Based upon this, I realized something further. Since the tree of life in Genesis 2 is a figure of speech, indicating something mysterious, invisible, and glorious, the same tree of life mentioned in the last chapter of the Bible must also be a figure of speech. The tree of life grows in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:2). Furthermore, since one item of the New Jerusalem is a figure of speech, the rest of the items must also be figures of speech. Revelation is a book of signs (1:1) because it unveils to us things which we have never seen and which we cannot understand. Based upon this principle, the New Jerusalem as the conclusion of the book of Revelation should surely be a sign.

We need signs, or figures, to help us see the mysterious things of the new creation. The old creation is altogether visible and physical, and the Bible tells us that God's intention is not to have the old creation as something that remains forever. Instead, God uses the old creation as the means to produce the new creation. The old creation is altogether physical, whereas the new creation is altogether spiritual. Adam was physical, but the second man, the last Adam, is a spiritual person.

Today in the universe there is such a thing that is called, in a figure of speech, the tree of life. We have not seen it, yet it is there. That is actually the very uncreated life, the divine life, the eternal life of God. That life is altogether not physical and altogether invisible. In order to describe it, God in His divine revelation uses a figure of speech. Genesis 1 and 2 speak of how God created the heavens and the earth with billions of items, including man. The created universe is physical and visible. Only one thing mentioned in Genesis 1 and 2 is real yet invisible. That one thing is the tree of life. The tree of life is real but invisible.

The entire book of Revelation shows us invisible things. Do you believe there are seven physical lampstands? Surely these lampstands are not physical. The seven lampstands signify the seven local churches (Rev. 1:11-12, 20). A local church can be seen since it is physical, but if we are going to see the intrinsic reality of the local church, we need a figure of speech. Thus, the lampstands are not real lampstands. They are figures. They are signs. They signify the local churches, not in the physical sense but in the intrinsic, invisible sense.

In Revelation, the Lord Jesus is described as the Lamb (5:6, 8, 12-13; 6:1, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22-23, 27; 22:1, 3). The Gospel of John also speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Lamb. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he declared, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36, 29). Of course, the Lord Jesus was not a physical lamb with four legs and a little tail. The Lamb of God is a figure of speech indicating a lot. In the book of Revelation, there are the lampstands and the Lamb. There are also many other signs in the book of Revelation. At the end of this book, there is a great sign—the New Jerusalem. This should help us to realize that the New Jerusalem is not something physical. It must be something mysterious, something very intrinsic, something spiritual, and something which can never be apprehended by the human mind and seen by the physical eyes.

I have spent much time to study the last two chapters of Revelation concerning the New Jerusalem. I thank the Lord for this. When I was in mainland China, I understood the New Jerusalem to some extent, but I was not completely clear until after I came to Taiwan in 1949. At the beginning of the 1960s, when we were fixing our hymnals both in Chinese and in English, I wrote some new hymns. Four of these are concerning the New Jerusalem (see Hymns, #975, #976, #978, and #979). These hymns express the understanding of the intrinsic reality of the Body of Christ. In the universe there is something called the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is not something physical like the human body. The Body of Christ is a figure of speech to indicate that the church is an organism. This figure of speech must be used because no one can explain it. Things which are mysterious and intrinsic must be described with figures of speech.

The book of Revelation is really a book of revelation, and in this book a great sign is revealed—the New Jerusalem. This great sign signifies the ultimate consummation of God's new creation work. When this new creation work is fully accomplished, the old heaven and old earth will pass away (Rev. 21:1). God's new creation work will take Him at least seven thousand years to complete. Almost six thousand years have passed. God will also use the thousand-year kingdom to complete His new creation work. God's new creation work is not simple. In order to make the old creation, God did not need to become a man. For God to become a man and live on earth for thirty-three and a half years was not a simple thing.

In Revelation 21 and 22 there is a picture of a holy city. This picture must be very significant. Over thirty-five years ago, I received the understanding of the significance, in detail, of every item of this city. Hymn #979, composed of sixteen verses, gives the details of these items. We need to see what this holy city, the New Jerusalem, is. Many in Christianity say that it is a heavenly mansion, but we need to throw away that inaccurate concept.