The New Jerusalem—A Pattern For Living

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The New Jerusalem: The Body of Believers

John's book of Revelation records a complete description of the New Jerusalem, including a list of gem foundation stones that we will focus on in this study.

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also, she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
— Revelation 21:10-21

This structure consists of the individual lives of believers. It is also a picture and symbol of how God took sinful humanity and created a new and beautiful creation.

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.
— I Corinthians 3:9

... you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
— I Peter 2:5

Every foundation and gate will include people who were imperfect but submitted themselves and surrendered their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name means salvation. And ultimately, the Lord will create a beautiful and suitable habitation in the believers' lives.

In the first part of the series, we studied the importance of a strong foundation when building any kind of structure. As it applies to a solid Christian life, Jesus, our chief cornerstone, is our firm foundation.

In the second part of this series, we explored the building materials described in 1 Corinthians 3: gold, silver, and precious stones representing love, faith, and redemption, contrasted with wood, hay, and stubble representing carnality, self-justification, and self-reliance.

In the third part of this series, we took a closer look at the details of the foundation stones and how they represent the body of loyal, faithful believers who have experienced God's love and shared it with others. This lesson will also demonstrate that all people, regardless of type or category, can experience the love of God through the Chief Cornerstone, the Lord Jesus Christ. No one is beyond God's reach.

The fourth part of this series examined the foundational gems of the great city described in Revelation. The twelve foundation stones that supported this apocalyptic holy city/temple also apply to the Christian life. The twelve disciples represented by these stones showed how submitted lives, transformed and governed by Christ, bear witness to God's glory and goodness. Each layer reflected various forms and facets of His grace, like gems that display unique colors and light through their composition.

The fifth part of this series studied the precious pearl gates of the New Jerusalem and their relationship to the suffering aspect of the Christian life.

This final installment will examine the remaining components of the Holy City and their symbolism in relation to the Christian life.

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The Cube

The shape and the measurements of the Holy City are significant.

The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.
— Revelation 21:16

Author J. Preston Eby explains what this means symbolically.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
—Ephesians 3:18-19

Kingdom Story films on both YouTube and Instagram also offer a unique observation regarding Ezekiel's temple vision: another perfect cube.

"There are only two perfect types of cubes in the Bible. The first is the Holy of Holies found in the Tabernacle (10x10x10 cubits), Solomon's Temple (20x20x20 cubits), and Ezekiel's Temple (20x20x20 cubits). They all follow the same pattern of forming a perfect cube.

"The second cube in the Bible also appears in John's vision in Revelation, as does Ezekiel's temple. John had a vision of this perfect cube from a high mountain, which echoes Ezekiel's vision of the Temple cube, also from a mountain. Both visions include rivers flowing downward. Both visions involve an angel guide with a measuring rod to emphasize God's fullness, presence, and perfection. Both visions contained God's glory in His presence. Both visions contained a perfect cube. The perfect cube of the first Most Holy Place probably alludes to the second perfect cube. It points to where all believers will live for all eternity. Which means we will be living in the glory and perfect presence of God, where life-giving water flows and the Tree of Life is restored. This shows that Ezekiel's vision points to John's depiction of the New Jerusalem."

Streets of Gold

... And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
— Revelation 21:21

Gold in Scripture represents the genuine faith of a believer who becomes tried in the fire of testing, trial, tribulation, and persecution.

In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ ...
— I Peter 1:6

The streets of this place are paved and well-trodden by many who have gone before us. These people placed their faith in Jesus Christ and had it tested through trials and persecution. We can be sure that the fire and trials of life will bring what is really in us to the surface. May we let God remove anything impure from us that surfaces during these times so that we may be made fit to dwell with Him eternally?

The walls of this city were also of gold. Walls symbolize defense and protection. When we walk in faith in God, there is no safer place to be spiritually. Isaiah 26:1 calls these walls salvation. It is a place where no enemy can enter. We are safe and secure inside the walls of His covenant love, shown through salvation in a relationship with His Son, Jesus.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Water and Light

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
— Revelation 22:1

There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
— Revelation 22:6

There was an Old Testament observance called the Feast of Tabernacles. It was a holiday that symbolized God dwelling with us after the atonement for our sins. The children of Israel dwelt in temporary shelters for the week, expressing that our life here is temporary and that our destination is one eternal.

Two of the ceremonies at this festival involved pouring water, symbolizing the Holy Spirit flowing like a river from God to us, providing refreshment and sustenance. The other ceremony's theme was light. The temple, illuminated with giant candelabras, symbolizes God being the light of the world, as described in Revelation, in this city. Some scholars believe that Jesus, the source and person of our salvation, was born during this celebration.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
— John 1:14

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
— Revelation 21:3

The above verses express this structure's ultimate fulfillment: We would dwell with Him, and He with us. Dwelling with Him is God's ultimate goal and plan for humanity.

Raphaël Toussaint

The Tree of Life

In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
— Revelation 22:2

The last time we saw this tree was in the Garden of Eden. We have come full circle. What once was lost has now been found. The tree of life is what sustained their eternity. (Gen.3:22). Man is now granted eternity with God through faith in Jesus Christ, our Salvation.

Concluding Review

We have discovered that this heavenly city is more than a place to look forward to; it reveals a pattern for living in this life, with an eye on the one to come.

The following is a review and conclusion of the lessons from our previous studies.

We saw that the foundation of this structure was built on our knowing that the Father loves us through faith in His Son's saving work of forgiving our sins by bearing them upon Himself on the cross, which is the cornerstone of our eternal life with Him. To turn from our sin and turn to Jesus is to lay that cornerstone.

Next, we looked at the building materials of our structure. The gold (precious faith in the Father's love shown through His son purified by trial), the silver (redemption which Jesus bought for us that we may have access to the Father), and the precious stones we become when we live out our faith and in communion with Him. We also looked at the wood (our humanity and faith in earthly provisions and solutions), the hay (self-justification), and the stubble, which led us to trust in these inadequate provisions.

We also saw, with the foundation stones of the apostles, that God has made it possible for all men, of personality and temperament, to be welcomed and invited to be one of His. We also examined how the external pressures of living for Him will transform us into beautiful gems, reflecting the unique facets of His love and character.

We looked at the gates with the tribal names and gems borrowed from the Old Testament breastplate that the High Priest wore when entering the presence of God, representing aspects of our walk of faith in the here and now that lead us into His presence.

We saw the gates of Pearl, revealing the inner workings of a life characterized by sacrifice. This item describes putting to death our obsession with this life and our comforts to be made alive and glorified in the next.

We have examples of those who have gone before us, who paved the way in the streets of gold and are rewarded with the presence of God dwelling among us and sustaining us, as represented by the two elements we cannot live without: light and water.

Finally, we are again afforded the privilege to live eternally because God has perfected us in Jesus and brought us back to where we belong with Him, happily ever after.