Revelation 21:9-21, New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

Revelation 21:9-21, New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

9-21,
9.One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10.And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
11.It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12.It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13.There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.
14.The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15.The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.
16.The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia‡ in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
17.The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits§ thick.
18.The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
19.The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
20.the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
21.The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. 

Last week's sermon/
1) Look forward to the new heaven and the new earth (eternal heaven) 2) See God’s comfort and reward (Immanuel; there is no death, mourning, crying, or pain) 3) In the newly changed and completed heaven where the victorious saints enter let's live forever. Amen.

Today, let's listen to the New Jerusalem, that is, 1) the brides of the Lamb(saints), and 2) the heavenly holy city (9-21). This is the future of our saints.

1. New Jerusalem (Saints who are the Lamb's wife & their city)! How beautiful it is! (9-11)
  The bridegroom Jesus sacrificed his blood on the cross to get his saints (New Jerusalem), his wife (Ephesians 5:25, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her). How grateful are you for Jesus? This is the most beautiful image of ‘coming down out of heaven from God’ (10) under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (2). You will have to live with seeing the New Jerusalem as the New Jerusalem filled with the Holy Spirit. I pray that you will live in a perfect place full of God's glory, and will live as saints who have been honorably changed with God's precious stones, pearls and pure gold by God's grace (11, Eze. 43:5, Isaiah 60:1-2,19). *Eze. 43:5, Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. *Is. 60:1-2,19, 1.“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2.See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 19,The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

2. New Jerusalem (saints), you are perfect and honorable!(12-21). Look at the walls, gates and foundation stones.
 1) Its walls are large and high (12), and their thickness is 144 (12 X 12) cubits (65 m) (17). It is a complete appearance.
Its castle is 12,000 stadia (about 2400 km) long, high and wide (16). 12,000 = 12 (complete) X 1000 (innumerable). It means the city is infinite and perfect. God will transform the saints into perfect beings.
 2) Its twelve gates consist of each three gates in the east, west, south, and north directions (13). The kingdom of heaven is open to all nations (John 3:16). There are 12 angels(doorkeepers) on the door, and the names of the 12 tribes of Israel are engraved on them (12). The gates are made of pearls (13, 21). This refers to the glory of the saints created through the sufferings of Jesus. The city and the saints are precious like pearls (Mt. 13:44,45). The saints are the treasure of the Lord who have passed through hardship. *Mt.13:44,45, 44.“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45.“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

 3) The wall has twelve foundations, on which are the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (14). Ephe. 2:20, Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church, and the church stands on the tradition of the apostles. The 12 tribes are all the people of the Old Testament (7:4-8), and the 12 apostles are all the saints of the New Testament. It is a community of all God's people in the Old and New Testaments. The foundation stones are made up of 12 gems. The saints are various shining jewels.
4) The road to the city and this is made of pure gold (constant and noble) like clear glass (18, 21). Saints are diverse, immutable, and noble jewels.

Conclusion/
  God has prepared the New Jerusalem. The city is the eternal heaven for believers to enter, and it shows the glorious figure of the Bride of the Lamb. When the bride is in Christ, the bridegroom, the Lamb, she can live a worthy life as a bride on this earth. He will write our names in the book of life, and let us give thanks and praise for the love of God who has called us to be the bride of Christ, who is weak and lacking. Let's keep the filling of the Holy Spirit so that we can live as the Lord's bride who refreshes God's heart (Ephe. 5:18, Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit). Let us all yearn for the glory of New Jerusalem. Looking at the suffering Lord, I pray that you will be used as an unchanging, complete and diverse jewel. Amen.