Rev. xxi. 1 — 6. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth : for thejirst heaven and thejirsl earth were passed awaij ; and there
was
n as no more sen. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusa- lem, coming doii'nfrom God ont of heaven, prepared as a hide Jor her hnsband. And I heard a great voice ont of heaven saying, B^^lmld the tabernacle of God />' luith men ; and he will dwell with them ; and they shall be his people, and God him- self shall be with them, and he their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither sorroja, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain : for the former things are passed away. And He that: sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, IVrite ; for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me. It is done.
THIS passage is supposed by some to refer to the Millennial period. And it is certain that that period is elsewhere spoken of under the image of New heavens, and a New earth \ But others interpret it as relating to the eternal world ; which sense ac- cords best both with the text and context. Of the Millennial era, it cannot be said that then *' all tears shall be wiped away from our eyes, and that there shall be no more death ;" for most distressing times will follow it; and, after it, death will proceed in its work of desolation with uninterrupted sway. More- over, as the state of the wicked in the day of judg- ment is spoken of in the preceding context, it is rea- sonable to suppose that the state of the righteous should be mentioned also ; whilst, if it be not ad- verted to in this passage, it is omitted altogether, not- withstanding this Book of Revelation was intended to make known the future destinies of the Church, as well as of the world, to all eternity. Understand- ing therefore the vision as relating to the eternal world,
I will proceed to consider, I. The vision itself —
The Apostle saw " anew heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth having passed away : and, in that new creation, there was no more sea ;" all storms and tempests having ceased, and all occasion for tumultuous agitations having for ever vanished.
He
- hai. Ixv. 17. & kvi. 22,
1218.] TfT£ HEAVENLY GLORY. 411
He saw also the holy city, new Jerusalem, that is, a model of it, " coming down from God out of heaven :" and this city was in all respects fitted for the habita- tion of the Most High God in the midst of all his redeemed people ; "its foundations garnished with all manner of precious stones ;" " its walls great and high," '' its gates of pearl," " its streets of pure gold ;" and " God himself and the Lamb enlightening it with their glory ''." In a word, it was fully " prepared for its glorious inhabitants, as a bride adorned for her husband."
This vision seems to have been somewhat of the same kind with that which had formerly been given to Peter, when " a great sheet, filled with all manner of living animals, descended to him from heaven ^" But together with it " he heard a great voice out of heaven," proclaiming to him the blessedness of those who should inhabit that holy city. And this calls for our more particular attention.
We see here,
1 . The source of that bliss —
[God dwelt, by a visible symbol of his presence, in his Tabernacle and Temple of old. He was in a peculiar manner the God of Israel ; and they were in a peculiar manner his people. In his Church, and amongst his true Israel, he dwells also at this time ; manifesting himself to them as he does not vmto the world ; and communicating to them a fulness of all spiritual blessings. And as by this glorious distinction his people of old were elevated above the Heatlien, so are his spiritual Israel now distinguished above all other people upon the face of the earth ; possessing a knowledge of God's will, an enjoyment of his pi'esence, a sense of his love, and an ex- perience of his power, which no other creature out of heaven does, or can possess.