Even the worst of governments is better than none. Many people and the inhabitants of many cities will come to Jerusalem. "Alive the two were cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone." The God who revealed himself to the patriarchs is the God who also, and far more fully, revealed himself in Jesus Christ; the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. 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.". The seventh bowl contained under it the fall of Babylon, which "was remembered before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.". And so it is with this very Babylon that comes before us here. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him; for the time has come for the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. It is just asphalt. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful ( Revelation 21:5 ). That way of thought left its mark on Jewish visions between the Testaments. The Church shall be the metropolis of the world; it shall be honoured and esteemed among the nations of mankind. Job speaks of the topaz of Ethiopia ( Job 28:19). The living creatures are, from Revelation 5:1-14 coupled with the elders, as we find them in the beginning of Revelation 19:1-21. "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come, gather yourselves together unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiliarchs, and flesh of strong [men], and flesh of horses, and of those that sit on them, and flesh of all, both free and bond, both small and great." Then another and immensely important act is described the binding of Satan. Consequently Christianity, as being directly aggressive on the falsehood of heathenism, was of all things the most offensive to Rome. They thirst after a state of sinless perfection and the uninterrupted enjoyment of God, and God has wrought in them these longing desires, which cannot be satisfied with any thing else, and therefore would be the torment of the soul if they were disappointed but it would be inconsistent with the goodness of God, and his love to his people, to create in them holy and heavenly desires, and then deny them their proper satisfaction; and therefore they may be assured that, when they have overcome their present difficulties, he will give them of the fountain of the water of life freely. These gates could stand for the way into the holy city of those who come to Christ in the evening of their days. 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. That city will be a constant remembrancer of those who went before restored Israel here below, as undoubtedly it will be used for their blessing during the millennium, but not for theirs only. Who were they? The normal Greek word for "light" is phos ( G5457) , and phoster ( G5458) is normally the word used for the lights of heaven, the sun, the moon and the stars, for instance, in the Creation story ( Genesis 1:14). The fact is, in the very best authorities it does not exist at all. Moral unfitness has its just censure; but sovereign grace must be asserted also. No hint whatever is given that they constitute the city, but there is the inscription of their names outside. It is necessary that we should all bear in mind, if we have not observed it before, thatRevelation 17:1-18; Revelation 17:1-18 does not pursue the chronological course of the prophecy. Jesus is called the author and the finisher of our faith, the beginning and the end. In verse 14 John has said that the stones are inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles. It was important, just because it is the bride, the Lamb's wife, to show that angels are there, and further, that Israel is not forgotten. It can govern and bless but not convert man. And Jesus sits on the great white throne. Then follows a description of the wall, gates, foundations, and general position. Let it be carefully observed here that the first resurrection does not mean all rising exactly at the same moment. The first heaven will pass away, and the new heaven shall appear; the light of heaven will be seven times brighter; and the new creation will last for ever (Enoch 91:16). It is hard to see how Roman city, or anything civil connected with it, could be called "mystery." It is partly because of this that many excellent men have endeavoured to apply the vision to Romanism; and I admit that there is found a measure of analogy. Again, death and hades are said to come to their end, personified as enemies. WebAnd the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. It is only God and man now. WebRev 21:8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." And the Spirit and the bride say, Come: and let him that heareth say, Come: and let him that is athirst come: let him that will take the water of life freely." Gates of pearl are a symbol of unimaginable beauty and unassessable riches. It is no longer a question either of celebrating the ways and counsels of God, or of the war with the beast and king. It was ruled in general that the worldly powers were ordained of God. So here a description is given of the bride, the Lamb's wife, and we learn how it is that God will use her for unmeasured goodness and blessing and glory in the millennium, as the devil during this age has used Babylon to accomplish his wicked plans here below. Here is symbolism which is plain for all to see. Web21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,[ a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Sorcerers Persons who, by drugs, philtres, fumigations, c., pretend to produce supernatural effects, chiefly by spiritual agency. Now, this new earth will be orbited by the New Jerusalem. sorcerers . There Paul says of the Christians at Philippi: "You shine as lights in the world." Hitherto the reverse of this has been true in history. But a very different point of interest is to be observed. Men have been beguiled here and there, and from an early date, to set aside the true bearing of this chapter. Then, as we have seen, comes the final test of the nations of the earth after that kingdom has run its course, and the devil let loose once more deceives flesh and blood after the analogy of all other dispensations. Even in this world of space and time, where God is, the night is as bright as the day ( Psalms 139:12). But the fearful Those who, for fear of losing life or their property, either refused to receive the Christian religion, though convinced of its truth and It was the barbarians who brought in the prevalent ideas of liberty as well as feudalism, and accordingly it is they that have firmly stood for freedom; so that all the efforts to reconstitute the empire which have been tried over and over again have hitherto issued in total failure. The desires of his people towards this blessed state furnish another evidence of the truth and certainty of it. This being so, it adds immense clearness in the understanding of the book. CHAPTER 21 Revelation 21:1 . We know that sometimes there were nine, sometimes eleven or more; but supposing this all perfectly certain, I affirm that, according to history, they did not receive their power as kings for one and the same time with the beast. The beryl was like an emerald; the best stones were sea-blue or sea-green. [20] William Barclay, The Revelation of John (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976), p. 206. Have we not all heard of the balance of power? And the abominable - The verb from which this word is derived means to excite disgust; to feel disgust at; to abominate or abhor; and hence the participle - the abominable - refers to all who are detestable, to wit, on account of their sins; all whose conduct is offensive to God. For that which comes distinctly before us in this one verse is the twofold fact, that the ten horns here contemplated receive their kingly power for the same hour or time as the beast, and not subsequently, when his rule was extinguished. The amethyst is described as being very similar to the jacinth, but more brilliant. 21:8 Greek NT: Tischendorf 8th Edition . And unbelieving - Those who have not true faith; avowed infidels; infidels at heart; and all who have not the sincere faith of the gospel. 11 ; Rhetoric 3.11). The Bringer Of The Vision ( Revelation 21:9-10), The personality of the bringer of the vision of the heavenly Jerusalem must come as a surprise. The race was now in the resurrection state either for good or for evil; and thus it must be for ever. God will give all men a pure language in which they may with one consent call upon him ( Zephaniah 3:9). The latter splendour of this house shall be greater than the, former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give. It will be a state of nature unexampled for the fruits of the earth and the enjoyment of all that God has made here below. 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 ). Here, again, is a dream of the Jews which never died--the dream of the restoration of Jerusalem, the holy city. A man can come by many roads into the kingdom, for "there are as many ways to the stars as there are men to climb them.". WebCHAPTER 21 Revelation 21:1 . We are told about the glorious inheritance of the saints in light. No doubt all this may seem to some a little difficult, but it is no use evading what is hard. Reference-Verse. "After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great crowd in heaven, saying, Alleluia, the salvation, and the glory, and the power of our God: for true and righteous [are] his judgments: because he judged the great harlot, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. The subject-matter of this vision is so great, and of such great importance to the church and people of God, that they have need of the fullest assurances of it; and God therefore from heaven repeats and ratifies the truth thereof. . It was blood-red, and was the commonest of all stones used for engraving gems. Still God acts in a wisdom far above man, and holds to His principles even there. "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. III. But now there is but one throne: Christ judges the dead. (2) FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD ( Revelation 21:3-4 continued). It is not therefore a question of virtual idols suitable to ensnare the children of God, but of that which is adapted to the earth itself, thorough-going palpable idolatry. Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6; Revelation 20:14; Revelation 21:8). That a corrupt religion is better than none I will not say: at any rate it troubles men; it is a thorn in the side of those who want no religion at all. Justly does she gather her title from the old fountain of idols and of combined power without God: confusion being here the characteristic element, the designation is taken from the renowned city of the Chaldeans, the first spot notorious in both respects. In Revelation 21:22 John lays down a unique feature of the city of God; in it there is no temple. All image worshippers are idolaters in every sense of the word. See the 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 notes; Galatians 5:19-21 notes. One of the great contributions to the world's philosophical thought was Plato's doctrine of ideas or forms. "And the nations shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour unto it. The highest courage is to be desperately afraid and in spite of that to do the right thing and to hold fast to loyalty."[20]. "And when the thousand years are completed, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to war." But at the back of it is the great truth that the ideal actually exists. "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast." This is most important, because it might be (as it has been) forgotten by some who make the gospel and the corresponding presence of the Spirit to be the same at all times; as others have thought, because Revelation 4:1-11 and sequel treat of Jew and Gentile, and the state of the world under God's judgments, that this cannot be a testimony of Jesus at all. Then follows another scene still more solemn the most awe-inspiring of all we can contemplate, at the same time full of blessing for the Christian to look onward to as that which will for ever put aside every trace of evil, and vindicate good where man must altogether fail. "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). It is not the normal word which is pule ( G4439) ; it is pulon ( G4440) . The Romans were the greatest experts in government the world has ever seen. But far from that he has, on the