"I am Alpha and Omega," says God to John, "the beginning and the end." Without that there can be no such thing as a Church; with that any gathering of people is a real Church. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful ( Revelation 21:5 ). All this description closes in verse 5. Line-By-Line Order: Verse-Reference. The Romans were the greatest experts in government the world has ever seen. [19] Leon Morris, Tyndale Bible Commentaries. For there follows another company of martyrs who suffered when the beast set up his worst and final pretensions. WebThis like Revelation 21:1 might still be part of a prefatory announcement of what is narrated in detail Revelation 21:9 sqq. Separate Line. WebThe Bible in Basic English for Revelation 21:8 8 But those who are full of fear and without faith, the unclean and takers of life, those who do the sins of the flesh, and those who He is no longer to be allowed to prowl about the world ensnaring and destroying. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Its gates will never be shut by day, 26 for, as for night, there will be no night there. And unbelieving - Those who have not true faith; avowed infidels; infidels at heart; and all who have not the sincere faith of the gospel. Again John is hearing the voice that the great prophets had heard, "I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no God" ( Isaiah 44:6). We must perforce therefore look for a still more complete development before the Lamb judges the beast after the ten horns along with it shall have destroyed Babylon. Holman Christian When a person dies, it will be a positive curse from God; if he die even a hundred years old, it will be like a baby dying now. "And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. Besides the bride thus arrayed, "He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb." Wikipedia We can easily understand that the overthrow of the ecclesiastical power is necessary to leave a full field unimpeded for the imperial power to develop itself in its final form of violence and rebellion and apostacy against the Lord. Pliny describes it as sky-blue, flecked with gold. He is one of the angels who had the seven bowls filled with the last seven plagues; and the last time we met such an angel he was the bringer of the vision of the destruction of Babylon, the great harlot. The angel, says John, carried him away in the Spirit to a high mountain. And they said Alleluia a second time; and her smoke goeth up unto the ages of the ages." "Behold," said God to Isaiah, "I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, or come into mind" ( Isaiah 65:17). . Needless to say, you could all have a square mile and if we need more space what you do is just move your ceiling down to a half-mile and you double again the capacity. He gives us his titles of honour as a pledge or surety of the full performance, even those titles of Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Revelation 21 I do not acknowledge the language to be either difficult or ambiguous. No need of a temple because we meet God everywhere now. He with the glorified saints will have their home on high, but none the less shall they reign over this very world for the allotted time. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. And the devil that deceiveth them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet [are], and they shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages.". This is the second death, from which there is no recovery. At the end of the millennium the righteous and the wicked form two distinct arrays, though even then there would appear to be a line drawn between the surrounding camp, and the beloved city Jerusalem on earth, where the Jews were. [ 2] In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. It is God's word of privilege to Israel: "I will give you for a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth" ( Isaiah 49:6). But most important of all, in Solomon's temple the Holy of Holies was a perfect cube ( 1 Kings 6:20). Strong's Greek: 2303. (theion) -- brimstone - Bible Consequently, here we must most unquestionably go back to be shown an important object in the prophecy which could not, without interrupting its course, have been described before. "And to the bride was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints." Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.". * Even the Complutensian editors give the right text here; and it would seem that Erasmus failed to use his MS. aright. But a very different point of interest is to be observed. And all liars; in common, and particularly such who speak lies in hypocrisy, as the followers of the man of sin, and who are given up to believe a lie, that they might be damned; all lies being of the devil, and abominable to God. WebCHAPTER 21 Revelation 21:1 . "And his name is called The Word of God." Whether it were the Old Testament saints and the church, or the Apocalyptic saints, if I may so distinguish them, it was in an instant that each were raised, but there was some space between them. These words must be taken down and remembered; they are true and absolutely to be relied upon. To this earth He is coming, and not merely to the new earth in the eternal state. The promise to Ezekiel is: "My dwelling-place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" ( Ezekiel 37:27). He nails the core problem of fearat the end, it can cause us to reject God in favor of self. And now the eternal state comes into view. Tuesday, October 7, 2014 Revelation 21 1 Knit together with Heaven, nurtured and renewed, humanity and earth refreshed, connected, established in Way Foremost. Book of Revelation The heavens will be on fire. For her sin., have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." Verse by Verse Commentary on Revelation Babylon had once heard the varied testimony of God; for what had she not heard of truth? It is the eternal state; and also, in fact, the fullest description of that state which is furnished in the Bible. So far they were right. Skene ( G4633) is one; and the Hebrew shechinah, the glory of God, is the other. 