The Revelation Explained Part 25

20. The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

21. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent gla.s.s.

22. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord G.o.d Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of G.o.d did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.

25. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.

27. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

We have here a magnificent description of the New Jerusalem, representing the home of the redeemed. The various symbols employed in its description must of course he understood as symbolical. We have no means of knowing just what our future home will be like; but that it will be a place of wondrous beauty and transcendent glory is shown by the fact that everything which is considered grand and glorious in this world is here chosen to represent the home of the redeemed. The symbols selected to describe it are objects of such priceless worth, even exceeding royal splendor, that we pause in astonishment and exclaim, "What must the reality be?" The conditions upon which entrance to this city may be obtained (ver. 27; chap. 22:14) show clearly that our future and eternal home is the chief burden of this vision and not merely our spiritual inheritance in this world.

"In approaching Jerusalem, the traveller is not aware of its proximity, until, ascending an eminence, the glorious city bursts upon his astonished vision, when he is ready to exclaim with the Psalmist--'Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king.'" Psa.

48:2. John was carried to "a great and high mountain," from which commanding point of view he was enabled to survey in all its boundless extent the surpa.s.sing glories of the New Jerusalem. Never did imagination conceive anything approaching the sublimity and grandeur of the scene here described by the pen of inspiration. It was "a great city"--how great we shall soon discover--the _holy_ Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from G.o.d.

The ancient city of Jerusalem was regarded as sacred because in it G.o.d had recorded his name, and it contained his holy temple, his place of residence on earth. Thither the tribes of Israel went up to worship; "Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." So, also, this New Jerusalem was "_the holy city_," an ant.i.type of the former. It is described as "having the glory of G.o.d, and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." "The glory of G.o.d" was that visible manifestation, called the Shekinah, which Jehovah made of himself in the tabernacle of his ancient people. The following facts concerning it will give us an understanding of its signification as connected with the New Jerusalem:

"Jehovah was the accepted King and Lawgiver of his people Israel, and he had his tabernacle among them, where he abode by his presence, where he might be approached and consulted, and make communications of his will.

That visible presence was 'the glory of G.o.d' or the Shekinah; and the Jews regarded it with the highest possible veneration, as the embodiment of the Deity. The sacred writers often speak of it in the same terms as of Jehovah himself. They refer to this when they speak of _seeing G.o.d_.

'Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, _and they saw the G.o.d of Israel_.' Ex. 24:9, 10. 'I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.' Isa. 6:1. And again in verse 5: 'For mine eyes _have seen_ the King, the Lord of hosts.' The spiritual essence of G.o.d can not, of course, be revealed to mortal vision, yet there was a manifestation of the Deity which was made visible to the eyes of men, and which Moses and Isaiah speak of as _seeing G.o.d_. It is spoken of as the _presence_ and _face_ of Jehovah. 'And he said, _My presence_ shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.' Ex. 33:14. 'And the Lord spake unto Moses _face to face_, as a man speaketh unto his friend.' Ex.

33:11."

The New Jerusalem that John saw descending from G.o.d--which denotes its heavenly origin--had "the glory of G.o.d: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." It dazzled as the purest diamond. In verse 23 we are informed that it illuminated the whole city so that there was "no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the _glory of G.o.d did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof_." In ancient times "the glory of G.o.d" filled the _tabernacle_, the place of his abode; but here it filled _the whole city_. In that tabernacle the Shekinah was the manifestation of the divine glory of Jehovah. In the New Jerusalem Jesus Christ, who is "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,"

illuminates the entire city of G.o.d. Oh, halleluiah!

In olden times the cities were surrounded with walls, designed as a defense against all enemies. The more important the city, the higher and stronger were the walls built. Having walls, it was necessary also to have gates to furnish ingress and egress to the inhabitants. These gates were in charge of faithful guardians, who had authority to open and to close them according to the regulations of the city. In accordance with this idea the city of G.o.d is represented as having "a wall great and high." This wall represents the security of Zion, whose inhabitants within can rest in peace and safety. The three gates on each side represent the free and easy access into the city from every quarter.

Anciently, it was customary to give names to the gates of a city, just as we now do to our streets. The gates of this holy city were named after the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, which embraced all G.o.d's ancient covenant people, and which denotes the perfection and completeness of our heavenly home as including all the spiritual Israel.

