Revelation 21
Revelation 21:1
I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”
Isaiah 65:17
Revelation 21:2
I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
”How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings (Isaiah 52:7) – This teaches you that in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will cause built-up Jerusalem to descend from heaven, and will set her upon the tops of four mountains.”
Pesikta deRav Kahana, ed. Mandelbaum, pg. 466, The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, pgs. 224-225
”Elijah said: I see a beautiful and great city descend from heaven, built up, as it is written, “Jerusalem that art builded as a city that is compact together” Psalm 122:3) Built up and embellished, and her people dwell in her midst, and she rests on three thousand towers and between each [there are] twenty-five thousand cubits of smaragds and precious stones and pearls…”
Sefer Eliyahu, BhM, The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, pgs. 224-22
“. . . when the Bride is destined the next day to be under the canopy with Her Husband – to be with her all night, delighting with Her in Her adornments in which she is arrayed, engaging in Torah, from Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Writings, midrashic renderings of verses and mysteries of wisdom: these are her adornments and finery.” Rabbi Shim’on opened, saying, “Heaven declares the glory of God . . . (Psalms 19:2). . . when the Bride is aroused to enter the canopy the next day, She is arrayed and illumined with Her adornments . . . as soon as they join together, and She sees Her Husband, what is written? Heaven declares the glory of God. Heaven – the Groom entering the canopy . . . The glory of God – glory of the Bride, who is called God, but now that She has entered the canopy, She is called Glory as well as God, glory upon glory, radiance upon radiance, dominion upon dominion.”
Zohar 1:8a, Pritzker Edition, translated by Daniel C. Matt, pg. 52-53
Revelation 21:3
I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, Behold, Gods dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.
“He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord HaShem will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for HaShem has spoken it.”
Isaiah 25:8
The Midrash Rabbah interprets this verse as a Messianic Prophecy,
“…when God created His world, there was no Angel of Death in the world…Messiah would arise, and in his days God would cause death to be swallowed up, as it says, He will swallow up death forever.”
Exodus Rabbah 30:3, Soncino Press Edition
Revelation 21:5
He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ He said, ‘Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.’
Revelation 21:6
He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alef and the Tav, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
Revelation 21:7
He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.
Revelation 21:8
But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
“They shall go forth, and look on the dead bodies of the men who have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Isaiah 66:24
Revelation 21:9
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s Bride.
Revelation 21:10
He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
“So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit and the hand of HaShem was strong on me.”
Ezekiel 3:14
Revelation 21:11
having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Revelation 21:12
having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
“These are the exits of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure; and the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel…”
Ezekiel 48:30-31
Revelation 21:13
On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
“…three gates northward: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one. At the east side four thousand and five hundred reeds, and three gates: even the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one. At the south side four thousand and five hundred reeds by measure, and three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one. At the west side four thousand and five hundred reeds, with their three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one. It shall be eighteen thousand reeds around: and the name of the city from that day shall be, HaShem is there.”
Ezekiel 48:31-35
Revelation 21:14
The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Emissaries of the Lamb.
Revelation 21:15
He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed, to measure the city, its gates, and its walls.
“I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. Then I asked, ‘Where are you going?’ He said to me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length.”
Zechariah 2:1-2
Revelation 21:16
The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, Twelve thousand twelve stadia[2]. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.
Revelation 21:17
Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
Revelation 21:18
The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.
”Resh Lakish said: The Holy One, blessed be He, will in time to come add to Jerusalem a thousand gardens, a thousand towers, a thousand palaces and a thousand mansions”
Talmud, Baba Batra 75b, Soncino Press Edition
Revelation 21:19
The foundations of the citys wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire[4]; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
Revelation 21:20
the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst.
“You shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, you shall make it. It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length of it, and a span its breadth. You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row; and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be enclosed in gold in their settings. The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.”
Exodus 28:15-21
Revelation 21:21
The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Revelation 21:22
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.
Revelation 21:23
The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
“The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light to you: but HaShem will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory.”
Isaiah 60:19
Revelation 21:24
The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
“Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
Isaiah 60:3
Revelation 21:25
Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there),
“Your gates also shall be open continually, they shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.”
Isaiah 60:11
Revelation 21:26
and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it so that they may enter.
