FAITHFUL in the CHURCH at the SECOND coming of Jesus have ALREADY been GIVEN ETERNAL LIFE.
So then, the water of life here is for those who shall be found RIGHTEOUS during the 1000-year reign of Jesus.
But this verse could also be going BACK to the beginning.
And thus, it is speaking of BOTH the saints BEFORE the 1000 years which is us, the church. AND also speaking of those who are found to be righteous during the 1000-year reign who will take part in the second resurrection where the REST of the dead are raised and judged at the white throne judgment.
Let us move on to the next verse.
Revelation 21:7. “He that over comes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
Certainly, this speaks of ALL the saints. I myself believe that in the end, ALL the RIGHTEOUS will have eternal life and go on into the ages to come to enjoy what God has prepared for those of us who LOVE him.
Let us see what the next verse tells us.
Revelation 21:8. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and ALL liars, shall have their PART in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Those who are FEARFUL and who DENY Jesus will have their PART in the LAKE of FIRE on the day of JUDGMENT.
Those who do NOT BELIEVE that Jesus is the SON of Almighty God will have their PART in the LAKE of FIRE of JUDGMENT.
Those who are ABOMINABLE such as a man laying sexually with another man, or a woman laying sexually with another woman shall have their PART in the LAKE of FIRE on the day of JUDGMENT.
Those who are MURDERS or in other words, those who HATE their fellow man shall have their PART in the LAKE of FIRE of JUDGMENT.
Those who commit ADULTERY or FORNICATION including the GAYS and the LESBIANS and all having premarital sex shall have their PART in the LAKE of FIRE in the day of JUDGMENT.
Those who abuse DRUGS and use witchcraft shall have their PART in the LAKE of FIRE on the day of JUDGMENT.
Those who worship and pray to IDOLS and FALSE gods like Allah shall have their PART in the LAKE of FIRE on the day of JUDGMENT.
And it should be noted that ALL liars, even those little LIES shall be JUDGED. And those who do NOT REPENT shall have their PART in the LAKE of FIRE on the day of JUDGMENT.
Let us move on to the next two verses in Revelation chapter 21.
Revelation 21:9. “And there came unto me ONE of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will SHOW you the BRIDE, the Lamb's WIFE.”
Revelation 21:10. “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great CITY, the holy Jerusalem, DESCENDING out of heaven from God,”
So then, from these two verses we see that the great CITY the NEW Jerusalem IS the BRIDE and WIFE of Jesus Christ.
You see the word “CITY” sometimes means PEOPLE rather than a physical city structure that is built for people to live in.
Also, notice that this CITY or the BRIDE of Christ is DESCENDING OUT of heaven.
And we saw earlier in verse 1 and 2, that this takes place at the END of the 1000-year reign of Jesus.
Also, notice that the TABERNACLE of God DESCENDS down to the NEW earth at this time.
Now to ME, I am seeing this TABERNACLE of God or this NEW Jerusalem being a PHYSICAL dwelling place where the SAINTS taken up in the RAPTURE of the church will dwell and rule and reign from during this 1000-year reign of Jesus.
For a deeper understanding of what I mean by this, please read the study WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT UFOS?
But for now, let us move on to the next 4 verses.
Revelation 21:11. “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”
Revelation 21:12. “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the NAMES of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:”
Revelation 21:13. “On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.”
Revelation 21:14. “And the wall of the CITY had TWELVE foundations, and in them (The TWELVE FOUNDATIONS) the NAMES of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
Now, I believe that 12 of the 24 elders who sit on thrones or seats are the 12 Apostles of Jesus.
And the other 12 elders are heads of the 12 tribes of Israel.
So then, to ME, I see this CITY called the NEW Jerusalem being BOTH the CHURCH and ISRAEL.
But I also see the New Jerusalem as being a PHYSICAL dwelling place as well.
Now for the next verse.
Revelation 21:15. “And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure (Perhaps a very high standard of measurement.
Jesus said I have not found your works PERFECT and WARNS us to REPENT) the CITY, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.”
Please read Revelation 3:2-5, which to me set a very high standard for what God expects of us.
Revelation 3:2-5.
“Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for (Or because) I have NOT found your works PERFECT before God.
Revelation 3:3. Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and REPENT. If therefore you shalt NOT watch, I will come on you as a THIEF, and you shall not know what hour I will come upon you.
Revelation 3:4. You have a FEW names even in Sardis which have NOT defiled their garments; and THEY shall walk with me in white: for THEY are WORTHY. (Or they have MEASURED UP to the golden measure)
Revelation 3:5. He that over comes, the SAME shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will NOT blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.``
Let us continue with the next two verses.
Revelation 21:16. “And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are EQUAL.”
