A Brief Commentary on the Apocalypse

The New Creation.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven, from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.” Rev. 21:1, 2.

The new heaven and new earth are symbols of the new order of things. The old heavens and earth having been dissolved, their elements melting with fervent heat (2 Pet. 3:12), the “new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness,” for which Peter looked, succeed to their place. [pg 366] So much more resplendent are these than the former, that those “shall not be remembered, nor come into mind,” i.e., to be desired, Isa. 65:17. This is the eternal state in which we are commanded to be “glad and rejoice forever,” when God shall “create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” Then “the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” There “the elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands;” for “as the days of a tree, are the days of my people,” saith the Lord; who has also declared that, “as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, so shall your seed and your name remain,” Isa. 66:22.

The sea is now “no more,” in the same sense that the first heavens and earth are passed away—all having disappeared in the conflagration, and given place to the “restitution of all things spoken of by the mouth of all the holy prophets,” Acts 3:21. Whether the new creation will comprise both sea and dry land, as was first created (Gen. 1:10), is not here decided; but there is no reason to suppose that this characteristic of the original creation will be forever obliterated.

The new Jerusalem descends, adorned as a bride for her husband. She is shown in the 19th chapter to be “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white”—a symbol of “the righteousness of the saints.” As the corrupt [pg 367] Roman hierarchy was symbolized by an adulterous woman (17:3), and also by the corrupt city of Babylon (18:2), so symbols of an opposite character—a chaste bride, and the new Jerusalem—are chosen representatives of the church triumphant, whose Maker is her husband.

Mr. Lord very justly remarks: “The descent of the city is to take place at the commencement of the millennium, manifestly from the representation that the marriage of the Lamb was come, and that his wife had prepared herself, immediately after the destruction of great Babylon, (19:7, 8); from the exhibition of the risen and glorified saints, as seated on thrones, and reigning with Christ during the thousand years; and from the representation of the beloved city as on earth at the revolt of Gog and Magog, after the close of the thousand years.”—“Ex. Apoc.” p. 529.

“Jerusalem, my happy home,

O how I long for thee;

When shall my sorrows have an end?

Thy joys when shall I see?

“When shall these eyes thy heaven-built walls

And pearly gates behold!

Thy bulwarks with salvation strong,

And streets of shining gold?

“O when, thou city of my God,

Shall I thy courts ascend,

Where congregations ne'er break up,

And Sabbaths have no end?”

[pg 368]

The Tabernacle of God with Men.

“And I heard a loud voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them, even their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said, Write, for these words are faithful and true. And he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him, who thirsteth, from the fountain of the water of life freely. He, who overcometh, will inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he will be my son. But the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Rev. 21:3-8.

The utterances of the “great voice out of heaven” are not what John saw, but are what he heard; and are therefore to be interpreted, not by the laws of symbols, but by those of tropes and literal language.

The “tabernacle of God with men” is explained in the same connection to be his “dwelling with them.”

“When our Saviour was incarnate, and vouchsafed to dwell amongst the children of men, the same phrase is used by this same author, Eskeenoose (John 1:14), ‘The Word was made flesh, and tabernacled amongst us: and we beheld his glory,’ etc. We read it, he dwelt amongst us: but rendered more [pg 369] closely, it is, he set his tabernacle amongst us. And that which the Hebrews call the Shekinah, or divine presence (Maimon, Mor. Nev. par. 1, chap. 25), comes from a word of the like signification, and found with the Greek word here used. Therefore there will be a Shekinah in that kingdom of Christ.”—Tho. Burnett.

When Israel first entered the wilderness, God entered into a covenant with them (Ex. 19:3-8), in consequence of which he said to Moses, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them,” (Ex. 25:8)—the pattern of which was shown Moses in the mount; and when completed “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Ex. 40:34), and there “the Lord talked with Moses,” Ex. 33:9. Thus did God dwell among them while they were in a probationary state; but he indicated a more intimate connection with them, by promising, if they were obedient to his statutes in all things, that “I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people,” Lev. 26:11, 12. This promise was not fulfilled to the Jews, because of their sins; but Paul quotes it (2 Cor. 6:16), and applies it as a promise still to be made good to the church of Christ. Thus, the “Word” that “was God,” who was made flesh and tabernacled among us at his incarnation, is [pg 370] again to come and dwell with us in his human tabernacle, as at his first advent. Then will God enter into a new covenant with his people, as he has said: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord; but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more,” Jer. 31:31-34.

As the saints, before the resurrection of “the rest of the dead,” “reign with Christ 1000 years,” (20:4); it follows that during that period the tabernacle of God is with men, when he dwells among them, which is an additional evidence that “the restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21) is at the commencement of the millennium.

