Revelation 21:25

Study note

Setting — The author John records a vision of the New Jerusalem, describing its eternal condition to the early Christian communities. The statement occurs within the final description of the holy city’s physical and spiritual reality.

The words — πυλῶνες (pulōnes) denotes gates, and κλεισθῶσιν (kleisthōsin) is a passive subjunctive meaning "may be shut." The emphatic double negative οὐ μὴ (ou mē) completely rules out the possibility of them being closed.

The thread — The open gates parallel Isaiah 60:11, where Jerusalem’s gates stand open day and night to receive the wealth of nations. This imagery continues in Zechariah 14:7 and Revelation 22:5, which both describe a permanent state of light without night.

Why it lands — The text states that the gates remain permanently open because night no longer exists in the city. It demands the reader acknowledge that all restriction and darkness have been permanently removed, leaving only unimpeded access and constant illumination.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.