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We cannot exhaust the record of the New Jerusalem; it is exceedingly meaningful. At least to some extent we must experience these points that we are covering; otherwise, it is rather difficult to understand them. The degree to which we will experience these things is the degree of our understanding of them. In the last chapter we covered thirteen points concerning the real meaning of the ultimate manifestation of God. In this chapter we will continue by covering fifteen additional points, beginning with the fourteenth.
In the city there are three gates on each of its four sides, covering every direction: north, south, east, and west (Rev. 21:12-13). The number four always represents creation or the creature. Revelation 4 reveals four living creatures, which represent all creation. The number three signifies the three persons of the Godhead. This means that the three persons of the Godhead are the very entrance for all people from all four directions of the earth. Wherever we are, the three persons of the Godhead can reach us.
Luke 15 records three parables: the shepherd seeking the lost sheep, the woman seeking the lost coin, and the father waiting for his prodigal son. The Lord Jesus came as the shepherd to die on the cross to seek us and to redeem us. After Christ’s work, the Holy Spirit came as the woman to enlighten us, seeking within our hearts to bring us back. By the seeking work of the Holy Spirit, we repent and return to the Father, who gladly receives us. Then we have entered the gate. The three persons of the Godhead bring us into the very building. They are the entrance to anyone from the four corners of the earth. This corresponds with what is spoken in 2 Corinthians 13:14 for entering into the enjoyment of the Triune God: the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.
The fifteenth point is that each of these twelve gates is one pearl (Rev. 21:21). A pearl signifies the work of regeneration. When we enter the realm of God’s building through the three persons of the Godhead, we are regenerated. A pearl is formed in an oyster, a living organism abiding in the water, which represents death. When the oyster is hurt by a grain of sand, which remains in the wounded area, it secretes the fluid of life upon this grain of sand until it is transformed into a beautiful pearl. This is full of meaning. Christ is the living “oyster,” who came into the water of death. He was hurt by us as pieces of sand, and we as the grains of sand have remained at the place of the wound. Thus, His life was secreted into us and we were regenerated. Regeneration is the beginning of the work of transformation.
Some Christians are deeply in the process of transformation day by day, but with others the process stopped at regeneration. With some the work of transformation is taking place now, but by this evening or at least by tomorrow it will be frustrated. We are so peculiar and evil. There is a very rebellious nature within each one of us. Sometimes we would even tell the Lord that we want to give it all up, that we do not care whether we are transformed. Yet five minutes later we ask the Lord to forgive us. We cannot escape. We must come back; we will not have any peace if we do not. There are many things involved in this work of transformation. The pearl gate of regeneration is only the beginning, the very entrance into the city. Once we are in the realm of God’s building, we must go on in the transformation work of the Lord.
The sixteenth point is that once we go through the pearl gate, we immediately step onto the golden street in the city (v. 21). What is the meaning of this golden street? According to experience, when we pay attention to regeneration, the first stage of the Lord’s transformation work, we sense that we are contacting the divine nature of God; that is, we are on the golden street. We must realize the work of regeneration in our experience and day by day experience the wound of the oyster, the work of the cross in us. Then we will obtain the secretion from the oyster, the resurrection life in the Spirit. We constantly need the secretion of the divine life in the Holy Spirit within us. The more we experience the cross, the more we will realize the resurrection, the secretion of life. This is why we must daily experience the lessons of the cross, abiding in the wound of the Lord Jesus. By the secretion of the resurrection life, we will experience a continuing on in the golden street, the divine nature. This street will bring us into the very presence of God. In the midst of this street we will experience the flow of life, and in this flow we will enjoy the supply of life, the spiritual food. All these things are related and should be experienced by us.
The seventeenth point is that regardless from which direction we approach the city, regardless of which gate we use, we will be on just one street (22:2) along with everyone else. Remember that the New Jerusalem is shaped like a mountain, with the base of the city, a square. This “mountain” has three dimensions, all of equal measure: it is twelve thousand stadia in width, length, and height. The city’s one street winds downward in a spiral fashion from the top to the base. It begins at the throne at the top, and the last spiral of the street passes the twelve gates at the base. Thus, regardless from which side or by which gate you enter, you will be on the same street with all the others. We are not divided. We are all in one way, one flow. How significant this is! It is not merely the same street; it is the one street. In a city there may be two streets that are quite alike, but this street is the one street, which means that there is only one flow.
