*Revelation 20:14-15 / *Rev. 20:14 -
(Re: Not *Annihilation)
Revelation 20:14-15 does not require that death, hell, or non-Christians will ever be annihilated.
Regarding non-Christians...
(See section 2 of Matthew 10:28 above, and sentences 1-2 of the "Aionios" section of Matthew 25:41 above. Also, see paragraphs 3-4 of the "Soul Sleep?" section of 1 Corinthians 15:51 above)
Regarding death, Revelation 20:14a (like 1 Corinthians 15:26) refers only to the first death being put away. The lake of fire is the second death (Revelation 20:14b, Revelation 21:8b, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6), which is eternal suffering (Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11, Matthew 25:41,46, Mark 9:45-46).
(See also section 2 of 1 Corinthians 15:26 above)
Regarding hell, in Revelation 20:14a the original Greek refers only to the temporary hell of "Hades" (Luke 16:23) being put away, not the eternal hell of "Gehenna"/the lake of fire (Luke 12:5, Mark 9:45-46, Matthew 25:41,46, Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11).
(See Matthew 25:41 above)
--
*Revelation 20:15 / *Rev. 20:15 -
This means that nonelect individuals, whose names were never written in God's Book of Life (Revelation 17:8b), and elect individuals who failed to overcome to the end and so ultimately had their names blotted out of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5, Revelation 2:26), will ultimately be cast into the lake of fire at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), which will not occur until after the future Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-15).
(See also Revelation 3:5 above)
--
*Revelation 21 / *Rev. 21 -
(Re: Universal salvation?)
Revelation 21 does not teach universal salvation, because of Revelation 21:8.
(See also the "Universal salvation?" section of Matthew 25:41 above)
--
*Revelation 21:1 / *Rev. 21:1 -
This will not occur until after the future Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7 to 21:1).
Revelation 21:1 means that God will create a new first heaven (a new atmosphere) and a new surface for the earth. For the planet earth itself will continue on forever (Psalms 104:5, Ecclesiastes 1:4, Psalms 78:69).
(See also the "Ouranos" section of 2 Peter 3:10 above)
--
*Revelation 21:2-3 / *Rev. 21:2 -
Both the earthly and heavenly Jerusalem can be referred to as the holy city (Revelation 11:2, Revelation 21:2), just as both can be referred to as the great city (Revelation 11:8, Revelation 21:10).
Revelation 21:2 refers not to the Church itself, but to the literal city of New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:2 will occur over 1,000 years after Revelation 19:7. For Revelation 20 will occur after Revelation 19 and before Revelation 21.
(See also paragraphs 2-5 of Revelation 21:9 below)
~
(Re: Means that aliens do not exist?)
See the "Revelation 21:2" paragraph of Psalms 8:3 above.
--
*Revelation 21:3 / *Rev. 21:3 -
This means that the literal city of New Jerusalem, and God the Father Himself, will have come down from the third heaven (Revelation 21:2-3) to the future, New Earth (Revelation 21:1), as in a new surface for the earth. God the Father and Jesus Christ the Lamb are distinguished from each other in Revelation 21:22-23 and Revelation 22:1,3. During the preceding Millennium, the Church will be on the present earth (not the New Earth) with Jesus (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29), after His future, Second Coming (Revelation 19:7 to 20:6, Zechariah 14:3-21).
--
*Revelation 21:4 / *Rev. 21:4 -
(Re: Former things passed away)
This means that all former unpleasant things will have passed away for Christians, not former pleasant things like the righteousness, peace, and joy of God's Holy Spirit, which Christians have now (Romans 14:17).
Also, Revelation 21:4 does not mean that former unpleasant things like suffering will have passed away for non-Christians. For Revelation 21:4 is followed by Revelation 21:8 (and Revelation 22:15). And the suffering of non-Christians in the lake of fire will never pass away (Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11, Matthew 25:41,46, Mark 9:45-46).
~
(Re: Same time as Isaiah 25:8-9?)
Revelation 21:4 is at a different time than Isaiah 25:8-9. For the latter applies only to those Christians who will be physically resurrected at Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (1 Corinthians 15:21-23,52-54), which will occur right before the future Millennium (Revelation 19:7 to 20:6, Zechariah 14:4-21), whereas Revelation 21:4 applies also to those people who will become Christians during the Millennium (Isaiah 66:19-21) and then will die during the Millennium and get physically resurrected at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-13), which will occur sometime after the Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-10).
~
(Re: For eternity, will there be no more sin?)
