Revelation 21:9-21 Lesson 498

Revelation 21:9-21
Lesson 498

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

In this lesson:

Lesson 497 continues.

A description of New Jerusalem.

"Some Bible students interpret the descriptions (of New Jerusalem) symbolically; others interpret the descriptions literally. In either case, the descriptions, because only human words can be used, can never fully reveal all the beauties, joys and glories of heaven."

("The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; page 1056)

By an unknown artist.

Study Tip:

Revelation is complex, so it helps to study more than one translation.
As you read, scroll back and forth between the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation" below.

Also, check the blue "Margin Notes" and click on the links.

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The King James Bible

Revelation 21:9-21
New Jerusalem

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Margin notes:

"There came unto me one of the seven angels." (21:9) - We first met the seven angels in lesson 488 (Revelation 15:1).

"The bride, the Lamb's wife." (21:9) - The bride is the church, pledged to Jesus Christ.

"Having the glory of God." (21:11) - God is heaven's glory (Zechariah 2:5).

"Twelve." (21:12) - The number twelve represents completeness. There are twelve tribes of Israel, twelve apostles, twelve gates to New Jerusalem, twelve angels at the twelve gates (21:12), twelve foundations to the city (21:14), twelve different fruits growing twelve months a year on the tree of life (22:2), and the walls of New Jerusalem are adorned with twelve different precious stones (21:19-20). Also, the dimensions of New Jerusalem are 12,000 by 12,000 furlongs (21:16).

"The names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." (21:12) - To learn the names of the twelve gates, read Ezekiel 48:31-34.

"The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles." (21:14) - Is God telling us that the twelve apostles built Christianity's foundation?

"He that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city." (21:15) - The angel carried a golden measuring reed, just as Ezekiel saw in his vision six hundred years earlier (Ezekiel 40:3).

"The city lieth foursquare." (21:16) - This means that each side (length, width and height) of New Jerusalem is the exact measurement. The city is cube shaped.

"Twelve thousand furlongs." (21:16) - Each side of New Jerusalem is approximately 1,400 miles long. This translates into a city boasting 1,960,000 square miles.

"The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." (21:16) - New Jerusalem is cube shaped with each side and height being about 1,400 miles. Additional note: The inner sanctum of Jerusalem's Temple was called the most Holy of Holies because God dwelled there. It was also shaped like a cube measuring twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high (1 Kings 6:20). God will live in New Jerusalem with his people.

"An hundred and forty and four cubits." (21:17) - The walls of New Jerusalem are approximately 216 feet thick.

"According to the measure of a man." (21:17) - "According to a man's measurement."

"The foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones." (21:19) - "The foundations of the city walls were adorned with all sorts of precious stones." Just as God promised 700 years earlier in Isaiah 54:11.

"Every several gate was of one pearl." (21:21) - "Each gate was made from one pearl." To learn who may enter these gates, see verse 22:14.

"Transparent glass." (21:21) - "Clear glass."

New Living Translation

Revelation 21:9-21

9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10 So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

11 It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone-like jasper as clear as crystal.

12 The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates.

13 There were three gates on each side-east, north, south, and west.

14 The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.

16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.

17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel).

18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,

20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

21 The twelve gates were made of pearls-each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

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 did John mean when he said he was in the spirit? (21:10)

The more time you spend with your Bible, the more it opens up.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. "John uses this phrase ("in the spirit") to underscore that the source of his vision was God. It came out of a supernatural encounter far beyond the typical indwelling of the Spirit in a believer's life. John was transported into a special, heightened spiritual experience."

(The "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 1778)

Application thought for the day:

What does this lesson tell us about heaven?
What can you do to guarantee your place in heaven?

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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