How wonderful it would be if all Christians cared only for the inner flow! Suppose that I am a Christian of Chinese origin visiting Christians in Japan. The Chinese people differ greatly from the Japanese, yet when we forget all the outward things and simply care for the inner feeling, the inner flow, the result is indeed wonderful. There is the same taste, the same feeling, the same sense—everything is the same. This principle also applies, of course, to Christians from Europe and America. The problem is that although the inward flow is one and we are all in that one flow, we care for too many outward things.
Suppose that a group of Christians are together and having wonderful fellowship. They are all in the one flow of life. But then one Christian in conversation asks another, “To which church do you belong?” The other may reply that he is a Methodist, and the first may exclaim, stiffening a bit, that he is a Baptist. Most of us have had this kind of experience. When we fellowship together about Christ, there is a wonderful flow, but when we talk about the denominations, everyone’s face becomes long. Eventually, in the New Jerusalem, we will all be in the same flow, in the one street, and we will all partake of the same food.
The eighteenth point is that in this city there is real fellowship. This fellowship begins from the throne and reaches all the gates. It is in the flow (the river) of life, with the supply (the tree) of life, and the way (the street) of life (vv. 1-2). However, this fellowship is not only among ourselves; it is also a fellowship between us and God. It is not only horizontal; it is also vertical. When we are in the flow of life, enjoying the supply of life and walking in the way of life, spontaneously we have fellowship one with another. We have proper and genuine fellowship with all the saints and with God on the throne. If you check your experiences, you will find this to be true. We will see more later concerning this flow, this fellowship.
The nineteenth point is that the fellowship in the flow of life is related to the throne (v. 1). The throne represents authority, and the proper fellowship in life is always related to the authority of the throne. In other words, the authority is related to the kingship, and the fellowship is related to the priesthood. All the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem are both kings and priests. There must be these two aspects in God’s building. We need the kingship, or the authority, and we also need the priesthood, or the fellowship.
The Old Testament clearly illustrates this principle in every phase of God’s building. Moses represented the kingship in the building of the tabernacle, and Aaron, the high priest, represented the priesthood. All these had fellowship together. The tabernacle was built up by the authority and by the fellowship. King Solomon represented the authority in the building of the first temple, and the high priest was there, representing the priesthood, the fellowship. Following the seventy years of captivity, in the recovery of the building, there was Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest. Chapter 6 of Zechariah portrays Christ as the builder of God’s temple. Upon His shoulders are the two offices of the kingship and the priesthood. As the king He possesses the authority, and as the priest He has the fellowship.
The building of the church is accomplished only by these two offices—the authority and the fellowship, the kingship and the priesthood. If the church is to be built, there must be authority and order. Each of us must subject ourselves to the headship, the lordship, the kingship of Christ. This will deliver us from all kinds of confusion. Christianity today is full of confusion, but there can never be any confusion in the building of the church. Just a little confusion will tear down the building. Any building contractor will tell you that proper order must be maintained during construction. Confusion only damages the building process. In the church the authority of the headship must be exercised among all the members so that we may have order without any confusion.
However, the kingship requires the balance of the priesthood. What is the priesthood? It is all of us ministering to the Lord together as priests. We must pray much together. I do not believe that any church can be built up by ministry alone. We must pray together as priests, ministering to the Lord, having fellowship one with another. In this way we will experience the kingship and the priesthood. Vertically, there will be the order and authority, and horizontally, there will be the fellowship. In this way the church building will be realized. We need more fellowship under the headship; then we will have the order and the flow. Spontaneously, all the materials will be put together, and the reality of the building will be realized and accomplished.
The twentieth point concerns the wall which surrounds the city. The wall’s appearance is jasper (Rev. 21:18), the same as the description of God’s appearance in Revelation 4:3. This means that the wall of the city expresses God’s likeness, God’s appearance.
The twenty-first point relates to the purpose of this wall. Its function is to separate that which is holy from that which is common, to separate that which belongs to God from that which does not belong to God. Such a separating wall is also a protection. The wall of any house is a separating factor, separating that which is within from that which is without, and such a separation protects all within the house. The wall of the holy city is a real separation: everything within this wall is holy, and everything without is common. This wall also affords full protection to all within the city.
