Murderers are those Not the same word as that applied to Simon and Bar-jesus in the Acts, but cognate with that used above, Revelation 9:21, and rendered witchcrafts in Galatians 5:20. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, beholding the beast that he was, and is not, and shall be present." Alpha ( G1) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and omega ( G5598) the last. The millennial nations, "the number of whom is as the sand of the sea," fall a prey to Satan. Here in this world and amidst the things of time our realisation of the presence of God is spasmodic; but in heaven we will be permanently aware of that presence. I have already touched on the double force of the symbol mountains. These compose the third class here spoken of. 20, Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. "Come ye blessed of the Father inherit," Jesus said, "the things that were prepared for you from the foundations of the earth"( Matthew 25:34 ). Line-By-Line Order: Verse-Reference. Separate Line. It is also clearly a personal reward to those who had suffered. First, it was made to Abraham. , . Reference-Verse. In his synagogue form of prayer the Jew still prays: And to Jerusalem thy city return with compassion, and dwell, therein as thou hast promised; and rebuild her speedily in our, days, a structure everlasting; and the throne of David speedily, establish there. To the woman at the well He said, "If you drink of this water, you will thirst again, if you drink of the water that I give you will never thirst again"( John 4:13-14 ). Therefore says the angel, "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, that hath* the seven heads and the ten horns. , . THE GLORY AND THE SHAME ( Revelation 21:7-8 ), 21:7-8 "He who overcomes will enter into possession of these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. Yet one allows freely a partial application already. First, "I saw thrones, and they sat upon them." Some things which seem unbearable are seen to be a path to glory when seen in the light of God. There was judicial discernment with the distinct possession of all titles to sovereignty. Again John is hearing the voice that the great prophets had heard, "I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no God" ( Isaiah 44:6). I do not doubt that there was a corrupt form in connection with Israel in times past. What would be the meaning, if so read? It is not therefore his final judgment. All these things have their place in Babylon the great. The ten horns with the beast are all to receive authority the beast of course wielding the imperial power, they as kings, all during one and the same time before the end comes. But he ought to have withstood it I do not mean in vengeance (for that belongs to the Lord), but as holily hating the sin itself, yet withal in the deepest compassion for his parent. The twelve apostles of the Lamb will accordingly have their own special place. 15. and others give , "of her." ON THE REVELATION "A TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST" by Tony Garland Description - Garland's work is one of the best commentaries available on the book of the Revelation. The holy city is inhabited by thousands and thousands of the saints of God, and it may well be that it is the light of these saintly lives which gives it this glittering glow. "They shall obtain joy and gladness," said Isaiah of the pilgrims of the heavenly way, "and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" ( Isaiah 35:10). 1 A New World The vision pictures a new heavens and a new earth with a new Jerusalem. But the day is coming when Satan will be allowed to have things his own way. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for night shall not be there. There is no doubt that Rome in some form is the woman described in the chapter: the seven heads or hills clearly point to that city, which of all cities might best and indeed alone be known as ruling over the kings of the earth. All and each of these. This disposes of many a web of comments; for we find at once what is perfectly simple, what any child of God who believes this to be the word of God must own. All nations shall be gathered to Jerusalem, and shall recognize it as the throne of the Lord, and will no more stubbornly follow their evil heart ( Jeremiah 3:17). And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations unto it. They thirst after a state of sinless perfection and the uninterrupted enjoyment of God, and God has wrought in them these longing desires, which cannot be satisfied with any thing else, and therefore would be the torment of the soul if they were disappointed but it would be inconsistent with the goodness of God, and his love to his people, to create in them holy and heavenly desires, and then deny them their proper satisfaction; and therefore they may be assured that, when they have overcome their present difficulties, he will give them of the fountain of the water of life freely. And now the eternal state comes into view. As long as Rome was pagan, there was neither the full bearing of the seven heads, nor did so much as one of the ten horns