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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 21:9-27

We have already considered the introduction to the vision of the new Jerusalem in a more general idea of the heavenly state; we now come to the vision itself, where observe, I. The person that opened the vision to the apostle?one of the seven angels, that had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, Rev. 21:9. God has a variety of work and employment for his holy angels. Sometimes they are to sound the trumpet of divine Providence, and give fair warning to a careless world; sometimes... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Revelation 21:9-27

It will be better to read the description of the city of God as a whole before we deal with it in detail. 21:9-27 9 There came to me one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and he spoke with me. "Come," he said, "and I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a 10 great and lofty mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, and it had the glory of God. 11 Its... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 21:18

And the building of the wall of it was of jasper ,.... Which is expressive of the impregnableness, duration, brightness, and glory of salvation by Christ, the jasper being a very hard, durable, and bright stone; and salvation can never be made void, and of none effect; it will last for ever, and in this state will come forth as light, and as a lamp that burneth; it is represented by the same precious stone as God and Christ themselves are; see Revelation 4:2 . And the city was pure gold,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 21:18

The building of the wall of it was of jasper - The oriental jasper is exceedingly hard, and almost indestructible. Pillars made of this stone have lasted some thousands of years, and appear to have suffered scarcely any thing from the tooth of time. Pure gold, like unto clear glass - Does not this imply that the walls were made of some beautifully bright yellow stone, very highly polished? This description has been most injudiciously applied to heaven; and in some public discourses, for... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 21:9-21

The spiritual commonwealth of the good. "And there came unto me one of the seven angels," etc. There is a spirit world. This is a fact, established by conclusive reasoning and accordant with the concurrent beliefs of mankind. This spirit world is a commonwealth. It has a social order. The existence of spirits destitute of gregarious instincts and social affinities is conceivable, and may be perhaps somewhere in existence in the great spirit world—the world of which the material universe... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 21:9-27

The New Jerusalem. We must see in this a portrayal of that holy community which is "the bride, the wife of the Lamb." It is the ideal representation of vital Christianity—Christianity as a system, but as a system embodied in the lives of men. The descriptions are of a glorious character. What can exceed the essential glory of the true Christendom, the true Church, the true bride, the veritable "wife of the Lamb"? It must not be separated from the heavenly, the final Jerusalem, the happy... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 21:18

And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass; pure glass. The exceeding brightness and purity is the idea contained in both expressions—the light of Revelation 21:11 , which is there associated with jasper and crystal. (On "jasper," see on Revelation 21:11 and Revelation 4:3 .) The whole description is, of course, typical, not literal. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Revelation 21:18

And the building of the wall of it - The material of which the wall was composed. This means the wall above the foundation, for that was composed of twelve rows of precious stones, Revelation 21:14, Revelation 21:19-20. The height of the foundation is not stated, but the entire wall above was composed of jasper.Was of jasper - See the notes on Revelation 4:3. Of course, this cannot be taken literally; and an attempt to explain all this literally would show that that method of interpreting the... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Revelation 21:17-18

Revelation 21:17-18. And he measured the wall thereof That is, Lowman thinks, the height of the wall; one hundred and forty-four cubits The square of twelve: about seventy-two yards high, according to the lesser cubit, or about eighty-six yards according to the greater, a height sufficient to express the most perfect security against all attempts of any surprise by an enemy. Doddridge understands these cubits of the thickness of the wall, with the same view, namely, to signify the... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Revelation 21:9-21

New Jerusalem (21:9-21)God’s redeemed people, who in a previous picture were seen as the bride of the Lamb (see 19:6-10; 21:2), are now symbolized by a holy city, the new Jerusalem. This city comes from God, for it was built by God. It is not something of human creation. People are saved by God’s grace, not by their own achievements (9-10).The city is glorious and indestructible, and the people who live in it are eternally secure. All believers, whether of the era before Christ or after, are... read more

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