Revelation 21:22-22:5 Lesson 499

Revelation 21:22-22:5
Lesson 499

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The description of New Jerusalem continues.

List the things that won't be found in New Jerusalem. Hint - see verses 21:22-27.

A new heaven and a new earth.
By an unknown artist.

Study Tip:

It helps tie the Bible together if you go back and review past lessons.

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The King James Bible

Revelation 21:22-22:5
No temple needed

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 22:1-5
The river of life

1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Margin notes:

"I saw no temple therein." (21:22) - New Jerusalem will not need a Temple or place of worship. God and Jesus will be the Temple.

"The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon." (21:23) - There will be no need for the sun or moon; God's glory will illuminate New Jerusalem (Isaiah 24:23; 60:19-20).

"The nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light." (21:24) - "The saved people of the world will walk in the light." As prophesied 2,700 years ago in Isaiah 60:3.

"The gates of it shall not be shut." (21:25) - As prophesied in Isaiah 60:11.

"There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth." (21:27) - New Jerusalem will be free of sin.

"A pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." (22:1) - Many students of the Bible believe the water flowing from God's throne represents everlasting life (John 4:14). Others feel it symbolizes the satisfying, full life that awaits believers. Perhaps both are right.

"The tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits." (22:2) - We first saw the "tree of life" in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9; 3:22-24).  It is last mentioned in Revelation 22:14.

"Which bare twelve manner of fruits." (22:2) - "Which bears twelve kinds of fruit."

"There shall be no more curse." (22:3) - The curse of Adam's sin will be ended (Genesis 3:8-24).

"His servants shall serve him." (22:3) - "His servants will worship Him (7:15)."

"And they shall see his face." (22:4) - "And they will see God's face." Believers will live with God in New Jerusalem. Additional note: God shines with such magnificent glory that only the "pure of heart" (Matthew 5:8) can look upon Him and live (Exodus 33:20-23).

"And they shall reign for ever and ever." (22:5) - As written in Daniel 7:18 six hundred years earlier.

Notice the similarities between Revelation 21:1-22:5 (lessons 497-499) and Genesis 2:4-3:24.

New Living Translation

Revelation 21:22-22:5

22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory.

25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.

26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.

27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty-but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Revelation 22:1-5

1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.

4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.

5 And there will be no night there-no need for lamps or sun-for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What will eternal life be like?

Spend time exploring the Scriptures every day.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. "Some think the new Jerusalem is an actual city, while others think it is a symbolic representation of the church triumphant. Some think it will hover over the earth during the Millennium and throughout eternity; others think it only pictures the eternal state."

"Whatever the details, the image is one of indescribable beauty and glory. Eternal life means a whole new dimension of living: People will have new life, purpose and action. God is the focus of this city, the source of its light (and everything else). God's spectacular glory illuminates the city as is illustrated by the lack of night. His presence fills the whole city, making the need for a temple obsolete - the new Jerusalem itself is a temple filled with the glory of God.

"Eternal life will be pure, untainted by anything evil. In the new Jerusalem we can escape not only the power and penalty of sin, but also its very presence."

(From The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 1798)

Application thought for the day:

What is the most important truth in this passage?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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