Revelation 21:9-27
Many will say that we Christians are the bride of Christ and in some respects that is true, but they will usually add that it's not the building but I would disagree with this and we will see why here.
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God
It is important to notice here that what the angel is telling John is that there is a new bride of Christ and it is the New Jerusalem. Is the New Jerusalem a person or a place? It is a place... That tells me that when we see the bride of Christ mentioned in other parts of scripture that the building at least in part is the bride of Christ as well.
I think the two honestly are inseparable honestly to a certain extent and this is what I mean by that. What good is a church building without Christians inside? What good is a Christian who doesn't want to gather with the body of Christ? The church is the gathering place and the church are the Christians that gather there.
So now in Revelation 21 the gathering place for the Christians is no longer a building but an entire place, the New Jerusalem.
Ephesian 5:25-27 ~ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
John, back in verse four had stated that he saw the “new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God“. I imagine because of the magnificent beauty of it all that it must have been a lot to take in because John does not give a detailed description of until now. I would think he must have been in a bit of shock from it all.
I've told people about my first visit to the Grand Canyon......
John starts off with this description:
11-14 ~ having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 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 foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Twelve gates, twelve angels, twelve tribes. Three gates at the east, three gates at the north, three gates at the south and three gates at the west all with an angel standing at each. We don't know if these angels were protectors or greeters. Above each gate the name of a tribe.
The city had twelve foundations and on each of them the name of an apostle.
That gives you an understanding of the importance of the apostles, that they were considered such a foundational part of Christianity.
Johns description goes on in 14-18 ~ And the one who spoke with me
16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.
12,000 Stadia = 1,380 miles by 1,380 miles and 1,380 miles high.
17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement.
144 cubits is about 72 yards thick
18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
Can you imagine this city of Gold? I don't think it was even the best part, the foundation of the wall with all these jewels to me must be the most incredible sight.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
