The City

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asher, benjamin, book, Christ, city, dan, foundation, gad, joseph, LAMB, levi, life, naphatli, pearl, reuben, simeon, son, zebulun

Rev 21:8  But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.

Rev 21:9  And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

Now when we think of a wife a bride what do we really think of?  Do we think of a lovely visage in a sparkling white veiled and trained gown?  What else is there about the wife the bride?  She is a help meet a companion someone who completes the man who stands with him, carries his name and posterity in the womb, and allows the name to pass to the next generation.  She belongs with him and makes him look good.  Some consider a good couple to be like peas in a pod, like the salt and pepper shakers and a matched set.   In this wise the city and the one who it is built for go together. Likewise the church is seen as the Bride of Christ.  Yet Revelation is clear when the angel says I will show you the bride the wife of the Lamb.  As He inhabits the city so then is that the MARRIAGE of the The LAMB.  Yet the city and the church seem to be part and parcel of one another.  Us He redeems from among the heathen nations, the great city four square, was built for Him.  It is its own TEMPLE.

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

Rev 21:11  having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal:

Rev 21:12  having a wall great and high; having 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:

Rev 21:13  on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

Rev 21:14  And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Ok there is a series of images right here.  There are twelve gates and each gate was named to a tribe of Israel.  Each gate is a pearl. It has walls and being as massive as the measurement state it will need serious foundations. In fact there are twelve of them.  We have heard of the tribes and the foundational teachings of the Apostles and the Prophets.  Each foundation is a stone or a color.  Each foundational color has its own meaning to God.  It would be an interesting study to see if Scripture has any light to shed on that meaning. This city has an effulgence of light clear as a crystal looking like a “most precious” jasper stone.  Some say this particular stone may be a diamond.  We know this stone’s name was mentioned in the beginning and in chapter five.  It was mentioned in connection with He who sits on the Throne.  If it is a diamond that will explain the refractive colors of the diamond’s prismatic effect when light is around or through it.  This may explain the color around the Throne.

The gates being pearls is sort of like the string of pearls that one might wear.  Israel is said to be a POSSESSION of God.  In the Song of Solomon, the chorus talks about adorning the “bride” and here the angel calls the City, Jesus bride.   So then it is not surprising that Earthly adornments are either represented or actually used in their heavenly counterparts. We do know that in Exodus when Moses was on the mountain receiving the pattern for the Tabernacle it was to be built of specific Earthly material according to the HEAVENLY PATTERN.

Rev 21:15  And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

Rev 21:16  And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal.

According to conversion tables there are eight furlongs to the mile. So then the math gives me 1500 miles square.  That is a huge footprint for a city.  The wall measurement is apparently it’s height, which in conversion from roman cubit to foot, is 64 ft 1 9/64 inches.  This is a massive thing, so twelve foundations is not unreasonable.

Rev 21:17  And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

Rev 21:18  And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass.

Rev 21:19  The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

Rev 21:20  the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.

