Eternity for ALL God's people--REV 21:1-14

ALL God's People in Eternity

Topic: Heaven

Type: Selection

Translator: A. Allison Lewis

¹I saw [1] a new Heaven and a new Earth, for [2] the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away [REV 20:11]. There was no more sea. ²I John saw [3] the holy city, new Jerusalem [a symbol referring to God’s people–it is NOT a dwelling place–see vs. 10 and following. REV 3:12. *EPH 2:12-22], coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride [see vs. 9; REV 19:6-9] adorned for her husband. ³Then I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying,

“Behold, the tabernacle [dwelling] of God [see REV 21:22] is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself shall be with them and be their God. ⁴God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes [REV 7:17]. There shall be no more death, sorrow, crying or any more pain for the former things are passed away.”

“It is done [finished - completed]. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give to him who is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely. ⁷He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. ⁸But the place of the cowardly, unbelieving, vile, murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars, will be in the Lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the 2^nd death [REV 20:14, 15].”

⁹There came to me one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and talked with me, saying,

“Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife [REV 19:6-9; 21:2].”

¹⁰Then he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, [As with the symbolism used of Christ in ch. 1 so here we should not make more of them than to realize the majesty and beauty of Christ there and of God’s people here. God’s people (ALL of them) will inhabit the new Earth. Vs. 2, Bride–wife described symbolically as a beautiful city. Includes ALL the children of God–Old and New Testament saints. In this passage we have an expanded symbolic picture of the New Jerusalem referred to in verse 1], coming down out of Heaven from God, ¹¹having the glory of God. The light of it was like a very valuable stone, even as a jasper stone, clear as crystal. ¹²It had a wall great and high with 12 gates [very prominent]. At the gates were 12 angels and names written thereon, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. ¹³On the east were 3 gates, on the north 3 gates, on the south 3 gates and on the west 3 gates. ¹⁴The wall of the city had 12 foundations [EPH 2:20-22. No less important BUT certainly less prominent. See also ROM 11:11-23] and in them the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.