22: Rev 21-22 – The Revelation of the City of God | Revelation Revealed

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Chapter 22 of Revelation Revealed.

New Heavens and New Earth replace old heavens and earth, which were quantum-erased.
Chapter 21 begins with the pronouncement that the first Heaven and the First earth were passed away. This passing away should not be seen as the destruction and removal of objects within time, but as an erasure of the entire space-time from all existence. The phrase “make all things new”  implies that time is reset to zero rather than putting new objects into an aging space-time. Making new involves setting the age to zero for things that are not new prior to renewing. Both Almighty God and the eternally existing souls will retain their individual identity on both sides of the renewing, but physical space-time will be wiped from existence and replaced with a new space-time – a new creation with everything reborn. This is how God wipes the tears from everyone’s eyes. If you are in Christ and endure to the end, every bad thing that has ever happened to you will be wiped from all existence. In this newly created space-time, these events never happened. In this world, evil does not exist and has never existed; all that people will know if God is making his habitation with them and intimately fellowshipping with them.

Revelation 21:1-5 NKJV

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.  (2)  Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  (3)  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  (4)  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  (5)  Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

Isaiah also bears witness that a new heaven and a new earth are coming, bringing a completely new physical regime of life. Longevity increases dramatically.

Isaiah 65:17-25 NKJV

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.  (18)  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy.  (19)  I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying.  (20)  “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed…

We also see unprecedented prosperity, both financially and in offspring.

Isaiah 65:17-25 NKJV

“…(21)  They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.  (22)  They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.  (23)  They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the LORD, And their offspring with them…

We see carnal natures changed, with no more carnivorous behavior. The Millennium will be a wonderful time.

Isaiah 65:17-25 NKJV

“…(24)  “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.  (25)  The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the LORD.

The unveiling of the New Jerusalem as the Lamb’s wife
Here we see the full revelation of the Church as the Lamb’s wife. she is represented as a city – The New Jerusalem. She is glorified with the glory of God.

Revelation 21:9-11 NKJV

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”  (10)  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,  (11)  having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.

The New Jerusalem has 12 walls and 12 foundations. The 12 walls represent the 12 tribes of Israel. The 12 foundations are said to be the foundations of the apostles. Names are put on the foundation to represent who laid them. The foundation of the apostles and prophets represents the Word of God that was communicated through them.  This is the foundation of the Church. These foundations are laid with the stones that are present in the priestly garment that the priests used in the “Breastplate of Judgment” that must be worn when approaching the Lord in the Most Holy place(Ex 28:15,29,30). The Breastplate symbolizes Christ’s righteousness, which protects the Church (Eph 6:10-18) and allows her access to Him. This symbolizes that by using the promises of the Word of God to attain the divine nature( 2 Peter 2:1-4), the wife of Jesus Christ has attained complete intimacy with Jesus Christ. The church in her fully mature form is in complete unity with Israel and complete unity with Jesus Christ as one flesh – man and wife. The Church and Israel are both see as part of a singular bride of Christ. They are distinct but not separate, falsifying both Covenantalism and Dispensationalism. InThe Olive Tree – Towards a Messianic Christian Systematic Theology, I write more details of this.https://dallascarter.net/books/the-olive-tree-towards-a-messianic-christian-systematic-theology/

Revelation 21:12-22 NKJV

Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:  (13)  three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.  (14)  Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb…

The city has magnificent dimensions. Its dimensions are 1500 miles cubed. The text requires a square layout. This allows two interpretations, as two conics fit the description in the text. One can have a cube or a pyramid that both fit these parameters. There is some interesting mathematics concerning the size and dimensions. Let’s do some calculations here:

One mile = eight furlongs = ; 12,000 furlongs / 8 = 1500 miles.

What would be the living capacity of such a city?

How many floors could such a cube have that could sustain all life in a self-sufficient manner? There is a project calledBiosphere 2.0 to create an artificial biosphere, with floors up to 80 ft high. We can calculate the number of floors or stories based on the assumption that 80-foot floors could provide space to support a diverse biosphere.https://biosphere2.org/about/about-biosphere-2#:~:text=Fast

 1,500 miles X 5,280 ft/mile = 7,920,000 ft high

7,920,000 ft / 91 ft per floor = 87,033 floors.

The total area of 87,033 floors can be calculated by the w X W X 87,033 = 7,920,000 ft X 7,920,000 ft X 87,033 = 5,459,266,771,200,000,000 sq ft. Acres is calculated by dividing by 43,560 ft per acre

 5,459,266,771,200,000,000 sq ft/ 43,560 ft acre = 125,327,520,000,000 acres

Current Global Arable land is 3.7 billion acres

https://iere.org/how-many-acres-of-arable-land-on-earth/#How_Many_Acres_of_Arable_Land_on_Earth

Current pastureland is 9.24 billion acres

https://www.farmbrite.com/post/global-land-use-for-agriculture

Current Agricultural land can be calculated by adding arable land to pasture land

3.7 billion acres + 9.24 billion acres = 12.94 billion acres

The New Jerusalem holds 125,327,520,000,000 acres.