Nothing requires that there will be no more sin ever committed after the point of Revelation 21:4. For free will will not be included in the "former things" which will pass away at the point of Revelation 21:4. So it will still be possible for Christians to wrongly employ their free will to commit sin. They will not be turned into robots programmed to do only good for all of eternity, although they will be able to do only good if they so choose.
(See also paragraph 6, and section 2, of Revelation 2:7 above)
~
(No more death)
Revelation 21:4 means that there will be no more death for Christians who overcame in this world (Revelation 21:7). It does not require that there will be no more death for anyone at all in the next world (contrast Isaiah 65:20). Also, Revelation 21:4 is not contradicting that in the next world (the future, New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth), the non-Christians of this world will continue forever in the suffering of the second death of the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8, Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11, Matthew 25:41,46, Mark 9:45-46, Isaiah 66:24).
(See also Isaiah 65:20 above)
--
*Revelation 21:5 / *Rev. 21:5 -
(Re: Universal salvation?)
In Revelation 21:5, all things being made new with regard to people applies only to Christians (2 Corinthians 5:17).
(See paragraph 2 of Revelation 21:4 above)
~
(Re: New universe?)
Note that nothing in Revelation 21:5 requires that it is referring to all things in the universe, instead of all things on earth and in its atmosphere (the first heaven), as referred to previously in the context (Revelation 21:1). Another case where "all things" is limited by its context is Hebrews 8:5b, which must mean all things related to the Mosaic tabernacle, not all things in the universe.
(See also Revelation 21:1 above)
--
*Revelation 21:6 / *Rev. 21:6 -
(It is done)
See Revelation 16:17 above.
--
*Revelation 21:8 / *Rev. 21:8 -
This means that people who are murderers or whoremongers (or other types of sinners) now, in this life, and who will die without ever becoming Christians and repenting from their sins, will be cast into the lake of fire. They will remain murderers or whoremongers in the lake of fire, not in the sense that they will continue to commit murder or whoredom there, but in the same sense that, for example, people in the U.S. refer to "murderers" being on death row today: It is a reference to their past murders, not to them continuing to commit murders while on death row.
~
(Re: Does God condone *murder?)
God never condones murder, in the sense of treating it as trivial. Indeed, all unrepentant murderers will have to suffer for their murders forever in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8), along with Satan (Revelation 20:10) the murderer (John 8:44).
--
*Revelation 21:9-12 / *Rev. 21:9 -
(Re: *New Jerusalem / *NJ)
Revelation 21:12 refers to Israel's twelve tribes in its description of the bride of Christ in Revelation 21:9. And the bride of Christ is the Church (Ephesians 5:30-32; 2 Corinthians 11:2).
Revelation 21:2,9-10 means that the physical structure of the literal city of New Jerusalem in heaven is a picture of the Church. Something can be literal and at the same time symbolically picture something else. For example, in Matthew 21:19 the fig tree was literal and at the same time its being without fruit pictured unbelieving, Old Covenant Israel being without spiritual fruit in Matthew 21:43.
Just as New Jerusalem's literal wall foundations have the names of the twelve apostles on them (Revelation 21:14), so the Church's foundation is the apostles (Ephesians 2:20). And just as New Jerusalem's literal pearly gates have the names of Israel's twelve tribes on them (Revelation 21:12,21), so the Church consists of Israel's twelve tribes (e.g. James 1:1).
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
New Jerusalem is a literal city, 1,500 miles cubed (Revelation 21:16), with literal pearly gates and literal streets of gold (Revelation 21:21). It is God the Father's house in the third heaven (Revelation 21:2-3, cf. 2 Corinthians 12:2b,4, Revelation 2:7b, Revelation 22:2,14), in which house Jesus Christ left to prepare a place for the Church (John 14:2). All those in the Church, whether Jews or Gentiles, have figuratively come to New Jerusalem by coming under the New Covenant (Hebrews 12:22-24, Galatians 4:24-26), which is made only with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31-34), and which only the Church comes under by believing in Jesus' New Covenant suffering and death on the Cross for our sins (Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6, Hebrews 9:15), the very heart of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
The Church looks for Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming, from heaven (Philippians 3:20), and His setting up of the physical aspect of His Kingdom on the earth with the physically resurrected Church (of all times) for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29), a time period commonly called the Millennium. New Jerusalem will not descend from the third heaven to the earth until after the future, New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth, has been created (Revelation 21:1-4), sometime after the future Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-15). The Church will physically live and reign in New Jerusalem with God the Father and Jesus on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1 to 22:5). The Father and Jesus themselves will be the only temple in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22).
(See also 2 Corinthians 12:2(space) above)
~
(Re: Is New Jerusalem shaped like a cube to represent the Holy of Holies in the temple made with hands, which is no more in New Jerusalem?)
