“And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:9-11).

We have in the above language and in that which follows in verses 12-27, 22:1-5, a continuation and more complete description in symbol of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. This New Jerusalem, as we have seen, is a symbol of the heavenly government of the Millennial Age. It is here called by the revealing angel, the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife, because of the close relationship that exists in this Divine government between Christ and his overcoming saints. Just as a bride shares all the dignities and honors of her husband, so does the Church in glory share with Christ the same. We have also portrayed in symbol in these verses the New Jerusalem government’s relationship with the inhabitants of the new-earth order, and the powerful as well as helpful influence for eternal good that it will exert over them. The various characteristics of this relationship and blessed influence are portrayed in most glowing and striking symbols.

This vision of the Holy City, New Jerusalem, is evidently designed to be viewed in contrast with that of another — a wicked city, symbolical Babylon, which St. John had previously seen in vision reigning over the kingdoms of the earth. A striking similarity in the two visions is that St. John is invited in both instances by one of the same seven angels to behold the view: “Come, I will show thee the judgment of that great harlot [Babylon the Great] who sits on many waters” (Revelation 17:1); “Come, I will show thee the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9).

It is quite certain that the reasonable and Scriptural method of interpreting the first vision, that of Babylon the wicked city, will be the reasonable and Scriptural one of interpreting and understanding that of the New Jerusalem, the Holy City. It is our understanding that Babylon the Great is properly interpreted symbolically and that it represents the civil and religious hierarchy of the Papacy, which for long centuries has exercised a powerful, evil, and controlling influence over thousands of millions of earth’s peoples. In contrast with this we are enabled to see from the description that the New Jerusalem must represent an all-powerful religious government that will exercise a most blessed and lasting influence for good over earth’s people of the new order when it comes into power. It is very evident that these two cities do not reign contemporaneously; to the contrary, the New Jerusalem’s gracious and righteous rule is exercised after the symbolic Babylon has disappeared from view, after it has been destroyed, and like a great millstone has been cast into the symbolic sea of anarchy to be found no more forever (Revelation 18:21).

On the occasion of St. John’s being given a view of the great city, symbolical Babylon, he was carried away in the spirit into the wilderness (Revelation 17:3); in the vision of the New Jerusalem, however, he is borne away in the spirit to “a great and high mountain.” We may learn what is the symbolical significance of his being borne away in spirit to a great and high mountain by contrasting his experience with that of our Savior’s when he was tempted by Satan. The Savior was, like St. John, borne away (doubtless in the spirit) to a great and high mountain and there shown all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. That mountain, it would seem, was a symbol of Satan’s own dominion as the “god” or “prince” of this world. From this viewpoint Christ could see the vast extent of Satan’s dominion; and the fact that he was offered this dominion if he would bow down and worship Satan enables us to see something of the nature of the temptation that was employed by Satan in his attempt to overthrow and cause the downfall of Christ. On the other hand, St. John was borne away in spirit to a great and high mountain, not to be tempted, but to be shown the New Jerusalem, all the power and authority, not of Satan, but of Jehovah, given into the hands of the Only-begotten Son and his Bride. The mountain, then, in this instance, would seem to represent the Divine authority, power, and dominion of Jehovah.

Pictorial of Earth’s New Government

If it were possible for us to comprehend and apply the meaning of all the grand symbols employed in this vision we would find that whatever of types or shadows of the blessed relationship existing between Christ and his Bride, whatever of typical manifestations of any kind God has given to individuals, to mankind, and to Israel in particular, of His character, His attributes, His government over mankind, and His dwelling with them in the past — all meet their fulfillment in this vision of the New Jerusalem. The symbols associated with the description of this glorious Holy City we may, therefore, with the fullest confidence believe, picture or represent two glorious verities, and some think, a third: First, the grandeur and glorious relationship that will exist between Christ and his glorified Church; and second, the various aspects or characteristics of the heavenly, spiritual government of Jehovah over the new-world order; that government being centered in Christ and his Bride. The additional feature that some believe to be described in this symbol is that of the eternal home or dwelling place of Christ and his glorious Church, his Bride. However, to apply the various descriptive symbols employed in this vision of the New Jerusalem to the everlasting home of the Lamb and his Bride would seem to us to be out of order, for the reason that while it is true that the prospective Bride has some of the inner experiences and foretastes of the coming joys of that eternal dwelling, they know absolutely nothing of what may be termed the visible realities of the heavenly state.