contrary, persevered in the same evil course, as badly or worse than his father. We have already come upon this claim by the risen Christ in Revelation 1:8. "These shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." Verse Only. The covenant, interest, and relation, that there are now between God and his people, will be filled up and perfected in heaven. This brings in idolatry, real shameless idolatry too, not merely that subtle working of the idolatrous spirit that every Christian has to guard against. She is, the mother of the harlots, but also (and with still deeper guilt) of the abominations of the earth. The woman was allowed to ride the beast to influence and govern the empire first, but at last to be the object of hatred to the ten horns and the beast, who expose, rob, and destroy her. Garland approaches the text from a literal perspective and also assesses the weaknesses of various non-literal interpretations. But the holy city was not only square; it was in the form of a perfect cube. WebRevelation 21:8 King James Version 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have Separate Line. Satan will bring forth an empire suited to his purposes, as it springs from Satanic principles which deny God; and this is part of what appears to be meant by the beast ascending out of the bottomless pit. ", He that overcometh shall inherit all things ( Revelation 21:7 ). 21:8 Greek NT: Scrivener's Textus Receptus 1894 , . New Testament, Vol. And he measured its wall, 17 and the measurement was one hundred and forty-four cubits, by the measurement of a man, that is, of an angel. Now manifestly, if the Lord does not come before this, there is no world to come to; for the earth and heavens are fled. The promise of God to those who overcome is the same that was made to Abraham the founder of the nation, to David on behalf of Solomon his son, and to the Messiah himself. If that be so, there is a heavenly Jerusalem of which the earthly Jerusalem is an imperfect copy. In Daniel's time, and even to Daniel himself, the book was sealed. The city which God loved he made more radiant than the stars, and the sun and the moon; and he set it as the jewel of the, world and made a Temple exceeding fair in its sanctuary, and. The south is the warm land, where the wind is gentle and the climate soft. Mark 4:40 Adj-NMPGRK: NAS: to them, Why are you afraid? Some things which seem vastly important are seen to be unimportant when seen in the light of God. They are not pictures of the physical characteristics of the new heaven and the new earth. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Romans 1:29-32; Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Timothy 3:2-5; cp. Lit. Strong's Greek The King James Version gives a wrong impression when it translates deilos ( G1169) by "fearful." In the first eight verses of Revelation 21:1-27we have the new heaven and the new earth, but besides, awful to say, the lake of fire. Indeed it must be so, because, as we read in the end of the last chapter, there the lost were cast. It will be remembered that it was said to them that they must wait. 10. It is a time of strong delusion, be it remembered. They were judged every man according to their works. "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. Of course they will be preserved through that crisis in some sort of way suitable to divine wisdom. But even in this present world those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted, and death is swallowed up in victory for those who know Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings and the power of his Resurrection ( Matthew 5:4; Php_3:10 ). 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. Such is the meaning of the verse "The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished. Capnionis, which was used by Erasmus, and lately discovered after a long obscurity by Dr. Delitzsch, reads (not ) . After "the nations" in verse 24 omit the words "of them which are saved." The day of the Lord on the world in no way sets aside His dealing with individual souls. These gates could represent the way into the holy city of those who find Christ in the glad morning of their days. We know the Holy Spirit rather as a spirit of communion with Christ. "And he that spoke with me had a golden reed as a measure, that he might measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. Surely this stands for the catholicity of the Church. *Most copies, it would seem, read , "of the earth;" the Alex. Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. The Wall And The Gates Of The City ( Revelation 21:12). We can understand a remnant saved out of one or more nations; but who ever heard of "nations of them which are saved"? This too must not be viewed as if it were a loss. Before God we have that which is found only by and in Christ, which is another and a higher character altogether as compared with the righteousnesses of the saints. WebGreek Reverse Interlinear Layout for Revelation 8:1. Line-By-Line Order: Verse-Reference. The one thing which makes a Church is the presence of Jesus Christ. Only when we see things in the light of God, do we see things as they are. "Let him that is unrighteous be unrighteous still: and let the filthy be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." There is another remark to make. And it is pretty well ascertained that there was a discussion among them, even to the suggestion by one of the most wicked of their emperors, whether Christ should not be owned and worshipped in the Pantheon, hundreds of years before Constantine, indeed from the earliest epoch of the gospel. (i) We must note the city's shape. We shall find, on the contrary, its aspect is toward the universe, yet is there the special place of Israel; and quite right it is that it should be so. Next they will seize her resources. He is , Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that worked , Revelation 20:14,15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. Positive poles repel. "He brought me in the visions of God into the land of Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain" ( Ezekiel 40:2). "Yet is" is a most unfortunate expression.
Archer'' Character Creator,
Is The Churchill Dog Really Going Down The Slide,
Articles R