The book of Revelation is the consummation of the Bible. If we did not have this book, the Bible would lack a proper conclusion. As a book of consummation, nearly everything in Revelation is something previously mentioned in the Old Testament. According to the black and white letters, we do not see anything related to God's building in Revelation 4 and 5. However, there is the matter of the seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God. There is a secret to understanding the signs and symbols in the book of Revelation: whenever a symbol appears in this book, find where it is mentioned in the Old Testament. For example, in Revelation chapter one we have the lampstands as a symbol of the churches. In order to understand the significance of the lampstands, we must read Exodus 25 where the lampstand is first mentioned, and also Zechariah 4 where it is mentioned the second time. In the same principle, if we would know what the seven eyes of God are, we must also go back to the Old Testament.
The seven eyes are mentioned in Zechariah 3:9 and 4:10. Zechariah implies that these seven eyes, which are the seven lamps, are related to the Spirit. When Zechariah asked the angel, "What are these?" the angel answered, "This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 4:4, 6). This word implies that the seven lamps are related to the Spirit of God. The book of Revelation tells us clearly that these seven eyes of God, which are the seven lamps, are the seven Spirits of God. Zechariah reveals that the seven eyes of God, which are the seven lamps on the lampstand, are also the seven eyes of the stone. By means of the seven eyes, Christ as the Lion and the Lamb unveiled in Revelation 5 is connected to the stone spoken of in Zechariah 3. Therefore, the One with the seven eyes is not only the Lion-Lamb but also the stone. He is the Lion-Lamb-stone: the Lion to destroy the enemy, the Lamb to redeem us, and the stone to build God's house.
God's economy is not for salvation. Salvation is neither the goal nor the consummation of God's economy. It is simply a procedure, a process, to reach God's goal. God's goal is the building of His eternal dwelling place. This building is the church today and the New Jerusalem in eternity.
Many Christians are familiar with Acts 4:12, which says, "And there is no salvation in any other; for neither is there another name under heaven given among men in which we must be saved." I have used this verse many times in preaching the gospel. I boldly told people that only one name in the entire universe could save them. It was not the name of Confucius or Plato; it was the name of Jesus. In recent years I learned that the Jesus in Acts 4:12 is the stone. The previous verse says, "This is the stone which was despised by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone." If we read Acts 4:10, we shall see that this stone is clearly identified with Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Jesus Christ, the One who was crucified and raised from the dead, is the stone set at naught by the Jewish builders. He has become the head cornerstone, and there is salvation in no other one. Those who rejected Him not only rejected the Savior but also the building stone, even the head cornerstone.
The cornerstone connects the walls of a building. In the corner of a building there are many stones, and among them is one called the head cornerstone. The Jews in ancient Palestine gave attention to three kinds of stones in building their houses: the foundation stone, the head cornerstone, and the topstone. The building was laid upon the foundation stone, the sides of the building were joined by the head cornerstone, and on the roof was the topstone. These three stones held and protected the whole building. In Isaiah 28:16 Christ is the foundation stone, in Zechariah 4:7 He is the topstone, and in Acts 4:10-12 He is the cornerstone. In Acts 4 Peter not only preached Christ as the Savior but also as the building stone, as the leading cornerstone that joins the walls together. Peter had this concept because he realized that God's redemption in Christ is for His building. Thus, in his first Epistle Peter could say, "To whom coming, a living stone, having been rejected by men, but with God chosen, held in honor, you yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house" (1 Pet. 2:4-5).