"And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." The twelve foundations, or rather the twelve courses of stone in the foundation, are more fully described hereafter. The names of the twelve tribes were on the gates to denote that the city was composed of G.o.d's true and complete Israel, and the names of the twelve apostles are on the foundation to denote that this contains the church which was "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone." Eph.

2:20. The system of truth that they preached to the world forms the doctrinal basis of the church of G.o.d, they having received it from heaven "by inspiration of G.o.d," and their names all appear; and together they const.i.tute one harmonious, solid foundation upon which the church shall stand forever.

The dimensions of the city as measured by the angel are next given as twelve thousand furlongs, or one thousand five hundred miles. By the statement that the length, the breadth and the height are equal, some have supposed that the city was one thousand five hundred miles high. To quote the words of a certain commentator: "The language, however, will bear another meaning, which is far more natural. It is not that the length and breadth and height were severally equal to _each other_, but _equal with themselves_; that is the length was everywhere the same, the breadth everywhere the same, and the height the same. It was perfect and symmetrical in all its proportions. This is confirmed by the fact distinctly stated, that the wall was one hundred and forty and four cubits high, or two hundred and sixteen feet, a proper height for a wall; while it is said only that 'the length is as large as the breadth.'" This writer reckoned but eighteen inches for a cubit, whereas some figure twenty-two. A city one thousand and five hundred miles high with a wall only two hundred and sixteen or two hundred and sixty four feet high, would be altogether out of proportion.

The wondrous dimensions of this city set forth the fact that our future home far exceeds in grandeur and extent everything that is looked upon as glorious upon earth. Who ever heard of a city one thousand and five hundred miles square? We have had empires so large, but no such cities.

In this representation the city does not encompa.s.s the entire earth as she in one sense really does, because it would be impossible thus to represent her and at the same time she be represented as a city within the earth, into which the nations bring their "glory and honor." The ancient city of Babylon with its beautiful hanging-gardens, the very triumph of human skill, and the city itself lying in a foursquare, being fifteen miles on each side, was unsurpa.s.sed in human loveliness. But the city of G.o.d is represented as _fifteen hundred_ miles square, which dimensions are out of all proportion with anything existing on earth; hence its beauty and magnificence must be ascribed to G.o.d only.

"And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold like unto clear gla.s.s." The jasper is the same crystal gem before mentioned. What a wondrous wall it must have been! It was not made of such common material as granite, freestone, or marble, which can make the most imposing structures that human pride can rear, and which are fit for the residence of lofty kings; but it was of jasper, clear as crystal. Think of the wall of this holy city being nearly three hundred feet high and stretching around the city six thousand miles, all built of the purest diamond! No stretch of the human imagination can properly compa.s.s such a vision. In rearing earthly structures men seek such material as combine durability, cheapness, beauty, and ease of being wrought. Look at this wall! For _durability_, it has the most indestructible material that can be found on earth. For _beauty_, the language of man can not even convey a meagre description of its amazing loveliness. For _cheapness_--G.o.d's riches were inexhaustible, hence it was not necessary to take this into consideration. For _ease of being wrought_--think of the vast amount of labor it requires to cut and shape even one large diamond, it being said to require in some cases years of incessant toil; yet G.o.d could afford to build the wall of this city of such material. Oh, wonders of G.o.d's handiwork! How inexpressibly glorious! This, my dear reader, symbolizes the priceless worth of our eternal home, secured through the atonement. Study the plan of redemption. There is nothing equal to it in the universe. "What is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and _lose his own soul_?"

Men become greatly agitated over the announcement of the discovery of gold in the Klond.y.k.e, in the Australian continent, in California, and with feverish excitement they abandon their homes and rush headlong to the reputed El Dorado, fearing neither famine, storms, deserts, nor the icy northern blasts. But all the gold ever mined from the bowels of the earth is insignificant and forms no comparison with the representation of this city. Its streets and mansions were built, not of common cement, lumber, nor even granite and marble, but _of pure gold_.

The twelve courses of stone in the foundation of the wall have already been mentioned. It is here particularly described. One might suppose that, according to human custom, rougher material would be selected for the foundation. Not so, however. The most brilliant and costly gems were chosen to lay these courses. Nothing cheap nor common had anything to do in the construction of this marvelous city. It was altogether beyond the reach of men to imitate: it was G.o.d's own handiwork; and we can not but admire its wondrous beauty. It is unnecessary to give a minute description of the gems of which these foundation-courses were composed.

