New Jerusalem Filled with God's Glory
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October 07, 2018 |
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"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband… 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… 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… Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb." (Revelation 21:2-22:5)
In New Jerusalem, the holy city, is the throne of God who is holy. It is the place where God the Trinity dwells. How holy and glorious then it must be! The throne is at the center of New Jerusalem, and only those who completely obey the Word of God can enter the city and see His face.
"Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:8-9).
The River of Water of Life Starting from the Throne of God
The throne of God at the center of New Jerusalem is where God appears and stays to have conversation with His children, attend banquets, and govern everything in heaven. It is an interim place for Him to appear and receive worship from those children who are qualified to enter New Jerusalem. His permanent throne is in another space.
The throne in New Jerusalem is surrounded by a rainbow and thrones of twenty-four elders, and in front of the throne are the seven Spirits of God and a sea of glass, which is like crystal, spreading out. The sea reflects all kinds of lights around the throne. At the center of and around the throne are four living creatures that are full of eyes in front and behind. There are also countless heavenly hosts and angels serving and escorting Him (Revelation 4:3-6).
From the throne starts the River of the Water of Life, and it calmly flows as if it did not move and glitters gorgeously. It flows through every corner of New Jerusalem and every place of heaven and returns to the throne of God. The water tastes so sweet that people will feel fullness over the whole body when they drink it. They may drink straight from the river or drink it in pretty jade cups or golden cups. When they sit on the benches on both sides of the river, angels may get them the water.
The Fabulous Spectacle of New Jerusalem, God's Best Present for Us
In the City of New Jerusalem are so many beautiful buildings made of many kinds of precious colorful gemstones and gold spreading out endlessly. At its center are the throne of God where the River of Water of Life starts and the throne of the Lord (Revelation 22:1), and around the thrones are the houses of Elijah, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, and Apostle Paul, those whose faith was recognized by God. There are also the houses of Mary Magdalene and Virgin Mary who loved the Lord to the utmost degree. Each of their houses has its own characteristic but all of them are magnificent and fabulous. With the mixture of lights coming out from the houses and the light of God's glory, the entire city seems to be alive.
The city is the best gift that God Himself prepares for His loving children. We will be very touched by His love and consideration when we get into our own dwelling places in the city. Just like a bride who adorns herself gorgeously to please her bridegroom, God allows the houses to be decorated both outside and inside in the way that suits the owners' taste.
The houses in the city serve and harbor God's children, so that they can feel comfortable. They are full of joy and happiness. Since the houses are designed for those who resemble God to live in forever, the buildings are especially magnificent and beautiful and serve the owners' preferences. The Lord supervises the whole construction process, so how wonderful and fantastic they will be!
A Cube-Shaped City Wall Decorated with Pure Gold and Jewels
God has made the city of New Jerusalem in the shape of a cube to express that He controls all things and the history in order, and fulfills everything until the end with precision. Revelation 21:16 reads, "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." The cubic-shaped New Jerusalem measures 2,400km in width, length, and height.
This huge city has big and tall city walls and twelve pearl gates on the four sides and is made on the twelve foundation stones (Revelation 21:12-14, 19-21). This symbolizes that no matter where one lives on this earth, the rules about the qualifications to enter the city are fairly applied to everyone.
The city wall is made of jasper (Revelation 21:18), and it is beautifully made with a variety of patterns and shapes on it through God's wisdom. The jasper is bluish-green, so when you see it you feel as if you watch the inside of water. The wall is clear and transparent, but the inside is not seen from outside while people within can see the outside of the city. So, they may see the city wall but they may feel as if it didn't exist. When light reflects off from this, it is beautiful like rainbows.
The city is decorated with pure gold that never changes forever and all kinds of jewels, and even the streets are made of pure gold. Even the sands that spread on each side of the river of the water of life are gold and silver. The jewels in New Jerusalem especially vary in colors and brightness, so they shine beautifully with twofold and threefold layers of lights. It is not even comparable to any jewel on the earth because it is glossed by the power of God.
Twelve Magnificent Arched Pearl Gates for Winners in the Race of Faith
The city has three gates on each side, north, south, east, and west. There is one angel guarding each gate. The angels are enormous enough to show the city's authority and dignity. When we have a close look at the gate, it is an enormous arch-shaped gate made with a single pearl (Revelation 21:21). It opens to the two sides and has a handle made with pure gold and set with jewels, but this gate opens automatically.
