The unique, divine, and organic building in the entire universe:
Its wall with its foundations-21:12a, 14, 15b, 17-20:
The New Testament believers, signified by the precious stones, consummated by God the Spirit in His transforming and building work, are the wall and its foundations-v. 18a:
1) The wall built with jasper separates the organic building from the nations around it.
2) The wall is the appearance of this organic building, which is the appearance of precious jasper. This is also the appearance of God (4:3), indicating that this organic building is just the expression of God shining as jasper, a most precious stone-21:11.
3) The wall is great and high (21:12) in the measurement of one hundred forty-four cubits (twelve times twelve-21:17), indicating that this wall is for the divine administration of this organic building, which is twelvefold complete and perfect.
4) The foundations of the wall are also in the number of twelve (21:14a), signifying that the foundation of the divine administration is twelvefold complete and perfect.
The twelve foundations of the wall, built with every precious stone (21:19-20), bear the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (21:14b), indicating that this precious organic building is built according to the apostles’ teaching of the New Testament and that the New Testament believers are the main constituents of this organic building, to be the consummated section of this building for the building of its main structure for the saints to be built together as God’s eternal enlargement and expression.
Note: The three items mentioned above show us that this unique, divine, and organic building is a constitution of the processed and consummated Triune God with His redeemed, transformed, and glorified people.
Its center with its administration and supply-22:1-2:
The center is the throne of God and of the Lamb (the redeeming Triune God), which signifies that the administration of this organic building is:
1) Built on the base (God the Father’s nature) as its foundation (cf. Righteousness is the foundation of God’s throne-Psa. 89:14).
2) Joined to the street, the communication of which, from the throne to the gates, signifies the execution of the administration of this organic building.
3) Flowing out the river of water of life (the consummated life-giving Spirit, as the consummation of the consummated Triune God- John 7:38-39; 4:14) in the middle of the street, and on the two sides of the river grows the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month (the incarnated, crucified, and resurrected Christ, as the embodiment of the consummated Triune God-Rev. 2:7; 22:14), signifying the supply of this organic building (cf. II. I. 1. b.).
All the points mentioned above indicate that God’s nature, one of the attributes of which is righteousness, is the foundation of the throne and that out of this foundation proceeds the administration of this organic building that affords the base for the supply of this organic building. Thus, this organic building’s administration and supply are all issues from the divine nature of God the Father, who is the Originator of this organic building.
Its temple with its dwellers-21:22:
The temple of this organic building is another aspect of the tabernacle of God and is the almighty God and the Lamb (the almighty redeeming God) for the eternal dwelling place of all the redeeming God’s redeemed-Psa. 90:1; John 14:23.
This organic building as the tabernacle, mostly of the humanity of God’s redeemed, is the eternal dwelling place of the Triune God; this building as the temple of God, mostly of the divinity of the redeeming God, is the eternal dwelling place of God’s redeemed. This indicates that this building is a mutual abode of the redeeming God and His redeemed.
In this mutual abode the redeeming God as the Father with the redeemed as the Father’s many sons form a royal household.
In this royal divine household the sons as priests, the royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9), serve the Father and as kings reign over the nations as its subjects-Rev. 22:3b-5; 21:24-26; cf. II. I. 7. a.
Its light with its shining -21:23-24a:
The light of this organic building is the glory of God in the Lamb (the Redeemer) as the lamp. Therefore, this building has no need of the sun or the moon, the natural light created by God, and the lamp, the artificial light made by man, and there is no night -21:23, 25; 22:5a.
The glory of God as the light is in the redeeming Lamb as the lamp shining through this organic building as the light’s diffuser. This indicates that the Triune God is one with His redeemed in His expression (as what is revealed by the Son in John 14:20) shining as light over the nations.
The nations will walk by the light of this organic building. Thus, the entire eternal kingdom of God will be under the shining of God’s glory in the Redeemer through the redeemed.
In the previous chapter we covered two aspects of the New Jerusalem-its base with its street and its gates with its availability. In this chapter we will cover four additional aspects.