A New Heaven and Earth
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THE REVELATION OF JOHN Bible Study 49 Study by Lorin L Cranford Text: Rev. 21:1-8 All rights reserved © QUICK LINKS 1. What the text meant. Exegesis of the Text: Historical Aspects: A. What John saw & heard, vv. 1-4 External History 1) What John saw, vv. 1-2 Internal History 2) What John heard, vv. 3-4 Literary Aspects: B. What God says, vv. 5-8 Genre 2. What the text means. Literary Setting Literary Structure A New Heaven and Earth Greek NT Gute Nachricht Bibel NRSV NLT 21.1 Καὶ εἶδον οὐρανὸν 21.1 Dann sah ich ein- 21.1 Then I saw a new 21.1 Then I saw a new καινὸν καὶ γῆν καινήν. ὁ γὰρ en neuen Himmel und eine heaven and a new earth; for heaven and a new earth, for πρῶτος οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ πρώτη neue Erde. Der erste Himmel the first heaven and the first the old heaven and the old γῆ ἀπῆλθαν καὶ ἡ θάλασσα und die erste Erde waren ver- earth had passed away, and earth had disappeared. And οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι. 2 καὶ τὴν πόλιν schwunden und das Meer war the sea was no more. 2 And I the sea was also gone. 2 And τὴν ἁγίαν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καινὴν nicht mehr da. 2 Ich sah, wie saw the holy city, the new Je- I saw the holy city, the new εἶδον καταβαίνουσαν ἐκ die Heilige Stadt, das neue rusalem, coming down out of Jerusalem, coming down τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ Jerusalem, von Gott aus dem heaven from God, prepared from God out of heaven like ἡτοιμασμένην ὡς νύμφην Himmel herabkam. Sie war as a bride adorned for her a beautiful bride prepared κεκοσμημένην τῷ ἀνδρὶ festlich geschmückt wie eine husband. 3 And I heard a loud for her husband. 3 I heard a αὐτῆς. 3 καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς Braut für ihren Bräutigam. 3 voice from the throne say- loud shout from the throne, μεγάλης ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου Und vom Thron her hörte ich ing, “See, the home of God is saying, “Look, the home of λεγούσης· ἰδοὺ ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ eine starke Stimme rufen: among mortals. He will dwell God is now among his peo- θεοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, »Dies ist die Wohnstätte with them; they will be his ple! He will live with them, καὶ σκηνώσει μετʼ αὐτῶν, Gottes bei den Menschen! Er peoples, and God himself will and they will be his people. καὶ αὐτοὶ λαοὶ αὐτοῦ ἔσονται, wird bei ihnen wohnen, und be with them; 4 he will wipe God himself will be with καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς μετʼ αὐτῶν sie werden seine Völker sein. every tear from their eyes. them. 4 He will remove all of ἔσται [αὐτῶν θεός], 4 καὶ Gott selbst wird als ihr Gott bei Death will be no more; mourn- their sorrows, and there will ἐξαλείψει πᾶν δάκρυον ἐκ ihnen sein. 4 Er wird alle ihre ing and crying and pain will be no more death or sorrow τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ Tränen abwischen. Es wird be no more, for the first things or crying or pain. For the old ὁ θάνατος οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι οὔτε keinen Tod mehr geben und have passed away.” world and its evils are gone πένθος οὔτε κραυγὴ οὔτε keine Traurigkeit, keine Klage 5 And the one who was forever.” πόνος οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι, [ὅτι] τὰ und keine Quälerei mehr. Was seated on the throne said, 5 And the one sitting on πρῶτα ἀπῆλθαν. einmal war, ist für immer vor- “See, I am making all things the throne said, “Look, I am 5 Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ καθήμενος bei.« new.” Also he said, “Write making all things new!” And ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ· ἰδοὺ καινὰ 5 Dann sagte der, der auf this, for these words are trust- then he said to me, “Write ποιῶ πάντα καὶ λέγει· dem Thron saß: »Gebt Acht, worthy and true.” 6 Then he this down, for what I tell you γράψον, ὅτι οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι jetzt mache ich alles neu!« said to me, “It is done! I am is trustworthy and true.” 6 πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί εἰσιν. 6 Zu mir sagte er: »Schreib the Alpha and the Omega, the And he also said, “It is fin- καὶ εἶπέν μοι· γέγοναν. ἐγώ dieses Wort auf, denn es ist beginning and the end. To the ished! I am the Alpha and the [εἰμι] τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ, ἡ ἀρχὴ wahr und zuverlässig.« 6 Und thirsty I will give water as a gift Omega -- the Beginning and καὶ τὸ τέλος. ἐγὼ τῷ διψῶντι er fuhr fort: »Es ist bereits in from the spring of the water of the End. To all who are thirsty δώσω ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ Erfüllung gegangen! Ich bin life. 7 Those who conquer will I will give the springs of the ὕδατος τῆς ζωῆς δωρεάν. 