Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.John saw a city in a vision coming down out of Heaven, and a voice explained that this city was the BRIDE ADORNED FOR HER HUSBAND.
Is Jesus marrying a set of buildings? What would a literal city look like in a bridal gown and veil?
The City is symbolic of the Church.
Hebrews 12:22-23 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,We are not GOING TO GO TO the City, but WE ARE COME TO THE CITY.
We are there, spiritually speaking, right now.
Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.This is symbolic for the following:
Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;JASPEREphesians 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Revelation 21:10-11 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;This was in the spirit. So it was not literal. And John saw the city with Jasper, described as the glory of God.Reve 21:18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper:
God appeared that way as follows:
Revelation 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone:This is simply symbolic of the glory of God upon the church. Part of His glory is righteousness. And we are clothed with that righteousness. the following symbolism also bears this out.
Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.She is clothed with HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
12,000 FURLONGS
Revelation 21:16-17 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.That would make the city a cube. Foursquare means a cube. Notice that the Holiest of Holies was a cube.
1Kings 6:20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.The term TEMPLE in the New testament, in references to the Church, is actually better translated as HOLIEST OF HOLIES.
1Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?TEMPLE: naos -- nah-os'
That would coincide more with the most holy place.
And we are the most holy place (temple) of the Holy Ghost. And the city is foursqaure like the most holy place. It is New Jerusalem, which is what Hebrews 12:22 says we have come to already.
And it is a cube 12,000 furlongs high, wide and deep. Cubes have 12 edges.. . not faces, but edges. The edges are support edges of a cube. So multiply 12,000 furlongs by 12 support edges and you get a number of 144,000. Sound familiar? I proposed earlier that the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 15 is the church in symbolic form. Note that each gate of the city is pearl.
Revelation 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl:The gates were described also as follows:
Revelation 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:Where else do we read of pearl in the Bible in a significant note?Revelation 21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
Matthew 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.The door into the City... gates... are one pearl. If you WANT TO ENTER THE CITY and BE IN THE CHURCH, you need to go through the PEARL. You need to sell everything and obtain the ENTRANCE into the City.
JESUS IS THE WAY! The entrance. The pearl.
Everything in Revelation fits perfectly with the message Jesus preached. It perfectly symbolizes the Gospel and the church, for it is a revelartion of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1), not a revelation of end times or tribulation.
Also,
Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.This is the Church. Jerusalem above.
We read this about the city.
Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.And at the end of the chapter, John writes as though this is a present reality, not future.
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
When? NOW.
Then we read :
Revelation 22:14-15 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.If this is literal, and speaking literally of the City of God that will stand through all eternity future, then outside the walls of the city will forever be a group of people who are liars, sorcerors, whoremongers, etc. Just look out over the walls and see them all around the city forever.
No, its talking about present times. The Church.
An interesting message the Lord gave me about this is that the breasplate of the high priest, worn over his heart when he entered the oracle in the temple, was modeled after the New City.
Exodus 28:15-16 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and  of scarlet, and  of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.  Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.We are the Israel of God (Gal 6:16). A true Jew is one who is saved (Rom. 2:29).Exodus 28:21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.
And the gates of the city have the names of the tribes just like the breastplate had 12 precious stones with the names of the tribes. Compare the stones in the city's foundation and the breastplate. It is the church borne on Christ's heart, since this CITY is HIS BRIDE. His greatest desire. The church.
With gold as the background of the 12 stones on the breastplate, the street (singular) of Gold in the city is also seen in this picture. (It is not streets of gold, but STREET, singular, of Gold.)