21:9 One of the angels with the seven bowls of judgment served as John's guide in this part of his vision (cf. 17:1). The fact that one of these particular angels helped John understand both the mystery of Babylon and that of the New Jerusalem sets these two cities in stark contrast.
"It is impossible to dwell both in Babylon and in the new Jerusalem."735
It is quite clear that the "bride,"the wife of the Lamb, is the New Jerusalem (v. 10; cf. v. 2).736From the description that follows it also seems clear that the New Jerusalem is a city. It is not just a person or a group of people, such as Christians.737This is the first of seven references to the Lamb in this section (vv. 9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22:1, 3). He becomes increasingly prominent as the book draws to a close. "The Lamb is all the glory in Immanuel's land."738
21:10 John entered a fresh state of prophetic ecstasy and saw a new vision (cf. 1:10; 4:1; 17:3). The angel took him to a high vantage point from which he could see the New Jerusalem (lit. city of peace) descending out of heaven from God (cf. v. 2; Ezek. 40:2). John received a fresh revelation that expanded something he had already witnessed in an earlier scene (vv. 2-8; cf. 16:19; 17:1).
"The holy city descending from God out of heaven should be understood as a real event' within the visionary experience. . . . The descent is an announcement in visionary terms of a future event which will usher in the eternal state. That the city comes down from God means that the eternal blessedness is not an achievement of man but a gift from God."739