7 das A und das O, der Anfang inherit these things, and I will water of life without charge! 7 ὁ νικῶν κληρονομήσει ταῦτα und das Ende. Wer durstig be their God and they will be All who are victorious will in- καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ θεὸς καὶ ist, dem gebe ich umsonst zu my children. 8 But as for the herit all these blessings, and αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι υἱός. 8 τοῖς trinken. Ich gebe ihm Wasser cowardly, the faithless, the I will be their God, and they δὲ δειλοῖς καὶ ἀπίστοις καὶ aus der Quelle des Lebens. polluted, the murderers, the Page 1001 ἐβδελυγμένοις καὶ φονεῦσιν 7 Alle, die durchhalten und fornicators, the sorcerers, will be my children. 8 But καὶ πόρνοις καὶ φαρμάκοις den Sieg erringen, werden the idolaters, and all liars, cowards who turn away from καὶ εἰδωλολάτραις καὶ πᾶσιν dies als Anteil von mir erh- their place will be in the lake me, and unbelievers, and the τοῖς ψευδέσιν τὸ μέρος αὐτῶν alten: Ich werde ihr Gott sein that burns with fire and sulfur, corrupt, and murderers, and ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ τῇ καιομένῃ πυρὶ und sie werden meine Söhne which is the second death.” the immoral, and those who καὶ θείῳ, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος ὁ und Töchter sein. 8 Aber die practice witchcraft, and idol δεύτερος. Feiglinge und Treulosen, die worshipers, and all liars -- Abgefallenen, Mörder und their doom is in the lake that Ehebrecher, die Zauberer, burns with fire and sulfur. die Götzenanbeter und alle, This is the second death.” die sich nicht an die Wahrheit hielten, finden ihren Platz in dem See von brennendem Schwefel. Das ist der zweite, der endgültige Tod.« INTRODUCTION tween the plural λαοί, peoples, and the singular λαός, With 21:1-8 we come to a dramatic turning point people. The external evidence slightly favors the plural, in John’s apocalyptic vision. All evil is now destroyed but the internal evidence is rather evenly divided.2 The and banished forever into the lake of fire. His sole focus essential meaning remains the same whether the plu- from this point forward will be on the marvelous provi- ral or the singular is adopted. sion of God for His people in eternity. 21:3 μετʼ αὐτῶν ἔσται, [αὐτῶν θεός], with As explained below, this unit of text is transitional them he will be [and be their God], {C}.3 The issue in nature. It brings to a close the emphasis upon the de- is whether the phrase αὐτῶν θεός, their God, was a struction of all evil begun in detail in chapter seventeen. part of the original writing of John or not. It seems to The great battle of evil against God at the end is over be redundant, which is reflected in the various alterna- and all evil has been condemned to eternal torments. [P] itgig, sin vg syrph, h copsa, bo arm eth Ambrose Augustine Primasius God has protected His people from harm in this attack. Apringius Beatus They have now experienced the transformation into [Kurt Aland et al., The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised eternal existence which allows them to stand before Edition (with Apparatus); The Greek New Testament, 4th Revised Almighty God forever and without fear of harm. Edition (with Apparatus) (Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft; Stuttgart, 2000).] In the final two chapters of Revelation, more de- 2 tailedly 21:9-22:5 (22:6-21 takes on the form of a letter “It is difficult to decide between the readings λαοί (peoples, so NRSV and TOB) and λαός (people, so RSV, REB, NJB, TEV, Conclusio), the sole focus is on heaven and the vari- and most modern translations), although the plural has slightly su- ety of images that help explain the meaning of being in perior manuscript support. Has the author followed the prophetic God’s presence in eternity. Scriptures that consistently speak of the one people of God (for example, Jer 31:33 [= LXX 38:33]; Ezek 37:27; Zech 8:8)? In that 1. What did the text mean to the first readers? case, the plural λαοί was introduced by copyists who simply made Again the literary aspects will play a more import- the noun agree with the preceding plural pronoun αὐτοί (they). Or, did the author deliberately modify the traditional concept, substi- ant role than the historical aspects largely due to the tuting ‘the many peoples of redeemed humanity for the single elect apocalyptic visionary nature of the text. nation, the world for Israel’ (Swete, The Apocalypse of St. John, p. xxx)? In that case, the singular λαός was written by a copyist who Historical Aspects: changed the plural to the singular to agree with the imagery of the External History. In the histo- OT.” [Roger L. Omanson and Bruce Manning Metzger, A Textual ry of the hand copying of this text prior Guide to the Greek New Testament: An Adaptation of Bruce M.