Revelations 21, 22

We have here the description of " the heavenly city." It is called " the Bride, the Lamb's wife," that we may know how to identify it. " The Bride," however, as such, would awaken altogether a different train of thoughts. But it is important to identify the city and the Bride, and to give its true character to the heavenly city in contrast with Babylon. The state described here, is not the perfect and eternal state, as " the leaves or the tree for the healing of the nations" shows; though of course the heavenly saints themselves are perfect. It is God's great center-the heavenly one-of all He has brought together in power and government, the heavenly capital, so to speak, of His millennial empire; and therefore we find it in connection with Christ, and presented as a city. It is to be, after Christ, the manifestation and center of glory. And we have to thank God, that He not only gives us what satisfies personal affection by presenting to us the person of Jesus in the glory, but unfolds also to us, by means of figures-the Spirit enabling us to understand them-what the glory is prepared from everlasting, so that the heart thus becomes acquainted with it.
We have seen already in this book that, previous to the display of this heavenly city, the imperious One who said, " sit as a queen; and I shall see no sorrow," has been destroyed, and now we get " a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Of the other, we may say it was " earthly, sensual, devilish." It had all that Satan could produce to attract man, as man. Everything that ministered to the ease, comfort, and glory of man, was to be found there; the merchandize of gold, and of silver, and of precious stones, and all that was costly and desirable. Thus, taking it as a whole, it -was man s city and Satan's city. For whatever is now of man, as man on the earth, is looked at by God as in connection with Satan. Therefore, when Peter said, " This be far from Thee, Lord," the Lord replied, " Get thee behind Me, Satan; thou art an offense unto Me; for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." Here the Lord stamps that which is " of men, as being according to Satan," and therefore an offense to Him. So to the Jews He said; " Ye are from beneath, I am from above; ye are of this world, I am not of this world"; thus stamping everything that is of the spirit of this world as " from beneath." Babylon had this in perfection, for she was the mother of harlots -the spring and source of corruption; but to every true tie to the things of God, or to God Himself, she was an utter stranger. But we have seen that this great Babylon was judged of God-that after that, and the marriage of the Lamb, the Lord came out in person and made war with the ad-verse power, accompanied by the saints; the first resurrection having taken place, and that then, the victory achieved, the kingdom was in the hands of Christ, and the saints, who live and reign with Him a thou-sand years; that during this period, Satan is bound, after which he is loosed again for a little season; and that when he is cast into the lake of fire, and the judgment of the white throne passed, and the new heavens and the new earth come in, then " God is all in all."
In the first eight verses of this twenty-first chapter, we have the time when God shall be all in all, closing the prophetic history of the book. Beyond that period it evidently cannot go; in what follows, the prophet turns back to the description of the New Jerusalem; to what the Bride, the Lamb's wife is, while Christ is reigning. The scene here displayed is the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven, from God. The prophetic history entirely closes; the mediatorial kingdom passes away when all is perfectly brought into order -when God is all in all. But though the mediatorial kingdom is given up, of course Christ does not cease to be man. It is part of His perfection which remains forever. Instead of carrying on the mediatorial kingdom, when He has put down all rule and all authority, He delivers up the kingdom to God, even the Father. The result does not pass away. The proper personal glory never passes away. The mediatorial glory will close, that which is personal never can.
