Genesis 1
when is there something
emerging
out of God’s own being to
go out into the void
and
participate in the ordering and
the
carving up of chaos?
It’s his word and his Spirit.
There’s no way this is unconnected [to Proverbs 8
This is the author of Proverbs’ way of reflecting
on the word and the Spirit,
but in the slot of word and Spirit in
Genesis 1
comes God’s wisdom.
- Lady Wisdom is a literary personification of God’s own wisdom.
- When humans walk in God’s wisdom, they most closely exemplify the image of God in humanity as they were intended to, and it brings them great joy.
- The foundation for the many-layered connections between Proverbs 8
Proverbs 8
and the creation narrative is this picture of wisdom emanating from God to bring order to the cosmos, just like God’s Spirit. Wisdom is the very relationship between God and his creation.
Proverbs 8
explores the topic of creation from the
perspective of Lady Wisdom.
When we think of the book of Proverbs,
But Lady Wisdom, a literary
personification
of
God’s own wisdom,
is a prominent character in the
opening chapters of
Proverbs.
was a key
resource for the apostles in their
first attempts to describe
Jesus in both his
humanity and deity.
The overarching theme of the whole book is that
whenever any human rules creation wisely,
they are, knowingly or unknowingly, ruling
according to God’s wisdom.
That wisdom has both
masculine and feminine qualities.
Proverbs is clear: when humans
walk in God’s wisdom,
they most closely exemplify the image of
God as they were intended to, and it
brings them great joy.
Wisdom is About Right Desires
part three (21:00-36:00),
Lady Wisdom at the city gates, inviting people to choose
wisdom through a series of connected speeches
(starting with Proverbs 8:4-11
Proverbs 8:4-11
The audience addressed in this
section is “the son,” which refers to
the line of David.
Lady Wisdom’s opening lines consider “upright” speech
versus “crooked” speech––a throwback to
the Genesis 1-3
Genesis 1-3
narrative based on dialogue between
Adam, Eve, God, and
the serpent.
Lady Wisdom uses the
terms “wisdom,” “understanding,”
and “knowledge,” which
are all slightly different.
Wisdom
refers to practical or social know-how.
Understanding
refers to mental
comprehension or discernment.
Knowledge
refers to
knowing and being known
by
Yahweh.
In the worldview of Proverbs, becoming wise isn’t just about living strategically but about desiring the right things in God’s eyes.
Lady Wisdom at Creation
in part four (36:00-52:00), the team examines the next
portion of Lady Wisdom’s speech,
particularly the rich ties between
- Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly are both presented as shrewd and strategic (like the Serpent in the Garden), but they pursue shrewdness to different ends––to life and to death, respectively.
- Lady Wisdom calls out to both the poor an
picture of humanity. The lowly and the exalted equally embody the image of God. - Proverbs 8:15
Proverbs 8:15
uses the Hebrew word khaqaq. It literally means “to carve or engrave,” referring to how ancient kings carved laws of justice into tablets. Later in the poem, Yahweh himself is the one who carves out decisions and decrees to bring order from chaos––just like he did in Genesis 1
Genesis 1
, Lady Wisdom is like the tree of life, producing fruit that can be eaten and enjoyed. - In the following verses, Lady Wisdom declares she was with Yahweh at the beginning. In fact, Yahweh “birthed” her (Proverbs 8:24-25
- Proverbs 8:24-25
The verb here means “to experience labor pains.” In other words, Yahweh has gone to great lengths to give birth to wisdom. She is an expression of God’s own will as he carves the cosmos.
Proverbs 8
Proverbs 8
and the creation narrative is
this picture of wisdom emanating from
God to bring order to the cosmos,
just like
God’s Spirit.
Wisdom is the very relationship
between
God and his creation
Lady Wisdom and the Word
Proverbs 8:30-31
I was beside him, growing up.
And I was his daily delight,
celebrating before him the entire time,
celebrating the inhabited world of the land,
delighting in human beings!
