In John’s final vision (Revelation 21:9-22:5), new Jerusalem descends from heaven as a bride. Her jasper walls sparkle, the city itself is transparent gold, the foundation stones are precious gems. She is, in sum, a rich city.
Within Jerusalem, there is constant light. The glory of the nations comes into the city, and everything abominable is kept out. From God’s throne flows the water of life, and beside the river is the tree of life with fruit for food and leaves for healing.
Babylon sold all sorts of things, but Jerusalem is the place where you can get the best goods. In Jerusalem, Jesus makes good on His promise to the Laodiceans (Revelation 3) – to offer gold, white garments, eye salve, food, drink, health. All the gifts of salvation are available. This city is a marketplace; the people who enter offer tribute, but they are also consumers.
And here’s the key theological point: They are all available within the city. Anyone who wants these goods has to find a clean robe (22:14) and enter through the pearl gates, past the angels who guard the gates. Jesus gives these gives, and He gives Himself, the Lamb who illuminates the city. But He gives His gifts in the city, and only citizens of the city receive them.
Which is to say: Extra ecclesiam nulla salus est.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
