Students of the Bible realize that the last two chapters of Revelation are the conclusion of the entire Scriptures. In these two chapters we have a picture of a divine building, which is called the holy city, the New Jerusalem, as the conclusion of the entire Scriptures. This conclusion is threefold: It is the conclusion to the writings of the apostle John, which are in the line of life; it is the conclusion to the entire New Testament; and it is the conclusion to the entire Scriptures. By this we can see how important the picture of the New Jerusalem is. Furthermore, as the ultimate conclusion of the entire divine writings, the New Jerusalem is the conclusion of the divine thought.
In the previous chapters we have seen that the central thought of God is to have Christ wrought into a group of people to be life to them and to have them as a corporate expression for Christ so that God may be expressed in Christ through them. In brief, the central thought of God is Christ with a Body to express God. In the last two chapters of Revelation we have a picture that shows us God in Christ on the throne expressed through a corporate vessel-a great and high city. This city is a corporate vessel to contain God in Christ and to express God through Christ. Hence, this picture shows us the central thought of God.
In this record we are told that God at the very center of the city is the light, and the shining of the light is the glory of God (21:23a). God, who is the light and who is constantly shining, is in the lamp, who is the redeeming Christ, the redeeming Lamb (v. 23b). God is in Christ just as light is in a lamp. That the lamp shines from the center of this great city indicates that every part of the city is transparent. Therefore, the whole city is a corporate vessel, to express God in Christ and through Christ.
I was born, raised, and taught in Christianity. Since I was a little boy I heard many teachings about the New Jerusalem. There were different opinions, different thoughts, and different teachings about this city. When I was young, I simply accepted those teachings. However, by experiencing the Lord in the inner life and in the way of life, and through much study, reading, and deep consideration of all the Scriptures, the Lord gradually revealed to me the right, proper, and adequate explanation and definition of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is a living, corporate vessel as a container to contain God in Christ and to express God through Christ. We can conclude this because Revelation 21 says that the very God who dwells within this city is the light, and the redeeming One, the Son of God, the Lord Christ as the Lamb, is the lamp. Light shines forth in a lamp to express itself. In this picture of the New Jerusalem, God is the light in the lamp, which is Christ, shining Himself forth in Christ and through Christ. God is one with Christ; we can never separate the light from the lamp. The light is the very essence in the lamp, and it is one with the lamp. The light needs a lamp because it desires to shine forth to express itself. Moreover, the lamp is in the city, which is a corporate vessel, a corporate container. Because this corporate vessel is transparent in every respect and in every part, it is easy for it to shine forth what it contains. The New Jerusalem contains God in Christ and shines forth God through Christ. This is not a mere human thought or my explanation alone. This is the revelation of the divine thought from the divine record.
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