They were the most beautiful and costly of which men possess any knowledge. In appearance they represent various colors of the most delicate shades. Royal persons wear even the smallest of these gems upon their persons and imagine themselves richly adorned; but in this city of G.o.d they appear in such abundance that they are even selected to form the basis, or foundation, of the wall. "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl." We have rich necklaces of pearl; but where is the individual that was ever blessed with such a profusion of wealth that he could ornament the gates of a city with pearls? The gates of the New Jerusalem, however, were not merely ornamented or studded with pearls--that were a very small thing for her--but each gate was of one solid pearl. To conceive the immensity of this representation we must consider the size of the gates required to accommodate the mult.i.tudes constantly entering and departing from a city. To be in proportion to the wall they would have to be of immense size, and also of prodigious strength in order to resist the a.s.saults of enemies, as they would be the first places attacked. The gate of the temple called Beautiful, mentioned in the Book of Acts, which was in the wall surrounding the temple, is said to have been seventy-five feet high and sixty in width, built of Corinthian bra.s.s. Yet immense as they were, those in the New Jerusalem were each of one solid pearl. Oh, beautiful city of G.o.d, the home of the saints!

The most prominent object within the walls of the ancient Jerusalem was the magnificent temple on Mount Zion. It was the chief ornament and glory of the city. In the New Jerusalem, however, no temple is seen.

Alas! is not this a great defect? What is Jerusalem without a temple where the tribes may go up and worship before the Lord? Oh, they need no temple in this glorious city of G.o.d; for there is one there greater than the temple: "the Lord G.o.d Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."

This doubtless sets forth the fact that the worship of G.o.d is pure and spiritual and of free access to all. Under the old dispensation the high priest alone, and he but once a year, was permitted to enter the sacred precincts of the Deity as limited to the inner sanctuary of the temple.

Now G.o.d's people need no mediating priest to offer up a special sacrifice that the will of G.o.d might be known; but all are kings and priests who offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to G.o.d by Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:5); yea, as saith the prophet, "they _shall all know me_ from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord."

Jer. 31:34. No temple is needed that the Shekinah of the divine presence may take up its abode between the cherubim in the most holy place, but "the glory of the Lord" fills the entire city. It can not be confined to a given locality. "The Lord G.o.d Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it," and they const.i.tute the glory of the New Jerusalem as did the temple on Mount Zion that of the old.

"The nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it." Can any one conceive the grandeur and the sublimity of the scene when a light that eclipses the sun and the moon is reflected from streets and mansions of gold, or comes streaming through a wall composed of the most brilliant gems of different hues, with gates of solid pearl? No wonder, then, that the poet has denominated it "the beautiful light of G.o.d"! The gates are open continuously, for they are not closed by day, and "there shall be no night there." But "there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of Life."

This, my dear reader, is the reward of the New Testament church, "the church of G.o.d."

CHAPTER XXII.

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, dear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of G.o.d and of the Lamb.

2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of G.o.d and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

4. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord G.o.d giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

The description of the New Jerusalem continues in the first five verses of this chapter. By the "river of the water of life" is doubtless meant full salvation, which as a mighty flowing stream issues "out of the throne of G.o.d and of the Lamb." To this fountain of living waters an invitation is now given to all to come and partake to their satisfaction. "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Verse 17. As a defense to G.o.d's people in this world salvation is represented as a great wall surrounding them (Isa. 26:12); but as a source of joy, holiness and happiness, it is a living stream whereof all may partake. While this symbol meets an appropriate fulfilment in the present dispensation, yet salvation will also be the eternal possession of the saints in the world to come, when "they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst thereof, shall feed them, and shall _lead them unto living fountains of waters_; and G.o.d shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Chap. 7:16, 17.

In a most appropriate place, upon the banks of the river, grew "the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

The tree of life in the garden of Eden was a symbol of man's immortality or incorruption, or rather the _means_ of it; for after his fall it was securely guarded and he driven from the garden, "lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"

(Gen. 3:22) and thus frustrate the decree of G.o.d just uttered--that he should return unto dust and corruption. In the New Jerusalem, however, that tree of life blooms again and bears fruit abundantly, yea continuously, as symbolized by "every month," and no cherubim with flaming sword are placed to guard all approach to it. The privilege is open; for it is added immediately, "There _shall be no more curse_."

