Revelation 21:9 Study Bible: One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, full of the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

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◄ Revelation 21:9 ►

Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

Study Bible

Then one of the seven angels
This phrase introduces a significant figure in the narrative, one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues. The number seven in biblical terms often symbolizes completeness or perfection, reflecting God's divine order. The presence of an angel signifies a divine messenger, emphasizing the importance and holiness of the revelation that is about to be given. In the context of Revelation, angels frequently serve as intermediaries between God and humanity, delivering messages of both judgment and hope.

with the seven bowls
The seven bowls are symbolic of God's final and complete judgment upon the earth, as described earlier in Revelation. These bowls contain the wrath of God, poured out as a response to the sin and rebellion of humanity. The imagery of bowls suggests a measured and deliberate act of judgment, indicating that God's actions are just and purposeful. The use of bowls, rather than another vessel, may also imply the ceremonial aspect of God's judgment, akin to the offerings and rituals of the Old Testament.

full of the seven final plagues
The plagues represent the culmination of God's judgment, echoing the plagues of Egypt in the book of Exodus. These are not random acts of destruction but are purposeful and serve to bring about repentance and the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan. The term "final" underscores the completeness and the conclusive nature of these judgments, leading to the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth. The historical context of plagues in the Bible often serves as a means for God to demonstrate His power and sovereignty over creation.

came and said to me
This indicates a direct communication from the divine realm to John, the author of Revelation. The angel's approach to John signifies the importance of the message and the personal nature of the revelation. The act of speaking to John highlights the relational aspect of God's communication with humanity, where God uses His messengers to convey His will and purpose. This personal interaction is a reminder of the intimate relationship God desires with His people.

Come, I will show you the bride
The invitation to "come" is a call to witness something extraordinary and divine. The "bride" is a metaphor for the Church, the collective body of believers who are united with Christ. This imagery is rich with covenantal language, reflecting the intimate and committed relationship between Christ and His Church. The concept of the Church as the bride is rooted in the Hebrew tradition of marriage as a covenant, symbolizing faithfulness, love, and unity.

the wife of the Lamb
The "Lamb" refers to Jesus Christ, who is often depicted as the sacrificial Lamb in the New Testament, symbolizing His atoning sacrifice for humanity's sins. The term "wife" further emphasizes the covenantal relationship between Christ and the Church, highlighting themes of fidelity, love, and eternal union. This imagery draws from the prophetic writings of the Old Testament, where Israel is often portrayed as the bride of Yahweh, and it is fulfilled in the New Testament through the relationship between Christ and His followers. The historical and scriptural context of marriage as a sacred covenant enriches the understanding of this divine relationship.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The Angel
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the last plagues. This angel serves as a guide to John, revealing the vision of the New Jerusalem.

2. The Seven Bowls
These bowls are associated with the final plagues, representing God's judgment and the completion of His wrath.

3. The Bride
Symbolically represents the Church, the collective body of believers, depicted as the wife of the Lamb.

4. The Lamb
Refers to Jesus Christ, who is often depicted as the sacrificial Lamb in Revelation, symbolizing His atoning sacrifice for humanity.

5. The New Jerusalem
The holy city, representing the eternal dwelling place of God with His people, characterized by purity and divine glory.

Teaching Points

The Role of Angels in Revelation
Angels are messengers and servants of God, playing crucial roles in revealing divine truths and executing God's plans. This reminds us of the spiritual realities beyond our physical world.

The Symbolism of the Bride
The Church is called to be pure and holy, set apart for Christ. This calls believers to live lives that reflect their identity as the bride of Christ.

The Finality of God's Judgment
The mention of the seven bowls signifies the completion of God's judgment. It serves as a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the necessity of repentance.

The Hope of the New Jerusalem
The vision of the New Jerusalem offers hope and assurance of eternal life with God. It encourages believers to persevere in faith, looking forward to the fulfillment of God's promises.

The Intimacy of Relationship with Christ
The imagery of marriage highlights the deep, personal relationship Christ desires with His Church. Believers are invited to cultivate a close, loving relationship with Jesus.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the role of the angel in this passage help us understand the function of angels in God's plan throughout the book of Revelation?

2. In what ways does the imagery of the Church as the bride of Christ challenge you to live a life of holiness and purity?

3. How does the concept of the New Jerusalem provide hope and encouragement in your current life circumstances?

4. What parallels can you draw between the marriage imagery in Revelation 21:9 and the teachings in Ephesians 5:25-27?

5. How can understanding the finality of God's judgment as depicted in the seven bowls influence your approach to sharing the Gospel with others?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Revelation 19:7-9
This passage also speaks of the marriage of the Lamb and His bride, emphasizing the joy and celebration of this union.

Ephesians 5:25-27
Paul describes the relationship between Christ and the Church as a marriage, highlighting the purity and sanctification of the Church.

Isaiah 54:5
God is depicted as the husband of His people, Israel, which parallels the imagery of Christ as the bridegroom of the Church.

