New Jerusalem, Having the Glory of God
John was shown “the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God” (Rev. 21:10-11). At various times through the Bible people saw something of the glory of God but that was in limited times and situations. When New Jerusalem fully appears, this holy city will continually express God to the uttermost.
Richard Lenski comments: John is shown the city as “having the glory of God.” It is this glory that is now to be revealed to him. In v. 1-8 [of Rev. 21] it is the blessedness of God’s union and communion with his people which is emphasized…. Now it is the glory that is revealed. The glory of God fills the Holy City, the effulgence of his glory, all his divine attributes. For this he created heaven and earth and man; this purpose is now consummated.*
Genesis 1 presents the creation of heaven and earth with an emphasis on man in verse 26 to 29 because man was created to take in God’s life and thereby express God (2:7-9, 16-17). Today to some extent “Christ will be magnified” (Phil. 1:20) and we “children of God…shine as luminaries in the world” (2:15).
However, the expression of God in the world today, although greatly needed, is limited by our lack of full conformation to the image of God’s Son (Rom. 8:29). But, in New Jerusalem the expression of God will be full, complete, bright, and constant for eternity!
* R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation, The Augsburg Publishing House, Minnesota © 1943, digitized by the Internet Archive (2025), https://archive.org, p. 628.
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Posted by Don on August 21, 2026
https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2026/08/21/new-jerusalem-having-the-glory-of-god/
