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Rev. 21:1: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
         The soul has gone through all the states which have been described. Heaven and earth now vanish away. Physical and spiritual principles now join here. What is earthy and material in creation, and in the believer, is destroyed! As soon as He comes in His majesty, all must disappear and make room for Him. This is the mark of His greatness and might. As we see mountains of snow melt and crumble before the sun, so when the majesty of God appears, the entire soul must vanish away and disappear. All that is not entirely destroyed may remain by some grace, but whatever it is, it is not God Himself! Oh God, as soon as You appear, any life, any subsistence in creation, in the believer, in me vanishes away! Only nothingness is left, giving You room to be all! (Editor's note: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:7. KJV. Literally, All things are out of God-- All things return to God. That portion "that is not entirely destroyed may remain by some grace," if I error not, is that spirit that was given by God, i.e. God himself. End of note).
         Oh wonderful result! The wonderful and divine union of the Bridegroom and Bride takes place. It is not only a close union, but all is reduced to the unity of their principle. There the Bride becomes one with her Bridegroom. There is no more distinction between them. There, having no self-existence, she is in God. This is the perfection of all happiness; there is worked out and perfected a perfect nothingness. There, she is made one with God, and is really so lost in Him that she cannot be separated any more from Him.
         Two different states are wonderfully described in this book of Revelation. The first state is explained by "the heaven when it is rolled like a scroll." (Rev. 6:14). This is the soul losing her quality to take that given by God. But this heaven that was rolled kept its place. The second state is marked by "the passing away of heaven and earth;" it is not only rolled but it vanished away, disappearing before the majesty of God.
         After the soul is lost, sunk, united with God, she loses all. He gives her Jesus Christ Who becomes her new heaven and her new earth. Everything is given back to her with an unthought-of advantage. She can then do anything without coming out of her unity. She has become "a new creature" in Jesus Christ. Everything is given her in Jesus Christ; and Jesus Christ is all in her. This old creature is no more spoken of; she is completely made new, and nothing remains of the old.
        As for "the sea" that is no more, this means that the storms and tempests are no longer.

Rev. 21:2: And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

         John speaks here very clearly of the renewal which must take place in the Church. The Spirit of the Church will be renewed on the whole earth. This is this Spirit of the Word possessing her; however it is quite far from its members. This Spirit then will spread everywhere, renew the whole earth, according to the promise given. Then "the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven." (Editor's note: We reference The Whispers of the Mysteries, "The Mystery of The Church," by Ray and Doris Prinzing. End of note).
         Referring to the individual soul, it means that the works of the soul, within or without, "come from heaven." It is a state of glory and triumph given to her; it is given her to do on earth what is being done in heaven. After her renewal, all within her does not proceed from her since "she is no more," but all is from God and this is the strength and effectiveness of her works. She then comes "prepared and-- adorned."  God gives the Church, outwardly, all the excellence and splendor that the majesty of God (and the grace that she shares) deserve.

Rev. 21:3: And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, ..."
         The soul, yea, and the Church -having reached this place through such rough and strange ways and being so perfectly transformed- is now the tabernacle of God where He dwells and rests with unspeakable delight.
       This refers both to the renewed Church and the soul, which will be the tabernacle of God. Then will God delight to dwell with men, and He will truly be their God, and they shall be HIS people. Then this nothingness which molds a soul in God and makes her one with Him, will also mold them and perfect their unity in God.

Rev. 21:4: ". ..and He shall wipe away every tear, from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
         There are no more sorrows, tears, or afflictions because there is no more death; no more nothingness to complete. When nothingness is not completely perfected, there may be always suffering here on earth. But here in this scene all these things have gone except peace, joy, and satisfaction.
         This will be the time of triumph both for the Church and Jesus Christ. After having exhibited a suffering Christ, for so long, the Church now will exhibit Him glorious and triumphant.

Rev. 21:5: And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And  He said "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
         How true it is, oh God, that You are going to make "all things new." The souls, Your spouses, and Your Church! Oh, new state, new life, new everything, all will be made new! There is not one soul who would not experience this if she surrendered herself fully to God.

