Revelation Chapter 21

The New Earth and Sky

            ¹ I saw a new earth and sky. The first earth and sky had passed away, and there wasn’t any ocean anymore. ² I watched the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, come down out of heaven from God, ready like a bride adorned for her husband. ³ A loud voice came from the throne,

“God’s tabernacle is with his people; he’ll live with them, and they’ll belong to him. ⁴ He’ll wipe away every tear, and there won’t be any pain, weeping, crying, or death anymore. Former things will pass away.”    Rev 21:1-4

            ⁵ The One on the throne said,

“I’m making everything new. ⁶ Write this down because it’s true and reliable. It’s done. I’m Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end. I’ll let whoever’s thirsty drink from the spring of living water free of charge. ⁷ Those who overcome will inherit these things. I’ll be their God, and they’ll be my children. ⁸ But the unfaithful and corrupt, the cowards, murderers, sorcerers, idolaters, liars, and immoral will burn in the lake of sulfur, which is the second death.”     

Rev 21:5-8

The New Jerusalem

            ⁹ One of the angels with the seven bowls of final plagues came to me, “Come with me; I’ll show you the Lamb’s bride.” ¹⁰ He took me in spirit to a big, tall mountain and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹ shining with God’s glory. Its brilliance was like a very valuable stone, like crystal-clear jasper.

¹² It had a broad, high wall and twelve gates, with an angel at each gate and the names of Israel’s twelve tribes inscribed on them. ¹³ There were three gates each on the east, north, south, and west. ¹⁴ The wall consisted of twelve foundations with the names of the Lamb’s twelve apostles on them.                                                                                                                             Rev 21:9-14      

            ¹⁵ The angel that was talking to me had a gold rod for measuring the city, its gates, and wall. ¹⁶ The city was shaped like a cube 1380 miles long, wide, and high; ¹⁷ its wall measured 216 feet high, ¹⁸ made out of jasper; the city was pure gold like clear glass. ¹⁹ The foundation stones were beautiful precious stones. In order, they were jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, ²⁰ sardonyx, carnelian*, chrysolite* [yellow topaz], beryl, topaz, chrysoprase* [green quartz], hyacinth, and amethyst. ²¹ Each gate was a single pearl, and the streets were pure gold like transparent glass.                                                                                                        

²² I didn’t see a sanctuary in it because God Almighty and the Lamb were its sanctuary. ²³ The city didn’t need the sun or moon because God’s glory gave it light, and the Lamb was its lamp. ^{24, 26}The nations lived by its light, and kings brought their glory and the honor of their nations into it. ²⁵ Its gates never shut because there wasn’t any night there. ²⁷ Nothing profane or anyone detestable or false could go in, only the ones written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.                                                                                                

Rev 21:15-27