It is well to notice, that when the angel comes to show Babylon in 17:1, he describes her wide-spread influence, " sitting by the many waters;" but when here he comes to show the New Jerusalem, there is nothing to be said of her; it is enough to say, that she is "the Bride, the Lamb's wife." The harlot could ride the beast, and spread corruption far and wide; she had immense power, but affection she had none. While the harlot is saying, " I sit as a queen, and shall see no sorrow," the Bride feels that she is not her own, but that she belongs to another. While the love of influence, the "sitting be-side many waters" is the spirit of Babylon, the character of dependence marks the Bride. Ah! beloved friends, if we are seeking power or worldly influence, the spirit of Babylon is in us. The only influence we should 'court, as to service or as to anything else, should be the result of attachment to Christ alone, and dependence upon Him. Affection for Him is the one thing. There will be plenty of trial and difficulty, where this exists: but there will be no thwarted affections when He is the object. We shall never find in Him what does not satisfy. This is happiness. There may be plenty in us needing to be subdued, and this will give us trouble, and 'tis labor, alas, often, to keep the heart up to a sense of His love; but that single word, " the Bride, the Lamb's wife" is quite enough for us; for was there ever an affection wanting in Christ toward us? Never. Never shall we find defect in the object of our affections, though we shall find defect in the affection in ourselves, lack of ability to enjoy the fullness of our portion. A true sense of the abiding love of Jesus to us is that which gives perfect peace to the love that is looking to Jesus. One source of our failure in realizing the love of Jesus is, that our hearts, though enlarged by the Holy Ghost, are too little to answer to it. Herein lies the marked difference as has been remarked between the Book of Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. In Ecclesiastes it is said, "What can the man do that cometh after the king, who hath gathered to himself peculiar treasure of all the sons of men?" But the larger his heart was in its intelligence and in its de-sires, the less there was to fill it, so that everything issued in "vanity and vexation of spirit." But what was wanting in the Song of Solomon-primarily applicable no doubt to the Jewish remnant-was a heart large enough to take in the all-satisfying object of its love. And oh, what a thought it is, that Jesus and all the glory He has received is ours! as He says, " the glory which Thou gavest me, I have given them."
The heavenly city comes down front God out of heaven. It is of, and from God, where all is good. God is the infinite and eternal source of good, and in the per-son of Christ we get the form and fullness of it. If it is righteousness it is from God; if holiness it is from God; if love, it is God's nature. We being made partakers of grace all that is thus displayed in us comes directly from God. So that in a secondary sense, the Church even down here, is the manifestation of the glory of God; though here there will spring up that which is of man and is corrupt. But there, all that is of us disappears, and all that is displayed in us comes from God. And I would, here add, that there is not a single grace that, in the power of the Spirit of God, ought not to be manifested by us now, poor failing ones as we are. There was not one which Jesus did not manifest, for He was the Son of Man in heaven -when walking here on earth; and we as the epistle of Christ ought to be known and read of all men.
The glory of this city is presented to us in detail; and although. it is divine, " the Glory of God," it is also human, as the number twelve shows. We see this in the Lord. If He took up a babe in His arms it was a gracious act of humanity; but the love that prompted it was divine. A Rabbi might despise a child, but Jesus did not, though " God over all, blessed forever." The city had " the glory of God." The Church is that in which
God will display Himself in glory. But this glory is not the essential glory of God, but the communicated glory; as it is written " the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them." While this is wonderful, yet it is what ought to be. For ought there to be any other glory beside the glory of God? Certainly not. And, surely, that which is nearest to God, next to Christ, ought to have His glory. For there is no glory that is not God's glory. And how can we understand the showing out of the riches of God's glory if He does not display them? The creation does in one sense show the glory of His power, " the heavens declare the glory of God." But when it comes to be the fruit of redemption, the fruit of the travail of Christ's soul, it is for the display of the glory of God in. a yet higher way. It was done at His own cost, and could it be less than His glory at such a cost? There is not an attribute or part of the character of God that has not been perfectly glorified in the work of redemption. It is wonderful if we think of ourselves that it should be so, but if the Church is to be for the glory of God, it must be displayed in what is worthy of God. If Christ is to be "glorified in His saints, and admired in all them. that believe," the glory must be God's; it cannot be unworthy of Himself. And the way I measure it is-it is the fruit of the travail of Christ's soul. God commended His love toward me, in that while I was a sinner, and such a sinner as I was, Christ died for me. The very things about which Christ glorified God are the very things which I find to be in myself, and thus I find that God has been fully glorified about every one of my sins. So in apprehending myself to be a sinner, I just see the very thing that shows me all the glory to be of and from God. There is nothing in us, all is of grace. If anything of ours is mixed up with our hopes of glory it is utter folly. It would be madness to talk of what is of us and the glory of God at the same time. The vessel is nothing, save as it is owned and filled of God; and thus it comes simply and happily to the soul. The moment I see the whole of it to be the display of God's glory, my soul can rest in peace. He has taken me up a poor sinner that it might be fully known that nothing but His grace had done it: and I know His love passeth knowledge. And what is more still, I know I shall never get out of it, for the love of God is infinite; and if I am in that which is infinite, I can not, indeed, measure it, but I know I can never get out of it.
