The New Jerusalem is the consummation of such a temple. Based upon this principle, we cannot say that it is a physical city or a heavenly mansion. Since the New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of all the building of God's dwelling through the generations as the conclusion of God's entire revelation of His economy, it is altogether organic. It is human beings mingled with God. This composition will be a mutual abode, for God to dwell in the saints and for the saints to dwell in God.
The New Jerusalem is a composition of God's redeemed and regenerated people, who are His sons. This city is also the aggregate of the divine sonship. Ephesians 1 says we were chosen and predestinated unto sonship (vv. 45). The aggregate of sonship will be the New Jerusalem. It is a composition of all God's sons (Rev. 21:7). Such a building, the holy city, is a living corporate person because it is called the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9). A physical city cannot be a wife. A wife is a person; therefore, this city should be a living corporate person.
The contents of God's building have some elements, which are intrinsic, hidden, and inward. The intrinsic element of the New Jerusalem as God's eternal dwelling place is the Triune God Himself.
The divine Trinity is the basic structure of the New Jerusalem. It is structured with the Father's nature, as signified by gold. The city proper is a mountain of gold, and its street is also gold (Rev. 21:18b, 21b). This indicates that the city is a divine thing. Divinity is the basic element of the contents of the building.
The Son's redemption through death and resurrection is signified by the pearl. Pearls come out of oysters. They are produced after the oysters are wounded by a grain of sand. The oyster secretes its life juice around the sand and makes it a pearl. This signifies Christ's incarnation and His going into the death waters like an oyster. His being wounded for our transgressions and the releasing of His resurrection life produce a pearl.
The Spirit's transformation is signified by the precious stones. In the gold is the Father's nature, in the pearl is the Son's redemption through death and resurrection, and in the precious stones is the Spirit in His transforming work. This means that the very Triune God is the basic structure of the New Jerusalem. The Trinity is also the basic structure of the church life, which is a miniature of the New Jerusalem. The size is much smaller, but the elements are the same.