The New Jerusalem is composed firstly of the Old Testament saints. This is proved by 21:12, which says that the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel are inscribed on the gates of the city. Every gate bears the name of one tribe. This is also a sign signifying that the gates of the city are living people. We have seen that the significance of the church as a golden lampstand is that it shines for enlightening. We need to know the true meaning and significance of these gates.
The gates firstly function as the means of propagation for the city and then as the entrance into the city. Before anything can enter in through the gates, something must first go out of them. What goes out of them will then bring something back in through them. Therefore, the gates first function as the way of propagation and then as entrances.
Please remember that the gospel was firstly preached and propagated by Jews. For example, both Peter and Paul were Jews. For this reason, the Lord told the Samaritan woman that salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22). In other words, the gospel, the glad tidings, came out of the Jewish people. Therefore, the Old Testament saints, the children of Israel, are the gates for the preaching and the spreading. All the Old Testament prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and the minor prophets, were preachers. Isaiah preached a great deal, even proclaiming the unique gospel message recorded in Isaiah 53. And John the Baptist and the apostles were all descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, the twelve tribes of Israel are the gates through which the riches of the New Jerusalem are supplied to mankind.
The supply that has come out of these gates has had an issue, and this issue is that people have been brought in through the preaching of the gospel. We all have entered into the New Jerusalem through the Jewish gates. Although some may not appreciate this term, I certainly do. I did not enter through a Gentile gate; I entered through a gate that bears the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. We should never say that we came in through a gate that bears a British name, a German name, or any Gentile name. There are no such names in the New Jerusalem. As far as the gates are concerned, there are only the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. They are the gates for propagation and for entrance. As we have seen, these names signify that the Old Testament saints are the constituents of that city.
Verse 14 says, “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” The fact that the names of the twelve apostles are on the twelve foundations of the wall indicates that New Jerusalem is not only composed of the Old Testament saints, represented by Israel, but also of the New Testament saints, represented by the apostles. The New Testament believers are not for the gates; they are for the wall. The gates are for propagation and entrance, but the wall is for separation and protection. In another message we shall cover the gates and the wall in detail.