" Her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." When speaking of the displayed glory of God, as man can see it, it is said to be like "a jasper and a sardine stone," 4:3. So the light of this city is "like a jasper stone clear as crystal." It is a divine glory which clothes it. Scripture give us an understanding of what these figures mean, if, taught of God's Spirit, we are at the pains to compare its statements. These precious stones give us not the simple brightness of colorless light, God is this; for if I look at God, at what He is essentially, He is light. " God is light." But if He shows Himself through the tears and sorrows of this life, then I get the rainbow. The light is broken into divers rays, as shining through a prism. So in these precious stones we get, not the essential glory of God as light, but the light broken up as it were, in various mediate beauties; we get the unfoldings of the various ways and dealings of God with His creatures. We see these stones in creation, then in grace, and then in glory.
In creation, Ezek. 28; in grace on the breast- plate of the High-priest; in glory here as. the foundation of the city. Whatever God has displayed of His moral glory in righteousness as well as in judgment is concentrated in the Church. Into this I will enter more fully when taking up the meaning of the stones, connected as they are with grace and with judgment.
"And the city had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates," showing perfect security. When men seek to protect a place, it is by building high walls of immense thickness. go this city, which is the royal seat has a wall great and high displaying the majesty of God as builder. It is perfectly secure, in a dignity which isolated it, so to speak, so that it could not possibly be entered but by those who belong to it.
"At the gates were twelve angels." The angels wait at the gates as door-keepers; elevated above us in creation here, they are but keepers of the gates; they are porters to this city of God, showing that all providential power but ministers to this glory.
On the gates were written " the names of the twelve tribes of Israel," showing government in perfection. as God's. All His patient dealings in government and goodness with man are here displayed.
" And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." The perfect immutable foundations of truth are all here. The character in which the truth is displayed is the unchangeable truth of the gospel; " the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth." What we get as the church as such is a special glory; but that which is the foundation on which she rests is truth from eternity, everlasting truth, a full and perfect revelation. As to light, we are "in the light as God is in the light;" and then as to love, " God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him." But when we come to the foundation of the Church, it is the truth, the everlasting truth of God-redemption according to His work and power.
What we have in Christ, moreover, as to His person, cannot be less than the fullness of God, eternal truth being at the bottom. It is God revealed in Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever." Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives, says the Lord; but from the beginning it was not so. We cannot say so, for Christ is " the same yesterday, to-day, and forever;" and again, " that which was from the beginning declare we unto you." So Paul, though stating the deep counsels of God, takes up the most elementary truths, which no counsels ever change, because our relationship is with God, who never can; for if we are brought into the relationship of children, it is with a God of eternal holiness and eternal love. And it is joy to our souls to know that we are not only brought into connection with certain dealings of God, as the Jews were, but with God Himself, as known in Jesus.
The city is a divine thing, but in human manifestation and perfection. The names here spew human administration, and the number twelve repeated that it is exceedingly perfect. The number seven in Scripture always denotes the perfection of spiritual agency whether for good or evil; but when the dealings of God are in or through man, the number twelve is used, to signify perfection in government in human administration.
" And the city lieth four-square, and the length is as large as the breadth." It is a square, not a circle. It has not the perfection of a circle-a figure used for eternity-but the perfection of that which is formed. It is the most perfect of created things.
