REVELATION 11-21........
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
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 in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
This description makes the city about 1500 miles "cubed". John gives us his view from looking down "Main Street".
The New Jerusalem is not a drab, dull, boring city, because it radiates God's glory. It is bright and beautiful like a rare jewel that shines brilliantly. The word jasper describes a quartz with shades of green, blue, and red; literal jasper is not clear. The jasper stone is mentioned in Revelation 4:3 as one of the jewels that describe God's appearance.
In this part of Revelation, one can see that John is struggling to explain what he sees in terms others can understand, using the most relevant images he can think of. Again, Word Pictures come into play.
Comparing the shining beauty of this new city to gemstones is an attempt to describe the indescribable.
The glory of God that fills the New Jerusalem is the dazzling light that emanates from His being. Moses experienced God's glory as "a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush" (Exodus 3:2). This glory was manifested as the shekinah cloud that filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34). When Solomon concluded his prayer at the dedication of the temple, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The glory of the Lord filled the temple in such brilliance that the priests could not enter the temple because of it (2 Chronicles 7:1–2).
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
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 in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
This description makes the city about 1500 miles "cubed". John gives us his view from looking down "Main Street".
The New Jerusalem is not a drab, dull, boring city, because it radiates God's glory. It is bright and beautiful like a rare jewel that shines brilliantly. The word jasper describes a quartz with shades of green, blue, and red; literal jasper is not clear. The jasper stone is mentioned in Revelation 4:3 as one of the jewels that describe God's appearance.
In this part of Revelation, one can see that John is struggling to explain what he sees in terms others can understand, using the most relevant images he can think of. Again, Word Pictures come into play.
Comparing the shining beauty of this new city to gemstones is an attempt to describe the indescribable.
The glory of God that fills the New Jerusalem is the dazzling light that emanates from His being. Moses experienced God's glory as "a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush" (Exodus 3:2). This glory was manifested as the shekinah cloud that filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34). When Solomon concluded his prayer at the dedication of the temple, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices. The glory of the Lord filled the temple in such brilliance that the priests could not enter the temple because of it (2 Chronicles 7:1–2).