1

A New Heaven and a New Earth 

Then, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

2

I also saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven, adorned like a bride adorned for her husband. 

3

A loud voice came from the throne, “Here is the dwelling of God among mortals: He will pitch his tent among them, and they will be his people; he will be God with them. 

4

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

5

The One seated on the throne said, “See, I am making everything new.” Then he said to me, “Write these words, because they are trustworthy and true.” 

6

And he said to me: “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 

7

Those who conquer will inherit all this, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. 

8

As for cowards, traitors, the depraved, murderers, adulterers, sorcerers, and idolaters—all who live in falsehood—their place is the lake that burns with sulfur. This is the second death.”

9

The New Jerusalem

Then, one of the seven angels approached me, one of those with the seven bowls filled with the last seven plagues. And he said, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

10

He took me up in a spiritual vision to a very high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 

11

It gleamed with the glory of God, like a precious jewel, with the color of crystal-clear jasper. 

12

Its wall, large and high, has twelve gates; at each gate are twelve angels. Written above the gates are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 

13

Three gates face east, three face north, three face south, and three face west. 

14

The city wall rested on twelve foundation stones, inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

15

The angel who was speaking to me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 

16

The city was laid out like a square: its length equals its breadth. He measured it with his rod, and it was fifteen hundred miles, its length, width, and height. 

17

Then he measured the wall: it was almost seventy yards high according to the standard unit of measurements the angel used. 

18

The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, crystal clear. 

19

The foundations of the city wall were decorated with all kinds of precious jewels: the first is jasper, the second sapphire, the third turquoise, the fourth emerald, 

20

the fifth agate, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh hyacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 

21

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made from a single pearl, and the city’s square was paved with gold as pure as transparent crystal. 

22

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God, the Master of the universe, and the Lamb are its temple. 

23

The city needs no sun or moonlight, because God’s glory gave it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

24

The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their treasures to it. 

25

Its gates will not be closed at sunset, for there will be no night there. 

26

The treasure and wealth of the nations will be brought there, 

27

but nothing unclean will enter it, or anyone who does what is evil and false, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Commentaries

21:1 - 21:8

A New Heaven and a New Earth.

A new heaven and a new earth (cf. Is 65:17; 66:2) are presented as the luminous space to welcome the arrival of the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem symbolizes the culmination of the book of Revelation and the entire biblical revelation. Readers of Revelation may be surprised by the bold originality of what they are reading. All particularism has now ended. God no longer focuses on a single people, ethnicity, or restricted religion but establishes a covenant with ‘the peoples,’ offering a covenant of universal salvation. All hardships are now behind us. To the faithful Christian or “overcomer,” He grants the highest grace: becoming a child of God. The Apocalypse does not aim to scare anyone with threats of greater punishments, but instead, with a didactic purpose, encourages all Christians to leave behind the burden of sin —the “works of the flesh”—whose well-known list it presents—so they can freely enter the city of the new Jerusalem.

21:9 - 22:5

The New Jerusalem.

From a high mountain, the antithesis of the desert where he contemplated the great prostitute (17:3), John, the seer, with the power of the Spirit, receives a profound prophetic vision: a new city. The entire city radiates with God’s light. A detailed description of its architectural features follows. The new Jerusalem, shining with God’s light, becomes a symbol or a beacon for all humanity. The universal calling of the Church is highlighted once again.
With the beginning of chapter 22, we shift from the symbolic view of the city to that of paradise. These first five verses express a longing found in all religions, each naming it differently: the dream of Eden. It is a quest for lost origins, a nostalgia for divine peace with all creation restored. God’s light is so intense that the astral lights (sun and moon) and the lamps of worship seem dim in comparison. The symbolism of this mysterious light illustrates the divine life that magnificently surrounds all humanity. It is an abundance of life, imperishable and eternal.


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