Understanding the Bible
This post is part of our Understanding the Bible series—short, clear explanations of common questions, phrases, images, and themes found in Scripture.
The goal is simple: to help you read the Bible more clearly by explaining what the text says, what it meant in its original context, and why it still matters today.
These studies are designed for personal Bible reading, small groups, teaching preparation, or anyone who wants to grow in biblical understanding without needing technical training.
On this page:
- Quick Answer
- Why This Question Matters
- What Does Revelation Actually Say?
- Who Are the Nations?
- Who Are the Kings?
- Three Main Views
- Which View Seems Most Likely?
- The Prophets Saw This Day
- What Does “Bring Their Glory” Mean?
- Will Culture Exist in the New Creation?
- The Gospel Connection
- What We Can Say with Confidence
- What This Means for Us
- Key Takeaway
Quick Answer
In Revelation 21:24–26, John says that the nations will walk in the light of the New Jerusalem and that the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into the city.
Faithful Christians have offered several explanations for these nations and kings.
Some believe they are redeemed people living outside the New Jerusalem on the New Earth. Others understand them as all of God’s redeemed people from every tribe, language, people, and nation, bringing their worship, honor, and everything good in redeemed human culture before the Lord.
Personally, I lean toward the second view.
Throughout Revelation, John repeatedly celebrates Christ’s redemption of people from “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9–10; 7:9–10).
It seems fitting that this redeemed diversity remains visible in the New Creation.
The story of the Bible is the story of God redeeming the nations.
Revelation 21 shows that story reaching its glorious conclusion.
Whether redeemed nations will live outside the New Jerusalem is possible, but Scripture does not explain enough for us to be dogmatic.
What Scripture does clearly reveal is that God’s eternal family will include redeemed people from every tribe, language, people, and nation—beautifully diverse and perfectly united under the reign of King Jesus.
For a related article about the city itself, see:
What Is the Size and Shape of the New Jerusalem?
Why This Question Matters
At first glance, this may seem like an obscure question about the future.
Who exactly are these nations?
Who are these kings?
Do they live outside the city?
Will there still be governments or countries in eternity?
Those are reasonable questions.
But they are probably not John’s main concern.
John is showing us what God’s victory over sin has accomplished among the nations.
Throughout history, nations have been divided by pride, fear, power, race, language, wealth, and war.
Kings have sought their own glory.
Empires have tried to dominate other peoples.
Cultures have often treated difference as a reason for hostility.
The history of humanity has largely been the history of division.
Yet Revelation paints an entirely different picture.
The nations are no longer fighting.
Their kings no longer seek to exalt themselves.
They walk in God’s light.
They enter the city without fear.
They bring their honor before the Lord.
Human diversity remains.
Human hostility is gone.
The gospel does not erase our identity.
It redeems it.
Revelation 21 is one of the Bible’s greatest pictures of restoration.
The peoples whom sin divided are finally united in joyful worship of Jesus Christ.
What Does Revelation Actually Say?
The verses that raise this question are brief.
John writes:
“The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory… They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into the city.”
— Revelation 21:24–26 (NLT)
A few verses later, John adds:
“The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.”
— Revelation 22:2 (NLT)
John does not stop to explain exactly who these nations and kings are.
He simply presents them as part of life in the New Creation.
Several details stand out:
- The nations walk in the city’s light.
- The kings bring their glory into the city.
- The city’s gates are never closed.
- Nothing evil or impure enters.
- The nations experience healing and wholeness.
Whatever these verses mean in detail, they do not describe hostile nations resisting God.
They describe redeemed peoples living under His light, peace, and authority.
Who Are the Nations?
The Greek word translated “nations” is ethnē.
It can refer to nations, peoples, ethnic groups, or Gentiles.
It does not always refer to modern political states with borders, capitals, armies, and governments.
This matters because Revelation repeatedly uses the language of tribes, peoples, languages, and nations to describe the worldwide reach of Christ’s redemption.