exist. The length, breadth and height were the same. It is often said that the Jews looked for nothing but the destruction of the Gentiles. That, too, had been the dream of the ancient prophets. Directly he had sinned, the word of God came, and he was called. It is not the gospel, nor the Holy Spirit, but the lawless revived Latin empire with its vassal kingdoms of the west, that combine and destroy Babylon. (2.) as the Complut. Whether it were the Old Testament saints and the church, or the Apocalyptic saints, if I may so distinguish them, it was in an instant that each were raised, but there was some space between them. One of the great contributions to the world's philosophical thought was Plato's doctrine of ideas or forms. Thus nothing can be simpler or more beautiful than the way in which this verse sums up the Revelation as a whole. The abominable are those who practice abominationsthat is, the blasphemous and licentious practices associated with idolatry. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. Now, these are the angels that had those seven final vials. Line-By-Line Order: Verse-Reference. The wall of Babylon was 300 feet high, and the walls of the porch of Solomon's temple were 180 feet high. Beloved now are we the sons of God. And the devil that deceiveth them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet [are], and they shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages.". WebFor the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 3. 10. VI. How this precisely fits in, let me say, with the state of feeling in these modern times; for "constitutionalism," as men call it, is the fruit of the Teutonic system supervening on that of the broken up Roman empire. No one can say for certain what much of the symbolism of this chapter stands for. The vision in Tobit is: A bright light shall shine unto all the ends of the earth; Many nations shall come from afar, And the inhabitants of the utmost ends of the earth unto thy holy. (2) THE NEW JERUSALEM ( Revelation 21:2 continued). That could be the picture here. In the first eight verses of Revelation 21:1-27we have the new heaven and the new earth, but besides, awful to say, the lake of fire. Indeed it must be so, because, as we read in the end of the last chapter, there the lost were cast. Pat Higgins To learn more, see: WebGreek Reverse Interlinear Layout for Revelation 8:1. In Jewish dreams the end of the sea is the end of a force hostile to God and to man. Are we then to understand that the elders and the living creatures are together taken absolutely as the bride now? It is Israel's task "to gather the righteous from among the Gentiles" (Testament of Naphtali 8:3, 4). "Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book." That city will be a constant remembrancer of those who went before restored Israel here below, as undoubtedly it will be used for their blessing during the millennium, but not for theirs only. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates consisted of a single pearl. They are glorified saints, and not angels. And the gates of Jerusalem shall utter hymns of gladness. WebVerse Revelation 21:8. The Jews a speak of several distinct places in hell, for several sorts of sinners, as particularly for sabbath breakers, adulterers, and liars; and say of the wicked, that when he is condemned he shall take , "his part" in hell b; Revelation 9:20- : which is the second death; Revelation 9:20- :. They stand in contrast with those who overcome, Revelation 21:7. It could be a yellow beryl or a gold-coloured jasper. The voice is that of one of the Angels of the Presence. But in this is shown what it is of importance to see the true nature of the kingdom or millennial reign. Reuchlin. I say not on but over the earth. The first foundation was jasper; the second was sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 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. "They have one mind, and give their own power and authority to the beast." He was filled with astonishment that this mysterious form of evil, this counter-testimony of the enemy (not antichrist, but antichurch), should seem and be largely accepted as the holy catholic church of God, that Christendom, if not Christianity, should at the same time become the bitterest of persecutors, more murderously incensed against the witnesses of Jesus and the saints of God than ever paganism had been in any country or all ages. And whoremongers - See the notes on Galatians 5:19. If there was any Gentile power since John's day, which did not sustain but persecute and suppress Jerusalem, it was Rome, instead of being a gaudy harlot mounted on that vast empire. This, then, means that God is to make his tabernacle with men for ever, to give his presence to men for ever. The emerald was the modern emerald, which Pliny describes as the greenest of all green stones. Thus, whether the books or the book be examined, all conspire to declare the justice, the solemn but most affecting righteousness, of God's final irrevocable sentence. It is no longer a question either of celebrating the ways and counsels of God, or of the