Sermons

A Sight of the Bade	J. Irons.	Revelation 21:9-14
Heaven	Homilist	Revelation 21:9-14
The Bridal City	N. Curnock.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Bride	R A. Griffin.	Revelation 21:9-14
The City of God	John Stoughton.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Gates of Heaven	T. De Witt Talmage.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Gates of Heaven	H. Macmillan, D. D. , LL. D.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Gates of the City	J. G. Greenhough, M. A.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Glorious Bride	H. Bonar, D. D.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Heavenly Jerusalem	R. Winterbotham, M. A.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Holy City	H. Bonar, D. D.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Holy City, the Bride of the Lamb	John Thomas, M. A.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Manifold Christ	C. H. Parkhurst, D. D.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Many Gates	Leon Walker, D. D.	Revelation 21:9-14
The New Jerusalem	J. A. Seiss, D. D.	Revelation 21:9-14
The Spiritual Commonwealth of the Good	D. Thomas	Revelation 21:9-21
The New Jerusalem	R. Green	Revelation 21:9-27
The Holy Jerusalem	S. Conway	Revelation 21:9-Revelation 22:5

People

John

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

Angels, Bowls, Bride, Carrying, Full, Hither, Laden, Lamb, Lamb's, Loaded, Messengers, Plagues, Punishments, Saying, Seven, Shew, Spake, Spoke, Talked, Vessels, Vials, Wife

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Revelation 21:9

     1653   numbers, 6-10
     2315   Christ, as Lamb
     4111   angels, servants
     7031   unity, God's goal

Revelation 21:2-9

5409 metaphor

Revelation 21:9-10

     1680   types
     5712   marriage, God and his people
     7024   church, nature of
     9150   Messianic banquet

Revelation 21:9-14

7266 tribes of Israel

Revelation 21:9-22

5207 architecture

Revelation 21:9-27

     5659   bride
     7241   Jerusalem, significance
     7259   promised land, later history

Library

November 18. "And He that Sat Upon the Throne Said, it is Done" (Rev. xxi. 5, 6).
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Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

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MEN GENERALLY venerate antiquity. It were hard to say which has the stronger power over the human mind--antiquity or novelty. While men will frequently dote upon the old, they are most easily dazzled by the new. Anything new has at least one attraction. Restless spirits consider that the new must be better than the old. Though often disappointed, they are still ready to be caught by the same bait, and, like the Athenians of Mars Hill, spend their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 61: 1915

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John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser

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Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

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Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

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Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

All Fulness in Christ
The text is a great deep, we cannot explore it, but we will voyage over its surface joyously, the Holy Spirit giving us a favorable wind. Here are plenteous provisions far exceeding, those of Solomon, though at the sight of that royal profusion, Sheba's queen felt that there was no more spirit in her, and declared that the half had not been told to her. It may give some sort of order to our thoughts if they fall under four heads. What is here spoken of--"all fullness." Where is it placed--"in him," …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

A Word for the Persecuted
Remember that this supposition is a very likely one. There are a few Christians so favourably circumstanced that all their friends accompany them in the pilgrimage to heaven. What advances they ought to make in the sacred journey! What excellent Christians they ought to be! They are like plants in a conservatory--they ought to grow and bring forth the loveliest Bowers of divine grace. But there are not very many who are altogether in that case. The large proportion of Christians find themselves opposed …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 20: 1874

Why they Leave Us
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world."--John 17:24. THE PRAYER OF THE SAVIOR rises as it proceeds. He asked for his people that they might be preserved from the world, then that they might be sanctified, and then that they might be made manifestly one; and now he reaches his crowning point--that they may be with him where he is, and behold his …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886

The Apostolate.
"That ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."--1 John i. 3. The apostolate bears the character of an extraordinary manifestation, not seen before or after it, in which we discover a proper work of the Holy Spirit. The apostles were ambassadors extraordinary -- different from the prophets, different from the present ministers of the Word. In the history of the Church and the world they occupy a unique position and have a peculiar …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

An Impossibility Made Possible
'Can the Ethiopian change his skin?'--JER. xiii. 23. 'If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.'--2 COR. v. 17. 'Behold, I make all things new.'--REV. xxi. 5. Put these three texts together. The first is a despairing question to which experience gives only too sad and decisive a negative answer. It is the answer of many people who tell us that character must be eternal, and of many a baffled man who says, 'It is of no use--I have tried and can do nothing.' The second text is the grand Christian …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'Three Tabernacles'
'The Word ... dwelt among us.'--JOHN i. 14. '... He that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them.'--REV. vii. 15. '... Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them.'--REV. xxi. 3. The word rendered 'dwelt' in these three passages, is a peculiar one. It is only found in the New Testament--in this Gospel and in the Book of Revelation. That fact constitutes one of the many subtle threads of connection between these two books, which at first sight seem so extremely unlike …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Departed Saints Fellowservants with those yet on Earth.
"I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets." The revelation made to St. John in the isle of Patmos, was a comfort to the suffering apostle, and a blessing to the church. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the word, of this prophecy." The beginning indeed was dark; the prophetic sketch, was for sometime, gloomy: It unfolded a strange scene of declensions and abominations, which were to disgrace the church of Christ and mar its beauty; and dismal series of woes on woes, …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

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(in the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^D John XII. 20-50. ^d 20 Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast [The language indicates that they were Greek converts to Judaism, such as were called proselytes of the gate. It is also noted that as Gentiles came from the east at the beginning of Jesus' life, so they also came from the west at the close of his ministry]: 21 these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee [See p. 111. They were possibly …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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