Corona Chronicles - Crown of Gold

Well, welcome back to corona chronicles. It's our joy. Our real privilege to be in Revelation chapter 21, and we're learning really about what the people have got to like in the new creation. In fact, it's more about what the people are like than the new creation is like in in 1 sense, if that makes sense. And we're starting to read at verse 9.

1 of the 7 angels who had the 7 bowls full of the 7 last plagues came and said to me come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb. I mean, 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. It shone with the glory of God and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel. Like a Jasper, clear as crystal, It had a great high wall with 12 gates and with 12 angels up against. On the gates were written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.

There were 3 gates on the east. 3 on the north, 3 on the south, and 3 on the west. The wall of the city had 12 foundations and on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the lamb. Terrific stuff were in here really, really good description, isn't it? Of of of what we are like in the new creation.

Yeah. Such a beautiful picture of of of the people God will make us to be. Verse 11, strikes me. It shone with the glory of God. And I think I think about Moses coming down off the mountain up that he's been in God's presence and his face is shining.

So they have to put a veil on him to cover him up because it's too glorious. But here, now there's kind of that the people are with God and they're shining like him because they're with him constantly. There's no sort of veil between us and God anymore. Really beautiful picture. It's interesting how he does it though because you've got this angel and it's 1 of the angels that's already brought judgment.

It's brought judgment on the nation. And then he brings this fantastic sort of vision, doesn't he to to John. But I I always think he's quite interesting because he says, come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb. And then the next verse verse 10, it says, and he carried me away in the spirit to amount great and high and showed me the holy city. Now, either this angel was lying -- Yeah.

-- I'll show you the I'll show you the wife of the lamb. Yeah. And then he showed in the city, or he got muddled up or distracted. Yeah. Or and this is the obvious reading.

Yep. That that the wife of the lamb, the bride, is the holy city. And that what that says is that the the the wife of the the bride the wife of the the the bride of the lamb is the church, the people of God. And God dwells in his holy city. Yep.

And and that's what's going on here, isn't it? Yeah. It reminds me a little bit of in Revelation, where is it it says something like the line of Judah, I turned and saw a lamb. Right. Can you remember that bit?

What bit is that? I don't know. Okay. It's when the lamb's on the throne. And they're expecting to see a lion and he turns and sees the lamb instead in revelation, you mean?

Yeah. Exactly. Oh, yeah. Chapter chapter 4. Yeah.

Yeah. That's it. Took 4 or 5. Yeah. Yeah.

So it's a similar sort of thing. It's like, I'm gonna show you this and then you see something you see something that you weren't expecting, but it is the same thing. Yes. Yeah. And that is what's going on here.

Yeah. Yeah. That's why you can't this isn't literal. It's imagery and and we'll see later on. That the angel has to use sort of human language, doesn't he?

That's right. Definitely. This 1 is that clear, isn't it? Definitely. But you've got you've got so you've got this this this picture of the bride, that's the church, now being pictured as as the holy city.

And it's got this massive wall around it with these these 12 gates. Mhmm. What do you reckon that's saying? Well, I mean, if you're in a city with high walls and you're quite well protected, aren't you? Yeah.

Particularly, if there are angels at each of the gates kind of is a bit of a picture back to the Garden of Eden when God placed the flashing sword and angel sort of to to prevent Adam and Eve coming back into the garden. You're not getting past an angel, basically. Nothing evil will get into God's perfect place. And that's what this is saying. Nothing evil will be inside -- Yeah.

-- because it can't it can't get it. Yeah. Absolutely. And and then you've got this this but you've got this sort of picture of of of of the bride, remember. And there's there's there's, you know, gates on the north south east at the east and west -- Mhmm.

-- which which I think is just, you know, the image of what the bride is. The bride comes from every nation. Yeah. Every color of people. Yeah.

Everyone's alive here, isn't every everybody's life matters -- Yes. -- that's come from the north, the south, the east, the west, whether they're black or white or whatever color they are -- Yeah. -- or non color they are. You know, they're whatever language, whatever tribe. Mhmm.

This this bride is made up of people from all over the world. Yeah. And there is a beautiful safety and unity there. Yeah. Yeah.

It's a beautiful picture. Everyone together and then God sort of protecting the his people's purity in a sense with these great high walls and his angels in the case. I I mean, that and that's a staggering thing, isn't it? That we'll be in a time where no nasty thought can creep through eye gate. Yeah.

And no, you know, nasty bit of gossip will come into ear ache. Yeah. And nothing nasty will come out of mouthgate. Yeah. They're often unwanted aren't they?

They come in and you go, why am I thinking that? Why am I go, you know, go away. You you wish your defenses were better. Yeah. And yeah, they will be.

And they will be. So they're so they're open, so there's a sense of great freedom when it seems that they're open. And then there's angel at each of the gates -- Yeah. -- as you say, guarding, saying no evil, nothing wrong, nothing bad. So there's massive security that we are safe in being really being ourselves in God.

Yep. As broad as in us. Yep. And there's no sort of self isolation going on it. There is there there is everyone together, not just groups of 6 people, but a whole city.

Living together in sort of community and community. And then you've got the foundations. Are explicitly, you know, told us that that they're it's, you know, that these these 12 foundations and on them will written the names of the 12 apostles of the land. Mhmm. So that the foundation of this building -- Mhmm.

-- is the word of god through the epistemic teaching and Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And that's why if you don't if if you don't sort of subscribe or submit or yeah, sort of bow to the teachings of the apostles. You have no part in the city really.

Mhmm. You can't say, I don't like Paul. And then be in this city which is built on him in a sense. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Because those apostles are the word of of the lamb, aren't they? Yeah. So it's very important that we're listening to to their apostolic teaching, which is found in the scripture, isn't it?

Yeah. Yeah. So wonderful, isn't it? Because a lot of people would, you know, without really knowing it, they would say that the the teaching of the hypothesis is It's dull, it's irrelevant, it's but here, it's a foundation of the dwelling place of God, which is full of all kinds of people. Yeah.

And is anything but dull and a minority group sort of thing, is it? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, I think we'll leave it there and