The New Jerusalem

Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven plagues, came and spoke with me: "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed with God's glory. Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal. The city had a massive high wall, with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates, the names of the 12 tribes of Israel's sons were inscribed on the gates. There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. The city wall had 12 foundations, and the twelve names of the Lamb's 12 apostles were on the foundations.

The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, it's gates, and it's wall. The city is laid out in a square; it's length and width are the same. He measured the with the rod at 12,000 stadia it's length, width and height are equal. Then he measured it's wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used.

The building material of it's wall was jasper and the city was pure gold like clear glass.

The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stones:

The first foundation jasper,

The second sapphire,

The third chalcedony,

The fourth emerald,

The fifth sardonyx,

The sixth carnelian,

The seventh chrysolite,

The eighth beryl,

The ninth topaz,

The tenth chrysoprase,

The twelfth amethyst.

The 12 gates are 12 pearls, each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The broad street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

I did not see a sanctuary in it, because The Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are it's sanctuary. The city does not need the sun or moon to shine on it, and it's lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk in it's light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory to it.

Each day it's gates never close because it will never be night there. They will bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

Nothing profane will ever enter enter it: no one who does what is vile or false, but only those written in the Lamb's book of life. Revelation  21:9-27

Wow! Who is concerned with collecting gold, silver, diamonds, sapphires etc on earth? Knowing that all these and more will be our dwelling place makes our earthy desires pale into insignificance.

As a gentile the fact that the gates are named after the tribes of Israel makes me both wonder: do I belong and what were my ancestors like? Where did they really come from?

Scripture calls Abraham our father and he fathered the nations, so I suppose we could say we, Gentiles, must belong. There are no longer divisions between Jew and Gentile.

The description of the New Jerusalem is amazing yet the earthy Jerusalem was a type of the heavenly Jerusalem. The size is enormous: 1,500 miles square, it's walls 220 feet think, all made out of precious stones.

It is interesting to note that the stones used in the foundation, 12 in all, all, collectively will create a rainbow effect: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The names of the apostles are written in the foundation, what an honour.

The streets are pure gold, the walls jasper, like diamond. It is interesting that there is no silver, silver represents redemption and that is a finished work.

There is no sun or moon, the Lamb is our light and warmth. However He is ever present, no longer isolated from us behind a veil or inside a temple. Praise God!

The above scripture talks about the nations, these are still recognised and it also talks about earthly rulers, so then they will still exist but not like before, no more abuse. Amen!

No more sickness, no more sin, no more deception. Amen! Praise God! How good is that?