The phrase “growing up” comes from the
Hebrew word āmôn
and carries a double meaning between the
imagery of wisdom
growing up like a child and a related
Hebrew word meaning “constantly” or “faithfully.”
However, the one being brought forth (growing up)
is not a created being––wisdom is essential to
God’s own being.
The birth imagery is a metaphor
for the
birthing of creation.
As God carves the cosmos, wisdom is
part of all he does.
The apostle John
picks up the father-child
imagery from Proverbs 8
Wisdom is an integral part of who God is,
and it’s through wisdom
that God has reached out to his creation.
God wants his creation to share in his wisdom.
Proverbs 8:34-36
How fortunate the human who listens to me,
by watching at my doors daily,
to keep at the door of my entrance.
Because the one who finds me, find life,
and obtains favor from Yahweh.
And the one who forfeits me, harms themselves.
All who hate me, love death.
PROVERBS 3
Don’t Assume You Know It All
1-2Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you;
take to heart my commands.
They’ll help you live a long, long time,
a long life lived full and well.
3-4Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.
5-12Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
a father’s delight is behind all this.
The Very Tree of Life
13-18You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,
when you make friends with Madame Insight.
She’s worth far more than money in the bank;
her friendship is better than a big salary.
Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;
nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
With one hand she gives long life,
with the other she confers recognition.
Her manner is beautiful,
her life wonderfully complete.
She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her.
Hold her tight—and be blessed!
19-20With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth;
with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven.
They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface,
and dew to descend from the night skies.
Never Walk Away
21-26Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
don’t for a minute lose sight of them.
They’ll keep your soul alive and well,
they’ll keep you fit and attractive.
You’ll travel safely,
you’ll neither tire nor trip.
You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry,
you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.
No need to panic over alarms or surprises,
or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner,
Because God will be right there with you;
he’ll keep you safe and sound.
27-29Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
your hand is God’s hand for that person.
Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time”
or “Try me tomorrow”
when the money’s right there in your pocket.
Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor
when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.
30-32Don’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder,
always spoiling for a fight.
Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.
Why be a bully?
“Why not?” you say. Because God can’t stand twisted souls.
It’s the straightforward who get his respect.
33-35 God’s curse blights the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.
He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder,
but if you’re down on your luck, he’s right there to help.
Wise living gets rewarded with honor;
stupid living gets the booby prize.
What does Proverbs 9:2 mean?
The symbolic version of Wisdom
(Proverbs 8:1–4), is a woman with a grand home
(Proverbs 9:1).
This verse indicates that she is indeed wealthy and prepared for visitors. The process of butchering and preparing animals was not something done without planning. Likewise, the imagery of mixing wine and setting a table imply hospitality. Wisdom intends to invite others and treat those guests well (Proverbs 9:3–5).
The MIXING of WINE, customarily,
meant diluting it with
water to make it more palatable.
The Jews considered
undiluted wine
DISTASTEFUL.
Scholars believe the wine
Jesus and His disciples drank
at the Passover Feast was three parts water
and one part wine.
Another view of the mixing
believes spices
were added to the wine to make
it more
FLAVORFUL.
Perhaps the MIXING of the wine
included both
the
addition of water and spices.
God has SET a plentiful TABLE
for
all who will ACCEPT
His
INVITATION to DINE.
In Proverbs 1:20–33 and Proverbs 8:1—9:12,
wisdom is personified as a woman
who has much to
offer—including
“enduring wealth
and
prosperity” and “life”--
to anyone
who would heed her words
(Proverbs 8:18, 35).
We will look at Proverbs 8
in particular, since it seems to be a jumping-off point for some creative “proof-texting” by cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses to arrive at conclusions with no textual warrant. We will cover the three subjects that are often disregarded when considering these verses—figure of speech, genre, and grammatical gender—to focus on the question, why is Wisdom a she?
Let’s start with figures of speech. These, by definition, should not be taken literally. For example, “And the Lord said, ‘What have you done?
The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground’” (Genesis 4:10). Did Abel’s blood actually cry out, audibly, from the ground?
