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The Bible ends with the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2). This means that the New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of all the positive things in the Bible. In the same principle, the consummation of all the negative things is the lake of fire. At the end of the Bible there are two consummations, one represented by a city and the other represented by a lake. The city is a city of water, and the lake is a lake of fire. The New Jerusalem is a city of living water. Because this living water flows throughout the city, it will never be dry. The lake is a lake of fire. Everything in it burns. Without exception, all the positive things will be gathered into the city of water, and all the negative things will be cast into the lake of fire. Antichrist and his companion, the false prophet, will be the first to be cast into the lake of fire (19:20). All those who follow them to fight against Christ will also go there. Later, Satan, his angels, and all the sinners will also be cast into the lake of fire (20:10, 15). Eventually, even the demons, death, and Hades will be put there (vv. 13-14). Therefore, the lake of fire is a universal “trash can.” Everything that is not of God, that is against God, or that is considered by God as trash will go into the lake of fire. I trust that no one reading this chapter will end up in the lake of fire. But what about the work you are doing? Will your work go to the lake of fire or to the New Jerusalem, the eternal habitation of God? Here in the eternal habitation of God, everything is positive. Every positive thing in the Bible can be found there.
This matter of the New Jerusalem has never been adequately opened to Christians. Perhaps Revelation 21 and 22 have been closed to you for years. Although you have read these chapters again and again, you simply could not see anything. In this chapter I want to point out various aspects of the New Jerusalem.
After God created man, He placed him in a garden in front of the tree of life (Gen. 2:8-9). Thus, immediately after the creation of man, the tree of life was mentioned. The tree of life is one of the outstanding features of the New Jerusalem. Revelation 22:14 indicates that the tree of life is in the New Jerusalem. This verse says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city.” In the first two chapters of the Bible we see the old heaven, the old earth, the old garden, Adam, and the tree of life. In the last two chapters of the Bible we see the new heaven, the new earth, and the city with the tree of life. In this city we do not see Adam but Israel and the apostles representing the new man. In the garden in Genesis there was the old man; in the city in Revelation there is the corporate new man. In the garden there was the tree of life, and in the city there is also the tree of life. Although the heaven and earth have changed, the garden has been changed into the city, and the first man has been changed into the corporate new man, the tree of life remains unchanged. Everything has been changed or improved except the tree of life. From the beginning to the end, the tree of life remains the same. Hallelujah, the tree of life never changes!
Genesis 1:3 says, “God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” In Genesis 1:14-18 we see that God created the light-bearers — the sun, the moon, and the stars — on the fourth day. The New Jerusalem is a city of light (Rev. 21:23). In every part of the city there is light. This light is so strong that there is no need for either the sun or the moon. The light that will illumine the city is God Himself, and Christ, the Lamb, will be the lamp. God is in Christ, just as the light is in the lamp. God, the light, is in the Lamb, the lamp, shining in, over, through, and out of the city. As far as the New Jerusalem is concerned, the sun, moon, and stars are useless. Today we need electrical light because we do not have sunshine everywhere or all the time. But in the New Jerusalem there will neither be the natural light nor the man-made light. Hallelujah for the light in the New Jerusalem!
When you came into the church life, did you not have the sense that the environment and the atmosphere were absolutely new? Did it not seem as if you were in the new heaven and new earth? Furthermore, in the church there is the tree of life. The church is also full of light, for here God is shining through Christ as the lamp. In the church life there is no darkness. Before we came into the church life, we were in the old universe, the old atmosphere, and the old environment, an environment that was filled with darkness and death. But the day we entered into the church life, the heavens, the earth, the atmosphere, and the environment all became new. Instead of death, there was the tree of life, and instead of darkness, there was light.
In the New Jerusalem we have the redeeming God. One day, because man had fallen, the creating God became the redeeming God. In Genesis 3:15 the redeeming God came as the seed of the woman. The seed of the woman is simply the redeeming God, God becoming the seed of woman to redeem us. This redeeming God is called the Lamb. John 1:29 says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Revelation 22:1 speaks of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Both God and the Lamb are sitting on one throne. For years I was not able to understand how two could sit on one throne. Certainly They are not sitting side by side. Rather, God is in the Lamb. We know this by the fact that God is the light and the Lamb is the lamp. The light and the lamp are not side by side. The light is in the lamp. This proves that God is in the Lamb sitting on the throne. Therefore, the two are actually one, just as the light and the lamp are one unit, one entity. In like manner, God and the Lamb are one entity, not two.
God in the Lamb is the redeeming God. For eternity in the New Jerusalem we shall see the redeeming God, God in the Lamb.
