Revelation 21:9

The New Jerusalem

9 Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues,^[a] came and spoke with me: "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

Revelation 21:9 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 21:9

And there came unto me one of the seven angels
Either the first of them, as one of the four beasts is the first of them, ( Revelation 6:1 ) or it may be the last, and very likely the same as in ( Revelation 17:1 )

which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues;
that is, the wrath of God poured out by them on the antichristian party; see ( Revelation 15:1 Revelation 15:7 ) ( 16:1 ) .

And talked with me, saying, come hither;
see ( Revelation 17:1 ) .

I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
The "Lamb" is Christ, who is often so called in this book; see ( Revelation 5:6 Revelation 5:7 Revelation 5:9 ) ( 14:1 ) ( 13:8 ) ( 21:23 ) ( 7:17 ) ( Revelation 19:7 ) and is the Son of God, the heir of all things, the Maker and Governor of the universe, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; and who, as Mediator, has all accomplishments and qualifications to recommend him as a bridegroom, such as beauty, riches, and wisdom: the bride, his wife, is not any particular believer, nor any particular church; not the Gentile church, nor the Jewish church only, but all the elect of God, consisting of the raised and living saints at the coming of Christ; who will make up one body, one general assembly, and be as a bride, prepared and adorned for her husband: these were first betrothed to Christ in eternity, and were openly espoused by him, one by one, at conversion; and now being all gathered in by the effectual calling, the dead being raised, and the living changed, and all glorified, the marriage is consummated, and they are declared publicly to be the bride, the Lamb's wife; (See Gill on Matthew 22:2). And now, though John had had a sight of her before, ( Revelation 21:2 ) yet that was but a glimmering one, at a distance, he being in the wilderness, ( Revelation 17:3 ) wherefore the angel calls him to him, and proposes to give him a clear, distinct, and particular view of her, in all her glory; and a glorious sight this indeed! to see the bride brought to the King in raiment of needlework, and the queen stand at his right hand in gold of Ophir. This is a sight of a quite different nature from that of the filthy strumpet, which the same angel proposed to give to John in ( Revelation 17:1 ) .

Revelation 21:9 In-Context

7 The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.

8 But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars-their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

9 Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10 He then 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,

11 arrayed with God's glory. Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal.

Footnotes

• [a]. Rv 16:1