Is the New Jerusalem the Restoration of the Garden of Eden?
Bible Study
(Verse 9-10) The new Jerusalem will be something beyond what our minds can wrap its complex cells around. John does his best to describe what he sees. But the description bares no resemblance to what will be revealed to us and experienced by us in the new Holy City of God.
Angels are mentioned more than 60 times in the book of Revelation. This does not include the seven angels of the seven churches in Revelation 1.
Here John is visited by the same angel that came to him in Revelation 17:1. Again, this angel carries John away in the spirit to where he’s going to witness the next events in Revelation.
Notice, John is carried away to a mountain. This is not any ordinary mountain. John records that it’s a “great and high” mountain. It was necessary for John to have a tremendous vantage point as he gazes on what’s about to be shown to him.
John is about to not only hear but also see some of the details of the new Jerusalem.
Who Has Seen the Glory of the Lord?
(Verse 11) Few people in the Bible have witnessed portions of the glory of God. God Himself described His glory to Moses in this way.
And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” (Exodus 33:18-19)
God described His glory as “all His goodness.” Even in this moment, Moses had to hide behind a rock in a crevice and not look at God as the glory of His majesty passed by. In a similar way, the glory of God was experienced by those around Mt. Sinai as God spoke to Moses.
Finally, God’s glory was shown in His son Jesus Christ who came to save us from our sins and reunite us with our heavenly Father.
No flesh on earth could ever see the full glory of God in all His goodness and majesty and live. But the day will come when we’ll be able to gaze upon His glory that will be shown in the new Jerusalem. Hang on to the end. It’s gets even better than this.
It Shined With a Brilliance Like Jasper
John records that the brilliance of the Holy City was that, “like a jasper, clear as crystal.”
Today, jasper which is a finer version of quartz is known for it’s display of many colors. Interestingly, John describes it as clear as crystal. There may be some significance to colors as we look further into this passage description of the new Jerusalem. We’ll see what that might be in a moment.
Jasper has great biblical significance. It’s one of the oldest stones that people of ancient times used to carve out precious jewelry. But it was even older than this. In fact, jasper goes all the way back to the very beginning of creation.
Jasper is mentioned more in Revelation than any other book of the Bible (Revelation 4:3; 21:11; 21:18-19). But Ezekiel brings it origin all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
“You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.” (Ezekiel 28:13)
Here, Ezekiel uses King Tyre to metaphorically describe Lucifer before his fall from heaven.
Jasper was also used in the designing of the breastplate for the priest in the book of Exodus.
“the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings.” (Exodus 28:20)
“the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings.” (Exodus 39:13)
As Ezekiel spoke from God, he cast jasper as a jewel of Eden. This is suggestive of God’s divine splendor adding to the beauty and perfection of creation.
It’s another example of God’s word woven together creating connections from the beginning to the end. This is not easy to do with a Bible that consists of 66 books from more than 40 authors. But with God, all is possible.
What’s the Significance of the Twelve Gates?
(Verses 12-13) God chose Abraham as the father of His chosen people. He established the 12 tribes of the Israelites. It’s a concept that began with the birth of the sons of Jacob. Each of the twelve tribes being named after one of the 12 sons of Jacob.
It was God’s express purpose to make Himself and His glory known to the world through His chosen people (Israelites). The naming of the twelve gates into the Holy City, the new Jerusalem is symbolic of God’s purpose for His chosen people.
His chosen people were not exactly cooperative throughout history. None the less, the world has been blessed through the Jews. Most importantly, we received God’s word (Bible) through the Jewish people. With that came God’s free gift of salvation through His son Jesus Christ. There is no greater blessing than this.
There will be three gates on each of the four walls. Each symbolically named after the 12 tribes of Israel.
What’s the Significance of the Twelve Foundations?
(Verse 14) Just as God used His chosen people of the Old Testament to bless the world and to show His glory, Christ would use 12 disciples to bless the world with the Good News of salvation.
When Jesus began His three year ministry, He chose 12 ordinary Galileans to follow Him. By the time He finished teaching them and they had the opportunity to witness to His resurrection, they would be ready to serve as the foundation for all Christian evangelism up to this day.
Christ prepared and sent twelve ordinary men, with nothing more than a cloak, sandals, a small leather bag with some parchment and a writing instrument to turn the world upside down with the Good News.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:12-17)
The Promise of the New Jerusalem
All of those believers who’ll receive the glory and benefit of living in the Holy City, the new Jerusalem after the Millennium will do so because of the work of Christ through the twelve disciples.
Christ is the ultimate foundation of the Church upon which we rest our hope and faith. And it’s Christ who laid the foundation (12 disciples) so that the nations could come to believe in Jesus as the Savior of the world and the only way back to the Father.
There was and is no deeds of Satan that could ever thwart God’s work of spreading the gospel through these 12 men. For that reason, the Bible today is still the best selling book year after year after year. No other book is a close second.
So too, will the 12 foundations of the new Jerusalem be. There will be nothing that will move it or damage it. It’ll be an everlasting city for which we will glory in the presence of God and Christ.
There are no words that I could use from any human dictionary to describe what that experience will be like for the believers. John does his best to describe what he sees. But he doesn’t even come close to the true intimacy of life in the Holy City.
Not only is God restoring the Garden of Eden. The new Jerusalem will be even greater than God’s original plan for Eden.
But don’t go yet. John is about to give us some extraordinary details of what the new Jerusalem will look like. And I think there’s going to be much more than meets the eye. I mean that literally. Let’s go take a look.
<< Rev. 21:2-8 “What Will the New Jerusalem of the Bible Be Like?” |