While there can be no doubt that the Bridegroom and the Bride as a company will have an eternal abode, a glorious dwelling place, “eternal in the heavens,” it would seem to be utterly impossible to apply these symbols to the various features of that home for the reason that it would require a change of nature from human to Divine to see it; and if one who had experienced this change could come back to earth, it is absolutely certain that no eloquence, no form of human speech could possibly describe it. It seems to us, therefore, that the striking symbols used in the vision of this Holy City, namely the most valuable, precious, and beautiful of the material things of earth, are the most appropriate that could be employed to describe the realities and convey to the spiritual, heavenly mind in its present state, the glorious beauty and majesty of that future heavenly government over the world, the new order.

Understanding as we do that St. John, in his beholding the vision of this Holy City, the New Jerusalem, represents the Lord’s saints of the present time viewing with the eye of faith the reality itself, let us accept the invitation of the angel, and with reverential humility endeavor to discern as much as possible of the occupation as well as the future exaltation to glory and honor of “the saints in light.”

The significance of the words of the angel: “Come, and I will show thee the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb,” viewed in a general way, is that this gracious invitation is designed to reveal to the Church on this side of the veil that the New Jerusalem is a symbol of the heavenly government and is the realized answer to the prayer, “Thy Kingdom come”; and that the future station of the Bride, the joint-heirs with Christ, is that of filling the various positions, offices, in connection with the administration of the affairs of that heavenly government over the peoples of the Millennium, the new-earth order. All of the chief elements that constituted a city of ancient times are employed as symbols in the vision to portray the various features that will make up that heavenly government. Like these cities, it has immense walls surrounding it, the materials of both walls and foundations being of such a character as to make them immovable and impregnable. These walls are pierced with beautiful gates for entrance, but unlike the ancient cities, are never closed. It has guards at the gates, whose duties in the cities of old were to prevent all those who had not the regularly provided passports from entering, and to welcome all who had. Unlike those cities, the New Jerusalem has but one street [broad-place].

The light of this City is one of its chief and important features. It is said that the “glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” The light is described as most brilliant, yet soft and pleasant to the eye, most beautiful in its appearance, and beneficial in its effects; and unlike earthly cities, the light penetrates everywhere, so that there are no dark or obscure places. The whole City appears to St. John as bathed in light. One striking peculiarity is that its light seems not so much for its own use, but it spreads far and wide, illuminating the new earth, and causing the nations and inhabitants to enjoy its brightness and beauty. The dimensions of the Holy City are in perfect harmony with the grandeur, beauty, and richness of the rare materials with which it is constructed. It is of pure gold, which represents it to be of Divine institution. Its one street or broad-way is of the same metal, which represents that its highway is of Divine appointment. Its walls are of jasper, the foundation of the walls are garnished with all manner of precious stones; and its gates are of beautiful pearls.

Now all these things and others in the vision of this Holy City are doubtless employed as symbols descriptive of the glorious individual qualities possessed by the Lamb and his company, and of the character, qualities, and elements of the Divine government of the Lamb and his Bride in its relationship to the Millennial reign over the inhabitants of the new-earth order.

The significance of the City in itself is a very suggestive symbol. It is a natural trait and tendency of men to congregate together. In an earthly city we have the suggestion of human need and the provision to supply that need. It is a fact that in the cities we find man’s faculties develop more rapidly for both good and evil. This dwelling together, this intercourse of mind with mind and heart with heart, is calculated to awaken and develop the latent faculties. Then again, man feels the need of fellowship with his fellowmen; it is a part of his nature, and therefore a need of his being, his life on earth. It is a God-given trait. Because of inequality in the distribution of ability, etc., because of the diversified gifts in man, it is not good for man to dwell alone. In coming together a need of his social nature is thus met, and in this way those ties that bind men closer together are strengthened.

Therefore, in considering this vision from the standpoint of a city in itself, as it relates to the blessedness of the saints in glory, there is suggested that Christ and these glorified ones will enjoy the fullness of the blessing of fellowship and communion together. They will not only enjoy the blessedness of meeting those whom they have loved and with whom they have associated in the earthly state, to be separated no more, but also meet and become acquainted with all who have died in Christ throughout the generations of the Gospel Age — the Apostles, the martyrs, and all the faithful witnesses of Christ who have had a like precious faith and hope. One grand object in giving this vision of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, is that of picturing the coming together of all these, and the blessed heavenly fellowship, association, and cooperation in the grand and glorious work of blessing the world — yea, the glory of being “with him.” This expresses more than anything else all that was desired and longed for; all for which these joint-heirs suffered in the trial state. All this blessing will then be realized — seeing him “as he is”; face to face. Tongue fails to express and imagination fails to picture the manifold blessedness of the New Jerusalem joys, fellowships, and occupations.

Mr. Lord, of all the expositors before about 1874, seems to have grasped most clearly the significance of this New Jerusalem. He said:

“As the City is the symbol of the Lamb’s Wife, the raised [resurrected] and glorified saints adopted as joint-heirs with Christ, exalted to thrones, and associated with him in his reign on [over] earth, its descent to the earth symbolizes their descent from heaven after their justification and investiture as Kings and Priests in his Empire.”