Jesus is praised because He purchased people for God from:
“every tribe and language and people and nation.”
— Revelation 5:9
Later, John sees:
“A vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language.”
— Revelation 7:9
John’s emphasis is consistent.
Christ does not redeem one ethnic group at the expense of all others.
He redeems people from every people group.
The gospel does not produce one human culture.
It gathers a worldwide family.
The New Creation is not colorless, cultureless, or uniform.
It is filled with redeemed people whose differences no longer produce fear, pride, prejudice, or division.
The Bible never portrays redemption as the erasing of humanity’s diversity.
It portrays redemption as the healing of humanity’s divisions.
Who Are the Kings?
John also says that the “kings of the earth” bring their glory and honor into the New Jerusalem.
This is striking because the kings of the earth are often portrayed negatively earlier in Revelation.
They align themselves with Babylon.
They support the beast.
They pursue power.
They oppose God.
But Revelation 21 presents an entirely different picture.
These kings are not rebelling.
They are honoring God.
They are not protecting their own glory.
They are bringing that glory into the city and placing it beneath the authority of the Lord.
The rulers who once pursued their own glory now gladly honor the King of kings.
These kings may be literal leaders within redeemed humanity.
They may represent all legitimate human authority finally placed in proper submission to Christ.
Or they may function symbolically as a picture of every earthly power bowing before Jesus.
Whatever the precise answer, the main point is clear.
No rival throne remains.
No competing kingdom survives.
No ruler claims independent glory.
Every authority gladly acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Three Main Views
Faithful Bible scholars have proposed several explanations for the nations and kings in Revelation 21.
Each view attempts to take John’s language seriously.
View 1: Redeemed Nations Living Outside the New Jerusalem
Some scholars believe redeemed people will live throughout the New Earth outside the New Jerusalem while periodically entering the city.
According to this view, the nations remain organized in some form and are represented by kings or leaders.
Some who hold this position believe these people may be descendants of believers who survived the millennial kingdom and entered the eternal state in transformed but unresurrected bodies.
This view attempts to explain:
- Why nations are still mentioned.
- Why kings bring their glory into the city.
- Why the redeemed are said to reign forever.
- Why the gates remain open for people entering the city.
This interpretation is possible.
However, it raises difficult questions.
Revelation does not clearly describe a separate class of unresurrected people living forever outside the city.
Because Scripture gives so little information about such a group, we should be cautious about stating this view with confidence.
View 2: The Redeemed People of Every Nation
Many Christians understand the nations and kings as the redeemed peoples of the earth from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
Rather than emphasizing geography, this view emphasizes the worldwide reach of salvation.
John has already celebrated Christ’s redemption of people from every nation.
Now those same redeemed peoples walk in God’s light and bring all honor before Him in the New Creation.
Their diversity remains.
Their hostility is gone.
Their gifts remain.
Their pride is gone.
Their cultures remain recognizable.
Everything sinful within those cultures has been removed.
View 3: Symbolic Language for Christ’s Universal Reign
Others understand the nations and kings primarily as symbolic language.
According to this view, John is not trying to describe the political or geographical organization of the New Earth.
He is declaring that Christ’s reign is universal.
Every nation walks in His light.
Every ruler honors Him.
Every human glory is submitted to Him.
This view rightly emphasizes the symbolism of Revelation.
However, John’s repeated references to redeemed people from every tribe, language, people, and nation suggest that actual human diversity may remain part of the New Creation.
Which View Seems Most Likely?
Faithful Christians have reached different conclusions, and Scripture does not give us enough detail to settle every question.
Personally, I lean toward understanding the nations and kings as the redeemed peoples of God from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
Several reasons lead me in that direction.
1. It Fits the Emphasis of Revelation
Again and again, Revelation celebrates the worldwide reach of Christ’s salvation.
The Lamb purchased people from every nation.
The great multitude worshiping before the throne comes from every nation.
The final chapters naturally continue that emphasis.