This, then, symbolizes the removal of spiritual death and the impartation of everlasting life in this world and immortality in the next. The tree of life grew on both sides of the river. On this side of the line of mortality we have access to it in one important sense, while those in the future world are preserved also by its healing benefits.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit abide in this city. G.o.d reveals himself, not to a few chosen priests only through the Shekinah of his presence, but to all his servants--"they all see his face." As in the ancient tabernacle he manifested himself by "the glory of the Lord," or the Shekinah, which was represented as "seeing his face"; so, also, the "glory of the Lord" abides in the New Jerusalem, filling the entire city with the holy manifestation of the divine presence. His people are "sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise," by which they possess the name of their Father--not the name of the beast nor of his image, but _the name of the Father_.

"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord G.o.d giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever." This city has no need of natural or artificial light, "for the Lamb is the light thereof." Chap. 21:23. The light of the sun stands connected with the light of a candle and both are represented as unnecessary, which denotes that "there shall be no night there," but one clear eternal day.

6. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord G.o.d of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

7. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

The language of symbols is discontinued. With the description of the New Jerusalem closes the grand panoramic scene of this book. Wondrous indeed have been the events of earth prophetically outlined, but we have the a.s.surance that "these things are faithful and true." A continuous political and ecclesiastical history of that portion of the earth made the subject of Apocalyptic vision, from the dawn of Christianity until the last day, was here written down in advance. After the permanent division of the empire, which occurred under Valens and Valentinian[16]

in A.D. 364, it was necessary that the political and the ecclesiastical history of the empire should be divided in the prophecy. This inspiration has done. The downfall of the Western empire is clearly predicted in the symbols under the first four trumpets; but the eclipse is afterwards lifted, and the same Western empire again appears in Imperial form under the control of the Papacy. After giving their power and strength unto the beast during the Dark Ages, the horns afterward turn against the Papacy and rob her of all her temporal authority and power, thus pointing us clearly to the history of modern Europe, in which the prophecy has been actually fulfilled. They themselves end at the judgment of the last day. Thus, the political history of the Western empire is carried through to the end. The Eastern division of the empire is also made a subject of prophecy, and its overthrow is described under the sixth trumpet. This was effected by the second woe, or the rise of the Ottoman power, and that woe is represented as continuing until after the death and the resurrection of the two witnesses and terminating shortly before the end of time. Therefore the political history of the Eastern empire, which has been under the power of the Turks for centuries, is outlined until the end. The ecclesiastical history of the Eastern empire is also given, its most prominent feature being the rise and the development of that pest of Mohammedanism, which rests like a dark cloud over that fair country until this day. In the Western division the rise of the Papacy, its continuation, the rise of Protestantism and its duration, are all clearly outlined, reaching down to these last days. Then the scene is suddenly enlarged and is carried beyond the limits of the earth--the Apocalyptic earth--into "the whole world," when the powers of wickedness are combined in spirit to antagonize the reformation of holiness and truth which G.o.d is using to gather his faithful ones together in preparation for the coming of the Son of G.o.d to judgment. In view of these wonderful events of the last days, how comforting the words of the text before us--"Behold, _I come quickly:_ blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book"!

[Footnote 16: Some historians give A.D. 395 as the date of the permanent division of the empire. The government of the Eastern and Western divisions was separate from the accession of Valens and Valentinian, in 364, until during the reign of Theodosius the Great, when the West, through the jealous rivalries of different compet.i.tors for the throne, had fallen into great disorder. Theodosius twice interposed to right matters and finally took the government into his own hands for the s.p.a.ce of four months, in 395, when he died, after arranging for the division of the empire between his two sons Arcadius and Honorius.]

8. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things.

9. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship G.o.d.

The mind of the apostle was so enraptured with the visions he beheld that he could not but adore and worship; but the angel that had been the chosen instrument to reveal these prophecies refused his act of homage and instructed him to "worship G.o.d." Created intelligences are not worthy of such respect; to G.o.d alone all honor and praise belongs. Jesus Christ our Redeemer is G.o.d--G.o.d over all, blessed forever. As such he is worthy of the homage supreme of all our hearts, the praises of all our lips.