1169 deils (an adjective derived from deid, "fear-driven") properly, dreadful, describing a person who loses their "moral gumption (fortitude)" that is needed to follow the Lord. (by implication) faithless -- fearful. The gospel had been preached there, as she of Chaldea was not without law and prophet. When God is so gracious, His word rich, full, and deep, it does seem sad to see His children content with just enough to save their souls, or keep them from positive starvation. But there never was the thought of giving Christ the only place He could take. Pulon ( G4440) can also mean the gate-tower in a great city, like the gate leading into a battlemented castle. All nations shall be gathered to Jerusalem, and shall recognize it as the throne of the Lord, and will no more stubbornly follow their evil heart ( Jeremiah 3:17). In that story the sea, the waters beneath the firmament, became the dwelling-place of Tiamat. Line-By-Line Order: Verse-Reference. This is known so well, and on such decided grounds, that it would be unbecoming to withhold the fact. The heavenly city is not an improved version of the present earthly city. "Come," he said, "and I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." God's promise to make Israel his people and to be their God echoes throughout the Old Testament. II. In the coming of the Lord all include His coming to the habitable earth. If alive before the thousand years, he will live after the thousand years; in fact, literally he will never die, though I do not doubt, on general principles, that the saints of the millennial earth will be changed at the very time when the heavens and earth disappear. the vision of delight (The Sibylline Oracles 5: 420427). For a short time (what a mercy that it must be only for a short time!) But to the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [is] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.". Greek Surely we are meant to see that in the holy city there is room for everyone. "The woman" is the more general symbol designating her as the great imperial city; "the harlot" is her corrupt religious character, embracing papal Rome, but not ending with Popery as it is. The Egyptians saw it as the power which swallowed up the waters of the Nile and left the fields barren. "These shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." There is at least the possibility that John was thinking of the city of God as the consummation of the old idea of the city of the Gods, but far outshining it. The blessed presence of God with his people is here proclaimed and admired: I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, c., Revelation 21:3; Revelation 21:3. There may be lights of the heaven to mark times and seasons for the earth, and again on the earth. Revelation "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is an eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth unto destruction." Day 223 of the year = 8/11 symbolizes Revelation 8:11 WORMWOOD = Greek number 894 894 days - 365 - 365 = 164 George h w bush born in a leap year 6/12/1924 was day 164 of the year. 15. This conception of preexisting forms may seem strange. Usually God is pictured as dwelling in heaven and people as dwelling on earth. 16 The city lies four-square, and its length is the same as its breadth. The bliss is not to everyone but only to him who remains faithful when everything seeks to seduce him from his loyalty. There are three gates on the north. "I Jesus sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. The fearful denote those who had not firmness boldly to maintain their professed principles, or who were afraid to avow themselves as the friends of God in a wicked world. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." When the second beast appeared, he even strove to put to death those who would not worship the beast, nor pay homage to his image, nor receive his mark. 21:8 Greek NT: Westcott and Hort / [NA27 and UBS4 variants] / / , . Dr. Johnson once remarked bitterly that no man who had the wit to get himself into gaol would ever choose to go to sea. There is no gift which Christ cannot use. Further, after this Jesus introduces Himself, as well as sends His angel. The most staggering use of precious stones in this picture is that the gates of the city of God each consist of one vast pearl. (ii) On the gates are the names of the twelve tribes. What is true of the Old Testament is true of the literature between the Testaments. "Yet is" is a most unfortunate expression. And whoremongers - See the notes on Galatians 5:19. It is simply said that the glorified are to follow the Lord in victorious power, and nothing more, "clothed in fine linen, white, pure." There stands the solemn brand graven, not on the blasphemous beast, but on the forehead of its rider, "Mystery, Babylon the great." It is altogether foreign to history. No one can say for certain what much of the symbolism of this chapter stands for. WebFor the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. The thousand years of peace and plenty will have given occasion for an ever-growing population, spite of a world thinned by divine judgments which open that era. It is the fault, however, of the bad Greek text of Erasmus, Stephens, etc. We are told about the glorious inheritance of the saints in light. To the Christian this book is not sealed. . The simplest interpretation of the wall is that it is "the insurmountable bulwark of faith." That, too, had been the dream of the prophets of the ancient days. "Behold," it said, "the dwelling-place of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them; and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, nor will there be any grief or crying, nor will there be any more pain, for the first things have gone.". "And the angel said unto him, Wherefore didst thou wonder? This is accordingly traced in our chapter with considerable detail, and with the sorrow and vexation of all the different classes who on the fall of Babylon groaned over her destruction, and the loss of their wealth and enjoyment. Many people and the inhabitants of many cities will come to Jerusalem. 