Revelation 21:22 kjv
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Revelation 21:22 nkjv
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Revelation 21:22 niv
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Revelation 21:22 esv
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
Revelation 21:22 nlt
I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Revelation 21 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 25:8 | "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." | God desired to dwell among His people. |
| 1 Kgs 8:27 | "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!" | Solomon acknowledged God's transcendence beyond a temple. |
| Isa 66:1-2 | "Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me...'" | God's omnipresence negates need for human-built dwelling. |
| Ezek 43:7 | "And he said to me, 'Son of man, this is the place of my throne...where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever.'" | Prophecy of God's enduring dwelling. |
| John 1:14 | "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." | Jesus, God incarnate, "tabernacled" among us. |
| John 2:19-21 | Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." ... He was speaking about the temple of his body. | Jesus as the new, ultimate Temple. |
| 1 Cor 3:16 | "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" | Believers collectively are the temple. |
| 1 Cor 6:19 | "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you...?" | Individual believer as temple of the Spirit. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "For we are the temple of the living God..." | God dwells in His people. |
| Eph 2:21-22 | "in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together..." | The church as a growing spiritual temple. |
| Heb 8:1-2 | "...a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man." | Christ serves in the true, heavenly sanctuary. |
| Heb 9:11-12 | "...Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come... through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands)..." | Christ entered a non-man-made, heavenly sanctuary. |
| Heb 10:19-20 | "...we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain..." | Direct access to God's presence through Christ. |
| Rev 7:15 | "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple..." | Earlier reference to "temple" in Revelation; later transformed. |
| Rev 21:3 | "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them..." | God's dwelling with humanity is fulfilled. |
| Rev 21:5 | "And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'" | Pertains to the New Creation context. |
| Rev 22:3-5 | "No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him." | The throne of God and Lamb is central for worship. |
| Isa 4:5 | "Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night..." | God's manifest presence as protection. |
| Joel 2:27 | "You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel..." | God's personal indwelling among His people. |
| Ps 27:4 | "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life..." | Longing for God's presence and dwelling place. |
| Matt 18:20 | "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." | Christ's presence among His people now. |
| Phil 3:20-21 | "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body..." | Future heavenly reality where God is fully present. |
| Rom 8:9 | "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you." | God's Spirit dwells in believers presently. |
Revelation 21 verses
Revelation 21 22 Meaning
Revelation 21:22 describes a striking feature of the New Jerusalem: the absence of a literal temple building. This absence signifies that the direct, unmediated presence of the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb permeates the entire city. God and the Lamb are the sanctuary, the center of worship, and the means of communion, thereby rendering any separate structure redundant. It indicates an intimate, full, and perpetual dwelling of God with His redeemed people, fulfilling all the shadows and promises of previous dispensations.
Revelation 21 22 Context
Revelation 21:22 is set within the magnificent vision of the New Heavens and New Earth, culminating in the descent of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-8). After the old creation, marked by sin, death, and separation, has passed away (Rev 21:1, 4), the Lamb's Bride, the Holy City, descends. This city represents the consummation of God's redemptive plan for humanity. The preceding verses in chapter 21 describe the removal of tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain, as God makes "all things new." The primary context is one of perfect renewal and unhindered fellowship with God. Within this glorious future, the observation of "no temple" emphasizes a fundamental shift from all prior covenants where a physical temple or tabernacle was the central, visible symbol of God's localized presence and the prescribed place of worship and mediation. It also provides a strong contrast to earthly, Jerusalem-centric worship systems that were heavily reliant on physical structures.
Revelation 21 22 Word analysis
- And (Καὶ, Kai): A connective particle, indicating continuation or addition, tying this observation directly to the description of the New Jerusalem.
- I saw (οὐκ εἶδον, ouk eidón): John's direct observation as part of his vision, emphasizing a negative finding—the absence of something expected, yet indicating a superior reality.
- no (οὐκ, ouk): A strong negation. It highlights a definitive and purposeful lack, rather than merely an oversight.
- temple (ναὸν, naon): Refers specifically to the naos, the inner sanctuary, the holy of holies where God's presence symbolically dwelt, not the broader temple complex (hieron). This is significant because the naos was the most sacred and restricted part of the temple, symbolizing divine presence and required mediation. Its absence means unhindered access.
- in it (ἐν αὐτῇ, en autē): Within the New Jerusalem. This signifies that this spiritual reality pervades the entire, perfect city.
- for (γὰρ, gar): Explanatory conjunction, providing the reason for the previously stated observation. The reason is a divine substitution and fulfillment.
