วิวรณ์ 21:22 วิจารณ์

Hitherto the prophecy of this book has presented to us a very remarkable mixture of light and shade, prosperity and adversity, mercy and judgment, in the conduct of divine Providence towards the church in the world: now, at the close of all, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away; a new world now appears, the former having passed away. Some are willing to understand all that is said in these last two chapters of the state of the church even here on earth, in the glory of the latter days; but others, more probably, take it as a representation of the perfect and triumphant state of the church in heaven. Let but the faithful saints and servants of God wait awhile, and they shall not only see, but enjoy, the perfect holiness and happiness of that world. In this chapter you have, I. An introduction to the vision of the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:1-9). II. The vision itself (Rev 21:10, etc.)

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 21 This chapter contains an account of the happy state of the church, consisting of all the elect, both Jews and Gentiles, which will take place upon the first resurrection, and will continue during the thousand years' reign mentioned in the preceding chapter. The seat of the church in these happy times will be the new heaven and the new earth, Rev 21:1 the church that will dwell there is described by its names, the holy city, and new Jerusalem; by its descent, from heaven; and by its state and ornament, being prepared and adorned as a bride for her husband, Rev 21:2 and her happiness is expressed by the presence of God with her, and communion with him enjoyed by her, and by a freedom from all evils endured in the present state of things, Rev 21:3 after which John hears the voice of him that sat on the throne, declaring himself to be the author of the new heaven and earth; ordering him to write, that what had been said was true and faithful; affirming that things were now done and finished; calling himself the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end: promising grace to the thirsty soul, the inheritance of all things to the overcomer, and also divine sonship; and threatening the second death to sinners, whose characters are given, Rev 21:5 next John has a vision of the bride before spoken of; the preface to it is in Rev 21:9 in which is signified that one of the seven angels that had the seven vials talked to him in a very free and familiar manner, and proposed to show him the Lamb's wife; and in order to it carried him to an exceeding high mountain, and showed him the city before mentioned, said to be great, holy, and heavenly; and which is described by the glory of God upon it, and the light that was in it, comparable to a crystal jasper stone, Rev 21:11 by its wall, which is great and high; and by its, gates and foundations; its gates are in number twelve, twelve angels at them, and on them written the twelve names of the children of Israel, and these situated three at each point, east, west, north, and south; and its foundations are also twelve, having the names of the twelve apostles on them, Rev 21:12 by the measure of it, which the angel took with his golden read; of the city, which was twelve thousand furlongs, it being four square, and its length, breadth, and height equal; and of the wall, which was a hundred forty and four cubits, Rev 21:15 and next the city is described by the matter of which it was built; the wall of jasper the city of pure gold, like to clear glass; the foundations of precious stone, each foundation being of one stone; the gates of pearls, each gate being of one pearl; the street of the city of pure gold, like transparent glass, Rev 21:18 and then by the temple in it, which is no other than the Lord God and the Lamb; and by the light, which is the same, it having no need of sun or moon, Rev 21:22 and next by its inhabitants, the nations of the saved ones, who walk in its light, and the kings of the earth, that bring their honour and glory to it; by its safety and security, and by the purity of it, none but undefiled persons, and such who are written in the Lamb's book of life, being admitted into it, Rev 21:24.

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it,.... Which may be understood either literally of these two luminaries, which all earthly cities need; and which, though they may be in being in the new heavens, yet will not have the use with respect to this city they now have. The Jews say (u), the orb of the sun is in this world; and the gloss adds, but not in the future state, for the lights shall be renewed: and they further say (w), as here, that "in the world to come, "Israel , will have no need of the light of the sun, nor of the light of the moon", neither by day nor by night,'' as they say (x), the Israelites had not in the wilderness. So they represent the Lord speaking to Moses, and saying (y), "thy days shall cease, but thy light shall not cease; for thou shall have no need for ever of the light of the sun, nor of the light of the moon, and of the stars.'' Or else it may be understood mystically, but not of Christ, the sun of righteousness, whom the saints will always need and enjoy; but of the governors and discipline of the church in its present state; and of the written word, which is a light unto them now, and the ministration of it, and the ordinances of the Gospel, by which light and knowledge are conveyed; but in this state all will be immediately taught of God; nor shall everyone teach his neighbour, but all shall know the Lord perfectly; and also of political governors, who will be no more; see Co1 15:24. For the glory of God did lighten it; the Shekinah, or glorious presence of God, which filled the temple of Solomon, and shone round about the shepherds at the incarnation of Christ; with the presence of God, who is light itself, which will be enjoyed in a much more glorious manner, will the church now be enlightened; and this will be an everlasting light unto her: and the Lamb is the light thereof; in whose light they will see the face of God, and see God face to face; they will see Christ as he is, and behold his glory; and look upon the angels, those glorious forms of light, and all the glorified saints, and know and converse with each other; and they will look into, and clearly discern all the mysteries and doctrines of grace, and all the various scenes of Providence, which will all be opened and laid before them. And this light will be always without any change and variation; which is no small part of the commendation of this city, which is the inheritance of the saints in light. So the holy blessed God is said by the Jews (z) to be , "the light of Jerusalem"; he is the light of the new Jerusalem; see Isa 60:19 and the light of, the world to come is, by (a) them, called "the great light". (u) T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 101. 1. (w) Raziel, fol. 17. 2. (x) Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 57. 2. (y) Petirat Moseh, fol. 23. 2. (z) Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 57. 2. & 98. 1. (a) Ben Gorion apud Aben Ezram in Psal. xlix. 19.