No. The Lord was using a figure of speech called personification, or prosopopoeia, to help Cain understand the inescapable nature of sin. We realize that Abel’s blood was inanimate, non-articulate, and in no way capable of speech—its “cry” is just a literary figure. We cannot formulate a doctrine that says blood actually speaks after a person dies. This may sound like common sense, but people can and do invent such teachings! We must be alert to figures of speech, because in figure, God’s exact words will not equal His exact meaning.
In Proverbs 9:2
wisdom is not literally a woman who prepares a banquet. Wisdom is an intangible quality, but Solomon describes it as if it were an actual person—personification, again. But why is Wisdom a “she” and not a “he”? As we answer that, let’s consider genre.
Proverbs 8 is poetry—one of the many genres found in the Bible. This is important to consider, for, if we do not know what we are reading, we will not know how we should read it. A reader will always make some sense of the words, but if genre is not considered, the reader will likely miss the author’s intent. For example, if we’re reading Treasure Island, it’s important to understand it as a novel, that is, a work of fiction. This understanding will prevent our seeking out the family history of Jim Hawkins as if he were a real person. When reading the Bible, if we do not understand an author’s intent, then we will not understand God’s intent—which, of course, is what matters
when it comes to interpreting
His Word.
Proverbs 8 is a specific type of poem called an encomium—a poem of praise. Other encomia in Scripture are found in 1 Corinthians 13(in praise of love), Hebrews 11 (in praise of faith), and Proverbs 31:10–31 (in praise of the virtuous wife). We cannot interpret the Bible’s poetry in the same way we do its historical narratives, its prophecies, its apocalyptic passages, etc. For instance, we cannot treat “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4) in the same way as “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to Aaron the priest” (Leviticus 13:2). The first passage is effusive, the latter exacting. These are just two examples of types of writings that must be read with sensitivity to their genre, purpose, and context.
So, when we read that Wisdom is a “she,” understand that Proverbs is heavily artistic; therefore, we are not reading a technical definition of wisdom.
Finally, let’s talk about gender in language. Except for some personal pronouns, English does not use grammatical gender (classifying words as masculine, feminine, or neuter). However, the Hebrew language (in which Proverbs was written) does use grammatical gender, much like Spanish, French, and many other languages do. Herein is our problem. “She,” as we understand it, is not necessarily “she” as it was intended in Hebrew.
Native English speakers are ambivalent concerning grammatical gender. We naturally think of the noun girl as feminine and the noun boy as masculine, so, when assigning pronouns to these words, we use she/her/hers for girl and he/him/his for boy. When we speak of a ship, which has no actual gender, we use neuter pronouns (it/its). However, these ships are often named after men (such as the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan). The name of the ship does not affect its gender. To compound matters, mariners usually refer to a ship in feminine terms: she is a fine ship, head her into port, etc. Gender is somewhat arbitrary in English usage, but this is not the case in many other languages.
In many languages (including Hebrew) most nouns have a strong gender component—but the gender assignment is grammatical and does not necessarily indicate the physical gender of the object. In Spanish, a guitar (la guitarra) is feminine, and a car (el coche) is masculine. This has nothing to do with literal gender. In fact, the Spanish word masculinidad, which means “masculinity,” is a feminine noun! Therefore, when translating from Hebrew into English, we must distinguish grammatical gender from our notions of sexual gender.
In English, the word wisdom is grammatically neuter, but not so in Hebrew. The Hebrew word is chokmoth, and it is grammatically feminine. In Hebrew, it would have been natural to speak of wisdom as a “she.”
As previously mentioned, Solomon used the literary tool of personification to extol the inanimate and abstract idea of wisdom as if it were a real person. By doing so, Solomon communicated a vivid illustration of the blessings of being wise. In personifying wisdom, it was necessary to use the appropriate pronouns. Since a person is not referred to as an “it,” Wisdom as an antecedent requires feminine personal pronouns. The grammatical construction is an artifact of the process of personification. In other words, since the word wisdom is feminine (in Hebrew grammar), Wisdom personified becomes a “she” to satisfy the demands of diction—not to add information to its object.
