REVELATION 21: 8 - 17
PART 2 of 3
8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
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 shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11) Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
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:
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 in them the names of the twelve apostles of The Lamb.
15) And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16) And the city lieth 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.
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. King James Version (KJV) Public Domain
COMMENTARY
Verse 8: After the last promise given to "the overcomer", comes the last warning to those drowning in sin. The first mentioned is the fearful and unbelieving. This actually is speaking of those without a trusting faith in the Lord and those who simply don't believe at all. The list of other sinners are not as bad as these two because with a genuine repentant heart, they can be forgiven idol worshiping, those guilty of criminal homicide, those who promote sexual activity outside of marriage, drug users (drug use is associated with idol worship and often mentioned as sorcery), and all liars. (1 Corinthians 6: 9 - 11) The sin of unbelief has no forgiveness.
If you will allow me just a moment, I would like to say that God has promised that the former things have passed away and "shall not be remembered, nor come into mind". In my personal life, I had two mis-carriages decades ago. I frequently think about my babies who I never saw, never held. So, if I have family and/or friends who reject Jesus, I can't imagine mourning them throughout eternity since I mourn my babies in this short life. God promises that you and I will not even remember those who were lost. I personally don't know if it would be worse to forget them or mourn them. I pray that I don't have to know.
Verse 9, 10: Then John saw one of the angels who, a thousand years earlier, had been involved with pouring out the seven vials of God's wrath. It may, or may not, be the same one who showed John the destruction of Babylon. Now, he was telling John to come up to a vantage point and witness the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven, but close enough to observe the outer details of it.
Verses 12 - 14: John sees through the brilliant radiance a majestic wall surrounding the city. The wall is not for protection, however, as there are no enemies, no fear from attack. It does speak of eternal strength and security.
First of all, there are 12 gates with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. No where in the commentaries do they mention the rainbow over God's throne here, but the names of the tribes of Israel on the gates, in MY opinion, is a reminder of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants. However, Romans 9:4 is cited: it was the Israelites "to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen."
There are angels stationed at each gate to attend to God's glory and serve His people.
Next, we have the names of the Apostles on the 12 foundations, which support the wall. I pondered these "foundations" for a while, and came up with the "pier and beam" foundations, because I could not reconcile a concrete foundation to the names of the Apostles. Then, I am curious if the Apostle Paul's name was there as the twelfth Apostle. Know that I searched three commentaries and could not find the answer. You are invited to leave a comment if you have the answers to my questions.
If you will allow me just a moment, I would like to say that God has promised that the former things have passed away and "shall not be remembered, nor come into mind". In my personal life, I had two mis-carriages decades ago. I frequently think about my babies who I never saw, never held. So, if I have family and/or friends who reject Jesus, I can't imagine mourning them throughout eternity since I mourn my babies in this short life. God promises that you and I will not even remember those who were lost. I personally don't know if it would be worse to forget them or mourn them. I pray that I don't have to know.
Verse 9, 10: Then John saw one of the angels who, a thousand years earlier, had been involved with pouring out the seven vials of God's wrath. It may, or may not, be the same one who showed John the destruction of Babylon. Now, he was telling John to come up to a vantage point and witness the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven, but close enough to observe the outer details of it.
Verses 12 - 14: John sees through the brilliant radiance a majestic wall surrounding the city. The wall is not for protection, however, as there are no enemies, no fear from attack. It does speak of eternal strength and security.
First of all, there are 12 gates with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. No where in the commentaries do they mention the rainbow over God's throne here, but the names of the tribes of Israel on the gates, in MY opinion, is a reminder of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants. However, Romans 9:4 is cited: it was the Israelites "to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen."
There are angels stationed at each gate to attend to God's glory and serve His people.
Next, we have the names of the Apostles on the 12 foundations, which support the wall. I pondered these "foundations" for a while, and came up with the "pier and beam" foundations, because I could not reconcile a concrete foundation to the names of the Apostles. Then, I am curious if the Apostle Paul's name was there as the twelfth Apostle. Know that I searched three commentaries and could not find the answer. You are invited to leave a comment if you have the answers to my questions.
photo courtesy of house-leveling-diy
The gates are symbolic of the Old Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The foundation is symbolic of the New Covenant through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Verse 15 - 17: Then the angel whips out a measuring rod and measures the length, breadth, and height of the city; and he measures the gates, and even the wall! This is to say the City is real, not just symbolic.
Where do you plan to spend eternity? Now is the time to prepare for eternity. To find out more, please visit our "Pathway to Salvation" page by clicking here: https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.
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