Revelation 21:1-22:5 Rhetorical outline Draft
1
From New Heaven Comes Down New Earth/Jerusalem as A Bride (General)
1 A Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away, and the sea was no more.
New H/E, No More Sea,
1st H/E passed away
2
B And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
God coming to us in Holy
City/ Jerusalem as Bride:
3
B’ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among
mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his people, and God
himself will be with them;
God Among Us/Our Home
& We Are His people
4
A’ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and
crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away
Evil’s effects: No more!
1st Things Passed away
2 God Making all Things New/Water of Life for God’s children, No more evildoers (General)
5
6
7
8
1 And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new."
Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."
2 Then he said. “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.
1’ Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God
and they will be my children.
2’ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the
sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire
and sulfur, which is the second death."
God is making all
things New
To Thirsty, Water/Life
from Spring as gift
For those who are True,
New Relationship w/God
BUT to Evil, Lake
Burning as judgment
1’ New Jerusalem/Bride that Comes Down from Heaven Described
9 A Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came
and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
10
And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city
Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
A Angel shows John
Bride/New Jerusalem
11
12
B 1 Clear as Jasper
2 Walls/Twelve
3 Twelve/City Found
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
B 1 It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.
2 It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on
the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites;
on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates,
and on the west three gates.
3 And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
C The angel who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city
and its gates and walls.
C’ The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width;
and he measured the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles;
He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits by human measurement,
which the angel was using.
B’ 1’ The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, clear as glass.
2’ The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel;
the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth
topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
3’ And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl,
and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass.
22 A’ a I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
23
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light,
and its lamp is the Lamb.
24
b The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25
b’ Its gates will never be shut by day -- and there will be no night there.
26
People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
27
a’ But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood,
but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
C Angel Measures the
City Length/Width w/ Rod
C’ Angel’s measurements
with Rod (Specific)
B’1 Clear as Jasper
2 Walls/Twelve
3 Twelve/City
A’ John Sees: God with us
Glory/No Need for Light
Or temple
a/a’ no/Lamb (intro/end)
b/b’ inclusion description/
glory will be brought to it
2’ God Inside the City/River of Life Described in Detail
22:1 1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city.
2
On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each
month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
1 God/Lamb on Throne in
New Eden-healing/nations
3
2 No More Accursed there
4
5
2 Nothing accursed will be found there any more.
1’ But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him;
they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
2’ And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun,
for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
1’ God/Lamb on Throne
With servants/Worship
2’ No more night/Light;
His People Reign
Rhetorical: Notes:
All kinds of words repeat all the way through. Lots of connectiojnsk and implications could be noted by
repeating words here. This makes the the whole rhet. Process very hard, like inIsaiah 61.
1, 2 First two sections do seem more general, the second two more specific 1’2’
1, 1’ seem to focus more on the marco city, while 2, 2’ on the graden/water within the city.
Section 1:
if abba note that b’a’ are 4X emphasis re: verbs. Vv. 1-2: see, see, v. 3-4 hear (hear).
Section 2: 5-8:
Water theme all through. Precursor to section 4 and reminder of Gen 2 with emphasis on rivers in garden.
Note: 1, 2: present tense, ½’ future tense.
Bookened by throne: 22:1, 21:5
Section 1’ (3): 9-27:
2,2’ v. 11, v. 24, 26: Glory? 3 X inthis section! Telling theme for us.
Section 2’:
.v. 1-2: three main verbs here in this description.
2’? this has aspects of the section above. Angels showing, no more this needed. Crystal. See; God and Lamb
Throne: 1st section. But: 2nd section.
22:1 Middle is presence in Gen. 2…
Notes: there is an emptying from earlier chapters, and now there is a filling re: new heaven/city to earth, like
Gen 1.n
But in each section there is also at the end a “no” a sort of emptying , a reverse creation, fill/empty.
Bride: don’t’ we expect the bride to be th echurch on earth and then the new earth coming would be the
bridegroom? We do expect the bride to be the one walking down the aisle…oince again, God takes the initiative
in surprising ways. Note : the church from ages past is large and will be comingdown tgoo perhaps. God is still
the husband, he is here already n will be ready.
v. 6 Laidoecia comes to mind re: springs vsl dormant water.
Springs in a desert world are like gold! Even t oday!
V 7 overcome: all through this book, ch. 2 3 eg!! Each legtter. Key theme of This book. Hope helps us
perseveree.
v. 8 tongue on firre, you go to lake but it also is on fire: decives the “thirsty” inhell; oppostive of above spring,
and that kind of thirst v. 6) .
v. 9 One of the angels whol brought destruiction now brings vision to John of heaven. Note connection of wrath and heaven.
V 15-17 Size is way bigger than nation of Israel, which says something about God’s scop eof salvation,.
V 14: Tombs around Israel of famious people…and oridary tombstombs wating for promise of final day of the
Lord to be raised from the dead first.
v. 18ff: colors are beatuful, so heaven must be. Colors of th erainbow, which remid us of Gen. 6 and God’s
promise.
Walls: Nehemiah, again. Babyon had gthe thickest walls of their time, but now she is destroyed and the temple
is the safteset place.
Pure: free from imperfetion. Gold is yellow because of its imprefections.
Gates always open, all can come in…but what about hell folks? Angels gurading to make sure enemies can’t
come in? Can Judas change his mind after death?
Lamb: 3 times, once each in the 1 2 3 format originally.
Section 4: 22;1dd
Tree on both sides of river suggests land bridge (reconciliation?) between othersise separated parties, access
from all directions, Remembver too tha tin dry counties, trees only can grow if near rivers or deep springs Jer.
17:7-8.
See his face: tract this over the bible…
v. 5b They will regin forever: ending for all 4 sections? Definitely aconclusion and a fulfillment of Gen 1:26.
Taking dominion n graden idea.