Revelation | Reading Plan + Study QuestionsSample

REVELATION 21

NEW HEAVEN, NEW EARTH, NEW JERUSALEM

In his vision, John sees a new heaven and new earth. The first heaven and earth are no more; they have passed away. John sees a new holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven. Jerusalem is presented like a bride adorned for her new husband.

A loud voice calls out, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3, ESV). God’s presence is no longer confined to the temple but fills the new heaven and earth. Because of God’s perfect presence, there will be no more tears, death, or mourning. When believers are reunited with God in the new Jerusalem, there will be no more pain or sadness.

Jesus, seated on the throne, declares, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5, ESV). John is told to document what he sees, trusting this vision of God. Because of Jesus’s victory, all sin and separation are finished. God is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. What He created, He will redeem and complete.

One of the angels speaks to John, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9, ESV). The angel shows John the holy city of the new Jerusalem. It is radiant, like a jewel or crystal. It has twelve gates, with twelve angels, named after the twelve tribes. Similarly, it has twelve foundations, each named after the twelve apostles.

The angel carries a rod to measure the gates and walls of the city. As he measures the vast city, John sees that it is made of pure gold and adorned with every kind of jewel. The gates are made of a single large pearl and the streets made of pure, transparent gold.

In the new Jerusalem, there is no need for a temple, God’s presence is the temple! There is also no need for the sun or the moon to shine, because God’s glory provides light. Likewise, the gates remain open because nothing unclean or false ever enters the New Jerusalem.

STUDY QUESTIONS

Read Revelation 21:1–2. What do you notice about the new heaven, new earth, and the New Jerusalem? How is the new creation an image of the restored Garden of Eden?

Revelation 21:3 says, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people” (ESV). How does this verse reiterate God’s promises in Exodus 29:45–46 and throughout Scripture?

Revelation 21:4–5 offers one of the most beloved promises in Scripture: “He will wipe away every tear… Behold, I am making all things new” (ESV). How does this passage give you hope for eternity? How does it give you hope for today?