It is the other way around. The earthly temple which was made with hands was fashioned after what is literally in heaven (Hebrews 9:23-24, Hebrews 8:5). Also, nothing requires that the literal temple building in heaven (Revelation 11:19) has ever been in the literal city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22).
~
(Re: Since God the Father is Spirit, does He never literally leave heaven to come down to earth?)
Just as God the Father already literally and spiritually comes down from the third heaven to dwell in the hearts of obedient Christians on the present earth (John 14:23), so He will literally and spiritually come down from the third heaven in His literal house/city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-3, John 14:2) to dwell with obedient Christians on the future, New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth.
~
(Re: Is Rome the New Jerusalem? For is Rome the new center for Christians, just as Jerusalem was the center for the Jews?)
Just as Jerusalem was the original center for Christians (Romans 15:25), including the apostle Peter (Galatians 1:18) and the other apostles (Acts 1:4, Acts 15:4, Acts 16:4), so it can still be considered to be the earthly center for Christians. And at Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming, He will descend with all of the saints (in the general sense of all Christians, of all times) to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4-5), just as He had ascended from there (Acts 1:9-12). He will not descend to Rome. Also, during the future Millennium, the returned Jesus will rule the earth from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:8-21, Micah 4:1-4), not from Rome, just as He has never ruled from Rome.
(See also paragraphs 4-5 of Revelation 21:9 above. And see paragraphs 4-5 of Acts 1:6 above)
--
*Revelation 21:19-20 / *Rev. 21:19 -
The fact that the twelve literal foundations of New Jerusalem, which have the names of the twelve apostles on them (Revelation 21:14), are also twelve gemstones (Revelation 21:19b-20), is similar to how the twelve gemstones in Exodus 28:17-20 had the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on them (Exodus 28:21). The twelve apostles will rule over the twelve tribes (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30).
(See also Revelation 21:9 above. And see the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
--
*Revelation 21:22 / *Rev. 21:22 -
This shows that there is no temple building in the literal city of New Jerusalem. Only God the Father and Jesus Christ themselves are its temple.
--
*Revelation 21:24 / *Rev. 21:24 -
When this says: "the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it", by "it" is meant the city in Revelation 21:23, which is New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2 to 22:5).
(See paragraphs 4-5 of Revelation 21:9 above)
Revelation 21:24 refers to the future time of the New Earth (Revelation 21:1 to 22:5), as in a new surface for the earth. So in Revelation 21:24 the "nations [Greek: ethnos: G1484: peoples] of them which are saved" refers to Christians on the New Earth, who will include individuals from all nations/peoples who existed on the present earth (Revelation 5:9b).
(See also 2 Peter 3:10 above)
--
*Revelation 21:27 / *Rev. 21:27 -
This and Revelation 22:15 are not contradicting that some non-Christians will enter the future Millennium (Zechariah 14:16-19), but mean that no non-Christians will enter the literal city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:14-15, Revelation 21:2,10, Hebrews 12:22).
(See also the "Amillennialism?" section of Luke 17:26 above)
--
*Revelation 22:1 / *Rev. 22:1 -
Here the water which flows from God's throne in the literal, heavenly city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10 to 22:5), like in...
(See Zechariah 14:8 above)
--
*Revelation 22:4b / *Rev. 22:4b -
This will be literal, just as Exodus 28:36-38 was literal.
(See Revelation 3:12 above)
--
*Revelation 22:9 / *Rev. 22:9 -
This can be read as follows:
Revelation 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and [the fellowservant] of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
That is, the angel in Revelation 22:8-9 was not saying that he was a human, but that he was also a servant of God, along with the apostle John, other prophets, and all other obedient Christians. For angels are God's servants (Hebrews 1:7).
--
*Revelation 22:10 / *Rev. 22:10 -
(Seal not)
In Revelation 22:10, "this book" which is not sealed is the entire book of Revelation, the fulfillment of which is "at hand" (Revelation 22:10, Revelation 1:3) and which the Church needs to "keep" the sayings of (Revelation 22:7,9, Revelation 1:3), and which Jesus Christ gave through an angel to the Church (Revelation 22:16, Revelation 1:1-3).
The entire book of Revelation being unsealed (Revelation 22:10) means that it...
(See "should not be difficult" under the "Literal" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) above)
(Also, see the "Chronological" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) above)
~
(Re: The seven thunders' utterances were sealed)
But what the seven thunders said is not part of the book of Revelation. For the apostle John was forbidden to write what they said into the book of Revelation (Revelation 10:4).
