v.1-5
1. The old and the new
v.1 the new heaven and earth to replace the old, but not exactly the same. The sea existed no more.
v.2 the new Jerusalem
v.4 Death exist no more
no more mourning...for the former things have ceased to exist
ceased=BDAG to discontinue as a condition or state
new=BDAG pert. to that which is recent in contrast to someth. old, new...in the sense that what is old has become obsolete, and should be replaced by what is new. In such a case the new is, as a rule, superior in kind to the old.
Reflection: Why the old world, old Jerusalem, death, and things that caused mourning, etc to be obsolete? In what sense that they need to be replace? What makes the new superior to the old? Is it because of sin? The world was no longer a place that God made for mankind to enjoy. Jerusalem was no longer a place that God would like to dwell among man. Death was the result of sin. Sin causes mourning, etc.
The new is the place without sin. What does this truth remind me today? We are living in a world that deviated from the original plan of God. It is a place that God does not want to dwell even if He intended to do that. It is a place that we need to endure the result of sin, including death and all the mourning and suffering. I do not live in a perfect world, actually, it is far from perfect, but I have a hope of a new world. Thank God.
2. The center of the new h and e is the new Jerusalem
v.2 She is ready like a bride adorned for her husband
v.3 The residence of God among human beings
He will live among them...God Himself will be with them
v.4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes..,
Reflection: God is eager to have the new J, because the bride is ready when the time comes. God intension is to live among man. He Himself will be with us, among us, in our midst. A mother may like to live next to her adult child, but the child may not like it. God is more than the mother, but He is the only One Who can help His children to be redeemed from sins and suffering. How much do I enjoy the fellowship with God now? Is my emotion to God parallel to His emotion towards me?
God knows and cares about our pain even though death is the result of our sin.
v.22-27
1. The replacement
No temple, but the Lord God All Powerful and the Lamb
There is no elaboration of the temple in the following verse. Perhaps the emphasis of the temple is in its glory. We will not need the glory brought by a temple to the future City. God Himself will be glory enough.
2. The repetition about the glory v.23, 24, 26
(1) No need for light, no night time, for the glory of God lights up the city, the Lamb is the lamp of the city.
(2) No need for the grandeur of each nations, they will bring their grandeur and wealth into the city.
grandeur=BDAG a state of being magnificent, greatness, splendor, anything that catches the eye
Reflection: (1) The glory of God is not only visibly bright as light, but the Lamb Himself is bright. He is the glory of God. Heb 1:3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence. In Him there is no darkness. 1 J 1:5. How am I going to walk with Him if I stay in darkness?
(2) There is no use for the individual greatness or anything that catches people's eyes. God is the One Who attracts our attention. As the future citizen of the kingdom, how much attention or sole attention do I give to God?
3. Exempt
Detestable or unclean things are exempt from brining into the city. People who practices falsehood are also exempt from the city, which the content suggests include the whole mankind. The only exception are those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Reflection: Not all wealth are welcome in the New Jerusalem. Not all people are welcome. Because we all are related to falsehood. The opposite are not those who related to the truth, but those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. Or more correctly, we are related to the truth only through our lives are substituted with the life of the Lamb.
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