Our Future Home

Back a few chapters we were given a portrait of the Great Prostitute, the harlot that deceived the nations. We have seen several unholy parallels that Satan has attempted in the Book of Revelation. We saw the unholy trinity of Dragon, Beast, and False Prophet. We saw the failed attempt of Satan to establish his “milennial reign” by gathering the nations of the world to worship him. We saw all of these things and their failure.

As we think about the bride of the dragon, the Great Prostitute, compare her with the bride of the Lamb that we will read about in our passage tonight.

Read Text. Pray.

1. The Beauty of the City (vv. 9-12a)

Pure gold is reflective of the Solomon’s Temple that was covered with gold

2. The Foundation of the City (vv.12b-14)

The continuity between the Old Covenant and the New is seen in the 12 tribes and 12 apostles names being on the foundations

3. The Dimensions of the City (vv. 15-17)

In the Old Testament, measuring something set it apart for blessing

described as a perfect cube like the holy of holies in the OT ()

dimensions are a multiple of 12 - number of completion in Rev.

probably a symbolic number but could be literal

4. The Jewlery of the City (vv. 18-21)

Jewels are representative of the Jewels that the Highpriest wore on his ephod to represent the precious closeness of God with His people. The breastplate was to be worn over the heart ()

According to Philo and Josephus, Israel associated these same stones with the signs of the zodiac, and their tribal standards each bore a sign of the zodiac (cf. Caird, 276). If we begin with Judah, the tribe of Christ (Rev 7:5), the sign is Aries, the ram, which has the amethyst as its stone. The last sign is Pisces, the fish, which has jasper as its stone (cf. Charles, 2:167). So the first zodiacal sign agrees with the twelfth foundation, and the last zodiacal sign with the first foundation. In fact, the whole list agrees with John’s, though in reverse order. This may be a significant device to show John’s disapproval of pagan cults. But these matters are uncertain.

The pearl is used of Jesus in describing the Pearl of Great Price (Matt. 13:44-46)

Could also be symbolic of the pain that leads to beauty

Angels guard the way into the city much like they guarded the way into the Garden (Gen. 3:24)

5. The Holiness of the City (vv.22-27)

every ancient city had a temple in it to worship its god

The temple served as a place of mediation between the deity and the people.

No temple is needed because God is there with His people

No light is needed in the city like there was in the Holy of Holies. The light in the Holy of Holies was in the place where the priest ministered before the Lord. He needed the light of the candlelabra to help him see. God’s word is that light for us. However, there was no light in the Holy of Holies. Notice in the text that it is absent. In the New Jerusalem there is no night and no sun because the brilliance of God’s glory and of Christ would drown out the light of the sun. Artificial light isn’t needed. Even the Bible is not needed because we have direct communication with God Himself.