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Revelation 21:9-12, 14, 22-27 - Then came one of the seven angels ... and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he ... showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates ... and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed ... And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ... And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 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. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 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.
This is another one of those symbols in Revelation that take a lot of unpacking to understand them. Let's give it a try.
The angel says, "Come, I will show you the Bride," the wife of Jesus. And he shows John a great city, the heavenly Jerusalem. What in the world does this mean?
We see all through the Bible that God refers to His people as His bride, His wife—the ones He loves so much, He was willing to lay down His life in order to gain us for Himself. God intends to live with us and love us as strongly and intimately as a husband loves His wife, and He is preparing us every day for that. That's why what John is seeing is a beautiful city—because a city is full of people, right? —and everyone and everything that lives there is God's, and perfect. This is what we will be someday.
Look closely at the foundations of the city, and the gates. The foundations are named after Jesus' disciples and the gates after the twelve tribes of Israel. All God's people will be together in His love, whether they lived during the Old Testament or the New. And God Himself will be with us, in our midst, as our light.
Do you see that the gates are never shut? That's because no danger will ever threaten this city. How could it, when Jesus guards His people—the ones He died and rose again to save?
This is a city at peace, a people at peace in God's love—and never again will we have to worry about sin or shame or death. We will be with the One who loves us forever, and He will rejoice in us as a bridegroom rejoices in His bride.
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, turn my heart to love You more and more deeply. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. Why does God call us His bride? What does that mean?
2. Are you comfortable with the idea of God loving you that intensely? Why or why not?
3. How has He shown His love for you?
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