Revelation 21:9-27

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

The New Jerusalem

And he 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, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 

The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone 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; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

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We know whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

OK, but what are things written about the future with God intended to accomplish? Is my spirit supposed to be responsive to the specifications of a giant cube – built of precious stones? While the materials are impressive, we hope that the interior design is more creative. After all, Jesus didn’t say, “I go to prepare a cubicle for you.” It’s OK. I am on a first name basis with the Chief Architect. He knows I am just searching and being playful in the process.

My attention is captured by the angel’s opening sentence of the passage.  “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” At this point we are expecting to see something that includes people, us in particular, the members of the Body and Bride of Christ; yet instead, we get this enormous structure . We trust this will make sense someday but in the moment, brides that are buildings do not easily compute and are an odd sort of motivation. What are you saying here Lord? What is our take away, us – the living stones you are building with?

John refers to the structure coming down out of heaven as a “her” being adorned in glory. Of her he says, “Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.” The phrase “ was like” suggests that John has borrowed from his earthly vocabulary to describe things coming from heaven for which he had no words. The word holy is like this too. What is our closest English word for holy. I believe Holy is a word that must remain reserved for God exclusively. I think if John were to have written a follow up to his best selling Revelation, he could have called it Heaven for Earthlings. In it he would no doubt define holiness as;  that which persuades one they are going to die when exposed to it. 

Reasoning further regarding the New Jerusalem; If it has no need of wiring and lights, we are no longer in a purely physical realm. This gravity defying structure (1500 miles high!) is at the very least depicting a spiritual reality. I could easily be missing this, but I see the picture John is viewing as symbolic. However; actual, symbolic , Body or building (or all of the above), we see in this Person (or place), that the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple; We see that the glory of God illumines it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be closed. Only  those whose names are written in the book of life shall; enter its walls. 

I believe I am better off to have wrestled a while with the passage. The process reinforces other truths of scripture. One is …..

But just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

My take away is that much about God is way beyond the knowing. It is a glorious mystery about which I will know more someday. By His design I do not have exhaustive knowledge. Knowing all mysteries would remove the need for faith. Until that Day, we have sufficient knowledge in scripture, sufficient revelation by the Holy Spirit. We also have faith which God gifted us to relate to Him and HIs Kingdom until that Day when we will know as we have been known.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to HIm are all things.

I have included the lyrics to a song by Josh Garrels. They suggest he has obviously wrestled with the mystery of life with God and the scripture. I was very comfortable with his take away.