2. It Fits the Storyline of Scripture
God promised Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him.
The prophets foresaw the nations coming to worship the Lord.
Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations.
Pentecost began the worldwide proclamation of the gospel.
Revelation 21 appears to be the fulfillment of that story.
3. It Requires Less Speculation
Could redeemed people live throughout the New Earth outside the New Jerusalem?
Yes.
The New Earth will be larger than one city.
But Revelation does not clearly explain how population, geography, leadership, or residence will be organized in eternity.
Where Scripture remains silent, we should remain humble.
I am confident that God’s eternal family will include redeemed people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
Whether those nations will be organized politically or geographically is something God has not clearly revealed.
We do not need to know every detail to rejoice in the truth John clearly emphasizes.
God’s family will be beautifully diverse.
God’s kingdom will be perfectly united.
Jesus Christ will reign over all.
The Prophets Saw This Day
Revelation 21 does not introduce a brand-new idea.
The Old Testament prophets had already looked forward to a day when the nations would come into God’s light and bring their glory before Him.
Isaiah Saw the Nations Walking in God’s Light
Isaiah 2:2–4 describes the nations streaming to the mountain of the Lord to learn His ways.
Their weapons are transformed into tools for cultivation.
Nation no longer fights against nation.
The peoples of the earth walk in God’s paths.
Isaiah Saw Kings Bringing Their Glory
Isaiah 60:1–11 describes nations coming to God’s light and kings coming to the brightness of His rising.
The wealth and honor of the nations are brought to Zion.
Its gates remain open continually.
This language closely parallels Revelation 21.
The Psalms Saw Every King Bowing
Psalm 72:8–11 declares that kings will bow before God’s Anointed King and that all nations will serve Him.
What earthly rulers repeatedly failed to do willingly will finally become the joyful response of redeemed humanity.
John is not inventing a new picture.
He is showing the fulfillment of promises God had been making for centuries.
The nations walk in the light.
The kings bring their glory.
The gates remain open.
Peace fills the earth.
The prophets saw the outline.
Revelation shows the completed picture.
What Does “Bring Their Glory” Mean?
One of the most beautiful phrases in the passage is that the kings and nations bring their “glory and honor” into the city.
What does that mean?
John may be drawing from the ancient practice of rulers bringing tribute to a greater king.
But in Revelation, this is not reluctant taxation imposed by a conqueror.
It is joyful worship offered to the rightful King.
The phrase may include everything honorable, beautiful, excellent, and God-honoring within redeemed human life.
Every good gift that once reflected God’s wisdom will finally be used entirely for God’s glory.
Music.
Art.
Craftsmanship.
Architecture.
Learning.
Language.
Work.
Creativity.
Culture.
Community.
Leadership.
Sin did not create music.
God did.
Sin did not create creativity.
God did.
Sin did not create work, beauty, craftsmanship, learning, or culture.
God created humanity with the ability to cultivate His world, develop its possibilities, and reflect His character through meaningful work.
Sin corrupted those gifts.
Redemption restores them.
The nations do not bring their pride.
They do not bring their idols.
They do not bring their injustice.
They do not bring their armies.
They do not bring their rivalries.
They do not bring anything unclean.
Those things have passed away.
What remains is everything that reflects God’s goodness, now completely purified and devoted to His glory.
The diversity of humanity remains.
The sin that divided humanity is gone.
Every good thing finds its proper place beneath the authority of Jesus Christ.
Every gift is returned in worship to the Giver.
Every glory is swallowed up in the greater glory of God.
Will Culture Exist in the New Creation?
If the nations bring their glory into the city, this may suggest that meaningful elements of human culture continue into the New Creation.
That does not mean every human custom, institution, or achievement will remain.
Much of what we call culture has been shaped by greed, oppression, idolatry, vanity, and rebellion.
None of that enters God’s city.
But culture itself is not evil.
Culture grows from the calling God gave humanity to cultivate creation.
People make music.
People build.
People write.
People design.