(See also Revelation 10:4 above)
~
(At hand)
See the "Soon" section of Revelation 1:1,3 above.
--
*Revelation 22:11 / *Rev. 22:11 -
This is hyperbole to stress how close Jesus Christ's (still future) Second Coming was even in the first century AD (Revelation 22:12a,10) from the viewpoint of God (2 Peter 3:8, Psalms 90:4). He has waited so long (from a human point of view) to send Jesus back so that a lot of people might have time to repent from their sins and become Christians (2 Peter 3:9).
--
*Revelation 22:12 / *Rev. 22:12 -
This does not require that Jesus Christ will physically resurrect and render final judgment on both Christians and non-Christians at the same time immediately at His future, Second Coming. It only requires that sometime subsequent to His Second Coming, He will eventually render final judgment on both Christians and non-Christians.
(See the "2 judgments" part of Matthew 12:36 above)
--
*Revelation 22:14 / *Rev. 22:14 -
Here the initial phrase reads differently in different original-Greek manuscripts. The Textus Receptus/KJV says: "Blessed are they that do his commandments", while the NIV says: "Blessed are those who wash their robes". But the two ideas come together in 1 John 1:7, which shows that Christians are cleansed from sin as they actually "walk" in the light, which is figurative of doing God's commandments (2 John 1:6).
But this does not mean the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law's commandments.
(See the "Law" section of Ephesians 2:15 above)
--
*Revelation 22:15 / *Rev. 22:15 -
See Revelation 21:27 above.
~
The original Greek word (kuon: G2965) translated as "dogs" can refer to humans who are figuratively "dogs" (Matthew 7:6) in the sense of "a worthless person" (Webster's).
--
*Revelation 22:17 / *Rev. 22:17 -
(Re: Means that anyone can believe in Jesus?)
No, see paragraphs 2-3 of Romans 9:11 above.
~
(Re: Full preterism?)
The Church is already married to Jesus Christ in one sense (2 Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 5:30-32). And so the Church can be the bride in Revelation 22:17 which is calling for Jesus' future, Second Coming. The latter part of Revelation 22:17 would refer to elect non-Christians, who are not yet part of the bride, but who can come into salvation.
Regarding the call for Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming in Revelation 22:17...
(See Acts 1:11 above)
~
(Re: Married "in one sense"? Sorry, that makes no sense)
Note that it does, just as Christians are already saved in one sense, but not yet saved in another sense. For initial salvation is...
(See "the salvation which Christians have now" under the "Initial salvation" section of Ephesians 2:8 above)
Another difference between initial salvation and ultimate salvation is that...
(See Ephesians 2:8 above)
--
*Revelation 22:18 / *Rev. 22:18 -
This is a warning against adding ideas to the actual text of the book of Revelation and then publishing the altered text as if those ideas were in the original text. Revelation 22:18 is not a warning against simply saying something in a discussion such as "Velcro exists", or "Aliens could exist", ideas which are not found in the book of Revelation, or anywhere else in the Bible, but are nonetheless true.
~
(Re: If a person who lived in, say, 400 AD, had added words to Revelation's text, how would God have added the plagues described in Revelation to him if those plagues are still future?)
God could bring the same types of plagues on such an individual personally, after that person's future resurrection. Or, God could have brought some of the plagues on him while he was still alive back in 400 AD. For example, God could have seen to it that the person received at that time "a noisome and grievous sore" (Revelation 16:2), such as an incurable skin ulcer. And God could have seen to it that the person was somehow "given blood to drink" (Revelation 16:6), and was also somehow "scorched with fire" (Revelation 16:8) and "with great heat" (Revelation 16:9). All back in 400 AD, with regard to his personal experience.
(See also Revelation 16(space) above)
--
*Revelation 22:19 / *Rev. 22:19 -
This is a warning against removing words from the actual text of the book of Revelation and then publishing the altered text as if those words were not in the original text. Revelation 22:19 is not a warning against simply saying, for example, that the people quoted in Revelation 6:17 can be mistaken in what they say, similar to how, for example, the people quoted in Job 19:11, John 7:12b, and Matthew 27:63a were mistaken in what they said.
--
*Revelation 22:20 / *Rev. 22:20 -
This does not mean "quickly" (in the sense of soon) from a human point of view. For it has been some 2,000 years since Jesus Christ made this statement, yet His Second Coming is still future.
Similarly, in Revelation 1:1,3 and Revelation 22:6,10, "shortly" and "at hand" can be understood from the viewpoint of God, not men (2 Peter 3:8-9, Psalms 90:4).
