The highest courage is to be desperately afraid and in spite of that to do the right thing and to hold fast to loyalty."[20]. 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. Since then the world has not seen the imperial power to which all bow. A passage like this enables us--and even compels us--to redress a wrong which is often done to Jewish thought. Here were thrones, and people sat upon them, changed 'before this into the image of Christ's glory. They must die another death after their natural death; the agonies and terrors of the first death will consign them over to the far greater terrors and agonies of eternal death, to die and to be always dying. Clearly the same saints whom we have seen first set forth by the elders in heaven, subsequently by the elders and the living creatures, next, by the bride and the living creatures at the marriage-supper, and finally by the armies that followed the Lord out of heaven. The question is, why is she thus designated? H. B. Swete sees further symbolism here. In the new age the glory of God is not to be a transitory thing, but something which abides permanently with the people of God. Again there is symbolism here. What, then, is the symbolism? If only an imperial city, what has this to do with mystery? The new heaven and the new earth will not then be distinct; the very earth of the saints, their glorified bodies, will now be spiritual and heavenly, and suited to those pure and bright mansions. If so, they are there in the quality not of the bride, but of those invited to the marriage of the Lamb; but I do not think them the Apocalyptic saints for the simple reason that, as shown in the next chapter, the Apocalyptic saints are not raised from the dead yet. Johns first vision of the New Jerusalem 21:2-8. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. God has not told us how, nor is it our business. In the new world the frightening dark will be no more, for the presence of God will bring eternal light. [1169 /deils is always used negatively in the NT and stands in contrast to the positive fear which can be expressed by 5401 /phbos ("fear," see Phil 2:12).]. Men are not regarded as composing this tabernacle; they co-exist. It is partly because of this that many excellent men have endeavoured to apply the vision to Romanism; and I admit that there is found a measure of analogy. "I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth" ( Psalms 89:27). "After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great crowd in heaven, saying, Alleluia, the salvation, and the glory, and the power of our God: for true and righteous [are] his judgments: because he judged the great harlot, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. . But most important of all, in Solomon's temple the Holy of Holies was a perfect cube ( 1 Kings 6:20). These gates could stand for the way into the holy city of those who come to Christ in the evening of their days. It is Israel's task to declare God's glory among the Gentiles ( Isaiah 66:19). The temple would suppose a medium. But at the back of it is the great truth that the ideal actually exists. Not having steadfast endurance, - EBCNT, cowardly (etc) . No one can say for certain what much of the symbolism of this chapter stands for. It is matter of wonder that a holy God should ever dwell with any of the children of men. It takes an equivalent power to hold the nucleus of an atom together that is released when the nucleus is unbalanced.Now, God who holds together the universe by the word of His power, and we are told this in the scripture; He created it by the word of His power and by Him all things are held together. He is coming forth in indisputable human glory, but the greatest care is taken to let us know that He had that which was above man above the creature; for "no man knoweth the Son but the Father." Death, too, shall be gone. That kings had dallied with her, that the beast had once borne her up, will only turn to gall the more bitter to her, who, faithless to God, had staked the usurped and abused name of Christ to win what was now lost for ever. It gives a retrogressive account of Babylon's character, and shows how it morally compelled the divine judgment. He comes to execute vengeance, and with a sign of death for rebels. The King James Version gives a wrong impression when it translates deilos ( G1169) by "fearful." The heavens will be on fire. but it does not follow that various bodies are not raised at different times. 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. (i) There are twelve gates. 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. It further means that God is the source of all ideals. But for the eternal judgment heaven and earth are fled away; and then we see the new and eternal universe. . The unbelieving are those who refused to accept the Gospel or those who with their lips accepted it, but by their lives showed that they did not believe it. Men have been beguiled here and there, and from an early date, to set aside the true bearing of this chapter. Holding on to what others knew before them, or little more, they reduce themselves to a minimum of the truth. There is a sinner who sins against his will; there is a sinner who deliberately sins. God will give all men a pure language in which they may with one consent call upon him ( Zephaniah 3:9). 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Strong's Greek There were names written on the 13 gates which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. So, there are glorious things. In verse 14 John has said that the stones are inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles. The sard or carnelian took its name from Sardis. It is an equivalent power that holds them together. Separate Line. This would not be fitting for the church nor the Christian. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was Holman Christian The sapphire appears in the Old Testament story as the stone of the paving on which God stood ( Exodus 24:10). Who were they? SKENE ( G4633) --SHECHINAH (compare the Hebrew verb, shakan, to dwell, H7931) --the connection in sound brought it about that men could not hear the one without thinking of the other. *Most copies, it would seem, read , "of the earth;" the Alex. Again John is thinking in terms of the prophetic pictures of the re-created Jerusalem. 