The New Jerusalem is a present spiritual reality that replaced the Old Jerusalem and Herod’s Temple that were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. The New Jerusalem is an image of God’s eschatological rule and government over the Kingdom of God. God, the Father will rule His Kingdom through Jesus Christ and His faithful servants. Now, God’s Spirit resides in us, and His people can live in fellowship with Him. At Revelation 22:1-2, we read,
And he [the angel] showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
The “river of the water of life” coming from beneath “the throne of God and of the Lamb” is an image of God’s life (a/k/a eternal life) being shared with His faithful servants. Our experience of God’s life is connected to our acceptance of God’s authority over us, and our consistent walking by the Spirit and Word. The throne of God is symbolic of God’s authority. We lay hold of and experience eternal life to the degree that we accept God as our King. At 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul instructed us to “take hold of the eternal life to which [we] were called.” From and by the water of life (a/k/a eternal life), we produce the fruit of the Spirit.
As noted above, the New Jerusalem has many garden images of abundance, fruitfulness, harmony, and order. The water of life is a necessity for the existence of the Tree of Life, which then produces its abundant fruit anew every month. At Galatians 5:22-23, we learn that the fruit of the Spirit “is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control.” This is the same Tree of Life that was first seen in the Garden of Eden. At Proverbs 3:18, we learn that wisdom is a tree of life. To participate in the rule of God, we need to possess the wisdom of God.
At Revelation 22:2, we learn that the leaves of the Tree of Life are used for the “healing of the nations.” In the ancient world, the leaves of various plants were used for healing.[1] The “nations” refer to the pagan or unbelieving world.[2] The healing of the nations is incidental to and derivative of God’s sharing of His life with His faithful servants. In my opinion, verses like this are supportive of an eventual Endstate wherein “every knee will bow” (Isa. 45:23, Rom. 14:11, Phil. 2:10). The unbelieving and rebellious will be healed. God has the power to subdue all things to Himself (Phil. 3:21).
At Revelation 22:3-4, we read,
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; [and] they will see His face, and His name will on their foreheads.
When we take up residence in the New Jerusalem, we experience a new life and existence in Jesus Christ. We are freed from the curses associated with the Fall of humankind. The faithful servant of God is described as a doulos, which is a Greek noun meaning “slave, servant, or bond-servant.”[3] To “see” the Lamb is an image of living in the presence of or in fellowship with Jesus Christ. To have the name of “Jesus Christ” tattooed on one’s forehead is an image of having the will of God at the forefront of one’s thinking and priorities. In my opinion, the name of Jesus Christ will not be literally tattooed or written on the foreheads of God’s faithful servants.
At Revelation 22:5-7, we read,
And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever. And he [the angel] said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Jesus Christ said, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5); “so that no one who believes in Me will remain in darkness” (John 12:46). As long as we continue in our walk of faith, we will remain in the light. Jesus Christ illuminates our path by the Spirit and the Word. Again, the New Jerusalem is not describing a new type of solar system, wherein there is no longer a sun or moon. Also, please notice that the angel came for the purpose of showing God’s faithful servants the “things which must soon take place.”
Verse 22:5 ends by saying, “and they will reign forever and ever.” Jesus Christ and His faithful servants will rule over God’s creation forever and ever. The New Jerusalem is an image of God’s eschatological rule and government, but in an important sense, the rule of Jesus Christ and His faithful servants has already started. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father already ruling in Heaven. Further, the faithful servants here on Planet Earth can already impact human history by their efficacious prayers and their practice of the Christian Spiritual Life. Further, believers like the Apostle Paul, who have already passed to the next life, are already ruling in Heaven (Rev. 20:6).
As mentioned above, verse 22:6 notes that the prophecies mentioned in the Book of Revelation “must soon take place.” At verse 22:7, we read that Jesus was “coming quickly.” This is a major theme of the Book of Revelation. Four times in the Book, Jesus said, “I am coming quickly” (Rev. 3:11, 22:7, 22:12, and 22:20). Two times we read that “the time is near” (Rev. 1:3, 22:10), and two times we read that the prophecies “must soon take place” (Rev. 1:1, 22:6). During the first approximately 40 years of the Christian Church, God’s people were being persecuted. The persecution of Christians was magnified under Nero’s persecutions beginning in AD 64. During Nero’s persecutions, Paul and Peter were executed. James, the Lord’s brother, had been stoned to death a few years earlier in Jerusalem. The leadership of the burgeoning Church had been eliminated. The judgments recorded in the Book of Revelation brought relief to God’s faithful servants. The primary persecutors (Jerusalem and Rome) were judged. The judgments of Jerusalem (the headquarters for the Advocates of the Old Covenant) and Rome (Nero’s Capital City) are the immediate historical context of the Book of Revelation.
At Revelation 22:8-9, we read,
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, “Do not do that, I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
John reflexively fell at the feet of the angel to worship the physically-superior angelic being. Immediately, the angel said, “Do not do that, I am a fellow servant of yours….” The angel explained that he was a fellow servant of John, the prophets, and those who keep the words of the Book. The Greek verb tēreō means “to keep, guard, value, or observe.”[4] The faithful servants of God place a great value on the Word of God.
The Apostle Paul taught us that the faithful servants of God will actually rule over or judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3). The angel told John to “Worship God,” not angels. In fact, the worship of God is much more than something we do just on Sundays. “Worship” is a way of life, wherein we consistently place God’s will above our own will. The worship of God and Jesus is a central motif of the Book of Revelation.
[1] “Leaf.” Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, edited by Leland Ryken, et al, InterVarsity Press, 1998, pp. 497-498.
[2] “Heathen.” Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, edited by Leland Ryken, et al, InterVarsity Press, 1998, pp. 369-370.
[3] “G1401 – doulos – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 20 May, 2024. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1401/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[4] “G5083 – tēreō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 20 May, 2024. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5083/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
