The New Jerusalem really is new. A construction like it has never been seen on earth. The Lord is its Architect, Artist and Master Builder. The measurements are formidable on the one hand, perfectly balanced and harmonious on the other. Not massive and bulky, but elegant and tasteful. The building materials make us think of ‘precious stones’, and they are everywhere ‘transparent’, ‘diaphanous’, and ‘gold’. This must have something to do with the reality of it for there is no mentioning of this being ‘a sign’ becoming visible, not a kind of a ‘spiritual principle’, as it was the case with the ‘woman’ and the ‘dragon’.1 This is for real. There is matter, space and time, but in a whole new manner in the New Heavens and on the New Earth. This is incomprehensible to us until we are able to experience it for ourselves, and go from ‘glory to glory’.2 This is the ‘dwelling place of God’ and of the ‘saints’, but that does not mean that everyone lives there. All the nations, which will walk by the light of the City, will live on the New Earth, where justice will reign.3 All reminders of the old, cursed earth4 will disappear, including Israel’s sorrow.
Ezekiel already says in his vision which looks forward to the pre-fulfilment in the thousand years of Christ’s reign that the Lord said to him: “Son of Man, this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile My Holy Name, neither they nor their kings.5 God dwells among the people, surrounded by His saints, in this City, the New Jerusalem, but the nations are separated from them. They walk in the light of the New Jerusalem, and they even have access to it, but they are not inhabitants of it.
How do they have access? Through the gates of the City, the twelve gates, on which are the twelve names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Is that not surprising? The access to the Heavenly Jerusalem for the nations is via Israel. That was also the case in Ezekiel 48:30-35: to the north a Reuben Gate, a Judah Gate and a Levi Gate, to the east a Joseph Gate, a Benjamin Gate and a Dan Gate, to the south a Simeon Gate, an Issachar Gate and a Zebulon Gate, to the south a Gad Gate, an Asher Gate and a Naphtali Gate—each side four thousand five hundred cubits in length (about two kilometres). The perimeter is eighteen thousand cubits and the name of the city will be henceforth: ‘THE LORD IS THERE’, according to Ezekiel.6 Twelve angels are present as ‘threshold guards’ in this final celestial City. It could not happen without Israel in the past, and it will not happen without Israel in the future. The gates are open and prevent no one from entering.7 Israel is the root of God’s work of salvation in this world. And Jesus is the root of Israel, Hebrew 1:3.The Old and the New Testament were written by Jews. The Old and the New Covenant were made with Israel. And all other eight or nine Covenants since Abraham were all made with Israel for that matter. God committed Himself to look after Israel. Through that nation He has blessed the world and through Israel He will bless the world again. That is why the world hates Israel, because the world hates God. Jesus was born from Israel. In whatever way you look at it, access to the New Jerusalem is through Israel. The gates have the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on them, and the twelve foundation stones have the names of the twelve Apostles on them – who are Jewish as well. Jesus Himself was and is a Jew. Salvation is of the Jews, John 4:22. This is true in the pre-fulfilment in the Kingdom of Peace and Righteousness and also true when the Holy City comes down upon the New earth, where the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb will dwell, surrounded by all the saints.
• The number twelve plays a special role in the Bible. It is the product of three (the number of the divinity) and four (the number of the world, the earth). If you add these to each other you get seven, the number of perfection. God was perfectly present in Christ in which Heaven and earth are united. Twelve was the number of patriarchs from Seth to Noah, and twelve from Shem to Jacob. There were twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel. There were twelve Judges. The number twelve is predominantly present in the Temple (Glory), whereas five dominates in the Tabernacle (Grace). There are twelve Apostles, twelve foundations, twelve gates, twelve angels and twelve pearls in the New Jerusalem. The City is twelve thousand stadia and the walls twelve times twelve cubits. Those sealed from Israel number twelve times twelve thousand. Jesus was twelve years old when He appeared in public. He could have called twelve thousand angels.8
• Maybe if we learn to think in terms of multi-dimensional reality things become easier to understand. We should learn not to think just in the 4 dimensions: length, breadth, height and + time – the space-time continuum of our Universe – but also the ‘Heavenly dimensions’ opening up to our dimensional reality. These other dimensions surround us. If you stretch out your arm, you stretch it right into Heaven. The only thing is that we cannot see these dimensions unless the Lord opens our eyes.
• When Stephen, the first martyr, was dying he saw the Heavens opened, Acts 7:55-60.
• When the servant of the prophet Elisha was every afraid because during the night hostile armies have surrounded the city and the house, Elisha prayed to God that his servant might ‘see’ these other dimensions. 2 Kings 6:15-17 “Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and ‘chariots of fire’ all around Elisha.”
Bible References:
1.Revelation 12:1, 3 2.2 Corinthians 3:18 3.Revelation 21:24 4.Genesis 3:17 5.Ezekiel 43:7 6.Ezekiel 48:30–35 7.Revelation 21:25 8.Matthew 26:33