If the jasper is considered to be diamond, then we are looking at the One who sits on the Throne.  The second layer down is sapphire which is usually blue which represents the Throne itself, as it is said in scripture to be, Lapis Lazul or blue.  This then speaks of the Suzerain authority of Him who sits on the Throne. Chalcedony is a quartz it can be reddish, white or bluish. Both the reddish and bluish speak to the blood and the throne and the white refers to purity.  This stone may well represent the nature of God.  Quartz is a transmissible stone, it can be used for radio signals.  When I was a little girl my father got me a quartz crystal radio with coils and the quartz and you had a tuner knob and I made it and found actual stations.  This then may also be indicative of the transmissible qualities of God, those that are not immutable.  Then there is the Emerald.  Again this stone which is usually associated with green but can also be red blue pink or yellow. However the classical gem is some shade or hue of green which represents growth and living things, like plants; or Zoe Life.  For He came to give us LIFE and that more abundantly.  The next layer down is sardonyx which is oddly enough sort of a compound representation.  The onyx of sardonyx is black, which represents sin.  Then there is the sard aspect of sardonyx which is a reddish color which of course is the BLOOD. This stone is banded with the black and red and perhaps white as well which represents purity.  Taken together this stone is its own gospel in a rock.  Sin atoned for in His blood leaves us pure. The next layer down is Sardius which is a blood red stone.  It is interesting that the compound sardonyx is sandwiched between the Emerald of Everlasting Life and the Sardius of the Blood of Jesus.  The next down is chrysolite which is a stone type which include Topaz, which this is not.  It runs from a green to a yellow color.  It is usually greenish yellow.  Yellow or gold is the immutable substance impervious to time and most chemicals and speaks of the immutable nature of He who sits on the Throne. But in this gem quality stone the blended yellow green show us the Glory of God who is Life Eternal.  The next layer down is the Beryl, classically in ancient times it was considered in the name given it for the pale blue green color not unlike seawater.  Now that is interesting because sea water is naturally salted water.  It reminds us of the Scripture and the Law and the WORD.  We are renewed in our minds as we are washed with WATER and THE WORD. It is also indicative of the Holy Spirit who is figured as the WATER THAT WASHES.   Next layer down is the Topaz.  Topaz is a crysolite stone but in that it is that name means is has specific qualities and as in all these foundations we want to look at the classical presentation. Now while topaz can present in colors from wine to yellow red blue and pale to clear the precious Topaz is orange.  The image is unmistakable.  Whereas the previous Beryl indicated the Holy Spirit as WATER to renew the mind this stone represents the Holy Spirit as the Flame of YAH.  This is the aspect of the cleansing fire of the Holy Spirit to remove the words of Belial from the soul and to purify the soul and burn out the cares of the world which choke out the WORD.  The next level of foundation is the Chrysoprase which comes in a layered bluish green with nickel in it.  It is both the colors of life and water and may well represent human life which is born in “waters”.  It also tells us that God is in the midst.  The next to last layer down is the Jacinth stone.  It is red to bluish to purple and it is transparent.  Most of the rest of these stones are not particularly transparent but this one is.  It may well represent the human soul as it were.  It shows us as Redeemed in the Blood of Jesus, washed in the Water of the Holy Spirit and Made Royal in priesthood unto God.  The bottom layer is Amethyst. It only ever comes in one color, Purple.  Purple is the royal sovereignty of Jesus in His Humanity as King and in His Divinity as God.  Because before all things were… He is.

Rev 21:21  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Hence we find Aspects of God as Father Son and Holy Spirit in the Apostolic foundations of the city, but what of its gates? In Nehemiah where Jerusalem’s walls were broken down and the GATES destroyed by fire, which was important as Gates determined what came in and what went out.  They were also the place where civil matters and politics were conducted and where the prophets preached.  We have seen the meaning of the various stones as far as I was able to determine them, and I will admit there are greater scholars than myself who could add volumes.  The City walls are one thing but all the gates are alike.  All the gates are pearls.  Pearls are interesting things. They are NOT made of the Earth and they are not mineral unless you want to count the rock that is in the center. Pearls are organic and occur when a little sand (the rock in the middle) enters and lodges in an oyster and does not come out in the water.  SO the oyster thus irritated begins to secrete a substance to coat the irritant and over time it goes from a tiny sand grain to this nice size orb which depending on many factors can become quite priceless.  Because these orbs possess a toughness to them where in they can be drilled and strung, or merely set in metallic settings, they are considered jewelry as are their neighbors the gemstones.  Israel is considered of God to be His possession as I have mentioned before and thus maybe even considered to be like a string of pearls to God.  They came from a promise to one man to sire a lineage that would become a Nation among the nations of the planet and a people most often an irritant to God.  Consider what God did to these people to cause them to be what they were when His Son came among them.  He had established a means of appropriate expression of worship to Himself, and LAW to govern them according to His dictates but from them He “suffered much”.  He allowed them to have kings which led the people quite often contrary to the LAW He gave them and away from His heart.  Surely like the stone this one race chosen to be God’s own possession has had much glossing over with LAW and Judgment until they were ready to receive the Son whose work on them was the greatest of all.  For who but God would have cared enough to permit Himself to be crucified and then raise up to prove His identity to a people who wanted the death of not only The Son but any who had associated with The Son and even today those of Judaism who “convert” are persecuted relentlessly.  In this light I see the tribes themselves like so many irritants that the coatings of Law and Redemption makes beautified in Salvation.  Each pearl has a name on it, and one has to wonder of the anmes themselves and what they might say about The LAMB.

I will admit to a little cheating here and went online for the meanings of the names to http://www.pray4zion.org/SignificanceoftheTwelveTribesofIsrael.html

This is in brief their listing of name and meaning.

