The accomplishment of the economy of God is the New Jerusalem. It has been more than four hundred years since Luther’s reformation. Luther saw only the truth concerning justification by faith; he did not have the revelation concerning God’s economy. After him, very few Bible expositors could give a clear and definite word concerning the New Jerusalem. Even Robert Govett, a well-respected Bible expositor who was quite good in the interpretation of prophecies, asserted that the New Jerusalem is a physical city. Based upon his principle of biblical interpretation, he asserted that Revelation could only be interpreted literally, not spiritually. In the last few hundred years, concerning the interpretation of Revelation, there is a school of literal interpretation that considers the seven lampstands as seven lampstands, the city as a city, the doors as doors, and the street as a street. Regarding this kind of interpretation, my rebuttal is that Revelation opens by saying that Christ showed all the things to His slave John “by signs” (1:1). Hence, the entire book of Revelation is composed of signs. For example, Revelation 5:6 says that Christ is the Lamb. We cannot interpret this word literally and say that He is a lamb with four legs and a tail. Also, 1:12 says that the churches are lampstands. Are the churches merely physical lampstands? On the one hand, this should not be interpreted literally, but on the other hand, it should be interpreted literally, because the seven lampstands which John saw were actually seven lampstands. As a sign, however, seven signifies completion and perfection, and the significance of the lampstands is even richer and more inclusive. Bible expositors throughout the generations were not able to clearly interpret the proper meaning of the New Jerusalem in its different aspects. Among us, from Brother Nee’s study of Revelation together with my few decades of study, we now have explained clearly every item of the New Jerusalem. In our publications we have more than thirty messages on the New Jerusalem; I hope that you will all read these messages carefully (see God’s New Testament Economy, chs. 26-44; Elders’ Training Book 2, The Vision of the Lord’s Recovery, chs. 5-13; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 254-264).
Revelation says that the New Jerusalem is the tabernacle of God (21:3). This follows John 1, which says that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (v. 14); that tabernacle was God’s dwelling place. John refers to the tabernacle in chapter one; then in chapter two he mentions the temple (v. 21). Both the tabernacle and the temple are dwelling places, and the consummation of these dwelling places is the New Jerusalem. Revelation also says that the New Jerusalem is the bride, the wife, of Christ (21:2, 9). To those who advocate the literal interpretation of the New Jerusalem, I would ask, “Do you really mean to say that the wife of Christ is a physical city?” Ephesians tells us that the wife of Christ is the church (5:23-32) and that the church is the dwelling place of God (2:22). Therefore, the New Jerusalem is the consummation of the church as the wife of Christ and the dwelling place of God. This is the meaning of the New Jerusalem as a sign.
Furthermore, Revelation 21 says that the light of the city is like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone (v. 11). It also says that the wall of the city is built with jasper (v. 18), having twelve foundations, and that the first foundation is also jasper (v. 19). According to Revelation 4, God is like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance (v. 3). The red color of sardius signifies redemption and indicates that God is the God of redemption. Jasper is dark green, signifying life in its richness and indicating that God is the God of life. In chapter four, jasper is the appearance of God as life. In chapter twenty-one the wall of the entire city of New Jerusalem is jasper, and its light is like jasper. This means that the New Jerusalem is the expression of God. If the book of Revelation must be interpreted entirely according to letters, does that mean that in chapter four God is simply a jasper stone? This shows that Revelation cannot be interpreted literally.
In these years the Lord has shown us the crystallized significance of the New Jerusalem: it is a mingling, a constitution, of the Triune God with His chosen and redeemed people. Perhaps some will ask where in the Word do we get this kind of interpretation. The answer is that we see in the New Jerusalem the twelve tribes of Israel representing the Old Testament saints (Rev. 21:12) and the twelve apostles representing the New Testament saints (v. 14). We also see that God is in it, Christ is in it, and the Spirit is in it. Although the title Christ is not used in Revelation in referring to the New Jerusalem, when God is mentioned, He is mentioned with the Lamb (22:1, 3; 21:22-23). When the Lamb is mentioned, it refers to Christ. The Gospel of John shows us that Christ is the Lamb (1:29). In the same principle, although the Spirit is not mentioned in Revelation concerning the New Jerusalem, a river is there (22:1). John 7 says clearly that out of the innermost being of those who receive the Spirit shall flow rivers of living water (v. 38). Consequently, the Lamb refers to Christ, whereas the river refers to the Spirit. Hence, we see that the New Jerusalem is constituted with the Triune God and His redeemed people.
Furthermore, the three kinds of materials—gold, pearls, and precious stones—which constitute the city of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:19-21) indicate that the New Jerusalem is the Triune God wrought into His redeemed people. These three kinds of materials are not the gold, silver, and precious stones referred to in 1 Corinthians; rather, they correspond to the gold, bdellium, and precious stones in Genesis 2:11-12. Revelation and Genesis are two corresponding ends, whereas 1 Corinthians is the course. Man has the sinful nature due to the fall, and during the course he still has sin, so he needs the silver that signifies redemption. After the age of redemption passes away, in the new heaven and new earth, there is no longer the problem of sin, and as a result, there is no longer the need for redemption. Creation reverts to the sinless condition in Genesis 2. In the New Jerusalem gold signifies the holiness of God the Father, pearls signify the overcoming death and life-dispensing resurrection of God the Son, and precious stones signify the transforming work of God the Spirit. This is why we say that the New Jerusalem is the mingling, the constitution, of the redeeming God with His redeemed people.