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The picture of the New Jerusalem is the conclusion of the Bible. The Bible covers many matters, but the last two chapters of Revelation are its conclusion. This conclusion is not merely explained with words; it is expressed by a picture. This representation is richer than any description. There is the saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If we want to give others thorough knowledge of a certain matter, a simple picture is better than giving many speeches.
God is wiser than we are. In the Bible He covered many things that are complicated and exceedingly mysterious. If He concluded the Bible with only a “speech,” the conclusion would be very complicated. He used sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, to cover the entire course of mankind and the history of God with man. The length of a summary through words alone would be incalculable. Even a lengthy thesis would not be able to make things clear. At the end of the Bible God in His wisdom uses a picture as the conclusion to all the things He has done throughout the ages.
All the positive things in the Bible are included in the New Jerusalem, but all the negative things have their end in the lake of fire. Hence, the New Jerusalem is the conclusion of all the positive things in the Bible.
The center of the picture of the New Jerusalem is a throne and a river of water of life with the tree of life growing on either side of it. The last two chapters of Revelation, which concern the New Jerusalem, seem to stand out in terms of their content and writing style. It seems as if the Bible is complete by the end of chapter 21, which covers different aspects of the New Jerusalem, but chapter 22 gives more details, specifically related to the throne and the river of water of life. Chapter 22 says that in the New Jerusalem there is the throne of God and of the Lamb, out of which proceeds the river of water of life, which is bright as crystal, in the middle of its street, and that the tree of life grows on both sides of the river. The details concerning the New Jerusalem conclude with a throne, a river of water of life, and the tree of life.
The entire Bible concludes with the New Jerusalem, and the New Jerusalem concludes with a throne out of which proceeds a river of water of life on both sides of which grows the tree of life. This is the ultimate conclusion, as well as the focal point of the entire Bible. The conclusion to the entire Bible is the throne of God and of the Lamb, the river of water of life proceeding out of the throne, and the tree of life growing on both sides of the river. This is the central line of the entire Bible.
There is a need to add two points of explanation concerning the throne and the river of water of life. First, God is in the Lamb. Revelation 22:1 says that a river of water of life proceeds “out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” This verse speaks of God and of the Lamb, but the throne is singular, not plural. There is only one throne, not two. How can God and the Lamb sit on one throne? Some believers may say that God and the Lamb sit side by side because other verses in the Bible say that the Lamb is sitting at the right hand of God (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69; Acts 5:31). Reading the Bible is not a simple matter. We should not think that since the Lamb is sitting at the right hand of God, God must be sitting at the left hand of the Lamb. We cannot say this. The Bible says that God wants Christ to be seated at His right hand, but to be at the right hand means to have the first place. To be at the right hand means to be first, to be at the top, and to be superior, having the place of honor, but to be at the left hand means to be second, to be lower, and to be inferior. Therefore, for Christ to sit at the right hand of God means that God has given Him the first place. It does not mean that Christ and God are sitting side by side and occupying one seat. Revelation also says that the Lamb is the lamp and that God is the light (21:23). The light is in the lamp. The light and the lamp are not side by side. Therefore, the words of God and of the Lamb indicate that God is in the Lamb, just as the light is in the lamp.
By reading the Gospel of John, we can have a better understanding of the meaning of the expression of God and of the Lamb. The first verse of the Gospel of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Verse 14 of chapter 1 says, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” After the Word came forth, became flesh, John the Baptist introduced Him as the Lamb of God (v. 29). In the beginning of chapter 1 the incarnated Word is God, but at the end of chapter 1 this incarnated One is the Lamb of God. God and the Lamb are inseparable, for God is in the Lamb. By reading chapter 1 thoroughly, we can conclude that the words of God and of the Lamb mean that God is in the Lamb.
In chapter 10 the Lamb, the incarnated Word, said, “I and the Father are one” (v. 30). This verse makes it even clearer that the words of God and of the Lamb refer to the fact that God is in the Lamb. The two are one.
Let us consider the second point of explanation. Some people understand the throne in Revelation 22 to be a throne for ruling. They do not consider it to be a throne for dispensing grace. God has only one throne; He does not have two thrones. The throne from which He rules is the throne from which He imparts grace. On the one hand, the throne is for ruling; on the other hand, it is for imparting grace (20:4; Heb. 4:16).
