Day 2 Reading Schedule: Revelation 21-22

Revelation 21: The New Jerusalem Coming to This Earth 

[Summary]

John sees a vision of the new heaven and the new earth. There is no more crying or sorrow. He drinks the spring of the water of life given by the Lord and enjoys eternal life as a son of God (verses 1-8). After that, John goes up to a great and high mountain and sees the holy city, the New Jerusalem. It is filled with the glory of God and is adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved on the twelve gates, which were pearl gates. The names of the twelve apostles were engraved on the twelve foundation stones, and each of the twelve foundation stones was made of a different precious stone (verses 9-21). There is no temple in the New Jerusalem, and there is no sun or moon. This is because God and the Lamb are the temple and the light. The gates are always open, but only those whose names are written in the book of life can enter (verses 22-27).

This chapter, which describes the new heaven and new earth prepared by God, can be said to be the climax of the Book of Revelation. After the visions of tribulation and disaster that had continued until now, the vision of heaven that John had seen was in no way inferior to the ultimate hope of all saints. Of course, the beauty of heaven could not be fully explained with the limited terminology of human beings, but the place where the victorious saints would enter was undoubtedly the best place in the world.

Revelation 22: The Faithful Revelation of God 

[Overview]

The blessed life of the new heaven and new earth is described. In the new heaven and new earth, the river of the water of life flows in the middle of the street, and on either side of the river, the tree of life bears twelve kinds of fruit every month. They will see the faces of God and the Lamb and will reign forever and ever (verses 1-5). After that, the testimony of the angel and the testimony of Jesus Christ are introduced as a conclusion. The content is generally that the second coming of Jesus Christ will come soon, so keep the prophecy of the Bible (verses 6-17). Finally, John warns us not to add or subtract from the prophecy he has written, declares that Jesus will come soon, and concludes the writing (verses 18-21).

This chapter briefly describes the interior of the New Jerusalem and then provides a description that corresponds to the conclusion of this book. It is a confirmation that the second coming of Christ is imminent and that the prophecy written in this book is faithful. Through this confirmation, John invites the saints who read this book to the New Jerusalem.