Mr. Russell, in an unfolding of this vision in 1905, thus wrote:

“The City represents the Church in glory, this being indicated by the declaration that it was like unto a bride prepared for her husband, and the further demonstration is in the fact that the angel who called to John, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife,’ showed him the New Jerusalem descending, etc. (Revelation 21:9,10).

“The words of the Apostle comparing the earthly Jerusalem with the heavenly corroborate the angel’s testimony. [The expression New Jerusalem implies a comparison with the Old.] The entire Gospel Age has been the time for the preparation of this New Jerusalem. [This is implied in the words of the Master to his disciples, ‘I go to prepare a place for you’ (John 14:2).] In one figure we [Christ’s glorified members] are the City [government], in another we are the people of the City.”

We read of this City that it “had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb” (verses 12-14).

The walls of ancient cities were built for the safety and protection of its inhabitants. It was to this end that the wisdom and skill of the architect and builder was exercised in its planning, in selecting the right material, in properly preparing each stone and fitting it in place, and in cementing the different stones together so as to make the walls immovable, impregnable. The walls of this symbolic City, however, are built up by the use of living stones, “Ye also, as living stones are built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5), and the foundation “living stones” of that wall have in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. The following is well said:

“The walls are living stones, such as the Apostle Peter describes; the foundation stones are the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. The City as a whole comprises all the saints from our Lord, the Head, down to and including the last member of the Church, which is his Body. Not until all these have been chosen and found faithful and fitted and prepared for their places, will this City descend to earth in power and come into the possession or control of the earth. The coming of that City to the earth is the symbolical representation of the establishment of God’s Kingdom in the earth, for a city is a symbol representing government, control. Thus Washington City represents the United States government … Paris the French government, Rome the Italian, Berlin the German, London the British, etc.”

The Gates of the City

The New Jerusalem, the Holy City, has its impregnable walls pierced with gates. As this New Jerusalem has (besides the Father, the God of all) but the one class, the hundred and forty-four thousand and one, represented in and by it, all the symbols must be explained as having their application to these and to no others. And in this way must we discover the symbolical significance of the “gates” of the City. In ancient cities, gates were employed as means of entrance to its privileges. As the Holy City, New Jerusalem, represents the Divine, heavenly government of Christ and the hundred and forty-four thousand whose benign influence is to be world-wide, and whose object in its establishment is for the grand purpose of bringing all the obedient of mankind into a willing and voluntary acknowledgment of its benevolent and righteous rule, the open gates may properly be said to represent the means by which the way to eternal life was secured — the sacrifice of Christ, the merit of which was appropriated for and passed through the hundred and forty-four thousand, and then was applied in behalf of the whole world. The words of the ancient Prophet seem to open the way to understand this symbol. He is referring to the earthly conditions of Millennial times, and says: “Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth the truth may enter in” (Isaiah 26:2). Understanding these New Jerusalem gates in the light of the Prophet’s words, we believe they would represent the one way to come fully into and under the sway of the blessings of this heavenly Jerusalem government, and secure them in full. This one way is that of keeping the Truth, the Law. This privilege of a probation under the New Jerusalem government we learn from many Scriptures was secured through the ransom sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. A diligent and faithful use of the privileges thus purchased will enable the inhabitants of the new-earth order to both love and obey the Truth, the Law of God, and to enter through the gates of that Holy City, that is, to become the recipients of everlasting life on the plane of human perfection.

The prophecy recorded in Isaiah 26 applies to the Old Testament overcomers, the Ancient Worthies, who represent the earthly phase of this heavenly Jerusalem government. One has said: “From Revelation 21:12 we learn that the gates or entrances of the City, which are twelve in number, are inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. This is in harmony with what we have learned of the earthly phase of the Kingdom of God, that the Ancient Worthies from the various tribes of Israel, selected during the Jewish Age, will be the visible representatives of the Heavenly Kingdom in the earth, through whose instrumentality the nations may enter into the blessings of the Kingdom.”

“And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof” (verse 15).

“And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof” (verse 15).

St. John, beholding the vision of the New Jerusalem, seems as in other places in the Revelation to represent or symbolize those in the Church while in the flesh having revealed to them the truth concerning the significance of the Holy City, in its relation to the new-earth order and its inhabitants. The “angel” would represent all who in the past have assisted in the unfolding of this vision. Nearly all the eminent Historical commentators have contributed to some extent to this end. Among these, however, none, so far as we have been able to discover in their writings, have interpreted clearly the full significance of this New Jerusalem government, as it will relate to the Church in glory, and to all mankind, until we reach the harvest period, when as Jesus promised, there would be a special dispensation of truth on this subject. The reed that St. John saw in the hand of the angel, for measuring the City, we believe represents the Divine standards, the principles of truth and righteousness, the revealed will of God, as seen in His Plan; the organization and conduct of the Holy City will therefore be according to the Divine standards, and will be in harmony with the strictest lines of justice and righteousness.