[He saw no temple in the city] because the church is in God and God is in the church.

And he says I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. For what need is there of a temple when He is present and in a certain sense cohabiting with the saints of God and is seen face to face as far as possible? For the divine apostle called the present knowledge of God "through a mirror and in a riddle"; but the future, "face to face." (1 Cor. 13:12) But naturally one might ask, what then? We have already invoked God the Almighty, and the Father of the Lord and of the Lamb, the Son of God; shall we not also recall the Holy Spirit? One must say to him: saying, "O this one," the Lord and God named the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, for God did so; and again saying, "the Lord God Almighty," he signified the Holy Trinity by the three names. But someone might also ask this: why, then, having been reminded of the venerable Trinity by the saying "the Lord God Almighty are its temple," is the Lamb, who is Christ, counted to us from the outside, so that we should no longer conceive a Trinity? May it not be so, I should say to him. For we are not taught so, but a memory is borne of both the Holy Trinity and of the Lamb, the sense of the statement signifying that the one who was incarnate is of the Holy Trinity, and that after the flesh the Son fills the Holy Trinity and is not now in heaven separated from the flesh. For he indicated the Son incarnate by periphrasis both by "God who is the Son," and by "the Lamb," which again is the same Christ incarnate, consubstantial with us and enlivened intelligibly; in whom the Word is united to the particular flesh according to hypostasis.

Just as the body consists of individual members, so is the temple constructed from precious stones. Although we are accustomed to material things, he does not want us here to think of something physical as is our habit. Therefore, relieving us from this manner of thinking, he says, “I saw in it no temple, for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.” For when the tares have been removed, then shall the church especially exult in the elect alone and remain consecrated in God as though she were resting completely in a temple. In this way the church may obtain a blessed habitation in him from whom she had received the origin of her existence and had come to know the gentleness of redemption. For the church’s wholeness is completed in these three things: in being, in knowing and in loving. God created her that she might be fashioned [according to his will]; having called her, he enlightened her; having elected her, he has made her blessed. God intends that when perfected [the church] will dwell in him by way of the promised glorification, when she no longer walks by way of faith but rejoices in his sight.

God established the temple so that the people gathered within the walls of the temple might call upon him whom neither the world nor the temple can contain. In this way their minds might obtain through the work of faith what cannot be seen of God. However, where he openly manifests himself to the faithful there a temple is neither desired nor existent, for he who sanctifies the temple is known in the sight of all.

For what need of a physical temple is there for one who will have God as protection and shelter, in whom we live and move and have our being? For he himself is both temple and in-dweller of the saints, dwelling in them and walking among them, as he promised. The “Lamb” is the Lamb of God who was slain for us, to whom manifestly the co-essential and life-giving Spirit is conjoined, who is mentioned a little later through [the image] of the river.

And I saw no temple in it, etc. Although, he says, I described the city as constructed with stones, yet I did not signify the rest of the saints to be in a material building, of which God himself is the only house, light, and rest.

The new heaven and the new earth, Rev 21:1. The new Jerusalem, Rev 21:2. God dwells with men; the happy state of his followers, Rev 21:3-7. The wretched state of the ungodly, Rev 21:8. An angel shows John the holy city, the New Jerusalem, Rev 21:9, Rev 21:10. Her light, wall, gates, and foundations, described, Rev 21:11-21. God and the Lamb are the temple and light of it, Rev 21:22, Rev 21:23. The nations and kings of the earth bring their glory and honor to it; the gates shall never be shut, nor shall any defilement enter into it, Rev 21:24-27.

I saw no temple - There was no need of a temple where God and the Lamb were manifestly present.

THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH: NEW JERUSALEM OUT OF HEAVEN. (Rev. 21:1-27) the first--that is the former. passed away--Greek, in A and B is "were departed" (Greek, "apeelthon," not as in English Version, "pareelthe"). was--Greek, "is," which graphically sets the thing before our eyes as present. no more sea--The sea is the type of perpetual unrest. Hence our Lord rebukes it as an unruly hostile troubler of His people. It symbolized the political tumults out of which "the beast" arose, Rev 13:1. As the physical corresponds to the spiritual and moral world, so the absence of sea, after the metamorphosis of the earth by fire, answers to the unruffled state of solid peace which shall then prevail. The sea, though severing lands from one another, is now, by God's eliciting of good from evil, made the medium of communication between countries through navigation. Then man shall possess inherent powers which shall make the sea no longer necessary, but an element which would detract from a perfect state. A "river" and "water" are spoken of in Rev 22:1-2, probably literal (that is, with such changes of the natural properties of water, as correspond analogically to man's own transfigured body), as well as symbolical. The sea was once the element of the world's destruction, and is still the source of death to thousands, whence after the millennium, at the general judgment, it is specially said, "The sea gave up the dead . . . in it." Then it shall cease to destroy, or disturb, being removed altogether on account of its past destructions.

no temple . . . God . . . the temple--As God now dwells in the spiritual Church, His "temple" (Greek, "naos," "shrine"; Co1 3:17; Co1 6:19), so the Church when perfected shall dwell in Him as her "temple" (naos: the same Greek). As the Church was "His sanctuary," so He is to be their sanctuary. Means of grace shall cease when the end of grace is come. Church ordinances shall give place to the God of ordinances. Uninterrupted, immediate, direct, communion with Him and the Lamb (compare Joh 4:23), shall supersede intervening ordinances.