The City of God
The Book of Revelation concludes with an image of the immense and glorious city of “New Jerusalem” populated by the “innumerable multitude” of men and women redeemed from every nation. It represents the fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham of “land” and “blessings to all the nations.” All this has been accomplished by the shed “blood of the Lamb.” The City of God will be populated!
In Genesis,
God promised Abraham that “in you, will all the clans of the Earth be
blessed.” Kings would come from him, and he would become the “father of
a multitude of nations.”
[Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash] |
The vast extent of this promise was illustrated when the Creator of all things challenged the Patriarch to number the stars - for “so shall your seed be” - “North and south, east and west, for all the land that you see, will I give to you, and your seed, for an everlasting possession.”
The Abrahamic
Covenant foresaw something larger than the territory of Palestine from the
beginning. For example, “by faith” Abraham “became a sojourner in the
land of promise… For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose
builder and maker is God” – (Hebrews 11:9-10).
In Chapter 21
of Revelation, the dimensions of the city make it coterminous with
the “New Heavens and new Earth.” It is the “Paradise of God”
where the “Tree of Life” provides life to the “nations.”
This “tree”
is none other than the Cross of Calvary. As the Risen Christ
promised to all who overcome, “To him will
I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. All that was lost because of the
disobedience of Adam will be restored, but also infinitely enhanced and
enlarged. The “Curse” will be no more, and the saints will reign with
the “Lamb… forever and ever” – (Revelation 2:7).
The description of “New Jerusalem” includes verbal allusions to the Old Testament stories of Adam, Abraham, and Israel. What God intended in the first creation will not be abandoned – It will be fulfilled in the New Creation.
Likewise, the
covenant promises of land, kings, and “blessings to the nations” will be
consummated in the Holy City, including the promise to regather the tribes of
Israel.
NATIONS AND KINGS
The “nations”
are portrayed positively and negatively in Revelation, likewise,
the “Kings of the Earth,” depending on how they respond to the “Lamb.”
Those men who submit to him are found in “New Jerusalem.” This includes
the “innumerable” multitude of men “purchased by the Lamb” from
every “nation.” - (Revelation 7:9-17, 21:24-27).
In his present
“reign,” Jesus is “shepherding the nations” with his “rod,”
but he does not use it to pulverize them into dust. Instead, he “shepherds”
them so that his glorious city will be fully populated - (Revelation 5:9, 7:9,
12:5, 15:4, 19:15).
Likewise, he
is the “Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.” This group was included among
those who fled from his “wrath” when the “sixth seal was opened.”
So, also, the “Kings of the Earth” were gathered to the “war”
against the “Rider on a White Horse” - (Revelation 1:4-6, 6:15, 17:2,
17:18).
Nevertheless,
in “New Jerusalem,” the “Kings of
the Earth” will bring “their
glory into the city, and the glory and the honor of the nations,” and only
individuals whose names are “written in the Lamb’s book of life” will gain
entrance. This means that some, at least, of these kings will find their names written
in the “Lamb’s Book of Life.” The present reign of Jesus is not about
manipulating political rulers and destroying nations.
The group excluded
from the city is the “inhabitants of the Earth,” the men who gave their
allegiance to the “Beast from the Sea.” Their names are not found in the
“Book of Life.” This group is distinct from the “Kings” and the “nations”
of the Earth - (Genesis 12:3, 17:6,
22:8).
The angel
then showed John the “river of water of life.” This echoes the final
vision of the prophet Ezekiel when he saw a river flowing from “under the
threshold of the house” to provide healing and life, only now, it is for
the “healing of the nations” - (Ezekiel 47:1-12, Revelation 22:1-5).
In the clause,
the Greek noun translated as “tree” or xulon was
commonly applied to “wood” used in construction; that is, dead wood as
opposed to living trees. The same Greek clause is found in
the Septuagint rendering of Genesis 2:9 for the original “tree
of life.” Moreover, elsewhere in the New Testament, xulon is
applied to the Cross on which Jesus was hanged. John wants us to make this
connection – Christ crucified is the source of everlasting life for the
nations - (Acts 5:30, 10:39, 13:29, Galatians 3:13, 1 Peter 2:24).
Unlike the
first “Paradise,” “there will be no curse any longer.” The term “curse”
echoes the Genesis story when the Earth was “cursed” on
account of Adam’s disobedience, the same “Curse” that is now reversed by
the “slain Lamb” - (Genesis 3:17-19).
[Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash] |
In the Holy City, “there will be night no more need of the sun or the moon… for the Lord God will give them light.” This alludes to the promise of restoration to Israel in the Book of Isaiah, the regathering of the nation to the land. Darkness would cover the Earth, but Yahweh would display His glory over Israel so that the “nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” - (Isaiah 60:1-3, 60:19-22).
Thus, Revelation “squares”
the “biblical circle.” The “Lamb” removes the “Curse” and redeems
God’s “good” creation. All His promises are fulfilled in Jesus, the “slain
Lamb” who “shepherds the nations.” In him, the call for Adam to “take
dominion over the Earth” and the covenant promise of land to Abraham and “his
seed” are gloriously fulfilled.
The plan was
never to abandon the original creation but to redeem it and place humanity at
its center under the sovereign rule of Jesus of Nazareth, where righteous men
and women will dwell securely and reign with the “Lamb” forever in the “Holy
City of New Jerusalem.”
RELATED POSTS:
- Salvation for All! - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people)
- The Covenant - (Jesus fulfills the covenant promise that Abraham would bless humanity as his Gospel is proclaimed to the Nations of the Earth)
- The Mission - (The mission of the Assembly of Jesus is to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to all Nations until he returns – Matthew 24:14)
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