Mr. Lord’s interpretation of some of the particular symbols is both interesting and instructive, and has doubtless assisted not a few in the past to obtain a considerable knowledge of the vision. Concerning his understanding of the significance of the City itself we have already noted. He defines the splendor of the elements of which it is built as denoting “the beauty of the persons of the glorified saints with Christ, and the perfection of their character.”

The City’s magnitude transcending the vastest extent over which the eye can discern the most brilliant objects on the surface of the earth, the regularity of its form, the harmony of its parts, he explains as describing “the symmetry of their [the glorified saints’] relation to each other, the unity of their spirit and the energy of their sway.”

Concerning its gates, his explanation is very clear — that they symbolize “the access to the glorified which the nations enjoy.” That they are distributed equally to the several sides, indicates that they are to be accessible alike to the nations wherever they may reside, and that an angel is stationed at each gate signifies that that access is to be “subject to conditions and regulated by an exalted order [symbolized by the twelve angels] assigned to that office.” That there is to be no night there, he explains as representing that they are never to be without the visible (?) presence of God.

Concerning the “twelve tribes of the sons of Israel,” he says they symbolize the completeness of the sealing of all the branches or families of pure worshipers, the election as described in Revelation 7. The inscription of the names of these tribes on the gates, he says, “denotes, accordingly, that all branches of the unglorified race are to have access to the glorified saints, but each with a part or division peculiarly appropriated to themselves; as in a walled city inhabited by different tribes, the inscription on separate gates of the names of the several tribes would imply that each tribe was to pass through the gate distinguished by its name.”

St. John continues the descriptions, and says: “And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God, the Omnipotent, is the temple of it, and the Lamb” (verse 22). The wall of this symbolic Holy City is built up by the use of “living stones,” as the Apostle Peter describes: “Ye are living stones built up in him” (1 Peter 2:4,5). And the foundation “living stones” of that wall have in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. It would seem, therefore, that the reason there is no temple in this Holy City is because the City is itself a temple; and all the prefigurations we find throughout the Scriptures that have been employed to picture God’s dwelling with men find their complete antitype fulfillment in this symbolic Holy City. The same thought is expressed in verse 3: “The tabernacle of God is with men.” Indeed, the temple is only another figure employed to describe this Holy City. St. Paul uses this figure both as describing the preparation of its “living stones,” and its final completion. Addressing the Ephesian saints, he says, “Ye are fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom the whole building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22). St. John in this vision of the Holy City beholds that which pictures all these living stones being brought together, each one in the place originally designed by the Great Divine Architect. And the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb will always be an inner Temple in this great City or Temple which God has provided for the world’s blessing during restitution times. The Lord God Almighty is the Temple of it, because all who make up this City dwell in Him and it is itself the Temple of God, His dwelling, the place of meeting between Himself and man on earth.

Mr. Seiss has eloquently commented on this peculiar aspect of the New Jerusalem:

“‘A temple,’ says the seer, ‘I saw not in it.’ What a vacuum it would create in every earthly city if its temples were taken away! What would ancient Jerusalem have been without its temple? How much does the fame and glory of the most renowned of cities, ancient and modern, rest on their temples! Strip them of these and what would be their nakedness! But it is no privation to the New Jerusalem that there is no temple in it. Nay, it is one of its sublimest peculiarities. Not that worship is then to cease. Not that communion with the Eternal Spirit and Source of all things is no longer to exist. While God and holy beings live, their loving adoration of Him cannot cease, nor acts of worship be discontinued. But then and there the worship and communion will no longer be through symbols, veils, and intermediate ceremonials, which now are needed to help the soul to Divine fellowship. Deity will then have come forth from behind all veils, all mediating sacraments, all previous barriers and hidings because of the infirmity of the flesh, or the weaknesses of undeveloped spirituality. Himself will be the Temple thereof. The glorious worshipers there hold direct communion with His manifested glory which encompasses them and all their City alike. As consecrated High-Priests they will then have come into the Holiest of all, into the very cloud of God’s overshadowing glory, which is at once their covering, their Temple, their God.