Reuben – seeing (Strongs lists this as See you a son.  This is a compound name.)

Simeon – hearing (Strongs concurs this is the correct meaning)

Levi – joined (Strongs concurs choosing the word, attached)

Judah – praise   (Strongs uses the more proper word, celebrated. Hence the proper understanding may be “Praised”)

Dan – God is judge (Strongs tells us the word is merely “Judge”)

Naphtali – wrestling (The “i” ending makes it personal, so Strongs lists the word as my wrestling)

Gad – a troop comes (Strongs does not give a definition for the name but it is derived from a primitive root meaning to attack)

Asher – blessed (Strongs uses the word “happy”)

Issachar – wages (Strongs lists this meaning as He will bring a reward)

Zebulun – dwelling with husband (Strongs uses the word, Habitation)

Joseph – God will add a son (Strongs lists this as “Let him add”)

Benjamin – son of the right hand (Strongs concurs)

 

Mannasah (Strongs lists this as “causing to forget”)

Ephraim (Strongs lists this as “double fruit”)

 

Each one of these tribes talks about Jesus in one way or another.  In Reuben we “see the Son” or Behold the Son.  In Simeon we find God is hearing both His people and His Son and through Christ ourselves as Believers.  In Levi we see the attachment of God to His people Israel, to His Son and through His Son to the Believers today. That attachment is in the Atonement. In Judah we see that in Christ God is “celebrated” praised and worshipped.  We also see that Jesus is called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, or the King of that Tribe. It is in the Triumphal Entry that we discover the scepter of Judah and out of the mouths of the young as prophesized God was CELEBRATED.  In Dan we see the final judge taking His place on the instrument of His own judgment to pay the penalty of His own judgment on the sins of His own people Israel and consequently due to the nature of the payment to all the Elect in all the other ethnic groups and locations of the world who were not Hebrew but pagan.  In Naphtali we see Gethsemane where the wrestling of Christ Himself came and He was victorious to resolve to perform the will of The Father in the PRESCRIBED METHOD laid out.  In gad we indeed see the troops that came and hauled the Christ off to His preordained place. He was attacked and assaulted repeatedly as well.  In Asher we see Christ facing the cross with Joy set before Him, knowing the outcome and the blessing He would both impart unto man and receive unto Himself upon the set day. In Issachar we see Him paying the penalty as sacrifice atonement propitiation and expiation of the sins of His people and all the Elect globally and all who come to believe down the corridors of time as well as all who were in the “bosom of Abraham” prior to the resurrection.  We also see the day spent in the tomb and in hell and the resurrection which qualifies the prior death and all its legal ramifications before God and the devil.  Without the Resurrection we have not a Savior of power and position to make null the Enemy’s power and claim and enforce the work of the Cross. In Zebulun we see Christ becoming after the resurrection and ascension the Habitation in which we are seated according to the writings of Paul where in this is revealed from God.  In Joseph we see God adding His Son in the sonship of the Believer where in it is written in Revelation I will be His God and He shall be MY SON.  For we are dead and our lives are hid in Christ.  We will be AS HE IS. In Benjamin we see the words of Jesus to the Assembly of the Priesthood, that they would see the Son as the RIGHT HAND OF THE POWER ON HIGH or of the Father.  In that these are represented in the Pearl is because each gate speaks of Him who told us He is the Door or Gate of the Sheepfold and no man comes unto the Father save by Him AS GATEWAY.  The Pearl then also represents the Earthly Kingdom’s entrance into the Heavenly realm…  selah.

Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof.

Rev 21:23  And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb.

Rev 21:24  And the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.

Rev 21:25  And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there):

Rev 21:26  and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it:

Rev 21:27  and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Finally we see that there is no Temple yet God is in the midst as THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.  He is the source of illumining which causes the sun and moon to pale to nonexistence so far as the city is concerned.  Notice it doesn’t say there is no sun or moon just that they are NOT NEEDED there.  Now the reason I put forth that this city is the TEMPLE is because He dwells in a temple NOT MADE WITH HUMAN HANDS.  He has lived in us His creation by His Spirit but now, here, we see He has built Himself a house.  The nations are both governed and provided for by the will of the LAMB in His city, And although the tribute will pour in, no thing or person or creature that is deemed unworthy to enter shall enter the city.  Worth is defined as being of that which is WRITTEN IN THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE.

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