The Bride of the Lamb
In Revelation 17, Rome (Babylon) is described as a great whore. In chapters 21 and 22, the new Jerusalem is described as Rome's counterpoint. We learn that the holy city is a pure bride, the wife of the Lamb. In verse 10 of chapter 21, John sees Jerusalem coming down out of heaven and resting on a high mountain on earth. This is no ordinary city. It's constructed with rare jewels and minerals and in appearance it is almost indescribable. The city lies four square and is so large that it would cover the entirety of what was then the Roman Empire. It is shaped like a cube which reaches 1,500 miles into the sky. It's clear we are dealing with hyperbolic symbolism here. A 1,500-mile-high city would reach far into outer space. But the fact that the city is a perfect cube reminds us of the Holy of Holies - it is filled with God's unmediated presence! We learn that there is no temple in the city as all of creation is filled with God's imminent glory so there's no longer a need for a temple. Nor is there a need for the sun or moon for God's presence (both the Father and the Son) illuminates all of creation. The metropolis represents the people of God, both past and present as the 12 tribes of Israel are inscribed on the 12 gates and the names of the 12 apostles are written on the 12 foundations of the city.
Echoing the garden stories of Genesis 2-3 and Ezekiel's visions in Ezekiel 47, John sees a river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb. The water fuels the tree of life which seems to form an arch over the river. This tree produces 12 different kinds of fruit every month. It's like the Garden of Eden on steroids! We are told that the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations, which brings us to our next point.
The Conversion of the Nations
"By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day - and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life...The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." Revelation 21:24-27 & 22:2b.
Throughout the book of Revelation, we have sensed a tension. On one hand we have the Lamb, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and on the other hand we have the Satan with Rome and its imperial propaganda. Caught in the middle are the 7 churches of Asia, who John consistently exhorts to remain faithful to Jesus. But also caught in the middle are the nations who have been deceived by the beasts of Rome and the dragon (the Satan). Will the 7 churches remain faithful to Jesus? Will the nations remain under the sway of the beasts and of the dragon, or will they be converted to the victorious side of Jesus?
In chapter 7 we already received a glimpse of the possibilities. In one vision, John sees 144,000 (representing the people of God as a whole) sealed for salvation. But then, John does a double take and sees another set of people who have embraced Jesus. "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the Lamb, clothed in white robes..." Revelation 7:9. Later in the book we learn that it would be the faithful witness of God's people that would lead the nations of the world to Christ. But yet, a tension in the book continues as the overall numbers of those from the nations who embrace Jesus in this age pales in comparison from the vision we get in chapter 7 and chapters 21 and 22. It's an uncountable number who have embraced Jesus in the age to come. What changes?
Once the source of the deception of the nations, the Satan, has been annihilated in chapter 20 by Jesus the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the nations are now able, and seemingly willing to bow their knee to the Lamb and confess his name before God the Father. "...at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:10-11. So, does this mean that every single individual in all of history will be saved in the end? Though that is a possibility (who are we to say whom God will or will not finally save in the end), Revelation seems to paint a slightly different picture. Revelation sketches the vision of a post-Parousia conversion of the nations, but God will not force anyone to bow their knee to his Son. There will be those who choose the lie (the Satan) over the Truth (Jesus) and those who choose death over life (Revelation 20:13-15 & 21:8). But remember, the numbers of those finally saved is uncountable - those who will share eternal life with God the Father and Jesus the Son is more than any of us can imagine!
Eternal Life in the Age to Come
But what will that eternal life actually be like? I have written about this previously in some blog posts based on Genesis 1-11. You can read the three posts here The Goal and Destination of Creation Part One Part Two Part Three . But in general, the key points to remember are that life in the age to come will be lived in transformed resurrected bodies (not disembodied souls), that the place where this life will occur is in the renewed creation as heaven and earth are united, and that this life will be experienced in the unmediated direct presence of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Beyond that we can't say too much, but it will be even better and far more dramatic than any of us can imagine. And the healing that we all need will be experienced as the longings of our hearts will be fulfilled as only God can fulfill them. God will not only come to dwell with us, but he will also share his reign over creation with us (22:5). We won't just live in the new creation, but we will reign with God over it!
We are getting close to the end of the book (and the Bible for that matter). We'll look at the epilogue next time and then we'll have a final blog to tie it all together. - Shay
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