Rev 21:25 | KingComments | STEP | . Then the foundation is looked at more closely. The foundation is adorned with all kinds of precious stones, yes, it consist of precious stones. They all together appear to be a foundation of twelve layers. Each layer is a foundation, so that the city lies on twelve foundations. Those foundations are not hidden in the ground, but are visible. The city can be seen in its entirety because it is seen as descending from God from heaven without coming down to earth. The ranking of the foundations is given: 1. The “first foundation stone”, the lowest one, on which all other foundations are laid, is again “jasper”, the image of the glory of God. The color is that of a transparent crystal. 2. The “second” foundation stone is “sapphire”. The color of sapphire is beautifully blue. 3. “Chalcedony”, the precious stone of which the “third” foundation consists, appears only here in the Bible. Its color is green-blue. 4. The color of “emerald”, the “fourth” foundation stone, is radiant green. 5. The color of “sardonyx”, the “fifth” foundation stone, may be lightly flamed black, brown, red and white striped. 6. “Sardius”, the “sixth” foundation stone, must have a beautiful red color. 7. “Chrysolite”, the “seventh” foundation stone, is of golden yellow color. 8. The color of “beryl”, the “eighth” foundation stone, can be different. This precious stone has amongst others a red, blue, green, yellow, purple and even a colorless variant. 9. “Topaz”, the “ninth” foundation stone, is deep splendid yellow. 10. “Chrysoprase” the ”tenth” foundation stone, is according to the meaning of its name, golden green. 11. The color of “jacinth”, the “eleventh” foundation stone, is not known (to me). 12. “Amethyst”, the “twelfth” foundation stone, has a violet color. Although the exact color of each precious stone is not known, you nevertheless still have an impression of the overwhelming brilliance and splendor that the colors of the superimposed foundations exude. They blend together and each color enhances the other colors. It must be a pleasure for the eyes to look at that. It is about building materials that never perish and about colors that never fade away. The whole reveals the power and wisdom of the Creator. You also come across twelve precious stones in Ezekiel 28 ( ). Those precious stones reflect the glory of creation. You also find twelve precious stones in Exodus 28 ( ). There they are connected to the breastplate of the high priest and reflect the glory of his service which he does for the sake of the twelve tribes of Israel. All precious stones are different. We will all be clothed with the glory of God, but it will never be forgotten how the glory of God on earth has been expressed in a unique way in every redeemed person. They altogether form a unique display of the glory of God. Each child of God can show something of God’s glory in his life. In the precious stones gold represent the common glory – the whole city is of gold ( ). The precious stones themselves represent the glory that each individual believer has and which distinguishes him from every other believer, while on the other hand he complements the other believer with it and enhances his glory. . Each of “the twelve gates” consists of a pearl. That reminds one of the value that the church has for the Lord Jesus. The church is a pearl of great value to Him ( ). The twelve gates will eternally remind to all sides in creation that He has given Himself for her. If the church is as precious as a pearl to Him, can the fellowship of saints be unimportant or insignificant to us (cf. ) or would we despise the least member of it ( )? Another special characteristic of the city is that there is only one street. It is impossible to get lost or to walk off the road. All believers there go one way. It is impossible that there will be division. As the city is of pure gold, gold that is like clear glass ( ), so the street is also of “pure gold, like transparent glass”. The street refers to your walk in this city. There will be no danger for pollution, for in that city you are in accordance with the golden transparency of the street. At the same time it is an appeal to walk now already as you will do there. . John does not see a temple in the city. This is, because it is not about the earthly Jerusalem that the prophets are speaking about, for there will certainly be a temple there (Ezekiel 40-43). A temple reminds one of sin, for the temple is a separate place in the city. That means also that there is a certain distance between God and His people. The veil in the temple emphasizes the separation between God and His people. That distance and that separation are not present between the church and God and the Lamb. God dwells in the church and He Himself is its temple as well as the Lamb (cf. ). The church is in the direct, immediate presence of God and the Lamb, without any distance or separation. . The city as a whole is the temple of God. God dwells in the city and in that way the city is the temple. There is no separate temple. Likewise, there is no separate light, the sun or the moon, shining on the city from outside. If God dwell in the city, He is its light. His glory could never be illuminated by something different that would have a greater glory. The brilliance of His glory lies over the whole city. And wherein is the brilliance of His glory to be seen? In the Lamb. The glory of God will always only reach the city through the Lamb ( ). We know and see the Father only through the Son ( ). The sun and moon are means to pass on the light in the creation. In Genesis 1 you see that there is first light on the first day and that then on the fourth day the sun and the moon are called by God to show up. But the city of God is not illuminated by natural, created means. There is a direct illumination coming from God Himself. That the Lamb is the lamp actually indicates that the Lamb is the means, but that doesn’t change anything about the fact that God’s light is directly present, for the Lamb in Whom this light is visible, is also God. . The church passes on the light of the glory of God, which lies over it by the Lamb, to the earth. The church is like the sun for the nations. Through the light of the Lamb the church gives light in which the nations will walk. The church, which we are, will be the channel through which the blessing is passed on out of heaven to the earth. We ourselves will enjoy in our glorified bodies the blessings that surpass the earthly blessings. The kings of the earth will bring their earthly glory to it (cf. ; ). How exactly we should imagine this is not clear to me. Perhaps we should think of the appearance of heavenly saints to these nations on earth. After all, the church will reign together with Christ as the wife of the Lamb. These heavenly saints represent Christ. By acknowledging them as channels of heavenly blessings, the nations will honor Christ. . Where the light of God rules, there is no darkness. The day will not be followed anymore by the night. The morning without clouds ( ), the day without anything that causes shadow or darkness, has come for the heavenly church. All things are fully transparent. There will be no fear for thieves who would want to enter, for all darkness has disappeared and is gone forever ( ). The city will be all light and glory. . It is said one more time that the glory and the honor of the nations will be brought into it. It makes clear how much the church is the center of blessings in the kingdom of peace. It is in itself not the source of it, for all blessings come from God. But it is the means by which God makes His blessings go to the earth. The nations will respond to that with appropriate gifts. It will not be so much about material gifts, but about the recognition that they in no way have any glory and honor that serve to magnify themselves as if they owe that to themselves. The nations did behave like that in the time of the rejection of Christ. Then the church was not esteemed, but was rejected and persecuted. Now it is exactly the other way around. God makes sure that His church is honored according to the extent that it was dishonored (cf. ). . Into the city can come only what contributes to the glory of it. It is impossible for anything to enter it that could possibly damage the glory of the city. Everything associated with sin, gets no chance to enter the heavenly city. Should there be anything unholy that tries to enter it, or anyone who does wrong things, the light will immediately expose it. Nothing that belongs to darkness will manage to unremarkably enter the city. The light is at the same time its safety. But there are those who do enter the city. These are believers, people “whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”. It is not the nations of the earth, for flesh and blood cannot enter it. Neither are they the believers of the church, for they are the city. So which believers are they? They are all the Old Testament believers who died and the martyrs who are killed after the rapture of the church. They are not part of the church, but they do share in all the blessings God has promised to all who have put their trust in Him. They will enjoy those blessings in the heavenly part of the kingdom of peace. Now read Revelation 21:19-27 again. Reflection: What is different in the new Jerusalem compared to the old Jerusalem?