God’s very appearance is the separating factor of this wall. The more a local church is in the likeness of God, the more it is separated from the world and everything common. How do we acquire God’s likeness? We can acquire God’s likeness only by God’s life. If the life of God flows within us, we will be in His very likeness, and His likeness will be the separating power of the church. Why is Christianity so similar to the worldly communities of today? It is because there is practically nothing about most of those in Christianity that bears the appearance of God. Most Christians lack God’s likeness without because they lack the flow of His life within. God’s life must flow within us so that we may bear His likeness without. This will cause the church to be separated from the common and worldly things, and at the same time this will protect us from so many injurious influences.
The twenty-second point relates to the building of the separating wall as the protection to the city. This does not happen overnight, for this wall is built of precious stones. The real building of the church is in this matter of separation. The city, which is all of gold, signifies the divine nature, and this nature does not involve much building. All the gates of the city are pearls, which do indicate some amount of building. The wall, however, is the main part of the building of the city. As we have seen, this wall as the separating and protecting factor, is in the likeness of God. It is one hundred forty-four cubits high, that is, twelve times twelve, which signifies completion in completion. The wall is indeed high. Some people accuse us of having such a high wall and giving the appearance of being sectarian, yet we must have such a high wall. Most of the time our wall is not high enough. We must have a wall one hundred forty-four cubits high to keep out everything common, and this wall must be built with precious stones.
It is quite easy to find mud to produce clay bricks, but it is extremely difficult to find precious stones. We may easily produce a large quantity of clay bricks overnight, but in one month’s time we can hardly acquire one piece of precious stone. Precious stones require much transformation work. It is easy to build a clay structure, but the work of transformation is exceedingly slow. We must be transformed into the likeness of God. Remember, God is in the appearance of jasper. Today we are pieces of clay; hence, we must be transformed into pieces of jasper and then built up to a height of one hundred forty-four cubits.
The twenty-third point is that the measurement of the wall is “according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel” (Rev. 21:17). This signifies that it is in the situation of man being like an angel. Luke 20:35-36 reveals that it is in resurrection that man will be the same as the angels. Therefore, the building of the wall is in resurrection. It is not of the natural life.
In summary, we have seen several features of the wall: (a) It has the appearance and likeness of God; (b) it is a separating factor; (c) it affords protection; (d) it is built exceedingly high; (e) its stones are material which has been transformed; and (f) it is something in resurrection. This city is so rich in all points. It reveals all the aspects of the building of the church. There is no other portion in the Scriptures that is so rich concerning the church life.
The twenty-fourth point is that this city has three equal dimensions (Rev. 21:16). In the entire Bible the only other structure that is equal in all three dimensions is the Holy of Holies. Whether in the tabernacle or in the temple, the Holy of Holies was always in three equal dimensions. In the tabernacle it was ten by ten by ten cubits, and in the temple it was twenty by twenty by twenty cubits (1 Kings 6:20). The entire city of the New Jerusalem is in three equal dimensions. This proves that the whole city is the Holy of Holies.
Holiness is the nature of God. Love reveals God’s heart, righteousness is God’s way, and holiness is God’s nature. Only God Himself is holy, for only God is separated and uniquely different from everything else. The New Jerusalem is a city which is absolutely saturated and mingled with God; therefore, it is absolutely holy. It is entirely different from all other things. Whenever we experience the mingling of God with us today, there is a real separation, a real holiness. In anything we do, if we have some experience of God in Christ being mingled with us, we experience holiness in that very thing. Holiness signifies a separation from common things. The more you are mingled with God in Christ, the more you will be holy. You will be different and separated from all things common. To be holy means to have something of God mingled with us. Holiness is not a matter of action but a matter of nature, for holiness is God’s nature. It is not what we do but how much we have been mingled with God. An aloofness from everything is not holiness. Holiness is determined by how much we have experienced being mingled with God. Chapter 12 of Hebrews says that God chastens us so that we might be partakers of His holiness (v. 10). That means that He chastens us so that we may partake of His nature by being mingled with Him. The New Jerusalem is absolutely and thoroughly mingled with God; therefore, it is the holy city.