[pg 371]

This is a tearless state—all tears being then wiped from every eye. Isaiah predicted, when “He will swallow up death in victory,” that “the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces: and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation,” Isa. 25:8, 9. The commencement of the tearless state is thus placed by Isaiah at the resurrection, and at the appearance of Christ; which is confirmed by Paul, in his inspired commentary on the same, who affirms that at the last trump, “when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory,” 1 Cor. 15:54. This state was also promised to the entire company “which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, [pg 372] and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes,” Rev. 7:14-17.

There shall then “be no more death”—for that “last enemy shall be destroyed” (1 Cor. 15:26), and there shall be nothing to “hurt nor destroy, in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.” Death will have been swallowed up in victory, (Isa. 25:8)—the redeemed having been ransomed “from the power of the grave,” Hos. 13:14. “Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection,” Luke 20:36.

After the destruction of death, there shall be “neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” This was to be when “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away,” Isa. 35:10. And one of these songs was to be: “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth,” Rev. 5:9,10.

Then, everything which distinguishes the present world from that, will have passed away; for all things will be created anew. [pg 373] These words, uttered by Him who is the “Alpha and Omega,” are no rhetorical flourishes, nor mere figures of speech, but contain the exact and literal truth, and are not to be set aside as unmeaning figures. For He who sat upon the throne has declared: “These words are true and faithful.” Faithful is He who hath promised, and he will surely make good his words—bestowing on the righteous the inheritance of all things; and on the wicked, their fearful doom.

The New Jerusalem.

“And there came to me one of the seven angels, who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come, I will shew thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit to a vast and high mountain, and shewed me the holy city Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; having a wall vast and high, and having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written on the gates, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. On the east, three gates; on the north, three gates; on the south, three gates; and on the west, three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them, the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he, who talked with me, had a golden measuring-reed to measure the city, and its gates, and its wall. And the city lieth square, and the length is as much as the breadth: and he measured the city with the measuring-reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length, and the breadth, and the height of it are equal. And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according [pg 374] to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the structure of its wall was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was a jasper; the second, a sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, a sardonyx; the sixth, a sardius; the seventh, a chrysolite; the eighth, a beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was of one pearl; and the wide street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” Rev. 21:9-21.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb. In the midst of its wide street, and on each side of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit monthly, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there will be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it; and his servants will serve him: and they will see his face; and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no night there; and they have no need of the light of a lamp, nor of the light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they will reign forever and ever.” Rev. 22:1-5.

Objects of great interest, of which only a passing glance was permitted in previous visions, are again and again presented, until their relative glory is sufficiently manifested. Thus the new earth was considered worthy of being the subject of a special vision; and now the Bride, the Lamb's wife, although before referred to, is again made the subject of a special vision, under the symbol of a city, explained to be the bride.

The descent of the city, to harmonize with [pg 375] corresponding scriptures, has been shown to be at the commencement of the millennium, when those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb descend from the clouds of heaven, to receive “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you ... ready to be revealed in the last time,” 1 Pet. 4:5.

“The glory of the Lord,” which is the light of the city, is explained to be “the Lamb” (21:23), which “is the light thereof.” “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” “That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” John 1:4, 9. In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9), so that as the Holy Shekineh illumined the pathway of ancient Israel, the nations of the redeemed will walk in the light of His glory.

The gates of the city correspond with the number of the tribes of Israel; and the “names of the apostles” are in its foundations. Thus Paul affirms that the “fellow citizens” of “the household of God” are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, Eph. 2:20.

The dimensions of the city are in length equal to the breadth—and 1500 miles in circumference, or 375 miles square. The length is in all parts equal; and so is the breadth, and the height,—the latter being 216 feet.

[pg 376]

Its splendor is fully equal to all that inspiration has recorded respecting those on whom the Lord will have “everlasting kindness;” and to whom he saith: “O thou afflicted, tossed with the tempest, and not comforted! behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee,” Isa. 54:11-14. “Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and [pg 377] hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation; I the Lord will hasten it in his time,” Isa. 60:11-22.

O scenes surpassing fable, and yet true,

Scenes of accomplish'd bliss! which who can see,

Though but in distant prospect, and not feel

[pg 378]

His soul refresh'd with foretaste of the joy?

Rivers of gladness water all the Earth,

And clothe all climes with beauty. The reproach

Of barrenness is past. The fruitful field

Laughs with abundance; and the land, once lean,

Or fertile only in its own disgrace,

Exults to see its thistly curse repeal'd.

The various seasons woven into one,

And that one season an eternal spring,

The garden fears no blight, and needs no fence;

For there is none to covet: all are full.

The lion, and the libbard, and the bear,

Graze with the fearless flocks; all bask at noon

Together, or all gambol in the shade

Of the same grove, and drink one common stream.

