(Excerpt from book) The angel desires to show John the bride, the Lamb’s wife. Again we see, as we have seen over and over, an angel in the revelation is more than a celestial being. The angel is best seen as a messenger of God (see discussion 1:1, 20). Every angel, no matter if celestial or a pastoral messenger, desires to show off and describe the bride, the Lamb’s wife. I sure do. More than any thing I can teach or explain, I most enjoy talking about the church.
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
10 It is extremely necessary to see exactly what the angel took John to see. The angel took John to see the “bride, the Lamb’s wife,” then showed John that great city, the holy Jerusalem! The Lamb’s wife, the bride of the Lamb, is a city. That city is holy. That city is holy Jerusalem. That city is hagios (Greek) meaning “sacred; blameless; consecrated.” The city is seen descending out of heaven from God. The city is of God and from God. The old Jerusalem is replaced with the holy Jerusalem, which is the bride, the Lamb’s wife, which is the church!
This is the beginning of the fourth, and final, great vision that John experienced in the Revelation (see discussion Rev 1:10; 4:2; 17:3). These four great visions divide the Revelation. As we have seen, the numerous sub-visions help explain the great vision. This great vision and Revelation of Jesus Christ is concerning the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
As previously discussed a mountain is a place of worship (see discussion 8:8, 9), such as Sinai, Moriah, Ephraim, Gerizim, Ebal, Bethel, etc. A mountain in the scriptures speaks of a place of true worship or false worship (Jer 3:6; Hos 4:12, 13; John 4:20, 21). Here John is in the spirit and carried to a place of worship where he is shown holy Jerusalem.