" And the building of the wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." The measure and character of this city is not after the thoughts of man. Man said, " Let us build a city and a tower, and make us a name. And they had brick for stone, and slime for mortar." Bat God is the builder of this city, and it carries the divine glory. There is no slime or bitumen here: "the building of the wall of it was of jasper." " And the city was of pure gold, like unto clear glass," transparent in purity. Gold is an emblem of divine righteousness; and the " clear glass" reminds us of the brazen sea in Solomon's temple, set for the priests to wash their hands and feet in when they went in to serve. But there is no need for that here. There is nothing to defile here. Here it is solid purity, standing out in all its clearness. In the fifteenth chapter we get the sea of glass " mingled with fire," because connected with tribulation.
In the fourth of Ephesians Paul speaks, without symbol, of " the new man, created after God in righteousness and true holiness." So, likewise, this city is the display of this work of God in man; just what it was fitting it should be. It is not man's righteousness, nor man's innocence; neither will do: but it is divine righteousness and divine holiness. Holiness is separation from evil; innocence, ignorance of evil. We do not say that God is innocent, but that God is holy; because He hates all the evil He knows, and delights in the good. And God's new creation, perfected after His image, delights in what is good, and hates all that is evil. God has produced this by His own power. The city is pure as gold, transparent as glass. Well may we exclaim, O the depth and the wealth of the divine righteousness and holiness!
But let us now turn to the stones. In Ezek. 28 in the lamentation over the king of Tyrus, we find them denoting the perfection of created beauty. " Thou sealest the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty." The sum of beauty was the creature display of this perfection; the light bringing out these bright colors in the creature. Every precious stone was his covering. He was the brightest in creation; but when he looked at it as his own, and not as created perfection put upon him, then his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, and his wisdom corrupted by reason of his brightness, and he fell. In Ex. 28 we see these stones brought out as the sum of beauty in the way of grace. They were in the breastplate of the High Priest, and joined to the ephod, so that when he went into the holy place he bore the names of the children of Israel. It was for a memorial before the Lord continually. So Christ bears our names in his heart, ever living to make intercession. Then in the 30th verse the Urim and the Thummim are placed in this breastplate of judgment-light and perfection. Aaron bore the names of the children of Israel on his heart as an accepted people before the Lord. " And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually:" that is, he maintains them in communion in spite of failure. He first bore the names on his heart in the stones on the breastplate, so that when God looked out to bless He saw their names continually. And then there was the intercession to maintain the communion of a failing people with the unfailing light. Thus Israel is seen in perfectness in the presence of God in grace. So now when God looks out in divine favor, it is on Christ Himself. The children's names are all engraven on His heart, their judgment borne in the details of their ways, as regards the government of God, and displayed in their beauty, to get the answers of light and perfection; for such was the Urim and Thummim. Here again we see these precious stones in glory, all centered in this glorious city, the brightness not maintained by effort or exercise of power, but settled, not a part of the glory merely, but " the foundations of the wall of the city garnished with all manner of precious stones," every grace shining out in unchanging beauty. The wall of jasper showing how divine, the gold how righteous, its transparence how holy and pure, and these stones the varied perfection of all communicated grace and beauty, and all is centered in " the Bride, the Lamb's wife."
"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, every several gate was of one pearl." It was in Christ's heart to seek a goodly pearl. It was upon that His heart was set; and " when He had found one pearl of great price, He sold all that He had and bought it." He was not merely seeking a, treasure, but He was seeking a goodly pearl; and He knew what was tasteful and comely. All the grace of the church was what the heart of Christ was set upon, as that which was perfectly fair and beautiful. Now every gate was this, " every several gate was of one pearl." On the very outside the comeliness and beauty of this city was to be seen. The character of Christ stood at the very entrance. Not only was there righteousness and true holiness within, but on the outside there was all that was lovely and comely; so that the very angels who entered not in, could stand at the gate, and even there see the loveliness which God had put upon it. So even here below the character of Christ ought to be manifested to every beholder. Even the stranger should be able to discern it, the saints being " the epistle of Christ, known and read of all men."