(See also paragraphs 2-3 of the "Soon" section of Revelation 1:1,3 above)
-
Next entry / Prior / Table of Contents
Nov 12, 2018
(Re: Not *Annihilation)
Revelation 20:14-15 does not require that death, hell, or non-Christians will ever be annihilated.
Regarding non-Christians...
(See section 2 of Matthew 10:28 above, and sentences 1-2 of the "Aionios" section of Matthew 25:41 above. Also, see paragraphs 3-4 of the "Soul Sleep?" section of 1 Corinthians 15:51 above)
Regarding death, Revelation 20:14a (like 1 Corinthians 15:26) refers only to the first death being put away. The lake of fire is the second death (Revelation 20:14b, Revelation 21:8b, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6), which is eternal suffering (Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11, Matthew 25:41,46, Mark 9:45-46).
(See also section 2 of 1 Corinthians 15:26 above)
Regarding hell, in Revelation 20:14a the original Greek refers only to the temporary hell of "Hades" (Luke 16:23) being put away, not the eternal hell of "Gehenna"/the lake of fire (Luke 12:5, Mark 9:45-46, Matthew 25:41,46, Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11).
(See Matthew 25:41 above)
--
*Revelation 20:15 / *Rev. 20:15 -
This means that nonelect individuals, whose names were never written in God's Book of Life (Revelation 17:8b), and elect individuals who failed to overcome to the end and so ultimately had their names blotted out of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5, Revelation 2:26), will ultimately be cast into the lake of fire at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), which will not occur until after the future Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-15).
(See also Revelation 3:5 above)
--
*Revelation 21 / *Rev. 21 -
(Re: Universal salvation?)
Revelation 21 does not teach universal salvation, because of Revelation 21:8.
(See also the "Universal salvation?" section of Matthew 25:41 above)
--
*Revelation 21:1 / *Rev. 21:1 -
This will not occur until after the future Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7 to 21:1).
Revelation 21:1 means that God will create a new first heaven (a new atmosphere) and a new surface for the earth. For the planet earth itself will continue on forever (Psalms 104:5, Ecclesiastes 1:4, Psalms 78:69).
(See also the "Ouranos" section of 2 Peter 3:10 above)
--
*Revelation 21:2-3 / *Rev. 21:2 -
Both the earthly and heavenly Jerusalem can be referred to as the holy city (Revelation 11:2, Revelation 21:2), just as both can be referred to as the great city (Revelation 11:8, Revelation 21:10).
Revelation 21:2 refers not to the Church itself, but to the literal city of New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:2 will occur over 1,000 years after Revelation 19:7. For Revelation 20 will occur after Revelation 19 and before Revelation 21.
(See also paragraphs 2-5 of Revelation 21:9 below)
~
(Re: Means that aliens do not exist?)
See the "Revelation 21:2" paragraph of Psalms 8:3 above.
--
*Revelation 21:3 / *Rev. 21:3 -
This means that the literal city of New Jerusalem, and God the Father Himself, will have come down from the third heaven (Revelation 21:2-3) to the future, New Earth (Revelation 21:1), as in a new surface for the earth. God the Father and Jesus Christ the Lamb are distinguished from each other in Revelation 21:22-23 and Revelation 22:1,3. During the preceding Millennium, the Church will be on the present earth (not the New Earth) with Jesus (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29), after His future, Second Coming (Revelation 19:7 to 20:6, Zechariah 14:3-21).
--
*Revelation 21:4 / *Rev. 21:4 -
(Re: Former things passed away)
This means that all former unpleasant things will have passed away for Christians, not former pleasant things like the righteousness, peace, and joy of God's Holy Spirit, which Christians have now (Romans 14:17).
Also, Revelation 21:4 does not mean that former unpleasant things like suffering will have passed away for non-Christians. For Revelation 21:4 is followed by Revelation 21:8 (and Revelation 22:15). And the suffering of non-Christians in the lake of fire will never pass away (Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11, Matthew 25:41,46, Mark 9:45-46).
~
(Re: Same time as Isaiah 25:8-9?)
Revelation 21:4 is at a different time than Isaiah 25:8-9. For the latter applies only to those Christians who will be physically resurrected at Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming (1 Corinthians 15:21-23,52-54), which will occur right before the future Millennium (Revelation 19:7 to 20:6, Zechariah 14:4-21), whereas Revelation 21:4 applies also to those people who will become Christians during the Millennium (Isaiah 66:19-21) and then will die during the Millennium and get physically resurrected at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-13), which will occur sometime after the Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-10).
~
(Re: For eternity, will there be no more sin?)