war with the beast and king. I go to prepare a place for you. It is matter of wonder that a holy God should ever dwell with any of the children of men. "I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth" ( Psalms 89:27). A sweet strain shall they utter from their mouths in hymns. (ii) There are two words totally different in meaning but similar in sound which in early Christian thought became closely connected. These gates could stand for the way into the holy city of those who have come to Christ through their emotions, whose love ran over at the sight of the cross. Here it is the positive worship of the creature besides the Creator, yea, and notoriously more than He. Separate Line. Besides the bride thus arrayed, "He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb." If alive before the thousand years, he will live after the thousand years; in fact, literally he will never die, though I do not doubt, on general principles, that the saints of the millennial earth will be changed at the very time when the heavens and earth disappear. If that be so, John gives the signs of the Zodiac in precisely the reverse order! It is very evident, therefore, that the saints in a glorified state are here represented as following the Lord out of heaven. All these shall have their portion, , their share, what belongs to them, their right, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. But the fearful Those who, for fear of losing life or their property, either refused to receive the Christian religion, though convinced of its truth and But it really is. Not so. There is no comparison between the height of the wall and the size of the city. There Paul says of the Christians at Philippi: "You shine as lights in the world." . We shall find, on the contrary, its aspect is toward the universe, yet is there the special place of Israel; and quite right it is that it should be so. WebAnd the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. "And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. In fact, he makes it clear that the future state of things is vastly different from the present. New Testament, Vol. It is all ours to enjoy to the fullest with Him. It is simply said that the glorified are to follow the Lord in victorious power, and nothing more, "clothed in fine linen, white, pure." 21:8 Greek NT: Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550 , Revelation 21:8 Hebrew Bible , Revelation 21:8 Aramaic NT: Peshitta , Deuteronomy 20:8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall , Judges 7:3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, , Isaiah 51:12 I, even I, am he that comforts you: who are you, that you should , Isaiah 57:11 And of whom have you been afraid or feared, that you have lied, and , Matthew 8:26 And he said to them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? "Upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth.". You need no meeting place where you go to meet God. (i) Skene ( G4633) is the word used for the Tabernacle. Separate Line. And let us all ponder the law of the. In this way there never has been anything of the kind before. But, Rev. Capnionis, which was used by Erasmus, and lately discovered after a long obscurity by Dr. Delitzsch, reads (not ) . He taught that in the invisible world there existed the perfect form or idea of everything upon earth, and that all things on earth were imperfect copies of the heavenly realities. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gates was one pearl [or one huge pearl at each gate]: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass ( Revelation 21:18-21 ). Without price I will give to the thirsty of the fountain of the water of life.". "And his name is called The Word of God." Everything that belongs to the body of Christ is unearthly and unworldly. The simple fact of conquering far and wide, and of exercising vast political power in the earth, does not constitute any title to such a name. And he measured its wall, 17 and the measurement was one hundred and forty-four cubits, by the measurement of a man, that is, of an angel. The sardonyx was an onyx in which the white was broken by layers of red and brown; it was specially used for cameos. It sounds like a dream, doesn't it? But "nations of them which are saved," is a most anomalous expression, and betrays man as the author of it. But as for the cowards, the unbelieving, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all the liars--their part is in the lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.". He with the glorified saints will have their home on high, but none the less shall they reign over this very world for the allotted time. John goes on to speak of the twelve foundations of the city. "Yet is" is a most unfortunate expression. It is the way to all, if it be not the actual entrance into and enjoyment of it. These would appear to be (save Judas Iscariot, of course) the twelve apostles that were peculiarly associated with Christ in His suffering path on the earth. But no believer comes into judgment. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. The only right principle in everything is to go to the source of divine truth, and to seek there refreshment and strength and fitness for whatever our God calls us to. Clearly, therefore, it is future. *Most copies, it would seem, read , "of the earth;" the Alex. Its gates will never be shut by day, 26 for, as for night, there will be no night there. Little do they know, because they believe not what is here written, that it is about to come out of the abyss or bottomless pit. We can understand a remnant saved out of one or more nations; but who ever heard of "nations of them which are saved"? But the fearful Those who, for fear of losing life or their property, either refused to receive the Christian religion, though convinced of its truth and importance; or, having received it, in times of persecution fell away, not being willing to risk their lives. But along with that God warns of her ruin, and calls on His people (verse 4) to come out of her. Those who dwell in this new world live a completely new and blessed life eternal life. Now, this new earth will be orbited by the New Jerusalem. The living creatures are, from Revelation 5:1-14 coupled with the elders, as we find them in the beginning of Revelation 19:1-21. They are not seen here as the bride. When the apostle Paul wrote to the, saints at Rome, he particularly specified at that very time the duty of absolute subjection on the part of Christians to the powers which then were. The woman was there seen sitting on a scarlet-coloured beast, i.e., the well-known imperial power of the Roman Empire, "full of [the] names of blasphemy" in its wicked opposition to God, and clothed with the forms we have already seen "seven heads and ten horns." That is, Babylon is viewed in this chapter not so much in her mysterious and religious form, giving currency to every kind of confusion of truth and error, of good and evil, intoxicating, corrupting, and seducing, as all can see, through her wickedly religious influence; but she is viewed here as the most conspicuous aider and abettor of the world in its luxuries and delights and the pride of life, of what men call "civilization." Verse Only. Mark 4:40 Adj-NMPGRK: NAS: to them, Why are you afraid? The normal Greek word for "light" is phos ( G5457) , and phoster ( G5458) is normally the word used for the lights of heaven, the sun, the moon and the stars, for instance, in the Creation story ( Genesis 1:14). The fact is, in the very best authorities it does not exist at all. Thus it would include those who live in open sin; who practice detestable vices; whose conduct is suited to excite disgust and abhorrence. What John meant to symbolize by this arrangement other than the catholicity of the Church we do not know. Separate Line. ", 2. Unbelief is never a consequence of knowledge, education, intelligence, or "honesty." We have not to learn what the other mystery means; we know well that it is according to God and godliness. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. We must perforce therefore look for a still more complete development before the Lamb judges the beast after the ten horns along with it shall have destroyed Babylon. "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress" ( Isaiah 65:19). Separate Line. It will be better to read the description of the city of God as a whole before we deal with it in detail. The heavenly city, which is the full expression of blessedness on high, has no temple because it is all a temple. The Ascension of Moses (10: 6) says that the sea will return into the abyss. God is just going to excise from our brain all those DNA molecules that hold those memory stores and banks and it will be gone, not be remembered or brought into mind. John may simply have used the breast-plate as his model. The Spirit of God regards it in its final shape and completeness, as far as it was permitted to attain it, "The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls." Between the twelve gates there were twelve spaces, and the idea is that between these spaces there was one vast foundation stone. The bride is in view. It was but an imperfect view they got even of justification; a far scantier perception, if they could be said to have had any, about Christ's Headship of the church, His priesthood, or almost anything else. All God's greatness is at the disposal of man. 1:8 (NA27): 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the graphic account does not end until the Spirit of God shows us another view of Babylon altogether. They were caught in flagrant treason and rebellion: what further need of any process of judgment whatsoever? In 2Baruch it is said that God made the heavenly Jerusalem before he made Paradise, that Adam saw it before he sinned, that it was shown in a vision to Abraham, that Moses saw it on Mount Sinai, and that it is now present with God ( Bar_4:2-6 ). Had those who preached said nothing about heathen vanities, had they merely presented the gospel as a better thing than anything the pagans could boast, I do not doubt that the pagans themselves would have acknowledged thus much. "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city." WebThe