HEAVEN’S WALLS AND GATES: WHY ARE THEY THERE?
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Revelation 21:10-12
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
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11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
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12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed. (ESV)
–Revelation 22:1-5
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
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2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
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3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his servants will worship him.
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4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
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5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
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Reign: “to rule over or to exercise dominion.” NOTE* Thayers Greek Lexicon goes further in defining the word “reign” as… “exercising kingly power.”
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Servant: (“doulos”) – “Believers who willingly live under Christ’s authority”.
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Revelation 22:6-12
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
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7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
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8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
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9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
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10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
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11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
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12 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
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Recompense Definition: (misthos) “wages; pay for services rendered”
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Revelation 4:5-11
5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,
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6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:
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7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.
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8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
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9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
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10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
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11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (ESV)
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Honor: “time” (tee-may) – “money paid, valuables; a valuing by which the price is fixed.”
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Crown Definition “stephanos”: “a prize in the public games or symbol of honor; but more conspicuous than the simple head wreath awarded to Greek athletes.
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Crown Definition: The Greek word is “diadema” and it is defined as “a kingly ornament for the head.”
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Revelation 22:13-14
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
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14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
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Ecclesiastes 1:9
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (ESV)
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Revelation 22:15
15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
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“A text, without a context is a pretext.”
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Revelation 21:22-23
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
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23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
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The Greek word for “glory” is the word “doxa”. It means “the unspoken manifestation of God, His splendor; God’s infinite intrinsic worth”.
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Revelation 21:24-27
24 By its (God’s glory) light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
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25 and its gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there.
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26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
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27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (ESV)
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“Context determines definition”.
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Revelation 21:23-27
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
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24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
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25 and its gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there.
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26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
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27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (ESV)