Nothing requires that there will be no more sin ever committed after the point of Revelation 21:4. For free will will not be included in the "former things" which will pass away at the point of Revelation 21:4. So it will still be possible for Christians to wrongly employ their free will to commit sin. They will not be turned into robots programmed to do only good for all of eternity, although they will be able to do only good if they so choose.
(See also paragraph 6, and section 2, of Revelation 2:7 above)
~
(No more death)
Revelation 21:4 means that there will be no more death for Christians who overcame in this world (Revelation 21:7). It does not require that there will be no more death for anyone at all in the next world (contrast Isaiah 65:20). Also, Revelation 21:4 is not contradicting that in the next world (the future, New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth), the non-Christians of this world will continue forever in the suffering of the second death of the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8, Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11, Matthew 25:41,46, Mark 9:45-46, Isaiah 66:24).
(See also Isaiah 65:20 above)
--
*Revelation 21:5 / *Rev. 21:5 -
(Re: Universal salvation?)
In Revelation 21:5, all things being made new with regard to people applies only to Christians (2 Corinthians 5:17).
(See paragraph 2 of Revelation 21:4 above)
~
(Re: New universe?)
Note that nothing in Revelation 21:5 requires that it is referring to all things in the universe, instead of all things on earth and in its atmosphere (the first heaven), as referred to previously in the context (Revelation 21:1). Another case where "all things" is limited by its context is Hebrews 8:5b, which must mean all things related to the Mosaic tabernacle, not all things in the universe.
(See also Revelation 21:1 above)
--
*Revelation 21:6 / *Rev. 21:6 -
(It is done)
See Revelation 16:17 above.
--
*Revelation 21:8 / *Rev. 21:8 -
This means that people who are murderers or whoremongers (or other types of sinners) now, in this life, and who will die without ever becoming Christians and repenting from their sins, will be cast into the lake of fire. They will remain murderers or whoremongers in the lake of fire, not in the sense that they will continue to commit murder or whoredom there, but in the same sense that, for example, people in the U.S. refer to "murderers" being on death row today: It is a reference to their past murders, not to them continuing to commit murders while on death row.
~
(Re: Does God condone *murder?)
God never condones murder, in the sense of treating it as trivial. Indeed, all unrepentant murderers will have to suffer for their murders forever in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8), along with Satan (Revelation 20:10) the murderer (John 8:44).
--
*Revelation 21:9-12 / *Rev. 21:9 -
(Re: *New Jerusalem / *NJ)
Revelation 21:12 refers to Israel's twelve tribes in its description of the bride of Christ in Revelation 21:9. And the bride of Christ is the Church (Ephesians 5:30-32; 2 Corinthians 11:2).
Revelation 21:2,9-10 means that the physical structure of the literal city of New Jerusalem in heaven is a picture of the Church. Something can be literal and at the same time symbolically picture something else. For example, in Matthew 21:19 the fig tree was literal and at the same time its being without fruit pictured unbelieving, Old Covenant Israel being without spiritual fruit in Matthew 21:43.
Just as New Jerusalem's literal wall foundations have the names of the twelve apostles on them (Revelation 21:14), so the Church's foundation is the apostles (Ephesians 2:20). And just as New Jerusalem's literal pearly gates have the names of Israel's twelve tribes on them (Revelation 21:12,21), so the Church consists of Israel's twelve tribes (e.g. James 1:1).
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
New Jerusalem is a literal city, 1,500 miles cubed (Revelation 21:16), with literal pearly gates and literal streets of gold (Revelation 21:21). It is God the Father's house in the third heaven (Revelation 21:2-3, cf. 2 Corinthians 12:2b,4, Revelation 2:7b, Revelation 22:2,14), in which house Jesus Christ left to prepare a place for the Church (John 14:2). All those in the Church, whether Jews or Gentiles, have figuratively come to New Jerusalem by coming under the New Covenant (Hebrews 12:22-24, Galatians 4:24-26), which is made only with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31-34), and which only the Church comes under by believing in Jesus' New Covenant suffering and death on the Cross for our sins (Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6, Hebrews 9:15), the very heart of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
The Church looks for Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming, from heaven (Philippians 3:20), and His setting up of the physical aspect of His Kingdom on the earth with the physically resurrected Church (of all times) for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29), a time period commonly called the Millennium. New Jerusalem will not descend from the third heaven to the earth until after the future, New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth, has been created (Revelation 21:1-4), sometime after the future Millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-15). The Church will physically live and reign in New Jerusalem with God the Father and Jesus on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1 to 22:5). The Father and Jesus themselves will be the only temple in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22).
(See also 2 Corinthians 12:2(space) above)
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(Re: Is New Jerusalem shaped like a cube to represent the Holy of Holies in the temple made with hands, which is no more in New Jerusalem?)