Some may think, 'There are many jewels in New Jerusalem but why did God make the gate with only a single pearl?' It implies His providence clearly and contains a spiritual meaning. No matter how beautiful and wonderful a building is, you cannot enter it if there is no gate. In this sense, the gates of New Jerusalem must carry a very important meaning and God made the gates with the material that can deliver the meaning very well. You may realize how precious pearl is when you look into the formation process of pearls.
Most pearls are made by pearl oysters. When a hard, foreign substance like a grain of sand gets into the oyster, the oyster feels very sharp pain, as if a needle is piercing into its flesh. Then the oyster covers this foreign substance, the cover is the nacre, and it becomes beautiful pearl. Like this pearl, God's children also have to endure with pain until they recover the image of God fully. They can have gold-like faith worthy of entering New Jerusalem only by enduring every persecution and sorrow. They can pass through the pearl gates of New Jerusalem only when they are winners in the battle of faith. To express this process, God let the gates made of pearl (Hebrews 12:4; Revelation 2:10).
When we pass through the pearl gates, we will shed many tears of deep emotion and thanksgiving because we are reminded of our journey and race of faith in which we have tried hard to cast off evil, be faithful with life, and fulfill our God-given duties. We will also eternally give thanks whenever we see the gates, thinking of the love of God who guided us there and of the people for whom we feel thankful.
Flowered and Bejeweled Streets, and Street of Gold That Is Clear as Glass
After you pass through the arched pearl gate thinking of the past days that you achieved victories, the magnificent splendor of the city will come into your sight. When you put your steps into the castle full of the light of God's glory, hear angels' praises, and smell the fragrance of flowers, you cannot express the magnificence and great happiness with mere words.
The first thing that catches your eyes is the street that spreads endlessly. It is made of pure gold that is like transparent glass (Revelation 21:21). When you walk on the street, it feels very soft. On both sides of the street are beautiful flowers that welcome God's children with their beautiful colors.
The street of gold that is like transparent glass symbolizes that only those who achieve pure and clear hearts that are like glass can enter New Jerusalem the best dwelling place in heaven. Also, since it is the place you can enter only when you have faith and earnest longing, the gold that stands for spiritual faith is the material for the street.
Additionally, there are flower streets and jewel streets. When you walk on either of them, you will feel a different sense of happiness. The flower street is not like there are flowers on both sides of the street, but the street itself is made of flowers and you can walk on them. When you walk on the street, you may feel soft and cozy as if walking on a carpet. Though you walk on them, the flowers are not crushed or damaged. The flowers give out beautiful aroma with joy when God's children walk on them. The aroma permeates through their whole body and gives them joy and fullness.
The jewel street is colorful and beautiful with the brilliance from the jewels itself, but when our heavenly bodies walk on them, more beautiful light will come out. The jewels also give out fragrance, which adds more joy to people on it. There is a feeling of tension similar to that which they could feel on the water of the Earth, and there is also a refreshing and wonder-like feeling. But this street is made only in or near the houses of those who make great contributions to accomplishing the providence of human cultivation as well as achieve the heart of the Lord.
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done… Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:12-14).
To Gain the Right to Enter New Jerusalem, the Most Beautiful Heaven
A person is not necessarily saved just because they accepted Jesus Christ. They have to act in the will of God, have their hearts circumcised, and achieve the heart of the Lord. Only then can they reach salvation (Matthew 7:21). If they act in untruth even after they accept the Lord, their names that were written in the Book of Life will be blotted out and there will be no salvation for them.
Revelation 22:14-15 says, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying."
Here, 'robes' spiritually refer to our hearts and deeds, and washing robes means repenting that we did not live by the Word of God and coming to live by the will of God. To the extent that we live by His Word more and more, we can pass through the gates of heaven one by one from the gate of salvation: from Paradise to those of the first, second, and third kingdoms of heaven, and the twelve pearl gates of New Jerusalem.
But there are people who cannot enter heaven although they call out the name of the Lord and attend church such as those who repeatedly practice untruth as a dog returns to its vomit; the sorcerers who mislead people to worship gods in a false manner; immoral persons who commit adultery including spiritual adultery which is to love something or someone more than God; the murderers including spiritual murderers who make other children of God stumble or those who hate others; and the idolaters including the spiritual idolaters who love anything more than God.
If you truly have hope for heaven, you need to come to church, accept the Lord, receive the Holy Spirit, and have Him give birth to spirit in you. And you should have your heart circumcised and cast away sins and come to dwell in the truth. In order to enter the city of New Jerusalem, furthermore, you need to fulfill your duties perfectly in addition to casting off every form of evil and becoming sanctified.
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