The Apocalypse of St. John by Rev. E. Sylvester Berry [1921]

[Stone]

Part III

THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM

CHAPTER XXI

1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth was gone, and the sea is now no more.

2. And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3. And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his
people; and God himself with them shall be their God.

4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away.

5. And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold I make all things anew. And he said to me: Write, for these words are most faithful and true.

6. And he said to me: It is done. I am Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely.

7. He that shall overcome shall possess these things, and I will be his God; and he shall be my son.

8. But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.


1-4. A former vision revealed to St. John the destruction of the present world by a return to chaos as at the beginning of creation.1 This destruction will be accomplished by fire as St. Peter distinctly states: "But the heavens and the earth which now are, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men. . . . But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in which the heavens shall pass away with great violence, and the elements shall be melted with heat, and the earth and the works which are in it, shall be burnt up."2 Out of the elements thus purified by fire, God will form a new, a glorified earth to be a suitable habitation for the glorified bodies of the just. Then will the Church triumphant, the new Jerusalem, descend upon earth to be the tabernacle of God with men.

They shall be his people and He will be their God. They shall be happy with Him forever; "death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away." The renewal of the earth completes the "restitution of all things" mentioned by St. Peter.3 It is the revelation for which all nature groaneth and travaileth in expectation, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God.4 Isaias also prophesied this renewal: "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make to stand before me, saith the Lord: so shall your seed stand and your name."5

Hence St. Peter writes: "But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to his promises, in which justice dwelleth."6 The "heavens" in this connection probably refers to the space occupied by the atmosphere surrounding the earth. This was the opinion of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Others believe that it includes all the heavenly bodies, the entire universe. The "sea" may be taken literally, though in a symbolic sense it refers to the nations opposed to the Church.7

5, 6. The work of Redemption is now completed even for inanimate nature which had been cursed in the sin of man: "For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who made it subject in hope. Because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God."8 All things began in Christ by creation; they now find their destiny in Him who is "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end."9 He now gives to His faithful the waters of eternal life, the life of union with Him in the Beatific Vision.

7, 8. Eternal happiness is for those alone who over come in the conflict with temptation and sin. All others shall suffer the eternal torments of hell which is the second death.

(1) See above, page 77.
(2) II Peter iii, 7-10.
(3) Acts of the Apostles iii. 21.
(4) Romans viii, 20-23.
(5) Isaias Ixvi, 2.
(6) II Peter iii, 13.
(7) Cf. Schneider-Thurston, "The Other Life" ch. xiii, where this whole subject is discussed at length.
(8) Romans viii, 20, 21.
(9) See above, page 6.



9. And there came one of the seven angels, who had the vials full of the seven last plagues, and with me, saying: Come, and I will shew thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

10. And he took me in spirit to a great and high mountain: and he shewed me the holy city Jerusalem corning down out of heaven from God.

11. Having the glory of God, and the light thereof was like to a precious stone, as to the jasper stone, even as crystal.

12. And it had a wall, great and high, having twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.

13. On the east, three gates; and on the north, three gates; and on the south, three gates; and on the west, three gates.

14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them, the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15. And he that spoke with me, had a measure of a reed of gold, to measure the city and the gates there of and the wall.

16. And the city lieth in a foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the golden reed for twelve thousand furlongs, and the length and the height and the breadth thereof are equal.

17. And he measured the wall thereof an hundred forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is of an angel.

18. And the building of the wall thereof was of jasper stone: but the city itself pure gold like to clear glass.

19. And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald:

20. The fifth, sardonyx: the sixth, sardius: the seventh, chrysolite, the eighth, beryl, the ninth, a topax: the tenth, a chrysoprasus: the eleventh, a jacinth: the twelfth an amethyst.

21. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, one to each: and every several gate was of one several pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22. And I saw no temple therein. For the Lord God Almighty is the temple thereof, and the Lamb.

23. And the city hath no need of the sun, nor moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God hath enlightened it and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.

24. And the nations shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it.

25. And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day: for there shall be no night there.

26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.

27. There shall not enter into it anything defiled, or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written in the book of life of the Lamb.


9, 10. One of the seven angels who poured out the vials of wrath, takes St. John in spirit upon a high mountain that he may have a bird's eye view, as it were, of the new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, all ablaze with divine splendors. The great dimensions of the city are also indicated by the necessity of viewing it from a lofty mountain.

11. The glory of God enlightens the city whose radiant beauty is compared to the flashing hues of jasper, and the transparent brilliancy of crystal.

12, 13. The strong towering walls are an assurance that no enemy can assail its inhabitants nor disturb the peace and happiness that reigns within. The twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes signify that many from each tribe shall be saved,1 and through these tribes shall the nations be blessed. Hence there are three gates on each side to show that all nations are called to the Faith and to salvation.2

14. The twelve foundation stones bear the names of the twelve Apostles because Christ "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building being framed together groweth up into an holy tern pie in the Lord."3

15, 16. The angel measures the city and finds that it is a cube, a symbol of perfection. The dimensions are composed of the mystic numbers 12 and 1000, symbols of perfection and immensity. The reed is of gold, the symbol of charity, to signify that none can enter the heavenly Jerusalem unless he be enriched with good works and bear the treasure of Christian charity.

17. The height of the outer wall surrounding the city is insignificant when compared to the height of the city which is perfectly secure in itself and needs no protecting wall. The wall is measured in cubits, a measure in common use among men, but now employed by the angel in a mystic sense.

18-21. The description of the mystic Jerusalem is evidently symbolic. The dimensions signify perfection and immensity; the gold and precious stones remind as that it is necessary to have the gold of true charity and the gems of virtues and good works. Thus only can we enter this city of gleaming gold and sparkling gems. "Despairing of putting into words this the most sublime part of his vision, and wishing to depict it in consonance with our understanding, St. John has recourse to the harmonious proportions of numbers, and the varied and delicate tints of precious gems. Until we see heaven and are bathed in the full light of God, we shall never discover all that the Apostle desired to convey thereby; but while here below, nothing gives us a loftier notion of heaven's blessedness than beholding St. John, the most enlightened and inspired of sacred writers, utterly powerless to express in human language the de lights it holds in store for us."4 We can only say with St. Paul: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him,"5

22, 23. No temple is found in the heavenly city because God and the Lamb are themselves the temple. There every soul is united to God and flooded with the light of His eternal glory which renders useless all created light.

24-27. The elect of all nations shall dwell in this "light inaccessible"6 and the kings of earth shall bring thither their glory and honor to lay them before the throne of God. The gates of the city are not closed at night like those of earthly cities, because "night shall be no more." Only those who are pure of heart, whose names are written in the book of life, can enter through these gates.



(1) See above, page 81.
(2) Genesis xxii, 18; xxvi, 4.
(3) Ephesians ii, 20, 21.
(4) Fouard, "St. John" (Eng. Trans.), page 130.
(5) I Corinthians ii, 9; cf. also Isaias Ixiv. 4.
(6) I Timothy vi, 16.