THE DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
THE “GAUDY CITY”:
I heard a
comment some years ago that was directed toward Revelation 21-22. It was one of those “drive-by shooting” kind
of remarks that are brief, harsh, and tend to make one either defensive or to
reinforce one’s own thoughts. The
comment was simply: “The Gaudy
City.” It takes aim at the description
of the New Jerusalem, which uses jewels and precious metals in abundance. Is this, somehow, “unspiritual”? Is it way over the top? What is this description trying to
convey?
We might
notice the wording that is connected to all this “conspicuous
consumption.” (“Conspicuous consumption”
was a term coined by Thorstein Veblen to refer to how people consume in order
to be seen and to achieve higher social status.)
· The city has “the glory of God”
(21:11): “Glory” is a difficult term to
define. We use it for “fame” or
“achievement.” In Scripture, it sometimes
refers to the presence of God. See
Exodus 40:34-35, where the “glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” It seemed to be some sort of visible
manifestation, and this probably is what is meant in Revelation 21:11. See also 21:23-24: the glory gives light to the city and to the
whole world. The extravagant decoration
expresses the beauty of the glory of God.
But, not only is the visible manifestation implied, but also the “glory”
of God in the sense of his great achievements and utter worthiness of all
praise, honor, and glory. See, for
examples, Revelation 4:11 and 5:9-10.
· “The Bride, the wife of the Lamb”
(21:2, 9): The city is a representation
of the people of God (as I have discussed in a previous post). The extravagant decoration is the beauty of
the people of God, the bride of Christ who is adorned for her marriage.
· The city is of fabulous wealth and
extravagant decoration in a way that out-does the other city, Babylon (see
chapter 17).
THE PLACE OF WORSHIP AND BANISHMENT OF EVIL:
The city contrasts with the original
Jerusalem in that it does not have a temple, “for its temple is the Lord God
the Almighty and the Lamb.” (21:22) It is the center of worship for the world,
and kings come there to “bring into it the glory and honor of the nations.” (21:26)
The description of the city includes a
reminder that all evil has been banished.
The Great White Throne Judgment (20:11-15) has condemned evildoers to
the Lake of Fire (21:8), and evildoers cannot enter the city, but “only those
who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (21:27)
THE POWER OF REDEMPTION:
In three cases, we are reminded of
redemption from evil:
·
In
contrast to the one who conquers and who receives an inheritance (21:7), the
evildoers will experience the Lake of Fire (21:8).
·
The
kings will bring the “glory and the honor of the nations” to the city.
(21:26) Thus they acknowledge that all
glory and honor belong to God. Whatever
glory and honor are in the nations have come to them as a gift of God. In contrast to glory and honor are the
“unclean” and the “detestable” and “false” and the people who do such
things. They cannot enter the city
(21:27). Those who enter it have their
names “written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
·
That
which is “accursed” is also banned from the city, for it is the place of the
“throne of God and of the Lamb,” and the city is a place of worship
(22:3).
In chapter 22, the picture of what we
commonly refer to as “eternity” turns from details of the city to reminders of
the power of redemption. Jesus had
promised living water to the woman at the well (John 4:14) and to all who come
to him in John 7:38. In 21:6, the living
water comes from a spring and is a free gift of God’s love and grace. Now, in 22:1-2
the “water of life” is a river that flows “from the throne of God and of
the Lamb.” This reflects the abundance
of life from God. (See Ezekiel 47.) Moreover, the tree of life, which was the
source of food that sustains in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9, 16-17), is
present in the city (22:2). It is
described as being “on either side of the river.” I take that to mean that the singular “tree”
stands for a whole species of tree that is found in abundance along the banks
of the river of life. The tree supplies leaves that are for the
“healing of the nations.” (22:2) Since the condition of people is that they no
longer will die nor experience pain (21:4), I take it that “healing” is
equivalent to “health” in this case.
THE NEW CREATION:
I take it that the city is the focal
point of the new creation. The
new creation is implied by the wording:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away…” (21:1)
Although there are “the nations,” which
we can imagine to be throughout the earth, the nations are in close functional relationship to the
city. Their kings come to the city to
bring the glory of the nations and then return to their homelands (presumedly). Moreover, the nations throughout the earth experience
the light of the city (21:24, 26).
The “new creation” will be everywhere evident in the new heaven and new earth, but God’s work of creating new things has already begun. Paul uses the term in Galatians 6:15 to state the new situation of those who are in Christ, whether they are Jew or Gentile: “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” (emphasis added) In II Corinthians 5:16-17, Paul also announces the new creation as the basis for relationships between people. Even if, he says, he regarded Christ according to the flesh (that is in human categories of nationality, social status, etc.), he no longer will think of Christ in the categories defined by society. The basis of this new approach to all persons is that: “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (emphasis added)
THE
ANTICIPATION OF THE NEW CREATION IN EARLY CHAPTERS:
One of the glorious features of
Revelation is the repetition and references to its own material. In the early parts of the book, we find a
number of references to the latter parts of the book. The following are ones that I found quickly. The reader may find additional examples:
· 1:8 uses the expression “the Alpha and the
Omega,” which is also used in 21:6. (See
my later comment of 22:13.)
· 2:7 refers to the “tree of life,” which is
described in 22:2. This is the first of
several uses of references to later portions of the book in the rewards to the
conquerors (overcomers) in chapters 2 and 3.
· Although it is not a part of 21-22, the “Second
Death” is an important concept in the end of the book. It is mentioned in 20:14 and referred to in
2:11 as NOT the fate of the conqueror.
· In 20:15 and 21:27, the “saved” are listed in the
Lamb’s Book of Life. A place in that
Book is assured to the conqueror in 3:5.
· The New Jerusalem is referred to in 21:1 and
21:10. In 3:12, it is also listed as a
name that will be written on the conqueror.
· The throne “of God and the Lamb” is an important
feature of the New Jerusalem that is mentioned in 22:1 and 22:3. In 3:21 the conqueror is promised that he
will sit with the Lord on his throne.
THE JOY OF THE SERVANTS OF
GOD
In 22:3-5, the close relationship between those who serve God and
the Lord they serve is described. The
removal of all cursed things means that there can be intimate communion of the
servants with God and the Lamb (22:3).
These servants will “see his face.”
No longer is the walk “by faith,” but now it is “face-to-face” (see II
Corinthians 5:7 and I Corinthians 13:12).
The servants dwell with God (see Revelation 21:3) and they see his face
(Revelation 22:4).
And the long night will be over.
(Revelation 22:5) Even the
Christian at times feels as though he is groping around, trying to find his
way. He or she has the Bible, the
revelation of God in Jesus of Nazareth, the witness of the Spirit, and, yet, there
is a struggle in this walk of faith. But
then the “Lord God will be their light…”
(22:5)
THE WRAP-UP
Revelation 22:5 concludes the magnificent history that began “In
the beginning” in Genesis 1:1. There
remains some concluding remarks, that I call “The Final Words.” I shall discuss those in my last post on the
book of Revelation. My first post on
this book was issued December 26, 2013.
It has taken me a long time and a lot of study, but I do not consider
that I have in any way come to understand this book. I appreciate all of those who have read some
or all of my posts. God bless you.
I shall give you a “sneak preview” of my next project for this
website. I am planning a book to be
titled “The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.”
I shall be working on it through the medium of this website (or “blog,”
as I call it). I admit that I am a
little intimidated by this project. I
request that you all pray for me as I work on it.
As I have stated, I shall publish one more post on Revelation.
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