It is the other way around. The earthly temple which was made with hands was fashioned after what is literally in heaven (Hebrews 9:23-24, Hebrews 8:5). Also, nothing requires that the literal temple building in heaven (Revelation 11:19) has ever been in the literal city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22).
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(Re: Since God the Father is Spirit, does He never literally leave heaven to come down to earth?)
Just as God the Father already literally and spiritually comes down from the third heaven to dwell in the hearts of obedient Christians on the present earth (John 14:23), so He will literally and spiritually come down from the third heaven in His literal house/city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-3, John 14:2) to dwell with obedient Christians on the future, New Earth, as in a new surface for the earth.
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(Re: Is Rome the New Jerusalem? For is Rome the new center for Christians, just as Jerusalem was the center for the Jews?)
Just as Jerusalem was the original center for Christians (Romans 15:25), including the apostle Peter (Galatians 1:18) and the other apostles (Acts 1:4, Acts 15:4, Acts 16:4), so it can still be considered to be the earthly center for Christians. And at Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming, He will descend with all of the saints (in the general sense of all Christians, of all times) to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4-5), just as He had ascended from there (Acts 1:9-12). He will not descend to Rome. Also, during the future Millennium, the returned Jesus will rule the earth from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:8-21, Micah 4:1-4), not from Rome, just as He has never ruled from Rome.
(See also paragraphs 4-5 of Revelation 21:9 above. And see paragraphs 4-5 of Acts 1:6 above)
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*Revelation 21:19-20 / *Rev. 21:19 -
The fact that the twelve literal foundations of New Jerusalem, which have the names of the twelve apostles on them (Revelation 21:14), are also twelve gemstones (Revelation 21:19b-20), is similar to how the twelve gemstones in Exodus 28:17-20 had the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on them (Exodus 28:21). The twelve apostles will rule over the twelve tribes (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30).
(See also Revelation 21:9 above. And see the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
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*Revelation 21:22 / *Rev. 21:22 -
This shows that there is no temple building in the literal city of New Jerusalem. Only God the Father and Jesus Christ themselves are its temple.
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*Revelation 21:24 / *Rev. 21:24 -
When this says: "the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it", by "it" is meant the city in Revelation 21:23, which is New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2 to 22:5).
(See paragraphs 4-5 of Revelation 21:9 above)
Revelation 21:24 refers to the future time of the New Earth (Revelation 21:1 to 22:5), as in a new surface for the earth. So in Revelation 21:24 the "nations [Greek: ethnos: G1484: peoples] of them which are saved" refers to Christians on the New Earth, who will include individuals from all nations/peoples who existed on the present earth (Revelation 5:9b).
(See also 2 Peter 3:10 above)
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*Revelation 21:27 / *Rev. 21:27 -
This and Revelation 22:15 are not contradicting that some non-Christians will enter the future Millennium (Zechariah 14:16-19), but mean that no non-Christians will enter the literal city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:14-15, Revelation 21:2,10, Hebrews 12:22).
(See also the "Amillennialism?" section of Luke 17:26 above)
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*Revelation 22:1 / *Rev. 22:1 -
Here the water which flows from God's throne in the literal, heavenly city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10 to 22:5), like in...
(See Zechariah 14:8 above)
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*Revelation 22:4b / *Rev. 22:4b -
This will be literal, just as Exodus 28:36-38 was literal.
(See Revelation 3:12 above)
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*Revelation 22:9 / *Rev. 22:9 -
This can be read as follows:
Revelation 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and [the fellowservant] of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
That is, the angel in Revelation 22:8-9 was not saying that he was a human, but that he was also a servant of God, along with the apostle John, other prophets, and all other obedient Christians. For angels are God's servants (Hebrews 1:7).
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*Revelation 22:10 / *Rev. 22:10 -
(Seal not)
In Revelation 22:10, "this book" which is not sealed is the entire book of Revelation, the fulfillment of which is "at hand" (Revelation 22:10, Revelation 1:3) and which the Church needs to "keep" the sayings of (Revelation 22:7,9, Revelation 1:3), and which Jesus Christ gave through an angel to the Church (Revelation 22:16, Revelation 1:1-3).
The entire book of Revelation being unsealed (Revelation 22:10) means that it...
(See "should not be difficult" under the "Literal" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) above)
(Also, see the "Chronological" section of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 (Overview) above)
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(Re: The seven thunders' utterances were sealed)
But what the seven thunders said is not part of the book of Revelation. For the apostle John was forbidden to write what they said into the book of Revelation (Revelation 10:4).
