The Annotated Revelation: glory of the bride Re.21:9-19

Glory of God gave the earth a shape. From the Genesis account before God made Adam we read that ‘there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground (Ge.2:6). This is to be spiritually understood. Considering that there are various conditions of soil, fertile plains as in case of Lot who chose the plains of Jordan we also have wilderness of Beersheba. What would this mist indicate? God visited the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as He saw Hagar in her distress while there was no drop of water to be had.. There is no spot on earth where God can be kept out. Glory of God is that spiritual discernment whereby the earth is a witness pointing the majesty and Honor due to Him. Having provided the mist to water the face of the ground God planted a garden and he put him there ‘to dress it and keep it.’ So we see that in a series of steps created an order wherewith Adam was the steward and had dominion over His creation. The earth in short acquired a shape or form. In the beginning it was without any(Ge.1:2). The earth was anthropocentric signifying whatever helped man keep this order was nothing of himself but that spiritual discernment coming out the earth. Sovereignty of God was total and man was free to exercise his free will either for His glory or for his own.
In eternity it is not the Garden of Eden but the holy city of New Jerusalem. It is compared with a bride adorned for her husband. What about the glory? Instead of water vapor we are beholding light of the heaven and throne of God t be precise. It is invested in the city and the bride and her adornments. Think of the whole array of stones illumined by God. One might compare it like a Byzantine mosaic work every stone ‘most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; (v.11). In following verses we are given a view of the Church in terms of a building.
“…And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones… (vv.18-19).
Here the Spirit is setting the glory of the union in which the Heaven and the earth have become one. When we read the parables of Jesus Christ we are given what it is to be without glory of God. At the end of the Parable of the talents we find this verse: “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt.25:20)”. In the same chapter we have another expression indicating it as last judgment, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous unto life eternal (25:46) The Spirit employs a few standard formulae to indicate it is in general sense and as such it is meant to be spiritually understood. At the end of each message to seven churches he writes, ‘He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” is one.
To be continued)
Benny