There may be a couple other reasons why Solomon portrayed Wisdom as a “she.” In the broader context, Solomon is drawing a careful contrast between wise and foolish choices. Immediately before and after presenting Wisdom as an elegant lady offering riches and satisfaction, Solomon presents a picture of Folly, pictured as a prostitute who promises pleasure but who delivers death (Proverbs 6:24—7:27; 9:13–18). So, the foolishness of immorality is contrasted with the wisdom of virtue. Two parallel illustrations are used, and both involve a virtual woman.
Also, Proverbs shows us Wisdom personified performing activities that are usually associated with a woman (such as preparing a meal, Proverbs 9:2, 5). This description transcends the technical grammar and further necessitates the feminine pronouns applied to Wisdom.
Solomon was not saying that women are intrinsically wiser than men—that would be reading too much into the use of grammar. And he was definitely not referring to some type of goddess named “Wisdom” or “Sophia.”
It is impossible to tell whether or not Solomon intended a feminine portrayal of wisdom from the outset. Perhaps the feminine underpinnings of the word wisdom influenced his choice, or perhaps he just found himself awash in the feminine grammar and ran with it. Either way, the use of she was not necessarily driven by any intrinsic femininity of wisdom. As such, men should not be insulted nor women puffed up at its reading.
Job 28:12–19 informs us that wisdom is priceless “beyond rubies.” It cannot be purchased “with the finest gold,” silver, or any precious stones. What, then, did Solomon mean when he said, “Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as well” (Proverbs 23:23)?
Rather than suggesting that truth, wisdom, instruction, or insight can be bought like a commodity, Solomon urges wisdom seekers to value truth highly and never give it up. Wisdom is the ability to correctly apply truth, knowledge, experience, insight, or common sense. In the original Hebrew, the word translated as “buy” here means “to get something, often through one’s efforts or as compensation.” The “buying” of truth involves effort and sacrifice. The wise person will do whatever it takes to gain truth, wisdom, instruction, and insight, which are far better than gold and silver (see Proverbs 16:16). Once a person takes hold of truth, he should never let it go.
The word rendered “sell” in Proverbs 23:23 comes from a Hebrew verb meaning “to exchange or deliver something for money or its equivalent.” Solomon advises the wise person to get truth and keep it. Don’t exchange truth for anything or sell it later. Truth will hold its value, and the person who has it is truly rich.
The apostle Paul warns that godless people have foolishly
“exchanged the
truth about God for a lie”
and pursued idolatry
(Romans 1:18–25).
Instead of buying the truth, they sell themselves out
to the lie
of a darkened, shameful, sin-filled life.
Solomon’s encouragement to hold tightly to truth and wisdom echoes in Proverbs 4:7: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Truth, discernment, understanding, knowledge, insight—these are all priceless possessions that must be sought out and secured through determined exertion (Proverbs 18:15). The things of God are beyond compare, as Jesus taught in the Parable of the Hidden Treasure: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44). Jesus also compared the kingdom of heaven to “a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45–46).
John Bunyan, in his allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress, illustrates Proverbs 23:23 in the scene of Vanity Fair. The pilgrims Christian and Faithful are passing through Vanity Town, a place that kept a year-round fair. The vendors there “sold all sorts of vanity” (Signet Classics, 1981, p. 84). The two pilgrims stood out from the crowd by adamantly refusing to do any sort of business; in fact, they “cared not so much as to look upon [the merchandise]” (ibid., p. 86). Things quickly came to a head: “One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriage of the men, to say unto them, What will ye buy? But they, looking gravely upon him, answered, ‘We buy the truth.’ [Prov. 23:23] At that there was an occasion taken to despise the men the more; some mocking, some taunting, some speaking reproachfully, and some calling upon others to smite them. At last things came to a hubbub and great stir in the fair, insomuch that all order was confounded” (ibid., p. 86). In a world full of baubles, we, like Bunyan’s brave men, must commit to buying only the truth.
