You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
21 And[kai] the twelve[dodeka] gates[pulon] were twelve[dodeka] pearls;[margarites] every[hekastos][ana] several[heis] gate[pulon] was[en] of[ek] one[heis] pearl:[margarites] and[kai] the street[plateia] of the
city[polis] was pure[katharos] gold,[chrusion] as it were
[hos] transparent[diaphanes] glass.[hualos] KJV-Interlinear
21 And the
twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And
the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. NASB
The gates are made of a single pearl. The measurements of the gates are not given, but when the size of the wall is considered, and when you consider that they are gates to a city, which means that lots of people will be going through them, they have to be huge gates. Probably several lanes wide, one would think, and certainly almost as tall as the wall itself.
Remember too, that the city is 1500 miles wide on each side, with only three gates on a given side
The streets, or any spaces which are not occupied by buildings, are pure gold. The word for street, 'plateia,' means open space or unoccupied space, meaning any space not occupied with buildings or other things.
None of these things are for your chipping away, just to get some income. They are all permanent to the city. All residents of the city will be wealthy beyond ones wildest dreams.
When a person is extremely wealthy, then he can decorate his home with great extravagance. His wealth is in the bank, in investments, in something, which is not generally a part of his home. The rich person does not set up expensive decorations just to spend from them, at some later date. They are decorations, which, like jewels on a woman, are there to enhance, to accent, to show off the natural beauty of her person. They are the statement of ones wealth and they are there to be seen, admired, and enjoyed.
This is our new home, the dream city of all dream cities and more.
Man can build his skyscrapers, and bridges, and walls, and such, but where will they be when this universe is destroyed?
God, on the other hand, has created a city with such precision and beauty and size, that it has no equal.
To sum up the city in just a few words, would be to say that is will be awesome to say the least.
If you have ever seen the Grand Canyon, or the Pacific ocean from the air, then you know that reading about them and seeing them are two totally different experiences.
We have only words to describe the new city of Jerusalem in the new universe. These words should be impressive enough, but when we actually stand before its gates, there probably will not be any words to describe our initial impression.
