December 30
Revelation 21:1-27
I saw a new heaven and
a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and
the sea is no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a
loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and
he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will
be with them as their God. He will wipe away from them every tear from their
eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor
pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He
said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.” He said to me,
“It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will
give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. He
who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will
be my son. But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable,
murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part
is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the
seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will
show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.” He carried me away in the Spirit to a
great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most
precious stone, as if it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal; having a
great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels;
and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the
children of Israel. On the east were three gates; and on the north three
gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. The wall
of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve
Apostles of the Lamb. He who spoke with me had for a measure, a golden reed,
to measure the city, its gates, and its walls. The city is square, and its
length is as great as its width. He measured the city with the reed, twelve
thousand twelve stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal. Its wall is
one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an
angel. The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like
pure glass. The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds
of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire;
the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth,
sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the
tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst. The
twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one
pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. I saw
no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its
temple. The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for
the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations
will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of
the nations into it. Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will
be no night there), and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the
nations into it so that they may enter. There will in no way enter into it
anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those
who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
|