In the Bible book of Revelation chapter 21 verses 9 to 27 we read that the apostle John was exiled to the island of Padmos. There he receives a vision from God about the New City of Jerusalem. The city shone with God’s glory. Johannes describes it as the sparkle of a diamond. This Bible study aims to help you apply the meaning of symbolism for Christians in life.
Revelation 21:9-27 The new city of Jerusalem
9 And there came one of the seven angels, having the seven bowls full of the last seven plagues, and spake with me, saying, Come hither, and I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit into a great and high mountain, and shewed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God; 11 And she had the glory of God, and her brightness was like unto a very precious stone, as a diamond of crystal clearness. 12 And it had a great and high wall, and it had twelve gates, and upon the gates twelve angels, and names written upon them, which are the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 13 To the east were three gates, and to the north three gates, and to the south three gates, and to the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and upon them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he that spake with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16 And the city was square, and the length thereof was as great as the breadth thereof; and he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand furlongs; its length and its breadth and its height were equal. 17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, the measure of an angel. 18 And the material of the wall thereof was diamond; and the city was pure gold, as pure glass. 19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was diamond, the second lapis lazuli, the third ruby, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh topaz, the eighth beryl, the ninth chrysolite, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh sapphire, the twelfth amethyst . 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 And the nations shall walk by her light, and the kings of the earth shall exalt their glory in her; 25 And its gates shall never be shut by day, for there shall be no night there; 26 And the glory and the honor of the nations shall be brought into her. 27 And no unclean thing shall enter into her, neither shall anyone do abomination and lies, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Personal listening
Diamond heist!
In 2001, an employee of Gassan Diamonds in Amsterdam stole a large number of diamonds and many other valuable jewelry. He hid the diamonds in a microwave and smuggled them out of the high-security company. The total value of his loot amounted to millions of euros. This was a major loss for Gassan Diamons because theft by its own staff cannot or hardly be insured. The employee was given a prison sentence of 2.5 years but was released due to good behavior.
The New City of Jerusalem shone with God’s glory. Johannes describes it as the sparkle of a diamond. Diamonds have always been desirable gemstones. It arouses something in a person, especially in someone who is after wealth or power. In Revelation 21, God’s glory becomes man’s desire. We don’t have to steal it but it’s free. Nor should man on earth seek wealth. That only brings horror and deceit. We read that the city was tightly secured with a wall built on diamonds, in which there were twelve gates. The gates are guarded by angels. God thereby emphatically shows that sin has no access. God, at Creation, gave man the confidence to exercise stewardship over the earth. Unfortunately, man began to appropriate the earth. A great loss for God, but God starts again. He gives us freedom sooner than we deserve. Not by good behavior but by grace alone!
Honest finder. Revelation 21:9-14
Informative
John is shown a vision showing the most precious ‘diamond’ in the world. If you had to express it in euros, all the bank balances in the world would still be too little. Johannes appears to be the finder of this precious gemstone. What a lucky bird! Or not? His find doesn’t seem to be really popular with people. On the contrary, John was exiled to the lonely island of Patmos because of his earlier proclamation about the Owner of that treasure. Yet God allows himself to be found in the silence on this lonely island. John is instructed to write down and proclaim the message.
Have you ever experienced such a quiet time situation? Quiet time is an important part of the search for God. Sometimes a difficult search that occasionally seems to be without results. God can seem so far away. But suddenly God can reveal himself in your life. It breaks through like the sparkle of a diamond.
Diamond is the hardest material there is. When God brings down the New Jerusalem from heaven, He shows that the city is built on diamonds. A promise that will never waver or fail! A promise worth continuing our quest. God has a reward for the honest finder!
Think over
- Taking quiet time is easy to say. In the past, people had more time for that.
- How long can that search for God last? And what about small children who die too ‘early’?
- cHow can I know when I have found God?
Prayer
- In your prayer, ask for discipline to set aside a moment for quiet time.
- Pray that God will cleanse sins from your life and provide direction for your search.
- Thank God that you can live on this earth and that He gives a promise that if you seek you will also find.
Worker of the diamond Revelation 21:15-21
Informative
The ‘Cullinan’ was the largest diamond in the world until 2007. The diamond was discovered in a mine in South Africa in 1905. The diamond was cleaved and cut in Amsterdam by Joseph Asscher, the best diamond cutter of the time. Joseph walked around with the diamond in his pocket for a long time, examining the stone again and again. One day he took a chance. The blow with which he split the stone took so much out of him that he fainted afterwards. Nevertheless, the editing was flawless.
