Revelation 21
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · AD 68 – AD 96 · Late apostolic age · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
27 verses · 680 words · ~3 min read · ~5 min listen
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:
5And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.” 6And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. 7The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
8But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem
9Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. 12The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. 13There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height. 17And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.
18The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone:
21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.
22But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory. 25Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
26And into the city will be brought the glory and honor of the nations. 27But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lambʼs Book of Life.
Footnotes (6)
- a v1 See Isaiah 65:17and Isaiah 66:22(see also LXX).
- b v3 SBL, NE, WH, and BYZ God Himself will be with them.
- c v4 Isaiah 25:8.
- d v16 12,000 stadia is approximately 1,380 miles or 2,220 kilometers.
- e v17 144 cubits is approximately 216 feet or 65.8 meters. The measure could indicate either height or thickness.
- f v24 BYZ and TR include and honor.
Study notes on this chapter · 6
The tabernacle and the Word made flesh
God's glory filled the tabernacle in the wilderness. John says the Word became flesh and 'dwelt' (literally 'tabernacled') among us, and we saw his glory. Revelation says the dwelling of God is with humanity in the new creation.
When: Exodus (c. 1446 or c. 1250 BC); John, c. AD 80–95.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Kings bring gifts to the king
Psalm 72 prays for the king of David's line, that he will judge with righteousness, and that kings of Sheba and Seba will bring gifts. Isaiah 60 pictures nations streaming to Zion's light with gold and frankincense. Christians have read these as background for the magi's gifts in Matthew 2, though Matthew does not quote either passage.
When: Psalm 72 (Solomon's era); Isaiah 60, c. 540 BC or earlier; the magi, c. 5–4 BC.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Swords into plowshares
Isaiah and Micah picture all nations streaming to the LORD's mountain to learn his ways, beating swords into plowshares and learning war no more. Christians and Jews agree it describes God's ultimate peace, but disagree on when and how it comes about.
When: Isaiah and Micah, c. 740–700 BC.
Ways people read this (4)
- Fulfilled in part as the gospel goes out from Jerusalem to the nations (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:47) and will be completed at Christ's return.
- Fulfilled in a future earthly kingdom or millennium, with Jerusalem as a center of worship.
- A poetic picture of the age to come (the new creation), not tied to a specific earthly stage.
- Jewish tradition reads it as a messianic age of universal peace, yet to come.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
The feast for all peoples
Isaiah says the LORD will prepare a feast for all peoples on his mountain, will swallow up death forever and wipe away tears. Jesus speaks of people coming from east and west to sit at table with Abraham in the kingdom, and Revelation pictures a wedding supper of the Lamb.
When: Isaiah, c. 740–700 BC; Jesus' teaching, c. AD 28–30; Revelation, c. AD 90s.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
New heavens and a new earth
Isaiah promises that God will create new heavens and a new earth, and former things will not be remembered. Peter says believers wait for these according to his promise, and John sees a new heaven and earth with no more sea. Christians differ on whether the new creation renews this world or replaces it.
When: Isaiah, c. 700–540 BC; 2 Peter, c. AD 60–68; Revelation, c. AD 90s.
Ways people read this (3)
- Renewal: the present creation is transformed and purified, as a resurrected body is continuous with the old.
- Replacement: the present heavens and earth are destroyed and a new creation takes their place.
- Isaiah 65:20 describes death and birth in the new age, which some take as symbolic and others as a stage before the final state.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.
Ezekiel's vision of the temple
In the twenty-fifth year of the exile Ezekiel is taken in vision to a high mountain and shown a temple with precise dimensions, the return of God's glory, and a river flowing from the threshold that turns the Dead Sea fresh. No such temple was built. Readers disagree about what it depicts.
When: Ezekiel, 573 BC; proposed fulfillments from the return from exile to the end of the age.
Ways people read this (4)
- A temple to be built literally in a future age, with sacrifices as memorials (dispensational premillennial).
- A blueprint for the returning exiles that was never carried out, because the people did not repent.
- A symbolic vision of God's presence among his people, fulfilled in Christ and the church, with the river of Revelation 22 as its fulfillment.
- Jewish tradition has long found these chapters difficult (the Talmud says Elijah will resolve their problems) and has looked to the messianic era for their meaning.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.