Revelation 21:9; Come Hither (2)

Revelation 21:9 (KJV)  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 

The closeness of these words to those that introduce the extended vision of the great harlot Babylon in Revelation 17:1 makes unmistakable the intended parallelism between this passage about the bride and that earlier one (Beckwith, Johnson). The clear point is that a person cannot inhabit both cities; he must choose between them (Morris).

Revelation 17:1 (KJV)  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 

This is not necessarily the same angel who guided John in Revelation 17:1 (Walvoord), though it possibly could be (Mounce). That one of the “last plague” angels should have the role of leading the prophet to a deeper understanding of the New Jerusalem is possibly a divine paradox (Swete), but the continuing attention to the denial of the joys of the city to some (Revelation 21:27; 22:15; cf. 21:8) furnishes some rationale for indulging this as part of the account of the seven last plagues. Whatever the proper explanation, the role of this angel demonstrates the intercalation’s part in the continuity of the bowl visions in Revelation 16:1-22:5 (cf. Lee).

Revelation 21:27 (KJV)  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 

Revelation 22:15 (KJV)  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 

Revelation 21:8 (KJV)  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

The lengthy section about the bride-city is a development of the brief announcement of her arrival in Revelation 21:2 (Beckwith).

Revelation 21:2 (KJV)  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 

This is a working out in detail of that earlier announcement just as Revelation 17:1-19:10 develops the announcement of Babylon’s demise in Revelation 16:19.

Revelation 16:19 (KJV)  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 457]