Verse 18 says, “And the building material of its wall was jasper.” Jasper is a transformed precious stone (1 Cor. 3:12) that bears the appearance of God. This stone is crystal clear and dark green. Revelation 4:3 says, “He who was sitting was like in appearance to a jasper stone and a sardius.” According to this verse, the appearance of God on the throne is like jasper and sardius. The dark green color of jasper signifies life in its richness. Green grass, green fields, and green mountains all testify of the richness of life. If a lawn or field is brown, we have the impression that there is no life there. But dark green signifies the richness of life. God as the One on the throne in chapter four also has the appearance of a sardius, a most precious stone in the color of red, which signifies redemption. While jasper indicates God as the God of glory in His rich life, sardius signifies God as the God of redemption. Our God today is the God of life and the God of redemption. However, when we enter into the New Jerusalem, we shall have no further need of redemption. Thus, the color of the wall of the city will be jasper, dark green, expressing life in its richness.
We have seen that the wall is a hundred and forty-four cubits high, and that this measure is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. We have pointed out that this signifies that the wall of the city is not natural, but in resurrection. This is a very important matter. Everything we say, everything we do, and everything we are in the church life today must be in resurrection. The principle of resurrection is that the natural life is killed and that the divine life rises up in its place. This is resurrection.
A number of times, as I was about to lose my temper, I exercised my spirit to crucify my natural man. Whenever I did this, I was in resurrection. We must not only practice this with our temper, but even with our love. Do not love others in a natural way. Love them in resurrection. Natural love is like honey. Instead of a “honey” love, we need a love that is in resurrection, a love that has been killed by the cross and resurrected with the divine life. There is no honey in such a love. In place of honey, there are frankincense and salt. According to Leviticus 2, the meal offering could have frankincense and salt, but not honey. The love among most Christians today is rarely the love in resurrection, which is the real love. Mostly, it is not only like honey, but also full of leaven. Although many Christians talk about love, this love may not be a love that has been dealt with by the cross and resurrected with the divine life. What we need is a resurrected love, a love which is in the divine life.
I like to see the brothers and sisters growing in life and experiencing the building, but I do not like to see any natural love. It is better to keep a distance between yourself and others. Do not wear their clothes; do not even use their Bibles. If your natural life has been dealt with, you will not want to use a Bible that belongs to someone else. Using another’s Bible does not indicate that you love him in the spirit; rather, it proves that you love him according to your natural taste. You spend so much time with that particular brother because he matches your taste. You may think that you are growing in life as you fellowship with him. Actually, because your love for him is natural, you are not growing at all. The more we love others, the greater should be the distance between ourselves and them.
In the church life, we must learn to do everything in resurrection, not in our natural life. If you are not certain whether a thing you are about to do is in resurrection, please do not do it. Pray and wait until you have the assurance that you are in resurrection. The fact that the wall of the city of New Jerusalem is measured with the measurement of a man, that is, of an angel, means not only that it is measured according to the divine nature, but also that it is according to resurrection. You must love me and I must love you, not in our natural life, but in the divine life. Never yield an inch of ground to the natural life. No matter how much you love others, keep a distance between yourself and them. If you do this, you will be kept from the natural life, and you will love others in resurrection, according to humanity, but in angelic likeness.
In 1932, the year I came into the church life, I had my first lesson in learning how to do things in resurrection, not in my natural life. There was a certain sister who always helped others, but who did not have enough money to buy a good Bible for herself. She spent her money on the needy ones, not on herself. I came to know her situation and noticed that she had to use a very old Bible. Spontaneously I was burdened to buy her a good, leather-bound Bible and to give it to her anonymously. As I went to the Lord about this, I said, “Lord, I am about to buy a Bible for this sister. Am I doing this in my natural life or in Your resurrection life?” By inquiring of the Lord in this way, I learned a great deal. Because I was not certain that I was acting according to resurrection life, I was not able to buy the Bible immediately. I waited for a period of time until I was sure that I was not acting according to my natural life, but according to Christ’s resurrection life. One day I purchased a Bible for her and gave it to her anonymously. Through receiving this gift of a Bible, her faith was confirmed, and she grew in the matter of believing the Lord. If I had given her a Bible a few weeks earlier, she would have not been helped in this regard. The very day I had the assurance that I could give her a Bible in resurrection was the exact day she needed to receive it.