125,327,520,000,000 / 12,940,000,000 =

The New Jerusalem potentially holds 9,685 times as much agricultural land as the Earth currently holds. The total land ares on earth is 36.8 billion acres. The New Jerusalem has 125,327,520,000,000 / 36,840,000,000 = 3,402 times as much area as the earth.

Revelation 21:12-22 NKJV

…(15)  And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.  (16)  The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.  (17)  Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.  (18)  The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass…

The Wealth that will go into the construction of the city is incalculable. The overlay of gold onto the foundation is worth about $400 trillion and is in excess of current gold reserves. While the financial cost of the New Jerusalem is incalculable, it is at a minimum in the quadrillions of dollars.

Revelation 21:12-22 NKJV

…(19)  The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,  (20)  the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.  (21)  The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.  (22)  But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

Because the Church has total intimacy with Christ, there is no need for an institutional or physical structure to serve as an interface with God any more than she needs a vagina to get intimate with her husband. The Lamb is the temple. He is inside her, and she feels all of His pleasure all over her body, all the time, for all eternity. The glory of God enlightens the place, and there is no need for sun or moon. This light will provide everything anyone needs. It will be free of evil as nothing which defiles can enter her, but only they who are in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Revelation 21:23-27 NKJV

The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.  (24)  And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.  (25)  Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).  (26)  And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.  (27)  But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Access to the Tree of Life Restored

Unbridled access to the River of Life and the Tree of Life is now granted. The Adamic curse is totally gone. in Genesis, we read that God took this away so that humanity would not be eternally bound to their sinful condition. It had twelve kinds of fruits, symbolizing that we live by the Word of God ( i.e, the foundation of the apostles)(also Luke 4:4). The leaves were for the healing of the nations. The throne of God is in the midst, and we shall reign forever and ever.

Revelation 22:1-5 NKJV

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  (2)  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  (3)  And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.  (4)  They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.  (5)  There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Admonition that Jesus Christ is Returning

Here is the final admonition that Christ is coming soon. A blessing is pronounced on those who keep the sayings of this book, and an offer is made to drink of the living water. As we have gone through this book, I hope that the reader becomes impressed with the idea that as wePraiseGod, Pray to God, andProclaim His Word, His power and judgments shall be unleashed. As we cling to His Promises to attain the Divine nature, we shall eventually enter into intimate communion with Christ as members of His wife.

Revelation 22:6-17 NKJV

Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.  (7)  “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”  (8)  Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things….

Revelation 22:6-17 NKJV

…(9)  Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”  (10)  And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand…

Revelation 22:6-17 NKJV

…(11)  He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”  (12)  “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.  (13)  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last…”

Revelation 22:6-17 NKJV

…(14)  Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.  (15)  But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.  (16)  “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”  (17)  And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

The closing of the canon of Scripture

Here we read of curses that befall anyone who adds or takes away from the words of this prophecy. At a glance, this would appear to apply only to the book of Revelation. This book, however, is hyperlinked to all of the other books of the Bible. It is so much linked that any change to the canon anywhere would affect the book of Revelation. This warning, then, effectively closes the canon of Scripture.

Revelation 22:18-21 NKJV

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;  (19)  and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.  (20)  He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!  (21)  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

 Additional support for the closing of the Canon can be found in what the New Testament presents concerning the mechanics of inspiration. Inspiration of the Scripture is tethered closely to entanglement in the shekinah Glory of God. Throughout the Old Testament, we see the prophets having visions of the glory of the Lord. The office of an apostle is defined as one who sees the resurrected Christ.

Acts 1:19-22 NKJV

And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) (20) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘LET HIS DWELLING PLACE BE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE LIVE IN IT’; and, ‘LET ANOTHER TAKE HIS OFFICE.’ (21) “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, (22) beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

1 Corinthians 9:1-2 NKJV

Am I not an apostle? Am I not free?Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?Are you not my work in the Lord? (2) If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Peter reiterates the apostolic commission, that they have seen the resurrected Christ.

2 Peter 1:16-21 NKJV

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. (17) For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (18) And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. (19) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; (20) knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, (21) for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Here, Paul says he was the last of the apostles, as “one born out of due time.” This suggests that he is the very last of the apostles, and at a minimum requires that future apostolic commissions be seen as abnormal rather than normative.

1 Corinthians 15:1-9 NKJV

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, (2) by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (3) For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (4) and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, (5) and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. (6) After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. (7) After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. (8)Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. (9) For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

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