English
And one of the seven angels holding the seven bowls full of the last seven plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the lamb’s wife.’
And in the spirit he carried me to a massive and tall mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem descending from heaven, from God. It has God’s glory. Its radiance is like a precious stone, like a crystal-clear jasper stone. It has a huge and tall wall. It has twelve gates, and twelve angels stand at the gates, and names were inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons: three gates from the east, and three gates from the north, and three gates from the south, and three gates from the west. And the city’s wall has twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the lamb’s twelve apostles is on them.
Interpretation
This vision of the new Jerusalem is largely inspired by the same in Ezekiel. The timing of the ‘marriage’ of the Anointed One to the holy community is unclear, because the event is not actually shown. This passage implies it takes place after the final judgment, but chapter 19 may be read such that it happens amid or just after the messianic war.
Parallels
Psalms
48.1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our god. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
87.1–3 On the holy mount stands the city he founded; Yhwh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.
Isaiah
2.2, 3 In days to come the mountain of Yhwh’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains […] Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yhwh, to the house of the god of Jacob’
Ezekiel
20.40 For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord Yhwh, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land
40.2 He brought me, in visions of God, to the land of Israel, and set me down upon a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south.
43.1–2, 4 Then he brought me to the gate, the gate facing east. And there, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east; the sound was like the sound of mighty waters; and the earth shone with his glory. […] As the glory of Yhwh entered the temple by the gate facing east
48.30–34 These shall be the exits of the city: On the north side, which is to be four thousand five hundred cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel. On the east side, which is to be four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates, the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. On the south side, which is to be four thousand five hundred cubits by measure, three gates, the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. On the west side, which is to be four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates, the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali.
1 Enoch
26.1–2 And from there I proceeded to the center of earth, and I saw a blessed place where there were trees that had branches that abide and sprout. And there I saw a holy mountain. From beneath the mountain water came from the east, and it flowed toward the south.
Psalms of Solomon
11.2 Stand upon a high place, O Jerusalem, and behold your children, from the east and the west, gathered together once again by the Lord.
Revelation of Zephaniah
3.1–2 Then the angel of the Lord said to me, ‘Come, let me show you the place of righteousness.’ And he took me up to Mount Seir and he showed me
5.1–2 But I went with the angel of the Lord, and I looked in front of me and I saw gates. Then when I approached them I discovered that they were bronze gates. The angel touched them and they opened before him.
Ephesians
2.20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with the Anointed Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
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