Antipathies are none. No foe to man

Lurks in the serpent now: the mother sees,

And smiles to see, her infant's playful hand

Stretch'd forth to dally with the crested worm,

To stroke his azure neck, or to receive

The lambent homage of his arrowy tongue.

All creatures worship man, and all mankind

One Lord, one Father. Error has no place;

That creeping pestilence is driv'n away:

The breath of Heav'n has chas'd it. In the heart

No passion touches a discordant string,

But all is harmony and love. Disease

Is not: the pure and uncontaminate blood

Holds its due course, nor fears the frost of age.

One song employs all nations; and all cry,

“Worthy the Lamb, for he was slain for us!”

The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks

Shout to each other, and the mountain-tops

From distant mountains catch the flying joy;

Till, nation after nation taught the strain,

Earth rolls the rapturous Hosanna round.

Behold the measure of the promise fill'd!

See Salem built, the labor of a God!

Bright as a sun the sacred city shines:

[pg 379]

All kingdoms and all princes of the Earth

Flock to that light; the glory of all lands

Flows into her; unbounded is her joy,

And endless her increase. Thy rams are there,

Nebaioth, and the flocks of Kedar there:

The looms of Ormus, and the mines of Ind,

And Saba's spicy groves, pay tribute there.

Praise is in all her gates; upon her walls,

And in her streets, and in her spacious courts,

Is heard salvation. Eastern Java there

Kneels with the native of the farthest west;

And Æthiopia spreads abroad the hand,

And worships. Her report has travel'd forth

Into all lands. From ev'ry clime they come

To see thy beauty, and to share thy joy,

O Sion! an assembly such as Earth

Saw never, such as Heav'n stoops down to see.

Thus Heav'nward all things tend. For all were once

Perfect, and all must be at length restor'd,

So God has greatly purpos'd: who would else

In his dishonor'd works himself endure

Dishonor, and be wrong'd without redress.

Haste then, and wheel away a shatter'd world,

Ye slow-revolving seasons! we would see

(A sight to which our eyes are strangers yet)

A world that does not dread and hate his laws,

And suffer for its crime; would learn how fair

The creature is, that God pronounces good,

How pleasant in itself what pleases him.—Cowper.

Final Admonitions.

“And he said to me, These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to shew his servants the things, which must shortly take place. And behold, I come quickly: happy is he, who keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book. [pg 380] And I John saw and heard these things. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who shewed me these things. And he saith to me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and one of thy brethren the prophets, and one of those, who keep the words of this book: worship God. And he saith to me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book: for the season is near. He, who is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he, who is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he, who is righteous, let him perform righteousness still: and he, who is holy, let him be holy still. Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give each one as his work shall be. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Happy are those, who do his commandments, that they may have the privilege of the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. For without are the Sodomites, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and whoever loveth and practiseth falsehood. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify to you these things in the congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning-star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him, who heareth, say, Come! And let him, who thirsteth, come. And whoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

“I testify to every one, who heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any one shall add to these things, God will add to him the plagues written in this book: and if any one shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things written in this book. He, who testifieth these things, saith, Surely I come quickly. So be it, come, O Lord Jesus!

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints.” Rev. 22:6-21.

With the representation of the city, the symbols of the Apocalypse are terminated. What follows are the words of Christ. The import of these is guarded by his declaration that they are “true and faithful.” There is [pg 381] a reality and definiteness in them, which will not admit of their being added to, or taken from. So that any attempt to fritter away their meaning, will be followed by the curses written in the book, and a loss of the blessings therein promised.

The command not to seal this prophecy, is in contrast with the close of Daniel's prophecy, which was “closed up and sealed till the time of the end,” Dan. 12:9. The Apocalypse, as its name imports, being an “unveiling” of the obscurities of Daniel, the seal from the former was removed—the time of the end, in that sense, being equivalent to the last days, or the gospel dispensation.

The time was “at hand,” when the great series of predicted events was to commence. As he that was unjust was to be unjust still, and he that was righteous was thus to remain, it follows that the visions therein recorded, continue down to the close of probation; and that the new earth is one of everlasting reward, wherein is to be fulfilled the promise: “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth,” Matt. 5:3.

In this connection the Saviour answers the question, which so perplexed the Pharisees: If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? Matt. 22:45. Being the Root from whence David sprang, and in his humanity David's offspring, he was both his Lord and son.

[pg 382]

The invitation appended is one of the most endearing that it is possible to conceive of, and the threats are the most terrific. These are given for the admonition of all; and yet how many will turn away from the study of the book, which commences with a blessing on him “that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein,” (1:3); and closes with an invitation for all to come and “take of the water of life freely.” It is no mystical record, and there is nothing equivocal in its predictions. Neither is it to be fulfilled in the distant future; for “He which testifieth these things saith: Surely I come quickly.” And shall not every one who loves his Lord respond, “Even so; come, Lord Jesus.”