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Verse 1 – New heaven
Heaven here could refer to the sky. The idea is that the earth and sky will be new, or the earth and its atmosphere.
The sky will, indeed, be made new. However, heaven as we know it will also be new. How do we know that?
We know that heaven as we know it will be new because the dwelling of God will come down to the earth to be with humanity. That is not how we know heaven now.
Heaven is separate from earth now, but it will be with earth then.
So, even though heaven will not be destroyed and made new, it will be experienced in a whole new way.
Verse 1 – The sea was no more
Most of our earth is water, but we’re told that in the new earth, the sea will be no more.
The sea sometimes has negative connotations in the Bible. Indeed, it was the place from where the antichrist came.
Revelation 13:1 – “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names.”
So, there is a strong case to be made that there will be no ocean in the new heaven and new earth.
Verse 3 – Humanity
Of course, this is redeemed humanity, which is the only humanity left at this point.
Verse 4 – Death will be no more
Remember, in Chapter 20, we learned that death and hades were thrown into the lake of fire.
This verse is a reminder of what we have already learned.
Verse 6 – Alpha and Omega
Alpha and Omega are the first and last Greek letters, indicating first and last to the reader.
Verse 7 – Son
Son, here, likely does not refer to Jesus but to the children of God. Even though heaven is filled with men and women, and we are one in Christ, in ancient times, the son is the one who received the inheritance.
So, those who conquer (through Jesus) will receive inheritance as “sons.”
Verse 8 – Second death
We heard about the second death in Chapter 20. This moment speaks to when sinners will be raised to new life, then sent to judgment for their sins.
Verse 12-13 – Gates
Ezekiel 48:31-32 mentions gates with names of Israel’s sons on them, yet some of the other lists of Israel’s sons in connection with end times do not include Dan.
There’s a bit of confusion about which names will be listed, though we can simply look at the gates once we get there.
Verse 14 – The apostles
Also, which names of the apostles will be written on the foundations?
Surely Judas is not included. Will the twelfth be Matthias or Paul? We don’t know for sure.
Many believe that Paul was, indeed, an apostle but not one of the twelve.
Verse 16 – 12,000 stadia
The natural reading of the text suggests that each side was 12,000 stadia.
The length and width are the same. So, the natural question is, what are the length and the width? The answer that is seemingly given is 12,000 stadia.
As a reminder, 12,000 stadia is roughly 1,400 miles, which is the distance from here to Wichita, Kansas.
If 12,000 stadia is the total perimeter (rather than each side), then each side is 3,000 stadia, which is about 350 miles (or from here to Perry, Georgia).
If 1,400 miles is the length of each side, then the square area is 1,960,000 square miles, which is somewhere between the size of India and Australia.
Verse 17 – Main street
Though we often speak of “streets of gold,” what is mentioned here is one singular street: the main street or even a public square of sorts.
As a reminder, this gold is transparent, indicating it’s a different type of gold than that to which we are accustomed.
Verse 23 – The glory of God illuminates it
There are multiple examples of God’s glory providing light in the Bible:
Exodus 34 – Moses’ face shone with light after an encounter with God.
Exodus 40 – God’s dwelling glory in the tabernacle filled it with light.
Matthew 17 – Jesus’ face shone at His transfiguration.
Acts 9 – A bright light came from heaven at Paul’s conversion.
Exodus 24 – God’s glory like a consuming fire.
Verse 27 – Nothing unclean
This verse does not suggest that anything unclean is outside the city or could potentially enter the holy city.
Rather, the wording is a reminder that everything will be good and holy forever.
Verse 27 – Lamb’s Book of Life
Bible Knowledge Commentary – It is interesting that in the six references to the book of life in Revelation, only this one calls it “the Lamb’s.”
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