‏ Revelation of John 21:25

God Almighty and the Lamb Are Its Temple

Rev 21:19-20. Then the foundation is looked at more closely. The foundation is adorned with all kinds of precious stones, yes, it consist of precious stones. They all together appear to be a foundation of twelve layers. Each layer is a foundation, so that the city lies on twelve foundations. Those foundations are not hidden in the ground, but are visible. The city can be seen in its entirety because it is seen as descending from God from heaven without coming down to earth.

The ranking of the foundations is given:

1. The “first foundation stone”, the lowest one, on which all other foundations are laid, is again “jasper”, the image of the glory of God. The color is that of a transparent crystal.

2. The “second” foundation stone is “sapphire”. The color of sapphire is beautifully blue.

3. “Chalcedony”, the precious stone of which the “third” foundation consists, appears only here in the Bible. Its color is green-blue.

4. The color of “emerald”, the “fourth” foundation stone, is radiant green.

5. The color of “sardonyx”, the “fifth” foundation stone, may be lightly flamed black, brown, red and white striped.

6. “Sardius”, the “sixth” foundation stone, must have a beautiful red color.

7. “Chrysolite”, the “seventh” foundation stone, is of golden yellow color.

8. The color of “beryl”, the “eighth” foundation stone, can be different. This precious stone has amongst others a red, blue, green, yellow, purple and even a colorless variant.

9. “Topaz”, the “ninth” foundation stone, is deep splendid yellow.

10. “Chrysoprase” the ”tenth” foundation stone, is according to the meaning of its name, golden green.

11. The color of “jacinth”, the “eleventh” foundation stone, is not known (to me).

12. “Amethyst”, the “twelfth” foundation stone, has a violet color.

Although the exact color of each precious stone is not known, you nevertheless still have an impression of the overwhelming brilliance and splendor that the colors of the superimposed foundations exude. They blend together and each color enhances the other colors. It must be a pleasure for the eyes to look at that. It is about building materials that never perish and about colors that never fade away. The whole reveals the power and wisdom of the Creator.

You also come across twelve precious stones in Ezekiel 28 (Eze 28:4 ; 13). Those precious stones reflect the glory of creation. You also find twelve precious stones in Exodus 28 (Exo 28:17-21). There they are connected to the breastplate of the high priest and reflect the glory of his service which he does for the sake of the twelve tribes of Israel.

All precious stones are different. We will all be clothed with the glory of God, but it will never be forgotten how the glory of God on earth has been expressed in a unique way in every redeemed person. They altogether form a unique display of the glory of God. Each child of God can show something of God’s glory in his life. In the precious stones gold represent the common glory – the whole city is of gold (Rev 21:18). The precious stones themselves represent the glory that each individual believer has and which distinguishes him from every other believer, while on the other hand he complements the other believer with it and enhances his glory.