People learn.
People communicate.
People organize communities.
People develop the possibilities God placed within creation.
The New Creation may not eliminate human culture.
It may reveal what culture was always meant to become.
This means eternity should not be imagined as endless sameness.
The redeemed will not lose personality, creativity, relationships, identity, or meaningful activity.
Instead, everything that once bore the marks of sin will be freed from corruption.
Human life will finally flourish without pride, competition, exploitation, exhaustion, or decay.
The nations will not become identical.
They will become holy.
They will not lose everything distinct about them.
Everything distinct will finally serve the praise of God.
The Gospel Connection
The nations of Revelation 21 are not an isolated detail at the end of the Bible.
They are the fulfillment of the Bible’s entire story.
Creation: One Human Family
God created Adam and Eve in His image and commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 1:26–28).
Humanity began as one family living under the loving rule of one King.
Human diversity was part of God’s good design.
Division was not.
The Fall: Sin Divides Humanity
Sin separated humanity from God.
It also separated people from one another.
Cain murdered Abel.
Violence filled the earth.
Pride shaped human society.
By Genesis 11, humanity gathered at Babel to make a name for itself.
God confused their languages and scattered them throughout the earth.
Abraham: God Begins Gathering the Nations
Immediately after humanity was scattered at Babel, God called one man—Abraham.
That transition is one of the most important moments in the entire Bible.
Humanity scattered.
God began gathering.
Human beings sought to make their own name great.
God promised to make Abraham’s name great so that he could become a blessing.
“All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
— Genesis 12:3 (NLT)
God’s answer to Babel was not merely judgment.
It was redemption.
From that moment forward, the rest of Scripture tells the story of God gathering back the nations that sin had scattered.
Jesus: The Savior of the Nations
Jesus came through the family of Abraham.
He bore the sin that separated humanity from God.
He died to redeem people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
After His resurrection, He commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations.
The blessing promised to Abraham was now being carried to the ends of the earth.
Pentecost: The Nations Begin to Gather
When the Holy Spirit came upon the Church in Acts 2, people from many nations heard the mighty works of God proclaimed in their own languages.
Pentecost did not erase the languages of Babel.
It redeemed them.
The languages remained.
But now those languages proclaimed Christ instead of human pride.
Diversity remained.
Division began to be overcome through the gospel.
Babel scattered the nations.
Abraham received the promise to bless the nations.
Pentecost began gathering the nations.
Revelation shows the nations fully united under Christ.
| Genesis 11 | Genesis 12 | Acts 2 | Revelation 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babel | Abraham | Pentecost | New Jerusalem |
| Humanity scattered | Blessing promised | Church gathered | Nations united |
| Languages confuse | All families included | Languages proclaim Christ | Nations worship Christ |
| Humanity seeks its own glory | God promises blessing | Christ is proclaimed | All glory belongs to God |
The nations that once rebelled against God now walk in His light.
The kings who once sought their own glory now honor the King of kings.
The peoples once scattered by pride are gathered by grace.
Not because humanity becomes identical.
But because redeemed humanity now shares one Savior, one King, and one eternal home.
What We Can Say with Confidence
Revelation does not answer every question about nations, geography, government, or leadership in the New Creation.
But it gives us several truths we can confidently affirm.
We can say:
- God’s redeemed family will include people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
- Human diversity will not be erased by redemption.
- The hostility, pride, prejudice, warfare, and injustice that divided humanity will be gone.
- Every authority will be placed beneath the reign of Jesus Christ.
- The nations will walk in God’s light rather than in rebellion.
- Everything honorable and beautiful will ultimately be offered to God in worship.
- Nothing sinful, impure, or idolatrous will enter the New Jerusalem.
- God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham will be completely fulfilled.
We should be careful about saying:
- We know exactly where every redeemed person will live on the New Earth.
- We know whether eternal nations will function like modern political states.
- We know precisely who the kings are or what authority they exercise.
