Grasp these final chapters of God’s Word, and we’ll catch the vision of something vital: we’ll grasp what the word `Church` really means. And much more besides!
Revelation finishes with God’s glorious new community, the Church, the New Jerusalem, finally revealed as She truly is: coming down out of heaven, ‘the Holy City … the Bride, the wife of the Lamb’ (21:2,9; NIV as usual). And we know what, or who, that Bride is: it is us! (Thank You, Lord!) The promise hinted at by Paul in Ephesians 5:25-32 and 2 Corinthians 11:2 – that mysterious glory underlying his whole understanding of human marriage and sex – is now amply fulfilled. This is what history was for: this is what it was all about – the raising up, purifying and glorifying of the Church, to be, throughout the long years of eternity, the constant companion, beloved and lover, of the Lamb. The Bride ‘shone with the glory of God’ (21:11): sanctification is complete, Christlikeness and our being ‘conformed to His likeness’ (Rom 8:29) are now, at last, a dazzling reality. The Bride now actually has `the glory of God`, we’re told (v11; see also Rom 8:30, Col 3:4, 2 Thess 1:10, 2 Thess 2:14). Wow. This is what was foreshadowed, sometimes encouragingly, often so brokenly, in the community of our local churches, chapels and tin tabernacles. Now, in Revelation, our ultimate destiny is revealed!
Then, secondly, the Bride is `the Holy City`; City as something good, as perfect urban community. (See also Gal 4:26, Heb 11:10, 16, 12:22, 1314.) There’s lots here that’s interesting and noteworthy:
21:14: The New Jerusalem unifies (as its name implies) what God has been doing in both the old and new testament eras. Just as in Eph 2:19-22 – where v20, about the twelve apostles as the City’s foundation, matches this verse here. (And as John Lennox says, Look who’s there!- doubting Thomas, rash and unfaithful Peter, John and James the `sons of thunder`, with a similar mother trying to grab pride of place for them…) Here too are all twelve tribes of ethnic Israel (21:12). God’s full plan is ultimately consummated, with all losses repaired!
21:18-21: As Mounce says, the Holy City `is magnificent beyond description. As the eternal dwelling place of God and his people, it is described in language which continually attempts to break free from its own limitations in order to do justice to the reality it so imperfectly describes.` Its great street is of `pure gold`, 21:21 (I’m reminded of the story of the man who tries to smuggle gold bars into heaven, and at the entrance an angel looks into his bag: `Pavement? You want to smuggle pavement into heaven?`) Each of its gates is made from a single huge pearl, and, quoting Lennox again, the beauty of a pearl is born out of suffering, the grit in the mollusc; a huge pearl can only come from much suffering.
More puzzlingly, we read that `The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it… The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it` (21:24,26), and the leaves of the tree of life `are for the healing of the nations` (22:2). Somehow there are people in view here distinct from the New Jerusalem. Has ch21 stepped back in time before the last section of ch20, so that this refers to the millennium? Or might we even have something to do in eternity where there are new races on the new earth (we will `judge [ie care for] the world`, and for angels too, Paul tells the Corinthians, 1 Cor 6:2-3); or even in other worlds needing healing? I’m reminded of Luke 19:17, and Jesus’ story of how someone trustworthy in very small matters in this life will be put in `charge of ten cities`. Anyway — healthy expression of the unique contributions of diverse ethnicities seems still to have a place! And even in the wonderful New Jerusalem, God graciously gives people something to contribute. (I’m reminded also of 4:10-11.)
There is no physical temple here (v22; interesting when the whole last quarter of Ezekiel has such an emphasis on the temple; presumably that must be the earth of the millennium); because `the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple` (21:22). No need for any `religious quest` now (I’m reminded of the vicar in C S Lewis’ Great Divorce who is disappointed by this; it’s said that [old-style] liberals want questions more than answers!!) Ultimate Reality is come at last, and it’s about complete, unsullied, undiluted relationship with our Lord!
So in fact we have three final pictures of the Church: the City, the Bride, and: `I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them! They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God!` (v3). It’s like John 1:14 when just one generation had the astonishing privilege of God Himself being physically on earth – but now it will be permanent! Or like Eden (Gen 3:8), but better – here, indeed, forever, is the Bridegroom! `Dwelling place` here is actually `tabernacle` (v3, ESVmg); this was the dream of the old testament tabernacle, the goal of the Exodus (Ex 25:8), and now it’s really happened. And we will see it and walk there!!
And so the Bible’s story comes to magnificent completion. We watch the return at last to Eden, to the tree of life (22:2); not now just with one couple, but an entire city. This time there will never be a ‘curse’ (22:3). No more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain (21:4); instead, the healing of the nations (22:2), and the servants of the Lamb seeing His face, and reigning for ever and ever (22:4-5). And the song of the great multitude (‘like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder’, 19:6), celebrating the triumph of the Lamb and His Bride, will be our song; because we shall be there! Hallelujah!
And before we finish, let’s take careful note of two more issues that seem particularly prominent in these closing chapters of God’s Word. First, it’s striking how strongly the gospel is highlighted by what seem a climax in 21:5, when `He who was seated on the throne` says to John, `I am making everything new!`, and then says, `Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true`; underlining surely the importance of what follows:
`It is done`, 21:6: the story and purpose of humanity has been completed, fulfilled, with the coming of what this chapter records!
