Verse 21 says, “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was, respectively, of one pearl.” We have seen that gold signifies the divine nature and that the precious stones signify what is produced by the transforming work of the Spirit. The significance of the pearl is found in the way it is produced. Pearls are produced by oysters in the waters of death. When the oyster is wounded by a particle of sand, it secretes its life-juice around the sand and makes it a precious pearl. This depicts Christ as the living One coming into the death waters, being wounded by us, and secreting His life-juice over us to make us precious pearls for the building of God’s eternal expression.
We must admire God’s wisdom. Nearly everything in His creation is an illustration of an aspect of His economy. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He used many of the things found in nature as parables. Light, wheat, food, and even pearl-producing oysters are parables. Christ, the living One, entered into our death situation and lived in it. Through living in the waters of death, He was wounded by us. After wounding Him, we remained near His wound. This means that we repented, believed in Him, and received Him. How deeply we appreciate the wounds He suffered in His crucifixion! As we stay near His wounds, He secretes the life-juice of His resurrection life, and this life-juice envelops us and eventually transforms us into pearls. By staying at Christ’s wound, we receive His life and are regenerated. By remaining there after our regeneration, we are also transformed and become pearls.
That the twelve gates of the holy city are twelve pearls signifies that regeneration through the death-overcoming and life-secreting Christ is the entrance into the city. This entrance meets the requirement of the law as represented by Israel and as observed by the guarding angels (v. 12). Hence, the pearl is the entrance into the city. How did you enter into the New Jerusalem? Did you climb over the wall? This would be impossible because the wall is too high. The only way to enter into the New Jerusalem is through the pearl gates, through the gates constituted with the overcoming death and the life-imparting resurrection of Christ. Praise the Lord, we have all entered the New Jerusalem in this way! We confessed, we repented, we appreciated His death, and we enjoyed staying at His wounds. Immediately, we received the life-secretion that regenerated us and that is now transforming us. Through our experience of the death and resurrection of Christ, we have passed through the pearl gates and are now within the city. Hallelujah!
The fact that each one of the gates is, respectively, of one pearl indicates that the entrance into the city is unique and once for all; that is, it is only through the once-for-all regeneration by Christ’s overcoming death and life-imparting resurrection.
The names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel are inscribed on the twelve gates of the city (v. 12). Israel here represents the law of the Old Testament, indicating that the law is represented at the gates of New Jerusalem. The law watches and observes to insure that all the communications, the comings in and the goings out, of the holy city meet its requirements. Thus, all the communications of this city are according to the law of God.
The apostles represent grace, whereas the twelve tribes of Israel represent the law. The twelve gates were produced according to the law. Christ died for our sin according to the law and, in a very positive sense, He was also resurrected from among the dead for the complement of the law. Even our repentance was according to the law, for we repented because we had violated the law, and we confessed our sins according to the law. Thus, the law was the basic factor in Christ’s death and in our repentance and confession. This means that the twelve pearl gates are absolutely according to the law and have fulfilled the requirements of the law. Our entrance into the holy city did not break the law; rather, it was according to the law and even a fulfillment of the law. Whatever the law required was fulfilled in our entering into the city. In other words, we entered into New Jerusalem according to the law. Our entrance was altogether legal and lawful because by His death and resurrection Christ had completely fulfilled the requirements of the law. This matter is quite deep.
Because our entrance into the New Jerusalem through the pearl gates had to be according to the law, we all had to repent, confess our sins, and say “O Lord Jesus, You not only died for my sins; You also died for me. Lord, I confess that I am sinful, that I have committed a great many sins, and that I am worthy of nothing but death. Lord, how I thank You for dying for me.” This kind of repentance and confession fulfills the requirement of the law and makes our entrance into the city lawful.