- Revelation clearly teaches a separate class of unresurrected people living forever outside the city.
- Every element of present human culture will continue unchanged.
Where Scripture gives us certainty, we should speak confidently.
Where Scripture leaves questions unanswered, we should remain humble.
We may not know exactly how nations will be organized.
But we know who reigns over them.
Jesus Christ.
What This Means for Us
Revelation’s picture of the nations is not only about the future.
It should shape how Christians live in the present.
1. We Should Celebrate the Diversity of God’s Family
The Church is not meant to reflect one race, one nation, one language, or one culture.
Jesus is building a worldwide family.
The diversity of the Church is not a problem to overcome.
It is part of the beauty of Christ’s redemption.
2. Our Ultimate Identity Is Found in Christ
National, ethnic, cultural, and family identities matter.
But none of them is ultimate.
Every Christian belongs first to Jesus and to His kingdom.
The gospel teaches us to receive our earthly identity with gratitude without turning it into an idol.
3. The Gospel Confronts Pride and Prejudice
If Christ purchased people from every tribe and nation, no Christian can treat another people group as inferior.
Racial pride, ethnic hatred, and cultural superiority contradict the future Jesus is creating.
The Church should begin displaying now the unity Revelation says will one day be complete.
4. The Mission of the Church Still Matters
The Great Commission is moving history toward Revelation 21.
Every time the gospel reaches another people group, another language, or another nation, God’s promise moves toward fulfillment.
The Church does not carry the gospel merely to increase attendance.
We carry it because the Lamb deserves worship from every nation.
5. Every Good Gift Should Be Used for God’s Glory
Music, creativity, education, leadership, work, craftsmanship, and culture are not ends in themselves.
They are gifts to be offered back to God.
Revelation shows where every good gift is headed.
Not toward human pride.
Toward worship.
The nations will one day bring their glory into God’s city.
Until then, we should bring every gift, every ability, and every part of our lives under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Key Takeaway
Who are the nations and kings in Revelation 21?
Faithful Christians have reached different conclusions.
Some believe they are redeemed peoples living outside the New Jerusalem.
Others understand them as all of God’s redeemed people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
Personally, I lean toward the second view.
But Revelation does not answer every question about where people live, how nations are organized, or what role kings may have in the New Creation.
Where God has not spoken clearly, we should not pretend to know more than He has revealed.
What Revelation makes unmistakably clear is that God’s family will be beautifully diverse and perfectly united.
Every tribe.
Every language.
Every people.
Every nation.
Not competing.
Not divided.
Not seeking their own glory.
But joyfully walking in God’s light.
Human diversity remains.
Human hostility is gone.
The nations are no longer separated by pride.
They are united by grace.
Every culture purified.
Every king humbled.
Every gift offered.
Every crown laid before Christ.
In Genesis, humanity sought to make a name for itself.
In Revelation, every nation honors the name above every name.
In Genesis, the nations were scattered.
In Revelation, the nations are gathered.
In Genesis, humanity was divided by pride.
In Revelation, humanity is united by grace.
Not because every nation becomes the same.
But because every nation worships the same King.
The New Creation does not erase humanity’s diversity.
It redeems it for the glory of God.
That is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham.
The fulfillment of the prophets’ hope.
The fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commission.
The fulfillment of Pentecost.
And the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose to redeem a people for Himself from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
Related Articles
Sources and Further Reading
- Mark Hitchcock, 101 Answers to Questions About the Book of Revelation (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2012).
- Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers).
- Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries articles concerning the New Earth, human culture, and the New Jerusalem.
Keep Understanding the Bible Better
At More Than Sunday Mornings, our goal is to provide clear, trustworthy, and practical biblical teaching for everyday Christians.
Subscribe below to receive newly released:
- Bible study resources
- Understanding the Bible posts
- Commentaries and sermon helps
- Discipleship tools and ministry resources
No spam — just thoughtful resources to help you know Scripture, follow Christ, and grow in your faith.
Leave a Reply