The Cullinan was used, among other things, to make the Star of Africa and was incorporated into the scepter of the British king. The other stones are incorporated into the British Crown Jewels. They are now on display in the Tower of London and still attract many tourists.
John not only sees a vision but also hears a description. John is, as it were, talking to the Person who measures out the New Jerusalem before John’s eyes. Just like when working on a diamond, this is done with the utmost care. It comes down to it. It has to be perfect. Only the best is good enough. God is the Author and has a buyer in mind. He takes his time. You and I are confronted here with God’s immense care and love. This message has now reached billions of people!
God personally explains the presentation of his ‘treasure’. These are not just random sizes and the first available building materials, but everything has been chosen with the greatest care. It makes it clear that God knows his ‘customer’ (man) inside and out. What a wonder that God knows you and me. He made us so how could it be otherwise? But do we know God, our Maker, our Arranger well enough?
Reflection and Bible study
- All those measurements and materials that Johannes is shown give a somewhat utopian image. What would God mean by that?
- If God knows me inside and out, then He knows what I have to go through sometimes. But God makes Himself known so difficult.
- It is a beautiful intention of God to make a New Jerusalem for me, but I think
- life here on earth is also valuable.
Prayer
- Pray that God will let you listen to His Word in the Bible.
- Pray for insight into who you are. God is also your Maker and Fabricator. He wants to make you shine like a diamond.
- Thank God for who you are right now. You are of value.
Owner of the diamond. Revelation 21:22-27
Informative
When the Gassan Diamonds employee committed the diamond theft, he was of course not the owner. To become owner he had to pay tens of millions of euros. Of course, you don’t have that amount of money lying around in an old sock in the attic!
It is not obvious that you own a diamond. Maybe a very small one, a diamond in a ring or something. If you have such a precious diamond, you also have to protect it. The employee had nowhere to sell the diamonds and eventually reported himself to the police.
If God has completed the New Jerusalem, who owns it? John saw and heard the owner Himself. The city was offered to man from heaven, but God was in the midst of it. It is complete and perfect. We don’t have to do anything more. When the Day has come you will be with or without earthly goods but you will receive riches and glory from God who will never again make you covet earthly riches. God will put an end to that for good. God is Owner of the New Jerusalem, of the earth and of man, He places Himself in the midst of the city. He appoints angels who will guard the city so that abomination and lies no longer have influence among the citizens of heaven. God shows John what it will be like on the last day. John describes it in his own words and from that you can see that it is very good. We can completely entrust ourselves to that Owner. If you are desperate you can always report to Him.
Think over
- What commands or promises can you discover in the text?
- All that gold and diamonds are beautiful, but I would actually prefer a description of a new paradise.
- Even though everything is new and perfect, why should there still be surveillance of the city?
Prayer
- Pray that God will give you insight into the purpose of His Creation.
- Thank God that John was able to see the future and write it down and that there is a prospect and hope to live for.
- Thank God that you can receive instruction from His Word and do this Bible study together with fellow believers.
Listen together
Multiply
Before Joseph Asscher started working on the Cullinan, he split the diamond into pieces. He didn’t just do this. This action was thought out for days. Nine large and 96 small diamonds were cut from the Cullinan with the utmost care that a diamond dealer can possess. Although one stone is more precious than the other, they all have two things in common:
they come from one stone and they all have the same beautiful sparkle. When the light shines on one such diamond it is a feast for the eyes. In the vision,
Johanne sees dozens of diamonds and other gemstones incorporated into the city. And then also God in the middle. What an amazing sight that must have been. Can you imagine that we are such a diamond or pearl before God? He gives the best we can imagine. And then Revelation 21 is just a figure of speech. Much more wonderful things await us than we can rationalize with our human minds. It clearly seems that God does not want to keep all that beauty to Himself. He brings it down from heaven and wants us to share in it. We can even live in it. Just as the Cullinan diamond has multiplied into dozens of other diamonds, God wants us to multiply and let His love and glory shine through us. All believers may hold that we come from one Maker and may soon live in one ‘city’ where everyone can achieve their full potential.
Notes
A number of words in the Bible passage deserve extra attention:
- 9 ‘..last seven plagues’: the final judgment that comes upon the earth symbolized by the number seven, which means perfect.
- 10 ‘spirit’: whether the Holy Spirit is meant here is not certain. In addition to the Holy Spirit, there are various Spirits with which God can fill or equip people.
- 11 ‘glory of God’: God’s glory is mentioned separately next to the shine of the beautiful gemstones.