book ends with a vision of faithful souls in the next life rejoicing around the throne of God. 21:8 Greek NT: Tischendorf 8th Edition . The word for gate is interesting. This also is a no less important element for understanding the chapter. He will not fail to take up the gage He has given our hearts. To the Greeks we owe theology. Chapter 21 THE NEW CREATION (Revelation 21:1) 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had gone; and the sea was no more. John has seen the doom of the wicked, and now he sees the bliss of the blessed. The dream of a new heaven and a new earth was deep in Jewish thought. Thus the difference is complete between past history (if we look at the extinction of the empire and the rise of the ten kingdoms) and the certain fulfilment of the prophecy in the future, when we look at what God has really told us. What, then, is the symbolism? , . "And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is near." The chalcedony was a green silicate of copper, found in mines near Chalcedon. WebGreek Reverse Interlinear Layout for Revelation 8:6. I speak not of anything that might be deemed exceptional or peculiar, but of two acts of raising saints. We may and ought to take God's promise as present payment; if he has said that he makes all things new, it is done. Everything that could attract the natural man was there; and all that which to him looks fair enough on the side of religion. * Idolatry is the awful stamp that she bears, and this too both in what she gives to man, and in what is written on her forehead before God. The most staggering use of precious stones in this picture is that the gates of the city of God each consist of one vast pearl. She does not, it is true, say, "Come quickly." I think, therefore, that the elders and the living creatures comprehend both the Old Testament saints and the church, the bride of Christ, that consequently, when the bride is mentioned, there were these others who had been included in the elders and the living creatures, but who are now seen as a separate body. This remains true. We. Or does it mean that the radiance which played over all the city was like the glitter of a jasper? Then again the character of it, as derived from Christianity having already taken its place, is asserted. And as for the twelve tribes of Israel, they are merely written there, nothing more. But, further, we find that the saints who had suffered for Christ, during the time that the others were in heaven, are now reunited to their bodies and live, the Lord waiting for the last martyr that He might not leave out one of those who had died for His name. What the symbolism of that would be it is impossible to tell, unless it is John's way of saying that the city of the gods is made new in the city of God. 176-177, also in my Commentary on Matthew, pp. Such lists are probably given so that believers can identify such people and that such people should take warning and repent. It is easy to see that the new Jerusalem was a constant dream; and that John lovingly collected the differing visions--the precious stones, the streets and buildings of gold, the ever-open gates, the light of God making unnecessary the light of the sun and the moon, the coming of the nations and the bringing of their gifts--into his own. In short, it would seem that God has hedged round His own draft of Babylon so as to make it quite plain that Rome, city and system, figures in the scene; and this too necessarily involving a medieval description, though the full result will not be till the end of the age; for she rides the beast or empire characterized so as naturally to involve the past barbarian irruption and the resulting ten-kingdomed state. But it is blessed that He says, "I come quickly;" and it is only Christ who in scripture ever says so. This chapter explains how it was that Babylon was so offensive to God, and wherefore He judged her thus sternly. For in speaking matter into existence, He brought the protons and electrons and assembled them together. He is all in all. WebGreek Reverse Interlinear Layout for Revelation 5:8. WebCHAPTER 21 Revelation 21:1 . * Let us be glad and exult, and give the glory to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." In the midst of the broadway of it, and of the river, on this side and on that, [the] tree of life," bearing not merely as the original one did, but now according to the fulness of the provision of God's grace for man, for man in glory first, but for man on the earth also, but for man in glory "producing twelve fruits, in each month yielding its fruit: and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations." Not only are they supposed to be coexistent, but united in their change of feeling against Babylon. But there is a message also for others. And murderers - See the Romans 1:29 note; Galatians 5:21 note. In the city of God there will be no darkness. At the same time we are not at liberty to eliminate such a feature out of the description. It is a wholly unwarranted interpolation. cum cdd. fol. Again John may have been thinking of the vast stones in the foundations of the Jerusalem Temple.
