Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 (NRSV)
Read Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Verse 22I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. Verse 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Verse 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Verse 25Its gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there. Verse 26People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. Verse 27But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Chapter 22Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb Verse 2through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Verse 3Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; Verse 4they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Verse 5And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Devotion
The majestic vision of the holy Jerusalem coming down from heaven and John’s poetic description of God’s reality overwhelms us. What a vision! What a promise! Our analytical, descriptive Greek minds are awed by this vision. Words are weak. The promise here is great! The totality of God’s light and city overwhelm all else, and the inclusiveness of the promise is breath taking. This is no place for cold, analytical reason. Here is the utter greatness and love of God.
With this view we hope beyond our earthly boundaries of time and space and hang on to the goodness and light of God. While hoping in God we have news that Christ the Lamb rules the universe, God’s light is real truth and God seeks the welfare of all. That is our hope, our vision, our truth, and it is to be shared with everyone beyond every human boundary.
Prayer
Gracious Lamb on the throne, may the Holy Spirit work through your word so that we share the vision of the new Jerusalem with our neighbors who are near and far away. Amen.