Some say this physical city of God is a CUBE. And other Christians believe it to be a PYRAMID shape with a square base having the same height as each side of its base.
I lean more to the PYRAMID shape. Please read the study called D-37 The Great Pyramid and the Bible!
Revelation 21:16. “And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.”
A very strange statement. So, is it according to the measure of a MAN or the measure of the ANGEL?
Or was John saying to us that this angel looks like a man, because later on we see John falling down and worshiping at the feet of an angel, which for me I see as being Jesus?
I do not really know what John means by this verse. Let us continue this study by taking a look at the next ten verses, which describe this city.
Revelation 21:18. “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
The CITY was PURE GOLD, yet it is LIKE CLEAR GLASS. This could mean the city is like crystal with a golden color.
Revelation 21:19. “And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;”
Revelation 21:18. “The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.”
Each foundation has a name of an apostle and is made of a precious stone, where each foundation has a different precious stone.
We are living stones built upon a sure foundation. We are God's jewels.
Or this could be literal, and this literal city is built on twelve foundations of precious stones.
I personally see the city as BOTH literal and figurative.
And I do not believe we can take everything as being LITERAL.
But at the same time, I do not believe we should take everything as being figurative.
Revelation 21:21. “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every individual gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”
The twelve gates are twelve pearls. I think of pearls being white or opaque and round or spherical.
I can visualize a round gate with light coming out, because we are told that the gates remain open.
And if you have a gate, a portal, or an entrance then you would expect a walkway or a street to lead you through the city's interior.
Again, GOLD as transparent or CLEAR glass. These things are hard to visualize, but if you have every walk on a floor made of glass you can perhaps see how this might be.
There are some who interpret this city of New Jerusalem completely as symbolic because of its immense size.
But for myself nothing is impossible with God and who is to say that this NEW earth will be the same size as the first earth?
Revelation 21:22. “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
No need for a temple, because Almighty God and His Son Jesus are PRESENT dwelling in this city or tabernacle of God.
Revelation 21:23. “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
God is LIGHT, so no need for the sun or moon in the city of God, because Almighty God and His Son Jesus will be the light and the glory of their light will shine down on the earth.
Revelation 21:24. “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.”
This can mean that only the saved who have eternal life are allowed to walk within the city.
Or this may mean that the glory and the light of the city shines down to give light to those saved alive on the earth.
And the kings of the earth bring their treasures into the city and leave them at the gate of the city.
Revelation 21:25. “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”
The gates themselves are not shut, but no flesh shall enter INTO the kingdom of God.
Or this can mean that everyone has eternal life at this point, and everyone can and could go in and out day or night.
Revelation 21:26. “And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.”
When I read verses like this, I see the time of this being fulfilled as being during the 1000 years.
For you see, those left if the nations will bring sacrifices up from year to year.
Also, the treasure and riches of the unjust are laid up for the just.
Another possible meaning is the glory and honor of the nations speaks of the VESSELS or PEOPLE who bring glory and honor to God and His Son shall ENTER into the city.
Revelation 21:27. “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Now this may mean that ONLY the SAINTS who ALREADY have received ETERNAL LIFE may enter into the city.
Or this may mean that only the RIGHTEOUS will receive ETERNAL LIFE and be allowed to ENTER the city.
This brings us to CHAPTER 22 of the book of Revelation.
To continue with CHAPTER 22 just click on the link or go to the menu list below to click on the link to a different chapter in the Book or Revelation.
Here is the Table of Contents with links to all of the chapters in the Book of Revelation.
It is best to read them in the order that they are listed. But please feel free to skip any chapter and any verse.
Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
Once Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even atheists understand the REASON that Yahweh CREATED the Son of MAN, Jesus, was to have DOMINION over the work of Yahweh’s hands.
And after you understand that the REASON that Yahweh did that is to STILL His ENEMIES, Satan and the fallen angels.
Then you can understand that God made His human Son to become “a” Lord, “a” King, and “a” God, under and subject to his God and Father in order to JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels.
For a deeper understanding of this WAR that Lucifer and one third of the angels waged against the throne of Almighty God, please read the studies under the subject category called ** Q-0 Why Are We Here? Is God at WAR? **.
More studies are coming in this SHORTER Biblical Unitarian view of who Jesus is according to the WHOLE word of God.
If you have a PARTICULAR verse of Scripture that you would like to know the sound Biblical Unitarian meaning, then please email me at MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail.com and let me know.
For further and more in-depth studies on this subject of Jesus being created to STILL the enemies of Yahweh, please read the studies called D-25. A NEW LOOK at JOHN 1:1, In the BEGINNING!
And also read the study called D-28. The PRE-ADAMIC LUCIFERIAN FLOOD!
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Thanks again for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
And again, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading ** D-0 The BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of Jesus! **
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Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century.
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