EXCERPT: Revelation 21 - Information from commentary

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MatthewG

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From Pages 9-10 out of 61. ebook-commentary-on-revelations-on-revelation-volumes-1-22

In Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem is pictured in much the same way as it is in Isaiah 60.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. 19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

Therefore, this “kingdom from heaven” bears a striking resem- blance to the Jewish Temple. As suggested in

Hebrews 8:5, which says,
“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”


And Psalm 78:69 also says,
“And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he
hath established forever.”


We also know that the Temple appears to be a symbolic model of heaven and earth, with the Temple's inner sanctuary being a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.


G. K. Beale writes the following concerning the fact that the Temple in Jerusalem was a symbol or model of heaven and earth

The Old Testament temple was a microcosmic model of the entire heaven and earth.

Again, one of the most explicit texts affirming this view is Psalm 78:69, which says, (again)
“And he built the sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he founded forever.”


Josephus himself understood the three-part structure of the taber- nacle to signify something interesting (which will be of interest to our flat earther fans out there) that the tripartite structure of the temple was a shadow of the earth and sea and heaven itself, saying,


“the earth = outer court, and the sea = inner court, but the third portion = the holy of holies, was reserved for God alone, because before the resurrection heaven was inaccessible to men.” (Antiquities 3.181)


The new Jerusalem is also a symbolic depiction of the kingdom of God. Indwelt with the Holy Spirit, every member of the body of Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 6:16, is said to be “a temple of the living God.” And just as the spirit of God was believed to be present in both the Holy of Holies of the Temple as well as in heaven during Old Testament history, the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, is also present in heaven as well as in the hearts of the modern church, the new Temple of God, on earth. In this way, we might wonder why John would describe “the body of Christ” as the temple of God? Here in Verse 2, John may be hinting at a possible answer.
 

MatthewG

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Two more pages and that is all I will share: From pages 21-22 : ebook-commentary-on-revelations-on-revelation-volumes-1-22 - Revelation 21.

“But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
Verse four of Revelation 21, taken as it is written, is admittedly difficult to apply to our day and age as it says,

4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
But did you catch the key phrase? Let me read it again with emphasis

4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. (To me, this suggests upon our entrance into the Heavenly realm) There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

So, what was the older order that, in this part of the Revelation, has passed away? To me, the old order was one that caused weep- ing, pain, anguish, and perhaps even gnashing of teeth. In other words, that there is “no more death” means that the physically dead in Christ are now raised to heaven immediately without having to wait for their redemption from Sheol or hell, which was called the Land of the Dead because it was a place separated from God. This would immediately be a reason for there to be an end to “death, mourning, crying or pain FOR THE OLD ORDER OF THINGS has passed away.”

Again, because we are speaking of the heavenly kingdom, I think we can surmise that John is referring to the fact that from an eternal perspective, there is no more crying or pain. This is the internal state of bliss reserved for those in a relationship with God – both here and there. Some also suggest that this passage describes Christians who went to Pella during the war and returned to Jerusalem once the pain and tears were over, but I
21

tend to see this as a reference to the faithful in Christ now since the things of the old order have passed away.

Of course, as with most things, this state was evidenced in the physical history of the Jews, who returning home mirrored that of the Jewish exiles returning home from Babylon as we read in Jere- miah 31:12
“They will sorrow no more.”

Isaiah says something similar in his description of the Hebrews re- entering the Promised Land

“They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”


Because this phraseology is used in the Old Testament to describe the return of the Jews to the Promised Land, we know that the words are symbolic and they are not literal.

As we read on through a description of this New Heaven and New Earth in the verses to follow we will also read that there are those who do evil and that there is an expectation for people to “overcome.” These things automatically prove that these descriptions are poetic and are not meant to mean actually and literally and only applicable to a heavenly realm.

Simply put, the words are describing a state of peace that has resulted in the future age resting down in the hearts of humankind because Christ has borne all the sorrows once and for all relative to the eternities.

Remember that Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would bear our sorrows, saying,
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.


If Christ has surely borne our sorrows, we surely would have had our tears dried if not literally, certainly spiritually, and relative to the eternal view. Describing the kingdom of the future age, which
 

Robert Gwin

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From Pages 9-10 out of 61. ebook-commentary-on-revelations-on-revelation-volumes-1-22

In Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem is pictured in much the same way as it is in Isaiah 60.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. 19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

Therefore, this “kingdom from heaven” bears a striking resem- blance to the Jewish Temple. As suggested in

Hebrews 8:5, which says,
“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”


And Psalm 78:69 also says,
“And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he
hath established forever.”


We also know that the Temple appears to be a symbolic model of heaven and earth, with the Temple's inner sanctuary being a copy and shadow of what is in heaven.


G. K. Beale writes the following concerning the fact that the Temple in Jerusalem was a symbol or model of heaven and earth

The Old Testament temple was a microcosmic model of the entire heaven and earth.

Again, one of the most explicit texts affirming this view is Psalm 78:69, which says, (again)
“And he built the sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he founded forever.”


Josephus himself understood the three-part structure of the taber- nacle to signify something interesting (which will be of interest to our flat earther fans out there) that the tripartite structure of the temple was a shadow of the earth and sea and heaven itself, saying,


“the earth = outer court, and the sea = inner court, but the third portion = the holy of holies, was reserved for God alone, because before the resurrection heaven was inaccessible to men.” (Antiquities 3.181)


The new Jerusalem is also a symbolic depiction of the kingdom of God. Indwelt with the Holy Spirit, every member of the body of Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 6:16, is said to be “a temple of the living God.” And just as the spirit of God was believed to be present in both the Holy of Holies of the Temple as well as in heaven during Old Testament history, the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, is also present in heaven as well as in the hearts of the modern church, the new Temple of God, on earth. In this way, we might wonder why John would describe “the body of Christ” as the temple of God? Here in Verse 2, John may be hinting at a possible answer.
Do you recognize Rev 21 refers to the earth sir? Or do you believe it is heavenly?
 

Robert Gwin

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Did you not take time to read the post, @Robert Gwin? Why do you do that so often friend?
No sir, I was just asking you a question based on your introduction. I did skim through it however, it was lengthy. Did I overlook you saying this would take place on earth Matt? If so I apologize sir, I kinda figured you might not be aware where this prophecy happens. Most don't as you would likely realize.