Revelation 21:9-27 - The Celestial City

Revelation 21:9-27

The New Jerusalem (Ezekiel 48:30–35)

9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

We who are now in Christ eagerly await the arrival of the Celestial City brought down from heaven to a new earth free of sin and full of the presence of Him whom we yearn to see face to face in worship!  As Ezekiel 48:35 described the earthly Jerusalem, “the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE,” we see and understand that the previous city was temporary and pointed to the pattern set in the heavenly celestial city of God.  The Lord will be present there before us at last (Job 19:26-27) as Revelation 21:22 and Revelation 22:3-5 confirm this anticipated truth to us.  John was given a tour of that heavenly country to come (Hebrews 11:16) by one of the seven angels delivering the bowls of judgment poured out on all those who reject the Son of God.  There he saw the bride of Christ the Lamb of God which is founded on the twelve apostles and with the names of the twelve tribes of God’s people written on the twelve pearly gates to enter into the celestial city set to rest forever on Earth, just as Israel was a channel of redemption to bring the Messiah-Christ for us all to enter in by.  We will not go into heaven to speak to Peter at one pearly gate as some erroneously believe, but through the gate of Christ Himself (John 10:7-9) and through these twelve gates of pearls into glory.  This city will house not only the physical children of Abraham known as Israel, but all others from out of the nations of the world who are made His children by the same faith of Abraham who took God at His word and anticipated that the Lord was able to raise up his only son as God raised His Son instead for us all to be united in Christ as His bride in this new world’s mansions (John 14:2-3, 23) as our dwelling place with Him.  The measurements are given to compare to the earthly sanctuary as proof of God’s design based on the heavenly Jerusalem and we are given a description of the grandeur with the jewels and the paved streets of transparent gold which we will enter into and walk on there.  Once in the Celestial City, we will worship in the new temple who is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb, not a physical temple structure.  What a sight and experience that will be!  He will be the light instead of the sun and moon high will flee away in this re-creation whose presence walking among us was lost at Eden.  All will give their honor and glory to Him who sits on the throne in this glorious city whose gates never shut in perpetual light unaffected by night which will be gone forever in His illumination.  Nobody who has unforgiven and unrepentant sin will enter in because they are not recognized due to their na,es not being written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  Only those washed clean of sin forgiven and redeemed by the Lamb have their names in the citizen registry there.  Is your name written in His blood on the pages of this book?  If so, you have all this to look forward to after the final judgment on the world and its re-creation to live in God’s grace and presence forevermore. These words give us a glimpse of the eternal hope of residency in The Celestial City to come to bathe in God’s eternal presence and see Him face to face at last!  Amen and amen!  Let it be so.