God is the essence of truth (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 33:4; Isaiah 65:16; Jeremiah 10:10; John 3:33), and He wants His people to reflect His truth in their lives (Psalm 15:1–5; Ephesians 4:25). The Lord delights in His children who buy the truth and do not sell it (Proverbs 12:22). To His faithful followers, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).
Jesus Christ is the embodiment and complete revelation of God’s truth: “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life” (1 John 5:20, NLT). Jesus told His disciple Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we “come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3–4)—we “buy the truth and not sell it”—we lay hold of the truth and never let it go.
The gospel of our salvation is “the message of truth” (Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 2:5; Colossians 1:5). When we receive Jesus Christ, we also gain “the Spirit of truth” who guides us “into all truth” (John 16:13; see also 1 John 5:6). Jesus explained, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16–17; see also John 15:26).
Truth is a rarity, but that’s only part of what makes it so valuable. Truth aligns with what is real; it reflects God’s character; it guides us through life. Once we possess the truth, no amount of wheedling, cajoling, rationalizing, mocking, or threatening should ever cause us to part with it.
The Word of God
assures us that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will have everlasting life (John 3:16; 6:47; 1 John 5:13). The Greek word translated “everlasting” means “perpetual, eternal, forever.” Perhaps the word perpetual best explains the biblical concept of everlasting life; it is life that, once begun, continues perpetually into eternity. This speaks to the idea that man’s life is not merely physical. Rather, the true life of human beings is spiritual, and while the physical life ends, the spiritual continues throughout eternity. It is perpetual. It is everlasting life.
When God created Adam and Eve, He put them in the Garden with the tree of life, intending that they would live joyously forever, both physically and spiritually, but they sinned and brought physical and spiritual death to themselves and to all subsequent generations (Romans 5:12–14). God then sent Adam and Eve from the Garden and stationed cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life, and He did so because in His mercy He did not want man to live forever under the weight of sin. But sin must be punished and the only acceptable punishment to a holy God is everlasting punishment (Mark 9:43–44). However, our merciful God sent His Son as a perfect sacrifice to suffer, once for all time, the punishment due mankind for sin, thereby providing a perfect way to the tree of life for anyone and everyone who believes in Him (1 John 5:12; Revelation 22:14).
We receive everlasting life by dying to our own efforts and receiving Christ Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, and, when we do, we are instantly reborn and made alive in Christ. We may not feel any immediate change, but there has in fact been a rebirth in the heart (John 3:6–7), and we are now free of the fear of death; we have the promise of God that we will never die spiritually, but instead will live forever with our Lord Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10). Later, when we die physically, our soul will immediately be with the Lord, and still later, when He returns, the Lord will resurrect our bodies to meet Him in the air. As for those Christians who are alive at His return, their bodies will be changed “in the twinkle of an eye,” and they will not experience even physical death (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).
Jesus Christ instructed the apostle John
to write the last book of the Bible, and therein we
again read about the tree of life: “
To him who overcomes, I
will grant to eat of the tree
of life
which is in the Paradise of God”
(Revelation 2:7b).
It is in Christ that all Christians trust, and it is in God’s power that we rest, assured of our everlasting life (1 Peter 1:3–5). The one true God created all things, and He is in control of life and death and rebirth. He will keep His word. Our God is all-powerful and full of grace and truth (John 1:14), and He wants us to know that our eternal state is assured: Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (John 11:25). Do you have everlasting life with God?
The tree of life, mentioned in the books of Genesis and Revelation, is a life-giving tree created to enhance and perpetually sustain the physical life of humanity. The tree was planted by God in the Garden of Eden: “The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). The centrally located tree of life would have been easily accessible to Adam and Eve from any point in the garden.
More details concerning the tree of life come after Adam and Eve’s sin: “The LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever’” (Genesis 3:22). In his disobedience, Adam lost his eternal life. The tree of life in Eden must have had some role to play in maintaining the life of Adam and Eve (and possibly the animals). Adam would “live forever,” even in his fallen condition, if he had eaten the tree of life after his sin. God placed a sword-wielding cherub at the entrance to the garden specifically “to guard the way to the tree of life” (verse 24). It seems access to the tree of life would have prolonged Adam’s physical life indefinitely, dooming him to an eternity in a cursed world.