Rev 21:21. Each of “the twelve gates” consists of a pearl. That reminds one of the value that the church has for the Lord Jesus. The church is a pearl of great value to Him (Mt 13:46). The twelve gates will eternally remind to all sides in creation that He has given Himself for her. If the church is as precious as a pearl to Him, can the fellowship of saints be unimportant or insignificant to us (cf. Heb 10:25) or would we despise the least member of it (Mt 18:10)?

Another special characteristic of the city is that there is only one street. It is impossible to get lost or to walk off the road. All believers there go one way. It is impossible that there will be division. As the city is of pure gold, gold that is like clear glass (Rev 21:18), so the street is also of “pure gold, like transparent glass”. The street refers to your walk in this city. There will be no danger for pollution, for in that city you are in accordance with the golden transparency of the street. At the same time it is an appeal to walk now already as you will do there.

Rev 21:22. John does not see a temple in the city. This is, because it is not about the earthly Jerusalem that the prophets are speaking about, for there will certainly be a temple there (Ezekiel 40-43). A temple reminds one of sin, for the temple is a separate place in the city. That means also that there is a certain distance between God and His people. The veil in the temple emphasizes the separation between God and His people.

That distance and that separation are not present between the church and God and the Lamb. God dwells in the church and He Himself is its temple as well as the Lamb (cf. Isa 8:14). The church is in the direct, immediate presence of God and the Lamb, without any distance or separation.

Rev 21:23. The city as a whole is the temple of God. God dwells in the city and in that way the city is the temple. There is no separate temple. Likewise, there is no separate light, the sun or the moon, shining on the city from outside. If God dwell in the city, He is its light. His glory could never be illuminated by something different that would have a greater glory. The brilliance of His glory lies over the whole city.

And wherein is the brilliance of His glory to be seen? In the Lamb. The glory of God will always only reach the city through the Lamb (2Cor 4:6). We know and see the Father only through the Son (Jn 14:6 ; 9). The sun and moon are means to pass on the light in the creation. In Genesis 1 you see that there is first light on the first day and that then on the fourth day the sun and the moon are called by God to show up.

But the city of God is not illuminated by natural, created means. There is a direct illumination coming from God Himself. That the Lamb is the lamp actually indicates that the Lamb is the means, but that doesn’t change anything about the fact that God’s light is directly present, for the Lamb in Whom this light is visible, is also God.

Rev 21:24. The church passes on the light of the glory of God, which lies over it by the Lamb, to the earth. The church is like the sun for the nations. Through the light of the Lamb the church gives light in which the nations will walk. The church, which we are, will be the channel through which the blessing is passed on out of heaven to the earth. We ourselves will enjoy in our glorified bodies the blessings that surpass the earthly blessings.

The kings of the earth will bring their earthly glory to it (cf. Psa 72:10-11; Isa 60:3 ; 5-7 ; 9). How exactly we should imagine this is not clear to me. Perhaps we should think of the appearance of heavenly saints to these nations on earth. After all, the church will reign together with Christ as the wife of the Lamb. These heavenly saints represent Christ. By acknowledging them as channels of heavenly blessings, the nations will honor Christ.

Rev 21:25. Where the light of God rules, there is no darkness. The day will not be followed anymore by the night. The morning without clouds (2Sam 23:4), the day without anything that causes shadow or darkness, has come for the heavenly church. All things are fully transparent. There will be no fear for thieves who would want to enter, for all darkness has disappeared and is gone forever (1Jn 2:8b). The city will be all light and glory.

Rev 21:26. It is said one more time that the glory and the honor of the nations will be brought into it. It makes clear how much the church is the center of blessings in the kingdom of peace. It is in itself not the source of it, for all blessings come from God. But it is the means by which God makes His blessings go to the earth.

The nations will respond to that with appropriate gifts. It will not be so much about material gifts, but about the recognition that they in no way have any glory and honor that serve to magnify themselves as if they owe that to themselves. The nations did behave like that in the time of the rejection of Christ. Then the church was not esteemed, but was rejected and persecuted. Now it is exactly the other way around. God makes sure that His church is honored according to the extent that it was dishonored (cf. Rev 3:9).

Rev 21:27. Into the city can come only what contributes to the glory of it. It is impossible for anything to enter it that could possibly damage the glory of the city. Everything associated with sin, gets no chance to enter the heavenly city. Should there be anything unholy that tries to enter it, or anyone who does wrong things, the light will immediately expose it. Nothing that belongs to darkness will manage to unremarkably enter the city. The light is at the same time its safety.

But there are those who do enter the city. These are believers, people “whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life”. It is not the nations of the earth, for flesh and blood cannot enter it. Neither are they the believers of the church, for they are the city. So which believers are they? They are all the Old Testament believers who died and the martyrs who are killed after the rapture of the church. They are not part of the church, but they do share in all the blessings God has promised to all who have put their trust in Him. They will enjoy those blessings in the heavenly part of the kingdom of peace.

Now read Revelation 21:19-27 again.

Reflection: What is different in the new Jerusalem compared to the old Jerusalem?