The apostles signify that the New Jerusalem, which is the building of God and the testimony of Jesus, is not of man but of God (Gal. 1:10-12). None of the apostles are of man; all are of God. This is the real testimony, and we must apply this principle to ourselves. In the church life everything must be of God; there must not be anything of man. The foundation of the church life must be only of God. If there is any human element, sooner or later that will be a weak point and will be heavily attacked by the enemy. Such an element cannot withstand the enemy’s attack. If we initiate anything that is of man rather than completely of God, the foundation will not be strong. In every city we must allow the church life to be initiated only of God and not of ourselves.
The apostles are also the real witnesses of God’s mercy. When we consider the twelve foundations, we must recognize the mercy of God. If God loves us and gives us a gift when we are in a pitiful state and unworthy of love, this is an act of mercy. Mercy is more far-reaching than grace. God is not only a God of grace but also a God of mercy. If we were worthy of God’s love and gift, we would qualify for God’s grace. But we are in a truly pitiful state. Therefore, we should praise God that His mercy is so far-reaching that it has reached poor sinners like us.
We need to look closely at the twelve foundation stones. When we study the four Gospels, we see that although Peter was poor and pitiful, he was nevertheless chosen and used by the Lord. He was adorned and equipped by mercy, and his name is on one of the foundations of the city. After the adornment of God’s mercy, Peter became qualified for God’s grace. If we are humble, we will realize how truly pitiful we are before the Lord and how worthless we are in His eyes. We need His mercy. But after we receive His mercy, we can praise Him and tell Him that now we qualify for His grace. It has nothing to do with our qualifications—it is all the Lord’s mercy.
Peter was a poor fisherman (Matt. 4:18-19), and Matthew was a tax gatherer (9:9; Luke 5:27). In those days the Jews scorned tax gatherers, men who collected taxes for Caesar and the Roman Empire, not for the temple of God. They were despised and hated by their own countrymen; hence, they were pitiful people. Yet one of them became an apostle and eventually one of the twelve foundations of the glorious city of God. What a mercy! These twelve foundation stones will eternally declare God’s mercy. We all must know the mercy of God.
The twelve foundation stones are also a witness of God’s grace. The grace of God is nothing less than God Himself. God gives Himself to us as our enjoyment to meet all our needs. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says that it is no longer he who lives but Christ who lives within him. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 he declares, “Yet not I but the grace of God which is with me.” By putting these two verses together, we see that grace is nothing less than Christ Himself. Grace is God in Christ as our strength, our power, and our enjoyment. A poor fisherman like Peter and a tax collector like Matthew could become such important parts of the foundation of the holy city not only because of God’s mercy but also because of His grace.
The colors of the twelve precious stones of the foundation, which signify the twelve apostles, are as follows: the first stone is green, the second and third are blue, the fourth is green, the fifth and sixth are red, the seventh is yellow, the eighth is bluish-green, the ninth is yellow, the tenth is apple-green, and the eleventh and twelfth are purple. The twelve layers of the foundation in the above colors give the appearance of a rainbow, signifying that the city is built upon and secured by God’s faithfulness in keeping His covenant (Gen. 9:8-17). Because the foundation of the city is built upon the faithfulness with which God keeps His covenant, it is trustworthy and reliable. The wall with its foundations guarantees God’s unfailing faithfulness for eternal security. The New Jerusalem standing upon the twelve layers of its foundations in the colors of the rainbow guarantees God’s faithfulness.
It is through God’s faithfulness that the apostles have become the city’s foundation stones. In the Scriptures the rainbow is a sign of God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness encircles His throne (Rev. 4:3). In the holy city the foundation is not laid block by block but layer upon layer, and each of the twelve layers is a different kind of precious stone. Every layer displays a special color. The layer upon layer of precious stones, which compose the foundation of the city, show forth the colors of the rainbow. This indicates that the faithfulness of God is the foundation of the city. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all looked for “the city which has the foundations” (Heb. 11:10). They looked for such a city because that city is built upon the faithfulness of God. Psalm 89:2 says that the faithfulness of God is established in the heavens. Strictly speaking, the twelve stones alone do not compose the foundations of this holy city; rather, the faithfulness of God bestowed upon the twelve stones makes up the foundations. The apostles themselves are not sufficient to constitute the foundation. We would not have any trust in Peter and Matthew by themselves, but we realize that the faithfulness of God is with them, and we trust the faithfulness of God upon them. These twelve layers of precious stones as the foundation appear as a rainbow, eternally declaring God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is based on His righteousness. If there were no righteousness, there would be no faithfulness. Thus, the foundation of the New Jerusalem is the righteousness of God with God’s faithfulness.
According to Genesis 9:8-17, the rainbow is a sign that reminds us of God’s faithfulness in keeping His word. The rainbow surrounding the throne in Revelation 4 is the sign of God’s covenant. Therefore, for God to be expressed in the rainbow tells us that God is the covenant-keeping God, the faithful God. That the foundations of the wall have the appearance of a rainbow also tells us that this city, which is built upon the faithfulness of God, can never be destroyed. Man cannot destroy it; even God Himself cannot destroy it. God has to keep the covenant signified by the rainbow. Therefore, this city is built upon a foundation that is eternally indestructible.