“When Jesus walked with his disciples on earth, wherever he was they had a temple. What need of Solomon’s temple had they, when the embodied Shekinah himself, in ever approachable form was with them by day and by night, their Brother, their Master, their Everlasting Friend! And when the saints in immortal glory dwell within the enclosing light of the unveiled presence of God and the Lamb, as his Bride and Wife, what more need have they of temple or outward ceremonial, to commune with Deity, or to have fellowship with the Father and the Son! God and the Lamb are then themselves the Temple, and the intervention of any other temple would be a disability, a clog, and a going back from the sublime exaltation which the saints there reach and enjoy. Hence John saw no temple in that City, for the Lord God, the All-Ruler and the Lamb is its Temple. The worship there is immediate and direct.”

The Holy City the Place of Mediation

While we are able to endorse much of the foregoing quotation as true and beautiful, we could not accept it as a whole. Evidently this writer’s thought was that this picture of the Holy City with the Lord God and the Lamb as the Temple of it describes the eternal state beyond the reign of Christ. This portion of his interpretation we think is erroneous, for none of the visions given to St. John were intended to picture the details of the state of eternity beyond the final redemption of all the saved. Again we assert that this symbol of the Holy City, which in another sense will also be the great symbolic Temple, will be the meeting place—the place where mediation will be effected between God and fallen humanity; and the statement, “I saw no temple therein,” merely signifies that in this new arrangement of the future there will be no reorganization or re-establishment of the old, typical temple with all of its forms and ceremonies, but a wholly new arrangement. The Lord God and the Lamb will be the Temple of the New Jerusalem or Kingdom institution in that these will be exalted before all peoples as the first great objects of worship and praise, and men will be taught through the ministration of the glorified Church, the true way of access to God whereby they may come back fully into His favor and be given eternal life. Thus while it will be true of those who will constitute the Holy City of the future that they will then need no intermediary, no one to intercede for them, but can commune with God direct, in His very presence, this will not be true of the world of mankind, for the latter will require the mediation of the Holy City, the Temple class, until restored to perfection. Then at the close of that mediatorial reign, the Kingdom will be turned over to God (1 Corinthians 15:24). All mankind may then worship God directly.

“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it” (verses 23,24).

Mr. Russell observes that “nothing in this statement indicates that the world will not have and need both sunlight and moonlight during the Millennial Age, and subsequently, ‘as long as the sun and moon endure’ (Psalms 72:5).” It will, however, be true that the glorified Church will not have need either of sun or moon. These luminaries are evidently used in this vision as symbols, the sun symbolizing the Gospel light and the moon the reflected light of the Law and the Prophets of the Jewish dispensation. The glorified Church “will have, instead of these, a much more excellent glory, to which the Apostle refers when he says, ‘Now [with all the light, privileges, and opportunities which we enjoy, both as respects the representations of God through the Law and the Prophets, and through the instructions and leadings of the Spirit in the present] we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now we know in part; then we shall know even as we are known’ (1 Corinthians 13:12).”

The glorified Christ and the Church will then be the Sun of Righteousness as foretold (Malachi 4:2, Matthew 13:43); and the nations (the words “of the saved” are not found in the old manuscripts) will then be given the clear light of truth, unadulterated with error; and as they walk in this light, they will progress upward and upward to the full measure of human perfection, restitution.

“The expressions ‘nations’ and ‘kings’ are not to be understood as signifying that the world of mankind during the Millennial Age will be divided into nationalities and kingdoms as at present; the word ‘nations’ here signifies peoples, and is intended to show that all peoples, and not merely the people of Israel, will be thus favored under God’s Kingdom. The word ‘kings’ represents those princes or chief ones of the earth who, during the Millennial Age, will be the chief representatives [on earth] of the heavenly, spiritual, invisible Kingdom of Christ. These princes, as we have already seen, will be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the faithful Prophets of the previous dispensation, who, loving God before the call to the Kingdom and to the Bride Class, cannot be of it, but because of their faithfulness will be the princes whom the Lord will establish in all the earth—first making them perfect individuals, and qualifying them for their office, as a reward for their faithfulness to God in the dark times in which they lived—their manifestation of love for righteousness and trust in the Omnipotent One.

“The bringing of their glory into the City, the Kingdom, signifies their acknowledgment of this heavenly Kingdom, their rendering of tribute of praise, thanks worship, and obedience to it as God’s agency. And this rendering of glory to the Kingdom will continue throughout the entire Millennial Age, as the princes throughout the earth will make known to the people that not in their own names or authority do they rule and execute judgment and establish righteousness, but in the name and as the ministers and representatives of the glorified Christ. The result will be that all the people will ascribe honor and praise and majesty and glory to the Lord’s Anointed, through whom their redemption and restitution was and is being accomplished; and this is indicated in verse 26.”

