Using apocalyptic symbolism, John describes the consummated Kingdom of God as a "city" or community made up of all God's people (Revelation 21:2). How does he do it?

First, John calls this community the "new Jerusalem," comparing it to the capitol city of Israel. Old Jerusalem embodied the Jewish nation, which entered into the Mosaic Covenant with God. In a similar fashion, Christians from all "nations" (see Revelation 7:9; 21:24, 26; 22:2), both Jews and Gentiles, have entered into the New Covenant through the sacrificial death of Christ (see Bare Roots 7.1). John therefore presents Christians as a sort of "new Israel," a "New Jerusalem," God's New Covenant community.

Second, in apocalyptic literature, numbers also carry symbolic meanings. To illustrate: "2" is the symbol for valid witness, an idea derived from Deuteronomy 19:15. John pictures Christ's one Church as "two witnesses" because it brings reliable testimony about Christ (Revelation 11:3).

The number "4" tends to symbolize Creation because the "four corners of the earth" take in the whole created order (see Isaiah 11:12; Ezekiel 7:2; Revelation 7:1). Accordingly, the "four living creatures" of Revelation 4:6-8 represent all Creation offering praise to God.

The number "12," derived from the twelve tribes of Israel (see Genesis 49:28), symbolizes the covenant people of God.

Multiples of these numbers typically represent the "fullness" or the complete number of the thing symbolized. For example, the 144,000 (12 x 12,000) in Revelation 7 symbolize the full number of Christians -- the full number of God's New Covenant people. John reminds us that this number is symbolic, not to be taken literally, when he describes the 144,000 as "a great multitude that no one could count" (v. 9).

Against this background, note that the "New Jerusalem" of Revelation 21-22 has 12 foundations and 12 gates bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 12:12-14). The city is 12,000 stadia long, 12,000 stadia wide, and 12,000 stadia high (12 x 1000), with walls 144 cubits thick (12 x 12) (Revelation 21:16-17). These symbolic dimensions do not reveal the city's architecture, but the identity of its inhabitants. It includes God's entire New Covenant community.

Third, John writes:

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. (Revelation 21:19-20, NIV)

John probably intends for these 12 precious stones to remind us of the 12 jewels mounted on the breastpiece worn by Aaron, the Jewish High Priest. According to Exodus 28:15-30, these twelve stones symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel, the whole of God's covenant people:

There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes...Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. (vv. 21, 29)

The name of the "New Jerusalem," its dimensions, the number of its gates and foundations, the thickness of its walls, and even the materials from which it is made -- all serve to identify the heavenly Kingdom as the community of God's New Covenant people.

Reflect...

1. What other biblical texts compare Christians to Israel, presenting the Church as a sort of "new Israel" or "New Jerusalem"? See, for example, Romans 4:12, 16-17; Galatians 4:21-31; 6:16; and Hebrews 12:22.
   
   
2. According to Revelation 21:14, "the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." How do you interpret this symbol? (Compare Ephesians 2:20.)
   
   
3. John also describes the New Jerusalem as the "Holy City" (Revelation 21:2). What does the word "holy" mean, and what does this tell us about those who make up the redeemed community?

Christopher A. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

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