Prophecy
17
The Earth
Purified –
Revelation 20:11 – 21:1
Beginning
Point in Time: At the
End of the 1,000 Years
Ending Point in Time: When
the Old Order Has Passed Away
Summary:
This short
prophecy introduces three interesting
topics. First, a loud voice
announces that God’s throne will
be relocated to this planet.
The eternal and universal
ramifications of this move are very
interesting. Second, this
prophecy indicates the saints will
weep when they see their friends and
loved ones destroyed in the
fire. (I am sure the Godhead
will weep as well.) However,
Jesus will wipe away the tears of the
saints. As strange as it may
seem, the records of the wicked will
remain forever in Heaven’s
library. They will be preserved
as “case studies” of
rebellion for new beings to examine
and study. The memory of the
wicked will not pass away, but the
emotions and attachments (the source
of the tears) will be
eliminated. Finally, this
prophecy indicates that overcoming
our natural rebellion against
God’s authority and will is a
prerequisite for eternal life.
The
Sequence
Revelation
21:2-4
And
I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out
of heaven, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband. And I heard
a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people, and God
himself shall be with them, and be
their God. And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away.{2}
I saw the Holy City, the new
Jerusalem, coming down from God in
Heaven, prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her husband.
{3} And
I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, “Now the dwelling of God
is with men, and he will live with
them. They will be his people, and
God himself will be with them and be
their God.
{4} He
will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death,
mourning, crying, or pain, for the
old order of things has passed
away.”
Revelation
21:5-8
And
he that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new. And he
said unto me, Write: for these words
are true and faithful. And he said
unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end. I
will give unto him that is athirst of
the fountain of the water of life
freely. He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his
God, and he shall be my son. But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and
idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone: which is the
second death.{5} I
saw Jesus seated on a great white
throne. He said, “I am
making everything new!” Then He
said to me, “Write down my
words, for they are trustworthy and
true.”
{6} Again
He spoke to me: “The plan of
redemption is finished. I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End. To him
who is thirsty (for righteousness and
joy) I will give to drink without
cost from the spring of the water of
life.
{7} He
who overcomes (the cravings of the
carnal mind, the lust of the eyes and
the boasting of what he has and does[1]) will
inherit all this, and I will be his
God and he will be my son.
{8}
But the cowardly (those who are
unwilling to do what is right), the
unbelievers (those who defy the Word
of God and blaspheme the Holy
Spirit), the vile (those who glorify
degenerate behavior), the murderers
(those who are predators), the
sexually immoral (those who are
controlled by sexual passions), the
sorcerers (those who practice magic
arts, including divination and the
paranormal), the idolaters (those who
are greedy; loving and indulging
self) and all liars (those who bear
false witness); their place will be
in the fiery lake of burning
sulfur. This is the second
death.
Rules
of Interpretation
Consider how
the Rules of Interpretation
(discussed in the Introduction of
this book) are observed in this
prophecy:
Rule
One says an apocalyptic
prophecy has a beginning point and
ending point in time and the events
within the prophecy occur in the
order given. Chronological
order is easy to see in this short
prophecy:
- Holy
City descends
- A
loud voice declares
God’s throne is on Earth
- (Implied)
The world is destroyed by
fire (this is the second
death for the wicked)
- God
wipes away the tears
- Jesus
creates a new Heaven and
Earth
- The
wicked have no part in the
Earth made new
Rule
Two says a fulfillment
only occurs when all of the
specifications are met, and this
includes the order stated in the
prophecy. Obviously, this
prophecy awaits fulfillment.
Rule
Three says that
apocalyptic language can be literal,
analogous, or symbolic. To
reach the intended meaning of a
prophecy, you must consider (a) the
context, (b) the use of parallel
language in the Bible, and (c) if an
element is thought to be symbolic,
the Bible must interpret the symbol
with a relevant text.
The language used in this prophecy is
not symbolic. The phrase,
“To him who is thirsty I will
give to drink without cost from the
spring of the water of life” is
considered parallel language.
Consider these two passages:
“Come,
all you who are thirsty, come to the
waters; and you who have no money,
come, buy, and eat! Come, buy
wine and milk without money and
without cost. Why spend money on what
is not bread, and your labor on what
does not satisfy? Listen, listen to
me, and eat what is good, and your
soul will delight in the richest of
fare.”[2]
“Then
the angel showed me the river of the
water of life, as clear as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of
the Lamb down the middle of the great
street of the city. On each side of
the river stood the tree of life,
bearing twelve crops of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month. And
the leaves of the tree are for the
healing of the nations.”[3]
Rule
Four is not used in
this prophecy.
References
- 1 John 2:16 Return
- Isaiah 55:1,2 Return
- Revelation
22:1,2 Return
