Revelation 21:3; God Himself Shall Be With Them and Be Their God

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Revelation 21:3 (KJV)  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 

It is the fulfilment of God’s promises to His people (Leviticus 26:11; Jeremiah 24:7; 30:22; 31:1; 33; 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27; 48:35; Zechariah 2:10; 8:8; 2 Corinthians 6:16).

Leviticus 26:11 (KJV)  And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. 

Jeremiah 24:7 (KJV)  And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. 

Jeremiah 30:22 (KJV)  And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 

Jeremiah 31:1 (KJV)  At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. 

Jeremiah 31:33 (KJV)  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jeremiah 32:38 (KJV)  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 

Ezekiel 37:27 (KJV)  My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Ezekiel 48:35 (KJV)  It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there. 

Zechariah 2:10 (KJV)  Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. 

Zechariah 8:8 (KJV)  And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. 

2 Corinthians 6:16 (KJV)  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

The echo of Revelation 7:15 is unmistakable, but the substitution of “with” for the “over” used there suggests an even closer bond of fellowship. In the earlier passage it was the temporary heavenly repose of the innumerable multitude that was in view, but here it is the permanent condition of all the saints.

Revelation 7:15 (KJV)  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 

The essential of v3 is the focal point of John’s whole description of the New Jerusalem: God’s immediate presence with men. The prominence of the theme is evident in v3 itself by virtue of a fivefold repetition of the same essential truth in that one verse. It is the principal focus again in Revelation 21:7 where the promise to the overcomer is that God would be his God and He would be God’s son. The glory of God in the city in Revelation 21:11 is another indication of God’s immediate presence, a presence that is also the direct emphasis of Revelation 22:3-4 which speaks of the presence of the throne of God and the Lamb in the city and immediate access to Him for His salves, enabling them to see His face.

Revelation 21:11 (KJV)  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 

Revelation 22:3-4 (KJV)  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 443]