B. “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.”
1. The new Jerusalem
“Coming down out of heaven” defines her place of origin. There is no question of the identity of the new Jerusalem because Hebrews 12:22-23 tells us, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect.”
2. The bride
The focus here seems to be on the adornment of the bride. How has the bride made herself ready? She has been “faithful until death,” She has “remembered her first love.” She has “held fast.” She has “not soiled her garments.” And now, she will “walk with Me in white (traditional bridal attire).” She has kept her marriage covenant with the Lord.
C. God has fulfilled his covenant to Abraham. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.” Genesis 17:7.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men (The dwelling place of God, the Church), and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them (God has fulfilled his covenant.), and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Back to Isaiah 65:19 – These things represent a time of judgment, punishment, and bondage). And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘It is done.’”
D. The covenant of blessing and cursing, 6-8
1. Blessing
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”
a. Blessing is granted only to those who overcome.
b. The living water.
What is this living water? The intent of this expression is clearly a metaphor for eternal life. This expression comes out of Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters....” Also, 17:13, “O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord.”
Jesus used this expression in 7:38. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”
Although this is not a direct quote from the Old Testament, this idea is seen in many OT passages such as we saw in Jeremiah 2. The closest OT passage that seems to satisfy this particular statement is Isaiah 58:11, “And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”
Revelation 7:17; “for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
2. Cursing
“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Cursing is extended to the remainder of humanity. This list reveals several things.
a. The catalogue of offenders
(All definitions taken from a summary of Strong's, NASEC, and Thayer.)
The cowardly
Δειλοῖς – from δεος meaning dread, timid. In other words, those who are faithless, fearful, afraid, cowardly. This would describe those of the Body who failed to overcome.
The unbelieving
Ἀπίστοις – The unbelieving, those without faith, a heathen; (passively), an untrustworthy person, one that believes not, the faithless, the infidel, the unbeliever.
The abominable
Ἐβδελυγμένοις – from a (presumed) derivative of βδέω (to stink); to be disgusted. In other words, (by implication) detest (especially of idolatry) – abhor, abominable. Thus, these would be those who have become a stench in the nostrils of the Lord.
Murderers
Φονεῦσιν – a murderer (always of criminal, or at least intentional homicide). These are those who seek to shed innocent blood.
The immoral
Πόρνοις – From pernemi (to sell; akin to the base of πιπράσκω); a (male) prostitute (as venal), i.e. (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine) -- fornicator, whoremonger. This really describes any type of sexually immoral perversion.
Sorcerers
Φαρμάκοις – Properly used of people using drugs and "religious incantations" to drug people into living by their illusions – like having magical (supernatural) powers to manipulate God into giving them more temporal possessions. Prosperity gospel?
Idolaters
Εἰδωλολάτραις – Those who worship false gods (those who devote themselves to other things to the exclusion of God).
ALL liars
Πᾶσιν τοῖς ψευδέσιν – Those who are false, deceitful, lying, or untrue. How does one determine who is immoral and detestable? There must be a fixed standard of measurement and that measurement is the revealed word of God. These are measured against what is written in the books
(See Strong’s for all the above definitions.)
b. What this book tells is that good and evil are clearly defined.
That there is a revealed standard of right and wrong.
That ALL men will be held accountable to that standard.
All behavior has eternal consequences from which there is no appeal, no clemency, no leniency, and no mercy.
The sentencing represents finality. This is the second death. Only two types of death are presented in scripture, physical death and spiritual death. Physical death will be overturned in the final resurrection. The only place spiritual death is overturned is in baptism as is described by the apostle Paul in Romans 6. Sin will either be judged in baptism or it will be judged in the final resurrection. This judgment is eternal death.
remnant of all the nations of Israel is represented here, Romans 11:25-26.); its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.” In other words, there is no difference in the standard of measurement between that of man and that of the angels.
1. The new Jerusalem
“Coming down out of heaven” defines her place of origin. There is no question of the identity of the new Jerusalem because Hebrews 12:22-23 tells us, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect.”
2. The bride
The focus here seems to be on the adornment of the bride. How has the bride made herself ready? She has been “faithful until death,” She has “remembered her first love.” She has “held fast.” She has “not soiled her garments.” And now, she will “walk with Me in white (traditional bridal attire).” She has kept her marriage covenant with the Lord.
C. God has fulfilled his covenant to Abraham. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.” Genesis 17:7.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men (The dwelling place of God, the Church), and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them (God has fulfilled his covenant.), and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Back to Isaiah 65:19 – These things represent a time of judgment, punishment, and bondage). And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘It is done.’”
D. The covenant of blessing and cursing, 6-8
1. Blessing
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”
a. Blessing is granted only to those who overcome.
b. The living water.
What is this living water? The intent of this expression is clearly a metaphor for eternal life. This expression comes out of Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters....” Also, 17:13, “O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord.”
Jesus used this expression in 7:38. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”
Although this is not a direct quote from the Old Testament, this idea is seen in many OT passages such as we saw in Jeremiah 2. The closest OT passage that seems to satisfy this particular statement is Isaiah 58:11, “And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”
Revelation 7:17; “for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
2. Cursing
“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Cursing is extended to the remainder of humanity. This list reveals several things.
a. The catalogue of offenders
(All definitions taken from a summary of Strong's, NASEC, and Thayer.)
The cowardly
Δειλοῖς – from δεος meaning dread, timid. In other words, those who are faithless, fearful, afraid, cowardly. This would describe those of the Body who failed to overcome.
The unbelieving
Ἀπίστοις – The unbelieving, those without faith, a heathen; (passively), an untrustworthy person, one that believes not, the faithless, the infidel, the unbeliever.
The abominable
Ἐβδελυγμένοις – from a (presumed) derivative of βδέω (to stink); to be disgusted. In other words, (by implication) detest (especially of idolatry) – abhor, abominable. Thus, these would be those who have become a stench in the nostrils of the Lord.
Murderers
Φονεῦσιν – a murderer (always of criminal, or at least intentional homicide). These are those who seek to shed innocent blood.
The immoral
Πόρνοις – From pernemi (to sell; akin to the base of πιπράσκω); a (male) prostitute (as venal), i.e. (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine) -- fornicator, whoremonger. This really describes any type of sexually immoral perversion.
Sorcerers
Φαρμάκοις – Properly used of people using drugs and "religious incantations" to drug people into living by their illusions – like having magical (supernatural) powers to manipulate God into giving them more temporal possessions. Prosperity gospel?
Idolaters
Εἰδωλολάτραις – Those who worship false gods (those who devote themselves to other things to the exclusion of God).
ALL liars
Πᾶσιν τοῖς ψευδέσιν – Those who are false, deceitful, lying, or untrue. How does one determine who is immoral and detestable? There must be a fixed standard of measurement and that measurement is the revealed word of God. These are measured against what is written in the books
(See Strong’s for all the above definitions.)
b. What this book tells is that good and evil are clearly defined.
That there is a revealed standard of right and wrong.
That ALL men will be held accountable to that standard.
All behavior has eternal consequences from which there is no appeal, no clemency, no leniency, and no mercy.
The sentencing represents finality. This is the second death. Only two types of death are presented in scripture, physical death and spiritual death. Physical death will be overturned in the final resurrection. The only place spiritual death is overturned is in baptism as is described by the apostle Paul in Romans 6. Sin will either be judged in baptism or it will be judged in the final resurrection. This judgment is eternal death.
remnant of all the nations of Israel is represented here, Romans 11:25-26.); its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.” In other words, there is no difference in the standard of measurement between that of man and that of the angels.