(See also Revelation 10:4 above)
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(At hand)
See the "Soon" section of Revelation 1:1,3 above.
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*Revelation 22:11 / *Rev. 22:11 -
This is hyperbole to stress how close Jesus Christ's (still future) Second Coming was even in the first century AD (Revelation 22:12a,10) from the viewpoint of God (2 Peter 3:8, Psalms 90:4). He has waited so long (from a human point of view) to send Jesus back so that a lot of people might have time to repent from their sins and become Christians (2 Peter 3:9).
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*Revelation 22:12 / *Rev. 22:12 -
This does not require that Jesus Christ will physically resurrect and render final judgment on both Christians and non-Christians at the same time immediately at His future, Second Coming. It only requires that sometime subsequent to His Second Coming, He will eventually render final judgment on both Christians and non-Christians.
(See the "2 judgments" part of Matthew 12:36 above)
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*Revelation 22:14 / *Rev. 22:14 -
Here the initial phrase reads differently in different original-Greek manuscripts. The Textus Receptus/KJV says: "Blessed are they that do his commandments", while the NIV says: "Blessed are those who wash their robes". But the two ideas come together in 1 John 1:7, which shows that Christians are cleansed from sin as they actually "walk" in the light, which is figurative of doing God's commandments (2 John 1:6).
But this does not mean the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law's commandments.
(See the "Law" section of Ephesians 2:15 above)
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*Revelation 22:15 / *Rev. 22:15 -
See Revelation 21:27 above.
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The original Greek word (kuon: G2965) translated as "dogs" can refer to humans who are figuratively "dogs" (Matthew 7:6) in the sense of "a worthless person" (Webster's).
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*Revelation 22:17 / *Rev. 22:17 -
(Re: Means that anyone can believe in Jesus?)
No, see paragraphs 2-3 of Romans 9:11 above.
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(Re: Full preterism?)
The Church is already married to Jesus Christ in one sense (2 Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 5:30-32). And so the Church can be the bride in Revelation 22:17 which is calling for Jesus' future, Second Coming. The latter part of Revelation 22:17 would refer to elect non-Christians, who are not yet part of the bride, but who can come into salvation.
Regarding the call for Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming in Revelation 22:17...
(See Acts 1:11 above)
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(Re: Married "in one sense"? Sorry, that makes no sense)
Note that it does, just as Christians are already saved in one sense, but not yet saved in another sense. For initial salvation is...
(See "the salvation which Christians have now" under the "Initial salvation" section of Ephesians 2:8 above)
Another difference between initial salvation and ultimate salvation is that...
(See Ephesians 2:8 above)
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*Revelation 22:18 / *Rev. 22:18 -
This is a warning against adding ideas to the actual text of the book of Revelation and then publishing the altered text as if those ideas were in the original text. Revelation 22:18 is not a warning against simply saying something in a discussion such as "Velcro exists", or "Aliens could exist", ideas which are not found in the book of Revelation, or anywhere else in the Bible, but are nonetheless true.
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(Re: If a person who lived in, say, 400 AD, had added words to Revelation's text, how would God have added the plagues described in Revelation to him if those plagues are still future?)
God could bring the same types of plagues on such an individual personally, after that person's future resurrection. Or, God could have brought some of the plagues on him while he was still alive back in 400 AD. For example, God could have seen to it that the person received at that time "a noisome and grievous sore" (Revelation 16:2), such as an incurable skin ulcer. And God could have seen to it that the person was somehow "given blood to drink" (Revelation 16:6), and was also somehow "scorched with fire" (Revelation 16:8) and "with great heat" (Revelation 16:9). All back in 400 AD, with regard to his personal experience.
(See also Revelation 16(space) above)
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*Revelation 22:19 / *Rev. 22:19 -
This is a warning against removing words from the actual text of the book of Revelation and then publishing the altered text as if those words were not in the original text. Revelation 22:19 is not a warning against simply saying, for example, that the people quoted in Revelation 6:17 can be mistaken in what they say, similar to how, for example, the people quoted in Job 19:11, John 7:12b, and Matthew 27:63a were mistaken in what they said.
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*Revelation 22:20 / *Rev. 22:20 -
This does not mean "quickly" (in the sense of soon) from a human point of view. For it has been some 2,000 years since Jesus Christ made this statement, yet His Second Coming is still future.
Similarly, in Revelation 1:1,3 and Revelation 22:6,10, "shortly" and "at hand" can be understood from the viewpoint of God, not men (2 Peter 3:8-9, Psalms 90:4).
(See also paragraphs 2-3 of the "Soon" section of Revelation 1:1,3 above)
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