[Jo S]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

There is no pain or danger in the new earth so why we need a city? A city is a fortified structure for protection. Logically there is no need for it. Adam and Eve never needed it.

The scriptures do not speak to there being "danger" in the new earth. It says there "will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain"

If we look at Revelation 21:25, we can conclude the gates and walls are not intended for safety reasons because the gates will never be shut;

"On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there"

Taken from wikipedia;

"Apart from having a purely military and defensive purpose, towers also played a representative and artistic role in the conception of a fortified complex. The architecture of the city thus competed with that of the castle of the noblemen and city walls were often a manifestation of the pride of a particular city."

We can see that towers and walls throughout history have not only been used for defense but were also used to make a statement.

Perhaps the walls in the New Jerusalem are a statement of exclusiveness. Scripture is not clear but just because we don't know for sure does not mean we need to apply an esoteric understanding to these things or assuming a wall is only used for defense when that is not fact.

The bride prepares herself is talking about a physical city preparing itself? It does not fit the language...as bible commentators have noted.

Rather than just isolate one verse, we need to take the whole of Revelation into account here and see the other things that are noted about the Bride or the New Jerusalem.

Reveation 21:2-3;

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.

In verse 3, we can see that this New Jerusalem or Bride in the “dwelling place" that is now among the people.

It is a place for the people. The distinction between a place and the people (his church) is plain in the language.

Just using simple logic. If the bride came down from Heaven with God, why is he just now dwelling with his people? If the bride is the church (or his people) were they not dwelling with God in heaven before coming down with him? The bride simply cannot be the people.

Moving on we can then see in Revelation 21:18-21, the physical details given about the city.

So going full circle Revelation 21:2 describes a physical location with physical characteristics (stones, precious metals) and then likening this spectacle to the appearance of a bride adorned for a wedding; presumably speaking to a bride's jewelery. Using the imagery of a bride to physically describe the new city is purely an analogy, it is not describing the actual city as an entity in any way, shape, or form.

Remember buildings and cities are mans invention not Gods.

Neither was the temple or the ark of the covenant but we do know from scripture that these things were a copy of the things in heaven;

Hebrews 8:5;

They serve at a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. That is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”