John has not been literally carried anywhere. Being carried in the Spirit reminds us that John continues a visionary sequence (Revelation 1:10 4:2). The angel carries John away in the Spirit to show him the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. The writer of Hebrews spoke the same of new Jerusalem.īut you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. The apostle Paul described the Jerusalem that is from above as the children of promise, the people of God (Galatians 4:21-31). Notice the other New Testament authors who make the same connection. The city, new Jerusalem, represents the people of God. The description the angel gives is not a description of a literal new city to be built in Palestine. Christ is the husband, the groom and the church, the people of God, are the wife, the bride. Paul makes the same connection, describing how husbands love their wives as how Christ loves the church. The bride is defined for us as the saints, God’s holy people, and the fine linen the bride is wearing represents the righteous deeds of the saints. Revelation 19:7-8 told us that the marriage of the Lamb has come and the bride is ready. We already know from the scriptures what is going to be described to us. The angel tells John that he is going show him the bride, the wife of the Lamb. Revelation 21:9 John sees one of the seven angels who had poured out one of the bowls of wrath. Now we are at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). This world, with all its evil, pain, and difficulties, has passed away. Passages like Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, and 2 Peter 3:11-13 confirm our understanding of the new heaven and new earth as the time when righteousness rules. These former things have passed away with the present heaven and present earth. When Christ returns there will be no more mourning, no crying, no pain, and no grief. Then we will find comfort in the arms of the Lord who wipes away our tears that we have from living in this present heaven and present earth. Then we will be able to receive all the eternal rewards and blessings promised to the faithful. When Christ returns then we will be able to fully be with God. Revelation 21:1-8 teaches the new heaven and new earth are relational images. The new heaven and new earth are not geographic concepts suggesting that we will still live on the earth after Christ returns. We noticed that the new heaven and new earth are symbolic images just like the rest of the book.
The first eight verses of chapter 21 described the new heaven and the new earth.
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