" And the street of the city was of pure gold, as it were transparent glass." This confirms us as to the import of the Lord's words to His disciples in John When speaking of His finished work for them, He says, " He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, 'but is clean every whit;" that is, he has been cleansed once for all. But his feet become defiled in walking through the world, and therefore need. washing again and again for service. This is not an excuse for failure, although the Lord takes occasion from it to display, His rich provision for meeting our daily need. We have the same figure in the case of the priests who served in the tabernacle. Their bodies were washed once for all at their consecration, and this was never repeated; but every time they went into the tabernacle they washed their hands arid their feet. " He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet." Mark His love. Not content with serving down here even unto death " to wash us from our sins in His own blood," He girds Himself to serve even in heaven, that we may continue in communion. " Christ also loved the church, and gave Him-self for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it by the -washing of water through the word." Thus we have the written word in its application to the daily details of life. So to Peter the Lord said, " If I wash. thee not thou hast no part with me." if we are to have part with Him, we are to be as clean as He can make us. And as we are to have part with Him, His grace now as then leads Him to gird Himself, and remove the defilement.
But in this golden city the very streets are righteousness and true holiness. There I shall walk without being defiled; I shall walk upon holiness there. Walking in purity is with labor here. Even if we do keep our-selves from defilement here, we are wearied with the effort, and if we do not we are weary of ourselves. But oh! what a thought! I shall walk on streets of pure gold there! What rest it gives to the heart and con-science, to think of walking and not needing to toil to keep myself from defilement, not needing to watch lest my garments become spotted with the world! Whilst here, because of the world, the flesh, and the devil, we have always to watch and pray. What! always? Yes, always. Whilst in this defiled place, we must have our loins well girded and our affections tightly tucked up, for if we let them flow, they will certainly get into the mire. But when He comes, He will ungird us, and make us sit down at ease, and He will gird Himself and come forth and serve us. What a relief to the heart to think that I may let out all my affections and meet nothing but God! that the more I let them flow, the more I shall be enlarged to take in my fill of blessedness! This ought to be our aim now.
" And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." Here the difference of worship is marked. How strange to a Jew, there is no temple needed here! God had said He would dwell in the thick darkness, and when the glory filled the house the priests could not minister. And, moreover, that which shut the glory in, shut man out. For in Jerusalem God had shut Himself up to be reverenced; therefore He must shut man out. The natural consequence of even a partial display of the glory is to add that which should keep aloof from familiarity. In the temple He surrounded Himself with majesty which made men feel how great He was, but this hid Himself. But there is no temple here, for "the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple of it." Here, it is not that which hides God, whilst surrounding Him with majesty, nor that which shuts us out, but God surrounds us with Himself, while He perfectly reveals Himself His own glory, and that revealed is His temple, and there " man speaks of His honor." Blessed thought it is, God and the Lamb are the temple, and there we worship.
The Lord give us, only to enter more fully into His wondrous Grace, and then it will be easy for us to under-stand how this wondrous glory can all be ours. When we know ourselves to be nothing, and yet are able to say He has loved me, we shall not wonder that God should do all this for us, seeing He has loved us so. The Holy Ghost always reasons downwards from what God is, to what He cannot but do, because He is God. Man, on the contrary, reasons from what man is, to what God may possibly do for him, according to what he is himself; and so argues all wrong. The Holy Ghost reasons thus, " He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him. up freely to the death for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things." I learn from this to expect great things, and I cannot expect too highly if God is to be glorified in it. For if Christ is to be glorified in His Saints, and admired in all them that believe, what will not God do to display the glory of His Son?
Shall I be thinking about the worshipper, although thus glorified and adorned, when I see Him who is worshipped? No, I shall be occupied with Him who has brought me there. The present practical result ought to be that our hearts should be adoring the riches and the wonders of His grace, as David (1 Chron. 17) when he sat before the Lord. " Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house that thou hest brought me hitherto!" Oh! to get our souls more filled with what He is, as David rested even in his knowledge of it, and argued from it (vers. 26 and 27). We have often spoken of the prodigal son who disappears, as it were, when he reached His Father's house. It is the Father then who fills the whole scene. And the Father's bosom will be the place of our worship in that scene of glory. Well, let Him have our hearts for His temple now, while yet our bodies are down here, until he takes us to be with Him forever. Amen.