The City is a Bride Text: Revelation 21:9-27
Introduction: Misreading the Map
For centuries, Christians have read this glorious chapter of Revelation and have allowed their imaginations to be shaped more by sentimental hymns than by the hard grammar of the text. We sing of pearly gates and streets of gold, and we immediately think of Heaven as the final, ethereal, disembodied state. We think of it as our great escape, the celestial retirement home we get to check into after a long and difficult life. But this is a profound misreading of the map. The text itself tells us exactly what John is being shown, and it is not a location, but a people. It is not a place, but a person. It is the Bride of Christ.
The angel says, "Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." And what does he show John? A city. The fundamental interpretive key to this entire passage is that the New Jerusalem is the Christian Church. This is not a clever allegorical trick; it is the explicit statement of the text. The Apostle Paul has already told us that the Jerusalem above is the mother of us all (Gal. 4:26). The author of Hebrews tells us that when we gather for worship, we come to the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22). This vision, then, is not about leaving the world behind, but about the people of God descending from heaven to earth, bringing God's glorious, transformative order into the midst of history.
This is a postmillennial vision. It is a vision of the success of the Great Commission. It is a picture of the Church in her glory, a glory that is being progressively revealed as the gospel goes forth and conquers. The Old Jerusalem, the Harlot city that prostituted herself and killed the prophets, has been judged and removed in A.D. 70. Now, her replacement, the faithful Bride, is revealed. This is not a blueprint for a future metropolis in the sky. It is a symbolic, theological portrait of the Church militant and triumphant.
The Text
Then one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like precious stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. It had a great and high wall. It had twelve gates and at those gates, twelve angels; and names have been written on those gates, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and its wall. And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, 12,000 stadia; its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. And the material of the wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold, like pure glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. And I saw no sanctuary in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. And its gates will never be closed by day, for there will be no night there; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. And nothing defiled, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
(Revelation 21:9-27 LSB)
The Bride Identified (vv. 9-11)
The passage begins with an explicit identification. The angel does not leave us guessing.
"Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like precious stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. (Revelation 21:9-11)
The angel promises to show John the Bride, and he shows him a city. Therefore, the city is the Bride. This is not complicated. The Church is the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25). This city is the Church. John is taken to a high mountain to see this, which is a common place for divine revelation. From this vantage point, he sees the Church in her ideal, heavenly reality, "coming down out of heaven from God." This is the pattern of the kingdom. It is not something we build up to God; it is a gift that He brings down to us. It began at Pentecost and continues throughout history as the Church impacts and transforms the world.
She has the "glory of God." This is the Shekinah glory, the manifest presence of God that filled the tabernacle and temple. Now, that glory resides in a people. The brilliance of the city is like jasper, which is how John described the appearance of God on the throne back in Revelation 4. The Church, as the Bride, reflects the very glory of her Husband. She is being conformed to His image.
A People United and Secure (vv. 12-14)
The description of the city's structure is a theological statement about the people of God.
It had a great and high wall. It had twelve gates and at those gates, twelve angels; and names have been written on those gates, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel... And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:12, 14)
This is a portrait of the one, unified people of God across both covenants. The twelve gates are named for the twelve tribes of Israel, representing the Old Covenant saints. The twelve foundations are named for the twelve apostles, representing the New Covenant Church. This is not replacement theology; it is fulfillment theology. God is not done with Israel; the Church is the fulfillment of all God's promises to Israel. The wall is great and high, signifying security. The Church is secure in Christ; the gates of Hell will not prevail against her.
The gates are on all four sides of the compass, three on the east, north, south, and west. This speaks of the universal nature of the gospel. The invitation goes out to all the nations, to every corner of the earth. People from every tribe and tongue are streaming into this city.
Symbolic Perfection (vv. 15-21)
The measurements and materials of the city are not for architects but for theologians. They are symbols of the Church's perfection and value in God's sight.
And the city is laid out as a square... he measured the city with the rod, 12,000 stadia; its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its wall, 144 cubits... (Revelation 21:16-17)
The city is a perfect cube. What else in the Bible was a perfect cube? The Holy of Holies in Solomon's Temple. The message is unmistakable: the entire Church is now the most holy place, the dwelling place of God. There is no longer a veil. We have all become a kingdom of priests. The numbers are symbolic: 12,000 stadia and 144 cubits are multiples of twelve, the number of God's people (12 tribes, 12 apostles).
The materials, jasper, pure gold like glass, precious stones, and pearls, all speak of immense value, beauty, purity, and glory. The foundation stones are adorned with various gems, reminiscent of the high priest's breastplate. The Church is God's priesthood, built on the foundation of the apostles. The gates are each a single pearl. Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who finds one pearl of great price and sells all he has to buy it. The entrance into this glorious city is through Christ alone, the pearl of great price.
God is the Temple, Christ is the Light (vv. 22-23)
Now John notes what is missing, and its absence is the greatest glory of all.
And I saw no sanctuary in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21:22-23)
In the Old Jerusalem, the Temple was the center of everything. It was the place where God met with man. But in the New Jerusalem, the Church, there is no temple building. Why? Because the separation is gone. We do not go to a place to meet God; God Himself, Father and Son, has made His dwelling with us and in us. The entire city is the Holy of Holies. We live in unmediated fellowship with the Triune God.
Likewise, the city has no need for created light. The sun and moon are rendered obsolete. This is a direct polemic against the pagan idolatry of sun worship. God is the source of all light, and in the Church, His glory provides all the illumination we need. The Lamb is the lamp. As Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." The Church walks in the light of Christ, and this is not just a future reality, but a present one. We are to walk as children of light now.
The Conquest of the Gospel (vv. 24-27)
The vision concludes with a stunning picture of the Church's mission in the world.
And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. And its gates will never be closed by day, for there will be no night there... And nothing defiled... shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:24-27)
This is the Great Commission in apocalyptic language. The Church, the city of God, is the light of the world. As her light shines, the nations are converted and begin to walk according to her wisdom, which is the wisdom of Christ. The "kings of the earth," the civil magistrates and cultural leaders, bring their "glory" into the city. This means that as nations are discipled, every aspect of their culture, their art, their science, their wealth, their political structures, is redeemed and consecrated to the service of King Jesus and offered up to His Church.
The gates are perpetually open, signifying both a constant, welcoming invitation and a state of absolute security. The gospel call is always going out, and the city is unthreatened. There is no night, because the darkness of sin and ignorance is being pushed back by the light of the Lamb. But this open invitation does not mean the standards are lowered. The city is holy. Nothing unclean, abominable, or false can enter. The Church is a pure bride. The only ones who gain entrance are those chosen by God from before the foundation of the world, whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Conclusion: You Are the City
This is not a vision to make us long for escape. It is a vision to embolden us for our task. You, Christian, are a living stone in this city. This glorious reality is what you are a part of, right now. The glory of God dwells in you by His Spirit. You are founded on the apostles, and you are a part of the commonwealth of Israel.
Therefore, we must live like it. We are not a ghettoized minority, huddled in a corner waiting for the rapture. We are the city of God, descending from heaven. We are the light of the world. Our job is to shine that light, to live out the righteousness, peace, and joy of the kingdom in such a way that the nations are drawn to it. Our task is to be so compellingly holy, so gloriously wise, that the kings of the earth see it and bring the best of their cultures as tribute to our King. This is our identity. This is our mission. This is the future, and it is breaking into the present all around us.