It was a mercy that
God kept us
from the tree of life. By barring access to the tree of life, God showed compassion in His omniscience. Knowing that, because of sin, earthly life would be filled with sorrow and toil, God graciously limited the number of years men would live. To live eternally in a sinful state would mean endless agony for humanity, with no hope of the relief that comes with death. By limiting our lifespan, God gives us enough time to come to know Him and His provision for eternal life through Christ but spares us the misery of an endless existence in a sinful condition.
In His great
love,
God provided One
who would
redeem fallen mankind.
Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world, but through another Man, Jesus Christ, redemption through the forgiveness of sin is available to all (Romans 5:17). Those who avail themselves of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross will be resurrected to see the tree of life again, for it stands in the middle of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, where it bears “twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). In the eternal state, the curse will be no more (verse 3), access to the tree of life will be reinstated, and darkness will be forever banished (verse 5). Eden will be restored.
The New Jerusalem,
which is also called the
Tabernacle of God, the Holy City,
the City of God,
the Celestial City, the City Foursquare, and
Heavenly Jerusalem,
is literally heaven on earth.
It is referred to in the Bible in several places (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 11:10; 12:22–24; and 13:14), but it is most fully described in Revelation 21.
In Revelation 21, the recorded history of man is at its end. All of the ages have come and gone. Christ has gathered His church in the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). The Tribulation has passed (Revelation 6—18). The battle of Armageddon has been fought and won by our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:17–21). Satan has been chained for the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1–3). A new, glorious temple has been established in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40—48). The final rebellion against God has been quashed, and Satan has received his just punishment, an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10.) The Great White Throne Judgment has taken place, and mankind has been judged (Revelation 20:11–15).
In Revelation 21:1
God does a complete make-over of
heaven and earth
(Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:12–13).
The new heaven and new earth are what some call the “eternal state” and will be “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). After the re-creation, God reveals the New Jerusalem. John sees a glimpse of it in his vision: “The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). This is the city that Abraham looked for in faith (Hebrews 11:10). It is the place where God will dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). Inhabitants of this celestial city will have all tears wiped away (Revelation 21:4).
The New Jerusalem
will be fantastically huge. John records that the city is nearly 1,400 miles long, and it is as wide and as high as it is long—the New Jerusalem being in equal in length, width, and depth (Revelation 21:15–17). The city will be dazzling in every way. It is lighted by the glory of God (verse 23). Its twelve foundations, bearing the names of the twelve apostles, are “decorated with every kind of precious stone” (verse 19). It has twelve gates, each a single pearl, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (verses 12 and 21). The street will be made of pure gold (verse 21).
The New Jerusalem
will be a place of unimagined blessing. The curse of the old earth will be gone (Revelation 22:3). In the city are the tree of life “for the healing of the nations” and the river of life (verses 1–2). It is the place that Paul spoke of: “In the coming ages [God] might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). The New Jerusalem is the ultimate fulfillment of all God’s promises. The New Jerusalem is God’s goodness made fully manifest.
Who are the residents of
the
New Jerusalem?
The Father and the Lamb are there
(Revelation 21:22).
Angels are at the gates
(verse 12).
But the city will be filled
with
God’s redeemed children.
The New Jerusalem is the
righteous counter to the evil Babylon
(Revelation 17),
destroyed by God’s judgment
(Revelation 18). The wicked had their city, and God has His.
To which city do you belong?
Babylon the Great or the New Jerusalem?
If you believe that Jesus, the Son of God,
died and rose again and have asked God to save you by His grace,
then you are a citizen of the New Jerusalem.
“God raised [you] up with Christ and seated [you] with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). You have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4). If you have not yet trusted Christ as your Savior, then we urge you to receive Him.
The invitation is extended:
“The Spirit
and the bride say,
‘Come!’
And let the one who hears say,
‘Come!’ Let the one who
is thirsty come; and let
the one who wishes take the
free gift of the water of life”
(Revelation 22:17).