3. Its Internal Character
"And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Rev. 21:21b–22:2)
As if seeing the magnificent capital city of heaven from a distance was not privilege enough, John’s angelic guide took him inside. As he entered the city, the apostle noted that the street of the city “was pure gold, like transparent glass.” The streets in the New Jerusalem were made of the highest quality pure gold which, like everything else in the heavenly city, was transparent like glass. Translucent gold is not a material familiar to us on this earth. However, everything in heaven is transparent to let the light of God’s glory blaze unrestricted.
Once inside the city, the first thing John noted was that there was “no temple in it.” Up to this point, there has been a temple in heaven; but there will be no need for one now, “for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” Their blazing glory will fill the new heaven and the new earth, and there will be no need for anyone to go anywhere to worship God. Believers will be constantly in His presence.
John also notes that the city has “no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” The new heaven and the new earth will be radically different from the present earth, which is totally dependent on the sun and moon, that is, the cycles of light and darkness and the tides of the sea. In the new heaven and the new earth, they will be unnecessary. There will be no seas (21:1), nor will the sun and moon be needed to provide light, for the glory of God will illumine the New Jerusalem and its lamp will be the Lamb. Once again in Revelation, God the Father and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, share authority (3:21).
It may be that the truth that “the kings of the earth will bring their glory into [the city]” offers further proof of the absolute equality in heaven. That phrase may indicate that there will be no social or class structure, that those who enter the city will surrender their earthly glory. Another possible interpretation is that this phrase refers to the believers living at the end of the millennium. According to that view, the statement that the kings of the earth will bring their glory into the New Jerusalem refers to the translation of those believers before the uncreation of the present universe.
Then John adds another detail to his description of the New Jerusalem. Throughout the never-ending daytime of the eternal state, “its gates will never be closed.” In an ancient walled city, the gates were closed at nightfall to keep invaders and other potentially dangerous individuals from entering the city under cover of darkness. In eternity, the city will be completely secure; “there will be no night” and the gates of the New Jerusalem will never need to be closed. It will be a place of safety and refreshment, where God’s people will “rest from their labors” (14:13).
The kings will not be the only ones to surrender their earthly prestige and glory when they enter heaven. The glory and the honor of the nations will also dissolve, as it were, into the eternal worship of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
All in heaven will be perfectly holy. “Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into” the New Jerusalem. The only ones there will be “those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (3:5; 13:8; 20:12).
The angel next showed the apostle “a river of the water of life.” The water of life is not water as we know it (recall that there is no sea in the eternal state; rather, it is a symbol of eternal life; Isaiah 12:3; John 4:13–14; 7:38). Like everything else in the New Jerusalem, the river was clear as crystal so it could reflect the glory of God. It cascaded down from the throne of God and of the Lamb in a dazzling, never-ending stream. Its pure, unobstructed flow symbolizes the constant flow of everlasting life from God’s throne to God’s people.
The phrase “in the middle of its street” is best translated “in the middle of its path” and connected with the following phrase: “On either side of the river was the tree of life.” The tree of life is the celestial counterpart to the tree of life in Eden (Genesis 2:9; 3:22–24). It provides for those who are immortal. The tree of life was a familiar Jewish concept that expressed blessing (2:7). The celestial tree symbolizes the blessing of eternal life. That the tree bears twelve kinds of fruit, “yielding its fruit every month” emphasizes the infinite variety that will fill heaven. The use of the term “month” does not refer to time, since this is the eternal state and time is no more. It is an expression of the joyous provision of eternity spoken in the familiar terms of time.
Then John makes the intriguing observation that “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Perhaps a better way to translate it would be “life-giving” or “health-giving,” since the Greek word for “healing” can also mean “therapeutic.” The leaves of the tree can be likened to supernatural vitamins, since vitamins are taken not to treat illness, but to promote general health. Life in heaven will be fully energized and exciting.
The text does not say whether the saints will actually eat the leaves of the tree, though that is possible. Angels ate food with Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18:1–8), as did Christ with His disciples after His resurrection (Luke 24:42–43; Acts 10:41). It is conceivable that the saints in heaven will eat, not out of necessity, but for enjoyment.
4. The Privileges of Its Inhabitants
"There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever." (Rev. 22:3–5)
As John toured the New Jerusalem, he couldn’t help but notice that life was very different for its inhabitants. The most dramatic change from the present earth is that there “will no longer be any curse.” As noted earlier, the removal of the curse will mean the end forever of sorrow, pain, and especially death—the most terrible aspect of the curse (Genesis 2:17). Though there will be no temple in the New Jerusalem, “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it.” God the Father and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, will reign throughout eternity. Since God will continue forever as heaven’s sovereign ruler, His bond-servants will serve Him forever. They will spend all eternity carrying out the infinite variety of tasks that the limitless mind of God can conceive. Incredibly, as the parable in Luke 12:35–40 indicates, the Lord will also serve them.
The saints in the New Jerusalem will also see God’s face. Being perfectly holy and righteous, they will be able to endure the heavenly level of the glorious light from God’s presence without being consumed—something impossible for humans on earth (Exodus 33:20).
The redeemed will also be God’s personal possession. “His name will be on their foreheads.” That identification will leave no doubt as to who they belong to forever. John repeats the earlier description of heaven’s magnificence: “And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them” (cf. 21:22–26). Then he adds a final crescendo describing the saints’ heavenly experience: it will never end, because “they will reign forever and ever.”
The eternal capital city of heaven, the New Jerusalem, will be a place of indescribable beauty. But the most glorious reality of all will be that formerly sinful rebels will be made righteous, enjoy intimate fellowship with God and the Lamb, serve Them, and reign with Them forever in sheer joy and incessant praise.
