Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 8-12-22

A New City Revelation 21:9-21 (KJV)
SCRIPTURES
Revelation 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high moun- tain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve founda- tions, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden
reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he meas- ured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hun- dred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the founda- tions of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first founda- tion was jasper; the sec- ond, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sar- donyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysopra- sus; 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 glass.
Beautiful Bride (Revelation 21:9-11)
The apostle John de- scribes the church as the bride. What do we learn about the church’s glorious identity from this term? If the church is Jesus’ bride (for He indeed is the “husband” of v. 2), then she is bound and be- trothed to Him in a holy and unbreakable covenant. This suggests that her duty is to love and respond to her hus- band, but more importantly it communicates the over- whelming love and commit- ment of Jesus Christ to His bride. If human beings con- sider themselves bound by the vows they take on their wedding day, how much more will Jesus consider Himself bound to His people, since in Him all God’s prom- ises are “yea” (2 Corinthi- ans 1:20), and since He has sealed the covenant of mar- riage between God and His
people with His own blood? In the Old Testament, God’s presence dwelt in Jerusalem and the people were blessed by His holiness and His favor. In the new heavens and the new earth, God will dwell in the midst of His people as never before. Christ, the great Mediator, will usher them into God’s presence with robes of right- eousness, and they will be thoroughly acceptable in His sight. How great is the love of the Father, and how secure is
the identity of the saints!
Beautiful Foundations (vv. 12-17)
The heavenly city that John saw is a picture of per- fection. It has perfect dimen- sions, beautifully adorned with precious gems and gold. The heavenly city is protected with high, fortified walls. The 12 gates to the city are cov- ered by 12 angels in order to ensure the city remains pure and unspoiled. The 12 gates echo the 12 gates in Ezekiel’s new city, which represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the complete inclusion of God’s people (Ezekiel 48:30-35). However, one of the most in- teresting facts about the city is that it is built on 12 founda- tions, each one bearing the name of one of the 12 apos- tles, the first bearers of the Gospel. This is because only through the Gospel can one become a citizen of this heav- enly city.
Beautiful Walls (vv. 18-21)
Twice in this small section of verses, John describes parts of the city both as being made of gold, and being clear as glass. As there is no such thing as transparent gold, we must assume John is using figurative language to try to describe just how amazing and wonderful this sight is. Here again, the number twelve is prominent, although John does not explicitly say what the number is to repre- sent this time. John describes the city’s walls and gates, naming the beautiful pre- cious stones that adorn them. The specific stones John names adorning the city’s walls are meant to remind his audience of the twelve stones on the high priest’s breast- plate (Exodus 28:17-20). They are presented in a dif- ferent order, and some names have changed, but the colors of the stones are consistent.
PAGE 4-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2022