Mr. Seiss very ably comments on the words: “The nations shall walk by the light of it”:

“Illumination for the soul, as well as glorious light for the eyes—the light of truth and righteousness and the light of life for all wants, personal, social, and national, in the redeemed family of man—shall go forth from that sublime City; and ‘the nations’ shall walk in that light. Their polity, their religion, and all that goes to make up for them an economy of Edenic blessedness, shall come forth from that sublime metropolis. Their kings, their judges, their priests, their loving guides, their Savior, their only Lord God, are there, visible to their eyes [of understanding] and ever present in their hearts and minds. What never has been upon this earth, a really holy nation, will then be found wherever man is found, and all people shall be the people of the Lord. Men talk of Christian nations; but in all this dwelling-place of man, from the beginning until now, there is nothing of the sort to answer to the phrase. There is no such thing, and there never will be, till the new earth appears and the New Jerusalem comes into the view of man. But then, all nations, as nations, shall be sanctified and holy; for they shall walk in the light of the Eternal City of the Eternal King. That City raised aloft, and filled with the spirit and glory of God and the Lamb, will be the illumination and the great glory of the world, the center of supremest interest, the joy of the waking thoughts and the sleeping dreams of all the children of men.”

“And its gates shall not be shut by day; for there shall be no night there” (verse 25). The thought in these words is that access to the Kingdom and its blessings on the part of earth’s peoples will continue throughout the entire period of the Millennial Age of restitution; that both the heavenly gates (the glorified saints with Christ), from which the blessings come, and the earthly gates (the Ancient Worthies, the earthly mediums of communication), through whom they flow, will always be open.

“And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (verse 27).

From the fact that the “book of life of the Lamb” is here mentioned it is evident that these words relate to the Church in the Gospel Age, and it is an entrance into the Church’s inheritance that is referred to. The Lamb’s Book of Life can have in it the names of only those who now successfully run for the prize of the Heavenly Calling, symbolized in the vision as the New Jerusalem, the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife.

“In consideration of the fact that this book of symbols, while relating to the future, is addressed to God’s consecrated elect Church in the present time, and in view of the fact that this message would be communicated to and more or less understood by those who would seek to make their calling and election sure to a part in the glorious City, the 27th verse is added, declaring that ‘In no wise shall there enter into it anything common, or he that doeth abomination and falsehood—but only they who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.’ The Lamb’s book of life we must understand to include those, and only those, who attain to position of joint-heirship with Christ, whose names are written in heaven during this age, and who are faithful to their covenant. What a glorious incentive we have here to faithfulness! What a warning against the slightest sympathy with anything unclean, untrue, or in anywise contrary to the Divine standard of holiness! If we appreciate the glorious things of the Divine provision for the Church and for the world, these promises and offers will have their influence upon us, and under their influence we are expected to keep our garments unspotted from the world; to be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; to hate every contamination of the flesh upon our robe of righteousness; and to seek immediately in prayer for the removal of any spot or wrinkle or any such thing from our wedding garment—that thus we may abide in the Lord’s love, and in the due time be ‘meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.’”

The River of the Water of Life

“And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. In the midst of its broad place, and of the river, on this side and on that, was a wood of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding for each month its own fruit; and the leaves of the wood were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1,2).

St. John in these words continues his description of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. It will have been noted that the description thus far has been more concerning its external than its internal appearance. This seems to signify that its presentation in the vision has had to do largely with those matters which relate to this Holy City or heavenly government’s influence upon the dwellers of earth who come under its sway. Indeed, St. John saw very little of the inside of this Holy City. The reason for this would seem to be that it is hardly possible for the saints, the joint-heirs, whom St. John represents in their earthly state, to comprehend those features which relate to the various departments of the organization of this heavenly government, and to the various offices assigned to the saints in the administration of its affairs for the blessing of the inhabitants of the Millennial earth. Concerning these matters we now see them as through a glass dimly, but then face to face.

The opening words of St. John, “And he showed me a river of the water of life,” are designed to point out more particularly the one inexhaustible fountain or source from which these great blessings flow. It is stated to be “from the throne of God and the Lamb.” This teaches that the heavenly government over the Millennial-world order will have for its center of authority the Divine Law and the Divine Power, that is, every feature connected with the laws and the administration of the government over the new order will be according to the Divine will.

Some expositors have seen quite clearly the distinction between the heavenly and the earthly phases of this Millennial Kingdom; and it has thus been noted:

“We are of necessity reminded also of one of the closing visions of Ezekiel, while a comparison easily shows also the difference between the earthly and the heavenly in these pictures—the one being indeed the shadow, but no more than the shadow, of the other. John here sees ‘a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.’ And in Ezekiel, the life giving waters issue forth from the house of the Lord, and thus is specially noted in connection with the fruit of the trees that are nourished by it: ‘And by the river, upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to its months, because their waters, they issued out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.’ How like the account in Revelation is to this, no one can fail to understand; even the language might seem to be taken from it: ‘In the midst of the street of it, and on this side of the river and on that, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, and yielded its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.’