- the Lord (κύριος, Kyrios): Denotes supreme authority, sovereignty, and divine ownership, consistent with Old Testament revelation of YHWH.
- God (ὁ Θεὸς, ho Theos): The one true God. In conjunction with "Lord Almighty," it conveys the absolute deity.
- Almighty (Παντοκράτωρ, Pantokratōr): Omnipotent, ruler of all. A title used frequently in Revelation for God, underscoring His supreme power and ultimate victory.
- and the Lamb (καὶ τὸ ἀρνίον, kai to arnion): Refers to Jesus Christ in His sacrificial and triumphant role. His presence here alongside "Lord God Almighty" attributes to Him full divine status and worship, emphasizing His co-equal deity and shared role in redemption and kingship. The sacrificial Lamb is now the object of ultimate worship.
- are its temple (αὐτῆς ναός ἐστιν, autēs naos estin): The predicate nominative emphasizes identification: God and the Lamb are the temple. They don't merely reside in a temple; they constitute it entirely. This signifies a profound intimacy and complete permeation of divine presence, fulfilling the purpose of a temple perfectly and infinitely.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "And I saw no temple in it": This is a deliberate observation, signaling a radical departure from the norm in ancient Judean thought, where a temple was the focal point of a holy city. It challenges expectations built upon centuries of worship centered around a physical sanctuary.
- "for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple": This explanatory clause provides the profound theological reason for the temple's absence. It asserts the complete indwelling presence of the triune God (implicitly Father, Spirit in the glorious Son as Lamb) within His people and their dwelling place. All former temple functions—mediation, sacrifice, presence—are perfectly and eternally fulfilled in God Himself and in Christ's accomplished work, eliminating any need for intermediaries or symbolic structures. This declaration reveals a relationship of unmediated intimacy and worship.
Revelation 21 22 Bonus section
The progressive revelation of God's dwelling place throughout salvation history culminates in Revelation 21:22. Initially, God met with His people in the Tabernacle (Exodus 40). Then, He dwelt in Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 8). Prophets like Isaiah and Stephen (Acts 7:48) foretold that God cannot be confined to man-made structures, hinting at a greater reality. Jesus declared His own body as the new Temple (John 2:19-21), shifting the focus from brick and mortar to the Person of Christ. Pentecost then inaugurated the Church as the corporate temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 2:21-22), where the Holy Spirit indwells believers individually and corporately. Revelation 21:22 marks the final, eschatological state: not merely a dwelling in His people or among them, but God and the Lamb themselves constituting the eternal temple. This evolution signifies an increasing intimacy and completeness of God's presence, moving from external symbolism to internal reality, and finally to all-encompassing glory. It assures believers of an eternity of uninterrupted, joyful, and personal fellowship with the very Source of all life and worship.
Revelation 21 22 Commentary
Revelation 21:22 offers a pinnacle revelation concerning the relationship between God and His redeemed. The physical temple, a cornerstone of Old Testament worship and a symbol of God's localized presence and mediation, is entirely absent in the New Jerusalem. This isn't a deficit, but a profound elevation. Its removal signifies the consummation of God's desire to dwell directly and unrestrictedly with His people, without need for partitions, priests, or ritual sacrifices. The naos was the place of deepest sanctity, where God’s presence was. Here, God (as Lord God Almighty) and Christ (as the Lamb) are that holy space, the living, eternal dwelling.
This vision underscores several key theological truths:
- Ultimate Presence: The divine omnipresence and immanence reach their perfect state. God and Christ do not reside in a temple; they embody and pervade the entire environment of the New Jerusalem, making it wholly consecrated by their very being.
- Unmediated Access: There are no more veils, no holy of holies requiring a high priest to enter once a year. The "way into the holy places" is now fully open and embodied in the Divine Persons themselves. All redeemed are priests, living in direct communion with God and the Lamb.
- Fulfillment and Culmination: All the Old Testament types and shadows of the temple, the Tabernacle, and even Christ's own body as a temple, find their ultimate reality and perfect fulfillment. The purpose for which temples were built – for God to dwell with His people – is realized in a transcendent way, removing the limitations of a physical structure.
- Nature of Worship: Worship in the New Jerusalem is not localized to a building or prescribed by specific ceremonies. It is a ceaseless, pervasive communion with God and the Lamb, as His direct presence is the atmosphere of the entire city.
This verse reveals a state of perfected union, where God's glorious presence is the life, light, and temple of the new creation, marking the ultimate achievement of His plan of salvation.