New Jerusalem
Part
of this idea of the New Jerusalem can be explained well through an
understanding of Plato’s doctrine of forms.
A form – or perhaps a better
modern word is idea – is the perfect example
of what exists here on this world. The
perfect example is not flawed through sin, human imperfection, or even time. Thus the New Jerusalem can be thought of as a
perfect example of what the Jerusalem of this world strived to achieve but
never could.
The
other part of this idea of a New Jerusalem comes out of traditional Judaism. Isaiah 54:11 speaks of the rebuilding of the
torn down Jerusalem. Isaiah 60:10-20
speaks about a beautiful city whose light is God, whose gates are never shut,
and who has no need of a sun or a moon. Haggai
2:9 speaks of a new city that will be greater than its predecessor. Ezekiel 48:31-35 speaks of the rebuilt city
and its twelve gates. The New Jerusalem
is essentially about faith. In the Old
Testament, Jerusalem was brought low by the Babylonians – but they had faith
that it would be rebuilt. In the days
when John wrote this, Rome has dared to destroy Jerusalem and the Christian
sees God’s eternal kingdom following the retribution upon Rome. In the end, sinfulness will have led to the
destruction of the world. But God will then
bring about an incorruptible New Jerusalem.
Presence of God
John
sees God’s dwelling (literally “tabernacle”) and we are said to dwell (literally
“to tabernacle”) with God. In the story
of the Exodus, we hear how God set up a tabernacle in order to dwell among His
people. We also hear that we will be
God’s people, and God will be our God.
This is a common promise throughout all of the Old Testament. (See Lev. 26:11-12, Jer. 31:33, Ezek. 37:27,
Song of Solomon 6:3)
We
also hear God’s promise to make all things new.
This promise is a reiteration of Isaiah 43:18-19. God claims to be the alpha/beginning and
omega/end. We have encountered this
description in Revelation 1:8 and spoke of it there. This is also much more than a claim about
being omnipresent. Beginning can also be
interpreted as a source. God is the
source of all. End can also be
interpreted as goal. God is the goal of
life. For me, this is the true depth of
this name of God. With such a description
it seems as though God should be far off and above us. However, the next thing we hear is that God
will give a drink from the water of life to any who are thirsty. Not only is God the source and the goal, but
he is also approachable. That is the God
who we have gathered around the Word to meet.
Humanity’s Relationship with God
Those
who remain faithful will be considered God’s sons. This is a promise given to many who followed
God. First Abraham, then David (and his
offspring), and then of the Messiah. Now
it is made to all those who follow God.
However,
there is also a guarantee of those who are condemned. The cowards are those who loved an easy life
instead of those who stood up for what they believe in. The unbelieving are those who were presented
with God and salvation but whose lives do not demonstrate it. The polluted are those who allowed themselves
to be saturated by the things of the world.
The murderers are those who take judgment into their own hands. The fornicators are those who allowed sexual
sin to corrupt their life. The sorcerers
are those who find ultimate power in places other than God. The idolaters are those who chose to worship
something besides God. The liars are
guilty of not telling the truth as well as actively telling untruths. These are all activities that displace God –
what we call sin.
God’s Servants
There
is a subtle message that should be brought out regarding the angel who speaks
to John. Assuming that this angel is not
only also one of the angels who brought about the last of the plagues upon the
earth but also the same angel who bids John to come and see the harlot in
Revelation 17:1, John’s point is that true followers of God do not only do the
pleasant tasks of God (or enjoy the hurtful tasks). Rather, the true servant of God does what God
asks regardless of whether the task is pleasant or difficult. Even if these angels are different the point
remains. God’s work must be done. It is not always pleasant. But it is still all God’s work.
There
is some debate about the “carried away” that John experiences. Some think it a reference to rapture. While it certainly could be, it is far more concrete
to simply see it as an analogy to the fact that we cannot see the things of God
without some sort of change occurring within us. We cannot see God or God’s plans without
something about us undergoing modification.
The City
So
now let’s turn to this New Jerusalem. The
easiest interpretation of the great wall is that it is the insurmountable
bulwark of faith. There are 12 gates,
each with the name of a tribe of Israel.
The fact that there are 12 gates – three from each direction – may well
imply that there are many paths to God.
God’s people are catholic in that all people are welcome within God.
I
am not trying to say that “all faiths lead to the same God.” I genuinely believe that the only way to God
is through Jesus Christ. But if one
happens to be Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist, etc – or even a mixture of
them – then it is possible to find God.
So long a Jesus is the justification, there are indeed many paths to
God.
The
vision of the angel measuring the city comes from Ezekiel 40:3. Note that the city is not built in the shape
of a square (as many ancient capital cities were) but in a cube. The cube could be a hint back towards the trinity. However, it could also be a hint back to the
Jewish worship practices. The altar of
burnt offerings, the altar of incenses, and the high-priest’s breastplate are
all cubes. In fact, even the Holy of
Holies in the Temple was a perfect cube.
In this understanding, the city itself becomes a symbol of a place of
worship – if not the greatest place of worship.
Now
let’s talk a bit about the precious gemstones.
As the pearls each made one big gateway, the idea is that there is one
large foundation stone between each gateway.
We
cannot know the exact meaning of the stones, but there are some similarities to
point out.
- Eight of the 12 stones are the same as the breastplate of the high priest.
- The stones may simply be to emphasize the splendor of God’s city in that even the foundation stones are priceless.
- Interestingly enough this list fits even more precisely with the stones of the Zodiac. Aries (The Ram) is amethyst, the Taurus (The Bull) is jacinth, Gemini (The Twins) is chrysoprase, Cancer (The Crab) is topaz, Leo (The Lion) is beryl, Virgo (The Virgin) is chrysolite, Libra (The Scales) is carnelian, Scorpio (The Scorpion) is sardonyx, Sagittarius (The Centaur/Archer) is emerald, Capricorn (The Goat) is chalcedony, Aquarius (The Water Carrier) is sapphire, and Pisces (The Fish) is jasper. Since the zodiac is considered attached to the ancient city of the gods (heavenly city, of course) the point John might be making is that God’s city far surpasses the city of the gods.
- Furthermore, notice that John gives us the precise order of the zodiac but in reverse order. I think this connection is too obvious to ignore. John is definitely giving us a commentary on the ancient pantheistic gods in comparison to the one true God.
Notice
also that there is no temple mentioned. There
is no need for a temple because as I described before the city is the worship
space – the Holy of Holies. The city
needs no light as the light is from God and Christ. It should be noted that one of the reasons
why no sin will exist here is that everything will be seen in the light of
God. Sin cannot exist where it is immediately
exposed and defeated.
Finally,
the image of the nations gathering at God’s Holy City comes from Isaiah 2:2-4
and Isaiah 11:12. The Jewish people (and
thus all God’s people) should not hate the world and those in it. All who are willing to come to God are
welcome. The threat at the end of the
chapter is very pointed. It is not the
sinner who is barred from God’s city (lest we all be barred). Rather, it is the unrepentant sinner – the
defiant sinner – that is barred from entering the city.
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