Revelation 22:1 says that the river of water of life proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. For the water of life to flow out of the throne means that it flows out of God Himself. In order to understand this we must go back to the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John first tells us that God was in the beginning, then that this very God became flesh to be the Lamb (1:1, 14, 29). Furthermore, in chapter 7 of John we are told of rivers of living water flowing out of our innermost being (vv. 37-39). The apostle John tells us that these rivers refer to the Spirit. Therefore, in the Gospel of John we first have God; second, the Lamb; and third, the Spirit as the rivers of life. In the New Jerusalem we have God in the Lamb, and out of this redeeming God flows the river of life, the life-giving Spirit.
This is a picture of the Triune God. Out of God in the Lamb flows the river of life. This is the dispensing of the Triune God. Before God could dispense Himself into us, He had to redeem us. Thus, the picture in Revelation 22 reveals that the redeeming God is the life-dispensing God. The Lamb signifies redemption, and the river of life signifies the dispensation of life. For eternity our God will be the redeeming and life-dispensing God. Oh, our God is in the redeeming Lamb, flowing out as the river of life to dispense His life into every part of the city. The tree of life grows in the river of life.
This is a portrait of the church life today. In the church life our God is the redeeming God and the life-dispensing God. Hallelujah, in the church our God is in the Lamb, flowing as the life-giving Spirit to reach us all. When this flow of the life-giving Spirit reaches us and gets into us, we receive the life supply and are nourished. We are satisfied and filled. In this way the Triune God is dispensed into us.
The New Jerusalem is a square city with three gates on each of its four sides. The city proper is a mountain of gold. On the top of this mountain is the throne of God and of the Lamb, out of which flows the river of life. The tree of life grows in the river of life. The river of life flows out of the throne and spirals down the mountain, eventually reaching all twelve gates on each of the four sides. This indicates that the flow of the Triune God waters the whole city. Every part of the city receives the life supply, because the tree of life grows in the river, and the river reaches every part of the city. The tree of life is not a tall tree; rather, it is a vine growing on both sides of the river. Only as a vine could its growth follow the flow of the river. The river moves in a spiral fashion, and the tree grows in the same way. It is like a grapevine, making many turns as it grows along the flow of the river of life. Wherever the river flows, the tree of life grows. Thus, the supply of life is in the flow of life. In the church life today we have the flow of the river of life, that is, the flow of the life-giving Spirit. With this life-giving Spirit we have Christ as the tree of life to be our life supply.
The life, the light, the redeeming God, and the Spirit as the flow of life are all in the city. Where are you? Are you in the city? We all must answer, “Hallelujah, we are in the city!” We know that we are in the city by the fact that we are stones. All the twelve apostles are stones, the foundation upon which we are built, and we also are stones (21:14; 1 Pet. 2:5). The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are inscribed upon the gates of the city (Rev. 21:12). The twelve tribes of Israel represent the Old Testament saints, and the twelve apostles represent the New Testament saints. The children of Israel and the apostles are in the city, and we also are in it.
The basic element of the city proper is gold. The city itself is gold (v. 18). As we have pointed out, this city is a mountain of gold. Gold signifies the divine nature. The fact that the New Jerusalem is a golden city signifies that the entire city is constituted with the nature of God. Likewise, the basic element of the church today is the nature of God. The church is constituted with the divine nature.
The twelve gates of the New Jerusalem are twelve pearls (v. 21). The fact that the twelve gates of the holy city are twelve pearls signifies that regeneration through the death-overcoming and life-secreting Christ is the entrance into the city. In John 3:3 and 5 the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus that unless a man is born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Regeneration is the entrance into the kingdom, the entrance into this city. We all have been regenerated and have passed through this gate into the city. Our regeneration was our entrance.
After entering in through the gates, we find ourselves on the golden street (Rev. 21:21). This signifies that our way, our street, is God’s golden nature. Everything we do must correspond to the divine nature. If the sisters ask me what color and style of clothing they should wear, I would say that the color and style of their clothing must be according to the nature of God. The divine nature is their way, their street. If you ask me what your hairstyle should be, I would also say that it must be according to the golden street, according to God’s nature. After we have been regenerated, we walk on the golden street; that is, we walk according to God’s nature.
The New Jerusalem is a composition of precious stones (v. 19). Precious stones are the result of transformation, and they are produced by heat and pressure. Through intense heat and great pressure a natural substance becomes a precious stone. After we are regenerated, we begin to be burned and pressed. This heat and pressure will eventually transform us into precious stones. At present, some are not yet very precious; they still have some dust on them. But we all are in the process of transformation. I am fully assured that when we enter into the New Jerusalem, there will no longer be any dust or clay, only precious stones.
