Three gates on each of the four sides, constituting the number twelve, implies the mingling of the Triune God with man, God’s creature. The number four signifies the creature (Rev. 4:6), and the number three, of course, signifies the Triune God. The number twelve does not denote addition but multiplication. Three multiplied by four to make twelve indicates that the Triune God mingles Himself with His creature, man, to produce a composition, a compound.
Revelation 21:21 says, “The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was, respectively, of one pearl.” These pearls are the produce of Christ with Himself as the life-essence through His all-inclusive life-releasing death and life-secreting resurrection.
The gold of the holy city signifies the divine nature, and the precious stones signify what is produced by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The significance of the pearl is found in the way it is produced. Pearls are produced by oysters in the waters of death. When an oyster is wounded by a particle of sand, the oyster 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-essence over us to make us precious pearls for the building of God’s eternal expression.
The fact that the twelve gates of the holy city are twelve pearls signifies that regeneration through the death-overcoming and life-secreting Christ is the entrance into the city. This entrance meets the requirements of the law as represented by Israel and as observed by the guarding angels. Hence, the pearl is the entrance into the city.
Each gate is, respectively, of one pearl. This indicates that the entrance into the city is unique and once for all; that is, it is only through the once-for-all regeneration by Christ’s overcoming, life-releasing death and His life-secreting, life-imparting resurrection. The entrance of the New Jerusalem as the holy city, therefore, is Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God to be the grace under the watching angels to fulfill all the requirements of the law. Such an entrance is altogether legal and legitimate. Praise the Lord for this marvelous entrance!
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