- 16 twelve thousand furlongs: symbolic measure indicating that the city is immeasurably large.
- 17 ‘wall’: before that time, a city was unthinkable without a wall. It’s a sign of safety.
- 18 ‘the material of her wall was diamond: the wall as a sign of safety is founded on the hardest gemstone. A sign of extra safety.
- 19 ‘foundations’: or principles. God makes a new beginning and He does it (again) extremely well.
- 21 ‘the twelve gates were twelve pearls’: pearls are known to make something beautiful from the foreign parts that enter the shell. Pearl gates are such a symbol that they prevent all impurity and abomination.
- 22 ‘temple’: The temple was the connecting link between God and man. In the New Jerusalem, God lives among his people.
- 24 ‘nations’: Christians who descend from all nations.
- 25 gates will never be closed’: In John’s time, the city gates were closed at night. That time is over. A New Age has dawned.
- 27 ‘unclean, abomination and a lie’; Those who are concerned with idols and do not want to serve God.
Questions for discussion in the circle
Listen to the text
- Is the text an interpretation of John or inspired by God?
- Revelation is largely symbolism. What did that mean at the time?
- Can you describe in your own words the situation in which Johannes finds himself?
- What would it mean that all gates face the four cardinal directions?
Listen and hear
- To whom is the book of Revelation explicitly addressed?
- Are there elements that you have difficulty with?
- Which elements of the text appeal to you?
- Are there elements in the text passage that you can apply to your daily life? Yes, how can you do that?
Goal
The objective of this bible study is:
- Introduction to Revelation 21:9-27
- Getting to know the meaning of symbolism in Revelation 21 and knowing its meaning for our time.
Justification
The symbolism in Revelation 21 has a deep and rich meaning. It primarily points to the important place of the people of Israel in salvation history. For today’s Christians, it can make you (spiritually) rich. Knowledge of this part does not make you a millionaire on earth, but it can help you mentally to get through life. It gives a view of the eternal life that Jesus Christ has promised us. Symbolism has lost meaning in today’s church. Both in preaching and by object teaching. It is a Biblical theme that Christians and Jews cannot ignore when it comes to the proclamation and expectation of Jesus Christ.
Main points and overall content
- What is symbolism? Greek> Symbolon= (remembrance) sign, or Symbaloo= meeting, bringing together, comparing. Make it understandable through objects or imagery.
- The appearance of God’s Kingdom and the return of Christ is compared and announced with valuables. ‘and she had the glory of God, and her brightness was like unto a very precious stone’ Revelation 21:11
Symbolism in Old Testament:
Imagery diamond (hardness)
- Ezekiel 3:9; Like a diamond, harder than stone, I make your forehead;
- Jeremiah 17:1; The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus, engraved with a diamond point on the table of their hearts
- Zechariah 7:12; ‘They made their heart like a diamond, that they would not obey the instruction and the words of the LORD of hosts by his Spirit…’
Israel Sieraadland.
- Isaiah 4:2 ‘In that day the things which the LORD makes will spring forth for beauty and glory…’
- Ps. 93 ‘Your testimonies are very trustworthy, holiness is the glory of your house…’
- Than. 8:9 ‘And out of one of them came forth another horn, which began small, but became exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beauty…’
- Than. 11: 16: ‘.. he will establish a foothold in the Land of Beauty…’
- Daniel 11:45; “He will pitch his tabernacles between the sea and the mountain of the Holy Glory….”
New Testament Symbolism:
Imagery diamond only occurs in the book of Revelation..
- Revelation 4:3 ‘And he that sat on it was like a diamond and a sardius in appearance…’
- Revelation 21:11 ‘and its brightness was like unto a very precious stone, like a diamond of crystal clear’
- Revelation 21:18 ‘And the material of the wall thereof was diamond…’
- Imagery Israel as a Land of Beauty does not occur in the NT.
Symbolism OT and NT has meaning for today.
- Symbolism hard as diamond. > God is unshakable, unfailingly disruptable. He is the faithful one.
- Symbolism shine like diamond> God is full of glory and love.
- God makes His plan understandable to the world. First for Israel. Then for all nations.
- Little attention is paid to Israel in preaching.
- Through the symbolism in Revelation, God reminds us that His promise becomes reality and that nations are brought together.
- Symbolism points to God’s willingness and versatility. wants to meet God. God wants to bring together.
- Church loses power and influence due to little attention to symbolism in preaching.
read more
- Biblical word study: Holy Spirit symbol for water
- Biblical word study: Fighting evil
- The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testament