Rev.21:6: And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost."
         After all these states are passed away, all is done, and the soul is in a perfect consummation because Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end. By Him all the states start-- and end-- by Him. The soul begins by Jesus Christ, and by Him all is finished and consummate.
         All begins by the love of Jesus Christ. We surrender to him; He leads, being the way, by paths that are closed to all but Him. And when He leads the believer through horrible and frightful deserts, He leads him to the end. As long as "the way" lasts the soul does not notice that Jesus Christ leads him. He hides to have him lose all distinction of His own; and bring him in unity. When he reaches this place, then He appears as the truth and He places him in the truth of God. The soul discovers the whole of God and the nothingness of the creature. In this truth, it seems to him that all, up to now, was error, lie, deceit, blindness.
         But when the believer is in this truth of His perfect unity with God, suddenly Jesus Christ is given him as life. After having borne all these states in His soul, after having sacrificed himself, He is glorified in him and He glorifies him, having him enter His glory and joy. And through all eternity He will be glorified in this soul, so that, after having been crucified and sacrificed, we will be glorified as His!
         That was what Jesus Christ said to His disciples. "My Father is in me; you are in Me and I am in you." And again: "My Father, glorify Me now with Your own self, with the glory I had before the world was." "All I have is Yours; all You have is Mine. I am glorified in them." This is the state of Jesus Christ glorified in the soul. This is the perfection of all men in Jesus Christ; when they are all united in the unity of essence where God, in His Word, is all, and works out all Himself without Whom nothing was ever created.
       I in them and Thou in Me that they may be made one. The Father flows through the Word, into the soul, and the soul is brought back to God by being lost in God.
         After saying He is "the principle and the end," Jesus Christ says He "will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost." How deceived are those who wait for means to buy this water! Jesus Christ gives it freely; we have only to go to Him, to ask for it. After showing that the perfection of the soul begins and ends in Him, He shows how easy it is to enter in. It could be said that these states are not for everybody, that it is difficult to enter in. Jesus Christ assures that He will give of the fountain of the water of life to all those that are athirst. We will not believe a special merit is needed to have this water! And you may come boldly, knowing you have no means to repay.

Rev. 21:7: "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be His God and he will be My son."
         The victory that Jesus Christ requires of us is not a victory that we must win ourselves. We are so weak that we would be defeated, and not overcomers. God with His Word fought for them and won the victory. But what does this victory consist in? Those in whom He won these victories" are truly His sons.

Rev. 21:8: "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
         All those who are in these vices will not enter this inner kingdom without leaving their vices. The fearful ones are always stopped by fear; they never abandon themselves to God. The unbelievers lack a great faith to believe, without any motive to do so!

Rev. 21:9,10: And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I shall 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.
         This bride, the Lamb's wife, is the glorified Church, the inner Spirit. She descends out of heaven and comes from God. This soul lost her self and is a new creature in Jesus Christ and is fit for this spiritual marriage. This Spouse is the soul made one in unity.
 This is also spoken of the Church, filled with life, revived in its members. She is the Lamb's wife.

Rev. 21:11: ...having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
       This lighted brilliance is a renewal of the Spirit, light and purity. Up till now she did not show her light. But now they appear with such a brightness that no one will ignore-- her light. The new Jerusalem, the Spouse, descends from heaven. All clouds have vanished. Truth was hidden under shadows but it is going to rise like a beautiful dawn, scattering all darkness and showing all the objects which could not be distinguished in the night.

Rev. 21:12-14: It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are those 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.
         The Jewish people, so loved and cherished by God, whom God very greatly favored with so many miracles, from whom came so many patriarchs, holy prophets and martyrs, and from whom Jesus Christ even wished to be born, where the Church was born, the twelve apostles even being Jews -this people must not be regarded as being rejected forever. But the time for His mercy is very near and the Jews will again become the Saints of God.
         He exercises a similar righteousness on souls who seem to have been chosen from the cradle, like the Jews were, to whom He seems to have given the grace of the old patriarchs in visions, revelations, and prophecy. However, afterward, these souls who seemed prodigies are rejected. Why? Because they became proud of themselves, attributing to themselves what was God's. And God rejects them in His righteousness while He takes other sinful souls who like the Gentiles seem to be born in corruption and sin. These wandering ones He chooses to become thrones of mercy. However, God's mercy is so great that, though He permits these falls, He does not forsake them completely and brings them back in the latter part of their lives.
         This wonderful city is the Church. After her renewal, it will have gates to receive the twelve tribes of Israel; and not them only but all the nations of the earth.
       The wall is Jesus Christ Himself, keeping her and surrounding her everywhere. Its twelve gates show that there will be entrances on every side for the world; from every-here children will come to her. None will be shut, signifying that there is no country, no nation that is not received in her bosom, especially the Jews who, scattered everywhere in the world, will be recalled in a marvelous way. The wall is simply Jesus Christ Himself. It is one wall and this shows the perfect oneness of the Church which being composed of so many stones is one single wall. The stones are living stones, according to the Scriptures, showing that the union is not outward but that of the hearts and minds, and that is what God wants. The true spirit is one of worship and sacrifice-- an inner spirit.
         The spirit of the apostles was an inner spirit of peace, union and unity, imparted by Jesus Christ. That Spirit, Jesus Christ wants to impart anew to His Church.
         The Church's twelve gates indicate that she has freedom, breadth, and space. She was narrow and hindered formerly. The foundations of this wall are the twelve fruits of the Spirit, because she is full of them. The only stay is perfect love, the cornerstone-Jesus Christ.

