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.

Study Tip:

Revelation is a complex and controversial book 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 "Margin Notes" and click on the links.

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The King James Bible

Revelation 21:9-21
New Jerusalem

9And 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.

10And 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,

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

12And 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:

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

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

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

16And 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.

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

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

19And 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;

20The 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.

21And 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 these seven angels with the seven plagues 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 heavens glory (Zechariah 2:5).

"Twelve." (21:12) - The number twelve represents completeness. Remember, there are twelve tribes of Israel, twelve apostles, twelve angels (21:12), twelve gates to New Jerusalem, twelve foundations to the city (21:14), twelve different fruits growing 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 know the name of each gate read Ezekiel 48:31-34.

"He that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city." (21:15) - Just as in Ezekiel's vision sin hundred years earlier (Ezekiel 40:3).

"The city lieth foursquare." (21:16) - Means, each side (length, width and height) of New Jerusalem are the same measurement.

"Twelve thousand furlongs." (21:16) - Each side is over 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) - The city of New Jerusalem is cube shaped with each side and height being approximately 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). In the future, God will dwell with his people in the cube shaped New Jerusalem.

"An hundred and forty and four cubits." (21:17) - Approximately 216 feet.

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

"Every several gate was of one pearl." (21:21) - "Each gate was made from one pearl." 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."

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

Application thought for the day:

What does this lesson teach us about heaven?
What can you do to secure 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 Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; 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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