New heaven and earth and Jerusalem

Following the completion of the final judgments being implemented as recorded in Revelation chapter 20, John next records information regarding the new heaven and the new earth – together (refer to Revelation 21:1 – 22:5).

Revelation 21:1-4:

^21:1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth went-away, and the sea yet is not.

^.2And I saw the city, the holy (city) - new Jerusalem - descending out-from heaven from God, having been prepared² as a bride having been orderly-arranged² for her adult-male. ^.3And I heard a great sound out-from the throne saying, "Look!, the tent of God (will be) with the men, and He will tent with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them - their God, ^.4and He will wipe-out every tear from their eyes, and the death yet will not be, neither mourning nor crying-out nor pain yet will not be - because the first-things went-away."

John writes: And I perceived (knew with my mind)...

·         a new heaven and a new earth (the heaven and earth referred to here will be newly-made and different compared to the old heaven and earth previously in existence, new in comparison to what existed previously, new replacing the former heaven and earth),

o    for the first heaven and the first earth went away (the first of two referenced in this context – the first/former heaven and earth are those in existence today),

o    and the sea is not still on earth where it was before (the sea is no longer, it is not there anymore).

And I perceived (knew with my mind)...

·         the city (the fortified, walled town),

o    emphatically and specifically the holy city (this city is sanctified, set-apart from the state of being common, defiled or unclean against God, the city that corresponds to the essence of God which is holiness - He is the standard of being holy) -

§  new Jerusalem (not the city that was previously on earth which exists during the 1,000 years referred to in Revelation 20:4-6 – but this is referring to the Jerusalem which will be newly-made and different compared to the old Jerusalem previously in existence, new in comparison to what existed previously, new replacing the former Jerusalem) -

·         descending (moving downwards, coming down)

o    out-from heaven (from the sky above)

o    from God,

·         having been prepared and she continues prepared (made ready; refer to Revelation 19:7-9)

o    as a bride (an unmarried woman about to get married; refer to Revelation 19:7)

o    having been orderly-arranged and continuing orderly-arranged (ornamented, adorned)

§  for her adult-male (the grown-man to whom she is promised, the bridegroom who will be her husband after the marriage).

And I heard a great sound (a large voice or uttered-tone, loudly) originating from the throne (the high seat designated for a king and so it would include all the regal authority associated with that position - referring here to God's throne - emphasizing His royalty) saying...

·         "Look (behold, see, pay attention - calling attention to what is being spoken)!,

·         the tent of God (God's covering or sheltering structure)

·         will be in company and association with the men (human-beings, mankind),

o    and He will tent with them (God will pitch or spread His tent, tabernacle with mankind; the context indicates that this will be a permanent dwelling place in a covered sheltered structure and not a temporary dwelling as previously; refer to Revelation 7:15 and 15:5),

·         and emphatically they will be His people (in Greek there is a definite word for “they” plus the verb meaning “they will be” giving emphasis – they themselves will be God's people; the word “people” is a singular noun laos meaning: a mass or group of people collectively as one unit, one united assembly [some Greek texts have the plural form "peoples"]),

o    and God Himself will be in company and association with them -

§  their God (the God of them [some Greek texts omit this phrase "their God"]),

·         and He will wipe-out (erase, blot-out, smear and completely obliterate)

o    all/every tear from their eyes (refer to Revelation 7:17),

·         and the death (the end of life, the point of dying, being without life; "the death" refers to lacking God's life which is holy spirit-life – here referring to the cause with its effect on people which had previously resulted in their death)

o    will not still be (the death will no longer be in existence, it will not be there anymore; refer to Revelation 20:14),

·         neither mourning (lamentation)

·         nor crying-out (outcry, shouting, wailing in pain or grief)

·         nor pain (by reason of their labor or stress resulting in pain)

o    will not still be (these will no longer be in existence, they will not be there anymore) -

§  because the first-things went-away (the things pertaining to the former or previous age have gone away)."

Notes:

In verse 1 above, the heaven and the earth which will go away at that future time refers to those currently in existence:

·         First/old heavens and earth – Genesis 1:1 to Genesis chapters 7 and 8 (refer to II Peter 3:5 and 6).

·         Second/current heavens and earth – Genesis 8 to the end of Revelation 20 (refer to II Peter 3:7-10).

·         Third/future heavens and earth – Revelation 21:1 onwards (refer to II Corinthians 12:2-4 and II Peter 3:13).

In verse 2 above, the root of the Greek verb translated as “orderly-arranged” is the same as the noun usually translated “world (kosmos)” which is the ordered arrangement that God created, the universe – arranged as an ornament, adornment, cosmetic.

[Reference: Genesis 3:16-19; Isaiah 25:8, 51:6, 65:17-19, 66:22; Ezekiel 37:27; Zechariah 8:8; Matthew 5:18, 24:34 and 35; Romans 8:19-22; II Corinthians 5:16 and 17, 6:16, 12:2-4, 15:26; Galatians 4:25 and 26; Hebrews 5:7, 8:1, 2 and 10-12, 9:11-15, 11:10 and 16, 12:22-29; II Peter 3:7-13; Revelation 3:12, 7:15-17, 13:6, 15:5-8, 16:10, 11 and 17, 19:7-9, 20:11 and 14, 22:3.]