3. He is coming, and coming soon for us. I go to prepare a place for you. I am not aware of any MS. in its favour, though some versions represent it. Mark 4:40 Adj-NMPGRK: NAS: to them, Why are you afraid? These compose the third class here spoken of. "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). This verse declares it, and there is no other interpretation that can stand even a moment's fair discussion. But still it is a very solemn fact to read, and that which we are bound to preach that even in the perfect state of eternity, while there is the brightness of the heaven and of the earth into which no evil can enter, you have all the evil that ever has been all the wicked of every clime and of every age cast into the fixed condition of eternal judgment in the lake of fire. It will be approximately the size of the moon. That is, Satan will be the spring of its final rise and power; he, and not God in any way whatever, will give it its character. mighty, everlasting God. "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 ). "And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is near." (i) It has a background in the great mythological beliefs of John's time. By the freeness of it--it is the free gift of God: He gives of the water of life freely; this will not make it less but more grateful to his people. Line-By-Line Order: Verse-Reference. But, Rev. Web[ 1] Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. Do you stillKJV: so fearful? 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. This would have been altogether inappropriate for such a progress: when the King comes forth riding to victory in the judgment of wicked men of the world, it is not in the quality of bride, but of armies or hosts, that the saints follow Him; and these include no doubt the guests as well, i.e., all the glorified take their place in His train. 3. Pat Higgins To learn more, see: The covenant, interest, and relation, that there are now between God and his people, will be filled up and perfected in heaven. Verse Only. All his life the merchantman would seek the pearl of great price and then count it worth selling all his possessions to buy it ( Matthew 13:46). Yet to this heavenly city, after Christ comes, the kings of the earth bring their offerings and their homage; but there is no excitement of the nations, no filthiness of fornication, no abominations, no blood-guiltiness. Idolaters and liars Idolatry, whether the worship of pagan gods, as in the days of John, or the worship and adoration of self above the God of heaven, can never be pleasing to God. The Mighty One will shake creation only to renew it (Baruch 32:6). Webwhich is to be understood not of the renovation of persons at conversion, when a new heart and spirit are given, and men are made wholly new creatures; for this is the work of the Spirit, and which is done daily, and is not peculiar to any particular period of time; nor of the renewing of the church state at the beginning of the Gospel, when the His blows on this world come more nationally as on Israel; incomparably more severe, as in possession of greater privileges, is the judgment of corrupt Christendom, or Babylon as it is called here. It is described as being like the sheen of green on a dove's neck or in a peacock's tail. Needless to say, you could all have a square mile and if we need more space what you do is just move your ceiling down to a half-mile and you double again the capacity. They shall bring 27 to it the glory and the honour of the nations; but nothing unclean shall enter into it, nor shall he who practises abominable things or uses falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. They have been often before in tears, by reason of sin, of affliction, of the calamities of the church; but now all tears shall be wiped away; no signs, no remembrance of former sorrows shall remain, any further than to make their present felicity the greater. and others give , "of her." The wall of Babylon was 300 feet high, and the walls of the porch of Solomon's temple were 180 feet high. But to the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [is] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.". Her part in the corruption of the high and the intoxication of the low her idolatrous character has come before us. He saw their condition: it was part of the vision. WebGreek Reverse Interlinear Layout for Revelation 8:1. WebRevelation 21:8 Lexicon: "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part All this gives us a true and just view of the various parties that have a share in the resurrection. And he said to me: "It is done. All these shall have their portion, , their share, what belongs to them, their right, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. 21:8 Greek NT: RP Byzantine Majority Text 2005T , , , . But he tells us further that the Spirit of prophecy, who prophesies in this book, is the testimony of Jesus. And so it is with this very Babylon that comes before us here. Just as the city of man's confusion was seen in her vile, degraded, and degrading relations with the beast, this city is seen in her pure and glorious relations with the Lamb. Again, that it supposes Rome after it had professed the name of Christ I think is not to be doubted, if only from the expression "mystery" attached to Babylon. Ephesus was full of sorcerers; Acts 19:19 tells how at the preaching of the name of Christ in the early days the magicians burned their books. Again and again this shape occurs in Ezekiel's visions of the new Jerusalem and the new temple ( Ezekiel 41:21; Ezekiel 43:16; Ezekiel 45:2; Ezekiel 48:20). Paul expressed the same thing when he said perhaps a little more philosophically: "For from him, and through him, and to him are all things" ( Romans 11:36), and when he spoke of "one God and Father of us all, who is above all, and through all, and in all" ( Ephesians 4:6).
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