3. lake which burns with fire and brimstone . At the same time the attempt to apply Babylon to ancient Rome is almost as unhappy; and for a plain reason. This verse declares it, and there is no other interpretation that can stand even a moment's fair discussion. There is another remark to make. Some things which seem permissible enough are seen to be dangerous when seen in the light of God. WebGreek Reverse Interlinear Layout for Revelation 8:13. The church is heavenly; and in heaven there are no times nor seasons. The city needs no temple because the presence of God is continually there. They shall bring 27 to it the glory and the honour of the nations; but nothing unclean shall enter into it, nor shall he who practises abominable things or uses falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Babylon must hear, I do not doubt, the final testimony of God the gospel of the kingdom that is to go forth in the last days; but she loves her pleasure and power, and refuses truth. That is to say, the heavenly saints are viewed still as the heads of the glorified priesthood, and also the executive in the administration of God's judgments. Blessed art thou, O Lord, the builder of. Hence we have to own the divine source of government even when its holders abandon all such thoughts themselves, and maintain their rule in the world as a thing flowing from the people irrespective of God. Some things which seem unbearable are seen to be a path to glory when seen in the light of God. When the beast dares to fight with the Lamb He shall overcome the beast; and they that are with Him, "called and chosen and faithful" terms, as a whole, entirely inapplicable to the angels. The rabbinic dreams of the re-created Jerusalem were vast enough. Thus it would include those who live in open sin; who practice detestable vices; whose conduct is suited to excite disgust and abhorrence. He remains in that condition of readiness from the time when He sat at God's right hand till the present. Separate Line. And so 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, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal ( Revelation 21:9-11 ); So you see how light refracts in a crystal and the brilliance or in a diamond the refraction of light, the glorious colors that are coming forth from the new Jerusalem as it descends out of heaven to take its place of orbit around the new earth. When the Lord takes His own throne, they take theirs by grace. (ii) There are two words totally different in meaning but similar in sound which in early Christian thought became closely connected. Her part in the corruption of the high and the intoxication of the low her idolatrous character has come before us. We. For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. "Called" is most evidently inapplicable, because calling supposes that the person is brought out of one condition and raised into another and a better one. There are nations and the access though to this heavenly city will be the kings. But what comes next? I think that God is doing that to show us that the value system is totally different in heaven as it is here. No physical infirmities, no weaknesses, no tiredness, and no weariness. We can fairly trust God that He will not give a worse place to Paul; yet I do not think that this is his place. The writer of 2 Esdras was, he says, given a vision of it in so far as it was possible for human eyes to bear the sight of the heavenly glory ( 2Esther 10:44-59). In the first eight verses of Revelation 21:1-27 we have the new heaven and the new earth, but besides, awful to say, the lake of fire. Peter tells us it passes away with a great noise with a fervent heat as the elements are dissolved.Now, God spoke the universe into existence. The principle is very clear. ", All things are thus made new; and, further, "these words are faithful." God is sovereign. Past history therefore in no way suits the prophecy. So, there are glorious things. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Scholz's note ("rec. 20, Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. would embrace a lamentably large portion of the world as it has hitherto been. They broke up the beast yet more than Babylon. Search Tools | The Institute for Creation Research 1:8 (KJV): I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. The fact is, in the very best authorities it does not exist at all. This remains true. Revelation 21:8 Lexicon: "But for the cowardly and In as many things as she glorified herself, and lived luxuriously, so much torment and sorrow give to her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am not a widow, and I shall in no wise see sorrow.". When Christ at God's right hand was announced, even from the very beginning, He was ready to judge the quick and the dead. But we had gone astray from the path of the Eternal, and with, foolish heart worshipped the work of men's hands, idols and images. To such a man God makes the greatest promise of all--"I will be his God and he shall be my son." "On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. It is only God and man now. It cannot be done till the moment comes. Revelation 21:8 (KJV): But the fearful ,and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have The writer of Enoch hears the voice of God say: "All the children of men shall become righteous, and all nations shall offer adoration, and shall praise me, and shall worship me" (Enoch 10:21). John goes on to speak of the twelve foundations of the city. But "nations of them which are saved," is a most anomalous expression, and betrays man as the author of it. But the day is coming when Satan will be allowed to have things his own way. Garland approaches the text from a literal perspective and also assesses the weaknesses of various non-literal interpretations. faithful and the righteous may see the glory of the invisible God. It does not hinder, of course, that in the judgment of the dead each man is judged for his own sin. It is certain that we ought to read (not "upon" but) "and* the beast." In her own course, and in the matters of her portion, the church does not know time at all. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of. The Sibylline Oracles (5: 447) say that in the last time the sea will be dried up. Accordingly the resuscitated Roman empire will carry men away by a storm of wonder at its revival. Who knows? Then heaven is opened, and for a sight most solemn. "Flesh and blood," we know, "cannot inherit the kingdom of God." "God so loved that he gave " ( John 3:16). VI. It is not the enjoyment of all, but it is the hinge on which all depends. Even in this world of space and time, where God is, the night is as bright as the day ( Psalms 139:12). Even so, Amen. Johns first vision of the New Jerusalem 21:2-8. Try to put them together and they will fight each other. WebHE THAT OVERCOMETH - See the notes on Revelation 2:7. We do not mend matters by hasty conclusions, we only complicate the truth. Observe, 1. "Surely I come quickly." The account given of Babylon inRevelation 17:1-18; Revelation 17:1-18 does not follow Revelation 14:1-20 or Revelation 16:1-21 in point of prophetic time, but differs from them in structure. We have just seen that it is the eternal state. "He that testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Greek We think the word must describe the radiance over the city; it is later quite distinctly said that the city needs no heavenly body like the sun or the moon to give it light, because God is its light. He equally expresses what God is. The son is doubly guilty, because he saw his father's nakedness and felt it enough to hide. The fallen angels are not called, and the holy angels never need to be they are kept. The one therefore throws much light upon the other. "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city." We have seen that these follow the Lord out of heaven, and are next seen enthroned. The angel least him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal over him, that he should no more deceive the nations, till the thousand years should be completed: after these things he must be loosed a little time.". And idolaters; that worship devils, idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, representing God, and Christ, and the virgin Mary, and saints departed, Revelation 9:20. The old oracles were sealed then: not so John's. Had he really penetrated under the surface, and seen that beneath the fair guise of Christendom the woman was, of all things under the sun, the most corrupt and hateful to God, it would not be so much to be surprised at. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. I'm not going to add to it. And now the eternal state comes into view. Instead of taking warning from the wickedness of those before her, who had seduced on the one hand, and persecuted. Therefore says the angel, "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, that hath* the seven heads and the ten horns. The one thing which makes a Church is the presence of Jesus Christ. Revelation 21:8 Interlinear: and to fearful, and unstedfast, Web[ 1] Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. We have seen her connection with the beast; but there is a conflict coming. Death and hades, which had so long been executioners in a world where sin reigned, and were still doing their occasional office where righteousness is to reign, themselves disappear where all traces of sin are consigned for ever. We read, for instance, of the cloud which filled the house at the dedication of Solomon's Temple ( 1 Kings 8:10-11). The Gothic hordes were not yet incorporated with the empire, still less were they horns of the beast, nor did they give their power to it, but destroyed it rather. - DBSC, fearful -- [cowards] . We have already come upon this claim by the risen Christ in Revelation 1:8. All the energy to mislead men in the presence of the first beast was long in his hands, and now nothing more is spoken of. He will wipe away all their tears; 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 21:3-4 ). The splendour of God is used to satisfy the thirst of the longing heart. It is God's promise: "I will transform the heaven and make it an eternal blessing and light; and I will transform the earth and make it a blessing" (Enoch 45:4). Although there is such a levelling of human distinctions, and men have to do directly with God that is men raised from the dead or in their changed condition we still see the holy Jerusalem "the holy city, new Jerusalem," separate from the rest of those that fill the new heaven and earth. WebThe third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. WebThis lesson is a study of Revelation 21:1-8. How this precisely fits in, let me say, with the state of feeling in these modern times; for "constitutionalism," as men call it, is the fruit of the Teutonic system supervening on that of the broken up Roman empire.

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