The throne being for ruling is related to kingship, but the throne being for dispensing grace is related to the priesthood. The believers are royal priests. We are God’s commonwealth, His kingdom, and His kings. In this respect, God’s throne is for Him to reign. We are also His priests. In this respect, the throne of God is for dispensing grace. The book of Hebrews is mainly concerning the priesthood. Therefore, it says that the throne of God is a throne of grace: “Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help” (v. 16). The throne of God that the priests touch has the aspect of dispensing grace, not the aspect of ruling.
Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 say that, on the one hand, we are priests to God and that, on the other hand, we are His kingdom. At the end of the Bible these two aspects are consummated in the throne of God. As God’s redeemed ones, when we touch God according to our royal status, we touch the throne for ruling, and when we touch Him according to our status as priests, we touch the throne that dispenses grace.
The river of water of life and the tree of life are God’s flowing out. God is no longer hidden. He no longer dwells only in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16). God has come forth in the way of flowing out.
There are numerous cases in the Bible that portray God flowing out. Some examples include the water flowing out of the smitten rock (Exo. 17:6), the blood and water flowing out of the pierced side of the Lord Jesus on the cross (John 19:34), and the river flowing out of the house of God (Ezek. 47:1-12). These examples speak of God flowing out.
God’s coming forth, His flowing out, is so that He may be man’s life. He becomes man’s life by being man’s food and drink. If we read the Bible thoroughly, we will see that God’s coming forth is for Him to be among men and that He is received into man to be man’s life by being food and drink.
The tree of life denotes Christ, the Son of God. The first step of God’s flowing out was His incarnation as the Son to be God’s expression. God the Son is the expression of God the Father (John 1:18). God the Son came to be among men as the man Jesus Christ. He said that He came that men may have life (10:10). He also said that He is life and that He is the bread of life that came down from heaven for man to eat (11:25; 6:33, 35, 50). How marvelous it is that He is not only the bread of life but also a vine tree and that those who eat Him are His branches (15:5)! By putting these verses together, we can see that the tree of life denotes the first step of God’s flowing out to be man’s food, making Him edible.
When Christ was on the earth, He was the bread of life that came down from heaven. Those who eat Him do not hunger but live because of Him (6:35, 57). He was also living water for people to drink (4:14). Chapter 7 says that this living water is the Holy Spirit, who flows out as rivers from those who drink Him (vv. 38-39). This corresponds to Revelation 22:1. The river of water of life is the Holy Spirit who flows into man and is received by man.
The tree of life and the river of water of life reveal the two steps of God’s flowing out (vv. 1-2). The first step of God’s flowing out is in His Son to be the bread of life for man to eat. The second step of God’s flowing out is in the Spirit to be the water of life for man to drink. Hence, the river of water of life with the tree of life growing on both sides of the river is a portrait of Christ as the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). God flowed out to be the bread of life as well as the water of life. God is in the Son as the bread of life, and He is the Spirit as the water of life. Moreover, the bread of life and the water of life are together. It is with the Spirit and as the Spirit that Christ can be enjoyed by man.
We should not consider the tree of life and the river of water of life to be related to a geographical location. Many of us still have the natural concept that believers have a place that they will go to in the future. However, the New Testament does not speak of a place where the believers will be forevermore. Gospel preachers like to speak about an eternal home. But the New Testament does not speak of a place that is the eternal home of the believers. The destination of the believers is the mingling of God with man.
We cannot comprehend fully the mingling of God with man, just as we cannot understand how the Lord Jesus, after His resurrection, was able to enter a room that had shut doors (John 20:19-20). We cannot understand the things of God merely with our mind. Likewise, what we see with our eyes is not always accurate. An object that appears to be blue may not actually be blue. We cannot use our limited view or impression to define the glorious situation in the future. It is foolishness to use our limited ability of understanding to define the things of God.
Our concepts have bound our comprehension of our glory in the future to a place. Therefore, we think of going to heaven in the future, that is, of going to a bright and beautiful place. However, we should not have so much consideration about a place. Place is not an issue to a baby who is at his mother’s bosom. As long as the baby has milk to drink, whether he is in a palace or in a cottage makes no difference to him. God’s salvation does not save us to a place that is outside of God. His salvation saves us into Himself. Therefore, we should not understand the New Jerusalem to be a place in the future, such as a heavenly mansion.
