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The arrangement of the material of Revelation 21:1 -5 is as follows:
A
21:1.
New
Heaven and Earth.
B
21:1.
Former
He Prote
Passed away.
C
21:1.
No More
Sea (ref. to Gen. 1:2).
B
21:2.
I Saw
New Jerusalem.
B
21:3.
I Heard
Tabernacle.
C
21:4.
No More
Death, sorrow, pain (ref. to
Gen. 3).
B
21:4.
Former
Ta Prota
Passed away.
A
21:5.
New
All things.
The New Jerusalem which is also The Tabernacle, is unlike the
tabernacle in the wilderness which was limited to Israel; this is now 'with
Men', anthropos. The Tabernacle, made after the pattern shown to Moses in
the mount, in a wilderness, limited to Israel, and temporary as a tent, but
foreshadowed this bejewelled city when all families of the new earth shall
ultimately be brought into blessing. The New Jerusalem evidently descends
from heaven to rest upon the New Earth. During the millennium therefore it
must have been in the heavens. This raises another question. Do those who
are destined to walk its golden streets, enter into their inheritance:
(1)
At the commencement of the Millennial reign, or
(2)
Do they have to wait until the 1,000 years are finished, if so
(3)
Are they not raised from the dead until the 1,000 years are
finished, or
(4)
Where are they during that time?
The overcomer, among other things is to be made:
(1)
A pillar in the temple of God.
(2)
He is to have written upon him the name of God, and the name of
the city of God, new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven
from God.
(3)
The overcomer begins his reign with Christ at the commencement of
the 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4,5).
From other Scriptures we gather that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will sit
down in the kingdom of heaven, and the reference to the 'east and west' shows
that this refers to the earth (Matt. 8:11), yet Abraham looked for a
heavenly, not an earthly, country or city, and God has prepared for him 'a
city' (Heb. 11:16). We also learn that 'In the regeneration' the apostles
shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, presumably
on the earth, while all the time we read that the foundations of the heavenly
city were made up of twelve precious stones, bearing the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb (Rev. 21:14,19,20). Moreover, the gates are twelve and
bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, yet the twelve tribes as such
will inherit the land as Ezekiel 48 reveals, and not the heavenly city, for
that is reserved for the overcomer. It is evident, therefore, that the
overcomer will enter the New Jerusalem while it is still in heaven, and will
reign and rule over the earth, with that city as the seat of authority, even