Pearls signify regeneration, and precious stones signify transformation. After we have been regenerated, we must undergo the process of transformation. Praise the Lord that we have been regenerated and have passed through the pearl gate! Praise the Lord that we are also becoming precious stones! Many are still somewhat muddy. In a previous chapter I pointed out that some of you are wafers and that, because you are wafers, I dare not touch you. Pouring water on a wafer causes it to disintegrate. I know whether or not I can touch you and how much water I can pour on you. If you are muddy and I pour water upon you, you will be all the more muddy. But if you are a precious stone and I pour water on you, you will not be affected at all. One day we shall no longer be muddy; rather, we shall be jasper. Through transformation we shall become precious stones.
The precious stones in the New Jerusalem are not piled one upon another; instead, they are built together. Hence, the precious stones in this city signify not only transformation but also building. In the church life today we are daily being transformed and built together. A few years ago there was little of the building in Germany. But in Stuttgart today there is some amount of building. You have been not only transformed but also built together. Thus, the precious stones constituting the wall of the New Jerusalem signify both transformation and building.
Revelation 21:11 says, “Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal.” Jasper signifies the appearance of God. In Revelation 4:3 we see that the One sitting on the throne has the appearance of jasper. Now in chapter 21 we see that the appearance of the whole city is the appearance of jasper. This means that the entire city bears the appearance of God. Therefore, the precious stones built together signify three things: transformation, building, and the appearance of God. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament we have transformation, building, and the appearance of God. Ultimately, these three positive things will be found in the New Jerusalem.
In the New Jerusalem we have transformation, building, and the appearance of God. We also have the walk of holiness signified by the golden street. As we have seen, after we enter in through the gate, we walk along the golden street. This walk along the golden street is a holy walk, a walk of holiness. Therefore, we have regeneration, the holy walk, building, and the expression of God.
Revelation 21:11 also says that the New Jerusalem has the glory of God. Both inside and outside, the New Jerusalem is filled with glory. Glory is everywhere. Glory is the manifestation of God. When God is manifested, that is glory. Because God is fully manifested in this city, it has the glory of God. Hence, in the New Jerusalem we have regeneration, a holy walk, transformation, building, the appearance of God, and the full manifestation of God. All these aspects of the New Jerusalem should be in the church today. In the church we should have the pearl gates of regeneration, the holy walk on the golden street, transformation, building, the appearance of God, and the manifestation of God.
In the New Jerusalem we have the number twelve (vv. 12, 14, 16, 21; 22:2). Twelve here is composed of three times four. We know this by the fact that there are three gates on each of the four sides of the city (21:13). The number three signifies the Triune God, and the number four signifies the creature. Hence, the number twelve, composed of three times four, signifies the mingling of the Triune God with man. The entire New Jerusalem is a mingling of God with man. This tells us that the church is a matter of the mingling of the Triune God with man.
In the foregoing chapters we have pointed out that the church is the constitution of Christ into human beings. This means that the church is the mingling of the Triune God with man. In the church life today we are being mingled with God. What a picture we have in Revelation 21 and 22 of the mingling of God with man! This picture is better than thousands of words.
But there is still more to be seen of the New Jerusalem. In this city there is the reign, the kingship, of God (22:1, 5). In the New Jerusalem all the redeemed, regenerated, transformed, and built-up ones, those who bear the appearance of God with the glory of God, will reign as kings. This characteristic must also be found in the church today. If we are a proper church, we shall reign. A number of times we have told the Lord that we do not agree with certain events taking place in the political sphere. In our prayers we said, “Lord, we don’t agree with this.” By praying in such a way, we reign over the situation. The church in Stuttgart must reign, telling the Lord about those things that the church does not agree with.
In Revelation 21:24 we are told that the nations will walk by the light of the New Jerusalem. In eternity all the unsaved yet restored nations will walk in the light of the New Jerusalem. If the church today is strong and shining, the heathen will also walk under our light.
The New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of the Bible. It is the consummation of the kernel of the Bible, Christ and the church. In all these chapters we have seen the kernel of the Bible. Although we may not know all the small streets, lanes, and alleys, we do know this main street. After reading these chapters, we cannot say that we do not know this main street. Rather, we must shout, “Hallelujah, I know the main street! I don’t know so many details, but I do know the kernel of the Bible. I know the highway from the church to the New Jerusalem!” We are walking, even driving, on this highway today. In all these chapters we have seen this highway from Genesis through the tabernacle, the temple, the rebuilt temple, the church, and the New Jerusalem. This is the kernel of the Bible. Now we are in the church life, walking the church way toward the New Jerusalem. Here we have the Triune God, the redeeming and life-dispensing God. Here we have life, light, regeneration, the holy walk, transformation, building, the appearance of God, the manifestation of God, and the divine reign. It is no wonder that the heathen are walking in the light of the church. Hallelujah! This is the church life today and the New Jerusalem in eternity.
