The New Heaven and the New Earth 21:1-22:5 The Final Triumph of the Lamb God Dwells With Us

Context: The Final Defeat of Satan The Pouring of the Seven Bowls – The beast is defeated by the wrath of God (16:1-20) The Great Whore and the Beast Defeated: Christ with his armies clothed in white yet sprinkled in blood and armed with the sword of the word. Satan is cast down temporarily (20:1-6) and then finally (20:7-15)into the abyss. Now the stage is set for the new heaven and the new earth. Context: The Final Defeat of Satan

New Heaven and New Earth 21:1-4 Having disposed of the dragon, the beasts, and judgement John now moves to give a positive joyful and truly magnificent description of the new order! (Sean Kealy) It is spoken of under three headings 21:1 A New Creation 21:2 A New Jerusalem 21:3-4 Fulfilment of the Covenant Presence For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.” (Isa. 65:17-18 see also 66:22)

The Vision Elaborated (21:5-21) 21:5-8 God speaks!! Only occurs twice in Rev. here and 16:17 when judgement has been passed. Now God’s will is achieved – “it is done”. God will satisfy our thirst: the language echoes Ps 63:1, Jn 4:14, 7:37. “I will be their God and they will be my children”. (Ez 11:20) 21:9-21 The New Jerusalem Cities on earth have been places of rejection of God and the Lamb now the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven (a gift of God) as a bride (contrast with the harlot of ch 17. Behind this imagery lies the idea of idolatry as fornication. The city is presented as perfect in form and beauty: the imagery is drawn from Ezek 40-43. The city is symbolically huge (12,000 stadia) and cube shaped like the holy of holies (1Kings 6:20).

The Vision Elaborated (21:22- 22:5) 21:22-27 God’s Presence The most striking note about the new Jerusalem is that there is no temple in it, God dwells there. Its gates are never shut and the nations and their rulers come to it. 22:1-5 Paradise Regained Imagery from Genesis 2 and Ezek 47 dominates. The tree of life offers healing for the nations. This is what God wants and offers and so all our striving must be with this in mind. It is perhaps most neatly summed up in the phrase WORSHIP GOD (22:9)

Why Read Revelation? It can only be relevant if understood within the whole scope of the biblical idea of God. The entire Scriptures struggle with the tension between the idea of God’s goodness and justice and the existence of evil, sin and death. They invites us to an encounter with God, so that by means of “a listening heart” we might, in each generation, know how to respond to that presence. The book of revelation addresses that struggle with a prolonged reflection on how, through the person of a crucified messiah God’s justice has been shown to the world. This involves a confrontation with evil in all its power and horror. We are constantly called to recognise what is not of God! As Christians who gather to celebrate on the Lord’s Day, we are involved in that struggle and the book of Revelation encourages us to stay faithful and to live by hope!