`I AM the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End`, 21:6 – these magnificent words are spoken by the One who was `seated on the throne` (cf 1:8), though it would seem that Jesus uses these same titles of Himself in 22:13-14. Anyway they guarantee wonderfully what follows…
The offer of the gospel, 21:6: `To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life!` – an offer repeated in 22:17. (Does this remind us of Jesus’ words in John 4:14? and indeed of John 7:37-39 where He is speaking of God the Holy Spirit?)
The overcomers will inherit everything (21:7). `And they will reign for ever and ever` (22:5)!
`And I will be their God and they will be My children` (21:7): as God’s children we who have accepted the gospel are finally, wonderfully conformed to Christ in our relationship to the Father. Compare Rom 8:29, where we’re told that the purpose of God’s entire plan was that Jesus `might be the firstborn among many brothers`!
But: equally importantly, there are those who are eternally lost. Lennox notes that there are no less than four times when these chapters speak of those who don’t get into heaven, 20:15, 21:8, 21:27 and 22:15. (`Nothing impure will ever enter it` (21:27; that starts me thinking about what I read, what I watch, what that has done to my mind); it’s striking also to see `the sexually immoral` and `liars` listed here among the hell-bound.) As Jesus makes clear in Matthew 25:10 and Luke 13:25, there comes a time when the door is shut, our choice to reject the gospel is eternally fixed (is this also the point of Rev 22:11?), and the moment of grace is gone. I’m reminded too of 2 Corinthians 6: `We urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain… I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation!` It’s a call to repent while that is still possible; and a call to mission for us as believers: `The dreadfulness of the … future [of the lost – if we grasp it] can only stir the Christian to greater effort on their behalf` (Tatford). Five verses before Scripture closes, therefore, God inspires a final gospel appeal, with a final call to mission: `The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let them come! … Let them take of the free gift of the water of life!` (22:17).
So God’s Word closes highlighting the incredible importance of the gospel, and of sharing it! But there’s a second thing equally prominent, and that is Christ’s own (second) coming : just as at the start of Revelation (`Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him`, 1:7,8), so here at the close Christ promises no less than three times, `I am coming soon’ (22:7,12,20). Of course as William Kelly writes, `To the church the end is always near… All that instinctively belongs to the body of Christ is unearthly and unworldly. The church is heavenly… and is not of the world: consequently to the Christian the time is always at hand.` But must we not sense here also the extreme value of expectancy; of the deliberate cultivation of a `Maybe Today!` mentality about Christ’s second coming as something vital in every generation; something that should be felt as continually topical for us? And as a basic part of our faith, not a deluxe extra; look for example at 1 Thess 1:10, John 14:3, 1 Peter 1:13, 2 Peter 3:3,11-13, and the way 1 Thess 5:8 speaks of this hope as the helmet that protects our thinking; something our minds should refocus on every time we celebrate communion, 1 Cor 11:26! (And the unbelieving world urgently needs to know about it too.) `Be dressed ready for service, and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet,` said Jesus (Luke 12), `so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him…. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night… because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him!` `Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad… Let all creation rejoice before the Lord; for He comes, He comes to judge the earth` (Psalm 96); grasping this leads us into praise, to hope, and to direction!
And so the Bible finishes (22:20) with a heart-cry we can, must!, all join in with: `He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!`
And is there any book in the entire world that will feed that longing more than Revelation? What a wonderful and unique book it is. It carries a unique blessing from God for its readers, that we find in no other book (1:3); so let’s feed on it! It isn’t too bizarre or too obscure (and I pray that these posts can help!) We need it!
PS Two more thought-provoking points (sorry, but there is so much good stuff in Revelation!) First, how overwhelming it is to be in the presence of the righteous supernatural: the fact that in 22:9 John repeats the mistake of 19:10 of falling down with the intention of worshipping the angel that’s showing him these things (and this is “only” an angel, 19:10) demonstrates what an overwhelming experience it is. (Have a look also at how Daniel’s encounter with the angel Gabriel simply absorbs all the energy out of him, indeed initially leaving him unconscious, Dan 8:18,27; likewise in the extended account in Dan 10:4-20 with another angel (see 10:13).)
Secondly, and more practically!: For anyone who missed the post two weeks ago on Rev 17 — we noted there the emergence of a crucial opposition – two cities, two systems – that shapes these whole final six chapters of Revelation. On the one hand, we read, ‘Come’ (17:1) and see the godless system, the ‘great city’ with its sins ‘piled up to heaven’ (18:5), Babylon, the Great Prostitute. On the other hand, ‘Come’ (21:9) and see the ‘Holy City’ ‘coming down out of heaven’ (21:10), New Jerusalem, the Bride. We may even wonder if this is the climax of something going on right through the Bible; maybe as far back as Genesis 11 and 12 – the long alternative between the powers of Babel/Babylon (the city built on human pride, ‘reaching to the heavens’ by brute human strength, see Gen 11:4), and God’s people on their faith-full way to His promised heavenly ‘city that is to come’ (Gen 12:1-2; Heb 11:8-10,13-16; Heb 13:14; Gal 4:26; Col 3:1-3). There may be horizons beyond horizons here… (But then please help me get my day-to-day loyalty right, Father; please help me see which system I’m investing in (Matt 6:20), and spending my life for!)
