Revelation 21:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

NIV: I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

NASB: And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

CSB: I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

NLT: And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

KJV: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

NKJV: Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

John beheld the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from heaven from God. Human beings have not been able to build a perfect city, but God is the builder of a city that is perfect. It descends from Him and is holy. Cities today are notorious for crimes committed in them, but God's city contains no crimes. It is holy as God is holy. The New Jerusalem is a real city, not simply a symbol. It is the eternal home of the bride. All God's saints will live there eternally. Hebrews 12:22–24 lists its residents as innumerable angels, the assembly of the firstborn, likely meaning church saints, God, the spirits of the righteous likely meaning Old Testament believers, and Jesus.

The New Jerusalem is a beautiful place. John saw it as "a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2). A bride prepares meticulously to look her best for her wedding day, so this implies God plans to present the New Jerusalem as an exceptionally beautiful, carefully arranged city.

Revelation 21:1–8 continues the progression of events which came after the end of the tribulation: Christ's return to earth (Revelation 19:11–16), the defeat and destruction of those who war against Christ (Revelation 19:17–21), the incarceration of Satan (Revelation 20:1–3), the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:4–6), the release of Satan and the nations' final revolt against God (Revelation 20:7–10), and the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11–15). Here we see the creation of the new heaven and the new earth. Upcoming verses describe the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9–27).

This chapter focuses on the New Jerusalem. This is not the earthly, historic Jerusalem of the tribulation (Revelation 11:2, 8). Nor is it the surviving Jerusalem of the millennium that serves as Jesus' capital (Revelation 20:9). It is the heavenly city referred to in Hebrews 12:22, whose designer and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10, 16). John attempts to describe the indescribable using analogies to precious gems and metals.

Leading up to this chapter, all sin and evil have been entirely defeated. Satan is banished to hell, along with every person who rejected Christ, as seen in chapter 20. Here, John describes the nature of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city which descends onto earth after the ultimate victory over evil. Chapter 22 is a further description of this perfect eternity, and last messages from Jesus to those who read John's words.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''

Accessed 4/29/2024 4:24:23 AM