The New Jerusalem is built with the processed Triune God, typified by gold, pearls, and precious stones (Rev. 21:18-21). These precious materials typify the Triune God in His Trinity. The Father in His nature is as gold. This gold is for the base of the city, and this base rises up as a high mountain. This high mountain holds the entire city that is built upon it. The New Jerusalem is a city built upon a gold mountain, and that gold signifies God’s divine nature. Therefore, God’s divine nature will be the base as a mountain to hold all God’s people built together on it.
The Son in His redemptive and regenerating work is seen in the pearls. Pearls are produced by oysters in the waters of death. When the oyster is wounded by a particle of sand, it secretes its life-juice around the sand and makes it a precious pearl. This depicts Christ as the living One coming into the death waters, being wounded by us, and secreting His life over us to make us precious pearls for the building of God’s eternal expression. The twelve gates as the entrance to the holy city are twelve pearls. These gates bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and at the gates are twelve angels. “Israel” here represents the law of the Old Testament. This signifies that the entry into the city is according to the requirements of the law through the redemption of the Son, under the observation of the angels. There will be twelve angels at the twelve gates watching to insure that everyone who comes in is according to the requirement of the law.
The city is also built with precious stones. The Spirit in His transforming work is typified by precious stones for the city’s wall and its foundation, which bears the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, signifying that the foundation of the city is the consummation of the Spirit’s transforming work based upon the Son’s redemption. The Spirit works to transform the redeemed and regenerated saints into precious stones for the building of God’s eternal habitation that they may express God corporately in His permeating glory.
The New Jerusalem is a square city with three gates on each of the four sides, signifying the mingling of the Triune God with the tripartite man (Rev. 21:13). Three signifies the Triune God, and four signifies man as the leading one in God’s creation. Thus, three times four is the mingling of divinity with humanity, the mingling of the Triune God with the tripartite man.
The measurement of the city is twelve thousand stadia in three dimensions, signifying that the entire city is the Holy of Holies as God’s habitation (Rev. 21:16). The length, the width, and the height of the city are the same. The dimensions of the Holy of Holies, both in the tabernacle and the temple, were also equal in length, breadth, and height (Exo. 26:2-8; 1 Kings 6:20). This shows that the entire New Jerusalem will be the Holy of Holies.
The glory of God in the Lamb is the light of the city for its shining, in which the nations shall walk (Rev. 21:11, 23-24a). Christ is the lamp of the holy city, and God within Him is the light as the glory.
The measurement of the wall of the city is a hundred and forty-four cubits, twelve times twelve, signifying the absolute perfection and eternal completion of the absolute perfections and eternal completions in God’s eternal administration, through the mingling of the processed Triune God with the transformed tripartite man, for the holy separation of the city in resurrection (21:17). The number twelve signifies perfection and completion in God’s administration. Therefore, twelve times twelve is the absolute perfection and eternal completion of absolute perfections and eternal completions in God’s eternal administration. The mingling of the processed Triune God with the transformed tripartite man is also indicated by the number twelve because twelve is three times four. This mingling is for the holy separation of the city because the wall is a separation, and the separation is a protection. The city being in resurrection is signified by the statement—“a measure of a man, that is, of an angel.” This means that the man and the angel are the same. According to the Lord’s word in Matthew 22:30, it is in resurrection that man will be like the angels.
The wall of the city being of jasper means that the city has God’s appearance. In Revelation 4:3, God is sitting on the throne, and His appearance is like jasper. According to 21:18a, the entire wall surrounding the city is jasper. Therefore, the appearance of the New Jerusalem is just the appearance of God. This means that the New Jerusalem will fully express God.
The twelve colors of the foundation of the city appear as a rainbow, signifying God’s ever-remaining faithfulness (21:19-20). Thus, the entire city is built upon and secured by God’s faithfulness in keeping His covenant (Gen. 9:8-17).