The twenty-fifth point concerns the name of this city. Why is it called “New Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:2)? What is the newness? Again, it is God Himself, for only God is new. In the church life we need both holiness and newness. The church life must not be common, and the church life must not be old. When we attend some Christian meetings, our only impression is a sense of oldness. Ephesians 5 says that the church must be without spot or wrinkle. A spot speaks of something that has been damaged, whereas wrinkles are the sign of oldness. The church must be without spot, without any wound or damage from the enemy, and the church must be without wrinkles because of oldness. We should never say that we are an old church. No! The church must be very new, without a trace of oldness. Every day the church must be new. If we experience Christ day by day, we can maintain this newness. On the other hand, if we do not grow daily in our experiences of Christ, we will perpetuate something old. Our experience may have been new last year, but it is much too old to apply this year. We must grow in Christ to have the newness. The church is the one new man; it will be the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth.
We may tell how much a local church has grown by observing one factor: if the situation and atmosphere of the meeting are the same this year as they were last year, then there is oldness; there has been no growth. On the other hand, if the church is continually growing, the meetings will be continually new. In the holy city the tree of life brings forth a new kind of fruit every month (Rev. 22:2). Christ is so rich—we can never exhaust Him! We must have some new experiences of Christ every day to keep ourselves in newness. This newness and freshness are a proof that the church is growing.
The twenty-sixth point is that in this city there is no need of any man-made light or even of any natural light such as the sun (21:23; 22:5). In the church life we do not need either of these, for we have God in Christ as our light. Natural light signifies our natural sight or insight. Many times in the meetings of the church some brothers and sisters bring in their natural insight. And sometimes in the meetings people bring in light manufactured by human hands. In the church life both natural light and manufactured light must be dealt with and rejected. We must trust in God and experience Christ; then this very God in Christ will become our light.
What is light manufactured by human hands? Suppose that in the local church there is a brother whose mentality is not adequate. Therefore, someone recommends that he should go to see a psychiatrist. This signifies the light of the lamp, the manufactured human light. You may ask what we should do then with this brother. We must pray, and sometimes we must even fast. We need to deny the human way and look to the Lord. He will be our light; He will enlighten us as to what we should do. In all things we must deny the natural way, the natural light, as well as the human way, the human light. We must trust in the Lord, realizing that He is our light. We need to experience God more and more. In the holy city, there is only God; God Himself must be our experience in all aspects.
Some brothers have too many lights: they have the light of the sun, the light of the moon, the light of the stars, the light of candles, the light of oil lamps, and the light of electricity. They have too many ways. In the church life we must learn how to drop all these kinds of lights. There is only one light that is needed, and that is God Himself. He is the light and the way. He is everything. We must reject all other ways, all other lights. To do this involves learning some real lessons.
The twenty-seventh point is that there is no night in the New Jerusalem (21:25; 22:5). We have previously indicated that day and night will continue in the new earth, for there is still the sun and the moon. But because God enlightens the holy city, neither the sun nor the moon is needed. Thus, there is no night within the city. What is the meaning of this? At night we are tired and asleep; hence, the absence of night signifies that we will never be tired. In the New Jerusalem we will no longer require sleep, for we will continually experience resurrection power. We become tired because we are still in the old creation. Night is something of the old creation. Today in the church life we are still physically in the old creation; thus, there is always a certain period when we are tired. Spiritually speaking, however, we should never be tired; we should never grow weary in the spirit. There should not be any night in the church.
In the twenty-eighth point we must see that throughout the Scriptures there are two currents with two cities. One current is of Satan, and the other is of God. With the current of Satan there is a city called Babylon the Great (17:5), and with the current of God there is the holy city, New Jerusalem (21:2). The book of Revelation unveils these two cities. Babylon the Great is none other than the mingling of Satan with the human race. In the eyes of God, Babylon consists of all the worldly people. On the other hand, the New Jerusalem is the mingling of God with His people.
These two cities are never compatible. The holy city is always separated from the great Babylon, and Babylon is always seeking to damage the holy city. Eventually, God must intervene to judge Babylon the Great and build up the holy city. Even so, if the church is to be adequately built up today, there must always be a judgment upon all worldliness. Worldliness is the very element of the great Babylon. If we bring anything worldly into the building of the church, we are mixing Babylon with the holy city. God will never allow this. He will come in to vindicate Himself. We must be constantly alert to keep the building of the church separated from anything worldly, anything of the Babylonian city and its elements.
May we bring all of these points to the Lord in prayer. Pray for the church regarding all these things. I believe that God’s Word will not be in vain. Something will be worked out on this earth, because God’s Word has been released.
