Revelation 21

King James Version

Full text for Revelation Chapter 21

1¶ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God.

4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5And he that sat upon the throne said, ‹Behold, I make all things new.› And he said unto me, ‹Write: for these words are true and faithful.›

6And he said unto me, ‹It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.›

7‹He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.›

8‹But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.›

9¶ And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11Having the glory of God: and her light [was] like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12And had a wall great and high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

17And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred [and] forty [and] four cubits, [according to] the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

18And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass.

19And the foundations of the wall of the city [were] garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

20The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

21And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.

24And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

John beholds a new heaven and a new earth, with the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from God. A divine voice declares God's dwelling among humanity, where all tears, death, sorrow, and pain are abolished. The One on the throne proclaims the making of all things new, offering eternal life to the faithful and warning of the second death for the unrighteous.

Medium Summary

The chapter opens with John's vision of a new heaven and a new earth, signifying the passing away of the old order and the absence of the sea. He then beholds the New Jerusalem, the holy city, descending from God, likened to a bride adorned for her husband. A great voice declares God's tabernacle is with men, promising His dwelling among them and the cessation of all tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain. The One on the throne proclaims the making of all things new, identifying Himself as Alpha and Omega, offering the water of life freely to the thirsty. He states that overcomers will inherit all things, while the unrighteous will face the second death in the lake of fire. An angel then shows John the city in detail, describing its immense size, precious material construction, twelve gates named after the tribes of Israel, and twelve foundations bearing the names of the apostles. The city is illuminated by the glory of God and the Lamb, having no need for sun or moon, and only those written in the Lamb's book of life may enter.

Long Summary

Revelation 21 begins with John's profound vision of a new heaven and a new earth, indicating the complete renewal of creation and the disappearance of the former things, including the sea. He witnesses the descent of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, from God out of heaven, beautifully prepared as a bride for her husband. A divine voice announces the establishment of God's tabernacle among humanity, where He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. This new era is characterized by the complete removal of suffering: God will wipe away all tears, and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain, as the former things have passed away. The One seated on the throne declares, "Behold, I make all things new," affirming the truth and faithfulness of these words and identifying Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He promises the water of life freely to the thirsty and assures overcomers that they shall inherit all things and be His sons. Conversely, a clear warning is given that the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will have their portion in the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Subsequently, an angel guides John to a great and high mountain to show him the New Jerusalem in detail. The city is described as having the glory of God, with its light resembling a precious jasper stone, clear as crystal. It possesses a great and high wall with twelve gates, each guarded by an angel and bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The wall has twelve foundations, inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The city is foursquare, of immense and equal length, breadth, and height (twelve thousand furlongs), and its wall is 144 cubits high. Its construction is magnificent, with the wall of jasper, the city itself of pure gold like clear glass, and its foundations adorned with twelve different precious stones. Each of the twelve gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass. Notably, there is no temple within the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city requires neither sun nor moon, as the glory of God and the Lamb provide its light. The nations of the saved will walk in its light, and kings will bring their honor into it. Its gates will never be shut, for there is no night, and nothing defiling, abominable, or false shall enter, only those written in the Lamb's book of life.

Core Concepts

  • New Heaven and New EarthJohn's vision of a completely renewed creation, where the former heaven and earth, along with the sea, have passed away, signifying a new and perfect order.
  • New JerusalemThe holy city descending from God, depicted as a bride adorned for her husband, representing God's eternal dwelling place with humanity in a state of glory.
  • Cessation of SufferingA central promise that God will wipe away all tears, and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain, as these former afflictions are abolished.
  • Divine Presence and LightGod's tabernacle is with men, and He dwells among them. The city's illumination comes directly from the glory of God and the Lamb, rendering sun or moon unnecessary.
  • Exclusion of the UnrighteousA clear distinction is made between those who inherit eternal life (the overcomers) and those who face the second death in the lake of fire, who are barred from the holy city.
  • Symbolic ArchitectureThe detailed description of the New Jerusalem's dimensions, precious materials, twelve gates (tribes of Israel), and twelve foundations (apostles) symbolizes its divine origin, perfection, and spiritual significance.
  • Alpha and OmegaGod's self-declaration as the beginning and the end, emphasizing His sovereignty over all creation and His fulfillment of all things in this new era.