Rev. 21:15,16: 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, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
         The foursquare denotes the perfect equality there must be in everything. The whole soul, the whole Church, is one, so that what is done outside comes from within. The measure of each side is "twelve thousand furlongs," which shows a great extension, since the soul-- and true Church-- is in the immensity of God. My God, how great are these mysteries and how unexplainable!
         This square indicates the equality and uniformity of the Church, enclosing everybody and being only enclosed in the immensity of God Himself. Oh, temple! Oh, Church, wonderful in yourself but too greatly humiliated by the unruliness of your children and because the shepherds and  those leading you are fallen (not from their faith, but from the purity and holiness that such a holy ministry requires of them). A time will come when your shepherds are holy! But now, oh God, how corrupt are the priests and the  shepherds! But the Lamb will make priests for Himself; He will make His saints!

Rev. 21:17: And he measured its wall, seventy-two years, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
         The wall measured shows that the church will communicate its yieldedness to the moving of the Holy Spirit, to all nations.

Rev. 21:18: And the material of the wall was  jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
         This shows the inner and outward likenesses of both  the Church and the individual soul. For the Church, her ways are beautiful, firm, strong and pure, like the "jasper wall." The Spirit of the Church is so pure and clear that the Holy Spirit sees Himself portrayed there! She receives His rays so that the Spirit of the Church is the Holy Spirit filling, moving and leading her. As for her, she is led, ruled and enlightened without showing any resistance. The Spirit of the Church will be outpoured on all her children. This city  is pure gold; this denotes her sublime love. This gold is clear and transparent to receive the brilliance of the light of the Holy Spirit which is simplicity and spotlessness.
         But what of the soul in this picture? She appears beautiful and strong, for God establishes her at last in a perfect inner and outward rest, with all the virtues and strength He seemed to have stripped her of, to perfect her in Him. After so many states of nothingness the soul has gone through, He gives the soul a wonderful consistency. Within the soul is mixed gold because of a pure love, unmixed by self-interest. It is a very pure glass because of her simplicity and candor that hides nothing.

Rev. 21:19-21: 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, sardon; the sixth, sardius; the seventh hrysolite;  the eighth ber; 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.
         "The foundations of the wall" are the main essentials of the faith on which this soul bases its conduct, and it is so also for the Church. All is enriched with precious stones, the purest virtues.
         The pearls which are the twelve gates show the purity of the inner life, the uniformity in all souls, the uniformity of faith and feelings, always the same, changing only to become purer. The walls in which are the twelve gates speak also of uniformity in their shape and component and although all kinds of people are received through these gates such as the Jews, the bad Christians, they will enter the city, share its spirit, will become inwardly led, and be placed in the truth.

Rev. 21:22: And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.
        This cannot be applied to the Church; however we can say that He Himself is "the temple," the sacrifice and the victim.
        Formerly the soul had a temple within itself where it withdrew, prayed and worshipped. This temple was a place of refuge where the soul was in safety, protected from the oppression of its enemies. Now, there is no more temple in the soul, for her temple is God Himself, in a manner that can be better experienced than described.

Rev. 21:23: And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
         The Church has no need of any created light; God alone is her light and so is the Lamb. As for the soul, it has no more need of illustrations. In this case, there are no more distinct lights, God being the general light. By the favor of this general light the soul sees all things in God in a wonderful way. This is the way the blessed ones see.

Rev.21:24-27: And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring  their glory into it. And in the daytime (for there shall be no night there) its gates shall never be closed; and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean 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.
         The nations shall walk in the light of the truth and the Church, and they will come to join them. Then the mind and will of man being entirely united to God's, there will be no more false light causing them to go astray; but divine light will enlighten them all.
         All the kings of the earth and sovereigns will place their honor in the service of God's interest alone, for His glory only. The gates of the Church shall not be shut at all to anybody because there will be no darkness, no night. This is why God will have such an onslaught to destroy all enemies, so that nothing impure will be received in this pure and clean Church.
         Likewise the soul in God is so completely spoiled that any impurity will be taken from her, for in God, nothing impure enters.
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^{(1) Guyon, Mme. Jeanne, CHRIST OUR REVELATION, Gardiner, Main, Reprinted 1987 Christian Books Publishing House ( Book in now out of print)}

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