“But in Ezekiel all is distinctly earthly, and the blessing is not [described by him as] yet full. The waters go down into the Salt Sea and heal it, so that a great multitude of fish are [enabled to thrive] in its waters; but there are miry places and marshes that are not healed, but given over to salt. With both the Old Testament Prophet and the New, we [thus] see that the earth is yet in the Millennial, not the eternal condition; for the leaves of the tree are for medicine in both alike; there is, in both, need of healing yet [during Millennial times].

“The waters are in both cases from the sanctuary, for that is the character of the whole City of God. In Revelation, they are specifically from the throne of God; for here the one blessedness is, as we have seen, that God reigns—God revealed in that perfect grace that is expressed in Christ—the throne of God being also that of the Lamb. Thus the water is the type, as always in its highest meaning, of the fullness of the spirit, the power of life and sanctification, indeed the power of God in all creation. The tree of life bears witness, as in the earthly paradise at first, of dependence upon another, of life in dependence” (F. W. Grant).

Another whom we regard as deeply spiritual, who lived and wrote many years ago, has ably commented on these words of St. John. It will be observed that he also saw clearly the distinction between the heavenly and earthly aspects of this New Jerusalem government. His suggestion is that this portion of St. John’s vision “would naturally lead us to Ezekiel 47, where waters are seen issuing from the threshold of the temple in Jerusalem in the Millennium, only that is of the earth, while this is from the throne of God in heaven flowing down through the street of the City. As but one street is named here [verse 1, and in the former chapter 21:21] it would seem that it lay around the City, between it and the wall. No mention is made of inhabitants in this Millennial City, nor of ‘walking the golden streets,’ which we find sometimes in hymns, as there are neither streets nor walkers. But if the City be the [symbol of the] assembly [of saints] in glory, the street would be the channel through which the blessings of the City flow to others; and if it would be between the City and the wall, it would show how God will make amends to the Gentile world for all the failure of Israel to bless the world when first established and throughout their sad history on earth; the fountain of the blessings being the throne of God, and thence, through both the heavenly saints and [earthly] Israel, flowing out to all.”

The exposition given by Mr. Russell of the various features of this glorious vision of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, seems to meet all the requirements:

“The throne of God and of the Lamb is represented as being in this City. That is to say, the Kingdom, the government that will then be established in the world, will have as its center of authority the Divine law and the Divine power—every feature of the government will be in accord with the Divine will. From the throne of God will proceed the river of the water of life, of crystalline purity, not muddy traditions with false doctrines. No impurity of any kind will be in it: it will be the pure message of the Lord, going forth from the Millennial Kingdom for the blessing, refreshment, rejuvenation and eternal life of the whole world of mankind or so many of them as will accept the blessed provisions. Not only will the message of peace and the offer of life thus go forth from the throne to the whole world, but, additionally, there will be trees of life on both sides of the river, bearing twelve manner of fruits and yielding their fruits every month, and the leaves of these shall be for the healing of the nations.

“The symbolic picture suggests nourishment and healing for the sin-sick, starving world, which then may partake freely of all the blessings and privileges thus symbolized. No longer will it be necessary to say to men, ‘The weaknesses of your fallen flesh will be with you until death, for although the Lord has graciously covered your sins because of faith in the Redeemer and the desire to walk in His way, nevertheless there is no escape from the consequences of sin, there is nothing that will absolutely heal.’ When the new dispensation, represented by this symbolical city and its river of the water of life and the trees of life with their leaves of healing, is made available to men, it will be the beginning of the times of restitution spoken by the Lord through the mouth of all the holy Prophets since the world began (Acts 3:19-21). The restitution will affect all the willing and obedient, not only physically but mentally and morally: the uplift will be individual and worldwide. This is the very object of providing the river of life, the trees of life, their fruits and their leaves.”

A passage that has been quite generally misunderstood and misapplied, by professed Christian teachers, thus hindering to a considerable extent a proper understanding of this glorious vision of the future, is the one contained in verse 17 of this same chapter. The passage reads: “And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (verse 17). The invitation here given is quite generally construed to have its application in the present time—the Gospel Age. This, however, is very manifestly incorrect.

The facts of history both past and present teach that there has never been, nor is there at the present time, such a gracious, universal opportunity to partake of the blessings purchased by the sacrifice of Christ, and symbolically pictured in this ‘water of life.’ It is only the few comparatively that have heard this gracious invitation—it has been only a small minority of this few that have understood it. Furthermore, the channel through which Truth has flowed has been for centuries defiled with error. The message of the angel, “Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people,” has been little understood. Indeed, it was not necessary in order to accomplish the Divine purpose for this Gospel Age that it should be fully appreciated except by the few. The Scripture that applies to God’s elective purpose for this present age is: “No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” These are the words of Christ himself. The Gospel Age is the time when the Father is drawing out from believers those whom He would prepare to become the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife.