According to the last two chapters of Revelation, John did not see people dwelling in the New Jerusalem. Neither the twelve apostles nor the twelve tribes of Israel were dwelling there. On the contrary, the twelve apostles are the foundations, and the twelve tribes of Israel are the gates. This picture is full of meaning. Suppose there is a picture of a stone with a person’s name written on it. This would indicate that the stone refers to that person. Therefore, according to the description in the Bible, the New Jerusalem is not a place where people will dwell. Rather, the constituents of the New Jerusalem are those who will participate in the holy city.
We are not saying that there will not be a New Jerusalem. Indeed, there will be a New Jerusalem. However, the New Jerusalem will not be merely a place, as taught in the traditional beliefs of Christianity. If we understand the New Jerusalem merely as a place, we will have problems in understanding the Bible. Our understanding concerning the New Jerusalem must be delivered from the concept of a place. Then we will see that the New Jerusalem is a mystical mingling of God with man.
Some may say that the mingling of God with man is the spiritual meaning of the New Jerusalem but that the New Jerusalem will also have a physical aspect. This kind of understanding is the result of being bound by one’s concept. Such a concept will vanish on the day that the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God. Even though we cannot understand how the Lord was able to enter a room with shut doors, this will no longer be a question after our rapture. Today there is such a question because we are still in the old creation, in which our concepts are still bound by the realm of time and space. After our rapture and the transfiguration of our body, such questions will no longer exist.
After our rapture and the transfiguration of our body, we will have a change in our concept. This may be likened to a caterpillar being transformed from a pupa to a butterfly and to a chick breaking out of an egg; both are completely transformed. We are still in our physical body, which is fallen, so it is impossible for us to break away from the concept of physical things. After our rapture and the transfiguration of our body, however, we will not consider the New Jerusalem to be a place for us to dwell in. We will be a part of the New Jerusalem at its manifestation.
Without this explanation the saints will not have a proper understanding concerning the New Jerusalem. The Bible clearly indicates that the tree of life is Christ, and the river of life is the Spirit. Those who insist on considering the New Jerusalem as a physical location will have a difficult time understanding these matters. We must understand that the emphasis of the New Jerusalem is not on its being a place but on the redeeming God, in His reigning and imparting of grace, flowing out to be man’s bread of life and water of life. God’s throne involves not only His ruling but also His dispensing of grace. God flows out by His ruling and by His dispensing of grace to be the bread of life and the water of life for man to partake of.
The Bible is a story of God coming to be the Lamb of God so that He can flow out of the throne for reigning and dispensing grace. His reigning and this dispensing of grace are the means by which He flows into man. As the Son, He is man’s food, and as the Spirit, He is the water of life. This is the way that He is received and enjoyed by man. Those who enjoy God, who let Him flow through them, are transformed into gold, pearls, and precious stones.
In Genesis 2 “God formed man from the dust of the ground” (v. 7). First Corinthians 15 confirms this: “The first man is out of the earth, earthy...As the earthy is, such are they also that are earthy” (vv. 47-48). As the descendants of Adam, we are earthy. However, God has the appearance of a precious stone. In Exodus 24:10 He has the appearance of sapphire, a precious stone. In Revelation 4:3 God is like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance, both of which are precious stones. God does not have an earthy element; everything related to God has the appearance of a precious stone. First Corinthians 15:48 says, “As the heavenly is, such are they also that are heavenly.” Therefore, all those who belong to God will be transformed into precious stones. They will be transformed by God entering into them to be their life, that is, by His being the bread of life and the water of life for their enjoyment.
The lamb is at the beginning of the Bible (Gen. 3:21; 4:4). At the Feast of the Passover the lamb became food (Exo. 12:1-14). Afterward, manna replaced the lamb as food (16:4, 16-35); manna refers to the bread of life (John 6:32, 49-50). There was also the water that flowed out of the smitten rock for the Israelites to drink (Exo. 17:6). In their journey through the wilderness the children of Israel enjoyed manna and water. After they entered into Canaan, the children of Israel enjoyed a land with mountains, rivers, wheat, and barley (Deut. 8:7-8). This means that there was something for them to eat and drink. The Bible describes Canaan as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exo. 3:8, 17). Milk and honey are not only products of the combination of two kinds of lives, the animal life and the vegetable life but also the blending of food and drink. Milk and honey are food as well as drink. Since milk and honey come out of life, they are a supply for man to live by. These matters are covered in the Bible.
