This
will be a long post, but I wanted to present this section in whole. John now gives us a more complete description
of the magnificent appearance of the new Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:9–10 “And there came unto me one of the seven angels
which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me,
saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he
carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that
great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the
glory of God: and her light was
like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
And had a wall great and high, and
had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon,
which are the names of the
twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north
three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the
wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure
the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth
foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city
with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the
height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according
to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the
wall of it was of jasper: and
the city was pure gold, like
unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of
precious stones. The first foundation
was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth,
an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite;
the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh,
a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several
gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”
Point is made that John is carried away in the
spirit to a great high mountain to be shown the new Jerusalem descending from
heaven; he needed to be closer to appreciate the details. It is
interesting to note that in the beginning of the chapter the city is described
as a bride adorned for her husband, but in this section point is made that she
is “the Wife of the Lamb.”
We have entered eternity. I am not sure the
distinction between believers of different times or dispensations in the
working of God are any longer valid. In fact, the description of the city
honors both Old Testament and New Testament servants of God; and the last verse
in this chapter informs us that all may enter “whose names are written in the
Lamb’s Book of Life.”
This appears to use a format like Genesis of going back to explain
something that has already happened in fuller detail. It would seem that
the new earth is going to have some great and high mountains.
The city shines with the glory of God—a glory
described later in the chapter as negating the need of the sun or moon within
its confines. The brilliance of her shining is compared to a crystal
clear diamond. This brilliance is the full revelation of the Shekinah
glory of God and the Lamb and will be all the light that is needed.
The walls of the city are very high and have 12
gates or entry points that are attended by 12 angels. Three gates are
designated on each of the four sides of the city facing east, north, south and
west respectively. Each of the 12 gates is named for one of the tribes of
Israel, or each gate is inscribed with the names of all 12 tribes. I tend
to think that they will be individually named since that will be the case of
the walls around Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom as revealed by Ezekiel and
possibly in accordance with the same designation.
Ezekiel 48:31–34 “And the gates of the city shall be after the
names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one
gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. And at the east side…one gate of Joseph, one
gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. And at the south… one gate of Simeon, one
gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. At the west side…one gate of Gad, one
gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.”
The twelve foundations supporting the wall of the city are engraved with
the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb or each
foundation is inscribed with the names of all twelve apostles. Again, I
would tend to think that each foundation will be individually named as
well. Is the 12th apostle being referenced Paul or Matthias,
the one chosen to replace Judas? Sentiment goes with Paul; he, however,
refers to “the twelve” in his letter to the Corinthians, which at that time
included Matthias. Only the future will reveal the truth.
1 Corinthians 15:3–5 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which
I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve….”
Not much is said about Matthias, but his appointment was considered
directed by the Lord through the casting of lots.
Acts 1:20-26 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be
desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another
take. Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time
that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of
John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to
be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph
called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed,
and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of
these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and
apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his
own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon
Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
Eerdman’s Dictionary provides the following insight: “In the Bible, however, the casting of lots was one of the
few legitimate means of divine revelation (as were dreams and direct
communication with the deity). Lot casting is not among the condemned mantic or
divinatory practices such as soothsaying, magic, and necromancy (cf. Deut.
18:10-12). Lot casting, therefore, had divine sanction and control. Though the
throwing of the lots was a human action, the revelation was a direct message
from God. (Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap; but the
whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.)”
Paul is also identified as an apostle, but he did not accompany Jesus in
His time of ministry as did Matthias. Again, only the future will tell.
Even common “tools” used in heaven are
made of gold. The measurements of the angel with John reveal that the
length, breadth, and height of the city are equal; it is a cube. A
distance of 12,000 furlongs translates to about 1500 miles. The walls are approximately 216 feet wide and
are made of diamond.
The city itself is made of pure, transparent gold that looks like
glass.
Each of the twelve
foundations of the city are adorned with precious stones (some of which we are
unsure of their reference)—the first with diamond, the second with sapphire,
the third with chalcedony, the fourth with emerald, the fifth with sardonyx,
the sixth with sardius, the seventh with chrysolite, the eighth with beryl, the
ninth with topaz, the tenth with chrysoprasus, the eleventh with jacinth and
the twelfth with amethyst. Each of the 12 gates is made of a single
pearl, and the street of the city is of pure, transparent gold.
(to be
continued…)
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