The invitation of the verse under consideration will not be in order until the Bride hath made herself ready; in other words, until the Divine purpose is complete and the “Marriage of the Lamb” takes place. These called out ones in this age have been only prospectively the Bride. One by one these have been hearing the call, accepting it, and have been making their calling and election sure. These, until the Bridegroom should come, have fallen asleep in Christ. This class when complete in the end of this dispensation will share in the First Resurrection. Then will the Bride be complete, and then will this Message, “And the Spirit and the Bride say come,” be due to be proclaimed. “As soon as the Marriage of the Lamb shall have taken place, as soon as the New Jerusalem, the Church in glory, shall have been established in the earth, the drawing of all the families of the earth will ensue.”

I Will Draw All Men Unto Me

This is in harmony with Christ’s own words: “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me” (John 12:32). “They will not be drawn, however, to the same things to which we [the Church] have been drawn; they will not be drawn to the heavenly things, to the joint-heirship with Christ in his Kingdom; they will not be invited to become members of his Bride, for that Bride class, that Kingdom class, will then be completely beyond the possibility of any further additions.”

Concerning the symbol, “the river of the water of life,” the following is a clear elucidation:

“This river of the water of life represents the blessed influence that will proceed to humanity from the glorified Christ, Head and Body—from the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. When the blessed opportunities of that time are thoroughly open to the world, when the Sun of Righteousness shall have scattered all the darkness of ignorance and sin, when Satan shall have been bound, when the river of the water of life shall flow freely, then the invitation that will go forth will no longer be a call of the Elect, but an invitation to every creature, every member of the human race, to partake of the blessings and privileges which God has provided in Christ, that they may have the everlasting life and everlasting joy which is to be the portion of those who love righteousness and hate iniquity, and who avail themselves of the gracious provision in Christ. … There will be a Bride then, but there is no Bride now. The Church is espoused, but the Marriage of the Lamb is still deferred, not yet accomplished. The last members of his Church must complete their course, must pass their examination and enter into glory with him before the Marriage be consummated.”

As we have seen, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem itself, is symbolical, so must be the river of water of life, flowing from it, the trees on either side of the river, as also the fruit and the leaves of the trees. The river of water of life, as has been pointed out, suggests that Divine Message of Truth which will be the means of giving life to humanity as they accept it. The trees on the bank of the river are suggestive indeed of certain agencies or forces that will be in operation for the healing and nourishing of fallen humanity. Some have with good reason considered the trees as another picture of the offices and ministry of the glorified saints: “All the Lord’s people need to remember that in proportion as they are ambassadors of the Lord, and His representatives, it will be their privilege not only by and by in the Kingdom to ‘comfort all that mourn,’ but to be Trees of Righteousness, whose leaves will be for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2).” In the Old Testament Scriptures, the saints, the righteous, are thus symbolically referred to as trees of righteousness (Jeremiah 17:8, Psalms 1:3).

The saints as trees of righteousness will give forth that which will bless and heal earth’s sin-sick. The “leaves” may very properly represent those teachings, instructions, dealings, etc., that will be full of sympathy and encouragement for all those who show willingness and desire to come into harmony with God. Humanity, terribly fallen and helpless, will be in sore need of just such assistance. The “fruit” of the trees may truly picture forth the fruitage of the lives of the saints, composing the “Little Flock” or Kingdom class. Their patience, mercy, longsuffering, gentleness, and love, “fruits of the spirit,” will be such as to nourish, to assist, and to build up “the nations,” the world of mankind, preparing them for the enjoyment of the ages of bliss to follow the Millennial reign.

We would not dispute that there may be grown in the earth literal trees of life, such as existed in the Garden of Eden, to which our first parents had access (Genesis 2:9). The restitution of that which was lost would seem to imply this original condition of life-giving trees, and of course, the symbolical picture in Revelation is based upon the fact that there have been literal trees of life; and doubtless there will be such again in the future. A concluding word from Pastor Russell is of advantage here: “But after the Marriage there will be not only the Holy City, representing the Church in her official or governing capacity under Christ her Head, but there will be also the blessed work of the Church, the calling of the world’s attention to the river of the water of life, to the leaves of healing, to the fruits of the Spirit; and the spirit, the power of God, will cooperate with the message that will then be promulgated, and the result undoubtedly will be that all the world shall hear, and that all who love righteousness and hate iniquity will return again to life eternal. It will require all the Millennial Age for the delivery of this message to every creature and for them to avail themselves of the privileges.”