On the positive side, the Bible speaks of only one matter: God as the Lamb coming out of the throne to be man’s bread of life and water of life. Whoever lets God flow through him will be transformed into gold, pearl, and precious stone. Whoever does not let God flow through him will manifest only wood, grass, and stubble, materials that are good only for burning with fire (1 Cor. 3:12-15).
After man was created, he was placed in front of the tree of life in the garden of Eden. In the garden there was a river, and the flow of the river issued in gold, bdellium, and onyx stone. Eventually, a counterpart was produced for the man (Gen. 2:7-24). The entire Bible is concerning God flowing out to be the tree of life and the river of life so that man can be transformed into gold, pearl, and precious stones and be built up to become God’s counterpart. God flows out of the throne in the Lamb, and the throne is a throne for reigning and for dispensing grace.
On the negative side, there is another stream in the Bible—a stream of fire. The stream of water begins in Genesis 2, but the stream of fire begins in chapter 3. After man sinned, God placed “a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life” (v. 24). This is the beginning of the stream of fire. Daniel 7:10 says, “A stream of fire issued forth.” This stream of fire will sweep everything that is not of God into the lake of fire. The Bible concludes with water and fire—a city of water and a lake of fire. The New Jerusalem is a city of the river of water of life; it is a city filled with the water of life. In contrast, the lake of fire outside the city is filled with fire. Every person, thing, and matter throughout the generations that rebelled against God will be swept away by the stream of fire into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15; 21:8). God’s throne is for imparting grace as well as for reigning. God reigns by dealing with His enemy with fire. God imparts grace by dealing graciously with His redeemed people with water. The stream of fire eventually becomes the lake of fire, and the stream of water flows through all God’s redeemed people and transforms them into the New Jerusalem.
The flow of God as life in man brings in light and the way. Revelation 21 mentions light and the street (vv. 23-24, 21). This street follows the flow of life, and the light is God in the Lamb. God is light to man, and He is also man’s way. The city is also the temple, where God dwells with man (v. 22). The city contains the glory of God, which is God expressed. Everything that God gives man, whether love, light, or grace, is in the New Jerusalem.
The Gospel of John has a very strong beginning, but it does not seem to have a conclusion. John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). But at the end he recorded a few incidents that transpired after the Lord’s resurrection, such as the disciples catching a hundred and fifty-three fish (21:11); the Lord asking Peter, “Do you love Me more than these?” (v. 15); and the Lord saying, “Follow Me” (v. 19). These words do not seem appropriate as a conclusion.
The conclusion to the Gospel of John is in Revelation. The book of Revelation does not seem to have a beginning, but it has a very strong conclusion. John’s Gospel and Revelation are one complete book. His Gospel is the first half, and Revelation is the second half. The first half has a strong beginning but does not have a conclusion, and the latter half does not seem to have a beginning but has a very good conclusion. The Gospel of John shows that God comes in the Lamb as life to be man’s food and living water so that man can have a life relationship with Him. He is the vine, and we are the branches. Revelation shows that the ones who have a relationship with God are His lampstands (1:20). Every person, thing, and matter that is not in the lampstands will be judged by God with fire and will end up in the lake of fire. Then the New Jerusalem will be manifested. The New Jerusalem is a corporate entity composed of God and all those who have received Him as their life, who are joined to Him, and who are built together. God is everything to them. This is the eternal conclusion. Hence, Revelation is the conclusion of the Gospel of John. Every positive thing, such as the tabernacle, the Lamb, the bride, light, the way, life, the living water, and the bread of life, that is mentioned in the Gospel of John is in the New Jerusalem.
The entire Bible speaks of God in His redemption, that is, God in the Lamb flowing out through His reigning and His dispensing of grace, in order for man to receive Him as food and drink. Whoever receives Him will eventually become a part of the New Jerusalem. Those who do not receive Him will end up in the lake of fire. Our responsibility is to receive Him into us and to let Him flow out of us. When we pray, sing hymns, and speak for God, we let Him flow out of us.
